Chapter Text
Ponyo struggles as she tries to cast a spell on a toy boat that Kokiri placed in front of her. She is trying to make it grow in size, like how she did to Souske boat a year ago (and half an hour ago on screen). However, it is much more difficult than she remembered.
“Come on, Ponyo, you can do it!” Souske cheers.
“Thank you for offering to teach her magic, Kokiri,” Lisa says.
“It is my pleasure,” says the elder witch. “Now Ponyo. I told you before. Now that you’re a witch instead of a demigoddess, your magic works differently. You need to recite an actual spell. So let’s start with simple levitation, ok?”
Ponyo sighs. “Ok.”
“I wonder if Fujimoto might be willing to teach Ponyo some magic when we go back,” says Lisa. “Or if we can find Ingary.”
Elsewhere, Chihiro is walking and chatting with Sheeta and Kiki. The latter two had invited the former for a walk, just like how Pazu and Tombo had invited Kohaku for a walk at the same time. The two groups came together and approached Chihiro and Kohaku right after the movie. After Ponyo left with Kokiri, Souske, and Lisa to learn magic.
“Kiki’s mom is a really great teacher,” Sheeta says, casually levitating a small stone in her hand and showing it to Chihiro.
“That’s amazing,” says Chihiro. “So are you going to take on Muska when you go back then?”
“Well, the plan is basically for everything to happen in the movie up until Dola and her sons show up at Pazu’s house,” says Sheeta. “And once I activate Laputa and land it at Slagg Ravine and start using the Aetherium there to help improve the town. Pretty sure Muska won't be able to touch us then.”
“Are you sure you want to deactivate the robots too?” Kiki asks. “I mean, the robots are really cool.”
“The robot's lasers and the Lighting of Laputa,” Sheeta clarifies. “I want to usher in an age of peace, not war.”
“Maybe keep a few robots with lasers,” says Chihiro. “I mean, just to be safe. So what are you going to do when you go back, Kiki?”
Kiki smiles. “Study magic as hard as I can, try to awaken my special teleportation skill, and work on being the awesome time-traveling witch I am destined to be! While also recovering the head.”
“Oh yes, we definitely have to do that,” says Sheeta. “As soon as I bring Laputa back to earth I will start looking for the Forest Spirits head in Japan and keep it somewhere safe. And I’ll make sure Laputan technology stays out of the hands of anyone who will abuse it.”
“Kohaku says he’s going to find Dorok once we go back,” says Chihiro. “You know, after the other stuff.” She smiles. “After that, we should have a place ready for him at home.”
“To think your dad is ok with letting your boyfriend live with you,” Kiki teases.
Chihiro blushes. “Stop, Kohaku is not my boyfriend.”
“Officially, maybe not,” Kiki says. “But you’re definitely crushing on the dragon boy.” She shrugs. “Can’t say I blame you though.”
Chihiro smirks and narrows her eyes at the young witch.
“Well, what about you and Tombo?”
Kiki blushes and stammers. Chihiro and Sheeta laugh, but then Sheeta frowns.
“You know, we all came from different time periods, and different timelines. I think that means that after we watch Nausicaa’s movie, then we may never see each other gain.”
Kiki and Chihiro frown at that as well.
“Well, we’ll still keep in touch,” Kiki says to Sheeta. “Maybe future-me can help us all stay in contact too.”
“It’s worth asking her once the movies are done and Dorok is taken care of,” says Chihiro.
“Two more movies, and one more day,” Sheeta says.
Now, the boys: Pazu, Tombo, Kohaku on their own walk.
“So how do you guys think Sho and Arrietty will play into the God Warriors?” asks Tombo.
“Maybe they won’t,” says Pazu. “Not everyone here has a direct role. Ponyo, Howl and Sophie, your girlfriend Kiki.”
Tombo blushes. “Kiki isn’t my girlfriend…right now.”
“Hope admitted Howl and Sophie were just brought in for convenience,” Kohaku points out. “Kiki and her mother were able to provide vital information to help explain certain things and teach us about the possibility of divergences in the timelines. Plus her future self did allow for all of this. And while Ponyo wasn’t directly tied to the God Warriors the say Eboshi, Laputa, and Mr. Ogino were, she still played a role.”
Pazu slumps. “Yeah, she nearly doomed the world while giving it more years to live.”
“I am sure that Sho and Arrietty are connected somehow,” says Kohaku. “They already knew each other when they were brought in, so the film we are going to see next will include how they met. So either we will see something that directly or indirectly ties to the Seven Days of Fire, or we will receive some kind of explanation at the end.”
Pazu smiles. “I still can’t believe that Laputa, Sheeta’s people, are responsible for Arrietty’s. It’s incredible how we are all tied together.”
“I like Sho, he’s a nice guy,” says Tombo. “I hope things work out with him and Arrietty. They seem cute together.”
“A boy and a witch, a girl and a dragon, a boy and a borrower.” Pazu shakes his head and smiles. “Love is a crazy thing.”
Kohaku blushes. “Me and Chihiro are just going to be friends who live together.”
“For now,” Pazu says. “That's basically what me and Sheeta will be too. I love her, and I think she loves me. But for now, we're just going to live our lives and see how things go.”
“You know, I confessed to Kiki,” Tombo says. “She said that she wasn’t ready to accept my feelings yet, but I still have hope in the future.”
