01x04 - An Ancient Man Crosses the Pacific

[bunniefuu]

[bells jingle]

[chimes tinkling]

[pop]

[funky adventurous music playing]

Time Patrol, Bon, Bon ♪

Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Time Patrol, Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Time Patrol, Bon, Bon ♪

Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Time Patrol, Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Bon, Bon ♪

Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Come on ♪

[upbeat retrowave music playing]

[music fades out]

[funky adventurous music continues]

Time Patrol, Bon, Bon ♪

Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Time Patrol, Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Time Patrol, Bon, Bon ♪

Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Time Patrol, Bon, Bon, Bon, Bon ♪

Come on ♪

Come on, Bon, Bon ♪

- Come on ♪

- [music fades out]

[Tetsuo] Aw, come on.

So the teacher was angry with you.

- So what?

- [tranquil music playing]

You just have to do your homework

and turn it in on time.

If you actually put some effort into it,

you'd do really well.

As everyone knows,

you can't judge a man by his IQ alone.

That's right.

And if you look hard enough,

I'm sure you'll find plenty of jobs

for people who aren't that smart.

- See ya.

- Just stop worrying already.

Was that really supposed

to make me feel better?

They were no help at all.

I'm the one

who's going to be relevant to history.

Without me, the future of mankind

might be in big trouble.

They really should treat me

with more respect. [grunts]

- [man] Ouch!

- [Bon gasps]

Hey, you!

What are you doing throwing rocks around?

It was an accident.

I didn't mean it. I'm sorry.

You did mean it!

Whacked me right on the head!

Now I'm gonna teach you a lesson!

- [Bon] Wah-ha-ha!

- [frenzied music playing]

- [man] Get back here! Stop running away!

- [Bon] Wah!

- [Bon] Aah!

- [man] Argh!

NO TRESPASSING!

- [panting]

- [man] Damn you!

Stop running!

Get back here!

I'll never stop looking for you!

- [grumbles] Argh!

- Why can't he let it go?

[man] Oh, I'll get that boy

no matter what. Stupid boy.

- Oh. [sighs]

- [music fades out]

[birds chirping]

Hmm.

It's an akebia plant. That's unusual.

AN ANCIENT MAN CROSSES THE PACIFIC

- [door opens]

- [Bon] I'm back! Welcome home!

Ugh. Homework.

Whatever. I'll just do it after dinner.

"Don't even think about waiting

until after dinner to do your homework."

"Your mom."

[sighs] Why are moms always

so good at reading minds?

[Ream] Bon?

- Bon.

- Huh?

Ream! You're here.

But where are you hiding?

[Ream] I'm not there.

I'm speaking to you from my home in 2056.

- Huh?

- [Ream] Check out what's on your bed.

A Timeceiver!

[Ream] They've supplied you

with a full set of Time Patrol gear.

That means you're officially recognized

as an associate agent. Congratulations.

Wow!

[Ream] Your own Time Boat

should have arrived by now as well.

- Why don't you try and call it?

- My very own Time Boat?

Come on out!

- [steady alarm blaring]

- [hatch clanking, whirring]

[Bon, excitedly] h*-h*, h*-h*!

[clanking, whirring]

This is so incredibly awesome!

They created a secret garage

above my ceiling. [chuckles]

My own Time Boat.

This is so exciting.

I can't wait to work with you, buddy.

And I already know everything about you,

thanks to the compressed learning.

[gasps]

- [Time Boat beeps]

- I just thought of a great idea.

EIGHTH GRADE

In they go. Stick this on.

- [whirring]

- [Bon murmurs]

Woo-woo-woo!

- [bright instrumental music playing]

- Genius at work. Totally got this.

- [Time Boat chimes]

- [chuckles] Yeah.

This is more like it!

[electronic trill]

Time Patrol Agent Bon! Ha!

[synthesizer stings]

Yee! I look good.

If they could only see me now.

It's too bad the Time Patrol rules say

I've gotta keep the whole thing secret.

Hmm?

The Forgetter.

- [trills]

- Of course.

- [Time Boat whirs]

- Let's go!

After everybody goes crazy

with jealousy and surprise,

I'll just make them forget all about it.

