04x14 - Earth Race

[bunniefuu]

Destination, South America.

Upper Amazon.



That's where we'll find the truth about the Great Petrification.

I want it!

No matter what we end up finding there, I want whatever's at the source of humanity's downfall!

There's no guarantee we'll find anything.

It has been thousands of years.

Yeah, but our real goal in going to South America is to build a super-alloy city.

Consider Ground Zero more of a pit stop.

So what you're saying is that we're going on a treasure hunt in the Amazon!

Badass!

Now I'm really starting to get pumped for this trip!

Be warned that the Amazon is absolutely massive.

We're heading all the way to the center of the place, too.

Speaking of, we're not planning to walk, I presume?

That's not possible.

We could never hope to survive the journey on foot.

It's almost certain death even for fully equipped 21st century travelers.

We're attacking giant mosquitoes that can bite you through your clothes.

And lots of nasty insects that love to lay eggs in human flesh.

Seems worth avoiding.

So we'll have to take a giant detour.

Here, around the coast and then up the river.

Don't tell me you're being erious-say!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but won't it take us years to make it there on this stinky-a*s boat?

The bigger issue is securing enough fuel.

We'll drop anchor every time we run out of fuel.

Allowing us to stock up on lumber.

With six engines running on charcoal gas, we'll slowly but surely inch our way there.

Yes, I have no doubt this vessel is up to the task.

That said...

I'm loaded up with more fuel and oil than I could ever possibly use.

And I've got the speed advantage.

It's only a matter of time before I catch them.

The fledgling science team is mine.

We're in a super big hurry!

I can't stop!

We let that awful Stanley guy catch up to us we're all done for!

Miss Luna?

Can I help you?

You rest while I finish up.

Come on now, don't be silly.

You're talking to Luna.

A cool-headed gal who is a capable woman!

I should have known that big oaf would still be hard at work.

Taiju would just go on forever if you'd let him.

He would, but the sun's already down and he hasn't had dinner yet.

True.

Even the strong can't go without rest or nutrition.

We shouldn't let anyone overdo it.

Let's make sure he gets a meal.

Leave the Taiju feeding to me!

Can't stop!

Won't stop!

All night!

Gotta keep it up so the others can get some rest!

Taiju!

I brought you something yummy!

No way!

Thanks a lot!

That was really thoughtful of you.

What the?

Giant letters in the sky?

There's no way this is good, right?

Hell!

For real?

It says hell!

What's the matter?

The Why-Man followed us here and put something bad in the sky !

We assure it's him!

Who else could write a message in the sky?

And who else would want to scare us like that?

That's wildly creepy.

What could it mean?

I think I can see something behind the letters.

There's some kind of frame around each one.

It's incredibly faint.

They're kites.

And phosphorescent paint.

Right!

And that means what now?

Oh, that's stuff that glows in the dark.

Don't you mean fluorescent paint?

Ah, that's what they used in markers.

Someone's in there.

Dr. Xeno, any ideas?

None.

I know that look anywhere!

She must have it!

This girl's got a real bad case of the fuzzy sickness!

I can't really see you, but I can totes hear you.

I'm partially positive that someone's there.

Hey, blurry person! that's so hype, hurau huray huray !

I'd say Suika pretty much nailed it.

And she somehow survived on her own like this?

That's actually impressive.

I can see now !

You fixed my freaky vision and now it's freaky good instead of freaky bad!

Thank you so, so, so much!

Freaky?

This is great!

It's you.

Dr. Chelsea.

Hey, Xeno!

Way rude!

Sorry about that!

Got excited, but that's no excuse to point at a pal!

Wanna fill us in?

Is she an acquaintance of yours?

No, we've never actually met.

Don't be such a silly goose!

We did meet.

A long time ago.

At the park before the conference.

You glanced.

So we're basically BFFs, you know?

And you're saying it was best friendship at first sight?

That's a freaky low bar.

Senku.

In a way, you're responsible for her presence here.

Using posted stats on social media and geographical distribution

you confirmed that the petrified bird statues were real swallows.

That was your analysis.

And that's why she was invited to that conference as part of our panel of experts.

That girl is the most prodigious teen geographer.

Dr. Chelsea.

The topography of the entire planet is stored in that eccentric mind of hers.