Kohaku and Pazu glance at each other. They recalled the visions of him and Kiki being together that Hope and Future-Kiki showed them after freezing Tombo and present-Kiki.
“So maybe you guys can confess to Chihiro and Sheeta too.”
“Well it took you a year to do that, so no rush for us,” Pazu teases.
Tombo playfully shoves him and Pazu playfully shoves him back. Kohaku chuckles and smirks.
“Oh, and Kohaku,” Tombo says. “If you want to get somewhere with Chihiro, try loosening up a bit.”
“I don’t know how age works for river spirits,” says Pazu. “But your way too high-strung for a kid.”
“Did you forget the part about me losing my home and working for Yubaba?” Koahku asks with a scowl.
Tombo and Pazu are silent.
Koahku smirks. “But like what Prince Justin said. Hearts change all the time.”
Kohaku walks ahead of the two boys. As they pass by a tree with fruit growing on it, Tombo stops Pazu from moving and he gets and idea. He feels the fruit until he finds a particularly soft one and silently tells Pazu to stay quiet.
“Come on, man,” says Pazu. “Don’t do this.”
“Hey, we might not see each other again after tomorrow. This may be my only time ever to throw a piece of fruit at a dragon.”
Tombo grabs the fruit, aims it at the back of Kohaku’s head, and throws it.
After a few moments of laughter, the two boys run from a playfully angry dragon.
“Worth it!” Tombo shouts.
Arrietty watches from a distance as Ashtiaka shows Sho some sword techniques. The younger boy had taken an interest in sword fighting and asked Ashitaka if he could give him some pointers. Arrietty wasn’t entirely sure if this was genuine interest, preparing for a possible fight with Dorok, or just to impress her. Either way, she appreciated his commitment. She watched as Ashitaka instructed Sho and guided his movements. She wondered if she should get in there, and learn a bit herself, but she was already taught quite a bit from San and Nausicaa.
Said women sit on the sides of her.
“Hey, Arrietty,” says Nausicaa.
“Enjoying the show?” San asks.
“Oh, hey,” Arrietty says. “I was just thinking.”
“About what?” Nausicaa asks. “Are you wondering how you and Sho might be connected to the God Warriors?”
“Well, yes, me and Sho talked a minute ago but we couldn’t think of anything either of us were involved in. I guess we’ll just have to wait for our movie, and Hope’s explanation.”
“Which should be in the next few minutes,” says San.
Nausicaa lets out a sigh. “This whole experience, learning what caused the Seven Days of Fire has been interesting. Arrietty, I just want you to know that I will not hold you or Sho responsible for whatever we see on screen.”
Arreitty nods. “Thank you. But tomorrow we will be seeing the final movie after mine. Yours. You will be seeing your future, post all this. How do you feel?”
Nausicaa sighs. “Nerve-wracking.”
San scoffs. “Now you know how I felt the first time.”
“But I have hope that, for better or worse, whatever I see I can change.”
“Thats the spirit,” Arrietty says. “I have also been thinking long and hard about my engagement and Sho.”
The two girls stare at Arrietty.
“Oh?” San asks.
“Yes,” Arrietty says. “I have decided…I’m not going to get married right now. I want to be my own woman and I am going to tell my parents that I want to be both Sho and Peagreens friend and get to know them both longer before deciding who I want to be with when I am older. IF either of them at all.”
“Well good for you,” Nausicaa says with a smile.
“What about exploring?” San asks.
“I will also tell them that I plan to explore the world. Not only to find more of our kind, but because the world is beautiful, and I want to see more of it, whether they like it or not. I will need Sho for that, and he is eager to help. So either Peagreen or my parents can come with me, or they can just deal with it.”
San playfully slaps Arrietty’s arm. “Atta girl!”
Arrietty rubs the spot she was hit. “Yeah! Ow, but there is one thing that concerns me.”
“What?” Nausicaa asks.
“How I am going to tell my parents that I have a magic jewel now that lets me change my size and the God Warriors that I need to stop from emerging without my mother having a heart attack.”
San snickers. “She’s that high-strung?”
“Oh yeah,” says Arrietty. “She’s, like, the exact opposite of Lisa. You’ll see soon enough.”
Moments later, everyone was back in their seats, ready to watch the next movie.
Ponyo was still pouting over not being able to do magic as easily anymore, but Souske was comforting her. The girls waved to each other as they took their seats beside their loved ones. And Sho sat back next to Arrietty.
“So, how was your lesson?” Arrietty asks him.
“It was nice,” says Sho. “I think I made some progress.”
Arrietty smiles. “Maybe you and I can spar a bit later.”
Sho smiles. “I would like that.”
Hope claps her hands together.
“All right, everyone. We are now about to see Arrietty and Sho’s story. It will be about how they met, one year ago their time.”
Sho sighs. He was a bit nervous about the people in the audience finding out about his previous condition. Arrietyt also flinches being reminded about what happened to her mother.
“Again, this will be the last showing of the day, and then tomorrow we will finish off this whole thing with Nausicaa.”
This caused a feeling of butterflies in everyone’s stomachs. It feels like they have been in here forever. It was only a couple of days, but it somehow felt like months. And it was going to end soon, then they had to save the world.
“Now, Sho, Arrietty, you two didn’t do anything to cause the Seven Days of Fire.”
The two turn to each other confused.
“Then why are we here?” Arrietty asks.
“I will tell you at the end.”
And with that, the movie starts.