[chewing] Hmm.

- [Bon] Ta-da!

- Huh?

- [synthesizer stings]

- 'Sup?

- Bon, what the heck are you wea

- Don't I look cool?

Seriously? Good grief, Bon.

Dressing up in cosplay to do your homework

is a next-level desperate

cry for help, you know?

[Bon] Desperate?

This is the official Time Patrol uniform.

Did you say Time Patrol? Uh

That I did.

Agents like myself travel through time

on dangerous assignments.

[Tetsuo] That helmet is on way too tight.

[grumbles] Ugh, seriously?

I'm wasting my coolness on you.

[Tetsuo] No, Bon!

Don't hurt yourself like this!

- [Time Boat whirs]

- [Tetsuo murmurs nervously]

Huh?

- Uh What the

- [whimsical music playing]

Why am I out here again?

[electronic trill]

This is a surprise.

But no. We can't hang out

till you've done your homework.

You just got in trouble.

Don't you remember?

Homework's done. Look at this awes

Yeah, right.

Just how gullible do you think I am?

But I totally finished it.

I used the compressed learning function.

- [Yoko] Stop lying to me already.

- [groans]

I hate to say it,

but you need a reality check.

And why would you come here

wearing that horrible outfit?

You've always looked terrible in green.

I mean it. You really need to

Huh? Weird. Who was I talking to out here?

[Time Boat whirring]

I guess it's better this way.

Fine, then.

Time Patrol will just stay in the shadows.

A solitary hero

secretly maintaining peace in the world.

On his solo ride.

Man, I am so awesome.

- [Ream] Bon!

- Hmm?

- You're an awesome airhead!

- [Bon gasps]

- What did you think you were doing?

- Hi, Ream.

Headquarters thinks they've allowed

an unhinged dimwit to become an agent.

What? Why's that?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe because

you took your Time Boat on a city tour.

Don't worry about that.

I used the Forgetter,

and now everyone's forgotten

that they saw me or the boat.

Oh, you're a genius.

So how did you take care

of the security cameras?

I thought the Forgetter only worked

on human memories, not machines.

Uh.

I didn't think about that.

You're lucky you didn't get caught today,

but this will significantly delay

your promotion to official agent.

Uh I'm really sorry, Ream.

- [Timeceiver chimes]

- Uh. It's headquarters.

Hello. This is Ream.

He's with me now.

Is it bad?

Probably changed their mind

about disappearing you.

Bu But I'm supposed to be

a great figure in history, remember?

- Uh, Ream?

- Understood. Got it.

- [Timeceiver beeps]

- We have a job.

- [murmuring nervously]

- [Time Boat whooshes]

Hey. Wait for me!

- [wind gusting]

- [rain pelting]

[thunder crashing]

[Time Boats whir]

Back in 800 B.C.,

a man named Toge met his death

by drowning in a huge storm

off the coast of Mindanao Island.

Our assignment is to make sure

that doesn't happen.

I wanna handle this one.

Let me make up for the mistakes I made.

[waves crashing]

[Buyoyon] There he is!

He's in a dugout canoe?

Bon, do you want me to help you out?

- [Time Boat whirs]

- I got this.

What we did at the pyramid

should work just as well here.

[grunts]

[gasps] Aah!

[murmuring in terror]

[murmuring, whimpering]

- Aah!

- [ethereal thrum resonating]

- [grunting anxiously]

- [water lapping]

[grunts dazedly]

Huh? [exhales shakily]

Yeah!

[laughing]

[Bon] I enveloped the canoe

in the Time Field

and forwarded it to the point

when the storm has passed.

[Ream] Good thinking. It worked.

[somber orchestral music playing]

He's a pretty reckless guy,

charging into the Pacific Ocean

in nothing but a dugout canoe.

Not necessarily.

Since back in the prehistoric period,

people often used open-water navigation

to get around.

You see, that's why the people of Japan

have such wide-ranging ancestral roots.

The ocean currents brought people to Japan

from Indonesia, Malaysia,

Micronesia, and Polynesia.

[Bon] That makes a lot of sense.

The currents would've acted

like conveyor belts

and pushed the canoes around.

