That night, Fio is trying to sleep in her sleeping bag as Porco Rosso examines and prepares the ammunition. As Fio peers at Porco Rosso in the glow of the lantern light, she suddenly sees a human face. It is Marco Paggot. She gasps. But when he turns to face her, he is Porco Rosso once more. Fio asks why he became a pig in the first place. When she was young, her father told her all about a famous Captain Marco Paggot who was in his unit. Her favourite story was one where Captain Marco Paggot landed in the raging sea to save an enemy pilot.

What if she kissed Porco Rosso? Would that lift the curse? Porco Rosso refuses her offer. But, he replies that seeing someone like her makes him want to be human again.

Fio asks for a story. Porco Rosso thinks back. It was the summer of the war. They were flying over the Adriatic, aiming for Istria. His friend Berlini, another pilot in his unit, had just gotten married two days earlier. Porco Rosso was his best man. As the planes from the other side approached, and the two sides engaged in battle. Planes started falling left and right from both sides. Porco Rosso had three planes on him, and he didn’t have the opportunity to look after the others in his unit. Then, he was the last one left. He was flying away for his life as the other side’s planes were in pursuit. He was exhausted and didn’t have the strength to fly. The plane was flying on its own.