Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

14th Century

Prince Ashitaka is riding on his red elk, Yakul, eastward. He can already feel the curse/infection on his arm tingling at his flesh. The wise woman had told him that he was to ride to the east where the demon boar that cursed him came from to find the source and, possibly, a cure. But live or die, Ashitaka was banished from his home. He had been riding throughout the night, then a piece of paper hits hit face.

Ashitaka pulls the paper away from his face and he looks at it confused.

“Look at this, Yakul.” Ashitaka says to his steed.

He reads the writing: If you want to learn about your future, check “Yes”.

Attached to the paper is a piece of graphite. Supposedly for marking the “Yes” box or not. Ashitaka looks around. He wonders if a seer sent this. In any case, Ashitaka thinks that knowing his future is essential for him now. So he removed the graphite and checks the box.

As soon as he does, the paper glows. Ashitaka stares as the paper glows brighter, engulfing him and Yakul. And then, they are gone.

…

When the light fades, Ashitaka and Yakul finds themselves sitting in a strange room. He is sitting in a they see red chairs lined up with a dozen identical ones. Several more rows are in the front and back of him. At the very front is a large open wall.

“Where are we, Yakul?” Ashitaka asks his elk

Yakul snorts in uncertainty.

Ashitaka then hears something moving behind him. Ashitaka is tackled from behind and he falls to the ground. The unknown assailant is wearing a red mask and a white cape made of pelt. The assailant raises a knife over their head but Ashitaka shoves them away. The assailant flies and hits a wall thanks to the curse enhancing his strength. The assailant grunts and falls to the ground. They try to reach for their knife but Ashitaka steps on it infront of her.

“Why did you bring me here just to kill me?” Ashitaka asks.

“Bring YOU here?” The assailant says. “No, you brought me here.”

The assailant removes her mask. Ashitaka gasps. This girl is very beautiful. More beautiful than Kaya or any girl from his village. She has short brown hair, fair skin and dark blue eyes (which are glaring at him). She is wearing red face paint and ragged clothes.

“You’re…beautiful.” Ashitaka says.

The girl is taken aback by this. She had been called many things, brave, fierce, a great warrior, human, wolf girl, but never beautiful. A part of her feels…touched.

She hears a snort and sees Yakul glaring fiercely at her and pointing his horns in her direction. Due to her upbringing, the girl has a strong connection with nature. She even understands some animal speak.

The red elk is saying: Leave him alone!

San looks at the elk then the boy. Normally the animals under human control are treated like slaves. The ones she’s talked to express exasperation with their masters at best. This one seems genuinely concerned. She considers this boy may not be all bad, but she is still on guard.

“Who are you? I am San, daughter of Moro, the wolf goddess.”

“I am Ashitaka, prince of the Emishi. Or at least I was.

“Why did you bring me here?” San asks, showing him her note, the same as Ashitaka’s. “I was with my brothers in the forest, then this note hit me in the face. I thought it was a sign from the great forest spirit. But turns out it was just a trick of humans.”

“It is no trick of mine.” Ashitaka says, showing her his own note. “I was leaving my village, headed east, when it hit me in the face.”

San calms down a bit.

“So if you didn’t bring us here then who-“

Another flash of light appears. When it fades there is a woman in the seats. She is older than both San and Ashitaka, with dark hair and lipstick wearing a regal Hakama. She is holding the same paper as them in her hands. As she looks around San growls hatefully at the woman.

“Hmm, I thought this was supposed to show me my future. Not take me someplace with terrible lighting.” The woman then notices Ashitaka and San, though mostly the wolf girl. “Oh, you’re here.”

“Eboshi!” San cries as she charges at the woman.

Ashitaka grabs San from around her waist and holds the savage girl back as she yells at him to let her go. Eboshi giggles.

“My, wolf princess. Your boyfriend is quite strong.” Eboshi says, before taking a look at Ashitaka. “Mmm, and handsome too. If you came to Irontown the girls would be all over you.”

“Um, who are you exactly?” Ashitaka says, as he continues to hold San back.

“I am Eboshi. Lady Eboshi. I am the leader of Irontown. I guess you can say me and the wolf girl in your arms are neighbors.”

“Let me go, Ashitaka!” San yells. “She’s been destroying my home!”

Two more flashes of light appear. Standing before them are a girl with braids wearing a blue dress and a boy in a vest. Both are 13. They each have a similar invitation in their hand.

“What the?” The boy asks.

“Where am I?” Asks the girl. “Who are you?” She asks the boy.

“Uh, I’m Pazu.” Says the boy. “Where are we? Some kind of theatre?” He notices Ashitaka, Eboshi, and San who are looking at them strangely. “Is there some kind of production going on?”

“I don’t know.” Says Sheeta. “I was at my farm and I saw a group of men approaching. Then this note suddenly appeared to me.”

Sheeta shows Pazu a note that reads: Stay Away From These Men. Check “Yes” to Learn Why.

“And now here I am.”

“Hmm. Weird. My note said to check “Yes” if you want to learn about Laputa.” Says Pazu.

“Laputa?” Sheeta asks.

“A legendary floating island. Some say its just a myth.”

Pazu notices the crystal around Sheeta’s neck.

“That’s a very interesting necklace you have there?”

“Oh, thank you. It belonged to my grandmother.” Sheeta says.

“Hey, can I see it for a second?”

Before Sheeta can answer, three more flashes of light appear. In three seats appear a middle aged man, a brunette woman, and a little girl behind them who is likely their daughter. The girl hides herself behind the seats scared while the man and woman look around.

“Where are we?” The man asks.

“Some kind of theatre?” Asks the woman, who then notices Yakul. “One with an all animals allowed policy, apparently.

“I told you not to grab that paper! I told you!” The girl whines. “You shouldn’t have even touched it. It hit our window. We shouldn’t have left home.”

“Chihiro, me signing a paper about learning the future did not send us here.” Her father says.

Ashitaka lets go of San and walks over to them.

“Actually, I think it is.” Ashitaka says, showing them his paper.

San and Eboshi show them their papers too.

“See, I told you.” Chihiro says to her parents.

Another flash of light appears next to Chihiro, causing her to jump back startled. Sitting in the seat, staring blankly at his piece of paper is a 12-year-old boy with dark green hair in a bob cut and slanted green eyes. He looks up from his paper and looks around, noticing the startled Chihiro and her surprised parents. San immediately recognizes him as a river dragon spirit, in human form.

“Well, this was unexpected.”

“Did you get this note too, young man?” Chihiro’s father asks, showing him his note.

The boy looks back down at his own note. Except it reads: “Do you want to learn your name?” The boy holds his paper up.

“I did get a letter.” He says to the man, the. He notices Chihiro. “Have we met before? You seem familiar?”

“Yeah, you kinda do too.” Chihiro says.

“Go ahead, Chihiro. Introduce yourself.” Her mother urges.

“I’m Chihiro. Chihiro Ogino. Who are you?”

“Haku.” Says the boy. “Except that’s not actually my name. I forgot my real name long ago.”

The Ogino’s and the others in the room look at him confused.

Another flash of light appears. This time in the sky. This time, everyone (except Haku) gaps in shock as they see a thirteen-year-old girl with a red bow riding a broomstick in the air. On the broom with her is a boy her age with glasses and a black cat.

The girl looks at the startled people below then looks at the note in her hand.

“What magic is this?” Kiki asks.

“I told you that you shouldn’t have touched that paper.” Says the cat, though everyone else just hears a meow.

“Actually it is. We all got it too.” San says, showing the witch and the cat the paper.

Everyone looks at her strangely.

“You can understand Jiji?” Kiki asks.

“Oh, you’re a witch too? I couldn’t tell by the way you’re dressed.” Says the boy in glasses.

“No, but I was raised by forest spirits, I know many animal speak.” Says San.

The Ogino’s freak out. Everyone else is unfazed.

“You’re a witch!?” Shouts Chihiro.

Kiki flies down.

“Yes I am. This is Jiji, my familiar.” Kiki says to Chihiro, who remains scared and silent. “What’s wrong. You look like you’ve never seen a witch before.”

“No one has!” Yelled Chihiro.

“Well actually I work for one.” Says Haku.

Most of the people in the room look at Haku strangely. But Kiki is focused on Chihiro.

“Well…hello then. My name is Kiki. This is Jiji and my friend Tombo. He’s human.”

“Nice to meet you.” Tombo says to Chihiro.

Kiki extends her hand. Chihiro looks at it strangely then, upon receiving a nod from Haku, grabs it. Chihiro calms down and smiles at the girl.

“I’m Chihiro.”

Another flash of light appears and this time it’s an adult woman with long brown hair. Kiki gasps.

“Mom!”

Kiki runs up to her mother and they hug each other.

“Kiki! So good to see you. Me and your father got your letter. We’re glad you’re doing well.” She takes out a note. “But you didn’t need to go to such lengths.”

Kiki’s mother says, showing her daughter a note that reads: “Check Yes if you want to talk to your daughter.”

“I didn’t send you a note? I got one too.” Kiki says, showing her mother her note.

Everyone else holds up their notes as well.

Another flash of light appears. This time it’s a 13-year-old boy with black hair. The boy is about to question what’s going on, but another, much smaller, flash of light appears in his hand. He stares when he sees a very familiar, and small, girl standing in his palm. The tiny girl looks up shocked and happy.

“Arrietty.” Says the boy, fondly.

“Sho!” Shouts the tiny girl, Areietty.

The tiny girl hugs the boys thumb, both ignorant of the people (besides Kiki, Jiji, Tombo and Kokiri) staring at them shocked. The boy, Sho, holds up the tiny girl, Arrietty, to his cheek and the girl hugs it.

“I can’t believe it. It’s been almost two years. I never thought I’d see you again.” Sho says.

“You’re alive! You survived the surgery!” Arrietty cries, happily. “I can’t believe it. My note said to check Yes if I wanted to see you again.”

Sho gasps happily.

“My note was for if I wanted to see YOU. Oh, here.”

Sho reaches around his neck and pulls out a string with a hair clip on it. He hands it to Arrietty who gasps.

“My hair clip? You kept it?”

“Yeah. It was from my first friend after all.” Sho says.

Arrietty smiles and clips her hair.

Kokiri walks over to them.

“Look at that, a borrower. Haven’t seen one of those in years.” The older witch says.

Arrietty finally notices her surroundings and sees everyone else staring at her.

“Oh no. My dads gonna kill me.” Arrietty says.

“Relax, I’m not going to swat you.” Kokiri says.

Sure, normally most people considered borrowers pests. No one liked the idea of tiny people taking up residence in their homes and “borrowing” things, no matter how small. But Kokiri was always the sort of person to leave a doll house in her basement, just in case any ever showed up.

“Swat her!?” Sho shouts, holding Arrietty close to him.

“Relax, dude.” Tombo says. “Sure borrowers can be pests but we’re not going to hurt your friend.”

“Wait hold on, you guys know about borrowers?” Arrietty asks.

“Hold on. What’s a borrower?” Yuko asks.

“Tiny creatures that look like humans. They steal tiny objects to survive though normally they hide from humans. I have no idea how these two would know each other.” Haku explains.

Tombo, Kiki, Kokiri and Jiji blink in surprised.

“Well of course we KNOW about borrowers.” Tombo says. “Sure no one likes having tiny people sneak into our homes and steal stuff, even if it’s just tiny stuff. But of course we know they exist.”

“I didn’t know they existed until I met Arrietty.” Sho says.

“What? Have you been living under a rock, man?” Tombo asks.

“No one else knows about them.” Sho retorts. “My aunts maid tried to expose her and her family.”

Kiki, Kokiri, Tombo and Jiji are confused how so many people can be unaware of the existence of borrowers.

Before they can ask more questions another flash of light appears. Occupying three seats are a little girl with red hair, a little boy and the boys mother. Haku’s and San’s eyes widen when looking at the girl. Even though she is only five, they can sense a strong ancient (and somewhat familiar in Haku’s case) power inside her.

“What just happened?” The boy asks his mother, then he turns to the girl. “Ponyo?”

The girl, Ponyo, shrugs.

“Let me guess. You guys signed this?” San asks the mother.

“I thought it was a horoscope thing.” The mother says.

In another flash of light, this time in the sky. There appears a figure dressed in blue standing on a white metal glider-like device that keeps her floating in the air. The figure looks down shocked. Everyone else in the audience gaps at her (except for the witches, their cat and Tombo [who stares in awe]). The figure lowers itself to the ground and removes their face mask and hat, revealing a the beautiful face of a sixteen year old girl with short brown hair.

On her shoulder is a small creature with a long tail like a squirrel but with pointy ears like a fox. It has blue eyes and yellow and black stripped.

“Woah, what is that thing your on? How does it float?” Tombo asks amazed.

Kiki pouts, feeling jealous.

“It’s my mehve.” The girl says. “Who are you people?” She pulls out a note. “I checked a box in this note asking if I wanted learn more about the Ceramic Era but here I am.”

“Ceramic era?” Chihiro’s father asks.

“Yeah. Most of you are dressed like you’re from then.” The girl says.

San steps forward.

“We’re just as confused as you are. If not more.” Says San. “Introduce yourself. I am San, daughter of Moro, princess of the wolf spirits.”

The girl looks at San and smiles

“Well, wolf princess. My name is Nausicaa. I am the princess of the Valley of the Wind.”

San narrows her eyes at the other girl, to her confusion.

“Excuse me, but what is that adorable creature on your shoulder?” Sheeta asks Nausicaa.

Nausicaa smiles at the little girl. “Why thank you. This is Teto, my pet fox-squirrel. I just got him recently."

Sheeta cocks her head. "Fox...Squirrel?"

“I’ve seen squirrels, and I’ve seen a fox. Never a fox squirrel.” Arrietty says.

Nausicaa notices the tiny girl in the boys hand and jumps back startled.

“Woah!” Nausicaa leans down to Arrietty's level. “Incredible. How are you so small? How are you even alive? You should lose your body heat quickly at this size? Do you have a high metabolism? How functional is your brain at that size? How many fingers am I holding?” Nausicaa asks, holding up three fingers.

Arrietty scoffs, feeling insulted.

“Arrietty isn’t stupid,” Sho tells her.

“Anyways, I’m Lisa. This is my son, Souske, and his friend Ponyo.” One of the mothers says.

“I’m Akio.” Says Chihiro’s father.

“Yuko.” Says Chihiro’s mother. “And this is our daughter, Chihiro and her…uh, well this is Haku. He showed up like you guys.”

“Can someone please explain what’s going on?” San asks.

“I was hoping you would know.” Says Lisa.

“It looks like we’re in a movie theatre.” Says Souske.

“Oh, pretty deer!” Ponyo cries before running over to pet Yakul, who happily lets her.

“Theatre?” Asks Lady Eboshi. “Do you see a stage, boy?”

“Not a play kind of theatre.” Lisa snaps at the rude woman. “Though it looks like you three would be in the right place for that. You guys look like you’re from the fourteenth century.”

“It is the fourteenth century.” Ashitaka says.

San and Eboshi nod.

“What? It’s the 19th century.” Says Sheeta.

Pazu nods.

“What? No, it’s 2001.” Says Aiko.

His wife, daughter and Haku nod.

“It’s not 2001. It’s 2008.” Says Lisa.

“No, it’s 2011.” Says Sho.

Nausicaa’s eyes widen.

“You’re all from the Ceramic era.” She says. “I’m from 1,000 years in the future from your times.” She says pointing to everyone from the 21st century.

Kokiri smiles and shakes her head I’m amazement.

“We came from 1960. Time travel, huh? This must be some strong magic.” Kokiri then notices Tombo. “You must be Tombo, my daughter has written a lot about you.”

Tombo blushes.

“Oh, really? W-what about?”

Yakul grunts.

The whole room starts erupting into arguments and confusion. Until an air horn goes off.

Everyone covers their ears then when the sound dies down they look at the screen. Which is now showing writing:

“Hello everyone. Yes, I brought you here from different time periods.

And yes, this is technically kidnapping. But it was consensual….

sort of….

Anyways, this is for a good cause.

You’re all going to be sent back to your own times when this is done.

Most of you will see the future.

Some of you will see events that you’ve already lived.

Right now, you will all see what will happen in 2012.

And the result.

Please take your seats. The showing will begin in a minutes.”

“Ah, 2012. The end of the world.” Lisa says with a smile.

San, Ashitaka and Lady Eboshi look at her, worried.

“Relax, it’s just a rumor. From a Mayan calendar.” Lisa says. “Look, the fact that Nausicaa’s here is proof of that.”

Nausicaa sweats. She has a feeling she knows exactly what event happened in 2012 that’s going to be shown. But it seems like she’s going to get her wish. To learn more about the ceramic era.

“I say we watch the showings.” Nausicaa says.

“Hold on. Someone takes us from space and time to make us watch movies and you want to humor them?” Asks Sho.

“I imagine whoever did this didn’t do it for no reason.” Says Kokiri.

More words appear on the screen.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Arrietty begins glowing, to her and Sho’s shock.

“What happening? Why does my body feel tingly?” Arrietty asks.

Suddenly Arrietty starts growing bigger. In a matter of seconds she is twice her original size and still growing. Her clothes and her hair clip grow in proportion as Sho sets her on the ground, at just a foot tall. Arrietty continues to grow until she is able to look at Sho in the eyes. They gasp and so does everyone else around them.

“Arrietty…You-Your big.” Sho says shocked.

“Am I a bean now?” Arrietty gasps.

Lisa turns to Kokiri.

“Bean?”

“It’s what borrowers call humans. It’s supposed to be short for Human-Being.”

“But she said Bean not Being.” Souske points out.

“Something got lost in translation.” Kokiri shrugs.

“Arrietty, your current size is only temporary. When I send you home you will be back to normal size. But if you or Sho wish to be big or small we can talk about this later. Unfortunately I can’t be in two places at once so you’re going to have to watch the first few things without me. Chow.”

Appears on the screen then vanishes.

The screen then shows a timer, counting down from 30.

Everyone is stunned silent.

Lisa speaks up.

“Ok, everyone. Life is strange and things don’t always make sense. But for now I say we listen to what our mystery host has to say. Let’s just take our seats and…enjoy the movie.”

San sits by Ashitaka on the far end and Yakul stands in the walkway next to his seat. Kiki (with Jiji on her lap), her mother and Tombo sit next to them. Chihiro and her parents sit in the row in front of them, Haku sits next to Chihiro on the left and her father, followed by her mother, sit on the right. Lady Eboshi sits next to Chihiro’s mother. And in front of them, Sousuke sits between his mother and Ponyo while Sho sits next to Arrietty who sits bevy to Ponyo. Nausicaa, Pazu and Sheeta sit in the same row as Eboshi, Chihiro and her parents.

“It feels so weird sitting in a bean chair.” Arrietty tells Sho, grabbing his hand and putting it together with hers. “I was standing in this a minute ago.”

“I know it’s pretty weird.” Sho says.
“I cant believe we’re going to see the future.” Tombo whispers to Kiki excitedly.

“Well, fortune telling is a thing, but this will be more…precise.” Kiki says.
“I had my future foretold recently.” Ashitaka says.

“What did it say?” Asks Kokiri.

Ashitaka rubs his arm, this doesn’t go unnoticed by San.

The movie starts.

“Just to clarify, the narration is recorded from a woman who survived this.” Displays on the screen.

This made everyone nervous.

“Survived?” Asks Haku.

Chapter Text

A woman’s narration explains that last night her brother from college appeared in her room, and told her that a great disaster is coming.

Everyone raised a brow at this.

“That’s creepy.” Says Tombo.

“He just appeared in her room just out of the blue to say the world would end?” Questions Arrietty.

“Quite ominous.” Says San.

“What wouldn’t he just call?” Questions Sho.

“What’s Call?” Questions Ashitaka. “You mean send a messenger pigeon?”

“No, with a phone.” Aiko says. “Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn’t know what a phone is. It’s a device where you speak into it and it sends what you’re saying to another phone.”

“Is it magic?” San asks in awe.

“No. You would think so but it’s actually technology.” Says Kiki.

Lady Eboshi smiles.

“How interesting? How does it work?” She asks.

Souske speaks up.

“When we talk we emit sound waves. A phone has special metal discs that convert the sound waves into electromagnetic energy that travels along the spectrum to another phone where it turns into sound waves again.”

Everyone stares at Souske, amazed that such a young boy knows so much. Ponyo looks amazed and Lisa pats his back.

“My son likes to read and understand how things work.” Lisa explains.

“Ok, but HOW does it convert the sound waves into…whatever you just said?” San asks.

“Sound waves cause vibrations and those vibrations cause the electromagnetic waves. It just has to do with the level of voltage. Electricity. Lightning.” Souske says, using different terms so that the people from centuries ago understand.

San’s and Ashitaka’s minds are still aching from the concept. Lady Eboshi is more amazed and hopes she can figure out more about how these phones work. Not only will they improve communication in Irontown but make her a rich woman. Well, richer than she already is.

We see a sky-view of modern-day Tokyo. The tall skyscrapers and sprawling metropolis is a beacon of human progression and dominance over the land. The Tokyo Tower comes into view.

“Oh look, it’s Tokyo.” Yuko says.

“The future.” Sheeta says in awe.

“Incredible.” Says Pazu.

Nausicaa takes a deep breath in.

Sans eyes widen in horror at the sight of a whole land with so little greenery. She grits her teeth, humans have spread and undoubtedly destroyed so much land belonging to animals and spirits in the future. San sends a cold glare to Lady Eboshi who smiles at the sight.

This is Eboshi’s ultimate goal for Irontown. A great metropolis encompassing the whole land. She is amazed by so many buildings and structures that reach the sky. She is giddy at the prospect of all the riches she could extract from the land. The businesses that she could own.

Ashitaka has mixed feelings. Though the sight of the city amazed him he also felt some disturbance. His village was small. His people existed in peace with nature and showed honor to the spirits. There was no doubt that humans destroyed a lot of that during their progress and expansion. He notices San glaring at the screen next to him. He tries to reach from her hand but she pulls it back.

As the image changes to show one of the city streets of Tokyo from the ground, including traffic lights and concrete roads, people walking down the sidewalk or using their iPhones, billboards, cars, and trucks.

“What are those blinking things?” San asks.

“How are those carriages moving without horses?” Lady Eboshi asks, impressed and curious.

She wonders if she can build a device that runs on its own powered by coal or gun powder if combustion is involved. It looks like these things are releasing smoke.

“And what are those devices in their hands?” Ashitaka asks.

“Well the carriages are called cars. People use them for transport. They run on fossil fuels.” Kokiri explains.

“Oh, like coal?” Lady Eboshi asks.

“Actually it’s gasoline. It’s a combustible liquid.” Says Tombo.

San grunts, knowing that the metals and fuel for these devices was likely mined from the ground, destroying nature in the process. She also looked in disgust at the smoke released, wondering how that affects the air and water.

“The poles are street lights.” Says Kiki. “Red means stop. Green means go. Yellow to slow down. It helps manage traffic so people don’t crash into each other. As for the things in their hands I don’t know what those are. Must be a 21st century invention.”

“We don’t know what that is.” Says Chihiro, and her parents nod.

“That is a cellphone.” Says Souske.

“No it’s not.” Aiko says, taking out his flip phone.

“What you saw on the screen is a newer model called an iPhone.” Says Sho.

“They first came out in 2007.” Says Lisa. “It can do all the things a flip phone can do: call or text.” She turns to the people from the 1950’s and the 14th century. “A written message readable by phone. They can also search the Internet and record videos.”

Haku and the Ogino’s gasp in amazement. Chihiro tells her parents that she wants one when they are invented. However, the others from the 1950’s and the 14th century are confused.

The woman says she asked her brother if he was drunk and says that that was some rumor they heard on the internet. But her brother said that Tokyo will be destroyed soon and apologized.

“This sounds odd.” Says Haku.

“That’s weird for someone to say.” Agrees Chihiro.

A small cloud of spores is seen floating over the telephone poles as a train passes under them. More spore clouds are shown at different places throughout the city.

“What’s that?” Ponyo asks.

“It looks like some kind of spore cloud.” Says Souske.

“Spores don’t glow orange.” Says Jiji.

“Not like any spores I’ve seen.” Says Arrietty.

“There’s a lot of them.” Says Sho.

“It’s starting.” Nausicaa whispers.

Pazu and Sheeta turn to her worried.

“That will make flying difficult.” Says Tombo.

“I’m sure human pollution is to blame.” San says, spitefully.

“Easy there. Let’s keep watching.” Ashitaka tells her.

Meanwhile, Haku and Ponyo wonder why this girl is so spiteful towards humans when she clearly is one.

The woman says she never expected her brother to say something like this. She wonders if it was actually her brother she was talking to or an imposter. She asked him who he was and her “brother” simply said that he was “the warning” and the important thing now is how people will react to the omen before disappearing as a massive spore cloud forms over the city.

“So that wasn’t actually her brother?” Sho asks.

“What was it then?” Arrietty asks.

“The warning. Whatever that means.” Says Aiko.

“Sounds scary.” Says Chihiro.

“Could it have been a spirit?” Ashitaka asks San.

“Not sure. I know there are spirits that can shape shift or look like humans but why they would take the form of some random woman’s brother to warn her of something is beyond me.”

“Those spores are really freaking me out.” Says Jiji.

Tombo worries that they might cause acid rain or something. Kiki and her mother pay close attention in case these spores appear in their timeline.

Tokyo is seen from above again, but as the music becomes more ominous a massive creature is seen floating in the sky, casting a dark shadow under it. The creature is so large that the tallest buildings are like rocks to it. It floats above the city face-down with its arms and legs sprawled out. It has brownish-gray skin/exoskeleton and a thin figure. It has yellow growling spikes protruding from its shoulder area, a helmet-like head, and long teeth with glowing green eyes. Six beams of yellow light emitted from its back.

The audience is stunned silent.

“What the hell is that!?” Lisa yells.

“I-It’s HUGE!” Kiki shouts.

“It’s not huge, it’s GINORMOUS!” Shouts Chihiro.

“It’s as big as the CITY!” Arrietty shouts.

“What is it?” Asks Ashitaka.

“Perhaps some kind of machine?” Suggests Pazu.

When the creature descends to the ground it is much smaller than it had previously been but still huge. About the size of the tall buildings.

“It seems to be smaller now.” Says Souske.

“That only makes me feel slightly better.” Says Tombo.

“Maybe it’s friendly?” Sheeta suggests, hopefully.

“Do you really think that?” Arrietty asks.

“Let’s have hope.” Says Sho.

The creature looks around as the light beams bend and retreat into its back as if they are retracting wings. The woman explains that a god is not only a creator or someone who answers their prayers but also a being of destruction. That fear is the true nature of a god and that is why they pray to them since they know the god can easily kill or hurt them.

“How is it bending light!?” Souske asks in shock and amazement.

“So that thing IS a god.” Says Lady Eboshi.

“That is NOT a god!” Shouts Ponyo.

“Whatever it is it doesn’t seem like this woman has a high opinion of it.” Says Pazu.

The creature starts walking through Tokyo, carelessly destroying several buildings as civilians just stand in place recording on their phones.

Everyone gasps.

“It’s not friendly.” Arrietty says to Sheeta (though internally she’s trying not to think about the destruction, the beans and possibly borrowers who were likely hurt or killed).

“I know.”

“What are these idiots doing!?” San shouts. “Why aren’t they running!?”

“What are they even doing with their talking devices!?” Asks Ashitaka.

“They are probably recording what’s happening.” Says Lisa.

“You said that before. I still don’t know what that means.” Says San.

Sho takes out his iPhone and turns on the camera feature. He points it at San.

“Do something.” Sho says.

“Get that thing away from me, human.” San says.

Sho presses a button on his phone. He turns the screen to face San and she is surprised to see an image of her face. Sho presses the button and it replays San saying that same sentence again. San stares in shock and grabs the phone.

“Are you positive this isn’t magic!?” San asks.

“Yeah, really?” Kotiri asks.

“Believe it it not this is human technology.” Sho says.

“Amazing.” Says Sheeta.

San huffs.

“Either way, it is foolish to be doing that while a monster is attacking.”

No one disagrees with her.

The creature growls and its teeth lift upwards, revealing flickering technological lights on the inside of them. The creature opens its mouth further and a futuristic proton laser stricks out of it.

Everyone sucks in a breath of horror.

“Is that a laser?” Sho asks.

“So it’s a robot? A cyborg, maybe?” Tombo suggests.

“Cyborg?” Pazu asks.

“Part living thing, part machine.” Tombo explains.

“But it formed from spores!? How could it have a laser in its mouth!?” Chihiro asks.

“Maybe the spores also had nanobots?” Sho suggests. “I read a comic once which these aliens who had nanobots inside their cells so they were also naturally part machine.”

Everyone accepts that explanation. But they are worried about what this giant “god” is going to do with it.

The laser fires a beam of purple light, creating a shockwave in the process that causes some damage to the area under the creature as well. The beam quickly spreads across an area of the city, causing all the buildings it hit to spontaneously explode.

“Holy-!” Souske shouts.

Everyone is stunned silent. They watch with wide eyes and silent horror as this monster single-handed ly destroys the city.

The creature continues firing its laser as it reaches across the city. It destroys every building it touches. Causes disaster throughout Tokyo. One building that it hits melts into lava before exploding.

“It melted that building!” Tombo points out.

“This is bad. This is really, really bad.” Ponyo says holding onto Souske.

Sho grabs Arriettys hand, who grips his fingers. She is horrified at all this destruction.

San is horrified by this supposed future god. While she had no love for humans, this was just pure devastation.

The creature fires more of its laser beams throughout the city. Buildings collapse as streets explode. The beams reach all across the city, destroying everything it touches, including Tokyo Tower. The creature stands in the ruins of Tokyo, a city that it completely destroyed.

Sho clutches his chest as his heart races.

“H-how long was that?” Chihiro asks.

“Two minutes. Maybe less.” Kiki says, eyes glued to the screen.

Chihiro squeals in fear. No one else is much better.

San is too horrified by what she’s seen to snort at the woman saying if it was up to humans life would be infinite.

Even Lady Eboshi is too horrified by the destruction to think about benefiting from a weapon like that.

“This is supposed to be the future?” Pazu asks heartbroken.

The creature walks through the flaming ruins of the city, carrying a lance made of yellow light. The sky above it darkens with smoke and fire as more of its kind descend down to join it.

“There’s MORE of those things!?” Haku shouts.

“WERE DEAD! WE ARE SO DEAD!” Chihiro tells.

Sho looks at the screen with pure horror and anguish. Then he looks at a horrified Arrietty. He couldn’t believe this. Arrietty had given him the will to live again. But just two years after his surgery he would did at the hands of these things! He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. But most of all he wanted to keep Arrietty close to him and not let go. He just hopped that somehow she and her family would survive this.

The woman wonders if it would it take seven days for the earth to be destroyed as the screen shows the creatures continuing their march together, ready to destroy the rest of the world.

The showing ends.

“Nausicaa, what did we just see?” Ashitaka says, braking the silence.

“What was that thing!?” San asks.

“What happened after seven days!?” Arrietty asks.

Everyone breaks into uproar, demanding answers to their questions. Nausicaa raises her hand and everyone becomes quiet.

“What you just saw were the God Warriors.” Nausicaa explains.

“So that was a god.” Haku says.

“Not the sort of god you’re thinking of. They were created by humans.” Nausicaa says.

“Not too hard to believe. But why would humans destroy themselves?” San asks.

“I’m sure it wasn’t intentional.” Aiko snaps.

“Anyways.” Nausicaa begins. “Over the course of seven days these god warriors destroyed human civilization. Wiped out most of the world.”

Everyone from that era tenses.

“After destroying most of humanity the god warriors began to die off. The world was covered in radiation for a long time but eventually it died out and plant life took over. Unfortunately, the vegetation grew to be very toxic.” Nausicaa explains.

San winces.

“Toxic?”

“Yes. As this toxic forest, called the Sea of Corruption, grew from the ruins of human civilization it spread across the earth. Its spores and plant life poison any surviving humans it comes into contact with. Humanity splintered into small groups scattered away from each other. My village was placed in a valley with strong winds because it kept the spores from spreading. Of course, that was if Ohmu didn’t spread them. Giant bugs that evolved to survive in the forest and attack humans.”

“What about the spirits?” Haku asks.

“Spirits?” Nausicaa asks.

Haku and Ponyo gasp and fall into a state of shock. They are held by Chihiro and Souske, respectively. San stands up and growls at the humans in the room.

“Damn you humans! Look what you’ve done! It’s bad enough you’ve destroyed nature and the spirits but now you’ve dragged the whole world down with you!”

“Hey kid, you’re human too.” Lisa says.

“Don’t call me that! I’m a wolf!” San yells.

“Actually, she was raised by wolf gods.” Lady Eboshi clarifies. “Princess Mononoke, we call her.”

“Hold on everyone.” Pazu says standing up. “Maybe the reason we were brought here was to avert this.”

“You can’t change time.” Souske says. “Think about it. If you go back to stop yourself from doing something, you wouldn’t be motivated to go back in the first place and either the timeline wont let it stick or it will make sure that that something happens anyways.”

“We’re in a room with witches, a girl that used to be three inches tall and we’re from different time periods. I’m thinking anything’s possible right now.” Says Pazu.

“What I wanted to know is how all this happened in the first place.” Nausicaa says. “Details of the god warriors rise are spotty at best. I say we keep watching and if you people do have a chance to avert this future…please.” Says Nausicaa.

“The next showing is about two police officers named Chage and Aska (they aren’t here) during the Twilight Years.

“Twilight years?” Haku questions.

“That’s what the people of my time call the era between the seven days of fire and the present.” Nausicaa explains.

“Hmmm. After the apocalypse huh?” Lisa says. “This should be interesting.”

Chapter Text

The screen pans over a grassy landscape that has trees, houses, and a sealed off nuclear reactor in the background. When we see a closer view of the homes, they are empty and there are warning signs for radiation everywhere.

A large yellow vehicle with a radiation warning sign drives into view.

“This is the world after the god warriors destroyed it?” Ashitaka questions.

“It looks… as if nothing happened,” says Chihiro.

“There are radiation signs everywhere and it looks abandoned,” says Lisa.

“I guess this was a city that wasn’t directly affected by the god warriors,” says Nausicaa. “Like, the city was more affected by the radiation than actual destruction so it was abandoned rather than destroyed.”

“Look, there’s a sealed reactor in the background,” says Lisa. “So yeah, I guess that when the god warriors attacked some places were razed, others were just hit with higher levels of radiation.”

“It makes sense,” says Ashitaka. “I mean, many villages in my day are abandoned for several reasons. But what is…radiation?”

“Uh, radiation is….a form of energy,” Aiko says. “We use special elements that emit it to power our machines but it’s harmful to people’s health if directly exposed.”

“Like smoke from coal?” Pazu questions.

“Think of it as rays from the sun,” says Sho.

“The radiation emitted from a nuclear isotope can cause mutations or fetal death in unborn children and cause cancer or radiation poisoning,” says Souske.

“Why would you humans use such a thing if you know its dangerous?” asks San.

“If you cover it in lead its fine,” says Arrietty. “More or less.”

“Though it its used for a nuke, your screwed,” says Haku with a shudder. “A single one could unleash as much devastation as that god warrior did to Tokyo.”

“I’m sorry, what’s a Nuke?” asks Kokiri.

“You know, a nuclear warhead,” says Lisa.

The older witch is still confused. As is her daughter, Tombo and the cat.

“An atomic bomb,” Sho says thinking they might understand better.

“Is that a type of weapon that exists in the twenty first century?” asks Tombo.

“They should have had nukes in the fifties,” says Aiko.

“Yeah, the first ones were made by the Manhattan Project in the forties,” says Sho.

The witches, the cat, and the boy are still confused.

“Because of World War 2,” says Souske.

“What’s World War 2?” asks Tombo.

Everyone between Sheeta and Nausicaa’s time turn to the boy shocked.

“What’s World War Two!? How do you not know what World War Two is!?” asks Chihiro.

“It’s only one of the worst wars in human history!” shouts Sho.

“The only world war that I can think of is the Great War,” says Kokiri.

“That’s World War One,” says Arrietty. “We’re talking about World War Two which happened a few years later!”

“There’s going to be two wars that span across the whole world just a few years apart from each other?” Ashitaka asks feeling horrified and disturbed.

“Really?” asks Nausicaa.

“How do YOU not know!?” Yuko asks her.

“History from before the seven days of fire is…spotty,” explains Nausicaa.

“Ok ignoring that let’s go back to the witches,” says Lisa before turning back to Kokiri. “You have to know about World War Two! Nazi Germany?”

“After the First World War a man named Adolf Hitler became fuhrer of Germany,” says Sho.

“He and the Nazi party waged war on the world,” says Arrietty.

“They believed that aryans, aka blondes, were the master race,” says Lisa.

“They promoted racial purity against anyone who wasn’t full German,” says Yuko.

“They especially targeted Jews and Gypsies. Putting them in concentration camps to be killed,” says Souske.

“It went from 1939 to 1945,” says Sho.

Sheeta gasps and Pazu looks horrified.

“Oh that’s awful,” says Sheeta.

“Nineteen thirty nine,” Pazu says to himself.

If these Nazi’s were going to be coming to his country in a few decades, he had better warn his village to prepare when he gets back. Though he was hoping he could come up with an idea to convince them of an upcoming racial war decades from their current time. If they couldn’t find this “Adolf Hitler” before then.

Kokiri shakes her head.

“Uh, no sorry. I don’t recall anything like that ever happening when I was young,” she says.

“Yeah, there was no war after the Great War,” says Kiki.

“This doesn’t ring any bells,” says Tombo.

Jiji shakes his head.

“You guys seriously need to pay attention to the news better,” says Lisa.

“Or pick up a history book,” says Sho.

“I don’t mean to be rude but can we get back to the movie please?” asks Nausicaa.

Everyone reluctantly turns back to the screen. But Pazu taps on Sho’s shoulder.

“Do you think you can give me a history lesson later?” he asks.

“Sure. I mean I don’t know everything but I can tell you what I do know,” says Sho.

“Thanks man.”

The scene changes to an underground futuristic city. There are flying cars and massive cylindrical buildings extending from the ground to the top of the massive cavern. There are long twisting roads that extend into the air.

Everybody gasps at the sight.

“Woah….” says Arrietty.

“Look at all those flying machines,” says Tombo.

“Horseless charriots that fly!?” Eboshi gasps.

“Coooollllllll……” says Ponyo amazed.

Nausicaa was unaffected since there is air craft in her time too.

Pazu and Sheeta are less affected by the sight of the flying cars than they are of the cities architecture.

“The city is so beautiful,” says Sheeta.

“Yeah. It’s very futuristic,” says Pazu awestruck. “I wonder if Laputa is like this.” he thinks.

“Do you not see the flying machines?” asks Ashitaka.

Pazu shrugs.

“What? It’s not that interesting. There are plenty of airships where I’m from.”

Sheeta nods.

“Yeah. I mean it’s weird that they are able to fly without wings but there are air craft vehicles,” she says.

“I assume you’re referring to biplanes and blimps,” says Tombo. “You gotta admit that a flying car is a lot cooler.”

“Sure we have those but I’m talking about sky-ships and flaptors.”

“What’s a flaptor?” asks Chihiro.

“A personal flying vehicle that has wings,” Pazu says. “Don’t they have them in your time?”

“That is vaguely familiar,” says Aiko. “But I can’t recall-“

“Hold on. Where did you guys say you were from?” Tombo asks Pazu and Sheeta.

“Nineteenth century. We’re from Europe,” Pazu says.

“I’m from the Gondoa valley,” says Sheeta.

“I’m from a town called Slag Ravine,” says Pazu.

Tombo and Aiko both turn to Sheeta and Pazu amazed.

“Gondola!”

“That explains it!”

“What’s important about Gondola?” asks Sho.

“Gondola had a mine filled with Aetherium, also called Volucite,” explains Haku. “It ran out of the stuff by the early twentieth century (good thing for us river spirits) but before then the people of the town and certain sects of the government were able to use it to advance their air technology.”

“Some say that the mine ran out but, allegedly, the natives blew up the mines so that the Nazi’s couldn’t use it,” says Aiko.

“What’s so special about Aetherium?” asks San.

“It possesses magical properties,” Kokiri explains. “In addition to allowing non-witches to cast spells, it also naturally possesses anti-gravitational properties.”

“Spells?” Sheeta asks while subconsciously touching the crystal necklace hidden under her dress.

“A Crystal that gives you magic and can build machines that fly, huh?” Lady Eboshi asks, licking her lips.

San takes out her knife.

“Careful, Eboshi. I’ve still got half a mind to kill you before we leave this place.”

Ashitaka lowers her hand.

“Magic, huh?” asks Aiko. “I always thought that Aetherium was a Crystal made of solidified gases

“How do you know about it?” Yuko asks her husband.

“I’m an engineer, sweetheart. I learned all about Aetherium-powered airships in college. But no one was sure whether or not they were just a myth.”

“Apparently not,” says Chihiro.

Nausicaa thought about her time periods hoverboards. They are powered by a special crystal too. It was discovered in the sea of corruption around the same time that the fox-squirrels were discovered. She pets Teto. They just called them power crystals but now Nausicaa was wondering if they are Aetherium. She didn’t think anyone in her time had ever considered that the crystals could be used for magic spells. She holds the hoverboard in her hands and figures she might want to talk to Pazu and Kokiri about Aetherium later.

Tombo, Kiki, Kokiri and Jiji wanted to ask why they would think that the airships of Slag Ravine were just a myth. Last time they checked Slag Ravine was a prosperous town that to this day provided airships and magical crystals throughout the world. They thought about Aiko’s words and thought that this must have something to do with this Second World War that they say happened. For now they keep quiet and decide to watch.

A group of pink flying vehicles marked “Police” fly towards a building that reads: “St. Nova’s”. With a sign that says: “God is watching you” at the top. There is also a symbol of an eye.

The eye symbol immediately catches Nausicaa’s attention.

One of the police cars flies through the window of the building and all of the cultists inside run to safety. They are dressed in white robes and they have red hoods covering their faces. The hoods also have the eye symbols on them.

The police barge out of their vehicles and start firing their bullets at the cultists. Some throw grenades and the cultists take cover before firing their own guns as well.

“So is this some kind of cult?” Sho asks.

“I guess so,” says Lisa.

“What’s a cult?” asks Arrietty.

“Do Borrowers have a religion?” Sho asks her.

“Religion?”

“A religion is a belief,” Lisa tells her.

“You put your faith in and worship a supernatural power,” Sho says. “Like a spirit of a god and you hope that they help you if you follow certain rules. Some people become extremely obsessed towards a certain person, or thing. Those are called cults,” Sho tells her.

Arrietty nods in understanding.

“These St. Nova cultists remind me of the priests of Dorok,” Nausicaa says.

San, Haku and Ponyo turn to her.

“Dorok?” Ponyo asks.

“That’s a spirit name,” San thinks.

“In my time there’s an empire called Dorok. It’s ruled by a Holy Emperor and its Council of Monks. It is split into different tribes each headed by a priest. They all wear an eye symbol like that,” Nausicaa explains.

“These guys must be an early version of them then,” says Haku.

“Tell me about the people of Dorok,” says San.

“Well, their religion is centered around worship of the Holy Emperor,” says San. “Their religion heavily influences their way of life. They suffer alot from the toxic jungle that spreads throughout our world but they believe they will receive a joyous afterlife if they completely devote themselves to the emperor.”

“You don’t seem to be fond of them,” says Haku.

“I…let’s just say I haven’t heard good things about them,” Nausicaa says.

Gunfire is exchanged on all sides. The interior has eye symbols everywhere. Two specific police men get the most focus. One stops by a room to fire in it before running while the one behind him throws a grenade inside. More police vehicles swarm the outside of the building.

Some people grimace at the police brutality and slaughter. Even if they are cultists.

The officers check under the hoods and step over the bodies of all the dead cultists. The two police officers from before, Chage and Aska, find a figure lying on the ground and approach it. One of them takes a closer look and we see that it is a young looking girl, with short dull-green hair and wings on her back. The empty bottles and partly eaten plate of food indicates that she has been there for a while. She is unconscious.

Everyone blinks in surprise.

“Does that girl have wings?” Ashitaka asks.

“I think she does,” says Sho.

“What the heck?” asks Arrietty.

“Did the cultists do that to her?” asks Sheeta.

“She could be a mutant, from all the radiation,” suggests Chihiro.

“Or maybe a new species of human,” suggests Tombo.

“She could have been genetically altered,” suggests Lisa.

“No I think she’s an Angel,” says Ponyo.

Souske turns to Ponyo.

“Are there actually angels, Ponyo?”

“Well, sort of,” says Haku.

“My mother once told me that the sky is controlled by a goddess named Lapu,” says San.

“Lapu?” Pazu asks. “Perhaps Laputa was named after her, he thinks.

“Yes, Lapu. And she is described as resembling a human woman with wings,” says San.

“You think that girl is her?” asks Yuko.

“No, she’s far too young,” says Haku. “And a goddess her age would be too strong to be restrained by humans. I’m guessing this is one of her children. They would often be confused with angels whenever they come to earth. I think the first might have actually been named Angel.”

“Could she be a demigod?” Ponyo asks.

“I’m certain not,” says San. “According to my mother Lapu isn’t known for tolerance towards humans. Actually she isn’t known for liking anyone, really. Spirit or human. She always described her as someone who watches the world from above. Sneering in disgust at conflicts, both of man and god. Though during our conflict with Eboshi, all the spirits of my forest went to the highest mountain and prayed to her for help. We prayed every day and night, a month went bye and she finally came down to talk to us.”

“How did it go?” Ashitaka asks.

“Well I’m still active so how do you think?” Eboshi mutters.

“She…basically told us to stop and we were annoying her,” says San. “She said that it was our problem, that nothing that happens on the ground is her concern. Even after I reminded her that Eboshi’s factory was poisoning her sky, she just told us to fight harder.”

“Wow, she stucks,” says Aiko.

“Yeah…” San agrees.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Kiki says looking at her invitation. “I just noticed that my invite has wings at the bottom.”

She points to the silver engraving of a pair of wings at the lower middle of her paper. Everyone pulls out their invites and real sizes that their face the same thing.

“Does this mean that Lapu may have brought us here?” asks Chihiro.

“Or the one on the screen,” says Yuko.

“Let’s keep watching.”

The two officers quickly rush her out of the building while carrying her. One of them gives her a bottle of water and the other watches her drink concerned.

San was confused at the sight of humans being concerned for a spirit. But it made her smile slightly.

The unconscious Angel is taken away by the a large group of people in hazmat suits. The Angel is placed in a body bag and loaded into a vehicle before being taken away. The two officers look on in worry before walking away.

“Where are they taking her?” Ponyo asks.

“A hospital, I hope,” says Lisa.

“I don’t know, those officers looked kinda worried,” says Arrietty.

“They probably want to experiment on her,” Sho says looking down.

“Experiment?” San asks, confused and angered/disgusted.

“Yeah, you know how humans are,” Haku says. “When humans find something new or different they like to study it.”

“A few movies come to mind,” Sho admits awkwardly.

“That’s why we borrowers hide,” Arrietty adds. “But some are good, San.” She grabs Sho’s hand. “Sho showed me that.”

Sho blushed and looked the other way. A few people noticed this and smiled.

San poured and turned her attention back to the screen. “That is yet to be seen,” she thinks.

Later, at a restaurant, the two officers ponder over the fate of the Angel. After that, Aska does research on a computer while Chage works on repairing a device. Chage then approached Aska with the device and Aska shows him something he’s found in the computer. Indicating that now they know where the Angel is.

“What’s that thing?” Lady Eboshi asks.

“That’s a computer. It has information on it,” says Aiko.

“I’m pretty sure the device in Chage’s hand is tracker of some sort,” says Nausicaa.

“Tracker?” Ashitaka asks.

“They are going to save the Angel!” Ponyo cheers.

San perks up at this. Were they really going to do that?

The two officers walk down the hallway of the facility, first in their regular uniform then the scene changes to them in hazmat suits (for their disguise). They knock out all the ones monitoring the room the Angel is in by filling their suits with a gas. One of the monitors depicts a DNA strand.

“They are really saving her,” San says in disbelief. The idea of a couple of humans going against other humans for the sake of a spirit was foreign to her.

The Angel is kept in a glass containment case connected to large machinery. Chage uses the device he made to shit down the machinery. He and Aska grab the still unconscious Angel and flee as the alarm goes off.

Ponyo jumps out if her seat and cheers. Haku smiles in satisfaction while some of the other humans cheer too.

San is pleased at the scene, and the sight of Ashitaka (and the other humans) cheering too. But she frowns when she sees Lacy Eboshi watching with a bored expression. San reminded herself that while TWO humans decided to save the sky spirit the majority imprisoned her. She wasn’t about to forget that.

They load the Angel into a large yellow vehicle (one that has wheels). They drive away through a tunnel and down one of the elevated streets towards the domed sky above.