[Ream] That's what happened to Toge.

He's being pushed northeast

on the Kuroshio Current.

Although, people usually traveled

in a group back then.

It's rare to see someone

who's traveling solo.

- [Toge snoring]

- [Bon] So

Is there a chance he might become

one of our Japanese ancestors?

Sometimes history is made

by people who are willing

to risk everything for adventure.

He's going it alone like a hero.

[Ream] So now what?

Do we leave the rest up to luck

and head home?

Or do we stick around

and follow him for days or months

until he safely reaches land?

[Bon] How about

we just skip ahead a little

and see how things go for him?

To three days later!

[Time Boats whoosh]

[water lapping gently]

[groaning]

Huh? What's wrong with him?

- [Buyoyon] He's probably starving.

- You're right.

The storm must've washed away

any food he had.

How would you fix this problem?

Hmm

- [beep]

- Headquarters!

- I need you to send me something.

- [uplifting music playing]

[chiming]

[hatch whirs]

- [Bon] Hey, Buyoyon, take these fish.

- [Buyoyon] Can do!

- [whizzes]

- Fish delivery!

[splash]

[water splashes]

Aah! Uh!

[gasps]

Oh-h*-h*-h*!

[munching ravenously]

He's loving those fish.

Let's skip ahead at random

and keep checking in on how he's doing.

[Time Boats whoosh]

[music continues]

Now he's not even moving.

Maybe he's sick.

[scanner whizzes, trills]

- [chimes]

- [Ream] It looks like he's dehydrated.

That's a worse problem than starving.

Should headquarters send us

some drinking water?

I don't know.

How can we give it to him

in a way that seems natural?

Hmm.

[Ream] Any ideas?

Actually, yes!

- [beep]

- Headquarters.

[chiming]

[hatch whirs]

[thunderclouds rumbling]

[Bon] We'll use

the artificial rainfall machine.

Its user manual was part

of the compressed learning.

It's one of the rescue techniques

all agents are required to know.

- [thunder crashing]

- [rain pattering]

[grunts, gasps]

Wha [laughs]

It's raining! It's raining!

[laughing jubilantly]

You put your knowledge to practical use.

- Well done.

- [Bon] Hmm.

[music fades out]

Looks like it's going well for him now.

- [trill]

- [Ream] Bon, wait.

At this rate, the current

will push the canoe away from the island.

- [Bon] What?

- [Buyoyon] He's gonna get lost.

You're right. But I can't just tell him

the direction he needs to be going.

[Ream] An ocean current is powerful.

He's not going to go against it

unless he realizes

he needs to change course.

[Bon sighs]

But he's drifting off to nowhere now.

- I've got to go down there and help.

- You can't.

Regardless of what the circumstances are,

our contact with the target

must always look natural.

I know that already.

But there's nothing here

except open water.

What do I do?

- Ah!

- Huh?

- [beep]

- Headquarters!

[groans faintly]

Huh?

[dramatic music playing]

[Toge gasping]

An island.

I see an island!

[grunting]

[projector whirs]

Great idea.

That illusion is already making Toge row

in the right direction.

You used this same technique in Egypt.

Well, I think we're done here.

[Buyoyon] Not so fast. Look at him.

He's barely hanging on.

He's got no strength left.

[groans]

[Ream] But the real island is so close.

He can't give up.

You've come so far.

You knew it was reckless,

and yet you faced the journey all alone.

Take this!

[Buyoyon] Whoa-h*-h*! Unh!

- Bon!

- [Buyoyon] What are you doing?

[dramatic music continues]

[groans weakly]

[murmurs, gasps]

Whoa! Uh! Whoa! [grunts]

[panting]

Aah!

[panting, grunting vigorously]

[music fades out]

[waves lapping gently]

[breath trembling]

[groans, gasps]

[birds chirping]

[groans weakly]

[grunts]

[chuckles]

[laughter building]

[laughing jubilantly]

[Bon breathing heavily]

- [huffs]

- Bon!

How many times do I have to tell you

that you must never exert physical force

upon the rescue target?

Sorry.

Seriously. You never pay attention.