Oh, wowsers!

You're really laying it on thick, bestie!

Mega blush!

Though I'm almost out of teenhood now!

Retreat!

Run for cover right now!

We must maintain consciousness!

Aw, dang it!

I've gotta-

Owie!

Oh, crap!

I figured I should try and stay awake like that shouty soldier guy told us to.

And last year, I suddenly got un-petrified.

Totes freaky!

The heck?

I'm naked?

OMG!

So that means she awoke three years after we did.

Did you not see the sign directing you north?

Why didn't you seek us out?

What sign?

Doesn't ring any bells?

I bet other survivors would head to the river.

So that's where I'll go too!

Alrighty, time to pick a direction.

North or south?

I'll go south!



Stop throwing shade!

You're acting like I'm some sort of dum-dum, you meanies!

Dudes!

Between north and south, who would pick north?

I had to go southward because I knew that's where I'd find tasty Kali oranges!

No contest!

Yeah, thing is, most people aren't walking maps like you seem to be.

Hey, Chelsea, about your next level skills.

Think you can fill us in on flora distributions?

I'd be happy to help!

No joke, I'm all about that field research life, so I'm pretty accurate.

Anyhoo, I recently found sphalerite in the gravel

boiled it up to make phosphorescent paint

and made some kites!

Was that eepy-cray signal supposed to say help instead of hell?

Obvi!

Looks like I ran out of paint at the end, but my sight was too bad to notice!

Our next destination is here.

The plan is to take the long way around by sea

but if we can somehow manage a shortcut across land...

There's a chance we can shake free of Stanley.

Know any back routes we can take, Miss Geographer?

Right there!

This one special spot!

There's a chance we can use it to cross South America!

We land in northern Ecuador, and do a teensy-weensy bit of mountain climbing.

From there, we just waterslide our way down the Amazon like whoosh!

So we'll be walking after we land?

Yeah, that's the pickle, eh?

It's a sure way to get dead in a jiffy.

That's accurate, but there's no way we'd make it through the rainforest in a car.

Thinking mode!

What if we had some kind of sweet off-roader?

Like a cool motorcycle or something?

Too bad we don't.

True.

We don't have motorcycles.

Know what that means?

And there's that look.

We'll make them!

How'd I know he'd say that?

From the Pacific all the way to the Atlantic, our cross-continental shortcut!

We'll work together to build six motorcycles, and then speedrun across South America!

We'll be sailing on the high sea for a while still

but I'm so fired up I want to start on what I can in the meantime!

That is an appropriate reaction.

I mean, saying we'll build motorcycles in the stone world?

Allow me to explain the situation.

We think the guy behind humanity's petrification is on the moon.

Yeah, that moon.

So we're on a globetrotting adventure to gather materials and go there.

And the epicenter of the petrification beam is in South America, which is exactly where we're headed.

This is peak hype, you guys are total freaks and I'm so right there with you!

If we come across a proper petrification device at the source

it's possible that we could use it against Stanley before he ever sets eyes on us.

But that logic works both ways, doesn't it?

If Xeno or Stanley get their hands on it, they'd be truly unstoppable.

That's scary!

No kidding.

It's a true double-edged sword.

So we have to make it there first, or else...

Xeno!

You're the bad guy!

Oopsie!

Didn't mean to start pointing again.

Sorry about my rude finger.

But you've got to stop stealing weapons and doing bad stuff if we're going to be besties!

You may be a genius, but you're also a stinky stinker!

He's getting the third degree over there.

She grilled him!

Seeing how brave she is makes me a little jealous.

She's like the opposite of me.

I wish I could be like that.

Well, Dr. Chelsea.

You are incontrovertibly an elegant geographer.

So why not join forces with me as I lead this world into a new age of progress?

Thanks, but hell nah!

Guess why!

Cause their adventure sounds like way more fun!

Plus I owe Senku and Kaseki a solid for my glasses!

Just tell me what to do!

I'll help the crap out of you!

For realsies!

Well, since you asked, there's a material we need your S-tier geography skills to find.

Some rubber.

You can find rubber in the wild?

Sounds hard to get.

Do we really need it?

Our American team was never able to find a source.

We settled for lesser alternatives.

But its applications are varied.

A treasure for science and engineering.