“They’re getting her out of here,” Sheeta says with a smile.

“Although they might have to go on the lamb after that,” Pazu says feeling sorry for the two officers. Even though he was happy the winged woman would be all right.

“They might not last long, in a land contaminated by radiation,” Haku adds bluntly.

Chihiro looks down and frowns.

They are chased by the flying police cars. One flies right infront of the yellow vehicle but Aska tries to drive under it regardless while Chage holds onto the Angel.

The audience watches in suspense.

“Oh shi-“ Aiko chokes out.

The police vehicle hits the yellow vehicle and it causes the road under them to break. The police car explodes and the yellow vehicle with Chage, Aska and the Angel flies off, causing them to fall.

The whole room gasps.

“They had to pick the one car that doesn’t fly!” Tombo exclaims in fear and irritation.

As they fall Aska leads the Angel outside and hold onto her as she is lifted upwards. Aska and Chage encourage her to fly but she is too scared and they end up falling to their deaths.

Everyone was still, staring at the screen in shock. They thought they were going to see the two officers setting the Angel free. Instead they saw their deaths.

Ponyo and Souske had their mouths open.

Sheeta was covering her mouth as Pazu patted her shoulder.

Kiki hugs Jiji and Tombo.

Ashitaka and San bowed their heads in respect for the fallen.

“W-why didn’t she just fly?” Arrietty asks.

“She was still weak, I suppose,” says Haku.

“Oh, poof things,” says Kokiri.

The scene suddenly changes back to Aska and Chage finding the Angel again.

“Wait, what?” Lisa asks.

“What’s happening?” Yuko asks.

“Did the film or whatever get mixed up?” Chihiro asks.

“Why are we seeing this again?” Ashitaka asks

This time, when the vehicle they are in falls, it releases its propellers and flies.

Everyone’s eyes bulge out of their sockets.

“Hold on, what?” Sho asks.

“What just happened?” Souske asks.

“It’s like time reset or something,” says Lisa.

“Is this a magic thing?” Sheeta asks turning to Kokiri and San.

“I know of nothing like this,” San says.

“Don’t ask me,” Kokiri says.

“It looks like they used a better car this time,” Pazu says approvingly.

“Yeah!” Tombo shouts as he high-fives Pazu.

The vehicle then crashed into a building, and the two officers carry the Angel out of one of the rooms. They are then seen driving through a tunnel in a yellow car, resembling a modern-day one. They pass by signs overhead that read they are leaving the city, there is radiation ahead and survival is not guaranteed. They exit the tunnel and into the sunlight.

Sho averts his eyes. His heart condition was one thing but radiation is another. Even if it didn’t kill your then there was still the chance of an illness like cancer. He hoped though that they could get medical attention for such a thing in this new era. IF they could do so without getting arrested.

Arrietty notices his look and wraps her arm around him. He hugs her back and Arrietty turns slightly red.

They drive out of a barren landscape surrounded by power plants into a grassy region. The Angel starts to wake up as they pass by the sealed power plant and the abandoned village. They see a sign that reads: Extreme Danger.

“At least they freed her,” Haku thinks.

With Chage’s encouragement, the Angel stands up and tries to fly. She holds onto Chage’s hand as she spreads her wings and lets the air lift her off. The Angel gains more confidence as the men encourage her. Aska waves her goodbye and Chage kisses her hand. The Angel lets go and soars through the air to freedom. Chage waves goodbye to her as the Angel flies above the clouds. Asks pulls off into the grassy region as they watch her leave.

The showing ends

Everyone (except Eboshi) was clapping. San and the spirits were happy to see a spirit being released. Most of the humans were commending the human officers on their bravery. Chihiro looked away and wondered if SHE would ever have a chance to be brave like that. She hoped she could.

Lady Eboshi stands up.

“Ok everyone, that was a nice thing we saw. But can someone answer how we say three people fall to their deaths and then get a redo?”

“That’s actually a good question,” San admits.

Everyone turns to Souske.

“What?” the boy asks.

“Actually, I may have an idea,” Sho says. “I read alot of science magazines over a year ago while I was…recovering from something. One of them talked about a theory where for every action, of every other action, there exists an alternate timeline where something different happens.”

“A what?” San asks.

“Think of the timeline like a tree branch,” Sho says. “So we do everything that happens in our lives and that makes up our timeline. Our sequence of events. Then imagine the branch splitting off, creating two realities. One where we make one decision and another where we don’t.”

“So…you think that what we saw was one branch where those three died and another where they didn’t?” Ashitaka asks.

“I assume so.”

Chihiro gasps

“That explains you guys!” Chihiro says, pointing at Kiki, Jiji, Tombo, and Kokiri.

“Huh?” Kiki says confused.

“You must be from a branch-timeline-thing where World War Two never happened.”

Everyone’s eyes widen and they turn between the girl and the witches (plus the boy and cat).

“That makes sense,” Haku says. “During the war alot of minority groups were targeted. Most witches either fled to the spirit world or died in the human one. If the war never happened where you’re from then, yeah, you would still exist in the human world.”

“And that’s why you don’t know what Nazi’s are,” Aiko adds.

Kokiri thinks for a minute.

“Yeah, actually I think you’re right.”

“Guys! Do you know what this means?” Lisa asks. “That means we don’t have to die! Ok, maybe the god warriors will still rise in that timeline but when else go back we can create branches where ours don’t!”

“New branches for us were probably created as soon as we arrived here,” Sho says.

“Then we need to thank whoever did all this,” Sheeta says.

Then suddenly, the words “Princess Mononoke” appear on the screen.

Chapter Text

The film opens with a panning overview of a mountain range. The narrator explains that in ancient times the land was covered in forest which was home to spirits and gods.

“Another narration? Who’s saying this?” Sho asks aloud.

“I got someone in my village to do it. Just keep watching.” Says Nausicaa.

The narrator explains that back then, man and beast lived in harmony, but eventually humans destroyed most of the great forests.

San huffs in disgust.

Haku averts his eyes from the screen. Chihiro and her family notice this.

Nausicaa was interested in this. She would want nothing more for the humans of her time to reconnect with nature. It seems she’s now learning what lead humanity to destroy itself.

The narrator continues by saying that the forests that remained were guarded by gigantic beasts who were aligned with the Great Forest Spirit.

“Great Forest Spirit?” Nausicaa asks.

“Spirits, really?” Sheeta asks.

Even Pazu who believed in Laputa was questioning the existence of real divine spirits.

Everyone except Eboshi and the spirits in the theatre wonder about this Great Forest Spirit.

“Wait, do you mean Shishigami, the ancient deer-god? I’ve heard of him. He was a big deal centuries ago.” Haku says.

“Yeah, that’s him.” Says San.

“Wait, how do you know of him?” Ashitaka asks.

“I’m actually a spirit myself.” Haku explains.

“You are?” Chihiro asks.

“Yeah, I’m a river spirit.”

“River spirits are dragons.” Ponyo blurts out.

“I just take human form. It’s easier to get around on land.” Haku says.

Tombo snorts.

“Yeah right, man.”

Haku looks at Chihiro.

“Promise you won’t freak out?”

Chihiro nods.

Haku stands on his seat and he jumps up. He transforms into a serpentine dragon covered in white fur. He has a blue mane and small arms and legs as well as long “whiskers” on his snout. Everyone watches in amazement as he tries through the air without any wings.

Kiki and Kotiri are shocked to actually seeing a real spirit dragon. San was briefly surprised and Ashitaka remained stoic. Ponyo laughs. Pazu, Sheeta, Nausicaa, Souske, Sho and Arrietty watch in amazement. Aiko and Yuko jump out of their seats in fear and, surprisingly, Chihiro is the least shocked. She stares at his form finding it very familiar. She knows she’s seen it before but she’s not sure. Her eyes widen as she remembers the time when she was little she nearly drowned in a river. If Haku is a river spirit then maybe she saw him then?

Haku looks at Tombo who jumps back.

“Point taken!”

Haku returns to his human form and looks at Chihiro’s parents, still shocked.

“I hope I didn’t startle you too much and we can continue to watch this movie in peace.” Haku then turns to Chihiro, who is still staring at him.

“You said you were a river spirit, right?” Chihiro asks. “What river was that?”

“Honestly I can’t-“

San interrupts them.

“Hold on, you said that the Great Forest Spirit WAS a big deal! What happens in the future?” San asks worried.

“I think it’s best we watch the showing.”

Haku says, he sits back down and Chihiro grabs his hand. Haku looks at her and blushes slightly.

“It’s ok. We’re here to learn the future. You will find out soon enough and maybe we can stop it.” Ashitaka tells San.

“What do you care? You’re a human?” San asks.

“My tribe has always tried to show reverence to the spirits and to balance with nature.” Ashitaka says. “And I do not believe in violence and destruction if it can be avoided.”

Sans eyes widen at this. She would never think to hear a human say something like that.

“Of course, boy. Sometimes to benefit yourself and others you need to make exceptions and seize what you want.” Lady Eboshi tells him.

Sheeta narrows her eyes at this woman.

“Are you talking about survival or greed?” Ashitaka asks.

“They are one and the same.” Lady Eboshi says.

“No they aren’t.” Says Lisa.

“For those were the days of gods and demons.”

A creature covered in black worms walks through the forest. As it steps down with a hoof the black worms cover the ground and the area is scraped and dead.

Ashitaka winces at the scene and looks down at his wrapped arm.

Kiki, Kokiri, Jiji, Haku, Ponyo, and San become disturbed, recognizing the worms.

Lady Eboshi winces slightly. And everyone else is confused and disturbed

“What was that?” Tombo asks.

“Those were demon worms.” Kiki explains.

“I’m sorry, what worms?” Aiko asks.

“When a spirit becomes consumed with negative emotions, specifically hate and fear, they will become a Tatari-Gami.” Haku explains. “They will form demon-worms that literally eat at them as they degenerate into Tatari-Gami. A cursed-god or demon.”

“And you don’t want those things to touch you, or else they will infect you too and slowly kill you. If you don’t become a demon yourself first.” Says Kokiri. “Poor spirit, it looks like their suffering must be very bad.”

“It looked like it had a boar-like hoof. The boar-tribe defends my forest along with the wolves.” Says San before sending a glare to Eboshi. “Anything you wanna confess?”

Ashitaka also looks at Eboshi. She just shrugs.

“Who knows? Maybe the big pig just stubbed its toe?”

San glares at her and Ashitaka looks at the woman suspiciously.

Ashitaka rides on Yakul. They ride along a small wall and Ashitaka gets off to walk on the top.

“Hey. It’s this guy.” Arrietty says, pointing at Ashitaka.

“My name is Ashitaka of the Emishi.” He says. “This is from before I…left my village.”

“I thought this was supposed to be our futures?” Tombo asks.

“I guess we’re getting some backstory first.” Kiki suggests.

Ashitaka looks down. It’s going to show how he got cursed. San looks at him concerned since the movie showed a demon before showing him.

Ashitaka hears something and calls for his Elk, Yakul, to come to him. He rides towards a group of girls and they tell him that something strange is going on in the forest, that all the birds and other animals are gone.

“You seem pretty popular with them.” Sho points out.

“I’m their prince.” Ashitaka says.

Everyone that isn’t San turns to him surprised.

“You’re a prince?” Sheeta asks.

“You’re in a room with a spirit and two princesses and yet you’re surprised by me?”

“Ok fair enough.”

“Uh, two?” Kiki asks.

“Yeah, the Valley Wind princess and the wolf princess.”

San blushes slightly.

“Those of you from the future.” Ashitaka asks the rest of the audience. “Long before I was born the emperor drove my people to the far east. My village is the last of our people and we are already on the verge of extinction. Have my people at all managed to persist into your time periods in any way?”

Everyone familiar with Japanese history (everyone minus Arrietty, Pazu, Sheeta, Nausicaa, Chihiro and Ponyo) become nervous.

“Say no more.” Ashitaka says lowering his head.

San looks at him sympathetically. She never would have thought humans would turn against each other like that but she supposed their greed and desire for power knew no bounds. His people are now on the verge of extinction just like the spirits of the forest. San puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe you can find a way to save your people.” She suggests.

Ashitaka smiles at her, greatful for the comfort. But he turns away.

“Thank you, but I doubt it.”

‘Even if I wasn’t banished, I have to figure out how to save myself first.’ He thinks.

Ashitaka tells the girls to run back to the village. He rides to the watch tower and talks to the watchman, Ji-San. Ji-San says that whatever’s in the forest isn’t human. Ashitaka adds that the wise-woman is calling everyone back to the village. Ashitaka draws an arrow as the trees shake.

Everyone watches in suspense. The spirits of those involved know that if a Tatari-Gaminis headed towards the village it won’t be pretty.

Everyone gasps (Chihiro screams) as the demon/Tatari-Gami exits the forest, coming into view.

The demon worms tear apart a rock wall as the Tatari-Gami reveals itself. It is completely covered in worms and has glowing red eyes. Some of these worms extend out of it to create six legs for it to crawl as its body drags on the ground. It is both horrifying and disgusting.

“Oh god!” Shouts Sho.

“That thing is horrifying.” Says Yuki.

“Poor thing. It must be in so much pain.” Says San.

The demon worms briefly move off of its body to show the boar god that is inside. The boar god roars in anger before the works fall back on him.

“San, is that one of those boar gods that you said protect your home?” Sheeta asks.

“Not just any boat god, it’s Nago. Their leader!” San shouts before turning to Eboshi. “What did you do!?”

Everyone turns to the woman in question. Ashitaka pulls out an iron ball from his shirt and hands it to Eboshi.

“This was found in the boar. Look familiar?” He asks.

The woman sighs

“Ok fine. You see I am the leader of a town that is right next to the forest, and I’ve since been seeking to…expand to take more of the iron that’s in the ground. Of course the boars and the other spirits don’t like that so we kinda…drive them off a little.” Eboshi says with a nervous smile.

Everyone frowns at her.

“The boar gods and I had a fight recently and let’s just say it resulted in a lot of fire. And hand canon’s shots. Some poison iron balls. During the fight, Nago may have gotten injured.”

Everyone narrows her eyes at her.

“So, Nago attacked my village because of you.” Ashitaka says, glaring at her.

“I am truly sorry Ashitaka. Really, I am. It should have been me-.”

“For once I agree. Nago should have attacked you.” San says with a glare.

“But in all fairness, I wasnt the one who told him to attack a random dwindling village.” Eboshi says arrogantly. “But hey, you said that your village is still around for now, right?”

Ashitaka let’s put a sigh.

“Yes. I killed Nago before he could hurt anyone in my village.” He turns to San. “I’m sorry, San. I begged him to turn away but he continued his path. I had no choice.”

San nods sadly.

“See? No harm done.” Eboshi says.

“No harm!? A god died!” Haku shouts.

“You stink!” Shouts Ponyo.

“Hold on, how can a god die?” Aiko asks. “Aren’t they supposed to be all powerful and immortal?”

“Im confused with the conept of gods and spirits in general.” Says Nausicaa. “The only gods I know of are the god warriors, who arent anything like what were seeing.”

“It depends on the type of god.” Haku explains. “Gods are flesh and blood like you humans but their power level and ability to resist injury depends mostly on the scope of what they are associated with. For example, Granmamare, the goddess of the ocean is very powerful and would be difficult to harm even in her human form.”

Ponyo smiles at the mention of her mother.

“Difficult, but not impossible. And I’m a river spirit. I have a limited level of telepathy, I can use magic and change into my dragon form but I assure you, if you pull a gun on me I can die. If we’re dealing with a single member of an animal spirit clan they may not even possess that much.”

“It takes more than one bullet to kill a god, usually, but they can be killed with the right shot.” Says Eboshi. “But none of the forest gods I’ve encountered have shown more than just being big and strong.”

“The Great Forest Spirit holds power of life and death.” Adds San. “I’ve seen him cause flowers to bloom then die with a single step. He can heal nearly any injury. But I fear for what could happen if humans get to him.” She says, again, glaring at Eboshi.

Nago continues his path of destruction and Ashitaka yells for Yakul to run but the elk is frozen in shock. Ashitaka shoots an arrow by Yakul head and it startled the Elk enough to drive it away just as Nago rams into the watch tower. Ashitaka and Ji fall as Nago heads towards the village.

San smiles, touched that Ashitaka cared enough about Yakul to be worried for him.

Ashitaka rides on Yakul chasing after Nago as Ji warns him not to touch the demon. He rides ahead of Nago and pleads with him:

“Calm your fury, o mighty lord! Whatever you may be, god or demon, please leave us in peace!”

But Nago keeps moving forward.

San and Haku sigh.

“It’s no good.” Haku says. “For a spirit to be THAT affected by demon worms they must be so full of hate they are completely unreasonable.”

“I’m glad you put him out of his misery.” San tells Ashitaka, begrudgingly.

Nago continues running, coming across the three girls again. Ashitaka begs Nago to stop and leave his village alone, but to no avail. Having no choice left, Ashitaka shoots one of his arrows into Nago’s eyes. The Tatari-Gami slows, but continues running. Ashitaka draws another arrow but the demon worms latch onto his arm.

Everybody gasps.

“No.” Kokiri says.

Nausicaa covers her mouth.

San turns to Ashitaka. She felt respect for him before. She admired his bravery after what she just saw. Now she was just worried.

Haku closed his eyes and Lisa hoped that maybe the worms hadn’t latched into his arms long enough or the damage could be easily treated.

Ashitaka pushes through the pain and fires another arrow. Nago stops in his tracks, the works disappear and the boar god falls to the ground. But the worms are still on his arm.

More people, including warriors with swords and torches, appear.

“He killed it!”

A girl with short brown hair runs to Ashitaka, crying his name as he clutches his forearm in pain. Ashitaka warns the girl, Kaya, not to touch his wound.

Everyone turns to Ashitaka shocked and concerned. The prince sighs and stands up so everyone can see him. He undoes the bandages on his forearm, showing everyone his black and purple wounds.

Sheeta, Pazu, Chihiro and Tombo look like they are going to puke. Nausicaa, San, Haku, Ponyo, Kiki, Jiji and Kokiri are horrified. Everyone else is just concerned.

“This all happened yesterday to me.” Ashitaka says. “The wise woman of my village said that the infection will spread through my body, cause me great pain and then kill me. That’s why I left my village. I knew that Nago came from west so I figured that if I went in that direction I would find the source. And hopefully a cure.”

“Oh, Ashitaka were so sorry.” Arrietty says.

“You have my respect, prince Ashitaka.” Nausicaa says. “You are a great warrior. I am sorry that you had to pay the price for it.”

Lady Eboshi gets an idea.

“You know Ashitaka, the Forest Spirit could save you. But there’s a difference between can and will. He doesn’t even heal his own spirits most of the time, you think he will fix a wounded human? All you need is some of his blood. If we work together-“

“You’ve done enough.” Ashitaka says.

Eboshi frowns at him.

Sheeta glares a bit at Eboshi.

The wise woman, Hii-Sama, approaches the dying boar god and bows to him. She respectfully tells Nago that they will hold a funeral pyre for him. She asks him to pass on in peace and bare them no hatred.

“What seriously?” Aiko asks shocked. “That thing nearly destroys your village and you and this old lady wants to hold a funeral for him? What the hell!?”

“My village has always held the spirits in high esteem.” Explains Ashitaka. “She understood that the boar was in pain and she hoped Nago would find peace.”

San looks at him in awe.

Nago spitefully calls humans disgusting creatures and says that they will suffer as he has suffered before he dies. His flesh melts leaving only a skeleton.

“So much for rest in peace.” Sho mutters.

Arrietty nods.

“Ashitaka, when we get home I’ll take you to the Great Forest Spirit.” San says. “If there’s anyone that can save you, it’s him.”

“Aw, look at you caring for a human.” Eboshi teases. “I thought you hated us.”

San is taken aback, blushes then gets defensive.

“I do!” She turns back to Ashitaka and softens. “But if he’s genuine about what he said then I’m willing to at least introduce him.”

Ashitaka smiles at her.

“Ashitaka hold on.” Kokiri says, rummaging through her bag. “I specialize in potions. Medicinal options. In my time demon worm infection can be treated in the early stages. Damn, I don’t know if I have all the ingredients though. I promise, you will return to your own time cured.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Ashitaka says.

He turns to lady Eboshi and he frowns.

“Of course then I’ll have to deal with you.”

“Look, I’m sorry about your infection but-“

“It is also wrong of you to attack Sans forest.” Ashitaka says.

“I’m just promoting human progress.” Eboshi defends. “You, other humans. Vouche for me.”

“Do you NEED to keep stripping the forest of resources or is it just for money?” Lisa asks.

Eboshi waves her off.

Ashitaka and the village elders are inside one of the huts. The wise woman, Hii-Sama uses stones infront of her to foresee events. She says that Nago came from the west and was driven mad by poison, turning him into a demon. She asks Ashitaka if he wants to know his future and Ashitaka says he is. She tells him that the curse will spread throughout his bones and flesh and kill him painfully.

Everyone in the audience winces sh the reminder of the prince’s fate. 

The elders ask if there’s any way to stop it, arguing that they cannot just watch him die considering he got cursed protecting the village. Though Hii-Sama says that his fate cannot be changed she suggests that he travel west to find the cause of Nagos pain and possibly a cure. Ashitaka cuts his hair.

Everyone glares at Eboshi again when Hii-Sama shows Ashitaka the iron ball that poisoned his flesh and broke his bones.

Eboshi rolled her eyes when Hii-Sama said that evil work was going on in the west.

The elders lament that they are the last of the Emishil, who were driven into hiding in the east years ago when the emperor destroyed their tribe and their blood has grown thinner with each generation.

San feels a similarity between the Emishi and the spirits. They certainly seemed respectful enough of them.

Another elder laments that now their last prince is going to have to cut his hair and never return. He says the gods are laughing at them.

Everyone is stunned at the elders words and their heads holt around to face Ashitaka.

“I’m sorry, what is this about you not returning?” Kiki asks.

“Do they think you’re going to die?” Asks Sho.

“It makes it sound like you’re being banished.” Says Tombo.

“I was. That’s why I cut my hair.” Ashitaka says.

“What?” San asks confused and alittle outraged.

“Yeah what? If you find a cure then you still can’t go back? Why?” Lisa asks furious.

“Is it because you killed a god?” Asks Chihiro.

“Because you’re cursed? Is that a Emishi taboo thing?” Asks Aiko.

“Just as the elders said, our people fled and hid from the Yamato five hundred years ago rather than be subjected to imperial rule. Over the years we have grown weaker and smaller. If we were discovered we would surely loose if they come for war.. Therefore, any that leave are forbidden from ever returning least they be followed. So yes, for having to leave to find a cure for curse, I was banished.”

Everyone was agape.

“What!?” Chihiro shouts outraged. “You save their lives and they kick you out!? That’s not fair!”

“I agree. Your their prince and that is your home. They cant do this. And its bad for them too.” Pazu says.

“Life isn’t always fair, little girl.” Ashitaka says. “Honestly, I don’t know who I am now or what I will do if I get cured but I will try to survive.”

Ashitaka strokes Yakuls neck.

San feels sympathy for Ashitaka. Sure, she could understand the elders reasons and it was clear that (atleast most of them) weren’t happy about it. But she could imagine the pain she would feel in her chest if her mother told her she couldn’t return to the forest.

“Wait, what about your parents?” San asks.

“I hardly remember them.” Ashitaka admits. “My mother died of an illness when I was young. My father in a hunting accident before I was born.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’m an orphan too.” Sheeta says. “My parents died when I was young then I was raised by my grandmother. She passed away some time ago and I’ve been on my own ever since.”

Everyone stares at the girl, horrified.

“What do you mean on your own?” Aiko asks.

“Surely someone must be looking after you now.” Adds Yuki.

“No. Its just me at out old farm house now.” Sheeta says.

Everyone pities the girl.

“Im an orphan too. But I have people looking after me.” Pazu says. “Maybe you can live with us when we go back. You might have to work though.”

Sheeta smiles at him.

“I’m not an orphan but I dont have the best relationship with my parents.” Sho says. “You see I was born with a very weak heart. I couldnt exert myself too much and I needed constant medical help. My parents were always working to cover the cost. Im better now, I got a surgery done last year that fixed it but things between us are still pretty distant.”

Arrietty looks at Sho sadly. She couldnt imagine having such a distant relationship with her parents. But she ten turns her attention to Ashitaka and San.

Chihiro suddenly felt greatful that she had hers. She wasnt sure what she would do if she liost them.

She and Ashitaka smile at each other. Tombo turns to Kiki, staring at her. He always admired her beauty and her attitude as well as her ability to fly. Feeling bold he stretches and tries to put an arm around her while she’s distracted. But Jiji claws at him and he pulls his arm away.

Sho looks at Arrietty. who is also staring at San and Ashitaka. He admitted to himself that he had a massive crush on her. He might even call it love. How could he not? Arrietty was the one who taught him how to live and gave him hope. He wasn’t sure if he would have gotten through his operation if it wasn’t for her. Plus, after having spent his entire life weak and sick, it was good to have a friend. His first friend. He regretted accidentally exposing them and scaring her mother. Maybe if he hadn’t done that they could have stayed and remained friends. He looked at Tombo and admired the kids courage but it wasn’t like he could do that with Arrietty. First of all there’s the size difference. He was pretty sure Arrietty would want to be with another borrower, plus she’s two years older than him. He was sure that girls don’t normally like younger guys. But he couldn’t thank Nausicaa enough for introducing them again, especially before the apocalypse. Sho was determined to make every minute with Arrietty count.

“Our laws forbid us from watching you go, Ashitaka. Whatever comes to pass now, you are dead to us forever. Farewell.”

“Ok, that’s just cold.” Haku says.

“It’s not like you’re being banished because you did something wrong. Can’t they make an exception this one time?” Sheeta asks.

“Especially for their prince.” Says Lisa.

“Rules are rules.” Ashitaka says, ruefully.

“At least they wished you good luck.” Sho says.

“She didn’t say good luck, she said farewell.” Arrietty says.

“Same thing.” Sho says.

“It is not the same thing.” Pazu says.

“You know your tribe is doomed anyways. You could go back and tell them to screw it.” Eboshi says.

“No. They banished me and I will respect their wishes. Ashitaka says. “I want my people to live for as long as possible.” He narrows his eyes at her. “So if you have any plans in mind, Lady Eboshi, then you can consider me an enemy.”

“I’ll help.” Says San.

That night, Ashitaka packs his things on Yakul as he prepares to leave. Kaya runs up to him. Ashitaka scolds her saying that it is forbidden for her to see him but she says she doesn’t care. She gives him her crystal dagger. She begs him to always keep it with him so he wont forget her. Ashitaka promises he never will.

“Aw, that’s sweet.” Says Lisa. “I’m sorry you had to say goodbye to your family.”

“Oh, Kaya wasn’t actually my sister.” Ashitaka says.

“She wasn’t?” Souske asks.

“No, she called me big brother as an affectionate nickname.”

“Was she your girlfriend?” Ponyo asks.

“She was my bride-elect.” Ashitaka says.

Everyone is stunned by this. Except for San.

“What does that mean?” She asks.

“It means she was his fiancé.” Says Eboshi.

San is still confused.

“She was his future wife. They were going to get married.” Says Yuko.

San is still confused.

“His mate.” Haku says.

Sans face contorts and she feels a twinge of jealousy. She has no idea why she feels this way and she sets those feelings aside.

“You’re mate, huh?” San asks Ashitaka.

“It was set up by my father with a friend of his.” Ashitaka says. “The deal was that their children would marry, to preserve the bloodlines.”

Arrietty looks up at Sho. She wonders if she should tell him. Maybe after the movie is done.

“You two seemed close.” San says. “Do you love her?”

“We grew up together. Of course I love her. She was like a little sister to me.” Ashitaka says.

San feels a slight bit of relief. Though she’s not sure why.

“Oh, good.” San catches herself. “I mean, if you didn’t like her like that then getting out of that arrangement must be a relief.”

“I hope this showing tells me what becomes of Kaya after I left.” Ashitaka says.

The screen freezes then words appear at the bottom: “Kaya marries someone else a few years later. She loves him. They are happy. But she misses you until she dies.”

“Thank you. I’m glad she finds someone else.” Ashitaka says.

Ashitaka takes out the crystal dagger in his hand and looks at it.

“In Emishi culture brides give their husbands daggers on the day of their weddings. I felt guilty taking this.” Ashitaka says.

“It looks like a fine weapon.” San says. “She was looking out for you. You should respect that.”

Kaya watches Ashitaka ride off on Yakul.

Ashitaka and Yakul embark on their journey.

“This is around the time I was taken.” Ashitaka tells the audience. “So everything going forward is what would have been my future.”

Everyone’s eyes widen when it shows Ashitaka and Yakul walking across a stream. The former in his underwear.

The parents cover the children’s eyes. San stares at the screen blushing red. Arrietty blushes too, Sho notices this and huffs. Eboshi sends Ashitaka a smirk. The prince looks downward.

Sheeta also blushes slightly and turns away.

“This is quite embarrassing.” Ashitaka admits.

“Why are you half naked?” Asks Sho.

“I must have been bathing.” Ashitaka admits.

“There aren’t exactly bathtubs in the forest, kid.” Eboshi says.

“Well, if it can’t be helped…” Arrietty says, still blushing.

Ashitaka and Yakul head towards rising smoke in the distance. They arrive at the sight to find a group of samauri attacking villagers. Ashitaka realizes they have stumbled upon a war.

San grunts in disgust and thinks: ‘Humans can’t seem to stop killing. If not forests then themselves.’

The samauri spot Ashitaka and fire their arrows at him, thinking he’s a soldier. As he and Yakul flee they see a samauri about to kill a cowering woman with his sword. Ashitaka readies his bow and arrow. As he pulls his arrow back, his cursed arm morphs and throbs (to the audiences disgust, Chihiro nearly vomits). When Ashitaka releases his arrow, it flies with such force that both the samurai’s arms are cut off. To the man’s horror.

Everyone who isn’t Kokiri and Haku gasp.

“What the heck was that!?” Asks Lisa.

“Woah.” Says Nausicaa.

“I have no idea. I hadn’t gotten to that part yet.” Ashitaka says, looking at his arm.

“It must have been the curse.” San says.

“Demon worm curses have been known to grant super human strength. Especially in times of anger or when surrounded by negative emotions.” Kokiri explains. “But using it also makes the infection worse.”

“You just sliced a man’s arm off! By flying a bow and arrow!” Sho shouts amazed. “That was both awesome and gross.”

“I’m going with gross.” Says Chihiro.

“It was awesome!” shouts Tombo.

“I kinda feel sorry for that guy since he has to live the rest of his life without arms. But he was about to kill an unarmed woman so…” Says Lisa.

Ashitaka considers taking a different route this time around. But he wonders what wound then become of the woman.

Ashitaka fires another arrow as he flees. That one slices a man’s head clean off.

“Impressive.” Eboshi says.

She wonders, if there really is a cure for the infection, could these demon worm infections be used to enhance her army? Like if they her men were exposed to a few worms, and given the cure just a day or so later then they could easily fight off lord Asano.

Ashitaka and Yakul retreat into the forest and he washes wound in clean water. He comments that the wound has gotten darker.

“Clean water helps relieve the symptoms.” Haku explains. “But it’s not a cure.”

Eventually, Ashitaka makes his way to a market. He attempts to buy a bag of rice and gives the vendor a small piece of gold as payment. The vendor doesn’t know what it is and yells at Ashitaka for giving her that instead of money.

“Do you not have coins on you?” Haku asks.

“I’m not aware of currency outside my village. I just thought the piece of gold would cover it.” Ashitaka says.

“Kid, gold MORE than covers it.” Aiko says.

“Were you trading or something?” San asks.

“Gold is a very rare material, that makes it valuable.” Eboshi tells San. “Thought it would have been more convenient if Ashitaka gave her coins. The point of money is that you give it to another person in exchange for something else. I’m at sort of like trading.”

“Is that why you keep attacking the forest?” San asks. “For things to trade for these coins?”

“Heck yes! Your forest is filled with iron! Do you know how many things it can be crafted into. One of those things are my arm canons, which I also sell-trade.”

San narrows her eyes at her.

“So you’re killing innocent animals and spirits out of greed?” She says critically.

“It’s how the world works.” Eboshi says un-guilty.

San growls. But she calms down when Ashitaka grabs her hand.

A short fat man nearby steps in for Ashitaka and explains that it is gold and it is easily worth three bags of rice. He, Ashitaka and Yakul walk away together and the monk, introducing himself as Jigo, tries to strike conversation with Ashitaka but he remains silent.

“Not much of a talker, are you?” San asks/teases.

“I have said, I can’t reveal too much about who I am or where I’m from.” Ashitaka says.

“Then you better be careful of Eboshi.”

“I will take your word for it.”

“I bet you could easily crush her with that arm if yours.” San says. “She led to you getting cursed in the first place. What goes around comes around.”

“We shall see.” Says Ashitaka.

As they walk they come across a group of men who want to steal the rest of Ashitaka’s gold and Jigo suggests they run the other way.

People laugh. Ashitaka is glad to have found someone akin to a friend on his journey.

Ashitaka, Jigo and Yakul find a place to stop and rest. As Jigo prepares the rice Ashitaka has lied by saying that he was following the Tatarigami that cursed him until he lost its tracks and stumbled across the samauri attack. Jigo reveals that the place they are in was once a village, but now it is deserted thanks to floods, landslides, etc. He recounts that the human world is filled by those who have died and that the whole world is cursed.

San couldn’t agree more.

This made some of the other humans feeling shameful.

Ashitaka voices his regret of killing those samurai. Jigo reassured him that everyone dies eventually but if it wasn’t for Ashitaka then he himself would have died instead.

“Sometimes, you do what you have to do to survive. Ashitaka.” San reassured him.

“Yeah, that guy was going to kill that woman. You saved her.” Aiko says.

Ashitaka thinks about this. He wonders if this time around he can just aim his arrow for the samauri’s weapons or if he can manage the curse before he leaves then he could fight them off without greatly injuring anyone.

Jigo reveals that the emperor has promised a great reward to someone who can help him live forever.

Many of the humans find the idea of living forever a dream. Sho, strangely, feels more content with the life he has now.

San and the spirits roll their eyes. No one lives forever, not even spirits. Everything that has had a beginning has an end. Sooner or later. Humans are greedy and foolish for thinking they can have more.

Jigo deduces that Ashitaka is an Emishi due to his bowl, him riding an elk and his stone arrowheads but he promises not to tell anyone else.

Ashitaka smiles gratefully. Maybe he wouldn’t mind saving that village if it helped Jigo out.

Ashitaka shows Jigo the iron ball. Jigo claims to have never seen it before but suggests that Ashitaka continue heading west until he finds the forest where spirits and giant beasts live.

“I don’t believe he’s being entirely honest with you.” San tells Ashitaka. “If he knows about the forest, he must know about Iron-Town.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Ashitaka says.

The next morning, Ashitaka gets up early and rides away on Yakul. Jigo, barely awake in his sack, says that he will see him there, referring to Ashitaka as his friend.

Chapter Text

It is night and it is raining, hard. A massive waterfall of dirty water falls over an area and above the trees in a foggy mountain filled with dead trees, workers are hauling materials. One man tells the others to move it, whipping the ox’s as he does.

“Oh hey look, it’s my guys,” Lady Eboshi says. “This must be where I show up now. I was afraid we would have to wait until Ashitaka made it to Iron-Town.”

“Why is everything so dead?” Lisa asks.

“Well, I had to make room for mining,” Lady Eboshi says as if it is nothing.

San growls at her and grips the knife in her hand.

“I hate to tell you this but it gets worse,” Haku tells her. “So many rivers in my time become polluted.”

“Yeah, sorry about that kid,” Aiko. “It’s not our intention but when we try to make life better for ourselves it generates waste and uses resources.”

“Although there are environmentally safer options for both they aren’t always used because it costs more money,” Haku points out. “And even then there’s still negative impacts.”

“...Yeah.”

“Tch, humans,” San grumbles.

Lady Eboshi is seen standing in the rain wearing a red cap. She tells her men to move, saying the sooner they get the rice home the sooner they can eat.

Lady Eboshi smiles at herself on the screen.

“Oh, there I am.”

One of the workers announces that “they” are coming.

San leans in, realizing that this must be where she and her family show up to fight them off.

The workers turn to the mountains in the distance. They see two white figures running across the ravaged landscape. They are two giant white wolves. On one of their backs is a figure wearing a red mask and a white fur cloak.

Everyone, except Eboshi, turns to San.

“Yes, the one on the wolf’s back is me,” San says. “Those are my brothers, Ichi and Ni.”

“Those are some big dogs,” Lisa says.

“Of course they are big, they are wolf gods.”

Lady Eboshi tells her men to not let the ox panic and to take up their positions. The men unwrap their hand canons, being warned to keep their gunpowder dry and wait for them to come within range.

Everyone watches intently as the wolves (plus San) come closer to Eboshi’s men. San herself watches closely, worried for her brother’s safety.

Eboshi tells her men to fire. They light their canons and fire at the wolves (plus San). San leads them out of the way. Ashitaka is seen briefly riding through the forest on Yakul as the nose is heard in the distance. San and her brothers dodge the ammunition and escape. Eboshi’s captain of the guard says that they weren’t so tough. But Eboshi warns him that they need to look out for their mother.

San smiles.

“Moro,” Lady Eboshi tells the audience. “Her name is Moro.”

“How big is Moro?” Tombo asks, curiously.

The men look around in fear before a GIANT wolf with two tails comes out and runs toward them. Eboshi shouts that it is Moro and the wolf goddess attacks her men. A couple of men and an Ox fall off the side of the mountain. Moro charges toward Eboshi, but the woman readies her canon. Eboshi fires two shots at Moro. One that causes her to bleed, another that causes an explosion under her and sends her falling off a cliff.

“Mother!” San shouts.

Everyone else looks at San sympathetically.

“Don’t you dare!” San shouts at Eboshi.

“Unless you aren’t paying attention she’s attacking me and my men,” Lady Eboshi says. “This is self-defense.”

“In a war that you started,” San says. “And once you’re gone, the forest will be free.”

Lady Eboshi stares at her for a second.

“You think that just killing me will make the rest of Iron-Town leave?” Lady Eboshi laughs. “Oh, you poor girl. So naive.”

“Someone else would just take her place,” Ashitaka says.

“Or someone else will move in,” says Pazu.

“Then I’ll kill them too!”

“Look, if you want to kill someone do us both a favor and kill Lord Asano,” Lady Eboshi says. “Trust me, he’s been trying to get rid of me and take over Iron-Town for a while now so you would be doing us both a favor.”

“If I do kill this Lord Asano it will not be for you,” San says.

Eboshi shrugs.

“Alright, if you wanna be that way.”

Lady Eboshi’s captain of the guard laughs thinking that they killed her, but Eboshi says that Moro is likely to have survived that given that she is a god.

‘That’s right,’ San thinks. ‘Mother will survive. Then she will get up and we will fight together.’

The men that Moro temples are moaning in pain. Lady Eboshi tells them to move and dismisses the ones who fell off the cliff are dead.

It becomes daytime. Ashitaka and Yakul are walking by the dirty river. He gasps seeing supplies floating down the stream. Then he sees one of the men unmoving by the rocks. Ashitaka places his hand over the mans mouth and determines that he is still breathing.

“Oh, that’s good,” says Arrietty. “No offense, San.”

“None taken.”

“Ashitaka, if you bring that man home I’m sure his wife would appreciate it,” Lady Eboshi says.

Ashitaka nods.

Ashitaka pulls the man out of the water and finds the other protected from the current by a large boulder. After he brings them both to the shore, Yakul senses something and Ashitaka moves to check it out. Ashitaka watches in hiding and he sees Moro lying hurt on the other side of the river. Moro’s cubs and San walk up to her and she gets up. San checks out her wound and sucks on it, spits out blood, and repeats.

“Ew,” Tombo says. “That’s a little…”

“Unsanitary,” says Sho.

“Well I need to suck the poison out,” San says.

“Hey San I’ve been wondering,” says Nausicaa. “What is that fur your wearing?”

San becomes hesitant.

“Its…Uh…Moro’s clan was…larger before Iron-Town,” she says, sending another glare to Lady Eboshi.

The rest of the audience winces, realizing that San is wearing the hide of one of her deceased adoptive relatives.

Moro growls to the side and San looks. She notices Ashitaka too and stops what she is doing to glare at him, another human. Ashitaka comes out of hiding and takes off his mask. He announces his name and that he is from the east. He asks if he has come to the realm of the spirit of the forest. The wolves prepare to leave and San tells Ashitaka to go away before hoiping one one of her brother’s backs. One of them drags away the dead ox, presumably to eat.

A few people laugh.

“Wow, great first impression,” says Lisa.

“Sucking blood and rude comments,” Jiji jokes.

“Apologies,” San tells Ashitaka.

“I understand.”

“Meh, I’ve done worse,” says Haku.

After they are gone, Ashitaka hears one of the men crying for help. He cannot move his leg and he sees a tiny white spirit.

“Aw, that thing is adorable,” Lisa coos.

“Yeah,” says Yuki. “It’s not dangerous is it?” she asks Haku.

“Ponyo?” Souske asks.

“I only know water spirits.”

“Relax, it’s harmless,” says Kokiri. “It’s a type of tree spirit.”

“A kodama,” Ashitaka gasps. “I can’t believe I get to see one.”

“So you know them?” San asks.

“Yes, they are said to bring good luck,” says Ashitaka. “And they indicate that your forest is still healthy.”

“Well then I’m glad you found one because you need all the luck you can get right now,” San says.

Ashitaka blushes slightly.

“Aw look, the wolf girl has a crush,” Lady Eboshi teases.

San growls.

“I am merely showing him respect for his respect to nature.”

“I saw you staring when he was in his undies.”

“Let’s get back to the movie, please,” Sho says.

Ashitaka warns the man not to make his injuries worse and tells him that Kodama’s are good luck. But the man argues that it will lead its lord to them. Ashitaka asks if he means the wolves. But he is referring to the great spirit of the forest (describing it as having a deer’s body but a man’s face). He freaks out when the tree spirit disappears.

“Uh…what happens at night?” Sheeta asks.

“At night the great forest spirit becomes the night walker,” San says.

“Nightwalker?” asks Nausicaa.

“It grows huge and shiny,” Lady Eboshi says, casually.

“Oh, ok,” says Aiko.

“That’s it?” Pazu asks. “That’s your reaction?”

“Kid, I’m sitting next to a dragon,” Aiko says pointing at Haku. “I’m pretty much not scared of anything now.”

The man freaks out again when he sees a different kodama appear on Yakul’s sachel and two more behind it. He thinks they are reinforcements and they are doomed.

The theatre chuckles. Lady Eboshi smacks her forehead calling the man an idiot. Even San can’t help but laugh.

“So your people are oblivious to the real nature of the spirits and easily frightened?” San asks. “Good to know.”

Lady Eboshi huffs.

Ashitaka simply says that if Yakul isn’t afraid then they shouldn’t be either. He asks one of the Kodama if they can provide them passage through the forest. it turns around and vanishes.

Laughter in the theatre again.

“Wow, rude,” Sho jokes.

“Very welcoming,” agrees Arrietty.

“Sorry, Kodama aren’t exactly those kinds of spirits,” San says to Ashitaka.

“Not the best tour guides it seems,” says Chihiro as she starts to become more secure with her surroundings.

Ashitaka finds his way through the forest as various Kodama run beside them playfully. The man is riding on Yakul and has a splint on his arm. He is afraid of his surroundings and suggests that they take a trail across the river since no human has reportedly made it through the forest alive. Ashitaka, who is carrying the other man on his shoulders, tells him that the river is too swift for them to cross and they can’t waste any time for the person he is carrying, who is greatly injured. They are following a Kodama as it runs ahead of them.

San is surprised to see the tree spirits actually helping him. Ashitaka must be a very special kind of human if they are willing to help. Maybe she COULD allow herself to not hate him. Maybe. Although he is still technically helping the enemy.

Ashitaka asks if the Kodama is really showing them the way or just making them more lost. The Kodama turns around to look at him and continues running. Ashitaka is getting tired but continues on his way. The man becomes more scared as he sees “thousands” of Kodama run beside him and tells Ashitaka that he doesn’t think they are trying to help. Ashitaka catches his breath and he sees a few Kodama riding on the backs of other Kodama. Like how he is carrying the other man.

The audience laughs again.

“Children of the old trees,” Kokiri sings

Ashitaka identifies one of the fine old trees as the “mother” of the Kodama, to the man’s confusion.

“Huh, weird,” Kokiri says.

Ashitaka is led to a swampy area. He immediately detects that the place is magical. As he walks through the area, he notices San and the wolves’ footprints and realizes this is where they live. The man says that he thinks they took a wrong turn. Calling it a place of gods and demons. But Ashitaka thinks they are safe. He gets water but as he does he notices more tracks and deduces they were made recently. The tracks have three toes.

“Huh? What kind of animal made that?” Pazu asks.

“I have no idea,” says Arrietty.

“Those are the tracks of the great forest spirit,” San says.

“Oh, does this mean I finally get to see it?” Eboshi asks.

Ashitaka looks around, but he sees nothing. Finally, he notices something between the trees. He sees a herd of deer walk by, but among them, he sees one with over a dozen antlers. It looks at Ashitaka.

San gasps. So does Kiki, Jiji, Kokiri, Haku, and Ponyo.

“Is that the-” Souske is cut off by San.

“The great forest spirit.”

Ashitaka watches the scene intently.

Ashitaka’s arm bulges from the curse. It causes him pain (and some disgust to the people in the room). Ashitaka grabs his arm and the man asks if he is alright. Ashitaka holds his arm under the water to stop the throbbing. The Great Forest Spirit notices this and walks away. It turns dark. Ashitaka gives water to the man he was carrying and the other man thinks that his reaction was due to the forest. Ashitaka asks him if he saw anything but the man wasn’t sure what he means. Ashitaka tells him to forget it and he tells the other man that he is almost home. The other man simply says that he failed “her”.

They continue on their way. As Ashitaka carries the man again, he mentally comments that he doesn’t feel heavy at all anymore. The man on Yakul says that his arm doesn’t hurt anymore either. He thinks that it is healed, but then he realizes it is still broken.

“Huh? That’s strange,” Eboshi says.

“The Great Forest Spirit,” San realizes. “it eased your ailments. Wait, I can understand him helping you but to help one of Eboshi’s men?”

“Now are you questioning the action of your god?” Eboshi teases.

“No, I’m just curious why,” San says.

“He didn’t heal them,” Kokiri says. “Just eased the pain. Perhaps they still need to prove themselves.”

“If that is true then I will do my best to show the Great Forest Spirit that I am worthy,” Ashitaka says.

Now San knows for certain that Ashitaka was a good human. Though those words together were still foreign to her. Though she was still concerned with his heart. He seemed willing to help everyone, which made him a hindrance in her war against the other humans. Even if he cares about the forest he will still likely help Eboshi’s men and where would that leave them?

They emerge out of the forest and into a grassy field. The man laughs in delight and tells Ashitaka that they made it home. Iron-Town is seen for the first time. Iron-Town is a massive walled settlement atop of an elevated landmass surrounded by water. Spikes are struck all around the earth. The walled city also has steam/smoke arising from it at various parts showing it is quite industrial.

The humans and spirits stare at the screen then turn to Lady Eboshi, who is smiling in pride.

“I take it that is your city?” Aiko asks.

“Iron-Town, yes.”

“Its a fortress,” Ashitaka gasps.

“Whats with the spikes?” asks Sho

“Well, we have to keep out the spirits.”

“Thats alot of wood,” Kiki says.

“This place is a beacon of how humans are overthrowing nature,” Haku says, not liking it one bit.

“Why thank you.”

“Whats with the water and the digging?” Sheeta asks.

“I think they are mining,” Pazu says.
“Thats right, boy,” says Eboshi. “The ground in that area is rich in iron ore. Its the namesake of my town. Literally thw whole reason I moved there.”

Ponyop gags and Haku switches his nose.

“Your contaminating the water while doing that,” Haku says.

“Is that your steam?” Eboshi asks tauntingly.

“No, but I still pity whatever water spirits may live there.”

“Poor fish!” Ponyo shouts.

“Why are all the trees dead?” Sho asks.

“Couldn't you have kept some green around?” Ariety asks. “I mean it would look nicer.”

Eboshi shrugs.

“Weaken the forest, weaken the spirits, strengthen human expansion.”

San growls but calms down when Ashitaka grabs her shoulder.

“You know, Lady Eboshi,” Aiko says. “I’m not against human development but in my time pollution is a big problem. Nowadays were trying to preserve as much green as we can. If you want I can give you some more modern and safer environmental practices for cleanup and recycling.”
“....How much is the cost?” Lady Eboshi asks.

“Your a greedy woman,” Ashitaka deadpans.

“Yeah,” Eboshi says with a giggle. “I hear that alot.”