But now he's going to survive.

- Well, maybe.

- [Bon] Hmm?

[Ream] We know he arrived safely in Japan

during the Yayoi period.

However, we still can't be sure

he'll survive in an unfamiliar place

all by himself.

[bleak orchestral music playing]

[panting, grunting]

[grunts] Aah!

[grunts dazedly]

- [groans]

- [thud]

[strained grunting]

- [branch cracks]

- [gasps]

Wuh! Oh!

Ow! [groans]

[grunts]

[gasping, whimpering]

Aah!

He's not the most graceful hunter

in the world.

[Bon murmurs nervously]

- [music fades out]

- [crickets chirping]

[groans wearily]

[stomach growls]

Headquarters, please send us

some island-type food.

What?

Of course. Understood.

[Ream] What happened?

They said it's been deemed too risky

to keep interfering with this world,

so they won't be sending us any more food.

Huh. Akebia.

[crickets chirping]

[groaning, muttering faintly]

[Toge groaning]

- [soft music plays]

- [Ream] Look at it this way.

Our mission was only

to save him from the storm,

and we did that, right?

But I don't wanna just abandon him.

[Ream] Bon,

are you going to keep helping him

for the rest of his life?

That doesn't seem like

a healthy relationship for him or for you.

Yeah, but isn't that

what Time Patrol is all about?

Time Patrol saves people

at a specific point in their lives.

Not forever.

We're not guardian angels.

I know that's hard for you to hear.

[Bon grunts softly]

[sighs] Hmm.

[Ream] We alter only one outcome.

We can't get involved

in every possible path that exists.

Nevertheless

[birds chirping]

[music continues]

- [rustling]

- [groans wearily]

[hare squeaks]

[groans wearily]

[gasps] Wah!

- Aah!

- [gasps] Gah!

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

He's gone! He skipped out on us!

- [Time Boats whirring]

- [dramatic music playing]

He couldn't have just disappeared.

Bon, look, you've done

more than enough for him.

Come on now.

[Bon] Stop!

I saw something over there.

Something gold-colored

behind those bushes. Yeah!

Something gold? No way.

[bushes rustling]

[music crescendoes]

[music fades out]

- [birds chirping]

- [water babbling]

Rice fields?

Unbelievable.

Somebody built this ditch for irrigation.

- [gasps] Someone's coming.

- [Bon murmurs]

[children laughing]

Villagers, an irrigation ditch.

That must mean

there's a settlement nearby.

All right. Is there a way

to help Toge find it?

Yeah.

[warbled whizzing]

Close.

I can sense he's close. Over there!

[hare squeaks]

[sighs] It's not a precise science.

Huh?

- [Toge growls]

- [Buyoyon] Aah!

[groan builds]

[roars]

- [Bon gasps]

- Go that way.

- Hey! I am not your food!

- [Toge grunting]

- Wah!

- [Toge grunts]

Buyoyon! You're going the wrong way!

- I'm just trying not to get eaten!

- [Toge panting]

He's so hungry, he doesn't know

what he's doing anymore!

- [children chuckling]

- [whimsical music playing]

- [bushes rustling]

- [all] Huh?

[all grumbling]

- [dramatic sting]

- [all gasp]

- Gah! You really want dinner, don't ya?

- [Toge grunting]

Whoa-h*-h*! Wah!

[children murmuring anxiously]

[Buyoyon murmurs, gasps]

- [Toge grunting]

- [boar roars]

- [Toge straining]

- [boy gasps]

- [grunts]

- [oar cracks]

[Toge grunts] Wuh! Wah!

- [boar snarling]

- [Toge grunting]

- [crunch]

- Aah!

- Come this way, quick! Look!

- [both panting]

- [Ream gasps]

- [Toge grunting]

[straining]

- [grunts]

- [boar roars]

Yah!

[grunting]

[boar snarls]

[murmurs nervously] Wah!

- [roars]

- [Toge grunts, yells]

- [squelching thud]

- [all gasp]

- [Toge grunting softly]

- [boar growling]

[roars]

[thud]

[breathing heavily]

[downcast music playing]

[inaudible chatter]

[Toge munching ravenously]

[villagers gasp anxiously]

[munching]

[grunts softly]

[groans softly]

[grumbles]

[grunts]

[villagers gasp softly]

[man chuckles]

Hmm.

