Author's note: At last, the final chapter. It took a bit longer to write, but it was fun. And thank you all for your support and patience. Enjoy~

Chapter 3: Rescue

Conan lied on the ground, wincing as the metal chains dug into his wrists and ankles. Fatigue was draining him, and his slowly-healing injuries made it worse. Has it been two days? Two and a half? He shifted his position to ease the cramps on his arms but grimaced as the chains brushed against his damaged skin.

The gang was huddled in a group, finishing their plans for the remaining targeted victims. It was early afternoon when they finally started packing their weapons. But Turo and Haki remained at the table.

Riu walked over to Conan and jabbed a thumb toward the two men. "They will be watching you very carefully. So don't try anything funny," he said with a menacing tone.

As Riu, Furoshi, and Teke climbed into the van, Conan desperately searched his mind for an idea. The transmitters' locations would show up on any pair of glasses, and since Agasa had a spare set, he had a good hunch that Haibara had already investigated the locations and figured out who the targeted victims were.

Then he thought about the remaining trackers inside his inner pocket. Haibara would definitely know where he is right now, but there was no sign of any friends approaching. It was what he expected; if they attempted a rescue mission, the gang would just threaten to finish him off. For now, he could only hope that Haibara had come up with some plan to stop the killings.


Hattori Heiji stood awkwardly in the doorway, not expecting the little girl to stare this long. She seemed to be calculating something in her head while refusing to break eye contact with him.

"Um, is there something on my face?" Hattori asked, fidgeting.

"Ai-kun, is that Inspector Megure?" Agasa called from the living room.

Haibara jolted back to the present. She couldn't believe the timing. With Hattori here, she saw a better chance of her plan succeeding.

"It's Hattori," Haibara regained her composure, looking indifferent as usual.

"Oh, Hattori, nice to see you here!" Agasa said, walking up to the door. "Sadly, we're kind of in a messy situation right now, but… anyway, come on in!"

Hattori relaxed as he walked away from the little girl's foreboding aura.

"So, how have you guys been?" Hattori tried to lighten the mood, having no idea what he just walked into.

"Not so good," Agasa said, his hands fidgeting. "You see, we kind of need your help…"

"Conan got kidnapped," Haibara said, straightforward.

Hattori's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Haibara grabbed Hattori's sleeve and dragged him over to the table, where Conan's duplicate gadgets lay. She picked up the ball dispensing belt and handed it to the detective.

"Conan needs his gadgets as soon as possible. Do you think you can deliver these without getting caught from the gang members who imprisoned him?" Haibara's expression was intimidating, as if she really wanted to say, Don't mess up.

Hattori blinked his eyes. This was all very sudden. But if Kudo was in trouble, he was willing to do anything to help. "Okay, yeah, let me just…" He gingerly fingered the belt while comprehending the hastily requested assignment. I'm supposed to secretly deliver these to Kudo? he thought, stretching out the belt that could inflate soccer balls. Should be simple enough. After all, he's not the only genius around here.

Agasa nervously chuckled, raising his hands in apology. "I'm sorry, Hattori. I know this isn't the welcome you expected, but it's been very chaotic lately. Conan's been confined in that warehouse for about two days now, and we're really worried about him."

Hattori solemnly nodded. "So what's the plan?"

Haibara placed a map on the table, where she had marked three locations in the city area. "We know there are five members in the gang, and they're behind the current serial case. These—" she pointed at each corresponding dot on the map. "—are the locations of the next targeted victims. Inspector Megure and the police are scattered around these three dots, and they're currently waiting for the gang members to show up so they can arrest them. We don't know exactly how many gang members are guarding Conan right now, but based on the three new locations, I'm guessing there are two since it would be ideal to send one gang member to each location."

She looked up at Hattori. "Figure out how to deliver the gadgets without being caught. Once Conan has his gadgets, he'll take care of the remaining gang members."

Hattori took a moment to absorb all of this. Not only was Conan kidnapped but there was a serial case going on too? He shook his head in astonishment. Looks like Kudo's been busy, he thought.