Ashitaka and Yakul take the two injured men to three fishermen down by the water. The three fishermen are shocked and wonder if the person with them is the wolf-girl. The man reveals himself as Kohroku and all the other ox herders are shocked that Kohroku is alive. They are all shocked and Eboshi’s captain of the guard tells them all to be quiet so he can tally their accounts. They all rush down to the docks where Ashitaka, Kohroku, and the other man are carried across the water in a boat while Yakul swims on the side. The others gather around Kohroku and ask about the others who were attacked. one even asks if his son is with them. But Kohroku sadly says that they aren’t as two more men help the other man up. One women laments that it is never the guards that die.

Some of the people in the audience, especially the parents, feel saddened by that scene. Eboshi turns to San.

“Well, I hope your proud of yourself. Because of your wolf-mom a man lost his son,”

San is about to retort something about it being their own fault, but she decides to stay quiet.

Lady Eboshi’s captain of the guard steps through the crowd. One of the people in the crowd asks him who he thinks Ashitaka is and he can only deduce that he is an outsider, but Kohroku tells everyone that they should be greatful to Ashitaka. Ashitaka ignores the whole scene and tends to Yakul. The captain of the guard walks to Ashitaka and though he says he is grateful for him saving those two men, he’s suspicious on how fast he got to Iron-Town and through the forbidden forest of all places.

“Oh, he’s fine!” Nausicaa shouts at the scene.

Upon the mention of the word “fine”, the image of Ashitaka in his undies flashes in the minds of Arrietty, Sheeta, and San.

“Yes, fine,” says Arrietty.

Sho and Pazu immediately feel some jealousy.

A woman from the crowd runs to the shore calling for Kohroku. Kohruke welcomes her happily, addressing her as Toki, his wife. Though she is initially happy to find him alive, Toki soon berates Kohruke for his broken arm since he can’t drive oxen now. She then yells that she scared her half to death and if the wolves had eaten him she could have found a real husband. Kohroku shrinks while the men helping him laugh.

While the people in the audience were initially happy to see a woman reunite with her husband, which particularly hit home for Lisa, they were put off by Toki’s harsh words.

“Is this what mating looks like for humans?” San whispers/asks Ashitaka.

“Not a normally, no.”

“Wow, shrew much?” Pazu whispers.

“Toki is a former brothel girl,” Eboshi says in defense of her. “Most of the girls I took with me to Iron-Town are. I encourage them to be tough. But make no mistake, she loves her husband. I promise you.”

The captain of the guard tells Toki to save her “sweet talk” for later. Toki then turns her anger on him, addressing him as Gonza and berating him for never doing any work, while Gonzo weakly declares that is untrue. Toki then smiles as Ashitaka and sincerely thanks him, saying that while her husband is an idiot she is glad he is safe.

This makes the people in the audience smile a bit.

Ashitaka jokes that he was afraid he’d done something wrong by bringing him home. Toki laughs and tells Ashitaka to take his mask off, suggesting he is handsome.

San immediately feels a twinge of jealousy.

‘Why do I feel like this?’ she asks herself. ‘I barely know him. He’s a human! I hate humans! Although Ashitaka seems very kind. And honorable. And respects the spirits and nature. And is quite brave. And handome…’

Ashitaka notices San turn red and avoids looking at her. Ashitaka averts his eyes out of respect. Sho and Pazu notice this along with the adults and they glance at each other with knowing looks. Arrietty, Kiki, Sheeta, and Ponyo all turn to each other thinking the same thing.

Lady Eboshi appears and tells Gonza to bring Ashitaka to her later so she can thank him personally. She then tells Kohroku that she is happy he is back and apologizes. Kohroku cries.

“You seem well respected among your people,” Aiko compliments.

“Well I try to help where I can,” Lady Eboshi says. “They are MY people after all.”

Toki jokes that Lady Eboshi shouldn’t apologize or Kohroku will walk all over her. Lady Eboshiu also apologizes to Toki saying that it is her fault. Toki says that it is fine, saying that if she wasn’t there then the wolves would have eaten everyone and all the girls would need to find new husbands. The women and some of the men all laugh. Ashitaka lowers his mask and Toki says he is gorgeous.

Again, San feels some jealousy.

“You like him, don’t you?” Nausicaa asks/whispers.

“What? No, don’t be ridiculous he’s a human,” San whispers back. “And I barely know him.”

“Ok, if you insist,” Nausicaa says. “So Ashitaka, how do you like hearing that woman call you gorgeous?” Nausicaa asks Ashitaka out loud, causing San to glare at her.

“I…didn’t really think much of it,” Ashitaka says. “She’s a married woman and I need to find a cure for my affliction.”

“Oh, do you think San is pretty?” Kiki asks.

Ashitaka looks at San, who is staring at him, waiting for an answer.

“Well if I’m being completely honest, I think she is beautiful.”

San turns bright red.

“Shut up!” she snaps before she turns her head.

“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” Ashitaka asks.

“Guy,” Tombo says before glancing at Kiki, who doesn’t notice. “If that was wrong I wish I was as wrong as you?”

Sho looks at Arrietty. He had called her beautiful before, but he wanted to wait until these movies were done before he could talk to her fully.

“Hey, how long do you think we will be watching movies for?” Sho asks.

“Probably a few hours,” Yuki says.
“There will probably be breaks too,” says Lisa.

“I’m sure the host or whoever brought us here will give us one,” says Souske.

“Ok, just curious.”

Everyone enters Iron-Town and they shut the wooden gate. The rice that the ox were carrying before is distributed to the people. At night, a group of girls look through a window to spy on Ashitaka. They comment that he is handsome like Toki said, one says that he is young but another comments that it never stopped her before.

“Ok, now I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable,” Ashitaka says.

San smiles to herself.

“Well on the bright side maybe this movie-thing will show you how to life your curse so you wont have to go there this time.”

“You would like that, wouldnt you?” Arrietty teases.

“Maybe since Ashitaka cant go home he can move into the forest?” Nausicaa adds.

San growls at them and the two girls laugh.

The men that are eating with Ashitaka yell at them to stop since they lost a bunch of good men earlier and one says that there are plenty of good men (him) there. One girl jokes that she’s seen kettle that looked better. One woman tells Ashitaka (whom she calls “stranger”) to come with them. Ashitaka ignores them and another man yells that they should shut their mouths since THEY risked their lives to bring them the rice they are eating.

“Wow, someones jealous,” Sho quips.

“Do you blame them?” Pazu asks him.

“...No.”

The women counter that they are the ones who made the iron that paid for the rice while the men were sleeping. Ashitaka tells the women that he is curious to see where they work and the women get excited.

“Oh, quite the player aren’t ya Ashi?” Pazu asks. “Afraid yer days are numbered so your living while you can?”

“I am merely curious, I assure you,” Ashitaka says.

“Ok mate, if you say so,” says Pazu.

The women run away giggling, telling Ashitaka not to forget. The man tells Ashitaka that its best to ignore the women saying that Lady Eboshi spoils them rotten.

“Damn right I do,” Lady Eboshi says.

“Well, you know what they say,” Ashitaka says, innocently. “Happy women make a happy village.”

“In my time we say happy wife happy life,” Aiko says.

Yuki playfully elbows him in the ribs, causing their daughter Chihiro to giggle and Haku to smile.

“Your parents seem fun,” Haku says.

“Yeah,” says Chihiro. “But I’m a little upset with them.”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you later. Theres a movie going on now.”

Haku nods.

The man laugh and say that women like that defile the iron and are a disgrace.

The women in the room are offended by that.

They continue telling Ashitaka that Lady Eboshi goes around buying the contract of every brothel girl she can find. An old man says that Eboshi has a kind heart, and the fat man says that he has rice on his chin.

“Hey Souske, what is a brothel?” Ponyo asks.
“I dont know, Ponyo,” Souske says. “Mom, whats a brothel?”

Lisa freezes and she looks around the room. She see’s Kokiri, Aiko, and Yuki staring at her, wondering how she is going to answer that. While the children await for her answer too.

“Uhh…a brothel house is an…adult place…where adults go to…do…stuff….” Lisa says, awkwardly.
“Youll learn when you are older,” Lisa says. “But stay away from them, you hear!”

“Yes,” Kokiri says to Tombo. “Stay away from them.”
“Uh…ok,” Tombo says.

“Should I stay away from them?” Kiki asks her mom.

“Me too?” Chihiro asks.

“Uh, sure,” both mothers say to their children.

“Ok you tell me what is a brothel house?” San whispers/asks Ashitaka.

“Those women were prostitutes,” Ashitaka whispers to San. “Women who have sex with men for money.”

“Thats a thing?” San whispers/asks in disgust.

“Its not a profession most choose,” Ashitaka says. “Some people just dont have many other options. It seems like Eboshi is giving them a better life.”

San turns to Lady Eboshi who looks at the screen. Though she still hates the woman, a part of San feels a tiny bit of respect for her now.

Another man agrees and says that everything turned upside down since Lady Eboshi showed up.

“Showed up?” Tombo asks. “I thought you founded Iron-Town?”

“No, I just sort of took over when I arrived there with Gonza after we…” Lady Eboshi stops herself.

“After you what?” Jiji asks, curiously.

Lady Eboshi recounts her past and doesnt feel comfortable sharing it right now.

“...Nothing.”

Another man compliments that Lady Eboshi isnt even afraid of the gods (causing her to smile in pride). He tells Ashitaka should have seen how Lady Eboshi dealt with Nago.

Everyone winces. They realize this is when Ashitaka is going to learn Eboshi’s role in his affliction.

Ashitaka asks who Nago is and they say that he was a gigantic boar god who ruled the forest.

“That isnt true!” San shouts. “The great spirit rules the forest! Nago ruled the boar clan who serve to protect it!”

“Ok, i’ll educate them when we go back,” Eboshi says.

They say that Nago kept them from getting too close to the mountain to mine for its ore for months after they finished mining all the ore that was in the sand around the town. They talk about how they had to clear the forest before they could mine for the iron and that made the boar angry.

We see a flashback of the men burning chopped pieces of wood until Nago (still a normal boar god) bursts out from under them. The men try to fight him with flaming arrows, but Nago is unfazed by them even as they get lodged in his skin. he shakes them off and leads the other boars to charge at the men. They completely tear down their settlements.

The humans and Ponyo wince. Haku and San watch with neutral expressions.

The men tell Ashitaka that Lady Eboshi came one day with her warriors and her rifles.

The flashback shows Lady Eboshi appearing with men and guns. They fire at the Cedar Forest and Nago is seen running through the burning woods. Lady Eboshi watches as the whole forest is set ablaze.

Ashitaka puts two and two together. one of the men notices him glaring and asks him what is wrong. He clutches his cursed arm.

“He found out your boss got him cursed,” Sho blurts out.

“Sho,” Arrietty says.

“What, she did?”

Ashitaka lies and says that he was just thinking about the boar god dying filled with hatred.

Later, Ashitaka is sitting across from Lady Eboshi and Gonza. She is checking the quality of a piece of iron ore. Eboshi tells Ashitaka that she is sorry for keeping him waiting, explaining that they were running out of time for the shipment for the next day. Lady Eboshi tells her girls to take a rest and then she tells Ashitaka that some think he may be a spy for the wolf girl or lord Asano and his samurai.

“Hey listen,” San whispers to Ashitaka. “That town is hurting the forest and its leader got you cursed. Maybe we should work together to get rid of both.”
“San…”

“We can look for a peaceful solution if you want,” San says. “Drive the rest of the town out and maybe we will only have to kill Eboshi. We can deal with this Lord Asano if he shows himself later.”

“I would like to finish watching the future before I make any rash decisions, please. I was told that I must see with eyes unclouded by hate. Regardless of my feelings towards Eboshi and what she is doing, I cannot let them cloud my judgment.” Ashitaka says.

San nods.

“And San. Though I understand that you have every right to hate this woman too, I hope that you can not let it control you. I’m not telling you to forgive her, or like her, but god or not letting hate consume you will turn you into a demon. Literal or not.”

“....I will think about that.”

Ashitaka nods.

Eboshi asks Ashitaka why he is here and he shows her his cursed arm and then the iron bullet from Nago’s body. Ashitaka tells Eboshi the fate of Nago and how it led to him being cursed and dying. Eboshi asks him where he is from, saying she’s never seen a red elk before.

“Good job trying to change the subject,” Nausicaa says, sarcastically.

Ashitaka says that he has come a very long way and wont tell her anymore. Gonza gets mad and threatens to cut Ashitaka in half unless he answers Lady Eboshi’s question. Eboshi asks Ashitaka what he is here for. Ashitaka says to see with eyes unclouded by hate. Lady Eboshi laughs at his words and, seemingly knowing where he is from, says that explains it. Eboshi leads Ashitaka away.

Eboshi and Ashitaka walk through the town. Ashitaka stops in front of a forge where he sees the women working to pump iron. He resumes following Lady Eboshi to her garden where no one else dares to go, and asks him to follow her to learn her secret.

“What secret? You like to garden?” San asks.

Eboshi huffs.

“Quiet, wolf girl. You will see soon enough.”

Lady Eboshi leads Ashitaka into a small house and she greets one of the people outside. He is wearing cloth over his face. Ashitaka enters the house and he see’s many people wearing bandages and cloth on their faces. One of the workers, a woman, tells Ashitaka they finished making the gun. Lady Eboshi holds the rifle and says that it is too heavy. Another worker says that if they make the guns any lighter then it will fall apart but Eboshi says she trusts them. Lady Eboshi tells Ashitaka that it is the latest rifle she’s asked them to design. it is designed to kill both the “monsters” of the forest and pierce samurai armor. One of the workers tells Ashitaka that Eboshi wants to rule the world and Eboshi promises them wine for making them work so hard.

“So thats your secret?” San asks angrily. “Your making more weapons!? And why are those people even dressed like that? Dust?

“Right now I agree with you, San,” Ashitaka says. “First you destroy the forest and turn Nago into demon and now your making more weapons!? How much pain do you need to cause!?”

Lady Eboshi looks down.

“I dont think thats what she wants to show you kids,” Kokiri says slowly. “Eboshi, those people. There is something wrong with them isn’t there?”

“...Yes. I think I will tell you soon enough.”

Ashitaka starts to calm down. He thinks of the people covered on the screen and he starts to think on WHY they would need covering.

Eboshi admits that she was the one who shot the boar and tells Ashitaka that she truly is sorry. Ashitaka’s arm swells as he gets angry. It bulges and reaches for his sword.

The theatre gasps.

“Woah! Ashi, what are you doing?” Sho asks.

“It’s not me,” Ashitaka says. “Its the curse. I think the anger and hatred I feel on screen is fueling it.”

San has mixed feelings. As much as she would like it if Ashitaka struck Eboshi down she wasn’t sure she would approve if it made his curse worse.

The workers get scared but Eboshi calmly asks Ashitaka if his arm wishes to kill her. Ashitaka says that if it lifted his curse he would let it tear her apart. But wont because it wouldnt end the killing. Eboshi says that he would have to kill all of Iron-Town for there to be peace.

San thinks about this. Is it true that killing Eboshi really wouldn’t do anything? Though, despite everything, San doesn’t feel comfortable with killing EVERYONE in Iron-Town. But she still hopes at the very least she and the spirits can drive them off. She wonders if she can convince Ashitaka to help them achieve that with his strength and maybe the Forest Spirit can heal him as a reward. However, for some reason, she feels like that plan wouldn’t work. She is also purplexed by Ashitaka. Despite his hatred he wont cause more harm, not even to her, if it doesn’t actually fix things. She would kill Eboshi just for revenge. She doesnt fully understand Ashitaka but she thinks about what he and the elder of his village said about being clouded by hate.

“Hey wait, since when does your screen self know his name?” Ponyo asks.

“I guess I told her off-screen,” Ashitaka says, shrugging.

One of the workers says that another has something to say. One worker, who is weak and laying down, has his head completely wrapped in bandages. He asks Lady Eboshi to forgive him but he says that she must not make light of Ashitaka’s strength.

“Ok seriously, what is up with these guys?” San asks. “Whats with the bandages? Were they in fires or something?”

“They all have Leaprosy,” Lady Eboshi says.

The room (bar Kokiri, who frowns in acknowledgment) gasps at this realization. San turns to Ashitaka confused.

“What is Leprosy?” San asks him.

“Its a disease,” Ashitaka tells her. “One where bacteria eats at your flesh.”

San’s eyes widen in shock and disgust.

“Its deadly and it can severely damage your nervous system if not properly treated,” Kokiri says.

“It is also infectious,” Eboshi says. “That’s why they were all avoided and outcasts where they were from. I gave them a home. Treat them as best they can. And in return, they help me.”

The leprosy patient tells Ashitaka that he knows what rage and pain feels like but says he cant take revenge on Lady Eboshi. He says that Eboshi is the only one who saw them as human beings despite their condition. That despite the world hating and fearing them, she took them in and treated their rotting flesh. He goes on to say that life is hard and the world is cursed but we all find reasons to keep living. He cries and says he is making no sense.

San internalizes this knowledge and looks at Eboshi. Sure, she was using them to make more weapons, weapons that would be used against her family and forest. But after learning this she can see a new side to Aboshi she hadn’t imagined before. She was still a flawed woman. Greedy, ambitious, ruthless, and no respect for nature. But she also had a caring and altruistic side. Atleast to her own. She still hates Eboshi, but now (as much as she hates to acknowledge it) her respect for the woman has increased. Albeit slightly.

Everyone else in the room has similar thoughts. Kokiri in particular had tears in her eyes as the man talked about their condition. They realize that Eboshi is like a coin with two sides. She is good and evil. Ruthlessly ambitious but good-intentioned. Ruthlessly fights her enemies but cares about her own. It caused a mixture of emotions within all of them.

They all, including San, realize this is the meaning of seeing unclouded by hate. A person cannot let their personal biases guide them and look at their enemy with a clear lens to understand them. Although, in San’s case, it can’t help much if her enemy continues to harm her home.

The scene changes to the forest, or rather the cleared/ burnt part at night. A wolf’s howls fills the air. Eboshi loads her new gun and aims it. She fires it at the mountain and nearly hits a group of red-eyed primate-like creatures.

And Sans distain for the woman resurfaces.

“Now your shooting at the ape tribe?” San asks harshly.

“Ape tribe?” Ashitaka asks.

“Are they Satori?” Yuki asks.

“What is a satori?” Sheeta asks.

“Those things are freaky looking,” says Pazu. “They got red eyes and everything.”

“A type of yokai, spirit, that reads minds and looks like a monkey,” Aiko says. “Wait, are those even real or did humans just make them up? I want to be sure.”

“Oh, they are real,” Haku says. “There’s this one named Dorok that has been visiting the bathhouse where I work for years. I don’t care for him personally. he’s always talking about how much he doesn’t like humans.”

“Dorok you say?” Nausicaa asks.

“To answer the first question,” San says. “The ape tribe plants trees to help the forest grow.”

“Which is why I’m shooting that them,” Lady Eboshi says. “I cleared that area for a reason. I can’t have them undoing my work.”

Eboshi complains to Ashitaka that they keep coming back to plant more trees. Eboshi asks him to help her kill the forest spirit. But Ashitaka is disturbed that she would ask such a thing.

Everyone else gasps.

“NOW YOU WANT TO KILL THE GREAT-You know what!? I’m done here!”

San draws her dagger and prepares to kill Lady Eboshi. However, she immediately freezes up and is unable to move. More words appear on the screen.

SORRY, BUT THERE IS A NO VIOLENCE POLICY IN THIS THEATRE. SO SAN, FOR BREAKING THIS, YOU ARE GOING TO BE STUCK TO YOUR CHAIR FOR THE REST OF THE MOVIE.

San is forced back in her seat by an invisible force and a rope materializes that binds her to the chair. Her arms are free and she tires to break loose but she is unable to do so. She tries cutting the ropes but they turn into chains. Ashitaka grips the chains with his infected arm and tries pulling her free. He does so even as his arm pulses but he is unable to. San tells him to stop before his curse gets worse and Ashitaka does so. San then glares at Eboshi.

“When I’m out of here, you won’t survive!”

“Is that a promise,” Eboshi asks.

“A warning.”

“I suggest you rethink your actions,” Ashitaka says.

“Listen lady,” Lisa says. “I dont know much about spirits and magic. But I dont think that killing someone called the great forest spirit is a good idea.”

“What do you think would happen besides the forest dying?” Lady Eboshi asks.

“I dont know…something else thats bad. Also, I dont want to kill the forest in general! You dont have to do that! That is way overkill!”

San looks at the woman and smiles at her in approval.

Eboshi says that once the spirit is gone the animals there will be dumb beasts once more.

“You think that just killing the forest spirit will revert the other gods to regular animals?” San asks. “No, they are and have always been spirits in their own rights. Even if you kill the god of the forest we will still fight and we will avenge him!”

“....Ok, thank you for telling me that,” Lady Eboshi says. “I suppose I need a new strategy then.”

Eboshi continues that once the forest god and the wolves are gone they will have the richest plot of land.

San growls at human greed. As so most of the humans in the room. San, Ashitaka, Lisa, Haku, and Ponyo glare at Eboshi. Eboshi takes it in stride.

Eboshi also says that she thinks princess Mononoke will become human. Ashitaka questions who that is. Eboshi claims that she is the princess of the spirits. She claims that the wolf god “stole her heart” and she wishes to kill her.

“Princess Mononoke?” San asks. “Is that what you people call me?”

“It means princess of the spirits,” Eboshi says.

“Im not princess of the spirits,” San says. “Just the wolves. The other clans… don’t really like me much.”

Ashitaka looks at her sympathetically.

“Because your technically human yourself?” Sho asks.

San glares at him but doesn't answer. She just turns to Eboshi.

“I will never be a human like you.”

“You had to have been human once,” Eboshi says. “Didn't you have a family before Moro?”

San looks down. She closes her eyes.

“I've known Moro for as long as I can remember,” San says. “She found my human parents destroying the forest when I was a cub. She attacked them and they threw me to her as a sacrifice as they ran.”

Everyone stares at San in shock and pity. They then develop a disdain for her biological parents. Especially Kokiri, Aiko, Yuki, and Lisa. What kind of people sacrifice their own baby girl to a wolf? A part of them felt respect for Moro for taking in a human child and raising it as her own despite the circumstances.

“That is just one of the reasons why I will always be a wolf, not a human,” San declares to Eboshi.

They look at San with pity. Ponyo raises her hand.

“San, you can be a wolf and human,” Ponyo says. “No matter what you say you are, you are still San.”

“Thank you, little one,” San says. “But I don’t think you understand.”

“Oh, she understands,” Souske says. “Trust me.”

“if you were a baby then of course you only have Moro’s word for that,” Eboshi says. “For all you know she could have just eaten your parents and raised you as a weapon against your own kind.”

Sam growls at her.

“I am sorry San,” Ashitaka says. “But I am glad that you were accepted by Moro. She seems like a wise goddess.”

San clams down.

“Thank you, she is.”

Ashitaka realizes that “princess Mononoke” is the girl he saw with the wolves earlier. Eboshi tells Ashitaka that legend says that the blood of the great forest spirit can heal anything. She suggests perhaps that it can be used to heal her lepers and undo his curse.

“San, I won't,” Ashitaka says immediately. “I believe the spirit of the forest will cure me if he chooses to. If not, then I am not worthy.”

“...Im sure he will.”

The workers asks Eboshi how she likes the gun. She said that it was better and perfect for ruling the world but still too heavy for the girls. Ashitaka walks away and goes back into the village. He passed by the forge again and this time walks inside. He approaches the women who are working on the bellows. Toki and other women who were napping off to the side notice Ashitaka and became happy. Ashitaka takes off his shirt and asks if he can work the bellows for a while.

“Before anyone says anything, I am just trying to pass the time and give the girls a break,” Ashitaka says.

“Sure man, sure,” Pazu laughs.

Ashitaka grabs one of the ropes and asks the woman currently holding onto it if he can try. She blushes and Toki encourages her to let him try. Ashitaka takes it and he pushes down on the bellow. His enhanced strength causes the pump to go faster and the girls on the other side laugh. Another woman tells Ashitaka that she will take over when he is tired. A different woman says that wont be long and tells one of the below workers to keep her kimono on.

Ashitaka groans as the other people in the room snicker and San tries to ignore that small jealous feeling.

“Impressive Ashitaka,” Arrietty says.

“You know,” Sho says. “He’s got that curse that gives him superhuman strength, just saying.”

“He’s sweating,” Eboshi says, smirking at him. “I dont think the curse is helping him there, kid. Thats all Ashitaka.”

“Hmm, what was that Sho?” Arrietty asks.

“Nothing.”

Pazu smirks at Sho, giving him a knowing look.

Toki tells Ashitaka that he is doing well but he won’t keep that pace up. Ashitaka agrees it is hard work. Toki says that their shifts are four days long but she and the other women agree that it beats working at a brothel in the city since the men eat as much as they want and the men don’t bother them. Unless they want them to.

Now the young kids are really confused about what a brothel is and why it involves eating and men bothering them. A few wonder if it is a modeling thing.

In the forest, the Apes sit in a dead tree and San emerges from behind a rock on the back of one of her brothers and the other behind them. The rats and raccoons around them scurry away, as San and the wolves look down at Iron-Town. She pets her brother as he growls and she puts her mask back on.

“Your going to attack, arent you?” Ashitaka asks.

“Looks like it,” says San.

“I wish you luck,” says Haku.

Eboshi glares at him.

Chapter Text

Ashitaka is leaving the bellows. He has apparently told the women that he is planning to leave tomorrow and they are begging him to stay. Ashitaka tells them he has to find someone out in the forest.

Pazu smirks at Ashitaka.

“You’ve become quite popular with the ladies,” Lady Eboshi teases. “Sure, why have a dozen attractive women when you can have one savage one?”

“I need to find a cure to my affliction,” Ashitaka says.

“Oh, is that the only reason?”

“I think that Ashi has good taste,” Sho says.

San blushes and Arrietty is surprised.

“Oh, really San?” Arrietty asks, slightly annoyed.

“What I mean is that San’s bravery, free-spiritedness, and ability to take care of herself is admirable,” Sho says. “Those are traits that I like in you as well.”

Arrietty blushes.

“Ah, thank you.”

‘Why did that make my heart beat?’ Arietty asks herself.

At this moment, San is riding with her brothers into town to attack.

Ashitaka and the women hear the arrival and Ashitaka realizes that Princess Mononoke is here. He rushes to find her. A man alerts Iron-Town that the wolves are coming. One man tries firing at the wolves, but San and her brothers dodge them.

“That’s insane!” Chihiro shouts. “How can you just charge into open fire like that?”

“Well, it’s not the first time,” San says. “But there are times when you have to be brave and put yourself on the line if it means protecting your home and your family.”

Chihiro thinks about this. She is, admittingly, kind of a crybaby. She wonders if she would ever be in a situation where she would have to be brave. Although the fact that she was brought here in the first place implies that maybe she will.

San’s brother willingly runs up and rams into one of the spikes protecting the sides of Iron-Town so San can be propelled up. She graps onto the wall with her spear and climbs up.

Arrietty is reminded of the contraption she used at Sho’s aunt’s house that pulled her upward with an elevator.

The man at the top holds his weapon like a spear to fend San off. He swings at San but she dodges. San cuts his hand canon with her knife and he falls backward. Another man fires at her from a tower but she runs onto roofs and dodges.

“Impressive,” Ashitaka says.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, you have some nice moves,” Nausicaa says. “Hey do you wanna spar when this is done?”

“...Sure.”

Ashitaka runs around to find San, along with a mob of workers. An explosive hits where San is and she lands on the ground. She immediately attacks Ashitaka with her knife.

“Sorry,” San tells him.

“It’s fine.”

Ashitaka asks her to stop as he blocks her blade with his own saying that he is a friend. San jumps back as the other men try to attack her and back onto the roof. They chase after her, knowing that she is going after Lady Eboshi. Ashitaka climbs onto the roof and chases after her from there.

‘Do your worst, wolf girl,’ Eboshi thinks.

San watches her movie self intently. Hoping that she manages to kill that greedy woman.

The rest watch in anticipation, wondering if San will succeed or not. And having mixed feelings about the possibility that she does.

“You’re not really attempting to stop me, are you?” San asks, Ashitaka. “You nearly attacked Eboshi yourself.”

“My counterpart is attempting to keep your counterpart from getting killed,” says Ashitaka.

“I can take care of myself!”

San sighs.

“Look, I can respect her taking care of women and lepers but if she’s actively trying to kill the Great Forest Spirit and killing other ones then she is a threat and she needs to be dealt with. You killed Nago for trying to attack your home. Explain to me how this is different.”

“I dont disagree with what you said,” says Ashitaka. “But perhaps Eboshi can be negotiated with.”

“Unless she has a better source of iron, no way,” says Eboshi.

“Not helping,” says Haku.

Gonzo orders the people to keep the fires going as everyone grabs a weapon. They talk about trapping San. Toki is told that San is on the roof. She orders them to keep working and they can’t let those fires go out. Lady EBoshi emerges and asks Gonza if San is alone. Gonza confirms that she cant escape. He reminds her that San plans to kill her, but Eboshi isnt fazed.

San narrows her eyes. Whatever trap they have, she will be ready. She hopes. Although she takes note that keeping the bellows going is important to Iron-Town. Perhaps she can find some water spirits who would be willing to help the forest when she goes back home. Maybe some dragon river spirits like Haku. She even imagined enlisting the help of some tanuki.

She snickers at the thought of them raining down on Iron-Town with their “special trick”.

Eboshi walks into the middle of the clearing. There are two women by her side with rifles. She asks the princess of the beasts if she can hear her. She taunts San, saying that if she wants revenge for all the animals she’s killed then she will have to face the two women, whose husbands were killed by her wolves.

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” Aiko says. “Or in this case, lost their husbands.”

“Well, I consider myself more of a wolf than a human,” San says. “But I assure you I have plenty of fury myself. Now if only I can get out of this chair.”

“Can’t you just mine for Iron somewhere else?” Souske asks Eboshi. “Or move to a place with less spirits?”

“You’ll understand when your older, kid.”

“I agree with him, lady Emoji,” Lisa says.

“It’s Eboshi. What even is an emoji?”

Souske takes out his phone and shows Lisa the poop emoji. He whispers into her ear what it is and she shows it to Eboshi.

“This is you.”

She and Sho laugh, but the rest of the people are confused.

Ashitaka sees San stand up at the top of the forge. Dozens of men are waiting for her down below, ready to fire at her with their hand canons. Ashitaka realizes that it is a trap and yells at San to return to the forest.

“I can’t,” says San. “I know that it’s a trap, but I have to fight.”

“San, you cant just throw your life away over the slight chance of revenge,” Ashitaka says.

“Fighting won’t matter if you die for nothing,” Nausicaa says.

“If I can just kill Eboshi-”

“Won’t do much,” Sheeta says. “That’s been established.”

“There’s a time to fight and a time to retreat to fight another day,” says Haku.

San sighs.

“Perhaps your right. Let’s just see how this goes.”

As Ashitaka pleads with San, Gonza asks Eboshi if he should try to stop him but Eboshi says that he can do what he likes. They hear a wolf howl then San runs down the structure. Ashitaka runs after her and they are both almost hit by canon fire.

The people in the audience worry for both San and Ashitaka. Though Eboshi would prefer Ashitaka not die, she was hoping for San to be hit.

Ashitaka sees San rolling down and Gonza proclaims that they got her. He runs forward but Eboshi warns the others to stay back, saying that even if you cut off a wolfs head it can still bite.

“It can?” Sheeta asks.

“A wolf spirit, yes,” San clarifies.

“So are your mom and brothers completely immortal then?” Sho asks.

“No, but their heads would stay alive for just a minute or two,” San says.

San watches the screen with a dread feeling. Perhaps they were right and she should have listened to Ashitaka.

Meanwhile, Eboshi is smirking at the screen.

As San continues rolling, Eboshi tells her people to take aim again when she falls. Ashitaka moves to save her. He uses his enhanced strength to rip off a chunk of one of the houses roofs.

“You guys should see the men that live in my town,” Pazu says. “They can tear their clothes just by flexing.”

“Now that would be something my girls would like to see,” Eboshi says.

A few of the men feel self-conscious.

San falls, she lands on the ground but stands up.

“What are you a cat?” Tombo asks San.

“No, she’s a dog,” says Jiji.

“I’m a wolf,” says San.

“Same difference.”

Eboshi orders the two women to open fire and they shoot at San.

“No!” Ashitaka yells.

San swallows the lump in her throat and everyone else watches anxiously, hoping that Ashitaka will arrive in time.

One of the bullets hits San’s mask and shatters it, causing her to fall backward.

San’s eyes widen as everyone else eaps in fear for San’s life.

Ashitaka gasps with horror and he turns to see Lady Eboshi in her seat, smirking. Ashitaka becomes mad and his arm acts up again. Ashitaka clutches his arm and it bulges as the curse reacts to his anger. Ashitage grunts as worm-like spirits emerge from it and try to go after Eboshi, to everyone’s panic. However, the magic in the room forces Ashitaka into a chair and the worms around his body. Kokiri runs over with a potion and pours it over Ashitaka’s wound. The boy’s screams start to die down as the worms recceed and the swelling goes down.

“How are you feeling, Ashitaka?” Kokiri asks.
“Better,” Ashitaka says, panting. “Thank you, Kokiri.”

“You cured him!” San says.

“No, I just treated him,” says Kokiri. “This infection needs stronger medicine that I currently have on me.”

“Do you have anything back in your timeline?” San asks, concerned. “I’m sure that the entity that brought us here would send you back to get that.”

“Hmm, nothing at my shop but there is a special type of magic herb that I should order,” says Kokiri. “It’s very bitter, but it can cure virtually any illness, even supernatural.”

“A bitter dumpling?” Haku suggests.

“Yes, that’s it,” says Kokiri. “But it is very expensive.”

“Oh well Ashi has gold so I don’t think that’s a problem,” Sho says.

“Oh, it costs more than just a few tiny pieces of gold, Sho,” Haku says. “Only the wealthiest spirits in the spirit realm can afford one.”

“I was considering locating water dragons to help me protect the forest,” San says. “Maybe one of them will have a dumpling?”

“We can work out te details later,” Ashitaka says. “Besides, maybe this movie will show me being cured.”

San lays on the ground, mask broken, unconscious, but alive.

Most of the audience is relieved. Atleast until they see the next scene.

Gonza laughs and he charges, along with various other men and women with weapons. Ashitaka yells at them to stay back and he throws the piece of roof he ripped off. It lands on a pyre and startles them.

“Thank you,” San says.

“You are welcome.”

“Good aim,” Sho tells him.

Ashitaka runs down and shakes San’s body, asking her to wake up. San does and immediately cuts his cheek with a knife.

Yakul grunts. San apologizes.

San slashes at him a few more times before running past him to try to get to Eboshi. She charges at the crowd of soldiers. Jumps up to avoid Gonza’s attack and lands on his face.

Several people in the audience chuckle.

San leaps over the crowd and runs at Lady Eboshi, letting out a war cry. Eboshi removes her robe and draws a sword, countering San’s blade. She then nearly stabs San in the face with a metal thorn, but she jumps back. Eboshi engages San with her weapons as the rest of the crowd forms a circle around them. San continues attempting to slash Eboshi and she retaliates as the crowd yells at Eboshi to skin San, among other things.

“Wow, you’re actually a good fighter,” Nausicaa says.

“What? Did you think that I was just this pampered rich girl who doesn’t know how to hold her own?” Lady Eboshi asks with a smirk.

“Kinda, yeah.”

“Well guess what? I’m not,” Eboshi says. “I once murdered a pirate and seized control of his ship after he abducted me and forced me to be his wife. I also worked as a shirabyoshi then so I had to learn how to fend off grabby-hands.”

Everyone in the audience stares at Eboshi, feeling a degree of pity for her surprisingly tragic backstory.

“Ok, moving on,” Eboshi says, not liking the looks.

Ashitaka gets angry. His arm acts up and purple spectral worms form on it. He walks to the crowd and Gonza notices him. Ginza accuses him of being a spy for the wolves and turns his blade on him. Ashitaka doesn’t respond and just keeps walking. He twists Gonza’s blade like tinfoil and tells him to step aside as he walks by.

Once again, everyone was impressed by Ashitaka’s strength. Eboshi couldn’t help but think that there would be a lot of useful applications to this curse in defending her town from threats. Both spirit and human. As long as there was an easily accessible cure of course.

Ashitaka throws and pushes the people in the crowd out of his way and gets between San and Eboshi. He grabs San’s hand and blocks Eboshi’s blade while telling the latter that San’s life is now his. San tries biting his forearm and Eboshi quips that she will make a lovely wife for him. Ashitaka simply replies that there’s a demon inside both of them. The spectral worms emerge again as San bites him, to the crowd’s horror. Ashitaka addresses them, saying that this is what hatred looks like, that is it killing him and that fear and anger only make it grow faster. San is horrified.

The audience is in deep thought over Ashitaksa’s words. San is the most affected. While it was true that she wanted to kill Eboshi for what she’s done she also acknowledged now that a part of it was out of revenge and hatred of humans in general. Maybe, she should also be aware of her own inner demons.

Ponyo thought of her father. He told her that he was human once but became a sea wizard to get close to her mother. However, as the years passed he became detached from humanity and grew to hate his former kind for polluting the ocean. If she hadn’t moved to the surface with Souske he would still be trying to flood the earth.

Eboshi is unfazed and tries to cut his cursed arm off. Ashitaka knocks both Eboshi and San in the abdomen, knocking them out. The crowd gasps and worries for Eboshi. The worms disappear and Ashitaka asks someone to take her away from him. The two women instantly rush over.

“Sorry, San,” Ashitaka says.

“Its ok,” San says. “I did try to kill you a few times, lets call it even.”

Ashitaka tells them that Eboshi is just stunned. He announces that he is leaving and taking San with him. However, one of the women is still mad at him for attacking EBoshi and threatens to shoot him if he moves. Ashitaka moves anyway. The woman hesitates to fire and she is called out on it by one of her friends. She fires and the bullet does right through Ashtitaka’s chest from behind.

Ashitaka’s eyes widen.

San is horrified.

The rest of the audience gasps.

“Oh god!” Lisa shouts.

“Please tell me that curse has healed-” Arrietty stops herself.

“You should have listened, Ashitaka,” Eboshi says.

‘So durability isn’t part of the enhanced strength,’ Lady Eboshi notes. ‘Good to know.’

Ashitaka keeps moving as if nothing happened, everyone is shocked and questions how he can keep walking.

The audience is surprised as well.

Ashitaka walks by Gonza. Gonza asks the crowd if Eboshi is ok, after they confirm she is he orders the riflemen to get into position and grab his gun. Ashitaka walks by the women he was with earlier and they question what happened. They notice his blood. Ashitaka, carrying San, walks to the exit with Yakul. The guards tell Ashitaka that he can’t let him pass and that the gate is shut anyway.  They say that they are grateful to him for bringing those men back and say they don’t want to hurt him but Ashitaka is insistent on leaving. They say that it takes ten men to open the door, but Ashitaka pushes on it with his cursed arm.

“He’s got this,” Sho says.

“Strong!” Ponyo shouts.

Ashitaka continues to push on the door. It doesn’t move and he keeps bleeding. The first guard to talk to him tells him to stop and he will kill himself if he keeps doing this. Ashitaka ignores him and keeps pushing.

The people in the audience worry for Ashitaka’s safety. Kokiri instinctively pulls out more healing medicines.

San finds herself looking at the scene sorrowful, and feeling guilty.

The crowd gasps as Ashitaka actually manages to open the door.

“Huh, well I’ll be damned,” Aiko says.

“Cool,” says Kiki.

Gonza arrives with his men and canons. They see the wolf brothers approaching but realize that they don’t have anything to light their canons. Ashitaka tells the wolves that San is safe with him. Ashitaka tells Iron-Town they have his thanks before leaving and letting the door close behind him. They are all shocked and, despite everything, that first man wishes him good luck.

San smiles at that. But quickly hides it. She is just starting to come around to Ashitaka and the people in this room. She’s not going to let her guard down to someone from Iron-Town.

Yalul carries San and Ashitaka (who is still bleeding) up the mountain with the wolves behind them. San wakes up, just as Ashitaka succumbs to his blood loss and falls off Yakul, weakened.

Kokori worries for Ashitaka. Well, everyone watching does but her more so (aside from San) due to being a doctor.

The wolves turn around and start chewing on his head. San yells at them to stop. She gets off Yakul and walks to Ashitaka as he lays on the ground, recounting how his “own people” shot him and he’s dying. As Ashitaka starts to regain consciousness she asks him why he stopped her from killing Eboshi. Ashitaka says he didn’t want them to kill her, but San said that she is willing to do anything to get humans out of the forest. San then takes Ashitaka’s blade and says she should kill him for saving Eboshi, calling her evil. San ends up jumping back after he calls her beautiful.

San blushes and there are chuckles in the audience.

“Can we talk about the fact that the wolves tried to eat Ashitaka?” Tombo asks.

“Trust me,” San says. “It would be weirder if they didn’t.”

“It’s normal for inlaws to not like you but mine never tried to eat me,” Aiko whispers and chuckles to himself.

One of Sans brothers offers to crunch Ashitaka’s face off. A rock lands near him and San notices the ape tribe throwing stuff at them.

“Oh, are they there to help?” Sheeta asks.

“They don’t look very helpful to me,” Arrietty says.

“I highly doubt they are,” San says.

San asks them why they are here and one of her brothers is mad at them for showing disrespect to the wolf clan. The apes demand that they hand over Ashitaka so they can eat him.

“What!?” San shouts.

The rest of the audience is disgusted and horrified.

“Um, I take it that’s not normal for them?” Arrietty asks.

“No!” San shouts. “What happened to make the ape clan change this way!? This is crazy!”

The apes say that they want to eat Ashitaka so they can gain his strength and overthrow the humans with it.

“Uh…is that how it works?” Aiko asks Haku.

“No, it does not.”

“How desperate must they have become to resort to such lengths?” Kiki asks, horrified.

Ponyo feels sick.

“I blame you for this,” San tells Eboshi.
“Oh yeah, I told the monkeys to start eating people.”

San reminds them that not how it works and if they do they will become “worse than human”. The apes simply say that they plant trees but because the humans keep destroying them the forest doesn’t grow back. San says that they can’t give up and that the great forest spirit is with them. She tells them to just keep planting trees and someday they will win. But the apes call San a human and accuse her of not caring if they die, which upsets her.

San is taken aback by this as well.

“So I take it the only spirits who see you as one of them are the wolves,” Chihiro asks sympathetically.

“...Yes,” San admits.

“They aren’t wrong you know,” Eboshi says.
“You be quiet,” says Ashitaka.

“What? it’s true,” Eboshi says. “You can live in the forest. You can bite people. You can hate the rest of us all you want. But you’re a human being. One who was raised by wolf gods. But still human. Get over it.”

“Stop that!” San yells. “I’m a wolf!”

“San,” Haku says. “If I may. I work in a bath house in the twenty-first century. Believe me when I tell you that spirits can be just as greedy and selfish as humans. I respect you and your wolf clan for protecting nature. But at the end of the day, spirit or human, anyone can suck. but you know what, both can be good too. I honestly could not care less if you are human, or spirit. And I assure you no one else in this room does either.”

“Your cool,” Arrietty says.

“Awesome!” says Ponyo.

“Well, thank you all,” San says. “But I prefer to identify as the spirits who raised me.”

“That is fine as well,” Ashitaka says.

San’s brothers get mad and chase after the apes, who flee. When the wolves return San tells them to go home and she will deal with Ashitaka. They then ask if they can eat Yakul. San says no and to go home. They begrudgingly leave.

Yakul gets worried.

“They better not,” says Ashitaka.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let them,” San says.

San asks Yakul to come over and help her carry Ashitaka. San places the sword back in Ashitaka’s sachel and lifts him. Yakul helps her take him to the spiritual area with the kodama that Ashitaka was in that morning. San leads Yakul with Ashitaka to the water and she cuts off a plant.

“Aw, look at you, hurting nature to help your human boyfriend,” Eboshi teases.

“Excuse me!” San yells to the ceiling. “I know you said no violence but can you please shut her up!?”

EBoshi is about to open her mouth, but a tennis ball suddenly materializes in it. Eboshi cannot remove it and she is unable to speak.

“Thank you!” San shouts.

“Can I also get some nachos!” Aiko asks.

A light comes on off to the side, revealing a snack bar with lots of munchies. Including nachos. Aiko gets out of his seat to get some. And several other people get up to get some snacks as well.

San leads Yakul into the water and grabs Ashitaka. She drags him along, walking over ancient bones at the bottom of the pool. She lays Ashitaka on the shore of a small grassy island (with bones) in the middle of the water. She sticks the plant in the dirt above his head and tells Yakul he is wise for knowing better than to set foot on the island. She complains that she smells like a human (Eboshi wants to say she is one but can’t because of the tennis ball) and goes back into the water to remove Yakul’s harness. She tells him that he is free now and swims away but Yakul stays where he is.

“You’re quite loyal, aren’t you?” San asks Yakul

Yakul gruts “Of course, he is my friend. I love him.”

“Wait hold on,” Kiki says. “San did you take Ashitaka there to heal him or for him to…uh, rest in peace?”

“If the great spirit wants to save him he will,” San says.

The kodama walk up the trees to the very top. They watch as a gigantic creature materializes in the forest. It is so tall that it walks above the trees. it is blue and “starry”, lightly transparent, and with horns.

The audience is amazed Even Eboshi is taken aback by the sight.

“Woah….” Pazu gasps. “Is that the great forest spirit?”

“Yes,” says San. “Though in this form he is called the nightwalker.”

“He’s huge,” Arrietty gasps. “He makes beans look like borrowers.”

“It/he is incredible,” says Ashitaka.

The kodama shake their heads violently, creating noise, as the Nightwalker approaches. A “bear” raises its head from a bush, but that bear turns out to be jigo in disguise. He tells his men to look at it, revealing it’s the reason they have been looking for it wearing animal skins.

“You were right,” Ashitaka tells San. “He was lying to me. But why is he spying on the great forest spirit?”

“Well he’s a monk, so it can’t be anything bad, right?” Sheeta asks.

“Oh, you would be surprised,” says Haku.

“Hye guys, I just thought of something,” Pazu says. “So, you’re all Japanese.”

Almost everyone in the room says yes.

“Not us,” Kokiri says, pointing to herself, Jiji, Kiki, and Tombo.

“Yeah, neither am I or Sheeta,” Pazu says. “So what I’m asking is, how are you all speaking English?”

All the Japanese people in the room turn to each other confused, then back at Pazu.

“Hey, now that you mention it, what’s up with that?” Kiki asks. “You’re speaking English in the movie too.”

“We’re not…speaking English,” Yuki says.

“Yeah, we’re speaking Japanese,” says Aiko. “And so are you guys.”

“What?”

“No we’re not,” says Kokiri. “We’re speaking English.”

“This room must be translating what we hear to our native language,” Nausicaa guesses.

“Powerful magic here,” Kokiri says.

One of the men, who is dressed like a wild pig, reminds Jigo that it is a sin to look at the Nightwalker. Jigo dismisses it by reminding them that they got a letter, pardoning them for cutting off the head of the great forest spirit.

“WHAT!!!???” San shouts in outrage.

“...I stand corrected,” says Sheeta.

“Why would the emperor want the spirit’s head?” Ashitaka asks.

“Jigo mentioned before that the emperor wanted to live forever,” Sho says.

The tennis ball in Eboshi’s mouth disappears. She spits and speaks.

“There is a wives tail that the head of the great forest spirit will grant whoever had it immortality,” Eboshi says. “I can’t believe he’s stupid enough to believe it. Although could use it to my advantage.”

“Uh lady,” Aiko says. “I’m not going to pretend I know anything about spirits. But I’m pretty sure that killing something called the great forest spirit isn’t a good idea.”

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Eboshi asks. “The forest dies? A win for me.”

“Oh you foolish woman,” Haku says. “You cannot fathom the impacts that killing a truly powerful spirit will have. For the sake of the forest, your town, and the land I pray that such a thing never happened.”

San thinks for a minute. It seems that the situation is indeed more complex than she initially thought. Even if she took out Eboshi, someone else would just fill her place. And the people of the town would just want revenge and harm the forest even more. Even if she did get rid of Iron-Town then this Lord Asano that Eboshi mentioned would just move in. But aside from all of that, this emperor is actively seeking the death of the Great Forest Spirit as well.

“Quick question,” San says. “Can you please verify what an emperor is?”

“The emperor rules all of Japan,” Ashitaka says.

“Even lord Asano is beneath him,” Eboshi says.

“Then I have found a new resolve,” San says. “I will tell the emperor that killing the Great Forest Spirit won’t grant him immortality. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll kill him. Or threaten him into staying away from the forest. Whatever works.”