Whoa, you two Freakazoids are totally omega-level brain buddies!

Most of all, rubber is essential for tire production.

Far superior to glass skis and bamboo wheels.

No question.

Tires revolutionized humanity's mobility to a ridiculous degree.

In terms of speed, these things are a k*ller cheat code.

More like brain besties!

That settles it!

We'll swing by Latin America and score enough rubber so the brainiacs can make us motorcycles!

Let's do this!

Happy to be your guide!

An explorer?

I hope you're aware that means we're rivals now.

Other people are allowed to be explorers too.

Don't be so competitive.

Your dilemma is that you're caught up in a merciless race

but you will never escape a man like Stanley.

So how long will it take us to gather all the fuel and rubber we'll need along the way?

A few days, even at top speed.

Oh no!

There's no way we'll be able to outrun Stanley if we have to stop for that long!

We're in big trouble!

This whole time limit thing is way too brutal.

Senku...

Our situation has taken a turn.

I'm afraid we're already out of time.

It's happening.

Our ship's receiving radio pings.

The Perseus' radar is in the enemy's hands, and they're now locked on to our position.

Isn't that the thing Ukyo is always messing with?

There's our target.

That's where Dr. Xeno and the enemy are located.

What are you doing?

Get back to the brig!

I was just on my way there from the bathroom!

How could you figure it out with such a primitive radar?

It provides just enough data that I can analyze the signal manually.

And I can tell more than their position.

With the radio cross-section, I can confirm that it's their ship the radar is detecting.

I guess that's why you're the military's elite radar operator.

Never could wrap my head around all that nerdy science stuff.

We're aboard a massive carrier with an ample supply of petroleum fuel.

Continuing at this speed, we'll easily catch up to Xeno's abductors by nightfall.

This is bad.

Really bad!

Senku...

Everyone!

I can tell from the enemy's radar waves.

They know that we're here.

They're coming.

Slowly, but surely.

Are you saying this is some kind of battle between you and the enemy radar guy?

This is nothing resembling a battle.

We're trapped rabbits waiting to be hunted down.

I get that it's important, but what does this radar thing do?

It lets them see where we are?

It's like an eye.

Made of radio waves.

Those invisible beams we sh**t around.

When we talk on our cell phones, right?

Right.

So imagine firing those beams in every direction

and whenever they hit something, they bounce back to you.

That's how radar works.

The enemy ship has stopped moving.

Okay!

We'll check every harbor in the area until we find them.

It's futile to hide.

There's no escape from the eye of science.

If we can't hide, then losing them with speed is our only option.

Can't we put up sails to go faster?

We do have some cloth in the mobile lab, but it's not enough.

And without Yuzuriha, we can't weave it fast enough.

Fun fact time!

I spent a whole year knitting these huge enormous kites like a degenerate

so that someday maybe someone would come and find me.

But now it's time to hide instead?

That's great!

The kites!

It's brilliant!

They're too fast.

Impossible.

How did they gain so much speed?

At that pace, they'll run out of fuel before long.

When they stop to resupply, they're dead in the water.

Their ship's reflective area is also suddenly too wide.

I believe they may have erected some sails.

You're saying they turned it into a sailboat?

I didn't know you could do that.

And so quickly.

It seems you can.

And they're sailing faster than any ordinary sailboat.

But how are they doing it?

We're blazing ahead!

The seized version of an F-Boy car!

A kite sail.

Like the large spinnakers utilized in yacht racing.

It goes without saying that this epic speed boost requires a stupid amount of power and skill to pull off.

But with our professional sailor Ryusui...

Taiju and the rest of the power team

we're 10 billion percent covered on that front.

If you simply double the size of the sail

then proportionately, of course, to the doubled size of the vessel

the size of the 2D sail will increase by the square.

Meanwhile, the volume and mass of the 3D vessel will increase by the cube.

So only small ships benefit from the increased speed a kite has to offer.

In a battle of science, small opponents aren't necessarily at a disadvantage.

They're not outpacing us anymore!

Am I wrong?

Wake up!

We're racing around the world in all these super fun vehicles and I am so here for it!

Yeah, let's go.

We're gonna find those rubber trees and score our OP racing material.

We're gonna leave our pursuers in our wake with super speed science.

Go! Go! Go! Go!

It's about time to get excited.