"Can you do it?" Haibara asked.

A smirk formed on the great detective of the west. "Leave it to me."


Megure spoke into his walkie-talkie and proceeded to confirm the positions of all his men. According to the little girl, the gang members were going to show up soon to murder the targeted victims. For each location she had indicated, Megure had made sure a full squadron of police officers were in place, prepared to rush in once they saw a gang member. Haibara had also shared her research on the Dragon gang and requested that the inspector make sure each of his men saw the pictures of the remaining Dragon gang members. That way, it would be easier to identify and capture them.

Megure kept his eyes on the apartment in front of him, sitting patiently in his car. A couple minutes passed when Megure spotted a muscular figure sneaking across the wall of the apartment.

"Suspect spotted on the left block. Prepare to move in," Megure ordered.

"Yes, sir," the answer came from his device.


Riu did not expect his plan to fail, but he couldn't ignore his gut instinct that something was about to go wrong. He quickly pressed the button on the glasses he stole from the kid and pulled up the grid. The three dots were still in place. Riu was at the first dot, and he had assigned Teke to the second dot and Furoshi to the third. He slipped the glasses back in his pocket and chuckled to ease his conscience. He had nothing to worry about.

Peeking around the corner, he scanned his surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place. Just the usual cars parked across the curb and the occasional pedestrian. Wait. Upon closer look, he noticed a slight bulge at the pedestrian's hip. He traced with his eyes up to the face and inadvertently made eye contact. The pedestrian quickly looked away.

Riu frowned and crouched down. The pedestrian was probably a cop, judging from his careful stance and observant eyes. Riu clenched his fists, furious at himself for almost getting caught. It was better if he retreated now.

Just before he was about to run for it, his earpiece emitted Teke's urgent voice. "Boss! I'm cornered!"

Riu's heart thudded. "What?" he said, pressing his earpiece. "Teke, what's going on?"

"The police knew I was coming," Teke cried. "They're gonna arrest me! I can't run anywhere—" The communication cut off, replaced with the sound of static.

Riu snarled and switched his connection to check on the sniper. "Furoshi, answer me, are you there?"

To his relief, the woman replied. "Yeah, but I got bad news. The police were already here. I'm delaying them with my rifle, but I'm badly outnumbered. I'm sorry, Riu, but they're going to catch me."

Riu slapped the wall in frustration. Then from his peripheral vision, he suddenly noticed a group of cops rushing toward him. I better get away while I can, he thought. While he started running, he furiously pulled out his phone to contact Turo, who was at the warehouse with Haki, guarding the kid. Riu and his gang couldn't have their revenge, but perhaps he could gain some satisfaction if the boy were dead.


Hattori snuck up to the huge, old warehouse with a wooden door and wooden planks for walls. According to the little girl, this was where Conan was being held captive. With his arm cradling the pile of gadgets, he peeked through the little holes in the door. As expected, there were two gang members, standing at a table with their arms crossed. A few meters to the right, he saw Conan, chained up and lying on the ground next to the wall. Hattori clenched his fists. How dare they treat his friend this way?

Kneeling down, Hattori placed his hand on the doorknob. If only he had some distraction to lure the gang members away…

Just then, the skinnier of the two gang members perked up. "Boss?"

An earpiece, Hattori thought. He looked at the second gang member, the bulky man, and noticed he was also listening intently.

"Teke got caught?" The skinny guy yelled in disbelief. "What about Furoshi?"

Hattori smiled. The little girl's plan was working. He used the distraction to slowly twist the doorknob. With the door slightly open, he reached his arm in and rolled a coin toward Conan.


Conan perked up as Turo yelled into his earpiece, agitated by Riu's report of failure. He gave a small sigh of relief. It sounded like Haibara managed to discover the three locations and protect the remaining Tori gang members. If the police caught Riu, Furoshi, and Teke, then that left Turo and Haki to take care of. Conan looked at the two men, wondering how to ensure their capture as well.

Tap.