“That will be impossible,” Ashitaka says. “The emperor’s forces are strong and you can barely hold your own against Eboshi.”

“Ashitaka you can help me!” San says. “We can bring your people out of hiding! You can save your tribe from extinction! They will stop coming after the forest spirit. We will both be free.”

Ashitaka thinks for a moment. His people can avoid going extinct. Would that mean he could return home? It seemed like indeed dealing with the emperor, however a stretch it may be, would solve a lot of problems. But still, he cant help but hope there’s a better way. Ideally.

“Now hold up,” says Lady Eboshi. “Before anyone starts thinking about overthrowing emperors let’s just think things through and finish the movie first, ok.”

“Wow, total switch,” Sho whispers to Arrietty, who nods in agreement.

Jigo talks about how the Great Forest Spirit becomes the night walker at night and returns to normal during the day. As the sun rises, the nightwalker shrinks and returns to his great forest spirit form as it enters the clearing where the body of water is. The wind blows violently as the Great Forest Spirit sets foot on the island.

Everyone watches in anticipation to see if the Great Forest Spirit will heal Ashitaka or not.

The Great Forest Spirit resembles an elk, with a lot of antlers, with a red face resembling a mans. Every step he takes causes plant life to bloom then die. He walks to where Ashitaka is and kills the plant that San left. The dead leaves fall onto Ashitaka’s face.

“So he isnt going to help?” Sho asks.

San shushes him.

The sun is rising. Jigo and his men scale a mountain. They hide in “bush” and one of the hunters tells Jigo to look. He sees a gathering of boar gods which Jigo says is hundreds. One of the hunters says that they arent from this region and must have traveled for months to get there.

Eboshi watches the screen, curious to see what the boars are planning now that Nago is gone.

San, Ponyo, and Haku also watch with anticipation.

The others are curious as well.

Jigo gasps when he sees a big, white, boar god walking up to a cliff. Like the boars master redy to make an announcement.

San gasps and smiles.

“Woah, albino boar,” Pazu says.

“Wait…is that…” Haku says, squinting at the screen.

“It can’t be,” says Kokiri.

“What, who is it?” Tombo asks.

“That is lord Okkoto!” San says with glee. “My mother told me all about him. He is a great and fearless boar god leader. With him here now we can win.”

“We’ll see about tha-”

The tennis ball returns to Eboshi’s mouth. To her displeasure.

“Why were you guys so surprised?” Arrietty asks Haku and Kokiri.

“He was supposed to have died in the twelfth century, this is the thirteenth,” Kokiri explains.

“Well, looks like reports of his death were greatly exaggerated,” says Sho.

Aiko chuckles, so does Lisa.

“Good one, kid,” Aiko says.

The hunter recognized him as Okkoto, but Jigo says he died. The hunter says otherwise. Okkoto turns and the hunters flee, thinking he’s seen them.

“Those eyes,” San says. “He’s blind.”

If it wasn’t for the tennis ball, Eboshi would smile and say that’s good to know.

Okkoto lets out a loud pig squeal/roar. The other boars join in. Jigo and the others run away, with Jigo (who is ahead of them) calling them cowards and to move quickly.

Chapter Text

Ashitaka, still unconscious, is floating in dark water. A golden droplet falls and creates a ripple. The light shines and he remembers seeing the Great Forest Spirit in the same spot earlier that day. Blood continues to pour out of his wound as the Great Forest Spirit walks toward him.

The audience watches in anticipation, wondering what the Great Forest Spirit will do. Will he help Ashitaka seeing that he’s a good person? Or will he let him die so there would be one less human?

San secretly wishes that Ashitaka will live.

Ashitaka himself watches with anticipation with Yakul.

The Great Forest Spirit is sparking with a golden light now. He reaches down and sucks in Ashitaka’s blood from his wound.

“Hey, that's good, right?” Chihiro asks San. “Your boss king, or whatever, is saving him. Right?”

“It seems like it,” San says. “But the Great Forest Spirit is death just as much as he is life. It can go either way. He chose not to help many fallen spirits.” She looks at Ashitaka. “However, from what I have seen so far I would consider it a shame if he didn’t save you.”

Ashitaka smiles at her.

Ashitaka wakes up pulled from the water. Yakul is eating next to him as Ashitaka looks up at the light shining through a tree. A closeup of Ashitaka shows that his wound from the bullet is healed though the cut under his eye remains.

“Hey, you’re out of the water!” Pazu yells. “And you’re not bleeding! The deer saved you!”

“Thank goodness,” says Sheeta

“It seems he did,” Ashitaka says with a smile.

San smiles as well and Yakul nudges Ashitaka’s shoulder.

“And he cured you of your curse too, right?” Sho asks.

Sho hopes so. He remembers the feeling that he is going to die all too well. Ashitaka his handling his curse better on screen than he did with his heart condition. He envies him for that. Arrietty gives her bean friend a knowing look.

“We have to watch and see,” Haku says.

Ashitaka gasps that the bullet wound is gone and faints. Yakul nudges him back awake. Ashitaka pets him, but he notices that he is still cursed from the marks on his hands.

“The mark’s still there,” Ashitaka says with a slight growl.

San sighs in disappointment.

“What? Why?” Aiko asks. “It fixed your bullet wound but it didn’t cure your curse?”

“Maybe he didn’t notice?” Tombo guesses.

“I am so sorry, Ashitaka,” Sho says.

“Well, what do you expect?” Lady Eboshi says. “It was a spirit? It probably just wanted Ashitaka to suffer longer.”

Haku and Ponyo both glare at her.

“I’m sure that the deer spirit had his reasons,” Lisa says. “Maybe he thought that Ashitaka should keep his super strength a bit longer?”

“She is right,” Haku says. “I say we keep watching and see what the future holds for him.”

“I hope you're right,” Ashitaka says, repressing his disappointment and fear.

San rushes to them and pets Yakul. San notices that Ashitaka is awake and tells him that Yakul hasn’t left his side the entire time and that he should thank him.

“Thank you, Yakul,” Ashitaka says.

Yakul grunts. San smiles at the two.

Ashitaka asks San how he knows Yakuls name. San tells him that Yakul told her, along with who he is, about his village, and his forest.

“You can understand him?“ Yuko asks.

“She understood Jiji earlier, remember?” Kiki asks. “She said the spirits taught her how to speak to animals.”

“Oh, right?”

San explains that the Great Forest Spirit wants him to live. Ashitaka tells her he had a strange dream (actually of the Great Forest Spirit) and San tells him to eat some jerky she bit off. Ashitaka is too weak to chew, so San chews it for him and spits it in his mouth.

“Ewwww, that’s gross!” Chihiro squeals, followed by a gag.

No one disagreed with her. Although they understood the situation.

“He needs to eat to regain his strength,” San says.

“You know the way you're doing it kinda looks like a kiss,” Arrietty says.

San blushes and snarls at her.

“What are you talking about? I am simply putting chewed food in his mouth. If it was a kiss I would be licking his lips.”

Everyone else looks at her strangely.

Eboshi tries to say something about her being an animal, but can’t due to the tennis ball in her mouth.

“Well she is a wolf,” Nausicaa says.

Ashitaka cries, and San watches him solemnly before chewing for him one last piece of food.

Sho looks at Ashitaka sympathetically. However, Ashitaka himself is trying not to look at the screen. He wasn’t sure if he should reveal his own near-death illness he had last year because he figured that his “movie” would reveal it. But he wanted to give this guy some encouraging words.

“It’s ok to be scared, Ashitaka,” Sho says.

Ashitaka looks at the younger boy.

“What you’re going through is…scary, and terrible, and I know that sometimes it can feel like you’re not going to make it. That you’re going to die and it will be the end. But if you just think that everything will be ok and you have faith things will be. I understand that I just met you, I barely know you aside from what we’re seeing now, but from what I’ve seen you’re one of the strongest people I know. I have confidence that, somehow, someway, you will survive this.”

Ashitaka raises his head to look at the boy. Arrietty smiles at Sho proudly. He was so much different from that sad boy she met just a year ago. She liked it.

“Thank you, Sho,” Ashitaka says. “I appreciate it.”

“If it’s any consolation, death isn’t an end,” Haku says, thinking of the Sea Railway. “It is very much possible for humans to become spirits in the spirit realm when they die.”

“Thank you both for your words of encouragement,” Ashitaka says. “Though I will try to live.”

Sho and Haku nod.

Arrietty places her hand on Sho.

“Hey, that was really awesome of you.”

Sho blushes.

“Thanks.”

Moro and her cubs enter the area where San is. The boar spirits arrive and San confronts them along with her family. One of the boars says that they are there to kill the humans and questions Moro why there is a human (San) here. Moro says that humans are everywhere these days and tells them to go back to their own mountain and kill the ones there and explains that San is her daughter.

San growls (though not at her mother) at being called a human.

“I hope they don't kill you,” Ashitaka says.

“Us, I think you mean,” San says. “NOT THAT IM CALLING MYSELF A HUMAN, EBOSHI!”

Eboshi closes her mouth.

The boars insist that they are here to save THIS forest and asks why the OTHER human is here. San explains that Ashitaka was shot and the Great Forest Spirit healed him, so that must mean he isn’t their enemy. The boars are shocked and in disbelief by this. They squeal in fury, asking why the Great Forest Spirit didn't save Nago as he was the guardian of the forest.

“They make a good point,” Ashitaka admits. “Why would the Great Forest Spirit choose to heal me over him?”

“I'm sure there was a reason,” San says.

“Nago clearly had a lot of darkness in him to become a demon of such severity,” Haku says. “That could be a factor.”

“Also, maybe Nago just didn't go to that pond area because he was too hurt and angry?” Tombo suggests.

“Plus, he didn't exactly SAVE Ashitaka. The curse is still there,” Eboshi reminds everyone.

Moro reminds them that the Great Forest Spirit gives and takes life away. The boars accuse the wolves of lying and suggest that they begged the Great Forest Spirit to save Ashitaka’s life and not Nago’s.

“Hold on, does the Forest Spirit not talk to any of you?” Sheeta asks.

“Um, no,” San says. “He just sort of comes and goes. Appears then does what he wants before leaving again.”

“So he’s like a mysterious god among mysterious gods,” Kokiri says. “The wolves and the boars may be spirits but your lesser level. Mortal level while he’s above all of you.”

“I suppose you can say that,” San says.

Moro tells the Boars that Nago was afraid to die. And, although she now is dying herself from a poisoned human bullet, she accepts her end as opposed to Nago who fled.

San gasps.

“No, mother...”

“That hasn’t happened yet,” Ashitaka reminds her.

“Yeah, you're right,” San says.

San glares at Eboshi.

“if you shoot her this time around I swear I will end you!”

“Yeah, that didn’t work out well on screen,” Eboshi reminds her.

“Are you trying to get killed?” Lisa asks her, critically.

“She can't do anything, she’s still stuck to her chair.”

San begs Moro to ask the Great Forest Spirit to save her. Although Moro tells San she has lived long enough and that soon she will rest forever. But San insists that The Great Forest Spirit must save her for all the years she’s defended the forest.

San swallows the lump in her throat. if her mother is truly ready to die then she has no right to stop her.

Sho internally thinks that Moro is very brave. However, Lisa thinks differently.

“If you ask me, she’s being selfish.”

“What?” San asks. “How do you mean selfish?”

“You’re still young,” Lisa says. “I don’t know how it works with wolves but if I was sick, I would try to hold onto my life at least until Souske was eighteen. But that's just me. I’m sorry if you feel like I insulted your mother but that's how I feel about it.”

“Just out of curiosity how old is your mom?” Sho asks.

“She just turned three hundred,” San says.

All the non-spirit people’s eyes in the room widen.

“Wow, that’s old,” Says Pazu.

“Meh, ive met older,” Haku says.

“How old are you?” Aiko asks. “I mean, you look twelve but since you are a spirit how old are you really?”

Haku opens his mouth but pauses.

“I…. don’t know,” Haku admits.

“How do you not know your own age?” Chihiro asks.

“I haven’t been able to remember a few things about myself since I took this new job a couple of years ago. Haku isn’t even my real name. It’s a nickname. Don't ask me that either.”

Everyone is confused by this statement. How could a job make someone forget their name and age?

The boars say that Nago was beautiful and strong, denying that he would have run from anything and accuses the wolves of eating him.

San is irritated by the boar’s arrogance. Or the suggestion that they would eat another sentient spirit.

San yells at them, calling them filthy pigs. Ashitaka weakly addresses the gods of the mountain. He shows them his arm and tells them the fate of Nago, as well as his curse. Okkoto steps out from the crowd of boars and approaches Ashitaka.

San worries for him.

Moro expresses relief at the arrival of a boar who will listen to reason. San begs Okkoto not to eat him, but Okkotto tells her that he won’t. San notices that he is blind. Ashitaka tells San it is all right and Okkoto that he was telling the truth before. Okkoto sniffs his arm.

“Oh, good,” San says. “My mother said that Okkoto can read anyone’s past by sniffing them. he will confirm that Ashitaka was telling the truth.”

“But the real question is if he will understand Ashitaka killing a fellow boar spirit, for the sake of humans may I add,” Eboshi reminds everyone.

“Mother also said that Okkoto is very wise,” San says. “Hew will understand.”

“Your mother knows him?” Kokiri asks.

“They were lovers once.”

Everyone cringes, imagining the giant boar on a date with a giant wolf.

Okkoto tells Ashitaka that he believes him and is only ashamed that such a demon could have come from the boar tribe. The other boars are disappointed as well. Ashitaka asks Okkoto if there is a way to lift Nago’s curse.

Everyone leans in, especially Ashitaka, for an answer.

Okkoto only tells Ashitaka to leave the forest, saying that if they meet again he will have to kill him.

“Doesn’t really answer his question,” Sho deadpans.

“Maybe the Great Forest Spirit didn’t cure him because there is no cure,” Sheeta says, sadly.

“Don't think like that,” Arrietty says. “However slim, there has to be hope.”

Moro warns Okkoto that he cannot win against the humans and their guns. Okkoto tells Moro that they are growing small and stupid. They will be squealing game soon, but they will go down fighting them. Moro tells him that the humans want him to risk everything for one last battle. Okkoto clarifies that he isn't asking for her help, and says that even if they all die he will make sure it is a battle that the humans never forget.

“Bring it on you overgrown piece of pork,” Eboshi mutters.

San hopes that her mother is wrong.

Okkoto and the boars leave. San notices the Great Forest Spirit standing on the water in the distance.

Some people wonder if he returned to finish healing Ashitaka.

The Great Forest Spirit looks back at her before running away.

Some people are disappointed.

Elsewhere, ox and men run in fear as they are attacked by men wielding bows and samurai swords. One of them is holding a banner with three dots and a horizontal line.

Eboshi glares at the screen.

“I see Lord Asano is attacking again.”

Eboshi stands with her men holding their guns/hand canons. Umbrellas are protecting them from flying arrows. She tells them to wait until they get closer. Then they open fire on them. The warriors are lying on the ground, either dead or injured. One man is missing his arm and cries in agony over it. Gonzo tells their men to reload and attack again. Eboshi shoots a samurai who was on his horse. Then she exchanges the canon for a gun and shoots another samurai in the face.

The parents immediately cover the children’s eyes. Sheeta gasps and covers her mouth. Chihiro screams and buries her head in Haku’s chest. San and Ashitaka’s eyes widen at the weapon’s destructive power. They all turn to Eboshi who is watching the scene as coldly as her counterpart is.

Jigo approaches the area and notices the big battle between Lady Eboshi and Lord Asano’s men. Jigo laments that someone (him) is going to have to play peacemaker and tells his riflemen to hide behind the cliffs. Eboshi and her soldiers flee the area as they try to get their men and oxen back to Iron-Town. Their getaway is covered by Eboshi’s men firing their hand canons. Back in Iron-Town, the women watching from the top of the wooden gate notice Eboshi and the men coming. Jigo watches the ox and Eboshi’s men walk along the trail and one of them tells him the hunters are ready. Jigo tells him that they will be moving out presently.

“So he is working for you,” Ashitaka says to Eboshi.

“Do you regret helping him now?” Eboshi asks.

“...Maybe.”

Jigo walks next to Eboshi and she greets him. Jigo says that the emperor is breathing down his neck while she’s busy with Lord Asano. Eboshi asks if he was involved in Lord Asano’s attack, stating that Asano offered her a truce if she gave him half her property. Jigo laughs and says that Asano is a greedy bastard but says that she should let him have his iron, warning her that the boars are preparing for battle. Jigo reminds him of the deal they made, she gets him the head of the forest spirit and they will destroy Asano together.

San remembers what Eboshi had said before about needing the emperor to give her an army to beat this man. Then she thinks.

“Hey Eboshi, I have a question,” San says. “If I were to kill Asano for you, then would you leave the rest of the forest alone?”

Eboshi laughs.

“You can’t even kill me, let alone him,” Eboshi says. “Besides, unless you haven’t noticed, I make my money off iron.”

“I could give you recycling tips so you can reuse old Iron instead of mining new ones,” Aiko suggests.

Eboshi turns to him.

“We will talk later.”

“So you're going to kill the Emperor and Asano?” Ashitaka asks.

“I don’t know,” San sighs. “But I have to do something.”

The women yell for Eboshi to come in, as they see horsemen approaching. Jigo identifies it as a messenger from Lord Asano. Eboshi tells the girls to “mind their manners” for their “guest”. They say they will and greet her as she enters the city. Jigo is startled by the gate slamming shut behind him and questions why she isn’t talking to the messenger.

Eboshi smirks at the screen, knowing what comes next.

The messenger stops and addresses Eboshi as the mistress of Iron-Town. He asks her to open the gates so they can speak. The women say that they can hear him from up there, they call him out on only wanting the mountain now that its worth something while Eboshi took it from the gods, the boys, and the beasts. The messenger tells the women they need to be taught respect, but they laugh and say they haven’t had any respect since they were born, giving them raspberries. One woman shoots at them, saying if they want some of their iron. The shot starles the horses and they run away. The women laugh.

Eboshi chuckles.

“Ok, I like them,” Nausicaa says.

“Yeah, I'll give them that,” says San.

Jigo laughs at the girl's shenanigans saying they really are something and calling them an amazing bunch of girls. Eboshi looks at the paper that Jigo gave her and said that it's impressive. Jigo says it's a list of all the best hunters and trappers around, reminding her they are after a god not a beast. Eboshi asks two nearby girls if they know where the paper is from before saying it’s from the emperor. The girls ask if he’s supposed to be important.

“Are they serious?” Ashitaka asks.

Eboshi shrugs.

“Brothel girls arent exactly well educated.”

“I didnt know who the emperor was,” San says.

“Yes, well you live in the forest and run around with wolves,” Eboshi says.

Jigo is annoyed by their ignorance before laughing that they are “something”. Jigo takes back the paper and Eboshi boasts that every time they cut down a tree and take iron the spirits grow weaker. She says with her method there is no loss of life, but Jigo reminds her that she owes him for sending her riflemen so she could keep Iron-Town. Eboshi asks if the emperor really believes the wife's tale about the Great Forest Spirits head granting immortality. Jigo admits that he doesn’t believe it either but wants the money.

“Ugh! Humans!” San groans.

“Hey, maybe if we find a cure San can get a super-strength giving parasite from you too,” Tombo says. “Never mind that’s a stupid idea.”

Eboshi tells Jigo she keeps her promises and that the boars are easier to kill than the wolves. So she tells him to call off the shady bunch he has hidden under the cliff.

“You knew?” Yuko asks.

“I’ve known the sleazy monk for long enough.”

Jigo laughs at being found out, then he asks Eboshi if Ashitaka came through here. Eboshi says that he came and went.

“Well that's one way of putting it,” Kiki says.

The scene changes to a dozen hunters in white marching with long hand-canons in twilight. One of them is in black and wearing a bear skin on his head. Another is wearing a boar skin. They walk through Iron-Town and sit down for a meal of rice. Several men (including Kohroku) and women watch from inside one of the wooden buildings. A woman comments that they look like a bad bunch. Kohroku explains that they are killers.

“You hired assassins?” Ashitaka asks Eboshi, critically.

“You do what you have to do,” Eboshi simply says.

“Hey, I have an idea!” Nausicaa shouts.

Everyone turns to her.

“Oh, not about this, about Ashitaka’s curse. Your curse is just in your arm for now, if it gets too bad you can just cut it off before it reaches your heart, right?”

“No, sorry,” Kokiri says. “Curses don’t care about that. It's likely already tainted his blood. It's just taking a while to fully take effect. At this point cutting off his arm would just take away his super strength.”

“Oh… never mind.”

Elsewhere, Lady Eboshi sits with her gun-women and Gonza. The women all beg Eboshi to let some of them go with her since they don't trust the hunters. One worries that something wrong will happen and they aren't there to help her. Another woman adds that Eboshi herself said that they are better shots than the men. But Eboshi says that is WHY she wants them to remain in Iron-Town, saying she can handle forest gods but is more scared of humans. Eboshi says that once the Great Forest Spirit is dead they don't know what will happen. She says that it's very much possible that, even after they get the head, Jigo’s riflemen will turn on her and try to take her iron. So she needs them to stay in Iron-Town to fight them off. Eboshi tells them to remember, they can't trust men. The women nod.

A few of the men feel offended, but remembering Eboshi’s and the girl's past their distrust is understandable.

San and Haku also understood her suspicions. In this setting, at least, her fellow humans could be just as distrustful and greedy. Any of them could imagine one of her supposed allies stabbing her in the back.

“I still think killing that deer thing is a bad idea,” Aiko says. “I’m telling you, Lady, something BAD is going to happen.”

“He is called the Great Forest Spirit,” San tells Aiko. “But, I can't believe I’m saying this, listen to THAT human!” she tells Eboshi.

“Okkoto said it himself, as we cut down more trees his tribe becomes more stupid and will be animals soon,” Eboshi says. “So I was right. So worry not, humans, the loss of the spirits is the only bad thing that will happen. Which will be good for me.”

“You still shouldn’t do it,” Sho says. “Just because they aren’t human doesn’t mean you can kill them.”

“Yeah, also some of us like nature,” says Lisa.

“Thank you…humans,” San tells them.

Eboshi ignores them.

Gonza reassures the women that he will be by Eboshi’s side. But Toki says that is what they are afraid of, saying that Gonza would be an idiot even if he was a woman. She blows him a raspberry and all the ladies, including Eboshi, laugh.

Eboshi chuckles to herself.

“Ok, what's with the raspberries?” Yuko asks. “What are they, eight?”

“Meh, girls will be girls,” Eboshi says.

It is night. Ashitaka lays in a fur bed, still weak. His hand twitches and he is sweating.

Ashitaka hates seeing his screen self like this. he looks at his hand and wonders how long it will be before he is like that. He receives looks of sympathy from everyone in the room, including San.

He opens his eyes and sees San sleeping. He watches her for a bit before his arm acts up. he sits up and clutches his wrist. He gets up and walks out of the stone structure that they are in. He walks to the end of the stone ledge and looks at the open forest. Ashitaka hears Moro’s voice saying that he can just jump and end his suffering. Ashitaka looks over and sees the wolf goddess sitting on top of the stone structure. She warns him that as soon as his strength returns the mark will spread and destroy him. Ashitaka says that he feels like he’d been asleep for weeks and had a dream that San was nursing him back to health.

"Are we sure that wasn't a dream?" Pazu asks.

San blushes.

Moro says that she wished he would have cried out in his sleep. Then she could have bitten off his head to silence him.

A few people wince at that.

Ashitaka says that the forest is beautiful and then asks if the boars are on the move. Moro confirms that they are, but she can hear the trees crying out for them as they die, even though he can’t.

San, Haku, and Ponyo lower their heads. Ashitaka, Chihiro, and Souske comfort them. Eboshi smiles pleased with herself.

Moro laments how she hears the trees cry out, feels the bullet inside her body, and dreams of biting Eboshi’s head off.

Eboshi chuckles, thinking the wolf won’t be able to do so.

Ashitaka asks Moro why humans and the forest can't just live together in harmony and why the war can’t just end now.

“Greed, ignorance, prejudice, arrogance, the list goes on,” Lisa says. “Though I wish they could have back then, the present would be in a much better place, environmentally.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Haku says.

“...I like you,” San admits before turning her head, to Ashitaka’s surprise. “Human or not. You’re a good person. You’re not as much of a fighter as me, but that's not a bad thing. I…I want you to live a long happy life. That's going to be one of my priorities once we go home.”

Ashitaka smiles at her.

“Thank you, San. And we will figure out how to save your home together.”

She smiles at him and grabs his cursed hand. Ashitaka thinks that it feels better when she does.

Moro says that the humans are preparing for the final battle and their guns will burn them all. Ashitaka worriedly asks if she plans to let San burn with her.

“I will fight to defend my home,” San tells the audience. “To my last breath.”

Moro says that he thinks like a human, typical and selfish, saying that San is a member of the wolf tribe and that when the forest dies she will too. Ashitaka argues that Moro has to let her go since San isn’t a wolf, she is a human. Moro expresses anger at how he speaks to her. She reveals Sans origins, and how her biological parents sacrificed her so they can live. Moro calls San her poor, ugly, beautiful daughter and claims that San is neither human nor wolf and asks how he can help her. Ashitaka admits he doesn't know but says they could try to find a way to live.

San contemplates her mother’s words.

“Neither human or wolf? I would prefer to be a wolf but…” San looks at her human hands. “I suppose that description can work as well. As long as I am still part of the wolf clan.”

Moro laughs and asks if that means that Ashitaka will fight with them against the humans. Ashitaka says that he won’t since that will cause more hatred.

“Then what do we do?” San asks.

“I don't know,” Ashitaka says. “How about we confront the emperor and tell him that he’s wrong about the forest spirit?”

“And if he doesn’t believe us?” San asks.

“...Then we will just have to convince him,” Ashitaka says with determination. “Ideally, we should try to avoid bloodshed though. I don’t want to start a war and give the forest spirits or my people a bad name by killing the emperor. Let's finish watching. Maybe we can see more of the consequences of their actions, and if necessary we will fight to protect ourselves.”

San nods.

Moro tells Ashitaka to leave the forest by sunrise and she will kill him if he returns. San wakes up to see Ashitaka sitting by her. She asks him if he is all right. Ashitaka smiles at her and says he is, thanks to her and the forest spirit. San smiles and goes back to sleep. Ashitaka puts his blanket over her and the screen turns black.

“Aww, that was so cute,” Kokiri says.

“Yeah,” says Lisa. “Reminds me of how Souske acts with Ponyo.”

“Aren't they a little young for that sort of thing?” Kokiri asks.

“Thats what the ladies at the nursing home say.”

Ponyo, Souske, Ashitaka, and San blush.

The next morning, Ashitaka wakes up and sees that San is gone. He goes outside and looks around before going back inside. He sees his red cap folded, two bags (fashioned from leaves) of rations, and his sword. It was clearly left by San for when he leaves the forest. Ashitaka acknowledges this and takes his belongings. Outside, he sees Yakul at the base where the grass is. Ashitaka apologizes for worrying him and jumps down, but he rolls on the grass.

A few people giggle.

Ashitaka acknowledges that his legs are still weak. He sees one of Sans siblings watching him from a short distance. Ashitaka gets on Yakul and they walk away. So does the wolf as he watches them. Ashitaka and Yakul follow the wolf through the forest. Ashitaka asks where the kodama are, noticing that it is quiet. The wolf leads them to a dried river stream, reduced to just large round bounders. Ashitaka hears water moving and says he can smell the ironworks. They look back at the wolf watching them. Ashitaka thanks the wolf for showing him the way. he takes off his necklace and throws it to the wolf, asking if he can give it to San. The wolf catches the necklace in his mouth and walks away. Ashitaka tells Yakul that they should go.

“So nice of you to give your girlfriend a piece of jewelry,” Eboshi teases.

“I…appreciate the gesture, Ashitaka,” San says.

However, she and the other spirits and witches in the room dwell on his talk about the kodama. It is likely gone since the forest is weakening.

Chapter Text

San, donning her mask and a spear, rides on one of her brothers back through the forest. They meet up with Moro and hide behind bushes and branches while spying through an opening. They see the human army among the rocky mountains. They are burning parches of the area. San notes that it burns her eyes and stinks, which Moro notes is their plan (to kill their sense of smell). San calls Eboshi a “damn woman” and spots her with Jigo and Gonza. Moro notes that Eboshi is trying to lure the boars out of the forest, and that it is a (stupid) trap.

“No,” San says. “Eboshi don’t you dare!”

“What? You were excited when you saw the boars forming to fight me earlier?” Eboshi points out. “Now that I have the hunters you're scared? Besides what do you care, they want to kill you too. Humans.”

San growls. “While I don't like their attitude toward me, they are spirits of the forest like my family are.”

“Your other self needs to warn them as soon as possible,” Ashitaka tells San.

“Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if it turned out that San was biologically related to Eboshi?” Aiko asks jokingly.

He is met with a confused look from Eboshi and a disgusted look from San.

“No! It wouldn’t! At all!” San snaps.

“I was just joking, jease.”

“Dad, please don’t anger the wolf girl,” Chihiro says.

San says that they need to warn Okkoto and the boars before they are killed, but Moro says that he is too stubborn. She says that even if they know that it's a trap they will still charge blindly out of pride, even if there’s only one left as we see the army of boars charging forward as humans fire at them.

‘And I’ll blow them up too,’ Eboshi thinks with a smirk.

“That is not a good trait,” Sho points out.

“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of determination,” Pazu says. “But yeah, there has to be a time and a place.”

The humans chop down trees and light more fires. San asks why they are doing that, Moro says that its to make the boars angry and thus stupid.

“Well, it seems to be working,” Eboshi says.
“A disastrous strategy,” Nausicaa criticizes, not liking this part of the ceramic era at all (it’s no wonder it was on the verge of collapse).

San frowns and growls. But she also cries imagining the boar's fates. Ashitaka places his hand on her shoulder, which calms her a bit.

“You're going to join the boars, aren't you?” Ashitaka asks.

“I have too,” San says. “Okkoto’s blind. He needs me.”

“You are a brave girl, San,” Ashitaka admits. “I'm sorry, my counterpart should be with you.”

“No, Okkoto said he would have to kill you if he met you again.”

Lisa looks around at San, Haku, Nausicaa, and Ponyo who are all upset. Chihiro is nudging next to Haku to comfort him and Souske is hugging Ponyo. Lisa sighs and stands up.

“San, Haku, anyone else who cares about spirits or the environment in this room. I can't speak for all of humanity, especially not back then or Eboshi, but I am deeply sorry for the damage that our greed has done to the world.”

Eboshi huffs.

“Its not your fault,” Haku says. “I don’t blame any of you for what other humans do. Besides, I know from my work, at a high-quality bathhouse, that spirits can be just as selfish as humans. I think that if we could benefit from the same destructive practices we probably would.”

“I…need more convincing for that last part,” San says. “But I agree, Lisa, Eboshi’s actions aren’t yours. Most of you hu-people seem all right. I don’t hate you, at least not right now.”

Ashitaka smiles at her, proud of her development. Lisa takes the compliment and smiles too.

San cries into Moro’s head and says she has to help Okkoto. Moro tells her, sadly, to do what she must but she also tells him that Ashitaka wanted to share his life with her. San, crying, says she hates him like she does all humans.

“No I don’t,” San says.

“I know,” Ashitaka says, wrapping his arm around her.

Sho looks at the two of them before turning to Arrietty. Arrietty herself is smiling sadly at San, and he wonders what she is thinking.

Sans other brother arrives with the necklace that Ashitaka wanted San to have. San, shocked, takes the necklace and wears it before going into battle. Moro tells her sons to go with San while she goes to the Great Forest Spirit.

Ashitaka takes off his necklace and hands it to San, who admires how it looks.

“I know that the circumstances aren't the same, but you can have it if you want.”

“Aw, your boyfriend is giving you jewelry,” Eboshi coos.

San glares at her.

“Thank you, Ashitaka,” San says before wearing it. “It is very pretty.”

Sho wonders if he should try to get something for Arrietty. Of course that might be a problem in their current location, and it would have to be borrower size.

“When was the last time you gave me jewelry?” Yuko jokingly asks her husband.

“I just realized something!” Arrietty says.

“What?” Sho asks.

“San has the same face paint as Spiller!”

“Spiller?” San asks.

“He’s a borrower friend of mine,” Arrietty says. “He was orphaned at a young age and had to live by himself out in the open. I swear you two have the same face paint.”

Sho starts to recall (maybe) seeing another borrower with Arrietty’s family before they left. Or was his memory playing tricks on him?

“Hey, hold on a second I just realized something too,” Pazu says. “Sheeta, Arrietty, Kiki, stand up.”

The three girls do just that and Pazu looks at their dress lengths.

“Their dresses are the same length, just different colors.”

“That's not that weird,” Eboshi says.

“Hey am I crazy or do San and Nausicaa look alike?” Tombo asks.

The wolf princess and the valley princess face each other. Some of the people in the room notice similar facial similarities, aside from the hair colors.

“Oh yeah…” Kokiri says.

“Could just be a coincidence,” says Sheeta.
“Or San could be s distant ancestor of hers,” says Souske.

“Wouldn’t San need a human boy for that?” Ponyo asks, through her eyes glance at Ashitaka.

San and Ashitaka glance while looking at each other.

“Aw look at you two,” Eboshi says. “You have a fan club.”

“Let's continue the showing,” Ashitaka says.

The boars prepare for battle. They wipe mud on each other's eyes for face paint. When they run off, San and her brothers are among them. San tells them they are here to fight and asks where Okkoto is. They squeal and San (who understands) thanks them and wishes them luck before riding forward.

“Huh, how…Oh right, I forgot that you understand animals,” Jiji says.

“Yeah, it comes in handy a lot,” San says.

Elsewhere, Ashitaka and Yakul walk through the rain as a cloud of fog rolls in. The fog and the accompanying darkness come and goes, but it always rains. He hears explosions in the distance. We see flashes of boar being blasted into the air, and San in danger on the battlefield. But when the fog clears he sees Iron Town being seized in the distance and realizes it's coming from there.

“Asano!” Eboshi growls.

“You invade and destroy my home, yours gets invaded too,” San says, relishing slightly in the karmic turnaround.

“Oh, and you don’t think that Asano will come after you next?”

“...fair point.”

Ashitaka and Yakul run toward Iron-Town. The samurai notice them coming and draw their weapons as Ashtiaka draws his sword (telling them to get out of the way). The samurai do not back down, but Yakul just jumps over them and lands in the water.

“Woah, nice jump Yakul,” San compliments.

Yakul snorts to say: “Thank you. And good luck.”

Ashitaka and Yakul break the surface for air. One of the samurai asks what that was and they fire their arrows, but Ashitaka protects himself and Yakul with his sword. Finally, the samurai stop, thinking Ashitaka is a dead man anyway. Ashitaka notices the army approaching Iron-Town as the city tries to fight the invaders off. Ashitaka passes by a dead body floating in the water.

“Oh my goodness,” Sheeta gasps.

“Everything I built…” Eboshi laments. “Do you see this, Wolf girl? This is why I need the head.”

“I feel sorry for the people in that city, not you,” Haku says.

Several people in the room shared the same sentiment.

“Again, still don’t think killing the GFS is a good idea.”

“The what?” San asks.

“I thought it would be easier to say than Great Forest Spirit.”

Asano’s forces invade Iron-Town. Toki notices Ashitaka and calls him. He asks if she and the other girls are all right, they say that they are. Toki says that Asano’s forces invaded while their men were away and assumed they would just roll over, but they showed them.

“Girl power,” Lisa says.

“But it still looks like they are losing,” Sheeta laments.

Ashitaka asks where Eboshi is, the women tell him that she left with all her able-bodied men to kill the Forest Spirit and they can’t even send a message to her right now. Ashitaka realizes that explains the explosions. Kohroku offers Ashitaka his bow and arrow, and Toki harshly asks him if he’s going to give Ashitaka a/“his” cloak and saddle too. Kohroku doesn’t understand (as he never had Ashitaka’s cloak and saddle and not understanding his wife’s meaning) and Toki calls him useless.

Ashitaka snorts, smiles, and shakes his head in amusement.

“Kohroku, I am definitely still going to save him when I get back.”

“She should really learn to talk to him better though,” Yuko says, then Lisa and Kokiri nod in agreement.

“Are you also going to still save Jigo?” San asks. “I mean, he’s half responsible for what’s happening now.”

“Let’s keep watching before I make a decision on that.”

Eboshi was half hoping that Jigo would live. Despite the blackmail, he still needed Jigo to defend her home from Asano.

Ashitaka thanks Kohroku as he catches his bow and promises to bring back help. Toki tells him not to worry until he gets back, saying they can always just pour hot iron on them. Other women tell him to bring back Lady Eboshi and not take too long. The lepers fire at boats across the river and tell Ashitaka to bring back Eboshi.

Eboshi smiles.

The rest of the audience, though they still aren’t fond of the woman, admire that she is at least able to inspire loyalty amongst her people.

Ashitaka says they will bring her back as fast as he can and runs off with Yakul, avoiding arrows. However, the samurai spot him and charge after him and Yakul.

“No!” San shouts.

The rest of the audience worries for Ashitaka. Although he has superhuman strength and now a bow (they remembered what he did with a bow and arrow last time), there was still a chance that a samurai would get lucky and take him out. Among those worried was Eboshi, for various reasons.

Ashitaka and Yakul run up the hill while the four samurai ride behind him. The leader orders two men to the right. Ashitaka and Yakul run ahead to where they see smoke coming from the forest. He covers his nose and recognizes it as burnt animal flesh.

San can't tell if she’s more saddened or angry.

One of the samurai’s arrows hits Yakul from behind, causing him to tumble and Ashitaka to fall off.

“Yakul!” Ashitaka shouts in worry.

Yakul also grunts.

San places her hand protectively over the elk.

Ashitaka runs to Yakul, who is unable to get up due to the arrow in his thigh. Ashitaka removes the arrow as the samurai charge at him. Ashitaka fires an arrow, but his arm doesn’t act up like last time. It just bounces off the samurai’s helmet.

“Hey! How come you didn’t supercharge it like you did last time?” Pazu asks.

“I don’t know,” Ashitaka says.

“Not angry enough, I assume,” Kokiri says.

“Get angry, man!” Arrietty shouts. “Get angry!”

“What she said!” shouts Aiko.

Ashitaka draws his sword and jumps out of the way of the samurai’s horses. A samurai fires an arrow at Ashitaka, and it nearly misses his head, just managing to stick his hat in the ground.

Ashitaka watches the screen with worry for his future self. If he dies then he won't be able to save San, Eboshi so she can protect Iron-Town, and (hopefully) keep her from killing the Great Forest Spirit. Everyone else worries for Ashitaka’s safety. San grabs his hand.

Ashitaka clenches his fist as the samurai come back. The dark mark spreads and Ashitaka slices off his arm when the samurai comes at him.

The adults try to cover the children's eyes. Ashitaka lowers his head. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, but at this moment he’s forced to. San pats his shoulder. She understands that Ashitaka is a kind soul and she respects that about him. 

Ashitaka catches an arrow shot at him with his bare hand and fires it back at his attacker, killing him.

“I’m sorry, but that was just awesome,” Pazu says.

“Don’t disagree there,” Tombo says,.

Kiki and Sheeta roll their eyes.

“Boys,” they mutter.

“COOL!” shouts Ponyo.

“I must say that was impressive,” Nausicaa says.

“Except that the strength for that comes from a curse that's killing him,” Sho reminds them.

Ashitaka sees the last two samurai coming at him, he draws his sword and yells at them to say back, truly not wanting to have to kill anyone else. They keep charging, so Ashitaka fires another arrow, which slices one samurai’s head off. The last one runs away.

“Smart…” Tombo says.

“Hey, Ashitaka, here’s a deal,” Eboshi says. “You be on the front lines to defend Iron-Town and kill and or threaten Asano so he leaves for good and in return I give you some Forest Spirit saliva or however he healed your bullet wound for your arm?”

“No,” Ashitaka says.

“Oh come on! You’ll end the fight in five minutes.”

“He said no,” San says.

“You just want him to fight for you,” Eboshi states.

“...Ashitaka doesn’t have to fight for anyone if he doesn’t want to,” San says.

“I will fight for the people I care about,” Ashitaka says. “If I have to. That means you, San, but there are also people in Iron-Town I care about.”

San reluctantly accepts that.

“Maybe you can convince him to fight off Asano for you if you promise to stop killing the forest,” Lisa suggests to Eboishi.

“Then how will I make a profit?” Eboshi asks.

“I dont know…farming?”

Ashitaka runs to Yakul and asks him to show him his wound. Ashitaka tells Yakul to wait for him as he heads off on his own. Ashitaka runs off, but Yakul limply follows him. Ashitaka yells at him to stay but Yakul dosnt listen.

Yakul grunts.

“He said he doesnt want you to go alone,” San translates.

“I will be fine, Yakul,” Ashitaka says. “If you still get shot in the future, please stay back and rest.”

Yakul grunts.

“He makes no such promises,” San translates.

Ashitaka gives up trying to convince him and goes back to lead Yakul by his reins as he limps on one leg.

“I admire that elk,” Haku says.

Chihiro nods.

“Poor Yakul,” Sheeta says sympathetically.

“That's one tough elk,” Pazu says. “I’m sure he’ll make it.”

“Unless a wolf gets to him first,” Eboshi mutters.

“Not cool, lady,” Jiji says, although all she hears is a meow.

San growls at her.

Ashitaka and Yakul approach a charred area of land. They walk through and it is littered with the bodies of boar gods.

San gasps and cries at the sight.

But among the bodies of the gods, he also sees all but one of the human soldiers lying dead. They are neatly laid out and covered. The one remaining man crying.

Eboshi’s haughty attitude dies. She was happy seeing the bodies of the dead gods, to her that meant she was winning. But this told her that the losses are/will be heavy on her side as well.

Ashitaka slowly approaches the crying man. Before he can touch him, Jigo’s hunters reveal themselves and ask's who he is, saying that he isn’t supposed to allow outsiders here. Ashitaka claims he just came from Iron-Town and asks where Eboshi is, saying he has a message for her. The hunter says that Eboshi isn't here and tells Ashitaka to tell him the message but Ashitaka insists that he must see Eboshi. The fat man from Iron-Town recognizes Ashitaka and runs to him, amazed that he is still alive. Ashitaka recognizes that they have had a worse time than him and he confirms that they have been burying their friends all day.

Hearing this doesn’t cause San as much pleasure as it would have before.

Ashitaka tells the three men who approach him that Asanos’ forces have invaded and forced the women into the inner wall. They tell him that Eboshi is deep in the forest hunting the Forest Spirit and Ashitaka says they must call her back. The hunters get angry and tells Ashitaka to leave while ordering the rest of the men to keep digging. All the men from Iron-Town then yell at the hunter to send a message to Eboshi so they can defend their home, but the hunter says they wont find her since the forest is too big. Another man recognizes that Eboshi was being used by Jigo and Ashitaka asks if there were any wolves among the boars. If San was.

San and Ashitaka lean in.

The man says he couldn’t tell, it was black as soon as the animals came out. But the man who was crying says that he saw San. He is shaking in terror from having been on the front lines. He breaks down and Ashitaka consoles him. The other man states that Jigo’s men used them as bait to lure the boars out, while not telling them about the LAND MINES under their feet or the grenades falling on top of them.

“LAND MINES!?” Pazu shouts in disgust.

“Grenades!?” Aiko shouts.

“What horrible people,” Sheeta says.

“Disgusting,” says Arrietty.

“A waste of life,” says Sho.

“Do you condone this!?” Ashitaka asks Eboshi.

Eboshi is stoic.

“If you let Jigo die then he won't be around to collect my debt and I can focus my energy on protecting Iron-Town from Asano,” Eboshi says.

“Considering it,” Ashitaka says to Eboshi with a growl.

“And here I thought monks were supposed to be holy people,” Sho says.

“It's not his god, kid,” Aiko says.

“You would be surprised what religious people are capable of,” says Nausicaa.

“I’ll have to keep an eye out for him when I pass through that village,” says Ashitaka.

“And only slice off the arms of the ones attacking women,” Lisa says.

“Or knock their weapons out,” says Ashitaka.

We see a flashback of the battle. San and the boar’s charge at the human forces. But as soon as the boars are close enough, the bombs go off. Fiery mushrooms erupt from the ground, taking handfuls of boars with them. Some of the boars manage to climb the higher elevated rocks and knock the humans firing hand canons off. At the very top of the cliff, the hunters light stone grenades and kick them off as they see the boars approaching. They explode and blast the boars away, causing them and debris to fall on top of Eboshi’s men. Eboshi and Gonza watch (unhappy) as the bombs do their job as San charges ahead through the blaze.

“I guess we will need a different approach then,” San says. “But somehow I will need to explain what I’m seeing to Okkoto so it doesn’t sound like I lost my mind.”

“Well, he can sniff you and know you’re telling the truth, right?” Kiki says.

Ashitaka sees the LIVING head of one of the wolves push its way out of the boar bodies.

San cries tears of joy, seeing her brothers are still alive. But Ashitaka worries for San.

Ashitaka climbs over the hill and follows the noise to the trapped wolf. He asks him where San is. The wolf is rabid and Ashitaka uses his strength to try and lift the boar’s body off him.

San hugs Ashitaka, cries, and thanks him. Ashitaka hugs her back and says it's his pleasure.

One of the men cries that there's a wolf and yells for more men to come over, but asks Ashitaka why he is helping it. Ashitaka continues to lift the boar off the wolf. The hunter arrives and asks what he’s doing. Ashitaka says that he will use the wolf to help find Eboshi, but the hunter accuses him of being on the gods side and prepares his weapon. A blow dart. Ashitaka asks what is more important, the head of the Forest Spirit or saving their town? One of the hunters shoots his shoulders with poison darts.

“Don’t you dare!” San shouts at the screen (and knowing that Ashitaka also hoped to find her and save the forest, not just Eboshi like he claimed)

Several people shake their heads in dismay.

The poison darts make Ashitaka weak and he fails to lift the boar. The men of Iron-Town come to his aid, hitting the hunters and working together to lift the boar off Ashitaka.

San smiles. For once, she is grateful to other humans. Ashitaka also smiles, the people of Iron-Town are good people. Everyone else glares at Eboshi.

“I hope you think again about sacrificing these people,” Kokiri says.

“Regardless of any debts you owe,” says Yuko.

Eboshi turns her head and looks away, feeling some shame.

As the men lift the boar off Ashiotaka, the wolf is freed too. A few men are scared, but instead of attacking them he turns to Yakul. 

A few people wonder if Yakul will get eaten. San hopes not.

The limping elk approaches the giant wolf. They rub their noses.

The audience sighs in relief.

Ashitaka tells the men that after they go through the swamp to take cover by the lake. They agree and warn him that the riflemen with Eboshi work for Jigo. Ashitaka gives them his bow and arrow, claiming where he’s going they wont be of any use and tells Yakul to stay with the men while he follows the wolf. Ashitaka tells the wolf to find San so they will also find Eboshi.

Elsewhere, Eboshi’s men walk through the forest. Two of them carry a large black box to put the Great Forest Spirits head in. Jigo watched with Eboshi to the side and he tells them to keep moving, and that today they will finish this.

“Over my dead body you fat monk,” San snarls.

“By the look of how things are going that very well might happen,” Eboshi says.

“Then over mine,” Ashitaka says.

A hunter in a bear suit approaches Jigo from behind. He tells him that Okkoto is badly wounded but he and San are heading to the Forest Spirits realm.

“Hopefully the Great Forest Spirit will heal him,” Sho says.

“Hopefully,” says Pazu. “But I’m not sure how much help that will be.”

“Not unless the Forest Spirit is willing to resurrect the dead to fight again,” says Tombo. “Wait, can he do that?”

“If he can he likely won't,” San says. “When you die, you die.”

“That is the natural order after all,” Haku says somberly.

“Why is his face red?” Ponyo asks.

“I have a theory,” San says, glaring at the screen.

Jigo tells the hunter to follow them but stay out of sight (or else he will scare the Forest Spirit away). Eboshi asks Jigo if the hunter's face is red from boars blood. Jigo confirms that it is to mask the smell of humans.

Everyone cringes at the thought.

“Ew, gross!” Sheeta says.

“Awful,” says Lisa.

“Barbaric,” says Arrietty.

“And unsanitary,” says Sho.
“I hate to admit it, but that's effective,” San says.

Okkoto is bleeding. He is badly wounded and San is trying to help guide him as her wolf brother watches, covered in blood.

Everyone, except Eboshi, gasps in shock at Okkoto’s state. Ponyo cries. Eboshi suppresses her smirk, and San tries to repress her tears while telling herself that the Forest Spirit will heal him.

“This doesn’t look good,” Tombo whispers to Kiki.
“No, it doesn’t,” she agrees.