- [villagers murmur happily, chuckle]

- [stirring music playing]

[Ream] Looks like they made a connection.

I was worried for a second there.

But Toge's hunting skills won them over.

[Buyoyon] A little starvation

really upped his game.

Are you feeling good now?

Yeah. We've accomplished our mission.

Thanks mostly to you, Bon.

[chuckles]

Huh?

Hmm.

Om. [chewing]

Delicious. [spits]

- [Ream] Bon!

- [Bon] Hmm?

Time Navigation Law,

chapter two, article 16!

Huh?

That states, "When touching nature

in the past world,

do so only after investigating

the influence it'll have on the future."

Okay, but all I did was eat one akebia,

so what's the big deal?

[Buyoyon] It's against the rules!

- How can you still be such an airhead?

- Whatever.

It's not my fault that Time Patrol

has a rule about everything

and each rule leads

to another rule about a rule.

Our number one responsibility

is to never alter history.

And just changing a single thing

could have disastrous consequences

for the entire world.

Now you're just being melodramatic.

I guess you need

to see for yourself, then.

[Time Boat whooshes]

Hey. That's me down there.

Remember how we said we couldn't erase you

because you were relevant to history?

Uh-huh.

Well, this is exactly

where you became relevant.

No way! It happens here?

- [Bon grunts]

- [rock whizzing]

- [man] Ouch!

- That was some kick.

Hey! It wasn't like

I meant to hit the guy.

- Stop running!

- [Ream] It made the man furious.

But a few moments later,

he came across an old abandoned well.

[man] Huh?

[inhales deeply]

[gasps]

- [sirens wail]

- [Ream] A child had fallen into that well.

He might not have survived

down there much longer.

Amazing.

I kicked a rock

and it saved that boy's life.

- It doesn't end there.

- [Bon] Huh?

[Ream] That boy fully recovers

and goes on to pursue medicine,

a path which significantly

benefits humanity.

His research leads to a cure

for an intractable disease.

That cure eventually saves

one politician's life.

And that politician averts a crisis

that could've led to a third World w*r.

Huh.

[Ream] Which saves

the entire human race from extinction.

- [stirring music playing]

- And all of that because of one rock.

[Bon] So that's what you meant

when you told me

I would have an important role in history.

Crazy.

[Ream] Yep. You kicked a rock

and wound up saving the future of mankind.

[Bon] And that's why you didn't go back

to the past to erase my existence.

Everything's interconnected,

including the first time we met.

[Bon] I get it.

It all started the day you came

to save Tetsuo as a Time Patrol agent,

and then you ended up meeting me.

[Ream] Yeah, exactly.

That's when the threads of time merged.

And when headquarters double-checked,

it was confirmed

that we couldn't erase you.

It's so random. I kicked a rock

and became part of the flow of history.

Of course, there were many

other potential outcomes.

But it's not our place to get involved

in every possible path that exists.

It's not my place, and it's not yours.

Nevertheless, our job at Time Patrol

is to keep saving lives.

Excellent response.

Now listen, you did eat

that akebia back there,

so there's a chance

that the world you're going back to

will look completely different now.

Got it?

[Bon] Do you have to scare me like that?

[Time Boat whooshes]

All right. Finally back home.

The world looks the same.

Everything's fine.

[sighs]

Guess gobbling down that akebia

didn't change

the course of history after all.

- [mysterious music playing]

- [gasps]

Hang on.

Where are the akebia?

And the tree,

it's not here anymore.

[sighs]

It's just a small change.

Some akebia trees just aren't

where they used to be.

Nothing serious.

Nothing I even need to worry about.

[mother] I'm back! Come downstairs, Bon.

I have something to show you.

Welcome home, Mom. What's going on?

[mother] One of my friends at work

gave me a bunch of these exotic fruits.

[Bon] Oh, really?

[descending footsteps patter]

Uh-oh.

["Tears in the Sky" by Lena Leon playing]

[music fades out]