The little detective felt something small bump into his head. He turned toward the object and realized it was a coin. Wondering where it came from, he looked up and, to his surprise, saw Hattori Heiji, his grinning face peeking out from the door.

Hattori? Conan thought, stunned to see him.

Hattori frantically motioned for Conan to come closer to the door. Conan looked toward the two gang members, who were still shouting into their earpieces at the table. Using the distraction, he inched toward his friend.

Hattori nodded in satisfaction and slid a bobby pin toward the little detective, who nodded appreciatively. It only took a few seconds for Conan to unlock himself from the chains. Then Hattori proceeded to slide the gadgets to Conan, one by one.

Thrilled to have them back, Conan hurriedly buckled the soccer ball belt around his waist, strapped on his metal watch, and slipped on the spare set of glasses. Hattori offered a spare set of shoes, but Conan shook his head then mouthed thank you.

Hattori winked, then pointed outside the door. I'll be here, the gesture said.

Conan nodded in understanding. While Hattori hid behind the door, Conan twisted the knob on his shoes, activating them. Just then, he heard Haki ask, "You want us to kill the boy? Right now?"

Turo turned around and noticed Conan was free from his chains. "Hey!" he shouted. The gang member pulled out a knife and charged.

Pressing a button on his belt, Conan inflated a soccer ball and pulled his leg back. With a yell, he kicked the ball, which flew toward Turo and struck him in the face.

Turo grunted and fell backwards on the ground, the knife skidding away.

Haki's jaw dropped open. "Turo!" he hollered, but the only answer he got was a snore from the now unconscious gang member. Furious, Haki turned to face Conan, glaring threateningly.

Before Haki could attack the boy, Conan flipped open his watch and shot out the tranquilizer dart. Haki's eyes were closed before he even hit the ground.

Conan took a few deep breaths, adrenaline pounding his head. After several seconds, he turned and walked toward the door, planning to tell Hattori to call the cops.

Bang!

A scream escaped Conan's lips as pain exploded across his ribs. He collapsed on the ground, gripping his side. Warm fluid spread across his hand and pooled to the floor. Through his hazy vision, Conan squinted to see Haki—somehow already awake from the tranquilizer—standing over him, his face flushed with anger.

Conan groaned. This was almost like the time when he tranquilized Inspector Zenigata* at the Royal Gazebo in Vespania; Zenigata had woken up merely a few seconds after being knocked out. The tranquilizer probably didn't work for everyone.

"Conan!" Hattori opened the door to rush in.

Haki whipped the pistol toward Hattori.

Hattori cried out in alarm and ducked behind the door as multiple bullets embedded themselves in the wood. A stray bullet streaked across Hattori's arm, and he yelped.

Haki turned back to Conan, who was crumpled on the floor. "You…" the large man growled. "You ruined everything!" He stomped on the boy's chest.

Conan screamed, the agony almost knocking him out.

"Conan!" Hattori called out desperately, unable to do anything against an enraged man with a gun.

Conan fought to stay conscious, but he was losing too much blood. His vision swam, nausea threatening to make him hurl.

Haki pointed the gun toward Conan's head, snarling. "This is for my comrades, who are sitting in jail because of you."

Conan closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable bullet.

Bang!

With a start, Conan realized Haki was screaming. The bulky man stumbled backwards, gripping his leg. Another gunshot followed, and the pistol flew from his hand. Haki yelled in rage. He wrapped his hands around Conan and began choking him.

Bang!

Haki fell to the side, blood soaking his shoulder. He groaned, looking around for whoever was shooting the bullets.

Conan turned his head toward the demolished window of the warehouse and saw… Haibara. She was holding a pistol with two hands, eyes focused on Haki, who was crawling across the ground, blood dripping from his leg and shoulder.

Hattori burst in, slamming the door open. "Conan!" he yelled, dropping to his knees next to the boy.

"Hattori…" Conan croaked.

"Hang in there, Conan. Help is coming," Hattori reassured, taking off his t-shirt and bundling it up. He pressed the ball of fabric on Conan's side.