San tells Okkoto to keep walking, that they are almost at the pool of the Great Forest Spirit. The wolf notices something and when San turns her head, Okkoto slips on a rock. He falls down and San tumbles backward before hitting her head. San hears a noise and realizes that something is wrong, she tells Okkoto (who is weak and breathing heavily) that they need to keep moving. Her brother says that something is out there while San says that she can't smell it due to all the blood in the air.

“So did Moro bless you with superhuman smell or something?” Chihiro asks.

San shrugs.

“I’ve had a good sense of smell for as long as I can remember.”

Sticks fall from above and San recognizes the culprits as the Ape tribe. The apes blame San for what is happening, saying that she has brought bad things because she is a human.

“Don't listen to them. Those apes are ignorant,” Haku tells San.

“Yeah, you’ve proven time and time again that you're on the spirit's side,” says Kiki.

“You would have to be an idiot not to see that,” says Arrietty.

“And it's not like they are helping fight,” says Nausicaa.

“I know,” San says. “But that doesn’t mean I like to hear it.”

“Some people are just stubborn and can't be swayed,” Ashitaka laments.

San calls them out on their ungratefulness, but the Apes stubbornly insist that she brought bad things and that something neither human nor animal is coming. San asks what they mean. Rats and raccoons scurry away under her feet and the apes run away saying the end has come. San glares ahead and she sees what looks like a hollowed-out boar's head. It is accompanied by two more.

“What the heck is that?” Tombo asks.

“It looks like a boar,” says San.

“It's a boar skin,” Pazu says in disgust.

“The hunters,” Ashitaka growls.

Okkoto thinks that they are his warriors, having some back from the dead.

“No!” Everyone shouts.

“No! They are bad beans wearing pig skin!” Arrietty shouts.

“It's the pig blood!” Haku shouts.

“He smells his former warriors,” says Kokiri.

“And he can't see to tell that they aren't,” says San, ruefully.

Eboshi smirks at the scene. This could very well work.

San tries to tell Okkoto that they are actually humans wearing his dead warriors skins as more and more of the disguised hunters join them. But Okkoto doesn’t listen, he keeps blindly (literally and figuratively) charging ahead. She tries telling Okkoto that its a trick so he will lead them to the Forest Spirit, Okkoto runs through a boulder, shattering it.

Everyone but San widens their eyes at Okkoto’s impressive feat of strength. He plowed through a boulder, and shattered it to pieces, in a weakened state. Eboshi was glad that they thought to put down those bombs rather than let her humans face him directly.

“Woah, and I thought Ashitaka was strong,” Tombo says. “On another note, Kokiri, do you happen to have an eye-fixing potion that you can give San to give to Okkoto?”

Kokiri shakes her head “no”.

Okkoto begs the Forest Spirit as he runs to give his warriors the power to kill the humans, as San tries in vain to appeal to him. Her brother tries warning her to leave Okkoto since they are surrounded by humans but San is determined to make sure that Okkoto won't become a demon like Nago did. She tells her brother to find Moro and warn her, saying she will know what to do.

“I hope so,” Haku says.

Okkoto stops running and rests as the “boars” surround them. San warns them to stay back or she will kill them. Sans brother who is with Ashitaka howls in the distance. San hears and deduces that Ashitaka is with him. The “boars” encroach on Okkoto, the giant boar squeals and coughs up blood.

“Oh god,” Kokiri says. “His organs are damaged.”

“At least he’s not becoming a demon,” Tombo says.

San shoes them away with her spear. Okkoto bemoans that his anger is burning inside of him, as red demon worms form on his body from his blood.

Everyone's eyes widen with horror.

“Oh no!” Sheeta cries.

“The worms,” Arrietty says ruefully.

“He’s becoming a demon,” Haku says, lowering his head in sadness.

“No! He can't!” San yells.

San tries to brush the worms off of Okkoto but they keep forming. She begs him to fight it and not become a Tatatigami/Demon. one of the hunters swings a rock and it hits San in the back fo her head, knocking her out.

“NO!” Ashitaka shouts.

“She’s unconscious….on Okkoto’s demon worm-infested body,” Chihiro says.

“Just like Ashitaka was,” says Kiki.

Everyone worries that San may now become infected like Ashitaka was from Nago. Ashitaka glares at Eboshi.

“Hey, blame Jigo for this.”

“I do,” Ashitaka says.

“So, are you going to save him?”

“...Maybe I won’t,” Ashitaka says.

“I’m sure that I will be fine,” says San.

The brother who is with San howls in the distance. The brother who is with Ashitaka tells him that means San is in danger. They rush to find her.

Okkoto rises, warped from the demon worms, with San still laying unconscious on his tusk. He moves forward and the “boars” follow. San wakes up when she feels the burning sensation of the demon worms latching onto her body and tries to break them off her. They engulf her and demon worms emerge from the back of her hand.

Everyone worries for San.

“No! I don't want to become a demon!” San yells.

“Hurry Ashitaka!” Nausicaa yells.

Everyone joins in.

San cries that she doesn’t want to become a demon as the worms engulf her whole body. She begs Okkoto to stop, but the bor just keeps moving forward (ignoring or not hearing her).

“Well, if I do become infected, at least I might be able to use the strength it gives me in the time I have left,” San says, glaring at Eboshi.

“And drop dead not long after.”

Ashitaka and the wolf run through the forest. The wolf tells Ashitaka to get on his back because he (Ashitaka) is too slow. After Ashitaka gets on he jumps off a cliff onto the stone ledge from before and then into the forest below. They run through Eboshi’s people and Jigo’s hunters. Ashtiaka sees Eboshi ahead and they run through people and hand canon shots to get to her.

The wolf jumps over Eboshi and Ashitaka gets off him while telling him to keep going to San. Ashitaka addresses Eboshi and Jigo tells his men not to fire at him. Ashitaka warns her about Asano invading Iron-Town and tells her that her men are already going back to help defend it. He tells her that she needs to go back to lead them but Eboshi thinks that it might be a lie since he doesn't have any proof.

“It's not a lie,” Eboshi says.

Ashitaka asks why he would lie. Eboshi then accuses him of wanting them to kill samurai instead of forest gods, but Ashitaka clarifies that he wants humans and the forest to live in peace. Ashitaka runs off to find San and Jigo is confused about what side he’s on.

“He’s on the side of peace!” Nausicaa shouts.

One of the men asks Eboshi if they should go back, but Eboshi says that the women are on their own and she’s done all she can for them.

“You suck!” Lisa shouts.

“Are you going to insult me this entire time?” Eboshi asks.

“No, just until you stop sucking.”

“So never,” San says.

“Nice!” Arrietty says.

She moves closer to San and holds her hand out for a high-five. San is confused.

“You do this,” Tombo says before high-fiving Kiki.

San then high-fives Arrietty.

Eboshi and her men continue forward toward the pool based on Kohroku’s recount of it. Jigo tells his hunters this is the moment of truth and one of them asks why they need Eboshi. Jigo says that it's so she can do their dirty work.

“Oh, so I kill the forest spirit and you get the acknowledgment?” Eboshi chastizes.

Chapter Text

“Hey, there’s one thing that’s been bugging me this entire story,” Pazu says. “So where exactly do these gods come from?”

“What do you mean?” asks San.

“Did your mom and the other animal tribes just appear one day? How did they appear?”

“I did some research for a high school project on Japans old creation myths,” Aiko adds. “Basically in the beginning there was just formless matter that eventually formed heaven and earth. Then the first gods just appeared in heaven. Two of them created Japan and had a bunch of kids and the man spawned a bunch of kids even after his wife died. But where go deer and wolves fit in?”

“What you just talked about are the human gods/kami,” Lisa says. “What we saw were nature gods/kami.”

“She’s right,” Ashitaka says. “There is this force called “musubi”, which is the interconnecting energy of the universe. It is the power of creation. It is what Kami form from.”

“All things have a Kami, or spirit,” says San. “Every tree, rock, sea, FOREST,  landscape, force of nature, creature, anything that is significant has a Kami. And the more important it is, the more powerful the spirit You saw it with the kodama which manifested naturally from the trees. The Great Forest Spirit came into being long long ago from the Cedar Forest itself. He’s been around as long as it has been.”

“We saw a fossil of a Coelacanth in water,” Souske. “So the forest and the spirit has to be 70 million years old.”

“And then, of course, there are spirits that were born from other spirits naturally,” says Haku. “Those are more common nowadays. I came to be after my father’s river split off to form my own, so I guess you can say I’m a dual case. But even after my river was filled up by humans to build apartments, I still live.”

“In some villages, people worship animals and consider them Kami,” says Ashitaka.

“Yeah, people worship wolves so some wolf spirit will protect their crops,” adds Eboshi.

“My mother did tell me about those kinds of animal spirits which manifest from human worship but those don’t include mine,” says San. “You were partly right about one thing, Eboshi.”

“Oh, what’s that?”

“The animal spirits of the forest were beasts before the Great Forest Spirit blessed them,” says San. “I mean their ancestors were. My mother was born an intelligent wolf. But the Great Forest Spirit made the clans ancestors live long enough to become Kami themselves.”

“That can happen?” Sheets asks.

“Oh yes,” says Kokiri. “If a fox lives to be one hundred it will grow an extra tail and its power will increase, as will their intelligence. Then they become a Kitsune. The most tails they can get are nine and then they become celestial foxes.”

“Huh? Moro had two tails and she was old too.”

“These Kami we’re talking about are also identified as Yokai,” says Lisa. “A lot of them can be freaky looking. And they can also manifest from human emotions and concepts.”

“How do you know so much about spirits?” Aiko asks.

“My mommy taught her,” Ponyo says.

“Let’s just say she’s very knowledgeable on the topic,” says Souske.

“Like that there are a lot of different gods besides the Japanese ones,” says Lisa.

“You mean like the Greek gods or something?” Pazu asks.

“Kind of,” says Kokiri. “You need to understand that humans and the mythology you invented aren’t exactly accurate. Aside from that, a lot of gods from different religions are the same, just with different names and altered histories. Plus, gods are still having children that take different roles. Like Lapu, she is a lesser known goddess. The only people who knew and revered her were the Laputans who named their land after her but she didn’t care much for them and they died out.”

“Laputans?” Pazu gasps.

“Yeah, from Laputa,” says Kiki.

“The floating island from Gulliver’s Travels?” Yuko asks.

“Swift based that island off records of the real one,” says Tombo. “I did a report on it in middle school. I also found out what “La Puta” means in Spanish and how Swift adapted that…”

Tombo giggles

“Anyways,” says Kokiri. “In my time the goddess of the sea is named Granmamare. But-“

“She’s the goddess of mercy!” Ponyo says.

“Yes, technically she’s Queen of the sea,” says Lisa.

“Yes, thank you,” says Kokiri. “She is a recently born goddess, just 600 years ago. So she’ll probably be born sometime around San and Ashitaka’s time. Give or take a hundred years. But she inherited the sea from her mother, Mamare. And she inherited it from her mother, Mare.”

“San?” Ashitaka asks, for confirmation.

“I only really know the spirits of my forest,” San says.

“Mare?” Arrietty asks. “That doesn’t sound Japanese.”

“I think that’s the name of a Roman goddess. She gave birth to all the fish and stuff.”

Ponyo and Souske exchange a knowing look.

“Neither is “Arrietty”,” says Sheeta.

“Oh, bye the way I think Borrower’s may have originated from Europe,” Sho tells Arrietty. “Those are the origins of the human names.”

“Oh, thank you,” Arrietty says. “Maybe if I can stay this size I’ll go there to look for more Borrowers.”

“Wow, thanks for telling me all this,” says Pazu. “But, uh, can we get back to Laputa?”

“I kinda wanna watch the movie now,” says Tombo.

“I agree, this is more important,” says San. “They can tell you when we’re done.”

“I agree with the wolf girl for once,” says Eboshi.

“Sorry, Pazu,” says Ashitaka.

Pazu frowns and Sheeta pats his shoulder.

Chapter Text

Ashitaka marches through the waters of the Great Forest Spirits pool. He looks around and runs to Moro, who is lying on the island and partly in the water.

San frowns, seeing her mother like this.

Ashitaka asks Moro what happened to her, but she is unconscious and doesn’t answer. He calls out to San and gets no response.

The demonized Okkoto continues his way toward the pool. Ashitaka’s calls wake San, who is still trapped in Okkoto’s demon worms. She calls out to him in anguish as the worms continue to latch into her.

Everyone watching hopes that Ashitaka will get to her soon.

Ashitaka hears her cries and runs forward, but he immediately sees the demonized Okkoto emerging from the trees. Ashitaka recognizes what Okkoto has become as the disguised hunters swarm the area and surround him. The hunters point their dart guns at Ashitaka and tell him to leave, calling him “boy”. But Ashtaka smirks and tells them that if they fight him the Forest Spirit will never come.

‘Awesome,’ Pazu thinks. ’Ashitaka’s got to be the coolest guy in history!’

“I know who I’m doing my history report on when I get home,” Tombo whispers to Kiki.
“I’m doing mine on San,” she whispers back.

“You two have to make sure that people remember him in history first,” Kokiri reminds them.

Ashitaka approaches Okkoto and tells him to calm his fury. Okkoto doesn’t respond. Ashitaka then begs him to give him the girl (San) and for him to let her go. Okkoto squeals and Ashitaka see’s Sans foot sticking out of the red demon worms. Ashitaka calls her name and Okkoto squeals, causing red demon worms to fall off of him. Ashitaka throws them off his body and the hunters move to avoid them. One worm manages to get into the eye hole of the pig skin and the hunter runs out screaming.

“Idiots,” Eboshi mutters.

Everyone else stares and gasps at the sight. Now that they are exposed, now Okkoto will see them for what they really are. Though they immediately feel happy, they quickly realize that San and Ashitaka may not be safe from Okkoto’s rampage.

“This is either going to be really good or really bad,” Sho says.

“Ashitaka, grab San and run,” Nausicaa says.

The remaining hunters immediately fire at Ashitaka with the intent to kill him. Ashitaka lays on the ground to avoid the darts before running forward and pushing through the hunters to get to San. The lead hunter yells at them to stop him before he ruins their plan.

Just then, Sans brothers arrive.

San smiles at the sight of her brothers arriving to help. But also worries for their, and Ashitakas, safety.

The wolves immediately tear off the pig-skin disguises of the hunters while Ashitaka jumps onto Okkoto’s tusk to get to San. Ashitaka dives into the demon worms and pushes through them to find San.

Everyone watches in suspense. They hope that Ashitaka can find San before its too late. Although given how long she’s been in there it may already be too late.

“Come on, find her,” Ashtiaka mutters to his screen self.

San watches the scene intensely, before looking at the Ashitaka who is beside her.

“The Great Forest Spirit better arrive quickly so he can heal you,” Sheeta says. “Hopefully.”

“Unless he cant,” says Pazu.

“The Great Forest Spirit cant arrive either way because then he will die,” says San.

Okkoto squeals, the wolves continue exposing the hunters, and Ashitaka keeps pushing through the worms. Finally, he finds San by the crystal necklace that he gave her before. Ashtiaka reaches forward and grabs her head, San wakes up and notices him. But Okkoto gets mad and shakes his head violently, throwing Ashitaka off as he calls San’s name and San cries for him as she is dragged back in.

“No!” The whole rest of the room shouts.

“No….” Ashitaka lowers his head in shame. “I’m sorry, San.”

San doesn’t respond, but she does turn back to the screen.

“Come on, other me, fight through it.”

Ashitaka lands on Moro along with several red demon worms. He bounces off her and falls into the water, where the worms melt away.

“Oh good, the water is killing the worms,” says Arrietty.

“But Ashitaka is unconscious,” Sho points out.

Ashitaka watches the screen and hopes that his counterpart gets up to save San. San hopes that Ashitaka wont drown.

Moro wakes up. She laments that she wanted to save the rest of her strength to bite Eboshi’s head off, but she must save San.

“I take back what I said before, THATS a good mother!” Lisa yells. “Don’t worry though, Moro, I’m sure that Eboshi is on her way.”

Eboshi huffs.

The hunters are backed into a corner by Sans brothers. The hunters throw smoke bombs to drive the wolves away and shield themselves. The wolves run away, but Okkoto hears the noise. Okkoto’s mind becomes all but gone, and when the wolves run to their mother side she warns them not to touch Okkoto, saying he is no longer a god. Okkoto walks up to Moro and squeals at her. Blood hits Moro’s face, but she is unfazed and asks him if he is even able to speak anymore.

San, Haku, Jiji, Kiki, Kokiri, and Ponyo lower their heads, saddened for Okkoto’s fate.

Everyone watches the screen on the edge of their seats. They worry for Moro going against Okkoto, both for the great strength he displayed before and his “contagious infection”.

“Mother…” San squeals, terrified for her mother’s fate.

Ashitaka also hopes that Moro will survive and manage to save San. Although the former might not be possible given that she was weak and already dying anyway.

Eboshi is pleased but doesn’t say anything. The best-case scenario is that the two weakened gods kill each other leaving her free to kill the Forest Spirit.

The exchange is watched by Eboshi, Jigo, and the rest of their men. Jigo tells his men good work and tells them to fall back and get the wounded out of there. Jigo calls the presence of the two gots about to fight a spectacle, but Eboshi cocks her gun while looking at something to the side. Jigo looks and he sweats in nervousness. The Great Forest Spirit has arrived on the island.

“The Great Forest Spirit has arrived,” San says.

“This is either going to be really good, or really bad,” Sho says.

“Really bad,” Chihiro says. “That greedy lady will kill him.”

“Hey.”

“Or good,” says Tombo. “He could heal Moro and Okkoto and make Eboshi and her hunters turn really old.”

“But he didnt heal Ashitaka,” Pazu points out.

“What do you think, San?” Ashitaka asks.

“I dont know,” San admits. “But right now things dont seem to be looking good for either of us.”

San sends a harsh glare to Eboshi, who ignores her and focuses on the screen. She yearns to see her future self kill the Forest Spirit and make everything thats happened worth it.

The Great Forest Spirit walks on water toward the two animal gods.

“He’s kinda like Jesus, huh?” Pazu asks.

Okkoto crashes into Moro, who demands that he give her back her daughter as the demon worms wrap around her nose.

“Uh oh,” Sho says.

The audience gasps. That means that Moro might become infected.

“Mother, no!” shouts San.

Moro bites into Okkoto as the worms spread to wrap around her body. The Great Frest Spirit approaches them slowly.

The audience leans forward, eager to know what the Great Forest Spirit is going to do.

Okkoto seems to sense the Great Forest Spirit approaching and calms down. Okkoto turns pale and the worms become blood.

“Huh, what’s happening?” Arrietty asks.

“The Great Forest Spirit is putting Okkoto out of his misery,” Haku says.

“I take it he doesn’t notice Eboshi yet,” Yuki says.

“He better, or else he’ll literally lose his head,” says Aiko.

“Is anyone on my side?” Eboshi asks.

The entire room says: “No!”

Moro is affected as well. The worms around her nose turn to liquid and dull as she herself grows weak. Her final words are to ask Ashitaka if he can save the girl he loves. Ashitaka regains his senses in the water. He swims to the surface and takes a breath of air. He sees the Forest Spirit walking up to him, toward Moro and Okkoto.

San expresses relief that Ashitaka is alive (along with the rest of the room). Ashitaka hopes that his counterpart will save San and the Forest Spirit.

Eboshi shoots at the Forest Spirit and he is stunned as the bullet goes through his neck.

The audience gasps.

“Yes,” Eboshi says.

“No!” shouts San.

Ashitaka gasps and the Forest Spirit appears stunned. His front feet lowered into the water. Ashitaka tells Eboshi to hold her fire, but the Great Forest Spirit raises his head, still alive.

“What?” Pazu asks, surprised.

As is everyone else in the audience.

San smiles.

“He is life and death itself.”

“Or perhaps I just need more than one bullet, which I have,” says Eboshi

Ashitaka is surprised as the Great Forest Spirit steps back onto the water and back on his path. Ashitaka yells that her enemy isn’t the Great Forest Spirit.

“Well sure she really just wants the head so Jigo will agree to help her fight Lord Asano but she also wants the deer gone anyways for her Iron harvesting,” says Lisa.

“Oh, right,” Ashitaka says, embarrassed that he forgot that.

“Wait, I just realized something,” Souske says. “San what did you say your brother’s names were again?”

“What?”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with this,” Souske explains.

“Souske, now isn’t the time to be curious,” Lisa says.

“No, it’s fine,” San says. “My brother’s names are Ichi and Ni.”

Lisa smacks her forehead.

“That means one and two. And San means three.”

“Your mother named you one, two, and three?” Sheeta asks.

“It’s not the weirdest thing,” Arrietty says. “Borrowers take their last names from where we tend to hide. or, atleast where our ancestors tended to hide. My father and his family used to live under a clock so thats my last name.”

Sho winces. he never knew Arrietty’s last name. Heck, he didnt even know that borrowers had last names in the first place. He realized that he and Arrietty really didnt talk too much about their personal lives when they met. He was already planning to talk to her in private as soon as they had the chance just to catch up with an old friend, but now he was extra determined to get to know her.

“Oh, Arrietty, in case you didnt know, my last name is Kitamura,” Sho says.

“Kita-mura?” Arrietty asks. “I thought your name would be Maki. That was your aunts last name, right?”

“Yes, but she is my aunt on my mom’s side,” Sho explains.

Arrietty thinks. She felt alittle ashamed that she didnt know Sho’s last name. She realizes that they probably didnt discuss things like that regarding each other. But she blamed herself, since she was unwilling to even talk to Sho until much later due to the Borrowers cultural rule of avoiding beans. She was planning to talk to Sho later just to catch up, but now she wanted to learn as much about him as she can.

“Well, I think Kitamura is a nice name,” Arrietty says.

Sho blushes and several people in the audience wonder what their relationship is.

Eboshi explains that it will take more than one shot to kill a god. Okkoto steps away from the Great Forest Spirit and Ashitaka runs over to Moro. he extracts San from the wolf gods mouth and he takes her deep underneath the water to heal her of the demon worms. The Great Forest Spirit stretches his neck forward to kiss Okkoto on the nose.

Everyone is glad that Ashitaka is saving San, even if they are worried what will happen between Eboshi and the Forest God.

Then, they watch in anticipation to see what the Forest Spirit will do to Okkoto.

“He’s going to heal him, right?” Sho asks.

Okkoto’s eyes slowly close and he falls to the ground, dead. Moro follows. Jigo expresses confusion on why the Great Forest Spirit chose to kill them.

“Yeah, for once I agree with him,” Sho says, disturbed and confused. “Why wouldn’t the Great Forest Spirit just heal Moro and Okkoto instead of killing them? Aside from that, arent they the forest protectors? There arent that many left? Why wouldnt he keep them around?”

San lets out a small sob and is cradled by Ashitaka. She buries her face into his body, seeing the death of her mother and Okkoto.

“Because…they lived long enough,” San says, through her sobs. “They had defended the forest for a long time. I think they were both tired and in pain. The Great Forest Spirit granted them eternal peace.”

“No one lives forever, kid,” Kokiri says.

Sho sighs, accepting this explanation and Arrietty pats his shoulder.

Haku and Nausicaa lower their heads in respect for the fallen gods.

Ponyo cries and is consoled by Souske and Lisa.

Sheeta also sheds a tear and Pazu tries to suppress his.

Kiki and Tombo are both saddened by this scene in general. Though neither of them are spirits or associated with the forest at all, they had developed a respect for both Moro and Okkoto watching this.

Chihiro was also letting out sobs and her parents stroke her hair. She grabs Haku’s hand and the river spirit gasps at her.

Eboshi’s face is emotionless.

“Are you happy now!?” San yells at Eboshi. “My mother is gone and so is Lord Okkoto.”

“And were both out of commission,” Ashitaka realizes. “The Great Forest Spirit doesnt have any protection.”

“He took a bullet to the neck and lived,” Aiko says. “I think he will be fine.”

“The spirit of the forest is certainly powerful, but he’s not at the level of a truly immortal high-ranking god,” Lisa says.

“She’s right, unfortunately,” Kokiri says. “One bullet might not be enough to kill but we saw how it stunned him. And she has many more.”

Everyone looks at the screen afraid for the Great Forest Spirit. Except Eboshi who smiles thinking that she has a chance now. A chance to get the head, get support against Asano, protect Iron-Town, finally extract all the forests resources, and keep her city supported for a long time.

Jigo looks up at the moon. The Great Forest Spirit’s neck grows longer as he begins his transformation into the Nightwalker.

“His transformation is beaituful,” Sheeta says.

“Yeah,” agrees Arrietty.

“Oh no,” San says.

“What?” Nausicaa asks.

“My mother always told me that the Great Forest Spirit becomes more vulnerable during mid-transformation.”

Everyone looks back at the screen worried. Eboshi still has her guns.

“Eboshi, dont you dare!” Ashitaka shouts.

“Please dont let her,” Nausicaa says.

“I still have a bad feeling about this,” Aiko says.

“Will you all stop?” Eboshi asks.

Eboshi tells her men to watch how one kills a god of life and death, that the trick is not to fear him.

Everyone watches worried. Except for Eboshi, who watches in excitement.

Eboshi emerges from her hiding spot around the same time that Ashitaka swims him and San abck to the surface. They watch as the Great Forest Spirit grows larger into the Nightwalker.

Seeing him grow, however, makes Sheeta think of something. The Forest Spirits Nighwalker form looked similar to the God Warriors. At least height wise (though more human-like than deer-like). The whole reason they are watching this is, in one way or another, they are all supposed to be involved in the creation of the God Warriors in some way. Was the Great Forest Spirit involved in it?

Nausicaa has similar thoughts. The Sea of Corruption grew after the God Warriors destroyed the world and they saw how the Great Forest Spirit could make plant life bloom with his footsteps.

Eboshi aims her gun at the Great Forest Spirit ( everyone in the audience is worried ). Ashitaka yells for her to stop and he throws his sword. It pierces her gun and keeps Eboshi from firing ( everyone, except Eboshi, is glad ). Eboshi ignores him and the sword and tries to fire at the Forest Spirit regardless. The Great Forest Spirit finally notices her and looks at her. The wood on her gun suddenly grows vines like a living tree.

“Come on, keep at it,” Haku mutters.

‘What are you doing?’ San thinks, looking at the screen. ‘You could easily stop her like you did Mother and Okkoto. Though, I suppose you might be like Ashitaka that way, compassionate. Not killing unless you have to.’

Eboshi tries to brush the vines growing out of her gun and frustratingly tells the Forest Spirit that he will die. She fires her gun. It hits the Great Forest Spirit in the neck. And the hit is so great that his head is blasted off.

Eboshi smiles at the screen. She did it. She actually did it. The Great Forest Spirit is finally dead!

Everyone else in the audience is far less enthusiastic. They are frozen in shock and horror that Eboshi actually managed to do it. There is silence. Deafening silence. The kind of silence that occurs when emotions are building up while trying to process what they just saw. Waiting for the right moment to burst.

“WHAT THE HELL IN THE ACTUAL-!” Lisa yells.

That just about did it. Everyone was screaming or shouting curses at Eboshi (who ignores them, pleased with her victory). San tries to get out of her seat so she can ambush Eboshi and keep this from happening, but she is still restrained to her chair.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?” San yells.

“All this death and destruction, Eboshi!” Ashitaka adds.

“You foolish woman!” Haku shouts. “You have no idea how you just destroyed the balance of nature!”

“You mean killing a spirit that was sustaining the forest I wanted cleared anyways for its Iron, while at the same time allowing me to cash in on a reward that will help me protect my village, both of which allow me to help my people prosper? I see this as a complete win.”

“Its because of people like you that the world’s ecosystems are screwed in the future!” Lisa shouts.

“I have a REALLY bad feeling about this,” Aiko says.

“Its not like killing one forest spirit is going to cause the end of the world,” Eboshi tels Aiko, rolling her eyes.

San and Ashitaka gasp in horror at the sight. The head falls and the Great Forest Spirits body shrinks down. Jigo tells his men to get the head as San expresses anger at this. But as the Great Forest Spirit’s neck retracts back to his body, a black bubble appears at the stump.

Everyone looks concerned at the bubble forming.

“Uh, what is that?” Chihiro asks.

“Uh oh,” Haku says, stricken with fear.

“Uh oh? Why uh oh?”

“Eboshi, return the head. NOW!” Haku shouts.

“Why should I?” Eboshi asks.

“Because I realize whats going on! It was a god of life and death! It was benevolent when it was alive and you mostly killed it!”

The black bubble swells larger and explodes. Eboshi moves out of the way of a large blast of dark sludge and the grass that the sludge touched dies. San and Ashitaka move out of the way before the dark sludge can hit them. A large amount of the dark sludge heads to the trees. Jigo and a few of his men manage to get out of the way, but the men that are hit die with the trees. The dark sludge shoots upward, hitting the tree branches. The sludge forms in balls among the branches, sucking the life force out of the trees. All the hundreds of kodama fall dead.

Ponyo and Chihiro scream at the scene. Nausicaa, Haku, Arrietty, Sheeta, and Lisa look horrified. San and Ashitak turn to a shocked-looking EBoshi with furious eyes and everyone else follows their example.

“Ok, it appears that killing the Forest Spirit had greater consequences than I realized,” Eboshi admits. “I’m sure that he will fully die soon.”

“He will keep absorbing life force around him to sustain himself until he retrieves his head,” Haku says. “You and the emperor’s foolishness just doomed the world!”

Eboshi looks away, ashamed.

“Wait, but this is supposed to be the past,” Sheeta says. “The world didn’t end during this time otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”

“Yeah, and there’s nothing in the history books about ancient Japan being ravaged by the blob,” says Yuki.

“San and Ashitaka must have stopped this,” says Sho.

“How?” Tombo asks.

“We will have to wait and see,” Ashitaka says. “San, if we do return the Forest Spirit head, will he return back to normal?”

“I don’t know,” San admits.

“Well, it’s worth a shot.”

Eboshi runs and grabs the head. She yells for Jigo to bring her the box, even as the dark sludge moves around her. Jigo runs across the dead landscape flowing with dark sludge. Kodama falling everywhere. Jigo tells his remaining men to hurry. They rush over with the box, but the dark sludge touches some of their legs and they die instantly. Eboshi warns them that the Forest Spirits body will suck the life out of them if they touch it.

The dark sludge makes contact with Moro’s body. The deceased wolf gods eyes open and Moro turns her head.

“Mother?” San asks, shocked.

“No, not entirely,” Ashitaka says.

“This is like a horror movie!” Lisa exclaims.

“I’m scared,” Souske says, feeling like an actual five-year-old boy for once. ]

Ponyo hugs him and he feels better.

Eboshi throws the head to Jigo, saying it’s his as promised. Jigo catches it. Moro’s severed head slithers through the dark sludge and leaps up. Eboshi screams as Moro’s head bites her arm off before being absorbed by the dark sludge. Eboshi clutches where her arm used to be.

Eboshi’s eyes widen and she subconsciously touches her (still attached) arm.

San has no emotion watching that scene.

Gonza grabs Eboshi as she falls backward. She tells him that a wolf’s head can still bite. Jigo places the head in the box and tells his men they need to hurry and get out of there. The dark sludge reached out of the trees and nearly hit them. The globs clump together until they start to form a vaguely humanoid figure, a monstrous dark version of the Nightwalker.

Everyone, even Eboshi, is horrified at the sight.

“Oh dear god,” Pazu says.

“Not anymore,” San says (mistaking it for Deer-God). “He’s more of a demon now. No, not even that.”

“Can you refrain from killing the Great Forest Spirit NOW!?” Ashitaka asks Eboshi.

“Agree to not save Jigo and to help me against Asano and you have a deal,” Eboshi says.

“Ashitaka, how about this,” San says, even though she is still mad at Eboshi. “When Asano shows up you and me fight through his warriors, sparing as many as we can, and we put a knife to Asano’s neck until he agrees to leave Iron-Town alone. Maybe we can also send a letter telling him what will really happen if he takes the Forest Spirits head. And only act if he doesn’t listen.”

“...I suppose that could work,” Ashitaka says.

“Good, but the question is will the forest still have to deal with you?” San asks Eboshi, harshly.

“Lets just wait and see until the movie is done,” Ebsohi says.

Ashitaka swims under the water, avoiding the dark sludge. He comes up for air at the place where Gonza and Eboshi are. He takes Eboshi and tells Gonza they need to get into the water. Gonza says that he cant swim, so Ashitaka tells him to walk along the bottom.

Ashitaka doesn’t regret his counterpart saving Eboshi even after everything, but he fears San might take it the wrong way.

“San I-”

“Its ok,” San says, to his surprise. “I get it. You want to save everyone. Thats not how I am, but thts how you are. And I think thats great.”

Ashitaka smiles at her. Other people coo.

“Wait a second, Eboshi didnt you say Gonza was a pirate?” Pazu asks.

“Yes.”

“As in he was on a ship in water?” Ponyo asks.

“Yes.”

“And he doesnt know how to swim?” asks Nausicaa.

“He was tight for cash and the captain was willing the hire him.”

The audience accepts that excuse.

Ashitaka carries Eboshi and Gonza sinks into the water just fast enough to avoid the dark sludge. Ashitaka swims and Gonza runs until they reach the surface again.

Seeing Ashitaka with Eboshi, a furious San (who is surrounded by her mourning brothers) rips off the necklace Ashitaka gave her and runs toward them (though still holding it in her hand). San demands that Ashitaka give her Eboshi so she can cut her throat, but Ashitaka insists that Moro saw to the wolf clan being avenged. San gets furious seeing Ashitaka help Eboshi, and Ashitaka tells Eboshi he’s doing this because he promised Toki he would bring her back to Iron-Town.

“I apologize ahead of time for whatever my counterpart is about to say,” San says. “Or do.”

The new nightwalker is dark in color and missing its head. It feels around, knocking over trees in the process. Ashitaka realizes that the Nightwalker is looking for its head and they need to get out of here. Ashitaka asks San for help, but San denies thinking that he’s on the humans side and always was. She tells Ashitaka to take that damn woman and go away.

“I also mean help finding the head so set things right,” Ashitaka says.
“I realize that now,” says San. “But if I know me, she is too angry to see that.”

Ashitaka tries appealing to San but she insists that she hates all humans. Ashitaka doesn’t deny that he is human but he reminds San that she is too. Angry and hurt, San declares that she is a wolf. Ashitaka tries to reach out to her but she pounds his chest in pain and anger, telling him to stay back.

“Im sorry, San,” Ashitaka says. “I tried to stop it.”

“I know,” San says, sadly.

Eboshi doesnt look at them, knowing its really her fault.

Many people in the room sympathize with San, understanding her pain. Whatever she is trying to say right now, its obvious that she developed feelings for Ashitaka and she is taking his current actions as betrayal. The death of the Forest Spirit and the forest by human hands isn’t helping with that either.

Ashitaka looks at San sympathetically, she refuses to meet his gaze. Yakul rubs his nose against Ashitaka and he pets him.

Haku and Nausicaa feel most sorry for both Ashitaka and San.

Pazu also feels a bit of guilt.

“What is it?” Sheeta asks, noticing his expression.

“I work in a mine,” Pazu whispers to Sheeta. “Its not iron work, but were still digging into the ground. I guess were kinda hurting the environment too.”

“Its ok,” Sheeta says. “You seem like a good person.”

Pazu blinks. He stares at Sheeta, seeing how beautiful she is.

Ashitaka hugs San and tells her he is sorry and he tried to stop it. The dark nightwalker tears down more trees. A depressed San says that everything is over. That the forest is dead, as more and more trees die and fall to the ground. Gonza watches as everything is destroyed. Ashitaka says that nothing is over as long as they are both still alive and asks her for help.

“You have to give him back his head,” Haku says.

“Find that damn monk!” shouts Chihiro.

“Chihiro! Language!” Yuki says.

“I agree, with both of you,” Lisa says.

Eboshi sighs. “Find Jigo.” Everyone stares at her. “What? The emperor’s reward is nothing if we all end up dying anyways.”

The dark nightwalker rises out of the forest. Its upper body spreads across the sky, and reaches down with hundreds of hands. The hands touch the forest and suck more life from it.

Everyone watches in horror. It was like an apocalypse. The end of the world. With only the reminder that there are people from the future/this takes place in the past reminding people that it will somehow be resolved.

Jigo and his hunters run out of the forest. Jigo is helping carry the box with the Great Forest Spirits head. The hunters helping him try asking for help carrying the box as they run, and Jigo quips that with a little danger they become useless.

“Is he seriously still trying to reap the reward while everything around him is dying!?” Sho asks, disgusted.

“Some beans are so greedy,” Arrietty shakes her head.

Jigo sees one of the dark nightwalkers hands reaching out over him and his people barely manage to avoid it, tumbling off a small cliff as a result. Jigo looks at the box and realizing that the head is still moving and is calling its body to it. Jigo and his men barely manage to avoid being touched by the dark sludge.

“What?” asks Souske.

“Its still alive?” asks Tombo.

San smiles in releif. Perhaps this means that the Great Forest Spirit will be returned to normal once his head is returned.

“Even if he gets to the emperor whats the point?” Lisa asks. “That thing will just kill both of them along with everyone else.”

“You would be surprised how foolish and greedy people can be,” says Nausicaa.

Now all the dark nightwalkers’ essence is converging on that one area where Jigo is. The dark nightwalker appears to have something akin to a hip bone and a set of lungs with a nervous system.

Back in Iron-Town, many people are dead. The battle that took place has ravaged the area. Arrows are stuck in the walls and the women are exhausted. A female leper fixes Toki’s gun and says that it wont jam anymore. The leper comments that is is quiet and Toki states that Asano is waiting for sunrise to attack again.

Eboshi worries for the state of her people now. This day was NOT going as planned.

The leper wonders if Ashitaka ever found Eboshi, but Toki has confidence that they will be marching over that hill any minute now. Kohroku snores, Toki calls him a dope and asks the leper not to ask why she loves him.

“I feel your pain, girl,” Lisa says.

“Are all human mates like this?” San asks Ashitaka.

“Not necessarily. Depends on the people.”

Toki tries to wake him up but the leper tells her to let him sleep while he can. But then they, and all the other women in Iron-Town hear something. As the sun rises, one woman asks what that sound was, Toki says she doesnt know but doesnt like it. The dark sludge is seen rising over the horizon followed by the dark nightwalker.

“No….” Eboshi mutters.

Now everyone worries for the fate of Iron-Town. Even San feels some (small) worry.

Asano’s warriors run in terror as the dark nightwalker’s sludge floods their camp. Toki tells the women to hold their positions but one (terrified) states that the dark nightwalker is coming right at them. Kohroku tries telling his wife that they need to go, but Toki insists that they promised Eboshi that they would protect Iron-Town.

“Your dedication and bravery is admirable,” Haku says. “But I this case its suicidal.”

San and Ashitaka ride on the backs of her brothers across the river bank, avoiding the sludge as it falls. The women notice Ashitaka. Ashitaka gets off the wolf and yells that they need to evacuate Iron-Town. He warns them that the Great Forest Spirit is looking for his head and that if the sludge touches them they will die. He tells them to get into the lake for protection. He tells them that Eboshi and her men are returning from the other side ad he is going to try and find the head. He runs off and the scared women worry on what to do. Toki tells them to calm down and head to the like as instructed (while carrying the sick and wounded).

“Yes, hurry,” Sheeta shouts.

“I like her,” Arrietty says. “She could talk nicer to her husband, but still.”

The sludge reaches up the elevation Iron-Town is on and spills over the wall. The people run as the dark sludge invades.

Eboshi hates every second of what she is seeing.

San also has mixed feelings. She always wanted Iron-Town destroyed but not like this.

The sludge pours throughout the town and hits the forge. Everyone manages to escape Iron-Town but watches as it is destroyed. Kohroku says that once the forge burns that will be the end of Iron-Town. Toki says that as long as they are still alive they will manage somehow.

San and Ashitaka ride across the landscape even as the sludge overwhelms it. San spots Jigo and his men with the head and they rush down to them.

Everyone hopes that Ashitaka and San will succeed.

Jigo and his men are tired. He watches the wolves jump over the sludge to set San and Ashitaka to him. San and Ashitaka stop Jigo, who is suprised they survived, and he comments that it’s nice that they are alive. Ashitaka tells him to drop the head and leave. Jigo refuses, saying that the brainless, soulless, life-sucking god of death will vanish when the sun comes up. One of Jigo’s men cries that the sludge is getting closer. Jigo tells Ashitaka that everyone wants everything and that he might actually get it.

“Yeah, well, you were wrong about thinking the Forest Spirit would die after cutting his head off so I doubt your word now,” Kokiri says.

“Well said,” says Jiji.

“Greedy ba-jerk,” Lisa says. “Why did I bother to avoid swearing? The kids have already heard curses and seen violence.”

Ashitaka tells Jigo not to force him to kill him. But Jigo says he makes it sound like its easy. Jigo tries to kick Ashitaka.

“Come on, you can kick his hind!” Arrietty shouts.

“You can do it!” Ponyo shouts.

“Use your demon strength!” shouts Tombo.

“Get the head and run!” shouts Kiki.

“You have San and her brothers there, tear him to pieces!” shouts Jiji. “Wow, I cant believe I’m rooting for dogs right now.”

“The cat just recommended that we feed Jigo to my brothers,” San translates.

As Jigo engages Ashitaka, another one of his men comes at San with a knife. She avoids it and kicks the man in the face.

“Nice moves,” Nausicaa says.
“Thank you.”

“Whenever I’m in trouble I use my sword,” Arrietty says, drawing out her “sword.”

“That’s a pin,” Ashitaka says. “Its a big pin now, but its still a pin.”

“Eh, I can still poke things with it,” Arrietty says.

“True, but you can’t slice,” says Pazu.

Arrietty’s pin glows and it transforms into an actual sword while a satchel materializes around her waist. Arrietty beams at her new weapon and Sho is impressed.

“Wow, thats awesome,” Sho says.

Arrietty swings her new sword around and thanks whatever divine power is in charge of this room.

Jigo tells his men to get going as he continues fighting Ashitaka. San kicks her attacker in the face and charges after the two with the box. The dark Nightwalker reaches for it himself and stops them in his tracks. The two men run scared and drop the box, which rolls down the hill. San chases after it and calls to Ashitaka.

“Oh come on!” Shouts Aiko.

“Why did he have to use a round box!?” shouts Yuki.

Jigo tries to catch it but he is knocked back by the impact. Jigo rolls down the hill, clutching the box, while trying to say everything is under control. He lands on a rock being surrounded by the sludge. Ashitaka, San, and his last hunter join Jigo on the rock as it is completely surrounded. Ashitaka demands that he give him the box but Jigo tries to say that its too late for that now. San asks Ashitaka why he is wasting hie breath talking to Jigo, but Ashitaka says that human hands must return it. Reluctantly, Jigo opens the box and asks them not to say he didnt warn them. The head is on the box, surrounded by clear goop from the true nightwalker form.

Everyone watches in anticipation. Will this restore the Great Forest Spirit or is it too late? Will the land be saved by this or not?

San and Ashitaka hold up the head, but as they do their curse marks grow worse ( to the worry of the audience ). Ashitaka calls out to the Great Forest Spirit, and says they return his head and to be at peace. The dark nightwalker/the Great Forest Spirits body bends over and Ashitaka grabs onto San. Its liquids engulf them all, but as it does it glows golden.

Everyone watches in awe.

“Is it working?” Kiki asks.

“Its working!” Ponyo shouts excitedly.

San smiles in joy, as does Ashitaka. But Haku isnt too sure.

The Forest Spirit stops glowing. It appears to be too late. The women and Kohroku in the water say its over, then they notice the men and Eboshi coming. The dark night walker lifts up his neck, and he appears to have its head back.

Everyone cheers.

“Good, now the Forest Spirit can be restored,” Ashitaka says.

“I’m not so sure,” says Haku.
“What do you mean?” Chihiro asks him. “He has his head back. You said that would solve everything.”

“I meant it would stop his rampage. But you cant restore a tree after you cut it down.”

The women rush to the men and lady Eboshi. The nightwalker rises, restored to his true form, but he is faded.

San sighs in saddness.

“Its too late.”

“He’s going to fall on Iron-Town,” says Eboshi.

The nightwalker falls back and onto Iron-Town. The impact causes the town to be destroyed. All the sludge and structures are blown away by a powerful force, while the people of Iron-Town are safe in the water. The debris of what was once Iron-Town is blown away into the distance. And once its all gone, new life starts to grow on the ravaged landscape. Grass and other green plants grow on the fallen trees at a fast rate. Kohroku says he didnt know the forest spirit made the flowers grow as he and everyone else is in shock. The entire area that was once Iron-Town and ravaged by is is green and growing with new plant life.

Everyone else was completely shocked by the Great Forest Spirits power. He destroyed the entire area and made new life bloom in seconds.

“Well, looks like you got what you wanted in the end,” Eboshi says to San. “Iron-Town is destroyed and the forest is back again.”

“The Forest is back,” Sheeta says, happily.

“No,” San says. “Most of the gods are dead, the Great Forest Spirit is still dead, and new growth has come but its still not the gods forest.”

“But he is a god of life and death,” Ashitaka says. “Maybe he will come back, or is alive in some other form?”
“Well he is reborn every new moon,” San says.
“No,” says Haku. “Im sorry, but Ive done my research on this topic. Im afraid he’s gone.”

San and Ashitaka lower their heads.

“I suggest you rethink your life choices when were out of here,” Lisa tells Eboshi.
“Oh…fine.”

Yakul walks up the green hills, unharmed. He meets up with Sans brothers.

Ashitaka is glad to see that, so is San. Even more so that ehr brothers are alive.

Yakul nudges Ashitaka awake and he awakens San to see whats around them. They gaze out at the new landscape. But San laments that the old forest is still gone and the spirit is still dead. But Ashitaka says that he is a spirit of life and death and insists that he is here right now with them. Ashitaka tells her that the spirit it telling them both that now its time for them to live. He looks at his hand, his mark is gone except for a small scar.

Everyone sighs in relief. So does Ashitaka and San. His curse is lifted.

“Well, I’m glad that your going to be ok,” San says. “Now, lets figure out how we can get this when we go back without the Forest Spirit dying.”

San tells Ashitaka that he means alot to her, but she cant forgive the humans for what they did (ie live with him and the rest of them). Ashitaka says that he understands. She will live in the forest and he will help rebuild Iron-Town so they can stay close so Yakul and him can visit her.

“I would like that,” San says to Ashitaka.

He smiles at her.

Sho and Arrietty briefly look at each other. Separated but still together.

San agrees to this and rides away with her brothers.

Meanwhile, Eboshi is surrounded by her people. She says as crazy as it is the wolf girl helped save them all. She asks for someone to bring her Ashitaka so she can thank him and promises that they will rebuild a better town.

Everyone sends Eboshi a knwoing look. Eboshi sighs.

“Ok, I’ll look into it,” Eboshi says. “Maybe turn to farming. And I’ll hear some of those recycling practices. But we still have Asano to deal with. And the emperor.”

“If you promise to stop huiting the forest I will help you with both in any way I can,” says San 9abeit reluctantly).

“As will I,” says Ashitaka.

Eboshi smiles. “Ok then. I think we have ourselves a deal.”

Meanwhile, Jigo tells his remaining man that he gives up and cant win against fools. But deep in the forest, among the growth, a dingle kodama appears. Indicating that the new forest is healthy. The screen fades to black.

The End

San and Ashitaka look at each other and smile.

“I recognize that we haven’t been through what they did. But I already like you a lot,” San says.

“Yeah, I really like you too,” Ashitaka says.

”Hey wait I just realized something,” Pazu says. “Ashitaka, that necklace you gave to San came from Kaya right? Kinda rude for you to give your ex-fiancés gift to another girl.”

Ashitaka blushes and looks around guilty at Pazus tease.

“So now you guys are going to go back to your own time and not kill the Forest Spirit right?” Aiko asks. “So he’ll be alive in our time.”

“No,” says Souske. “We realized the timeline branched, remember?“

“The kids right,” says Sho. “They may be able to change THEIR future but when we go back to our timelines Eboshi still would have killed the Forest Spirit centuries ago.”

Eboshi huffs.

“Wait keep going!” Chihiro shouts at the screen. “I wanna see what happens after this!”

“Yeah, will Lord Asano attack again or did he die?” Kiki asks.

“And what about the emperor?” asks Tombo.

“More importantly, how does this event relate to the creation of the god warriors?” Nausicaa asks. “This happened long before the seven days of fire.”

“Whoever brought us here!” Ashitaka shouts. “Please reveal yourself so we may ask questions!”

Words appear on the screen.

“I CANNOT REVEAL MYSELF JUST YET. BUT NOW YOU WILL RECEIVE EXPLANATIONS.”

Chapter Text

Words appeared on the screen, followed by several pictures.

“IN 1985, ARCHEOLOGISTS WILL EXCAVATE THE AREA THAT WAS ONCE THE CEDAR FOREST. BY THIS TIME, SPIRITS HAVE BEEN LONG SINCE CONSIDERED A MYTH AND LEGEND CREATED BY HUMANS AS MOST OF THEM HAVE FLED TO THE SPIRIT WORLD.

An image appears, showing men digging for fossils in a dried-up pool. It shows an image of people uncovering different types of fossils of prehistoric creatures. But among them are giant bones of wolves, board, and even ape bones. They all have holes in them from iron bullets, to the archeologist’s confusion.

San glares at Eboshi.

“Relax,” says Eboshi. “It’s not going to happen now.”

“HOWEVER, ONE SCIENTIST UNCOVERED A VERY SPECIFIC FOSSIL THAT STILL HAD SOME RECOVERABLE DNA IN IT.”

The image shows one archeologist uncovering a skull. It is quite large and has a human (skull)-like face the rest of it is shaped like a deer’s skull, including antlers.

San and Ashitaka gasp.

“The Great Forest Spirit!” San shouts.

“But how can that be?” Ashitaka asks. “When we returned his head it changed into its nightwalker form. How could there still have been a skull left?”

“He was weak at the time, the sun was coming up,” Haku reasons. “Maybe he didn’t fully assimilate the bones? Or maybe his once-severed head reverted to its flesh and blood form after he collapsed?”

“Whatever the reason it still has recoverable DNA,” Souske says.

“What is DNA?” San asks.

“DNA is like the instructions for how our body is,” Lisa says.

“If there was a recoverable sample then…” Aiko trails off.

The image shows scientists drilling into the skull, extracting some of the spirits clear goopy blood. They take a sample of the blood and add various substances to it to examine under a microscope. But they jump back in surprise as the recovered sample grows into a fleshy substance and mutates into a darker blue form in front of them.

More images show them experimenting with flesh grown from the sample. They introduce proteins to a cube of grown flesh and it causes grass and flowers to prout in the petri dish. Another image shows the sample being introduced to radiation from a machine. It turns dark and kills lab rats that are introduced to it by draining its energy. Another image shows the sample growing from the size of a brick to the size of a man, to the scientist’s shock.

Another set of images shows an army colonel taking the sample and various giant bones and sets of tissue grown from their experiments. Some scientists agree to work for him, others are sworn to secrecy.

“THE JAPANESE MILITARY SAW THE POTENTIAL OF AN INFINITE SOURCE OF FLESH, CAPABLE OF GROWING TO AN INCREDIBLE SIZE AND POSESSING UNIQUE PROPERTIES THAT DEFY THE KNOWN LAWS OF NATURE. AROUND THE LATE 1990’S THEY INCLUDED THE FLESH IN A PROJECT TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE WEAPON. COMBINING ARTIFICIALLY GROWN FLESH OF A GOD AND ADVANCED HUMAN TECHNOLOGY.”

The image shows several God Warriors being created in a lab. The flesh of the forest spirit is grafted into an advanced technological endoskeleton, and a core where the heart is with a radiation symbol on it, before a metal and ceramic exoskeleton is grafted on. Some have a control center for a human to operate them from their heads, while others have a giant brain with technological components instead. The god warriors are much smaller than the ones that appeared on TV before. They are only 30-50 feet tall. The scientists hold small devices the size of an egg in their hands which appear to control the fully formed god warriors. However, the god warriors soon go haywire and start blasting everything around them. Some scientists are killed while others flee in fear.

“THE FLESH OF THE GOD MERGED WITH THE TECHNOLOGY, CREATING A CYBERNETIC ORGANISM DOWN TO THE CELLULAR LEVEL. THE GOD WARRIORS WERE MEANT TO BE THE GUIDES OF MANKIND. TO SEIZE CONTROL IN AN UNSTABLE WORLD. STOP WARS. RESTORE ENVIRONMENTS. HOWEVER, THEY CONTAINED TOO MUCH OF THE DARK NIGHTWALKER IN THEM. THE PROTOTYPES WERE UNSABLE AND THE PROGRAM WAS SHUT DOWN. BY 2001, ALL OF THE GOD WARRIOR PROTOTYPES WERE SHUT DOWN AND BURIED WITHIN A JAPANESE MILITARY ARMY BUNKER.”

The audience stares at the screen, in awe at the creation of the first god warriors. Aiko himself looks guilty as he looks at the technological endoskeleton, something his wife notices.

“So, 2001 huh?” Pazu says.

He turns to Sheeta, and then to Kiki, Tombo, Kikiri, and Jiji.

“We need to find the head in our times,” Kokiri says. “Then we can stop the god warriors from ever being made. Kiki, when we get back were flying to Japan.”

“Oh, can I come too?” Tombo asks.

“Yeah, sure,” Kiki says.

“And I’m hopping on an air ship to Japan,” Pazu says.

“San, Eboshi, please tell us the exact location of the Cedar forest,” Sheeta says.

“I’ll point it out to you as soon as I get a map of Japan,” Ebsohi says.

“What about us?” Chihiro asks. “I’m from 2002. They have already been built by now.”

“I’m sure the screen will show us something we can do,” Haku says.

“Something still doesn’t make sense though,” says Arrietty. “If the god warriors were shut down, then how did they end up destroying the world in 2012?”

“Yeah, and why were they so much bigger?” asks Lisa.

“We know that the first god warrior that showed up was super huge,” says Souske. “It formed from spores and then it seemed to break up into hundreds of smaller ones. The screen said that they became cyborgs down to a cellular level. Maybe someone was able to reawaken them and give them the order to turn into emit spores, accumulate in the atmosphere, then form bigger god warriors to destroy everything.”

“Why would anyone do that?” Ponyo asks.

“THAT INFORMATION WILL COME SOON.”

The audience groans.

“I WILL NOW TALK A BIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FOREST AFTER SAN RETURNED TO IT.”

San and Ashitaka lean in.

“AFTER SAN AND HER BROTHERS RETURNED TO THE FOREST AFTER THE WAR, THEY WERE MET ON BY THE FEW MEMBERS OF THE APE TRIBE THAT SURVIVED.”

“Oh great,” San groans. “Let me guess, they said I was responsible for what happened because I’m human so I let Eboshi in or something stupid like that.”

“THEY TRIED TO KILL YOU. YOUR BROTHERS ATTACKED THEM IN DEFENSE AND KILLED TWO MORE.”

San looks down, not happy with this outcome at all. Ashitaka consoles her.

“It wont happen now,” Eboshi says. “But what about Iron-Town?”

“EBOSHI AND HER TOWN TURNED TO SUSTAINING THEMSELVES THROUGH AGRICULTURAL MEANS. SALVAGING THE IRON THAT WAS LEFT BEHIND RECYCLING THAT FOR YOUR HOMES AND OCCASIONALLY TRADING WITH OTHER REGIONS.”

Eboshi nods. “Ok.”

“A SHAKY PEACE WAS MADE WITH THE HUMANS THE THE REMAINING SPIRITS. THEY WOULD KEEP TO THEMSELVES AND JUST STAY OUT OF EACH OTHERS BUSINESS. LORD ASANO DIED DURING THE INVASION AND HIS REPLACEMENT HAD NO INTEREST IN SEIGING THE LAND AFTER WHAT THEY WITNESSED. ASHITAKA WOULD CONTINUE TO VISIT SAN. I WILL NOT REVEAL THE FATE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP IN FEAR OF PUSHING THEM INTO AN AWKWARD POSITION.”

Ashitaka and San blush.

Eboshi sighs, knowing that atleast her people are safe from Asano.

“HOWEVER, THE LEADER OF THE APE TRIBE WAS FURIOUS WITH THESE CHANGES. WHILE MOST OF THE REMAINING APES RESUMED THEIR JOB OF REPLANTING THE FOREST, HE LEFT FOR THE SPIRIT WORLD. BUT BEFORE HE DID HE SWORE REVENGE. HE VOWED THST SOMEDAY HE, IF NOT HIS DESCENDANTS, WOULD DESTROY THE HUMANS JUST AS THEY DESTROYED THE SPIRITS. HE MET A SATORI NAMED “WA” THAT HATED HUMANS ALMOST AS MUCH AS HIM AND THEY HAD A SON NAMED DOROK.”

Nausicaa’s clears her throat.

“Dorok?” Lisa questions. “Nausicaa, didn’t you say that the name of an empire in your time?”

“Yes, I did. And now I just remembered that they claimed their ancestors created the Sea of Corruption. San, what is the name of the ape leader? The one who left.”

“His name is Shu,” says San.

Nausicaa groans. “The capital of Dorok is Shuwa.”

“But why would a future human empire be related to a bunch of misanthropic spirit monkeys?” Sho asks.

“I don’t know,” says Nausicaa. “All I know is that the empire was founded over a hundred years ago. The current emperor, Namulith, is the son of the first emperor. He has kept himself alive by repeatedly transferring his brain into clone bodies. But he’s human. Although I heard a rumor that his bloodline is supposed to have psychic powers.”

“That could just be a mutation from radiation,” Lisa suggests.

“Or maybe scientists mixed a bit of spirit monkey in with them,” Aiko suggests.

“It doesn’t have to be Satori,” Haku says. “I can read minds too.”

Everyone stares at Haku.

“Don’t worry. I don’t read people’s minds on a whim.”

“But we agreed that St. Novas church was Doroks predecessor,” says Nausicaa. “So how is Dorok, the spirit, related to them. If at all?”

Everyone turns to the screen for answers.

“WE WILL BEGIN THE NEXT SHOWING IN THIRTY MINUTES.”

The audience groans.

“No! Just answer our questions!” Nausicaa shouts.

A timer begins counting down from thirty minutes. Lisa huffs.

“Ok, everyone. We’re going to learn everything eventually. So just hand on.”

San and Ashitaka face each other. After everything they witnessed, they aren’t sure what to think.

“So…” Ashitaka says.

“So, what do we do now?” San asks.

“I’m not sure,” says Ashitaka. “But I think our counterparts had the right idea. I can work in Iron-Town and i can visit you in the forest since I assume you still hate them.”

San nods.

“And you, Eboshi?”

“Don’t kill the forest spirit, don’t cut down anymore trees, do recycle and manage waste properly. I get it.” Eboshi then turns to the future people. “You people teach me how to do that.”

“It will be my pleasure,” Lisa says.

“But what about the Emperor, and Asano?” Nausicaa asks.

“I SENT THE SCENE OF THE GREAT FOREST SPIRITS DEATH INTO THE DREAMS OF THE EMPEROR. WHEN HE AWAKENS, HE WILL THINK IT WAS A PROPHETIC BAD OMEN AND RETRACT HIS BOUNTY ON THE FOREST SPIRITS HEAD. I ALSO PLACED THE SAME VISION IN THE MINDS OF EVERYONE IN IRON-TOWN. THEY WILL LISTEN TO EBOSHI WHEN SHE ANNOUNCES HER DESIRE FOR CHANGE.”

San and Ashitaka smile. Now they don’t have to worry about the Great Forest Spirit being killed and they can convince the humans to respect the Forest Spirits.

“Well that takes care of one problem, but what about Ashitaka’s people?” she asks.

“Plus Asano wants my iron, not the head,” says Eboshi. “Unless you want to sent your wolves and boars after him. They don’t have guns and canons like me so it will be much easier. It was only their numbers that have me a hard time.”

“We will send a message to Asano when we get back,” says Ashitaka. “The land is ours, it is home to both spirits and people, and we want to be left in peace. If he wants to discuss business, we will listen. But if he comes to fight we will give him one.”

Ashitaka looks at his cursed arm. While his counterpart was cured by the Great Forest Spirit’s blood, he wasn’t sure how he could ethically achieve that now.

“Hey, words are on the screen again,” says Kiki.

“CHIHIRO. HOLD OUT YOUR HANDS.”

Chihiro hesitantly does so. A flash of light appears and a small green dumpling appears in her hands. Most of the people stare at it confused. Except for Haku and Kokiri who gasp.

“A dumpling?” Chihiro asks.

“That’s not just any dumpling, Chihiro,” Kokiri says.

“Wait, is this that thing you talked about that can cure curses?” Ashitaka asks.

“Eat it!” San shouts. “I mean, you better eat it, human.”

“THIS DUMPLING IS NOT ALL FOR YOU,” appears on the screen. “ASHITAKA, TEAR OFF A SMALL PIECE. IT WILL HEAL YOUR CURSE. HAKU, PLEASE TAKE A BITE OF THE DUMPING.”

“But I’m not sick,” Haku says as Ashitaka tears off a small piece of the dumpling.

“You could be,” says Aiko. “My great aunt didn’t know she had cancer until it was too late.”

“HAKU, PLEASE TAKE A BITE OF THE DUMPING” flashes on the screen.

Haku groans and tears off a small piece of the dumpling.

“Well go on, Ashitaka, eat it too,” San says.

Ashitaka studies the tiny piece of the dumpling. Then he puts it in his pocket.

“I still have a few days left,” Ashitaka says. “We might need the strength the curse gives me in the future. But I will eat this eventually.”

San nods.

“Just to warn you, these things are very bitter,” Haku tells Ashitaka.

Haku cringes and takes a small bite of the dumpling. He gags, shakes his head, and chokes it down as Chihiro puts the rest of the dumpling in her pocket. Everyone watches surprised as Haku shakes violently. He clutches his stomach and Sheets offers to get him a bucket. But before she can, Haku spits up a black worm-like creature. Haku, Lisa, Kokiri, Jiji, and Kiki stare in shock while everyone else screams.

“What the heck that thing!” shouts Pazu. “San?”

“How would I know!?” San shouts back.

The black worm squirms on the ground. Most of the  people back away in disgust.

“Don’t let it get away!” Kokiri shouts.

Chihiro steps on it and kills it.

“Ew, it’s all over my shoe now!” she cries as Haku stares in shock.

“What was that?” Arrietty asks. “A parasite?”

“It was a Kodoku Worm,” Kokiri says. “A parasite that Yamauba (mountain witch-yokai) create with kodoku to control people. It’s illegal and forbidden black magic.”

Haku growls.

“Yubaba.”

“Who’s Yubaba?” asks Tombo.

“My boss.”

“Your boss but that thing in you!?” Lisa asks in disgust. “Kid I hope there’s a labor union and courts in Spirit World because you could sue her for this. If she’s lucky.”

“This Yubaba doesn’t happen to be why you don’t know your real name, is it?” Chihiro asks.

Haku nods.

“When she employs you, she gives you a new name and makes you forget your old one. So that way you can never quit.”

The people in the room are angry at how this woman treats her employees. Eboshi herself feels a particular disgust. She has MANY faults but she would never do THAT to her employees. San feels something she never thought she would feel for any creature that wasn’t human. Though she still prefers to be a wolf like her family, she feels far less ashamed of her human origins. Aiko pats Haku’s shoulders.

“Well, good news that thing is out of your system now. Now we just need to figure out your name. Maybe when we get to our movie we’ll learn it.”

“Glad that’s all taken care of,” says Pazu. “Now can those of us from before 2002 get a map to the Cedar Forest so we can find the deer gods head and save the world?”

“If only we had a computer,” says Sho.

“What’s a computer going to do?” asks Sheeta.

“What he means is Internet,” Lisa explains.

“What’s a computer or an Internet?” asks San.

“Well a computer is a device used to control machines,” Sheeta says. “Not sure what an Internet is.”

“It’s a twentieth century invention,” Nausicaa says. “The Internet is a…well think of it as an electronic library that’s connected to computers so they can share information.”

“The Internet has everything!” Ponyo exclaims. “Funny cat videos! Cookie recipes! Lots of stuff.”

“More words are on the screen,” Souske says.

“THIS COMPUTER IS CONNECTED TO 2012 BEFORE THE GOD WARRIORS ARRIVED. KIKI, THE COMPUTER MARKED WITH THE STAR IS FROM YOUR TIMELINES FUTURE.”

A flash of light appears and a table with seven computers (one with a star sticker on it) and seven seats. Underneath the table is a printer. Everyone from the past gawks at the devices, the square plastic things with lit-up screens, while everyone from 2002 onward is happy.

“Awesome!” Souske shouts.

“What are those?” Pazu asks.

“Computers kid,” Aiko says. “And with Internet from 2012! Now we can use future Internet!”

“How does this thing work?” Ashitaka asks, poking the screen as San examines the keyboard confused and Eboshi picks up the mouse.

“I don’t have anything to look up so I’ll help you,” says Lisa. “I have much to each you in thirty minutes.”

“Then teach me, I want to look up Laputa!” shouts Pazu.

“YOU WILL LEARN ALL ABOUT LAPUTA SOON ENOUGH. YOU WILL BE BLOCKED FROM LOOKING THAT UP FOR NOW.”

“Aw, man.”

“They said you can look it up later,” Sheeta says, warmly. “Whatever that is.”

Despite what he just heard, Pazu walks over to the computer and sits down in front of the keyboard.

“So…uh…how does one use this computer to learn stuff?”

“Here, let me show you,” Sho says, walking over.

Everyone from before computers and/or the Internet was invented (also Arrietty) look over to watch.

“You use the Mouse.” Sho grabs the computer mouse and drags it, causing the mouse to move on the screen, to everyone's surprise.

“You open a browser, in this case Internet Explorer.” Sho clicks on the browser and the page opens on the screen, to everyone’s shock.

“And with the keyboard, you type what you want and press enter. You use the big key/button at the bottom for spaces.”

Pazu gasps in amazement and starts typing.

“This isn’t magic?” Kiki asks.

“No, it’s technology,” Souske says.

Pazu starts laughing.

“What is it?” Sheets asks.

“I…I tried…looking up…Laputa…” Pazu says between laughs.

“The screen said you couldn’t,” Nausicaä says.

“Yeah, a lot of the words are grayed out so I can’t read them but it took me to a translate languages page. Look what “La Puta” means in Spanish!”

Everyone looks over and are surprised.

Aiko laughs and Yuko giggles (as she covers Chihiro’s eyes). Kokiri cringes and covers Kiki and Tombo’s eyes as Jiji laughs. Sho tries to repress his laughter along with Arrietty. Sheeta gasps. Nausicaä cringes. Haku and Ashitaka are unaffected. Eboshi looks surprised and San is confused.

“I don’t get it?” San says.

Ashitaka whispers what it means in her ear and San goes from confused, to shocked, to slapping the back of Pazu’s head in anger.

“Ow! Fine, whatever, Lisa please get us maps of Japan and Eboshi circle where the Cedar forest is so we can take care of it when we get back to our times.”

“Will do.”

“And will some of you future people tell me about World War One and Two? I wanna tell my village to start preparing for it when I go home.”

Everyone walks over to the computer table to do something research on what’s to come. Everyone, except Sho and Arrietty who walk away.

“Hey, where are you going?” Sheets asks.

“We wanna catch up first,” says Sho.

“We’ll use the computer later,” adds Arrietty.

Lisa used her computer to pull up a map of Japan and Eboshi points to the area where the Cedar Forest is located. Lisa printed out several maps to give to Pazu, Sheeta, Kokiri, Tombo, and Kiki. They circled the area where the Cedar forest is, where the head of the Great Forest Spirit will eventually be discovered in their times, so they can retrieve it then. Afterward, Lisa and Aiko introduced Eboshi to environmental regulations, safe waste disposal, and recycling practices that she can use in her time.

Pazu took many notes on both world wars. What started them, how long they lasted, and what years they took place in. He discovered that when the Germans invaded his town they blew up the mines and all their flying machines to keep them out of the enemies hands. Which explains why his country’s advanced flying accomplishments became mythological by Chihiro’s time. He pointed this out to Haku who had earlier claimed that the mine was emptied by the twentieth century and he admitted that he might have gotten mixed up with another mine or remembered wrong.

Meanwhile, Ashitaka tried to look up if there was any indication of the Emishi tribe surviving into the 21st century. There is none. He was disappointed to learn that the Emishi are gone and their descendants became part of the Japanese warrior class. Although, he did discover a Japanese legend about a creature similar to the Great Forest spirit called Yatsukamizuomitsuno. He also discovered a legend about a prince named Yamato Takeru that was somewhat similar to his own story but it had the main character KILLING a mountain-deer god and DECLINING a fight from a boar god.

“So…your people were the original human inhabitants of Japan,” San says, changing the subject. “But then humans from the big continent. Kinda like how they started diminishing the forest…I also just realized that I’m technically one of the non-indigenous Japanese humans.”

Ashitaka is silent. He just stares at the words on the screen saying that the Emishi tribe is extinct.

“Maybe we can ask the entity that brought us here to send a letter to your home?” San suggests.

“They likely won’t read it,” Ashitaka says. “Though maybe Kaya would. I would like to talk to her, just tell her that I’m alive and I want her to be happy and move on.”

“CAN YOU DO THAT!?” San yells to the ceiling.

There are no words that appear on the screen. Ashitaka sighs.

Meanwhile, Haku was eating with Chihiro and her parents. the older Ogino’s are chowing down while Chihiro and Haku are eating more calmly.

“I’m worried about the future now,” Chihiro says. “We just saw San and Ashitaka’s future and they almost died. Does that mean that when we watch our movie it will show us in danger too?”

Her parents stop eating.

“That is a concern,” says Haku. “What exactly were you doing when you were summoned here?”

“Well, we were driving,” Aiko says. “We were moving to a new town because of our jobs. And Chihiro was being kinda whiny about it.”

“I was leaving behind everyone I knew!” Chihiro cries.

“That must be difficult for you,” says Haku. “I’m sorry.”

Chihiro sighs.

“No, you have it worse,” Chihiro says. “Not knowing your name and being brainwashed by your boss.”

“Maybe when its our turn you will find out your name,” Aiko says.

“Or maybe the diety or whatever that brought us here will tell you,” says Yuko. “I mean, he or she told you you had a parasite in you so now your free.”

“Maybe,” says Haku. “But right now we have to figure out how we contribute to the rise of the god warriors so we know to not do it.”

“I have a confession to make,” Aiko says.

“Honey?” asks Yuko.

“See I’m an engineer,” Aiko says. “One day the boys brought in these weird-looking pieces of technology. Some were found in Europe. Others were found in the sea. They asked us to examine them, then one day the government took it away.”
“And let me guess,” says Haku. “You were sworn to secrecy?”

Aiko nods. “Before the general left, I caught a peek at a folder containing his plans. There was a sketch for something that looked just like a god warrior. But how would Dorok find out about it?”

“Perhaps that will be in a future movie?” Yuko suggests.

Haku notices Chihiro’s grim expression.

“Hey, don’t worry. We will get through this.”

Chihiro smiles at him. Aiko notices this.

Tombo, Kiki, Kokiri, Jiji, Souske, Lisa, and Ponyo sit with everyone from before 1950. They have a wide selection of foods spread out in front of Eboshi, Ashitaka, San, Sheeta, and Pazu. These foods include: pizza, burgers, bags of potato chips, and twinkies. The people from the distant past look at the foods with a mixture of confusion and fascination.

“These are the goods of the future?” Eboshi asks.

“What even is that?” Sheeta asks, pointing at the Twinkie.

“That is a twinkie,” says Kiki. “It’s like a vanilla cake with filling inside. But it’s filled with preservatives so it can last much longer.”

“Preservatives that aren't good for you if you eat them in large doses,” says Tombo.

“And a lot of the other foods here are filled with grease that isn’t good either,” says Kokiri.

“Why would you eat food that you know kills you?” San asks.

“Well its ok to eat every once in a while,” Kiki says.

Pazu “bravely” lifts the twinkie up to his mouth. San, Ashitaka, and Sheeta watch him in amazement. Pazu bites the twinkie and hums.

“Hmmm, not bad.”

San looks at the hamburger. “This looks the most healthy. Its just bread and meat.” San bites the burger, and her eyes immediately light up. She starts devouring the sandwich. “This is good.”

Ashitaka picks up the piece of pizza and takes a bite. “Not bad. Though I can definitely taste the oils.”

Sheeta opens up a bag of chips and takes a bite. “Mmm. This is good.”

“I found it!” Nausicaa shouts.

“Found what?” Lisa asks.

“I looked up St. Nova and Dorok in the 2012 computer system and look what I found.”

Everyone there looks at the screen. They see numerous news articles about an Eco-Terrorist Group called the “Spirit Defenders”. There is an article about them blowing up an oil well. Sabotaging a powerline at a water pump station. And unleashing rabit raccoons during the urbanization of a regional forest.

“I think I’ve heard of them,” Lisa says.

“Apparently the leader is some guy who goes by the name Saint Nova,” says Nausicaa. “He claims to be some holy man who is receiving instructions by the gods themselves.”

Nausicaa enlarges an image of Saint Nova among his followers during a protest. He is a middle-aged, maybe 50’s, Japanese man. He is dressed in white robes and has long black hair tied in a loose and messy bun. Along with a goatee, a mustache that blends into muttonchops and there is an eyepatch over his left eye.

“Well, now we know where Dorok got the eye symbol from,” says Yuki.

“I know him!” Haku shouts.

“What?” Kokiri asks.

“Thats not a human. He is a spirit. A satori. And his name is Dorok.”

“What?” Chihiro asks.

“Are you sure?” Kiki asks.

“I work at a bathhouse for spirits,” Haku says. “Dorok is one of our wealthiest and most frequent visitors. Here, let me show you.”

Haku’s eyes flash and he imparts some of his own memories into the group’s minds. They see a bathhouse filled with various spirits of all shapes and sizes. Among the most frequent visitors is a wealthy satori named Dorok. Dorok looks like an ape as tall as a man and walking upright. With a messy loose bun, and a reddened pit where his left eye should be. He is wearing similar white robes to Saint Nova. Haku’s memories show him enjoying his time being pampered at the bathhouse. Chatting with Haku about how much he hates humans and often visits the human world to trick them into killing themselves. Even showing Haku the human form he takes to do so. Which is none other than Saint Nova.

“Woah!” Lisa says.

“One of those memories had him talking about how his father’s home forest was destroyed by humans and a traitorous wolf clain,” San says. “He MUST be Shu’s descendant.”

“Ok….” Aiko says. “So we know at some point this guy, whose this telepathic spirit monkey descended from the ape tribe of Sans forest, came to the human world to mess with us out of revenge and to help the environment. Then are we supposed to beelive that somehow he found out about the god warriors and released them? How?”

“I don’t know,” Kokiri says. “But maybe when we keep watching we will find out.”
“I wanna know what technology was used to make the skeletons of the god warriors,” says Souske.

“We don’t have lasers. BOOM!” says Ponyo.

“I’m sure we will learn soon enough,” Pazu says. “Hey, where are Sho and Arrietty? They need to see this.”

“They need to get back soon,” says Sheeta, looking at the countdown that says 5:00 minutes left. “It’s starting soon.”

As new friends were getting to know each other, old ones were catching up. Arrietty and Sho retreated to a corner of the theater where they could talk in private. Both of them were eager to learn what became of the other since they parted ways. As they talked, Sho and Arrietty ate sandwiches that they got from the food table. Arrietty is really enjoying her meal.

“Hmmm. Sho, I’ve had bean food before. But just small pieces. Tasting the whole thing at once is so good.”

Sho giggles. “I’m glad that you like it.”

“So, Sho, how old are you now?”

“I’m thirteen. You?”

“Fourteen, almost fifteen,” says Arrietty. “I see your operation went well. Was it scary?”

“not really,” says Sho. “I went in, they gave me anesthesia to put me to sleep and when I woke up I had a bandage on my chest. I had to recover in the hospital for a while but since then my heart has been better than ever.”

“So now you can run and play with other kids, right?” Arrietty asks.

“Well, its been alot better,” says Sho. “You know, I went back to my aunt’s house last summer.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And I heard rumors about how small things in the neighborhood were going missing. That’s how I knew you were ok. I didn’t think I would ever see you again, but I was glad to hear that.”

Arrietty blushes.

“Yeah, we borrow around the neighborhood sometimes.”

“So what happened after you left?” She asks. “Did you find more borrowers? You said that Spiller said there were hundreds.”

“Well, after we left your aunt’s house Spiller led us to this church in the neighborhood where the other borrowers were living.  And it was more like thirteen,” Arrietty admits.
“Oh…sorry,” says Sho.
“No its fine,” Arrietty says. “The Overmattels and the Wainscots are good people. Oh! And we also found my dad’s brother and his side of the family.”

“You have an uncle?”

“Yeah I was quite surprised myself,” Arrietty says. “Yncle Hendreary and my dad hadn’t seen each other in years. I met my aunt Lupy. Their sons: Timmus, Ditchley, and Ilrick. And their daughter, Eggletina.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Sho says. “Looks like you had a nice family reunion.”

Arrietty becomes less excited.

“Well…not really. I mean, it was nice at first, but soon we started competing with each other for resources. Eggletina is nice, she let me use her scarf, but she’s very quiet most of the time and we don’t really talk. She gets along with Spiller quite well for that. Ditchley and ilrick are obnoxious pranksters. They trapped my parents in a kettle once as a joke.” Arrietty growls. “I gave them a good sock in the face for that.”

Sho frowns. “Families can be complicated.”
“Its not so bad,” says Arrietty. “I get along well with Timmus. He’s a sweet boy. I read to him sometimes. So how has life been since your operation?”

“Well I don’t feel weak or at risk of dying anymore, so that’s nice,” says Sho. “My parents aren’t working so hard to pay for my medical bills, which is also good.“

“Has your relations with them improved?” Arrietty asks.

“Eh…a bit. I’ve tried making new friends at school, but it’s awkward since I’ve never really had any before you. I spent my whole life cooped up in my house, homeschooled, never really interacting with anyone since I figured I’d just die. Now that it’s not the case anymore…I’m a little lost on how to do that.”

“Oh, your a good guy,” says Arrietty. “You’ll meet people.”

“Thanks,” says Sho. “I’ve recently gotten into hiking and riding my bike. I really like taking nature trails, and seeing everything. Its beautiful.

“I usually walk through gardens,” says Arrietty. “I like to collect flowers to decorate my room.”

“A simple flower garden must look like a forest to you. I’m more of a reader myself,” says Sho. “I mean, when im not going on walks or hiking. Its what I did all day when I was sick.”

“Well when your a borrower your constantly having adventures,” says Arrietty.

“So, have you made any new human friends since we parted?” Sho asks.

“Just one,” says Arrietty. “This old woman, named Miss Ikoku. She was so nice, but it was very brief. She doesn’t even know if we’re still alive right now. And I can’t tell her because my dad made me promise never to talk to another bean for as long as I live. But sometimes I will suggest that we talk to one of the friendlier-looking ones, for help. Maybe give us supplies and doll furniture so we don’t have to risk getting eaten by birds or cats. But they all think I’m weird for that.” She chuckles. “You kind of ruined me for the other borrowers.” Arrietty teases.

“But, you still have friends, right?” Sho asks. “Spiller?”
Arrietty becomes guilty. “Spiller and I had a fight recently. I called him a coward for being too scared to talk to Miss Ikoku. He ran off and he didn’t talk to me for days after that. We’re ok now, but he prefers spending time with Eggletina. They enjoy being silent together.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Arrietty says. “Im glad that your alive, Sho. I have wondered if you survived since the day we parted. I always hoped that I would see you again, just once. You were my first friend. As soon as I got that paper that sent me here I immediately checked that I wanted to see you again.”
Sho smiles at her, warmly. “You were my first friend too. I just wish we could have gotten to know us better then. And that I hadn’t accidentally exposed you to Haru… She’s gone now, just so you know. She was institutionalized for ranting about little people.”

“Well I’m not so little anymore,” says Arrietty. “So how is your aunt?”

“She’s doing well, thanks for asking,” says Sho. “What about your mom? She seems pretty shaken.”
“Mom is always worried, but she’s fine now,” says Arrietty. “So, when this is over, do you think we will be sent back to where before?”
“It’s likely,” says Sho. “I would offer to come to the church and visit you, but that probably wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Yeah, probably not,” Arrietty says, sadly. “But, while we’re here, I want us to get to know each other as much as we can.”

“Yeah, same,” Sho says. “So, do you have a favorite type of book you read to Timmus? What do you read to him exactly?”

“Anything I get my hands on, really,” says Aarrietty. “Newspapers. Bibles. Although I did read to him a book from the donation box that I really liked. It was called the Magic Bed-Knob.”

“Oh, I read that one too,” says Sho. “It was good.”

Arrietty smiles, and then she averts her eyes.

“Hey, Sho. I just want you to know that I’m not entirely friendless.”
“Yeah, Spiller.”

“Actually there’s another boy,” Arrietty admits.

Sho’s eyes widen. “Oh?”

“Yeah, his name is Peagreen,” Arrietty says. “He doesn’t approve of my desire to befriend Beans either, but he’s a good guy. He gave me a sparrow egg months ago during that holiday you call Easter.”
“...Well, im glad that you have a friend,” Sho says. “He seems like a nice guy.”

“Yeah, he is,” says Arrietty.

“HEY KIDS! THE NEXT MOVIE IS ABOUT TO START!” Lisa calls.

“We should probably get going,” Sho says. “But we can talk some more after the next movie.”

“Yeah.”

Sho and Arrietty return to their seats. The timer is down to its last minute and everyone else is in their seats. Pazu is in a deep conversation with Tombo.

“You really have flying machines everywhere in your city?” Tombo asks Pazu excitedly.

“Oh yeah, they’re really nifty,” says Pazu. “We have air-ships and small ones for individual people that have wings.”

“I built a flying bike for myself but I have to keep peddling it,” says Tombo.

“I wish I could pull up the blueprints for my glider,” Nausicaa says. “I bet you two kids would enjoy it.”

“Hey,” says Sho.
“What did we miss?” asks Arrietty.

Haku uses his powers to place everything they learned into the couple’s minds.

“Woah, ok,” says Arrietty.

“I’ll be sure to call the cops if I see him on the street,” says Sho.

“Shush!” Pazu says. “The movie's starting.”

“THE NEXT MOVIE WILL BE ABOUT LAPUTA.”

Pazu shouts: “YES!”

Chapter Text

A bird-shaped aircraft is flying through the dark cloudy sky. It has propellers and a skull-symbol on one of the fins. a beeping sound goes off and several men run to one side to join a woman with long braids.

“Woah,” Tombo says, armored with the flying machine.

“Are these those flying machines that you talked about?” San asks Sheeta and Pazu.

Sheeta nods.

“Incredible,” says Ashitaka.

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” says Eboshi. “Can I get the blueprints for this?”

“Sorry, air travel isn’t supposed to be developed for a few more centuries,” Lisa says, not sorry.

The woman and the men gaze down at a larger ship beneath them.

“How does something that big manage to fly?” Ashitaka asks, amazed. “I see the swirling fans but how much wind must they generate?”

“It helps that the ship is part blimp,” says Sheeta. “Its like a balloon filled with hot air.”

“Interesting,” Eboshi says, thinking about all the possibilities of air travel.

But then she remembers that she promised to be more environmentally sustainable. Still, she wonders if she can construct such a thing using already extracted materials, as soon as she understands the workings.

“Wait, why are they hovering over that other ship?” Lisa asks.

“Oh no,” Pazu says.

“What?” asks Sheeta.

“They are pirates.”

“Pirates?” Eboshi asks.

“What? Like sky pirates?” Aiko asks.

Pazu nods.

“What’s a pirate?” asks Arrietty.

“A pirate is what humans call people who rob ships,” Sho says. “Normally they operate on the ocean but these guys appear to be sky pirates.”

“Don’t tell my mother that, she always wanted to see the ocean that might ruin it for her,” Arrietty says.

“You understand how this stealing is different from borrowing, right?” Kokiri asks.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Lisa asks.

“You know how she was tiny before?” Everyone but Sho and Arrietty nod their heads. “Well, her people are called borrowers because they “borrow” things from humans. Though technically it’s stealing since they don’t really ask.”

Everyone looks at Arrietty.

“It’s just small stuff,” Sho says in Arriettys defense. “Just things like sugar cubes and tissues. Things that won’t be missed.”

“Its things that we need to survive,” says Arrietty.

“Still stealing, but ok,” says Lisa.

“Why are we watching pirates though?” asks Nausicaa.

“I don’t know,” says Haku. “But there mist be something valuable on that ship.”

“I thought this was supposed to be about a floating island?” asks Chihiro.

“I’m sure it will get to that,” says Yuki. “I mean, we didn’t jump straight into the forest and the wolves, we saw Ashitaka kill a demon first.”

San and Ashitaka grimace at the reminder.

The old woman smirks and chuckles. She and the men run back into the ship. The batch opens and they all fly out on two-person air-crafts with insectoid wings.

“Woah!” Tombo’s eyes light up.

“This is future human technology huh?” San asks, not admitting she is impressed.

“Yeah, those are flaptters,” says Pazu. “You seriously dont have them in the FUTURE?”

“Like I said, the humans in the future don’t have much access to Aetherium thanks to World War 2,” says Haku.

“But we still do,” says Kiki.

“Yeah, but machines like that are still mostly in Gondola,” says Tombo.

The pirates on the flaptters fly down to the ship. The scene zooms into one of the ships window and Sheeta is seen, sitting despondently.

“Huh? Thats Sheeta!” says Ponyo.

Everyone turns to the young girl, who is just as surprised as they are.

“Sheeta? Why are you on that big ship?” Lisa asks.

“Are you going with your family on some kind of trip?” Aiko asks.

“No, thats a military warship,” says Pazu. “Sheeta why are you there?”

“I…I don’t know,” Sheeta says.
“Well, whatever the reason, its bad your there since its about to be ambushed by pirates,” says San.

Everyone worries for Sheeta’s safety. Sheeta herself is worried while Pazu grabs her hand protectively.

A man in a suit offers her a plate with food and a glass of water but she rejects it. Sitting across from Sheeta is a 30-something man with brown hair and dark glasses. The man tells the butler something (you cant hear from the noise) and they leave. Sheeta continues to look out the window, depressed.

“You seem like you don’t want to be there,” says Kiki.

“Who is that man?” Haku asks. “A relative of yours?”

“No,” says Sheeta. “I only had my grandmother and she died. But the last thing I saw before being brought here was strange people approaching my house.”

“You don’t think….” Aiko trails off. “No, you said this was a military aircraft. Why would the government kidnap a little girl?”

“It’s the government,” says Lisa. “But yes, why is the question? Sheeta, were your parents or grandmother people who were important?”

Sheeta makes sure her necklace is tucked in under her shirt. “Not that I know of.”

“Maybe she was kidnapped by different people and these people she’s with now just rescued her,” says Sho.

“I don’t know, man,” says Pazu. “The guy with the glasses doesn’t look friendly to me.”

Sheeta looks out the window, gazing at the bright moon among the clouds. It is beautiful. But then she sees the flapttors flying down. Sheeta’s eyes widen as the pirates fly close to the ship. The old woman and the man she is with fly close to the window where Sheeta and the agents are. The old captain draws her gun.

“Run!” Chihiro shouts.

‘Is this how I end?’ Sheeta asks herself. ‘Attacked by pirates while kidnapped?’

However, the flapptor boosts forward and flies to the top of the ship. The captain gasps, looking out his window, and the pirate captain fires her blaster gun at him. It appears to be a smoke bomb, but the crew announces that they are under attack by pirates.

“This is bad,” says Ponyo.

Everyone worries for Sheeta’s safety.

The pirates land on the top of the ship and run to the opening. Two crew members try firing a machine gun at them, but the pirates jump ontop of them and fall through inside the ship.

“What was that?” Ashitaka asks.

“That was a machine gun,” says Pazu.

“Ugh, disastrous,” says San.

Despite the situation, Eboshi couldn’t help but be impressed with the futuristic gun. Her guns were already considered advanced for her time, but this weapon was capable of siring multiple rounds at once without having to light a fuse or reload. She took note of how the ship’s crew turned a crank while firing and wondered if more bullets could be loaded into a barrel for such a thing.

The pirates run through the ship, knocking crew members out of the way and firing smoke bombs to get through.

On a lower level, there appear to be people having a party. Everyone is dressed up and chatting by the giant glass window on the front of the ship. They hear a thud and a ladder descends from above, allowing the pirates to run down. The guests scream as the elderly female pirate captain with the braids runs through, carrying her weapon.

She bursts through a door, but immediately retreats from the fire of a handgun.

“Well, atleast you’re with people who are prepared for a fight,” says Pazu.

“Of course there’s still the question of why I’m there in the first place,” says Sheeta.

The agent with the brown hair and other agents hold the pirates off. The agent with brown hair excuses himself and goes back into the room with Sheeta. Sheeta watches as he opens up a suitcase, pulls up an antenna, and puts on headphones.

“What is this?” Ashitaka asks.

“Old communication device,” says Tombo.

“Like those cell phones we talked about before,” says Sho.

The people from old Japan nod in understanding.

“Except he is using morse code.”

“Morse what?” San asks.

“Dashes and beeps in place of words,” says Sho. “Its before there were telephones. You use various sequences of dots and dashes to say specific numbers or letters.”

“Sounds complicated,” says San.

“Yeah,” says Haku.

Seeing the distraction, Sheeta nervously picks up a bottle. She raises it and stands behind the man like she is about to strike him with it.

Sheeta looks surprised with herself on the screen.

“So, looks like you aren’t there by choice,” says Sheeta.

“I have the feeling that Sheeta knows why they might have her,” Haku whispers to Chihiro.

“Did you read her mind to find out?”

“I dont do that without consent,” says Haku. “Besides, Sheeta must have good reasons to keep quiet for now. I feel that we will see soon enough.”

Sheeta finally gains the nerve to strike him, but the elderly pirate captain fires her blast at the agents. It explodes and the agents recognize it as tear gas as they continue firing.

“Hmm, pretty tame for pirates,” says Eboshi.

The brown-haired agent lies on the floor with broken glass, having been knocked out by Sheeta. Sheeta rummages through the inside of the man’s shirt and she pulls out a necklace which she wraps around her neck. It is a small crystal with a wing-like symbol on it.

Haku recognizes it as a symbol of Lapu, while Kokiri, Kiki, Jiji, and Tombo recognize it as a symbol of Laputas royal family. They, along with everyone else turns to Sheeta.

“Sheeta, what’s with the necklace?” Pazu asks.

Sheeta sighs and she pulls it out from under her shirt, showing it to the audience. “It’s a family heirloom that my grandmother gave to me. She said to keep it on me at all times and not tell anyone about it. She said that it was supposed to protect me. She even told me some spells that were supposed to be used to activate it but I wasn’t sure if I believed that at the time.”

“Sheeta, let me see that,” Kokiri says as she steps forward.

Sheeta reluctantly hands the older witch her necklace. Kokiri feels the power within the crystal and stares wide-eyed at the symbol on the front. That was the symbol of the royal family of Laputa! Sheeta must be a direct descendant! But it seems that, even if her grandmother was aware of this, Sheeta herself certainly isn’t. Given everything thats happening, she decides its best to keep that a secret for now. She was sure that the film would tell them anyway, if not she would tell her after. She turns to Kiki and Tombo, they nod thinking the same thing.

“Sheeta, this is Aetherium!” Kokiri says.

“What?” Sheeta asks.

“Hey, wait a second.” Nausicaa opens up the control panel of her glider and shows everyone the crystal inside. “That’s the same type of crystal that my glider uses to fly!”

“Wait, Kokiri, didn’t you say before that Aetherium can be used to allow non-witches to cast spells?” Lisa asks.

“Yes, I did,” Kokiri says. “Sheeta, why don’t you try to use one of those spells that your grandmother taught you.”

“Uh, ok,” Sheeta says, holding her necklace in her hand. “This is a spell that’s supposed to help me when I’m in trouble. Leetay Latuparita Ulus Aria Los Balu Netoreel.”

The crystal lights up and Sheeta floats in the air, to everyone’s surprise. Sheeta is engulfed in a glue-vibrant light and she releases the crystal in shock, causing her to fall to the ground.

Kokiri smiles.

“Woah,” says Chihiro, amazed.

“Cool…” says Souske.

“Thats quite something,” says Arrietty.

“Yeah.”

“Hey, do you happen to have another one of those?” San asks.

“Oh, so you get a magic necklace and I dont?” Eboshi asks.

“To defend the forest.”

“Ok Sheeta,” Kokiri says. “Assuming we get another thirty-minute break when this is over, how about I teach you some defense spells so you can avoid getting kidnapped and meeting pirates?”

“That would be lovely, thank you,” says Sheeta.

“Well, this will be fun,” says Kiki.

“So, whats with the symbol?” Sho asks.

“I’m sure the movie will explain,” says Haku.

Sheeta worries as she hears the door banging. She runs to the window as she hears the pirate captain yelling at them to break down the door. Sheeta opens the window and climbs out of it to hang on the rail ad avoid being seen.

“Don’t let go!” Pazu yells in worry.

Everyone else thinks the same thing.

“I wasn’t planning to,” says Sheeta.

“Why does an air craft window even open in the first place!?” Lisa exclaims in horror.

The pirates burst through the door, aiming their tear gas blasters. The pirate captain runs in and checks the unconscious agent’s body, ashing where “she” went.

“So they are there for Sheeta?” Tombo asks.

“Her necklace, most likely,” says San.

One of the pirates looks out the window and sees Sheeta scaling the side of the airship. The pirate calls to the captain, apparently his mother, and tells her that Sheeta is escaping.

Everyone panics at the unsafe situation Sheeta has gotten herself into.

“Wait, that’s the captain’s son?” Aiko asks.

“I guess the other pirates are hers too,” says Yuko

“What an…interesting family business,” says Nausicaa.

The pirate tries reaching for Sheeta as his captain/mother tells him to get her. Sheeta just scoots farther away, holding onto the side of the ship for safety. The pirate nearly falls out the window and his captain/mother catches him. But Sheeta herself also loses her footing and is just holding onto the ship.

Sheeta pales at the scene and everyone worries for her safety.

“Oh, this isnt good,” says Souske.

“Please let one of the air ships catch her,” Pazu whispers.

“Or that the Aeterium necklace will help her fly,” says Nausicaa.

As Sheeta holds on, the captain sees the stone and tells one of her other sons to go to the other window next door and get it (while the son she is holding onto begs her not to drop him). Sheeta goes to the next window over and lifts herself up, but she sees that pirate bursting through the door. The pirate runs to her and, in shock, Sheeta lets go. She screams as she falls from the airship.

Sheeta screams, seeing her counterpart/future self fall.

“NO!” shouts Pazu.

Everyone screams and their hearts race, worried for Sheeta’s safety. Sho clutches his chest as Arrietty grabs onto him. Ponyo grabs onto Souske and Pazu protectively grabs Sheeta.

“Quick, Sheeta, say a levitation spell or something!” Nausicaa shouts.

As Sheeta falls, the pirate captain is just mad about losing the crystal.

San and Haku scowl at this display of greed and disregard for life.

Sheeta falls through the sky, through a large gathering of clouds, and the screen turns black.

Sheeta sits in her seat, eyes wide at what she just witnessed. Pazu grabs her shoulder and smiles.

“Hey, don’t worry,” says Pazu. “I’m sure that the god or whatever that brought us here wouldn’t have brought you just to see your death. Im sure either you magicked yourself out of this or an air craft caught you or something. If not then Kokiri promised to teach you magic so you can stop this from happening.”

“...Yeah, your right,” Sheeta says.

The screen displays animated images that look like old drawings. It displays a woman with long hair in the clouds blowing to create wind.

“The goddess of the wind and sky, Lapu,” Haku says.

The screen then shows a ground-level windmill being used to power some kind of small furnace which a man uses.

It changes to an industrialized city, where oil pumps and windmills attached to large towers work nonstop.

A mill digs into the ground, collecting sediment and powers massive towers that emit smoke.

San and the spirits in the room frown at this display of environmental degradation.

Soon, airships are developed. They are suspended in the air by blimps while spinning wheels powered by engines are on the sides which propel them through the air.

“Oh, I get it now,” says Eboshi. “So the hot air lifts the ship up. Then you use a coal-powered engine to move the flappers to generate wind. Oh, this is…” she catches San glaring at her. “...Something that I would try to work on if it was sustainable.”

And eventually, a massive wooden ship is developed which is propelled into the air by dozens of spinning blades at the top.

There are towers that reach into the sky and dozens of aircraft of different shapes and sizes that fly around them.

They all converge on this massive structure. It is like one big giant floating island made out of rows of structures, suspended in the air by a propellor on the base.

Everyone gasps in surprise at the sight. Pazu’s eyes light up.

“I…Is that, Laputa?” Pazu asks.

“No,” says Kiki. “Laputa in its prime looked different than that.”

“Also it kept itself in the air with an Aetherium crystal to hover, not a propellor.” says Tombo.

“But its a floating island,” says Sheeta.

“There were many floating islands at the time,” says Kokiri.

“What!?” nearly everyone in the room exclaims.

Hundreds of landmasses are seen flying through the air. Each has its own structure on it as it is propelled in one form or another.

“We are seeing a visual representation of the history,” Kokiri says. “Long ago in a now-forgotten civilization, there were people who desired to explore the skies. That is why we saw them digging deep into the earth there. They were after the Aetherium. And with it they perfected air travel and created hundreds of cities in the skies.”