"Thanks," Conan managed then allowed unconsciousness to take over. The last thing he dimly heard was the siren of an ambulance.


Riu trudged along the sidewalk, hands tucked in his pockets, his face angled toward the ground. As he passed the stores on the street, he wondered what happened when Turo and Haki stopped answering their earpieces. Something probably happened when he ordered them to kill the boy. Riu was most likely the last member of the Dragon gang who eluded the cops. He couldn't risk getting caught, so he walked around, thinking about waiting a day or two before carefully heading back to the hideout.

As he passed an outdoor bar, he glanced toward the TV and paused. On the screen, a female reporter was directly in front of the gang's hideout, announcing the capture of two Dragon gang members. The world seemed to warp in Riu's eyes. After eight years of successfully avoiding the police, he couldn't grasp the sight of his comrades getting arrested. Anger blossomed inside Riu, and he had to suppress the urge to grab the nearest bottle and throw it against the wall.

The reporter continued to explain that a little boy was shot before the gang members were arrested. This made Riu smile a little. At least his goons followed through with his last command.

But then the reporter said the boy had survived and was transported to the nearest hospital. Riu's smile evaporated like mist. He's still alive? Riu furiously thought. He turned toward the street to catch a taxi while pulling out the boy's glasses from his pocket. It was time to pay a little visit—and end the boy's life for good.


The sterile smell of antiseptic was the first thing Conan noticed as his consciousness gradually came back. His eyes cracked open, and he had to squint against the sudden brightness. When his vision adjusted, he found himself in a hospital bed, the white sheets tucked over his stomach.

"Kudo!"

Hattori's voice pierced through his brain. Conan cringed.

"You're awake!" Hattori exclaimed, standing up from the chair he was sitting on.

Conan groaned. "Too loud."

"Oh! Sorry," Hattori whispered.

Conan winced as he sat up, cradling his ribs.

"Whoa there, take it easy, Kudo," Hattori said, holding up his hands.

"I'm fine," Conan said, panting from the brief exertion. He looked down and saw firm wrappings of white bandages around his chest. His wrists were also wrapped with gauze for his wounded skin from the chains.

Hattori sighed. "It's a good thing we got you to the hospital on time. You were losing a lot of blood."

Haibara's face came into Conan's memory, her steady hands clutching a pistol. If it weren't for her, he would be dead right now. I owe her a big one, Conan thought.

Hattori was shaking his head. "I know you stumble into lots of cases, Kudo, but I never expected to walk right into the middle of one when I just came for a visit."

Conan smiled, realizing he never greeted his friend in all the chaos. "It's good to see you, Hattori." Then he noticed Hattori's upper arm was wrapped. "Are you okay?"

Hattori looked down at his bicep. "Just a scratch from a stray bullet. It's nothing," he reassured.

A knock sounded, and the door opened to reveal…

"Haibara," Conan exclaimed.

Agasa was right behind her. "Conan!" he cried. "Thank goodness."

Haibara walked in with her arms crossed and paused in front of Conan's bed.

Conan looked at them both. "Thank you," he said genuinely.

Haibara glanced to the side, her expression full of apathy. "Whatever."

Conan smiled. Even with the flat tone, he could tell she was relieved by her eyes. "Did the police catch all the gang members?" he asked.

Agasa shook his head. "Not all of them."

Conan's heart thudded. "What?"

Haibara met Conan's eyes. "The leader of the gang managed to escape. If he finds out you're alive, he's going to try and hunt you down."

Conan looked to the side and noticed his clothes hanging on a rack. His transmitters were still in the pocket.

Hattori spoke up. "But don't worry. We have policemen disguised as patients stationed around the hospital, and they'll report if they spot the last gang member. Sooner or later he's going to get caught."

"Yep," Agasa agreed. "You're safe here."

Conan nodded, glad to hear about the security. He laid back down and relaxed. It felt good to finally be out of that old warehouse.