“It was about seven hundred years ago from my time,” says Pazu.

“H-how is this not in our history books?” Sho asks.

“Like I said, the civilization was lost to time,” says Kokiri.

“Alot of these air cities crashed on their own,” says Kiki. “Others were blown out of the sky by Lapu. All except one, who thought that they were spared by the goddess and named their civilization in her honor.”

“Laputa,” Pazu realized.

“Yes,” says Kokiri. “But even then, Laputa came to an end when the high altitude caused the people to lose their vitality and their numbers died out.”

“We only learned about all this because it was recorded in what was left of Laputa after we discovered it.”

“And we were able to rediscover Laputa because the humans in our timeline still believe in witches and magic,” says Kiki.

San didn’t want to admit it. But seeing all these flying cities and aircraft was a spectacular sight. She just loathed that it was achieved by digging into the earth, filling the sky with smoke, and disrupting the natural world.

However, many of these civilizations crashed to the ground the people abandoned them. They were also disrupted by the goddess blowing wind as well. We briefly see a girl that looks like Sheeta standing by an ox and a grounded windmill that isnt attached to a furnace.

“So how long ago was all this?” Lisa asks. “Because there is an island called Laputa in Gullivers Travels that was written in 1726.”

Back in the present, Sheeta falls head-first through the sky.

Everyone glances at Sheeta worried.

She is unconscious, but as she falls her necklace glows. It emits a burst of bright blue light and suddenly Sheeta is floating, slowly, to the ground on her back instead.

Sheeta sucks in a breath and everyone lets out a sigh of relief.

“Thank god for magic stones!” Arrietty exclaims.
“Oh good,” says Pazu. “I thought you were a goner for a minute.”

Sheeta grips her necklace in thankfulness.

“I’m never taking this off again,” says Sheeta.

“And we’re going to be taking magic lessons together after this,” Kiki reminds her. “Don’t you forget!”

Sheeta nods.

Sheeta floats down toward a small town.

Pazu gasps.

“Thats Slag Ravine!” he exclaims. “It’s my hometown!”

Sheeta smiles at him. “So I guess that means were going to meet soon.” She frowns. “Oh no, what if those pirates or that man track me there? I could put you and your town in trouble.”

“Don’t worry, we’re pretty tough,” Pazu says proudly.

Down below, people go about their daily lives. People walk down the street. A man serves sausages. And Pazu is seen approaching a counter asking for meatballs inside a container. The vendor asks him if he’s working late and pasu says that they finally became busy.

“Pazu, you work?” Chihiro asks.

“Oh yeah, I work at a mine.” Pazu catches San staring at him. “Uh…its for coal, not iron….We’re not killing any more trees.”

San averts her gaze.

“Hold on, why is a twelve-year-old kid working in a mine?” Aiko asks.

“Yeah, what about your parents?” asks Yuko.

“I’m thirteen,” Pazu says, and nothing else after that.

Pazu leaves the restaurant and runs up a hill. He runs among several ruins of buildings but he stops as he sees something blue and bright falling from the sky.

Everyone looks at Sheeta knowingly.

“I guess this is how we meet,” Pazu tells Sheeta. “Man, people are not going to believe this.”

Pazu runs toward the falling light and he runs faster upon seeing that is is a person. Pazu stops himself from running off a cliff and carefully runs down the side of it. Sheeta continues falling slowly and Pazu runs on top of a mining structure to reach Sheeta as she approaches. Pazu holds out his arms, puts down his container, and catches Sheeta. Pazu looks at her amazed as she continues to barely float in his arms. Finally, the light of the necklace dies down, and Pazu nearly drops her. He struggles to lift her.

There are a few chuckles in the room and Pazu blushes.

“Thanks for catching me,” Sheeta tells him.
“Er…no problem.”

Aiko wanted to make a jest about him not being strong enough to lift Sheeta, but he realized he probably shouldn’t, lest it be misinterpreted as him saying Sheeta is heavy.

Pazu carries Sheeta to the side and sets her down. A man below yells at him, asking why he is up there and where his dinner is as he shovels coal.

“Your dad?” Aiko asks.

“My boss,” says Pazu. “Mr. Duffi.”

Pazu yells to his boss that a girl just fell out of the sky. Mr. Duffi tightens a valve after seeing steam emit from it. Pazu moves to get the container with the meatballs, then he goes back and places his vest on Sheeta’s unconscious body, then grabs the meatballs and climbs down a ladder to his boss. He tries, again, to tell Mr. Duffi that a girl fell from the sky, but more pipes break and steam is released. Mr. Duffi curses the old clunker and tells Pazu to close valve 2. Pazu closes valve 2 after putting on some mitts. Mr. Diffi tells Pazu to pass him a wrench, Pazu moves to do that but a bell goes off. Mr. Duffi tells him to get that.

“The bell means that people in the mines are ready to come up,” Pazu explains.

Pazu excitedly throws the wrench to his boss and runs to the control crane. He pulls the lever and it pulls up the miners. His boss tells him to do it slowly but Pazu is distracted by Sheeta at the top. Mr. Duffi tells him to put on the break, and Pazu does just in time.

The miners come up with a cart full of coal. But they regretfully say that there was no tin or silver found. One miner asks if they should try the east vein, but another reminds him that it is full of old holes already and they will have to start over.

The miners decide that they have done enough work for the day and call it in. They leave and Mr. Duffi releases the steam from the boiler. He tells Pazu to shut down the boiler and call it a say, muttering that at this rate he will go under. Pazu is also told to oil the clunker.

Pazu lets out a sigh of sadness.

“Pazu?” Sheeta asks.

“The mine hasn’t been doing well for a while.”

“I take it that silver and tin are important?” Arrietty asks.

“Silver is a rare metal that is worth a lot, tin can be used to make a lot of things,” says Pazu.

“But you still have coal, right?” Sho asks. “Isn’t that good?”

“Not good enough.”

Sheeta pats him on the shoulder. San decides to stay quiet.

The Pirates search for Sheeta (or rather her necklace) from above. Then they return to their main ship. They tell their mother/captain that they can’t find Sheeta since its too dark. She agrees to wait until morning when its light.

“Oh no, they are still looking for me,” Sheeta says.

“Don’t worry,” Pazu says. “My town is very close-knit. We protect each other.”

“They only use tear gas anyways,” Aiko says, trying to be reassuring.

“We saw before that tear gas can be quite effective,” says Eboshi.

San growls.

Pazu works on the boiler while Sheeta continues to rest at the top of the machine.

The scene changes to Slag Ravine during the day. It is engulfed by thick fog and the screen pans to a small hut on a structure at the top of a hill.

“And that’s my house,” says Pazu.
“You live in that tiny little thing?” Chihiro asks.

“It’s pretty spacy when there is only one person there.”

Everyone looks at Pazu shocked.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Yuko asks.

“I….live there by myself,” Pazu says.

Aiko gets worried. “By your self you mean….?”

“It’s just me there,” Pazu says. “Both my parents are dead so its just been me living there alone.”

“WHAT!?” all the parents in the room shout.

“B-but shouldn’t you have gone to an orphanage or something!?” asks Kokiri.

“We don’t really have one of those in Slag Ravine,” says Pazu. “By that time I was already old enough to get a job in the mines so everyone just kinda let me take care of myself. Like I said, we all help each other anyway so they give me help when I need it. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine!” shouts Lisa. “Kids should be taken care of at least until they are eighteen! You should never have been living on your own! One of those people should have taken you in!”

“It’s not that bad,” says Sheeta. “I’ve been living alone ever since my grandmother died.”

Now everyone (except Pazu who found out earlier) looks at the girl shocked and full of pity.

“Ok, both of you, when this is over you’re coming with me,” Kokiri says, pointing to Pazu and Sheeta.

“I don’t think that is allowed,” Pazu says.

Chihiro whispers to Haku. “I am now very grateful for my parents.”

Haku nods, but then he turns his head and frowns. Thinking of his own relationship with his father. Sho also thinks about his strained relationship with his parents. And Ashitaka tries to remember his. He has been raised by the elders for most of his life, and now he is on his own, just like Pazu and Sheeta. San wonders what her life would be like if her mother, Moro, hadn’t taken her in.

Pazu sleeps on the floor while Sheeta is in (his) bed.

“That was very nice of you,” Sheeta tells Pazu.

“Well what was I supposed to do, let you sleep on the floor?” Pazu asks with a blush.

Pazu smiles at her sleeping figure and gets up. He opens a hatch and climbs onto the roof while holding a trumpet. He releases some pigeons that were in a cage and lets them fly away before climbing higher on the structure and playing the trumpet.

Pazu plays as the light shines onto the town and the pigeons fly over it. The light shines on several buildings as the pigeons soar.

Sheeta wakes up from the trumpet playing and instantly looks around, wondering where she is. She looks around the hut and then climbs the ladder after the music stops playing.

“Nice…morning routine,” Haku says.

“Yeah, that was a nice tune,” Tombo says.

“Why thank you.”

Sheeta pokes her head through the opening on the roof, then she ducks as she sees the flock of pigeons flying toward her. The pigeons fly back to the top of she structure and Pazu laughs. He asks Sheeta how she is doing but is tickled by the pigeons. He tells them to stop.

Kiki, Nausicaa, and Ashitaka smile at the scene. Ashitaka pets Yakul, Nausicaa pets Teeto, and Kiki pets Jiji. San also smiles, interested on how so many animals and humans can get along so well.

Pazu runs down and shakes Sheeta’s hand. He introduces himself as Pazu and stays he lives here by himself. He tells Sheeta that the birds eat after he plays and he places a large amount of bird food in her hand. The birds flock to eat out of Sheeta’s hand and she laughs.

Sheeta and Pazu smile at the scene.

Pazu says that she IS human too, after all, having thought she might be an angel before.

“And angel, huh?” Tombo teases.

Pazu and Sheeta both blush.

“I mean, she did come from the sky. and other me doesn’t know about the necklace yet.”

“Well we saw what real angels look like,” San says.

Sheeta thanks him for helping her and tells him her name. Pazu tells her that is a nice name. He comments that she fell from the sky and that was a bit scary, with a smile on his face. Sheeta realizes this is true and asks how she is still alive, given that she fell from an airship.

“Because you have a magic floaty crystal necklace,” Kiki quips.

Pazu asks her if she really doesn’t remember and she nods. He throws the rest of the feed to the ground on the side and the birds flock there to eat.

He asks to see Sheeta’s necklace and she obliges. She says that it has been in her family forever. He says that it is beautiful and tries it on. He has difficulty hooking the back so Sheeta helps.

People chuckle at the scene.

“Thank you,” Pazu says to Sheeta.

Pazu then jumps off the roof, but instead of flying he falls and crashes. Sheeta runs to check on him, and he has fallen through the roof of the brick structure.

Pazu winces (along with nearly everyone else), Sheeta covers her mouth, and Eboshi tries to repress a chuckle.

“Huh? How come it didn’t work for me?” Pazu asks.

“Maybe it only works when the person’s life is in danger?” suggests Sho.
“Maybe you have to reach a certain speed first?” says Souske.

“Maybe it only works for her family?” suggests Arrietty.

Kiki, Jiji, Tombo, and Kokiri all glance at each other. Arrietty may be closer to the truth than she thinks.

Sheeta runs down and Pazu climbs out of the hole, holding the necklace in his hand. He laughs, thinking it wasn’t the stone after all.

“No, it was,” Kiki says with a giggle. “You just couldn’t work it.”

Pazu laughs.

“Well not all of us have flying broomsticks.”

Pazu falls again and the necklace is sent out of his hand and back into Sheeta’s, who is shocked to see him fall again. Sheeta looks down the hole and sees Pazu lying on a pile of bricks on broken wood. He pushes the pipes and rubble out of his way. Sheeta tries to climb down too, but she loses her grip and falls on Pazu.

“This is so embarrassing,” Pazu moans.

“Heh, sorry,” Sheeta says.

Sheeta asks Pazu if he is all right. He gets up and says that he is, then asks if she is. Sheeta asks him is he is hurt, Pazu says he’s fine that his head is harder than his boss’s fists.

Everyone looks at Pazu with unease.

“He never hits me!” Pazu shouts, seeing the confusion. “I just mean I’ve seen him hit really hard.”

Sheeta and Pazu both laugh, but then he remembers that the pot is still boiling. He tells Sheeta to follow him so they can eat. Sheeta stops at a partly-made aircraft and Pazu tells her to wash up while he runs up the stairs.

Tombo’s eyes light up.

“Pazu, why is there a plane in your…basement?”

“Oh, my dad was an aviator,” says Pazu. “He’s actually the reason why I’m interested in Laputa.”
“Why?” Kiki asks.

“Oh, you’ll see.”

Sheeta examines the plane and then she notices a desk. There is a picture of a woman (maybe Pazu’s mother), a blimp, and an island surrounded by clouds with “LAPUTA” written under it.

“Wait, that picture,” Aiko says. “I’ve seen it before. It’s from the history books. It was supposedly taken by this guy who claimed to have actually seen Laputa before.” he laughs. “Of course, its regarded as a phony.”

“That was my dad,” Pazu says, arms crossed.

Aiko is silent. “Oh…”

“And it wasn’t a fake,” Pazu says. “My dad was out flying one day and he took that picture. But, like you, everyone thought that he was a liar. He died from the shame.” Pazu looks down and Sheeta looks at him sympathetically. “Thats why I want to find Laputa. To prove my dad was right. But I guess now I know I never do.”

Aiko rubs his neck in shame and Pazu pouts.

“Well, maybe in the World War 2 timeline,” says Tombo. “But in ours that photo is regarded as the first documented image of Laputa before its official rediscovery.”

“Really?” Pazu asks.

“Yeah, Pazu, your dad is famous for that where we’re from,” Kiki says.

Kokiri gives him a reassuring nod. Pazu smiles and laughs in relief. After all, they were technically from the future too. They just took a divergent route from the timeline from where Aiko and his family came from. But Pazu is glad that his father was proven right in one future timeline or another.

Back in the hut Pazu cooks eggs on a pan. He puts the eggs on a plate and calls Sheeta up to eat. Finally, he climbs back down to the “basement” and sees Sheeta looking at his fathers desk. He tells Sheeta that his father took that picture. Pazu explains that Laputa is an island in the sky. He says that it is regarded as just a myth, but his father saw it.

We see a flashback of his father flying through a storm cloud. He and one other person try to keep it steady. Finally, they break through the storm and enter a sunny patch of cloud, but their airship is damaged. But then, through the clouds, they see a giant floating castle. It is white with red rooftops. Before it is completely covered with clouds, Pazu’s father snaps a picture of it with a camera box

Back in the present, Pazu tells Sheeta that there is a Laputa in Gulliver’s Travels but Swift made it up. He shows Sheeta a drawing of Laputa that his dad drew in a book titled “Laputa”. Pazu flips through the book and he says that the place was abandoned and presumably full of treasure.

“Not just treasure,” says Tombo. “Laputa was filled with technology far beyond our time. Even in the future that we saw. It was more like the future that we saw with he underground city and the angel.”

Everyone from other time periods eyes widen.

“Technology, that advanced,” says Chihiro in awe.

“And so ancient too,” says Haku.

“Wait hold on,” says Eboshi. “So there’s this whole place, that is abandoned, it’s filled with technological marvels and treasure, and its been around since before my time? How do we get there?”
“Eboshi!” San snarls.

“What? If I get to that island then you won’t have to worry about your forest anymore.”

San thinks for a minute.

“Wait, you don’t think that’s why the pirates were after Sheeta?” Nausicaa suggests. “To get Laputa’s treasure and technology?”

“Maybe that’s why those other people took Sheeta first,” says Arrietty.

“They said they wanted the necklace,” says Sho. “Kiki, Tombo, did Sheeta’s necklace look Laputan to you?”

THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ABOUT LAPUTA UNTUL LATER IN THE STORY.

The audience groans.

Pazu says that no one believed him until the day he died. Pazu turns the crank to a small toy and it flies through the air by flapping its wings. It slowly falls to the ground and Pazu picks it up. Placing his hand on the half-finished plane, he proclaims that he will find Laputa to prove his dad right.

“Well, we know its real now,” says Sheeta. “So maybe when we get back I can help you find it.”
“Really? You would do that?” Pazu asks, happily.

“Well, first I have to escape from pirates.”

“Already going to help with that,” says Kokiri.

“Wait, but wont that mess up the timeline?” asks Souske.

“Were here to do that anyways,” says Ponyo.

“Fair point.”

The two kids hear a noise outside. They see a car pull up to the house, among them is an old woman with braids.

“It’s the pirates,” Ashitaka states.

“Run!” shouts San.

Sheeta recognizes the woman and is scared but Pazu is amazed to see a real automobile. Sheeta tells him that they are pirates, to his shock. Pazu asks Sheeta if they are after her and they run.

Everyone watches the screen, hoping that the kids get away from the pirates.

Two pirates walk around the structure. One in a white suit approaches the door and Pazu and Sheeta run out of it. However, Sheeta is disguised with a coat and a hat. Pazu tells the pirate good morning as they run out, but the man tells them to wait. Pazu gives the excuse that they are in a rush. Sheeta hides her face as the pirate asks if he has seen a girl. Pazu plays dumb and says that he saw the boss’s daughter, Madge, yesterday.

“Nice acting,” says Kiki.

“Why, thank you.”

“I hope this works,” says Arrietty.

The pirate, in frustration, tells them to leave and Pazu says bye as he and Sheeta run off. The other pirate comes out of a different opening and he yells to his brother, Louis, saying he found a girl’s dress. Louis realizes that Sheeta is in disguise and tells him to tell their mother as he runs after the kids.

Kiki slaps her forehead.

“Oh, I should have hid that,” says Pazu.

“Just run!” shouts Tombo.

“Don’t worry,” Pazu tells Sheeta. “I know people who can help us.”

Pazu and Sheeta run down the hill to the town of Slag Ravine.

Chapter Text

Back in Slag Ravine, two more of the pirates (dressed in white suits) are talking to Pazu’s boss as a little girl watches. The pirates have apparently asked him if he’s seen Sheeta and he claims that he hasn’t seen her. The pirate with the beard repeats that it is a cute girl with brown hair and braids. Pazu yells out to his boss as he runs toward him, with Sheeta trailing behind.

Everyone in the room wants to facepalm. Pazu was leading Sheeta right to the pirates.

“That is not good,” Ashitaka says.

“I am so sorry!” Pazu says to Sheeta.

“You didn’t know,” Sheeta says.

Thankfully, Sheeta is wearing a cap. So when the bearded pirate sees them he only comments that the girl is about that age.

Everyone sighs in relief.

“Oh, thank god,” says Kiki.

But then Sheeta trips as she runs and her hat flies off.

Everyone gasps.

“No!” shouts Ponyo.

Sheeta covers her mouth in embarrassment.

“Sorry,” she says to Pazu.

“Its not your fault.”

The pirates see this and Sheeta tries to pick up her hat. The kids keep running as they see the two pirates they mt before charging at them but now the two pirates who were talking to Pazu’s boss run at them too.

Pazu and Sheeta hold hands while everyone else is worried for the kids.

“Quick! Fly again!” Kiki yells.

“She doesn’t know how to do that. And she only floated down before,” says Haku.

“Oh, right.”

The pirate with the beard and his friend try to pounce on the kids, but Pazu and Sheeta dodge causing them to crash into the ground. Pazu tells his boss that they are pirates and are after Sheeta. The other pirate catches up with his brothers and Pazu’s boss steps forward. The boss’s daughter is excited to see pirates but her mother pulls her inside.

‘Good mother,’ all the parents in the room think. However, they also wonder if Pazu’s boss will be able to help. But then they recall that the pirates have been pretty incompetent thus far.

Pazu’s boss tells the pirates not to take a step closer. They do and the one with the beard tells him to hand her over and the one with the thin mustache clarifies that they are of Dola’s clan.

“Ok, so now we have the name of the captain,” Nausicaa says.

“I hope your boss will be ok,” Sheeta says to Pazu.

“Eh, dont worry.” Pazu flexes his arm and smacks it. “Working in the mine builds muscle.”

“Says the guy who had trouble carrying Sheeta,” Tombo snickers.

“I’ll grow into it.”

Pazu’s boss tells him to go home, that there are just poor folks here. Pazu rolls up his sleeve, eager to fight, But the wife of Pazu’s boss pulls him and Sheeta inside their house. Okami grabs a frying pan and tells the kids to sneak out the back.

“Aw, I wanted to help.”

“Well good on Mrs. Duffi,” says Lisa.

the adults nod in agreement.

“Her name is Okami,” says pazu. “And in case I didnt mention before, their daughter is Madge.”

“Hey, is it me or does she look really young?” San asks.

“Yeah, she’s twenty,” says Pazu.

The kids and adults from the future generations look at Pazu surprised.

“What?” Pazu asks.

“She’s twenty?” asks Aiko.

“Yes.”

“And how old is that girl? Like, five?” asks Lisa.

“She’s three.”

“THREE!”

“That means that she and your boss had her when she was seventeen!” shouts Yuko.

“Yes….” Pazu says, not understanding why they keep asking about ages.

“Whats the big deal?” Sheeta asks. “Lots of women marry young.”

“Well, in the future things are different,” says Kiki.
“Yeah, the legal marrying age is 18,” says Tombo.

“For women?” asks Pazu.

“For everyone,” says Sho.

Sheeta turn to each other and shrug.

Pazu says that he wants to fight, though Okami points out that the pirates have weapons. Pazu is insistant so Okami reasons with him that he needs to protect Sheeta, calling her a pretty girl. Pazu smiles and nods.

“Ah, reverse psychology,” Lisa says in approval. “I like her. Too bad she’s gone by my time.”

Sheeta and Pazu both blush.

“Uh, ok. I’ll do that.”

Sheeta smiles.

Ashitaka and San exchange a knowing look with each other. Souske, Tombo, and Sho exchange looks with Pazu while Ponyo, Kiki, and Arrietty exchange looks with Sheeta (although Arrietty didnt think she needed protection).

Haku briefly glances at Chihiro, for reasons he’s not completely sure why. He feels this strange connection to this girl but he doesn’t know how. Chihiro briefly caught that and briefly felt her heart skip.

The people of the town circle around the Pirates as they face Mr. Duffi. The bearded pirate asks him if he refuses to step aside and Mr. Duffi tells him to use his fists while Okami stands outside the door with a frying pan ready. The bearded pirate steps forward and takes off his hat. His other brother wishes him luck as he prepares to fight. The bearded pirate flexes his muscles. They grow so big that his buttons snap off and his shirt/jacket rips open, revealing his hairy chest. The people around cheer. One of the men in the crowd urges Mr. Duffi to show off too. He flexes, and his blue shirt completely rips apart revealing his heart tattoo on his shoulder. The pirates are a bit intimidated.

Eyes bulge at the display.

“Oh, my…” Eboshi says with a light blush. A thought shared by some of the girls.

Yuko also smiles at the scene, causing Aiko to look at his overweight body feeling self-conscious. Sho and Tombo feel a bit self-conscious too.

“See, what did I tell you?” Pazu asks Sheeta.

Okami just asks who’s going to mend that with slight irritation, causing Mr. Duffi to lose his confidence.

The women in the room snicker. Most of them anyway.

“Is this supposed to imply something?” San asks.

Ashitaka explains to her. “I don’t know if it’s the same in the future. Or in this land. But traditionally in a marriage, the wife handles house stuff while the man works. That includes things like cooking, cleaning, and sewing clothes.”

“That’s pretty much how it works where we’re from too,” says Pazu.

“Well my grandmother helped on the farm, but yeah,” says Sheeta.

“I see.” San gives Ashitaka a stern glare. “Don’t expect me to be like that.”

“I never expected you to be,” he tells her.

San keeps her stern face but nods in approval.

“Well don’t worry, in the future women have careers and we split house chores with our husbands,” Yuko gives Aiko a glare. “Right, honey?”

“Uh…yes dear.”

“Both men and women work as borrowers,” Arrietty says. “I go on borrowing missions with my dad all the time.”

“You mean stealing missions,” Eboshi teases.

“Small stuff that won’t be missed,” says Sho. “Nothing more.”

Arrietty smiles at him.

The bearded pirate lunges forward and punches Mr. Duffi in the gut.

The fighters in the room wince, realizing that has got to hurt.

The bearded pirate thinks’ he’s won. But Mr. Duffi smiles, puts a hand on his shoulder, then punches him in the stomach back. The pirate smiles and punches Mr. Duffi in the face. He is caught by the people in the circle. Mr. Duffi gleefully gets up and punches the bearded pirate in the face. He is caught by his brothers who tells him he can beat Mr. Duffi. The bearded pirate and Mr. Duffi take turns punching each other in the face.

“Wow, those are some tough guys,” Tombo says.

“Yeah,” says Aiko.

A miner from the crowd punches one of the other pirates. His brother shoves him away, only for someone else to punch him from behind. Pretty soon, the entire crowd joins in on fighting the three pirates.

The audience laughs.

“See what did I say, everyone?” Pazu asks the audience. “We all look out for each other.”

“Not bad, for humans,” San says.

Dola and two of her other sons (in purple) are driving a car through a grassy field. They abruptly stop at a cliff and Dola looks through her telescope. She sees the fight happening in the city. She moves her sight around and she sees Pazu and Sheeta running through the mine. She tells her boys to go after them and they drive away.

The audience sucks in a breath. Dola may be an old woman but she’s still a pirate. Plus is looks like all the adults are in town and she still has two sons with her against two kids.

“Sheeta, are you sure that your grandmother didnt teach you any spells for fighting?” San asks.

“She only taught me a spell for protection,” Sheeta says. “It’s the same spell I used before.”

“Well, that’s better than nothing. I hope your counterpart uses it.”

“She also taught me a spell for finding things and curing sicknesses, but I’m blanking on those right now. She did teach me a destruction spell but I was told never to use it. In fact she only taught me that one evil spell to give my good ones more power.

“Curing sickness?” Eboshi asks. “Like, leprosy?”

Sheeta nods. Eboshi prays.

“Please entity of this room. please give me just a tiny piece of Aetherium. You can restrict it to healing things. Just let me help my lepers.”

There is no response.

“This is a selfless reason,” Ashitaka says to the screen.

Still no response.

Eboshi huffs.

Pazu grabs the attention of a train going across a railway in the mine. He and Sheeta jump on and the driver asks if he’s playing hooky for a date.

“Hooky?” Haku asks.

“Its a word for when a kid skips school to have fun,” Aiko says.

Haku nods in understanding.

Pazu helps Sheeta on and says that bad guys are after them. he points to the car above and Pazu says they are the Dola clan. The driver immediately recognizes that name as pirates.

“Huh, how could you have known that?” Kiki asks.

Pazu shrugs. “I must have heard it through the door before I left.”

Pazu tells the driver to take them to the next town so they can find the police. The driver tells him to stroke the fire.

Though San, Ponyo, and Haku wince at the thought of coal burning, they are glad that Pazu and Sheeta are escaping.

Dola and her boys drive through the city, firing tear gas. The other pirates are beaten, but they are happy to see their mother coming for them. They drive through the street and scare the townspeople away and she tells her (idiot) sons to get in. They ask what about the girl, and Dola tells them that she slipped out the back door and to get moving. She drives off and her three other sons jump on. Mr. Duffi and the rest of the townspeople chase after them and throw rocks while the ones inside the house rain down items from their windows above. A flower pot breaks on the bearded pirate’s head. Dola pulls the find to a bomb and throws it at the crowd. They back away in time before it explodes.

“Ruthless,” Souske says.

San clenches her teeth, thinking about Eboshi killing the boars with her explosives.

The pirates escape. However, there is a man who is watching the scene from behind a building. He backs out of sight.

“Hey, its that agent guy!” Pazu shouts.

Nausicaa smacks her forehead.  “Oh great. Even if you deal with the pirates you still have to deal with him.”

“I just realized, maybe them going to the police isn’t such a good idea,” says Sho.

“What? Why?” Tombo asks.

“Oh, because if he works for the government he probably notified the police of the area that he’s looking for Sheeta,” Kiki says.

Everyone’s eyes widen, realizing that they have a point.

“Oh, great. Now what are we going to do?” Pazu asks.

“Maybe he’s after Sheeta for good reasons?” Chihiro suggests. “No, sorry never mind. He looked like a creep. Go on.”

Back on the train, Pazu shovels more coal into the fire. The driver tells Pazu that they are gaining on them and to add more steam. Pazu asks if the train can go faster, but the driver says that it cant because it is too old.

Dola shoves her son out of the drivers seat and takes the wheel for herself. She speeds ahead and smashes a wooden shed as she drives onto the tracks. Driving on the wooden railroad is causing it to break. One of the pirates hanging on the side says he cant hold on but she keeps driving head.

“She’s destroying the track!” Pazu shouts. “Does she have any idea how long that took to build?”

“And she’s gaining on us!” Sheeta shouts.

“Oh yeah, and that.”

“I want to look away but I cant,” Chihiro says.

Haku puts an arm around her.

The pirates get closer to the train. Dola stands up with her weapon and rips off her dress skirt revealing pants. Pazu tells Sheeta to get into the train and add coal to the fire. He unhitches the carts from the back of the train.

Eboshi’ nods in approval. “Oh, that could work.”

Pazu successfully pushes the carts at the pirates. It hits the front of their car and briefly stuns them. But they continue driving and Dola climbs on them. The car drives faster and Pazu has to move out of the way before he is hit by the carts.

“Nevermind,” says Eboshi.

Several people in the audience growl at Dola’s lack of regard for the children (or her own it seemed like).

The train enters a tunnel and Pazu turns a knob. Dola tells her boys to go after them and they hop through the carts. When they are close to Pazu, Sheeta throws a shovel and it hits them in the face and they fall backward.

“Nice!” Arrietty shouts.

“Good throw, kid,” says Nausicaa.

“I would have thrown the coal or used it like a spear but still good,” says San.

Kiki gives Sheeta a thumbs up.

“Thank you,” she replies.

Pazu’s actions cause the wheels of the carts to stop moving. The train exits the tunnel moving as fast as it was before but Dola’s car is slowed by the break-locked carts. Dola nearly falls off and tells them not to drive so fast. She catches Pazu waving mockingly to them as they drive away.

“Oh, nice on man!” Tombo tells Pazu.

“You did well,” Ashitaka says. He looks at Sheeta. “Both of you.”

Pazu smiles. That meant a lot coming from Ashitaka. As far as he was concerned, the Emishi prince was the coolest guy in history.

Dola tells her boys to push the cart over the side so they can continue their chase. They push one cart over the side and struggle to push the second one. They hear something and see a plane flying overhead. One of the pirates recognizes it as the government and asks what they should do, but Dola refuses to give up.

The drain drives into a section of the mine filled with abandoned buildings built right into the stone. Everything seem to be going smoothly until the driver notices something approaching them on the tracks.

“Is that a tank!?” Aiko asks.

Pazu smacks his head. “No, its an armored train.”

“It looks like an armored cart with a canon attached to the top,” says Ashitaka.

“Yeah, thats a tank,” says Kiki.

“An interesting idea,” says Eboshi. “More protection on the battlefield while providing offense.”

The driver is happy that the army is here and he stops in front of them. The driver tells them that the two kids need help. The army men leave the tank from the small door. Sheeta recognizes them and steps back. Sheeta runs and the two amy men chase after her. Pazu trips them and runs after Sheeta. The army man in green warns them not to run or he will shoot.

“Is he really going to shoot a child!?” Kokiri asks outraged.

The driver of the train angrily blows steam on them. Pazu and Sheeta run, but they see the pirates approaching. Dola tells her boys to ram the armored train. Sheeta and Pazu run on the second track as the armored train fires at the pirates. Dola uses her weapon to flip the switch to the tracks and sends them in the direction of Pazu and Sheeta. The armored train turns its other canon and fires at the tracks under the pirates. The tracks fall out from under the pirates as they continue driving to catch up to the kids.

Chihiro covers her eyes. “I can’t watch this. Tell me when its over.”
“Chihiro, before this you watched a spirit deers head get blown off and turn into an apocalyptic demon. Don’t be such a baby.”

Haku glares at him and holds Chihiro. She feels comfort in the river spirit’s arms. Aiko is disturbed by how close his daughter is becoming to the dragon. Protective dad instincts kicking in.

Seeing that the pirates are about to grab them, Pazu grabs Sheeta and jumps off the side. He grabs onto the wooden rail as the pirates drive past them. The pirates crash and Dola gets up to see Pazu barely hanging on with Sheeta. The track breaks apart and the two kids are lowered, ready to fall at any minute.

Pazu and Sheeta breathe heavily.

“Sheeta I’m sorry, that wasn’t well thought out!”

“You tried.”

Everyone watching is on the edge of their seats, hoping that maybe Sheeta’s crystal necklace will activate again and save them.

The pirates express worry that she is going to fall, but Dola stops them as tells them to watch.

Pazu struggles to hold on while carrying Sheeta. Debris falls on him as the wood he is holding breaks. Finally, Pazu loses his grip and they scream as they fall.

Everyone (especially Pazu and Sheeta) are terrified.

“Come on magic crystal!” Arrietty shouts.

“Fly!” shouts Nausicaa, Haku, and Tombo.

“Magic yourself to safety!” shouts Kiki.

Dola watches them fall and, just as predicted, Sheeta’s necklace activates again.

The audience sighs in relief.

“That was a close one,” says Tombo.

“I don’t know how much more of that my heart could take,” says Sho.

Arrietty turns to him worried. “Sho, are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Pazu pats Sheeta on the shoulder. “Thank. You.”

“Your welcome.”

Pazu is pleasantly surprised to find that they are floating to the ground. Sheeta is also shocked. They hold hands and slowly float down. Dola exclaims that it is the crystal as her sons and the army stare in shock. Pazu is excited that it was the crystal after all. He and Sheeta hold hands as they float all the way down into the deep, dark, tunnel.

Dola says she wants that crystal, but she and her sons run as the army fires at them again.

“Well, good news is that the army is taking care of the pirates and they cant go after the kids,” says Lisa. “Bad news is that they are now in a deep dark cave.”
“We will be fine,” says Pazu.

Dola says that she wants that amazing stone as she runs ahead of her boys. As the tunnel is destroyed by the army’s fire.

Pazu and Sheeta land at the bottom of the cave. Pazu takes out a lamp and lights it as her crystal stops giving off light. Pazu tells Sheeta that it was just like when she landed before and comments that the opening they came in from looks so tiny. Sheeta worries for his boss and the miners, but Pazu tells him that they aren’t wimps.

“No, we’re not,” Pazu says proudly.

Pazu leads Sheeta through the mine to find an exit. He states that they are ancient and have tunnels everywhere.

After walking for a while, they stop to eat. Sheeta thanks Pazu when he hands her the toast and egg he made that morning. He also says that he has apples and candy. Sheeta jokes that he has a magical bag that holds everything as Pazu eats his food.

For some reason, Sheeta and Pazu smile as they watch their onscreen selves eat food together.

As they eat, Pazu asks Sheeta about Gondola, saying that it is far up north from them now. Sheeta says that her parents died but they left her the house and fields. But she was alone.

Again, the adults dont like this, and the kids feel sorry for Sheeta.

We see a flashback to Sheeta’s home. Gondola is a beautiful place with big mountains covered in snow. It pans down to Sheeta’s house and she is tending to black ox. She stops when she sees four figures approaching from a distance.

“And that is where I came in at,” Sheeta says.

“And then they took you onboard that airship and then the pirates attacked and then you ended up in a dark mine,” Kiki says.

“So far, yes.”

In the present, Pazu asks if the guys with dark glasses kidnapped her and asks if that guy with the army before was one of them. She confirms they did. Pazu wonders who this person could be if he is calling in the army as he takes a bite of his apple. But he acknowledges that them and the pirates all want the stone.

Sheeta tells Pazu that she never knew the stone had power. She says that it has always been in her family and her mother left it to her when she died. She warned her to never show or give it to anyone.

“I can see why,” says Arrietty. “It’s so sad that beans cant trust each other.”

Pazu tries to make light of the situation by pointing out they are both orphans. But Sheeta apologizes to him for dragging him into this. Pazu dismisses it, telling her that when she fell out of the sky his heart was racing as he knew something wonderful had begun.

Sheeta and Pazu are approached by an old miner. He calls them little demons.

“Huh?” Jiji asks. “Someone is living down there?”

“Its uncle Pom!” Pazu exclaims. “Good, he can help us out of here!”

“Oh good,” says Lisa. “I was worried for a second. He looks like a weirdo.”
“Or maybe he can help them out of the tunnel,” says Souske.

“You called my dad a weirdo when we first met,” says Ponyo.
“Huh? you did?” Kokiri asks.

“You’ll see why when you watch him,” Lisa says.

Pazu tells Pom that they need help. Pom, not in the right mind, still thinks Pazu is a demon who just looks like Pazu and asks about the girl demon.

“Uh, is he ok?” Ashitaka asks.

“Yeah, he’s just old and lives alone,” says Pazu.

Pazu tells him that pirates and the army are after them. Pom laughs and says that is extraordinary.

Pom leads Pazu and Sheeta through a tunnel. He takes them to his tent and pours the kids tea as Sheeta gets him water from the stream. Sheeta asks him if he lives underground. Pom laughs and says that he is down here now because the rocks have been stirring. Pazu questions this and look around. There is nothing but the sound of water dripping from above.

Pom laughs and says the rocks speak very soft. He blows out the lamp and, after a few seconds of darkness, the area lows green.

Pazu and Sheeta look around shocked as pieces of the earth beneath them light up.

Haku, Kiki, Kokiri, jiji, and Tombo gasp.

“Aetherium…” says Kokiri.

“What?” Sheeta asks.

“Aetherium?” asks Pazu. “I’ve been living above Aetherium, the same thing Sheetas necklace is made out of, this whole time?”

“Cooool….” says Ponyo.

Pazi says this is extraordinary. Sheeta tells him to look and the ceiling looks like the night sky.

“It’s beautiful,” says San.
“Yeah,” says Kiki.

“Before they looked just like ordinary rocks,” says Pazu in awe.

Pazu is amazed that they were just ordinary rocks before (the Pazu in the audience smiles embarrassed). Sheeta agrees that it is pretty. Pom breaks open a rock with a hammer and shows them the glow inside, which quickly dies. Sheeta isnt happy about that. Pom explains that the rocks have Aetherium in them. Pazu asks what that is. Pom explains that when Aetherium is exposed to air it becomes an ordinary stone.

Sheeta takes out her necklace, realizing it is glowing. Pom is amazed and says that it is an Aetherium crystal, which he has never seen before. He realizes the crystal is why the rocks were stirring and Sheeta says that is has powers. Pom says that he thought only Laputans knew how to make Aetherium crystals.

Everyone looks at Sheeta.

“Wait,” says Pazu. “Does this mean that Sheeta is Laputan?” He looks at Kokiri. “Did you know?”

Kokiri sucks in a breath. “Yes, that symbol on her necklace is Laputan. Im sorry, I thought that the movie would ease into it.”

‘And theres still more for you to learn,’ she thinks.

“I have a confession to make,” Sheeta says.

“Huh?” asks Pazu.
“My family…they had an ancient name that came with the stone,” Sheeta says. “My real name is Lucita Toelle Ur Laputa.”

Pazu and the rest of the room gasp.

Kokiri, Jiji, and Kokiri the most.

‘Toelle Ur Laputa means true ruler of Laputa,’ they think. ‘That confirms it. Sheeta is descended from Laputan royalty. And directly from the king too.’

“Laputa?” Sho asks.
“Your Laputan,” says Tombo.

“Apparently,” says Sheeta. “But I really didnt know about Laputa before, I swear.”

“Ive wanted to find Laputa my whole life,” Pazu gasps. “And I have a piece of it here in this room.”

“Well, this is interesting,” Aiko says.

Meanwhile, Eboshi makes a note that she needs to figure out where these rocks are and how a crystal can be made. While being cautious of smoke release (use a ventilation system and water to trap) and not to disturb the area too much).

Sheeta isn’t sure what he means by Laputans. Pom says that the Laputans used Aetherium to make islands fly. Pazu is excited that Laputa really did exist. Sheeta asks him if the island still exists along with Pazu, but Pom tells her to put the crystal away as its power overwhelms him. Sheeta puts the necklace back into her shirt and Pazu asks Pom what is wrong. he relights the lamp. Pom tells them that his grandfather once said that the rocks stir when Laputa floats overhead.

‘So theres my sign,’ thinks Eboshi. ‘Now how to determine if the rocks stir. But how long until Laputa floats over Japan, if at all?’

Pazu is excited that this means Laputa is above them now. Pazu happily tells Sheeta that his father was telling the truth. Pom tells Sheeta that the stone is very powerful, he knows this as someone who has spoken to rocks his whole life.

Lisa snorts at the idea of talking to rocks, but his words have wisdom here.

Pom tells her that a stone that powerful brings happiness and misery.

“He’s right you know,” says Kokiri. “Aetherium is very powerful. it isn’t a toy and needs to be used cautiously.”

“I promise, I will be responsible with it,” says Sheeta.

“I know you will,” says Pazu.

Pom also asks Sheeta how she got it since it is made by humans. Pazu says that the stone isn’t dangerous as it saved Sheeta twice while still gushing over Laputa existing.

The pirates watch from a safe hiding place as the plane leaves. One of the pirates wants to go back to the ship, but Dola tells them to wait until it is completely quiet. The bearded one complains that he is hungry.

Pom has led Sheeta and Pazu to the exit. Pazu confirms that is is clear and Sheeta hugs Pom, telling him thank you. He tells them to look after themselves.

Pazu and Sheeta exit the ground in a big green valley. Pazu gazes at the clouds and gushes that beyond them is the island. He flexes his arms and boasts that he is going to find Laputa. However, Pazu tells him that she hasn’t told him everything. She tells Pazu about her family name. Pazu gasps that this means she is Laputan. They then notice the plane coming toward them.

“Oh no, it’s the army!” shouts Tombo.

Pazu grabs Sheeta and they run. The plane lands and the men chase after the kids. They try to head back into the tunnel, but they are cornered by more soldiers. The soldiers point guns at the kids and tell them not to move. Pazu yells at them but a soldier slides down and knocks out Pazu from behind with the back of his gun. Sheeta is horrified and then yells at him to let her go.

“Ok, I hate this man!” Lisa shouts.

Everyone nods in agreement.

“There are ways for you to get out of that,” San says to Sheeta. “I can teach you a few tricks.”
“Really? I thought you didnt like humans.”

“Im…softening a bit,” San says.

Sheeta bites the soldier’s arm (San is proud). Sheeta tries nudging Pazu awake, worried for him. The brown-haired agent that Sheeta knocked out with a bottle exits the plane.

“THIS SHOULD BE REVEALED LATER BUT THE MAN IS NAMED COLONEL MUSKA,” appears on the screen. “HE IS BEHIND ALL OF THIS.”

“Muska, huh?” Pazu asks. “Well, glad we have a name.”
“Muska?” Aiko questions. “That’s rather strange.”

“What would an army colonel be doing going after Sheeta?” asks Yuko.
“He must be trying to find Laputa too,” says Eboshi.

“It would mean more land, money, and weapons for his country to utilize,” says Kokiri.

San groans. “Just what we need. More destructive power for humans to wield.”

“If he and his men are willing to kidnap and hurt children he doesn’t seem like someone who should be trusted with such power,” says Ashitaka.

The soldier salutes Muska and tells him that they have captured them. Muska tells him good work as he approaches the soldiers surrounding Sheeta and Pazu.

Chapter Text

The scene opens with a shot of some military fortification. It is large, gray, and surrounded by roaring water.

“THIS IS FORT TEDIS” briefly appears on the screen.

Pazu wakes up alone in a pit with nothing but a kettle a blanket, and a single small window for light to get in. Pazu gets up and pounds on the door to be let out, he even tries to ram it but is unsuccessful.

Sheeta worries for Pazu.

Pazu worries about where the colonel has taken Sheeta since she isn’t in the pit with him.

The kids and teens are worried for Pazu and Sheeta while the adults curse the military for putting two innocent kids in prison.

Pazu remembers Sheeta and looks around for her. He jumps up and sticks his head through the opening to try and find her. He just hears a commander giving his soldiers commands. He tries to worm through to get out, but he has difficulty until he falls to the ground as army men walk by.

Tombo snickers. “Your head is fat.”

Pazu huffs and Sheeta pats his arm.

“I’m most worried about Sheeta,” Kokiri says. “Lord knows how much this Muska character knows.”

San growls. So ar these humans in black were not looking friendly.

At a higher level of the building, Muska is with several other generals discussing what to do with Sheeta. A fat bald one suggests “squeezing” Sheeta (calling her a brat) to make her talk.

Everyone gasps at this. Was this man really considering harming a child!? And for what? Money? Weapons?

“No way!” Pazu places his arm in front of Sheeta, protectively.

“I’ll skin this human!” San growls, taking out her knife.

“I’ll stab him with my actual sword,” Arrietty says, taking out her sword (which the entity in the room used to replace her pin).

Everyone else voices their disgust at the man and desire to protect Sheeta.

Sheeta looks around the room, touched that so many people want to protect her.

Muska muses that he sounds like a man in a uniform and says that he risks everything in his haste. The general just laughs and says that they could have grabbed Dola too if they mobilized faster. Muska says that she managed to decipher his third-rate code and that HIS organization will handle this. he tells the general to focus on mobilizing the troops when the time is right. The general gets angry and reminds Muska that he is in charge of the search for Laputa. Muska agrees, but he reminds him that he gets his orders from the government before he leaves the room. The general growls and calls Muska a pencil-pushing upstart.

“So the whole government is after Laputa then,” says Pazu.

“But how do they know about it?” asks Aiko.
“Before Laputa’s official discovery there were reports of strange pieces of technology being found throughout the country,” Kokiri says.

In another tower, Sheeta is curled up by a window. Her cell is much nicer than Pazu’s. It has a fancy bed and wrapped gifts on a table.

“Hey, how come your cell’s better than mine?” Pazu asks. “Not that I have a problem with that, just asking.”

“They are probably bribes,” Eboshi says.

Muska enters the room and asks if she had a nice rest. Sheeta immediately asks where Pazu is, but Muska changes the topic to the clothes that came with the rest of her gifts. He tells her not to worry about Pazu, saying that he is more stubborn than him. Musak tells Sheeta he has something to show her.

They travel down into a pit by an elevator.

Eboshi takes note of the moving platform.

Muska opens a door and tells Sheeta to enter. Sheeta does as she is told and the light comes on. Sheeta gasps as she sees a broken metal robot lying on the ground. It is broken into pieces and has visible red wires sticking out.

Sheeta gasps, as does everyone else in the room (besides Nausicaa, Tombo, Jiji, Kokiri, and Kiki).

“Woah…” says Pazu.

“What is it?” Sheeta asks scared but amazed.

“Some kind of metal statue?” Haku suggests.

“Armor?” asks Eboshi. “No, it has metal in it too.”

“Um, no,” says Tombo. “Thats a robot, a Laputan robot.”

Everyone from modern and future-era’s turn to him in shock.

“Wait, a robot?” Sho asks. “You mean, like, an artificial intelligence. Terminator robot?”

“Terminator?” Kiki asks. “Hmm, well given what we think they were capable of doing I guess that word fits.”

“Artificial what?” San asks.

“What is a robot?” asks Ashitaka.

“Um…ok how do I explain this?” Tombo asks.

“They only exist in science fiction stories,” says Souske. “But the idea of a robot is that they are a machine that is capable of…thinking.”

“Thinking?” San asks.

“A machine? Like it has a brain?” asks Eboshi.

“An artificially built one, yeah,” says Sho.

“You create a board that is capable of receiving electronic signals, similar to how your brain sends out signals,” says Nausicaa. “You give it certain commands and the codes link with each other to allow it to understand and follow simple commands.”

The people from the past are awestruck. The idea of creating a machine, a non-living entity made out of metal by humans, capable of thinking and following commands like that was mind-blowingly unbelievable.

“You kidding,” sys San.
“No,” says Arrietty. “But Beans don’t have machines like that where I came from.”

“Robots like that arent built for centuries after the Seven Days of Fire,” says Nausicaa. “Kiki, are you saying that the Laputans were so advanced that they were able to build such complex machinery centuries ago?”

Kiki nods, and everyone is astounded by the marvel of the Laputans.

“Oh my god! Why did they end again?” Eboshi asks.

Sheeta asks what it is and Muska says that is is a mechanical soldier with vast destructive power.

Eboshi takes a note of that. Vast destructive power. She wonders where she can get one of these “mechanical soldiers” to defend her people from Asano.

Muska says that no one believed that Laputa was real until this thing fell from the sky.

We see a flashback of the robot falling from the sky. The farming couple beneath it notice in time to avoid being crushed underneath.

Everyone in the audience’s eyes bug out.

“That…was close,” says Ponyo.

“Too close,” agrees Chihiro.

“Whats with the arms?” San asks. “They look like wings.”

“According to archeologists, they are supposed to be wings,” says Kiki. “Allegedly, those robots were supposed to be able to fly and shoot lasers.”

“Lasers?” Ashitaka asks. “You mean like the god warrior did from its mouth?”

Kiki nods. And everyone is terrified at the idea of an army of them. Laputa must have been a force to be reckoned with in its prime.

Muska says that their science cannot identify the material it is made of, and says it is not of this earth. Muska tells Sheeta that it is long dead and to step forward to see something. Muska points out the insignia on a tiny piece of the robot’s chest, the same insignia as her necklace. Sheeta gasps and Muska reminds her that the same insignia was carved on her fireplace and on her necklace (which he holds up).

“How did he know all that though?” Sheeta asks.

“Who knows?” says Lisa.

“Maybe the movie will tell us?” suggests Yuko.

Muska tells Sheeta that the stone only works in her hands. Sheeta cries, but Muska says that the stone protects its owner and will lead her back to Laputa.

“So that’s why I was taken,” Sheeta says.

“So how do the stones work then?” Eboshi asks. “Is it like, once someone makes the stone it only works for them and their bloodline? Or is there some kind of magic enchantment that you place on it right after its made? Or is Sheeta’s bloodline just special?”

Everyone turns to the witches, they just shrug.

Sheeta shouts that she knows nothing of this. She tells him to take the stone if he wants and just leave her and Pazu alone.

San sighs. “I don’t think that’s going to work. he just said the stone only works for you.”

Sheeta cries.

“Hey, don’t worry. We’ll get through this,” Pazu says.

“I will get through this, I won’t drag you down too,” says Sheeta.

“I cant let you just go through all this alone,” says Pazu.

Muska muses that she probably thinks that Laputa is like Treasure Island, but fearsome science thrusts the island into orbit. He says that the dreaded Laputa empire once ruled the earth.

“Is that true?” Chihiro asks.

“Uh, ruling the whole earth is a bit of an exaggeration,” says Kokiri. “But they did rule over a land called-”

“Balnibarbi,” says Aiko. “It was in Gullivers Travels.”

“...Yes, thats right.”

“In the book there is also a land called Glub-something thats filled with magicians. Was that place real?”

“Glubbdubdrib is the original birthplace of witches and warlocks, yes,” says Kokiri. “But we’ve spread out now. There is also this country called Ingary where magic is everywhere.”

“Ingary?” Aiko asks. “Ive never heard of it.”

“Oh, its mostly hidden from non-magic eyes,” says Kokiri. “If you don’t believe in magic, you don’t see it. Think of it as existing ion another plane but still in this same dimension.”

“Ok, my head hurts,” Pazu says.

“Ok, back to Gullivers Travels,” Aiko says. “What about Liliputa and Brob-something?”

“I don’t know,” says Kokiri.

“Liliputa?” asks Arrietty.

“In Gullivers Travels, Lilliputa is a country inhabited by tiny people,” says Sho. “Think of it as a land of Borrowers. While Brobdingnag was a land of giants.”

“Land of Borrowers, huh?” Arrietty thinks.

Muska paints Laputa as a threat to peace and says that he needs her help to find it.

“Laputa has been abandoned for centuries,” says Kiki.

“Look at his face!” says Lisa.

“He just wants the power for himself,” says Ashitaka.

“Damn, human,” growls San.

Muska says that Sheeta must know how to use the stone to guide them to Laputa. Sheeta says she really doesn’t know and just asks to see Pazu. Muska sadistically whispers that he means no harm, but his fate rests with her.

Sheeta gasps. If she doesn’t figure out how to make that stone work Pazu could get hurt.

Several people in the room want to injure this man.

Muska says that he will let her and Pazu go if she helps them, calling Sheeta by her true name.

“But HOW does he know all this?” Lisa asks. “You never told your name to anyone and your family was isolated.”

“I don’t know,” says Sheeta.

Sheeta asks how he knows. Muska doesn’t answer, instead, he just says that her name means “True Ruler of Laputa”, he tells Sheeta that SHE is the rightful heir and queen to the throne of Laputa.

Sheeta’s eyes widen and she gasps.

Pazu also turns to Sheeta in shock and everyone (bar Kiki and her friends/family) stare at Sheeta as they process what Muska just said.

“I…I…”

“What?” Chihiro asks.

“Hmmm,” says Ashitaka.
“Sheeta, you’re not just Laputan,” Pazu says.
“Your royalty!?” Arrietty shouts.

“All hail queen Sheeta!” Ponyo shouts.

Sheeta looks at Kokiri and Kiki, who look shameful.

“Did you know?”

“...Yes,” Kokiri says.

“YOU KNEW THIS GIRL WAS LAPUTAN ROYALTY AND YOU DIDNT SAY ANYTHING!?” Yuko yells.

“WHAT THE HECK, WITCH!?” Lisa asks.

“With everything that’s happened, I thought it would be too much of a shock to just say. And I knew that the film would tell her eventually. If it didnt I would have told her after the movie. I’m sorry, Sheeta.”

Sheeta accepts that.

“So…should I call you Your Highness now?” Pazu asks, half teasing.

“Sheeta is fine.”

“We’re all friends here,” Ashitaka says.

“Oh right, you’re a prince,” Pazu says. “Almost forgot that.”

“But how did HE know her real name?” Aiko asks.

“Perhaps he is Laputan too?” Haku suggests.

“Maybe, but that shouldn’t mean that he automatically knows this random family alone in the valley has a secret name that means they are royalty.”

Sheeta is shocked to hear this.

Elsewhere, Pazu is trying to climb out of the pit. But he falls, slides down the side, hits the floor and rolls, causing him to hit the back of his head on the stone wall.

Everyone else winces.

“Aw man, this kid is going to get brain damage at this rate,” says Sho.
“I’ll have you know I have a hard head.”

The door opens and the soldier tells Pazu to get out. Pazu immediately runs to Sheeta and she asks him if he is hurt. Pazu says that he is fine and asks about her. Muska interrupts and “apologizes” saying that he misjudged him, saying they didnt realize how he protected Sheeta from pirates.

“He’s playing you,” Haku says.

Sheeta tells Pazu to forget about Laputa, to his shock. Musks tells him that Sheeta will be helping them find Laputa. He says he understands how Pazu feels about her, but says he should forget her.

Sheeta looks down.

“I’m sorry, Pazu.”

“It’s ok, your other self is just trying to protect me. But, Laputa aside, I’m not leaving you alone with those people.”

Though many in the room admired Pazu’s bravery, they were hoping that at the very least he would find adults who would be willing to shlp instead, rather than two kids taking on the government on their own.

Pazu asks Sheeta if this is true. Sheeta thanks Pazu for everything. Pazu reminds Sheeta that they promised they would do this together, but Sheeta, overwhelmed with emotions, just runs away. Pazu tries to run after her but Muska holds him back and tells him to act like a man. Pazu is heartbroken seeing Sheeta leave with another man and stops his struggle. Muska gives him three gold coins as a thank you before leaving.

A dejected Pazu leaves Tedis. He runs away crying back into the nearest town while Muska and Sheeta watch him go from the tower view.

Everyone looks at Pazu sympathetically. Sheeta feels guilt over listening to Muska, but she doesn’t regret protecting him from whatever he is going to make her do.

Pazu doesn’t know what his on-screen self will do, but he makes a promise to Sheeta for this timeline.

“I’m coming back,” he tells her.

“Pazu, no.”

“She’s right, your too young to throw yourself in danger like this,” says Lisa.

“You need people who will be willing to help,” says Kokiri.

“Who? The cops? They are government agents!” Pazu shouts.

“What other choices are left?” Aiko asks. “The pirates…I just jinxed it, didnt I?”

Muska places the necklace back around Sheeta’s neck and tells her that only she can awaken its power and he reminds her that she will be free too if she keeps her promise.

“Why does this guy seem familiar?” Eboshi asks.

“He’s doing immoral things for the sake of money and power with a smile on his face,” San deadpans.

Everyone else is on the edge of their seats, not trusting what Muska will do once he finds Laputa.

Muska leaves Sheeta alone and she immediately cries over Pazu.

Pazu wraps his arm around Sheeta to comfort her. She leans in on him and feels better.

Several people in the room smile at the scene.

“They’ve only known each other such a short time and yet they’ve grown so close,” Kiki says.

“I know the feeling,” San says, looking at Ashitaka. He holds her hand.

Tombo looks at Kiki, and he wonders if he should tell her how he feels. But he decides to wait, maybe when the focus isn’t on Pazu and Sheeta.

Souske and Ponyo look at each other. Souske quickly grew to love Ponyo when she was just a fish and now she’s a girl.

Sho and Arrietty briefly glance at each other then look away. From the minute he saw Arrietty, he wanted to protect her. The feeling wasn’t mutual with Arrietty, but she quickly grew to care about Sho once they started ACTUALLY talking. But the thought of a certain Borrower named Peagreen invades her mind.

Pazu returns to Slag Ravine at night. Little Madge chases a small black pig out of the house with a broom, but then she notices Pazu walking down the street saddened. She yells to her mother that Pazu came back and Okami rushes to him saying that they were worried. She asks about Sheeta but he tells her to forget about it. Pazu runs off overwhelmed as Okami calls out his name. He runs back to his hut but he trips and drops his three coins before he makes it. Pazu picks them up and nearly throws them in anger, but he ends up sadly just putting them back in his pocket and walking to his front door.

“Oh…Pazu…” Nausicaa says, sympathetically.

Pazu doesn’t like how his counterpart just gives up like that when Sheeta still needs him.

However, before he can open the door, two large arms just burst the door open and pull Pazu inside.

The audience gasps.

“What?” Arrietty asks.

Pazu is taken inside and he demands to be let go as he is forced on his stomach while his hands are tied. Dola is there with her boys eating at the table and tells him this is a nice place he has here.

“The pirates!” Chihiro shouts.

“The pirates are in my house,” Pazu growls.

“Oh no!” shouts Sheeta.

Aiko smacks his forehead. “I jinxed it.”

“I highly doubt that something you said now impacted something that happened over a century ago in our time,” Haku says.

“It’s just an expression kid,” Aiko says.

“They better not hurt him,” says Nausicaa.

“Honestly this could go either way,” Eboshi says. “I know pirates but we haven’t seen much of Dola so let’s just watch.”

“Well she didnt seem very concerned about her own kids,” Yuko says, crossing her arms.

“Or Sheeta when she fell, just her necklace,” adds Lisa.

Pazu tries to run at her, but he is pulled back and tied to a pole. He yells at them to get out saying this is his house. Dola mocks him saying that he couldn’t even protect a little girl. The pirate that tied him shows Dola the three gold coins and Dola accuses Pazu of selling Sheeta for money.

“No! I would never do that!” Pazu shouts.

“She can’t hear you,” says Kiki.

“I know, I’m just saying.”

Pazu shouts that he would never do that. Dola then accuses him of letting them pay him off, but Pazu (sadly) asserts that Sheeta told him to do it. Dola spits out some lobster shell and mocks him for giving in and crawling home. She bangs on the table and asks if he calls himself a man.

Pazu looks down. Dola may be a pirate but she was right about that.

“You did what you could do, kid,” Aiko tries to say reassuringly.
“But I have to do something.”

Pazu reminds her that she is after Sheeta too. Dola doesn’t deny this, saying that pirates hunt for treasure. She then says that the CIA agents are the strange ones and asks him what he thinks they want with the girl and asks him if he thinks they will let her out alive.

Dola mockingly says that Sheeta told him to leave and deduces that the agents threatened her so she said that to save him. Her son asks how she knows that, and Dola says that she has been a woman for fifty years and that she steels her heart to save her man. She calls it touching and it reminds her of her youth before telling her boys to marry a girl like that.

Sheeta blushes.

“I appreciate it, Sheeta,” Pazu says. “So how about this time we try to protect each other?”

Sheeta smiles. “Ok.”

All the women in the room think about what Dola said. And the men they associate with look at them.

The pirates think that that means the girl will grow up to be like their mother, as Dola chugs down a bottle of wine.

Everyone in the audience smacks their foreheads.

A communication box emits a noise and Dola hastily throws the food table out of the way so she can grab it. The pirates call it a waste as she tries to hone in on the signal from the government. Dola puts the handle to her ear and hears the morse code. She translates it with her booklet and learns that the agents are bringing in a battlecruiser.

A giant airship is seen flying through the skies. It is large and has many cannons along its bottom with propellors ont

AIR DESTROYER GOLIATH

Everyone’s eyes widen.

“Woah…” says Tombo.

“How does something that big stay off the ground!?” San asks.

“What do they need a battleship for?” Kokiri asks.

“They probably expect there to be someone still in Laputa,” Haku says. “They want to be prepared.”

Dola listens that they are going to be picking Sheeta up and tells her boys that dinner is over and they must hurry. The pirates rush and Pazu asks if they are going after Sheeta, but the one that tied him says they only care about the crystal. But Pazu says that the stone is no good without her so they need her.

“Oh no,” Sheeta places her hands on her head. “Please tell me they aren’t here to do what I think they are going to do.”

“I think they are,” says Aiko.

“Pazu, please don’t work with Pirates.”

“Well, what choice do I have?” Pazu asks.

Lisa recites the current dilemma. “So on one side, we have an amoral government agent who wants to do lord-knows-what with Laputa’s advanced technology. And we have a gang of pirates who likely only want the treasure, but there’s no telling if they can decide they want to take some of Laputa’s fire-power with them or what they will do to the kids when they are done. This should be interesting.”

“Those agents are jerks but I think I trust them more to not kill Sheeta than pirates,” says Yuko.

Lisa laughs. “Oh, I’m not sure about that.”

“The other pirates are idiots,” says Eboshi.

“Sheeta is doomed if they help,” says Nausicaa.

“She’s doomed if they don’t,” says Arrietty.

“This whole thing is crazy,” says Chihiro.

“Say, any chance she can reactivate that robot?” Kiki asks her mother.

“I honestly don’t know,” Kokiri says. “It looked pretty old and beat up. Plus it fell from the sky so I’m sure it has a lot of internal damage.”

Pazu asks if he can go with them so he can save Sheeta. Dola tells him to do it himself, like a man. Pazu says that she is right and if he was clever and strong he could have protected her, he begs her saying he doesn’t care about the treasure. One of the pirates teases Pazu but Dola tells him to shut up. Dola thinks for a moment, then decides that Pazu COULD probably help with getting Sheeta.

Sheeta watches the scene worried.

No one else is much better.

Pazu isn’t happy to be working with pirates, but he acknowledges this is the best he could do right now.

Dola reminds Pazu that for helping them (pirates) go against government agents he will end up being an outcast forever. Pazu says he understands. Dola asks if he is sure, and he says he is. Dola cuts him loose and tells him to be ready in forty seconds. Pazu rushes to get ready.

Sheeta feels guilty but is touched by Pazu’s actions. She will have to repay him in some way.

Pazu, in contrast, has no regrets over his counterpart’s decision.

Pazu goes down to the “basement” and grabs his goggles. He opens the door to the pigeon’s coupe and tells them to take care of themselves. The pirates start their flaptors and prepare for takeoff. Pazu arrives and Dola tells him to strap the harness to his belt so he won’t fall off. Dola and most of the pirates fly up and then use rocket propellors to blast them forward.

Air Destroyer Goliath approaches the fortress. The general asks Muska if the girl has talked yet but Muska says that they just need more time. The general re-proposes “squeezing” it out of her and they depart at dawn as the ship docks at the top of the fortress.

Pazu growls.

“Ok, you know what, Dola might not be that bad,” Lisa says.

Pazu, Dola, and her boys fly over the valley as they head to the fortress. Dola tells her boys to hurry since it is almost dawn.

Sheeta dazzily looks out the window and she has a flashback to when she was a little girl.

Little Sheeta is crying and walking through a yellow grassy field. She is then seen inside her house, crying on her grandmother’s lap.

Sheeta cries when she sees the scene. “Grandma. I remember this. This was after my parents died.”

Pazu holds her close.

Ashitaka is reminded of when his own parents died. He looks down and San wraps her arm around him.

Sheeta’s grandmother tells her that she is going to tell her a spell to use whenever she is in trouble. Sheeta asks about the spell. Her grandmother tells her that they are very old and secret words: “Leetay Latuparita Ulus Aria Los Balu Netoreel”. Sheeta repeats these words and Sheet’s grandmother tells her that it means: “save me and revive the eternal light”

Everyone is touched by this scene. A few even wipe away tears.

“Your grandma looks really kind,” Pazu tells Sheeta.
“Yes, she was.”

In the present, Sheeta repeats these words. And the necklace glows.

Everyone leans in.

“I…I did it,” Sheeta gasps.

“Well, this should be interesting,” Kokiri says.

“What do you think the spell is going to do?” Kiki asks.

“Teleport her out of there?” Nausicaa suggests.

“Make her fly away?” suggests Haku.

“Blow up the place except her?” suggests Tombo.

Sheeta is scared as power erupts from the necklace. But two red lights come on the robot.

Everyone’s eyes widen.

Tombo claps his hands together.

“OH! ROBOT FIGHT! This is gonna be cool!”

Muska comes into Sheeta’s room and says this is perfect. While the robot’s arm moves. Muska says that this is the sacred light as described in the books. He reaches for the necklace but it shocks him. Muska becomes aggressive and tells Sheeta to tell him the sacred words she used to activate it. The robot lifts its head and tries to get up, but it falls over.

“Ok, maybe the robot cant help,” Tombo says.

“Thats a bummer,” says Pazu.
“Hold on,” Nausicaa says.

The thud alerts the soldiers guarding it. They open the door and they see the robot crawling toward them. They gasp in shock at it moving. The robot is too big to fit through the door and the guards say that it is alive in fear. One prepares to fire his gun at it, but the robot emits a laser from its eyes that cut a larger hole through the stone. The soldiers scream and run away before a new hole blasts open.

This scares most of the room.

“Woah…” says Chihiro.

“Beans built that!?” Arrietty asks.

“It’s going to protect Sheeta, right?” Pazu asks.

Sheeta, however, stands up.

“Um, excuse me, thing that brought us here. Were the god warriors partly built using more Laputan technology that fell to earth?”

“...I WAS SAVING THE REVEAL FOR AFTER THE MOVIE, BUT YES. IN THE 2000’S THEY DISCOVER INTACT LAPUTAN ROBOTS AND OTHER MACHINERY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.” appears on the screen.

Everyone nods in understanding.

Aiko clears his throat. “I have a confession to make.” Everyone turns to Aiko.

“Hon, what?” Yuko asks.

“Dad?” Chihiro asks.

Aiko rubs the back of his neck. “The pieces of machinery that I said I looked at before, I think that they were pieces of one of those robot things."

“So the God Warriors are the result of human science, Laputan technology, and the spirits,” says Nausicaa.

“Lets keep watching,” Haku says.

The robot crawls out of the burning wreckage and stands up. The soldiers shout that the robot is alive and panic as the robot walks through the flames unhurt. Muska is alerted to the robot awakening and drags Sheeta out. They look down at the pit and see it burning with fire.

Sheeta feels terrible. All this destruction and people getting hurt is happening because of her.

Muska sees it walking up the stairs and the army tires firing at it, but the bullets bounce off the robot without leaving a scratch. They then close the thick metal hatch. The robots eye lights up and fires at the door. The metal turns red as it overheats and the soldiers run before it explodes, turning molten in the process.

“Holy…” Lisa trails off.

Though they had earlier seen one god warrior destroy a city, they were all intimidated by this one robots destructive power. Eboshi was both fearful and amazed by Laputa’s development.

Muska calls the robots power incredible and realizes that Sheeta’s sacred light broke its seal.

“Hey! Let her go!” Pazu shouts.

“This guy just turned major creep!” says Lisa.

“I never thought I would say this, but I hope the pirates get here,” says Eboshi.

Muska tries to drag Sheeta away and she screams. The robot is alerted and fires a smaller laser upward. The laser cuts through the wooden bridge that Muska and Sheeta are on and Muska’s side falls. Muska and his men run to the other side before the bridge falls. Muska nearly falls and his men have to save him.

“YEAH!” shouts Pazu.

“Its a shame he didnt fall,” San mumbles.

“Wait, shouldn’t Sheeta’s side be falling too?” Aiko asks.

Sheeta screams as her own side begins to fall.

“DAD!” Chihiro shouts.

“Sorry.”

Thankfully, Sheeta reaches her side just in time.

The robots arms morph into wings and it fires rocket boosters from its front to fly up. Because half of its other arm is gone, its flight is difficult. It crashes into one of the bridges and nearly crashes into Muska.

“No wonder Laputa was able to conquer so much if it had technology like that,” Eboshi says in awe.

“Eboshi,” San says.

“I was just making an observation.”

The robot looks at Sheeta and she steps back.

“I think he is there to help you,” Nausicaa says.

“I know that, but I think my counterpart is scared,” says Sheeta.

The robot flies at Sheeta and crashes into the stones there as well. Sheeta runs away as the robot reaches for her but it follows.

Sheeta runs up the stairs to the top of the tower and her necklace emits its light again. it focuses into a single line, shooting up into the sky.

“What?” Sheeta asks.
“Can it be?” Pazu asks.

“The path to Laputa,” says Kokiri.

Muska comes out to the top of another tower and sees the light. Muska tells his men to hurry and they take out a communication box.

The general is speaking through his own device, asking about the explosives and calling them idiots saying that they will destroy the fortress.

The general loses contact as Muska’s men cut the wires.

Muska talks on the phone and says that the robot can communicate with the ship and says he has taken emergency command. he says that the robot is after the girl (as Sheeta runs to avoid falling as her tower breaks apart) and tells them to take it down.

“Ok, I have a feeling this guy is after his OWN thing,” Aiko says.

Pazu growls at the sight of Sheeta nearly falling to her death. “Come on, we have to get there fast!”

The robot emerges from the roof of the tower and walks to Sheeta. She steps back and cowers but the robot places its hand on its chest as if to show respect. Down below, the military prepares to fire at it. Sheeta’s necklace sends a beam of light at the robots insignia and the robot extends its hand toward her. The military fires and their cannons hit the robot, making a dent in its chest.

“That dented it!” San shouts.

“If it was regular metal that robot would have been scrap,” says Aiko.

Sheeta screams and falls down, but her necklace falls off her neck and off the side of the tower.

“No!” Sheeta shouts.

The robot falls back, seemingly dead. The soldiers celebrate their victory and rush up congratulating themselves. Then they rush to grab Sheeta again. They see her laying on the ground and one asks if she is dead. Another soldier just grabs her by her pigtails and pulls her up. Sheeta starts to wake and the soldier yells at her to get up. The robot raises its head.

“Its still alive!?” Arrietty asks.

“Whoa…where can I get metal like that?” Eboshi asks.

The soldiers panic as the robot moves again. The robot fires a small laser and soldiers dodge them, falling off the tower as they do. The robot fires more powerful lasers that hit the sides of the fortress and cause greater destruction. The soldiers scream as everything burns around them. The robot cradles Sheeta in its arm and holds her protectively as it fires at everything around them.

“So much destruction…” Ashitaka says.

The pirates and Pazu see the fortress burning from afar. Dola says it looks like a war and Pazu tells her to hurry.

Sheeta wakes up in the robot’s arm and looks in horror at the destruction around her. She sees the robot is still firing. She yells at it to stop and rushes to its head to keep it from moving. Its laser fire shoots into the distance and hits a tower in a town that Dola and her crew pass through.

As they approach the fortress, one of the pirates tells Dola that the Goliath is taking off. The Goliath lowers its cannons to fire.

Dola says they need to regroup to avoid the crossfire, but Pazu points to Sheeta at the top of the tower. She is still hugging the robots head as the Goliath hovers over them.

“Hurry! Before she gets blasted!” Nausicaa shouts.

Dola says this is a job for a woman and tells her boys to cover her as she and Pazu fly to get Sheeta. They fly over the fire and through the smoke as they get closer to where Sheeta is. Pazu calls Sheeta’s name and reaches his hand out to her. Sheeta is happy to see him, Pazu tells Dola to fly closer, but they hit their wings on the stone.

“Come on…come on…” Pazu mutters.

Everyone worries for the kids safety.

Sheeta calls out to Pazu and the robot grabs her. She tells the robot to let her go, but the robot extends his arm and places Sheeta on the ledge. Sheta finally realizes that the robot was trying to help her. The Goliath fires down from above, and this time the ammunition pierces through the robot, destroying it.

Sheeta closes her eyes in respect for the robot that saved her.

More ammunition is fired and the fortress explodes around them. Dola flies up but she is hit by a piece of debris and knocked out. Pazu calls Dola’s name as they fall.

“No!” everyone shouts.

“Pazu!” shouts Sheeta.

Sheeta calls out to Pazu, and the robot, just barely alive, raises its arm.

“It…its still alive?” Sho says in awe.

“Barely,” says Haku.

The robot is bursting from the inside out. She grabs its finger and calls out to Pazu.

As he and Dola fall, Pazu reaches for the controls of the flaptor. He struggles, but he manages to gain control just before they hit the water.

“YEAH!” shouts Tombo.

Pazu looks relieved and Sheeta hugs him.

Pazu flies at the surface of the water and tries to lift up to avoid hitting the cliff. Dola awakens and pulls up for him.

“I never thought I would say this but thank you Dola!” Pazu shouts.

Dola says that this is their last chance and Pazu dangles upside down to grab Sheeta. Muska comes outside to see Sheeta jump and be caught by Pazu as they fly away with Dola.

The audience erupts in cheers at Pazu saving Sheeta and the kids escape.

Sheeta turns to Pazu grateful.

“Thank you.”

Pazu rubs the back of his neck. “No sweat.”

“So you wanna do that this time around?” Tombo asks.

“Let’s try to avoid it.”

Muska asks what Goliath is doing and he looks up to see the pirates splaying colored vapor around it to cover its view with a smoke screen. And the pirates fly after their mother as they escape.

The general approaches Muska and asks about the robot. Muska says it was destroyed and tells them where Sheeta went. The general says to organize a search party. The officers lead Muska to Sheeta’s necklace. he hesitates before touching it, but grabs it as soon as he realizes it isn’t going to shock him.

He is at least glad that they haven’t lost the sacred stone, and it is STILL pointing to Laputa. Muska tells the officers to tell the general that they will be departing to Laputa as planned.

Everyone sucks in a breath.

“Oh, this can’t be good,” says Aiko.

“But maybe they will leave Sheeta and Pazu alone now?” says Chihiro.

“But how will Dola react since Sheeta doesn’t have her necklace?” asks Arrietty.

“Plus there’s whatever that guy wants to do with Laputa,” says Souske. “And we just saw what one robot can do.”

Everyone worries again.

Chapter Text

The flaptors are seen flying across the sky. Pazu holds Sheeta as she cries over the robot as Dola continues to drive.

“Woah, look how high up they are,” San says.

“Impressive,” agrees Eboshi.

“The land looks like a quilt from so high up,” says Ashitaka.

Pazu turns to Sheeta.

“I’m sorry about the robot,” he tells her.

“He did his job,” Kokiri tells Sheeta. “He wanted to protect you more than anything, and he did.”

Sheeta smiles sadly. “I dont know it I will have a chance to activate him when I go back this time, but I will make sure his death doesnt happen.”

Pazu nods.

The pirates look at the kids. The talk about how Pazu is lucky that Sheeta is supposedly going to grow up to be like their mother.

The adults in the room cringe.

“That is disturbing,” Lisa says.
Sheeta nods. “I would prefer to not grow up to be a pirate.”

“Well you both have braids,” Pazu teases.

“No, we mean the adult men….” Aiko gags. “Nevermind.”

“That is a weird mother complex they have,” Pazu says, alittle disturbed himself.

As they pass over Gondola, Dola irritably says that they are right back where they started. Pazu asks to be taken aboard Dola’s ship but she asks what use they are without the crystal.

Everyone tenses, as they were worried about this before.

Pazu says that they will work and Sheeta says that she wants to see Laputa for herself. Dola says that its suspicious that they want to board a pirate ship, just as she is confused about wanting to see Laputa but not have any of its treasure.

“Well she is queen so technically all the treasure is hers anyway,” Eboshi quips.

“Dola can have it,” Sheeta says.

Eboshi scoffs. “Kids. Dont understand the value of money.”

One of the pirates asks if the kids are coming with them and Dola tells Pazu and Sheeta that if they make one false move they are shark bait.

“There are no sharks in the sky!” Pazu shouts.

“They could fly over the ocean and drop them in,” Souske suggests.

“Souske, please don’t say that with SHeeta and Pazu nearby,” Lisa says.

The pirate exclaims excitement over no more laundry and cleaning duties. The other pirates add dishwashing and potato peeling. The pirates immediately start flying around asking Sheeta if she can make foods like pudding and mincemeat pie. Another says he will eat anything. Dola yells at them to stop and asks herself when they will ever grow up.

Pazu growls “She’s not your servant.”

“Do your own chores!” shouts Arrietty.

“If you want food so much make it yourself!” shouts San.

Yuko looks at her husband to make sure he wasnt agreeing with the pirates.

“Well, Pazu did say that they would work in exchange for getting to stay,” Kokiri reminds everyone.

“Oh, right.”

“Still, I’m sure that Dola is still going to make them do some of the chores,” Sho says.

“I agree with Dola. These guys really are like kids,” says Tombo.

They fly over Slag Ravine, which is in a large crevice in the earth. Pazu and Sheeta look at the former’s house as they fly away.

Finally, they arrive at the big, red, bird-like airship that serves as Dola’s base. They fly into the open hatch and a claw catches the flaptors as the wings stop moving so they can be brought onboard. Dola tells Pazu and Sheeta to get off and when Pazu steps he realizes that the canvas is made of cloth. Dola tells them not to tear it.

“No kidding,” Chihiro says, imagining the canvas tearing, and the two falling, and falling, and falling until they go splat.

Another flaptor hits the back of Dola’s, which is parked at the very end of the base. The pirates tell Sheeta and Pazu to hurry before it gets too crowded. Sheeta and Pazu goes up to the top, where the wind blows her dress, and Dola leads them into the head of the “bird”. Pazu tries to go with Dola and Sheeta but the pirates pull him back.

There are clothes (like boxers) hanging all over the ship. The pirate reminds him that he isn’t here for fun. He leads him inside the engine room.

“Woah,” Pazu’s eyes light up. “Look at that engine.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” agrees Tombo.

Kiki wrinkles her nose. “Would be better without the underwear hung around.”

“Thats got to be awful,” Chihiro moans. “Taken away from home and forced to be in some strange place with strange people forced to work just to stay alive.”

“I’m sure they will get out of it eventually,” Haku tells her.

“They better hope so.”

The pirate calls around for his pops. a bald man with goggles and a large bushy mustache rises out of the ground.

“Dola’s husband?” Yuko asks.

“Ha! He looks like Dr. Eggman!” Sho shouts.

“Who?” asks Arrietty.

“He’s a bad guy from a videogame series,” Shouske says, but Arrietty is still confused. “It’s a game,” Sho explains. “Think of it as like this screen, except we have control over what the characters do. We make the main character do things and the bad guy tries to stop us.”

Arrietty nods in vague understanding, as does everyone from Kiki’s time and earlier.

“Hmm, to me he looks like Kamaji,” says Haku.

“Who?” asks Chihiro.

“He’s the boiler man at the bathhouse where I work. His mustache isn’t as long but the rest of him is about the same. Except he is a Tsuchigumo so he has six arms.”

“Whats a Tsu-whatever you said?” Pazu asks.

“He’s a humanoid spider spirit,” San says.

“He’s more of a human-like Yokai than a spider-like one though,” Halu says. “He seriously looks human except for having eight arms.”

Those in the room not familiar with Japanese spirits still cringe.

The pirate tells his pops that he has got him an assistant (Pazu). Pops tells him not to holler and he can still hear him. Pops motions for Pazu to follow him and the pirate warns him that he is tougher than Dola.

“Oh, great…” Pazu moans.

“I think he might just be messing with you,” Nausicaa says.

“NOTE: DOLA”S HUSBANDS NAME IS MOTRO.” appears on the screen.

Pazu enters the area where Motro is working. Motro says that his hand doesn’t fit and Pazu slides over to help him remove the gasket. Motro asks him for his name and Pazu tells him.

Back in the “head”, Dola and Sheeta are looking at a map. Dola asks Sheeta if she is sure that the crystal was pointing nearly due east. Sheeta says she is sure based on the fact that the light was pointing left of where the sun rose, and since it is harvest season now the sun would be rising south of due east.

Nausicaa smiles. “Excellent astronomical knowledge Sheeta.”

“I’m impressed,” says San.

“Thank you, it’s just something my grandmother taught me,” Sheeta says humbly.

Dola praises Sheeta and asks one of her (non-related) crew members if they have picked up any signals from the government again, but they say not a peep. Dola dedices that they are being radio-silent. One of her sons asks her what they are going to do, considering that the Goliath is faster than their ship. Dola says that they are upwind and with the windspeed being 10 mph they can make it if they get a lift on the trade winds (using her Far East-style calculator to help her calculate).

“That could work,” Tombo says.

Dola announces on the overhead that they are expected to catch up to Goliath by tomorrow and offers ten gold pieces to whoever spots it first, this gets them excited.

“Imagine if they showed up at Laputa and it was empty,” Souske says.

“That would suck,” says Ponyo. “I would be really mad and disappointed.”

“That very well might be the case,” Kokiri says. “When Laputa was rediscovered in my timeline there was hardly anything left of it. Certainly not treasure.”

“Yeah, well, you’re from farther in the future than I am,” Pazu says.

“A hundred years at most, kid,” Kokiri says. “Whatever state Laputa is still in your time I doubt that there is much to it.”

Pazu becomes saddened.

“Wait, but we already saw Laputa,” Sheeta says. “Pazu’s dad took that picture and it still had structures.”

Now everyone is curious to see Laputa now.

The pirates all work extra hard to operate the ship. Multiple turbines start moving and they head forward to their destination.

Dola leads Sheeta into her room to give her new clothes to change into.

“Hey, look at that picture,” Ponyo points to the one by Dola’s bed. “is that Dola when she was younger?”

“Wow, she does look like Sheeta,” says Kiki.

“Does that mean I’m going to look like Dola when I’m old?”

“Dont worry, she doesn’t look that bad,” Pazu teases.

Dola gives Sheeta something to put on. Sheeta spreads out a LARGE pair of pink trousers.

Everyone in the audience laughs and Sheeta blushes in embarrassment. Pazu smiles awkwardly and shrugs.

“I think Sheeta might be a bit too small for that,” Arrietty says.

Sheeta follows Dola, wearing a yellow shirt and the trousers (with the waist tightened to fit her leaving the legs baggy). All the pirates stare at Sheeta and one comments that she is beautiful.

“You make it work,” Pazu says, blushing.

“Thank you.”

“Are we not going to talk about the adult men staring at the twelve-year-old girl?” Aiko asks in disgust.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Pazu says. “I mean, Okami was around the same age when she got engaged to Mr. Duffi.”

The adults cringe harder.

“Its another time, another country, there are different social norms,” Haku says. “Let’s just move on.”

“Good idea, kid,” Aiko says. “I’ll swallow the bile in my throat.”

Dola leads Sheeta into a kitchen. There are dishes and food scaps everywhere. it is very dirty and Dola tells her that she will be serving five meals a day and to go easy on the water.

“Oh, geese…” Sheeta moans. “Oh well, I guess I better get started.”

“That’s a lot of work,” says Chihiro.

Dola opens the door and all the crewmembers (who had been staring from the door window) fall forward. Dola shoos them away and tells them to get back to work. Sheeta rolls up her sleeves and begins.

Later, Pazu is outside the ship, working on repairs.

One of the pirates looks around before sneaking to spy on Sheeta doing her washing and cooking a stew. The pirate knocks on the door to get Sheeta’s attention and licks his mustache.

“Hey, you actually managed to clean that pig stye,” Pazu says. “Good job.”

“Well I lived alone for the longest time after my grandmother died, so I had to learn to cook and lean for myself,” says Sheeta.

“I hear that.”

“Oh god,” Aiko says, focusing on the pirate and covering his eyes. “I cant bare to watch what is going to happen. Someone tell me when it’s over.”

“Ashitaka, San, Nausicaa, tell us when its over,” Lisa says as she covers Souske and Ponyo’s eyes.

“Mom?”

“Lisa?”

All the adults do the same, with Kokiri covering her daughters and Tombo’s eyes (to their annoyance). Yuko covers Chihiro’s eyes and Aiko tries to cover Haku’s but the water dragon smacks his hand away.

Pazu huffs. “He better not do anything.”

“Don’t worry,” Sheeta says. “Pirates aren’t my type.”

The pirate opens the door and Sheeta says that dinner isn’t ready yet. The pirate closes the door behind him and Sheeta asks if he needs something (with a smile).

Many of the adults, and Pazu, worry that the pirate might do something to Sheeta. Pazu grips the edge of his seat, internally promising himself that he will kick his ass if he does something, in this timeline or his own.

Sheeta on the other hand doesn’t suspect anything malicious at all.

The pirate mutters beautiful, Sheeta is confused, and the pirate just says that he is offering to give her a hand in his spare time.

Pazu huffs. That is fine, for now.

Sheeta asks him to put away the dishes. he is happy to oblige until he sees another crew member peeling potatoes (who the other pirate said claimed his stomach was hurting).

Eboshi snorts. Men will do anything to get a pretty girl.

The bearded pirate comes in with a flower.

“I’m flattered but also a bit uncomfortable,” Sheeta says. “I really don’t want anyone fighting over me.”

“Also they are pirates,” Pazu says.

“Yeah, that too.”

“And WAY older than you,” Haku adds.

Pazu and Sheeta shrug, still not seeing the issue (due to their culture).

Pretty soon all the pirates are in the kitchen helping Sheeta and complaining that they are in each other’s way. The last pirate arrives and is shocked to see the others there.

Ashitaka chuckles. Despite the situation, this scene is amusing.

“I wonder if my brothers would act this way if a nice she-wolf spirit came to the forest,” San asks.

“Ok, it’s over,” Nausicaa tells the adults. “Its not too bad, all the pirates just ended up doing chores in the kitchen.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Yuko says.

It is twilight, Dola is meeting with her husband, they talk and play chess. Motro says that Dola has changed and says that its pointless to chase after Goliah. Dola reminds him that it is Laputan treasure she is after. Motro chuckles and says that the kids are nice, Dola tells him to get to the point. Motro says that they are too upright and honest to ever respect her. Dola gets mad, but Motro changes the topic by moving his piece and putting Dola in check.

Aiko, the only married man in the room, snorts. Yuko looks at him and he looks away.

The pirates (and Pazu) are eating the food that Sheeta made, calling it delicious and excellent. Sheeta asks if anyone wants seconds, they all raise their bowls.

It is night. The bearded pirate and one other are flying the ship while the rest are sleeping in hammocks. Pazu sleeps on the floor under a table. The pirate with a mustache gently kicks Pazu on the head to waken him. He is tired and tells Pazu that it is his watch now, giving him a jacket for the cold. His and Pazu’s talking wakens Sheeta (who is sleeping on the floor in Dola’s room).

Sheeta gets up and sees Pazu and the pirate go outside, the latter complains about the cold. Pazu climbs the edge of the airstrip to the top. he tells the pirate already there, who is also complaining about the cold, that it is his turn. The pirate is happy.

“Are you afraid of heights at all?” Chihiro asks Pazu.

“Not really,” he says.

Kiki giggles. “You should go in a broom ride. We witches like to go really high.”

“Hey, I have a question,” Souske says. “We saw you riding your broom when you first got here, but why do witches use broomsticks in the first place? Why not just use like a flying bike or something else? Why a broom?”

“Well back in the old days farmers would perform a fertility ritual where they would dance and leap under the full moon with pitchforks, poles, and (you guessed it) brooms,” Kokiri says. “This was a pagan ritual, and pagans were often associated with witchcraft by the church. But they got confused and so they started depicting us with flying broomsticks.”
“So you decided to emulate it?” Arrietty asks confused.
“Well, we also used broomsticks to store our wands and to sweep out evil spirits from our homes. So one day this witch decides to create a salve to rub her broomstick with so it could fly and it spread like wildfire among the witch community. Brooms! An easy way to keep your wand safe, keep out evil spirits, and now a source of transportation!”

“But doesn’t it hurt?” Lisa asks. “I mean, your putting all your weight on a long wooden pole. How do you even keep your balance?”

“Is it like Harry Potter and there is a cushioning enchantment?” Sho asks.

“I dont know who Harry Potter is, but yes,” Kokiri says.

Sheeta leaves Dola’s room and the old pirate catches her.

Pazu is on look out and he sees Sheeta climbing up to be with him. Pazu extends his hand and lifts her up. Sheeta is ALMOST blown away by the wind, and Pazu helps her on.

“Well, that was a close one,” Pazu says.

“Scarry,” agrees Sheeta.

“You didnt have to go up there with me, you know,” Pazu says.

“I didnt want you to be alone,” Sheeta says. “At least thats what I’m guessing my counterpart is thinking.”

Sheeta and Paze gace out at the beautiful, cloudy, night sky. Sheeta becomes cold and Pazu brings her in to share his poncho with him.

“Smooth kid,” Aiko says.

“What? I was just offering her warmth from the cold.”
“Yes, pressing your bodies together in the process,” Aiko says.

Pazu pouts and blushes.

Dola listens from the overhead in her bed. Sheeta tells Pazu that it is nice and warm. Sheeta admits to Pazu that she doesn’t actually want to go to Laputa, she is scared.

“What?” Pazu asks. “But before you said…You were just saying that for me, weren’t you?”

Sheeta nods. “Also, I still wasn’t sure about Dola.”

Pazu sighs. “Sheeta, when we get back, we don’t have to go to Laputa if we can avoid it.”

“But your father.”

“Laputa will get discovered one day anyway. And I already know now that it exists.”

Sheeta smiles. “Thank you, Pazu. But-” Sheeta looks at Kiki and her mom. “I think it will be fine this time.”

She says that she was telling the truth before about the right way the light went, but Pazu deduces she is still sad about the robot. Sheeta says she never expected that spell to work. Sheeta talks about the spells she learned and the one she must never use. Pazu asks about it and Sheeta says it is a spell of destruction.

Everyone turns to Sheeta.

“Spell of destruction?” Pazu asks.

“It’s…supposed to make things explode,” Sheta explains.

“Cool!” Ponyo says.

“No, not cool! In fact I shouldn’t even be wearing this at all.” Sheeta looks at her necklace. “Back home, it was hidden in the fireplace and only ever used for weddings. I just happened to put it on before Muska’s men came for me. I was curious. Screen me would likely think this stone should be locked away now, but this me wants to learn to control it so I can protect myself and others.”

Sheeta says that she thinks the stone should be locked away. She talks about how it was only ever worn for her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmothers weddings and says it should be thrown away. Pazu disagrees, he reminds Sheeta that they met because of the stone and throwing it away won’t make Laputa disappear. Plus, with airships improving someone else would be bound to find Laputa eventually and he doesn’t think that the technology there should be used by Muska.

“Here here!” Nausicaa says, raising her drink

Everyone else in the audience agrees.

Pazu also reminds Sheeta that if they run, they will be hunted forever, so Sheeta tells Pazu not to become a pirate for her.

Dola listens to Pazu say that he won’t and that she will understand, being nicer than she looks.

“She’s smiling,” Eboshi points out.

“Huh? Maybe she isn’t so bad after all,” Yuko says. “You know, for a pirate.”

“No, maybe she isn’t,” Sheeta says with a smile.

Pazu promises that once things are settled he will take Sheeta back to Gondola. He says that he wants to see where she was born and all.

“I promise that now too,” Pazu says.

Sheeta kisses Pazu on the cheek. Pazu blushes and rubs his neck.

San and Ashitaka watch the scene and look awkwardly at each other. Ashitaka goes to lean in, but she pulls back at the last second. San licks his cheek (the wolf form of kissing). Ashitaka accepts this and wraps his arm around her.

Ponyo kisses Souske on the cheek, and the boy blushes.

Tombo wants to confess his feelings to Kiki but he is scared. Kiki looks at Tombo. She has become VERY fond of him over the year they have known each other. Kiki knows that she likes him a lot, but still isn’t sure about how to recognize these feelings. She knows that she enjoys seeing him, being with him, and talking to him more than she does her other friends, even Jiji. But is that a crush or is it just an extra close friendship?

Sho looks briefly at Arrietty, looking away when she turns to look at him. It was easy for them both to recognize that they had developed some affectionate feelings for the other when they first met and they increased a bit after talking to each other here. But Sho recalls Arrietty beginning to talk about someone named Peagreen which makes him doubt himself.

Dola is about to close the lid so she wont have to listen anymore, but Pazu notices something.

Below them, beneath the clouds, there is the outline of a massive airship.

Everyone sucks in a breath.

“Goliah,” Sheeta says.

“Uh oh,” says Tombo.

“We found it,” says Pazu.

“Your UNDER it,” says Kiki.

“You guys gotta be extra careful now,” says Jiji (although the normal humans don’t hear him).

“He said to be careful,” says San.

Pazu announces that the Goliah is right under them. Dola comes out, right in time to see the top of the airship break the clouds. Dola demands full rudder. Their ship flies out of the way as the goliah surfaces the clouds. The cannons fire at the bird-like airship and the pirates fly into the clouds.

Pazu and Sheeta grab eachothers hands.

San snarls. The only thing worse than cannons is cannons that can be fired from the sky. She is so greatful that there are no airships or weapons like that in her time. She had already seen the spirits fall to “modern” human weapons, if the emperor or Eboshi had something like this the forest would have been destroyed in a day.

Goliah continues to fire until there is no sign of the pirates. Inside, the general tells Muska that the pirates will be trouble for them if they don’t go after them now, but Muska says that they cant catch them in the clouds. Muska asserts that they will catch them eventually.

The crystal necklace is in a compass, directing them where they need to go.

And with that, the Golliah lowers itself back into the clouds.

“Its like a whale in the sky,” Ponyo says.

“Yeah, one with cannons attached to it,” Souske says.

Back in the pirates airship, Dola says that they must be closer north than she originally thought. Dola speaks to Pazu on the intercom and says that if they loose Goliah it is all over, she tells him to keep his eyes sharp. Pazu asks how he will do that. Dola tells him that the lookout post is also a glider and tells him to pull the crank clockwise. The winks come up and Sheeta helps widen them.

“This is so many levels of danger,” Lisa says, smacking her forehead.

Dola tells Sheeta to come back down. Sheeta asks why and Dola says because she is a girl. Sheeta snips back that Dola is a girl too and she has sharp eyes from living in the mountains. Pazu tries to object, but Sheeta claims that Pazu agrees.

The girls in the room laugh and compliment Sheeta.

Dola laughs and tells them to use the headset to communicate with them since the tube won’t work anymore. The phone rings and Dola answers, Sheeta has already figured it out.

“Nice,” Pazu says.

Sheeta blushes.

Pazu tells Dola to release them and they break off the main ship (though still connected by a wire) to glide over the clouds. Sheeta and Pazu look around, they dont see Goliath anywhere. But Dola tells them to just keep looking.

The wind blows harder, causing Pazu and Sheeta to zip around. Sheeta holds onto him as Pazu tries to steer.

Once they are settled Dola asks what is wrong and Pazu says it was just a gust of wind. Pazu asks Sheeta if she is scared, and she says she isn’t. Pazu tells Sheeta to tie herself to him since they may experience rough skies ahead.

“Yes, smart, do that,” Tombo says.

As they fly, the pirates tell Dola that the mercury meter is dropping. Dola realizes that a storm is coming and asks how long until it is dawn. She is told that it is one more hour.

Later, it is dawn. Sheeta says it is strange that the sun is rising on that side. Pazu agrees since they are supposed to be heading east.

“Huh? How did that happen?” Chihiro asks.

“The wind must have blown them off course,” Tombo says.

Nausicaa huffs. “Well that’s just great.”

Dola deduces that the wind blew them off course. Sheeta shouts over the tube. Dola asks if it’s Goliah, but Pazy instead says it’s a huge cloud.

“A huge cloud?” Kiki asks. “Really?”

“Just keep watching,” says Pazu.

Sheeta adds that it is heading for them. And we see the cloud, it is massive. The airship begins to shake and Dola says that they have entered into the low-pressure system.

Pazu and Tombo’s eyes widen.

“Uh oh,” Tombo says.

“Uh oh? Why uh oh?” Sheeta asks worried.

“Yeah, why uh oh?” asks Kiki.

“Let’s just say we’re going to be in for a bumpy ride,” says Pazu.

Sheeta and Pazu’s glider shakes and Dola tells them it can’t be helped. A patch of cloud comes up and pushes against the glider.

Pazu and Sheeta grab eachothers hands.

As the wind blows against the air-ship, the pirates struggle to move the hatch. Motro warns Dola that the engine is burning up.

Even those who know nothing about mechanics are worried, but Aiko is horrified.