Night fell as Riu approached the hospital, studying the grid on the glasses. The dot marking the boy's location was clearly visible. Riu straightened his lab coat, confident his disguise would work. He entered the hospital and trudged on, using the grid as a guide.

The hallways were dimly lit, and the stairs seemed to go on for ages. No one stopped him while he passed by multiple rooms for various patients. When he finally reached the door that would lead to the boy, his heart thudded in anticipation. He surreptitiously checked the muffler on his gun then quietly opened the door.

It was a large room with multiple beds, but only one was occupied, the boy's form covered in blankets. Riu turned on his flashlight and smiled, eagerly stepping toward the bed. He grabbed the blanket, ready to yank it away when suddenly, beams of light burst into the room. Riu cried out, raising his hands to shield his eyes.

"This is the police. Drop your weapon and put your hands up."

Riu's eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness, and he saw himself surrounded by about ten police officers with black armor and shields. The policewoman at the center spoke again, repeating the command.

But Riu refused to obey. He leaped toward the boy, yanked him out of bed, and held the gun at the boy's temple. "You'd better let me go if you want the kid to live," Riu threatened.

The policewoman just commanded, "Arrest him!"

The cops rushed in. Riu pulled the trigger, feeling the bullet's impact on the head before an officer knocked his gun away, followed by the rest of the cops tumbling on top of him and cuffing him. However, Riu was laughing. He did it. The boy was dead, and he avenged his comrades.

An officer reached over and patted Riu's lab coat, eventually finding the glasses in the right side pocket and snatching them. Then he pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Target has been acquired. Is the kid still safe?"
Riu froze. What are they talking about?

"Affirmative," came the reply. "He's been with us the whole time."

Riu whipped his head toward the still body. He looked carefully and noticed it wasn't a body at all; it was a dummy. Fury raged inside Riu, and he screamed, belting out his frustration of defeat.


Conan lied on his new hospital bed, waiting for news. A policeman, assigned to be his temporary bodyguard, was monitoring the door. In addition, Haibara and Hattori were next to his bed, ready to protect him.

After several minutes, the policeman got a message from his walkie-talkie. Then he gave Conan a reassuring smile. "You're safe, kid. They caught him. And they also got your glasses back."

"Thank you, officer," Conan said, satisfied with the report.

Hattori visibly relaxed. "Looks like the decoy worked."

Conan smirked. "Riu still had my glasses. It was only a matter of moving the transmitters onto the dummy to mislead him."

Haibara gave a small smile. "Well done, great detective." Then she stood. "I better get back to Agasa and inform him of our success."

As she began walking away, Conan said, "Wait, Haibara."

She looked over her shoulder. "What?"

"Thank you. I really mean it."

Haibara faced the door again. "You're welcome." She exited the room.

Hattori chuckled. "That girl is mysterious."

Conan sighed, tilting his head back on the pillow. "Thanks, Hattori, for rescuing me."

"Nah, don't mention it." Hattori waved his hand. "It was all her plan. She's a pretty cool genius herself."

Conan agreed. "So what brought you here in the first place?"

Hattori grinned. "I thought we could go for some okonomiyaki."

Conan's eyebrow twitched. "Geez, Hattori."

The high school detective laughed. "Well, you'd better recover first. That injury will take a couple weeks to heal. I'll visit again." He smiled and stood. "You better not be in any trouble when I come back."

Conan smirked. "No promises."

Hattori shook his head, but he was smiling. "Later, Kudo," he said, waving a hand.

Conan said bye as Hattori left the room. Then he stared at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. Another case closed. After all he's been through, okonomiyaki sounded nice. He closed his eyes to rest, determined to make a full recovery.

-The End-

*Inspector Zenigata from Lupin the Third versus Detective Conan. Conan accidentally tranquilizes Inspector Zenigata, so Conan tries to use him to explain the case instead of using Mouri Kogorou like always. But Zenigata wakes up a few seconds later, so Lupin has to help out Conan.

And that concludes "Detective Conan versus the Dragon Gang." Thank you so much for reading my fanfic, I hope you liked it!

~ turquoisepearl