Chapter 12: Hidden Strength

That night, Senku, Chrome, Kohaku, Suika, and I were gathered in the Shed of Science, along with Gen, who was still recovering from the wounds he had received.

"I plan on participating in the Grand Bout," said Kohaku. "The Kingdom of Science team, with Kinro, Ginro, David, and me, will do whatever it takes to stop Magma's victory."

"Uh, Senku, do you mind explaining why you have ME on the battle team?!" I asked, my tone worried.

"Simple, we need your strength," Senku replied, his tone calm and calculating. "You're a strong person with an imposing size, despite your 'conscientious objective' personality."

"His what?" Suika asked, her tone confused.

"He's talking about how I have a non-violent personality," I replied, before saying in a distressed tone, "Senku, I'm not a fighter - I prefer talking and peaceful solutions, rather than having to fight and go hand-to-hand to someone! I mean, what if I lose?!"

"You won't lose," said Senku. "Kohaku will train you - she doesn't mind taking on a third, do you, Kohaku?"

"No, I don't mind," Kohaku replied, her tone affirmative. "Kinro and Ginro could use a new sparring partner."

"But Senku, to be honest, I don't-" I was about to speak up, but then Gen started letting out pained breaths.

"Hey, Gen, are you alright?" Chrome asked, his tone worried.

"His recovery is going to take a long time at this rate." said Kohaku, her tone somewhat worried.

"Which means…" said Chrome.

"Yeah," Senku spoke up. "We have a short time limit before Tsukasa comes to kill me."

Kohaku nodded her head, stood up, and said in a calm, yet commanding, tone, "Suika, David, let's go and get some sleep - we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Senku and I will stay here, and keep an eye on Gen." said Chrome.

"Right, we'll see you two tomorrow." I replied, as I stood up.

Kohaku, Suika, and I left the Shed of Science, climbed down to the lower ground, and went off to find places to sleep for the night. While Suika returned to the village, Kohaku found a comfortable place up in the large branches of a tree, and I took to resting on a lush bed of grass. After a couple minutes of getting comfortable, I said a quick prayer, asking God to help us with our mission to save Ruri, and win the Grand Bout. Then, I closed my eyes, and I fell asleep.


"OH NO!" Chrome yelled, which caused me to wake up and almost have a heart attack.

"Criminy!" I yelled out, before regaining my composure and asking, "What happened?"

"Gen's vanished!" Chrome announced.

I quickly got up - it was now morning, and entire team for the Kingdom of Science had gathered together, having heard what Chrome yelled out. I joined the others, as Senku scratched his ear with his pinky finger, and looked into the forest.

"Yeah, I'm sure he went back to Tsukasa." said Senku, his tone surprisingly calm.

"But why would he sneak out like that?" Chrome asked.

"That crazy bat better not intend to tell Tsukasa that Senku's alive." Kohaku replied.

"This is bad, Senku," said Chrome. "We have to go after him."

"We have to catch that crazy bat quickly!" Kohaku added, as she started running towards the forest.

"Hold it!" Senku spoke, quickly getting in Kohaku's way, which caused her to run into him, knock him over, and fall on top of him.

"Why are you stopping me, Senku?!" Kohaku asked, her tone fierce. "We have to catch the bat!"

Senku let out a chuckle, which surprised her, and replied, "We can leave him be - If Gen really didn't have a millimeter of interest in science, he never would've cooperated to begin with. He'd already made up his mind on whose side he was on when I made electricity."

Senku stood up and continued, saying, "But as a superficial man, he has his superficial way of saving face."

"Men are such a pain in the butt in any era." Kohaku replied, her tone annoyed.

"So Gen's joining the Kingdom of Science?" Chrome asked, his tone hopeful.

"Yeah," Senku replied, his tone pleased. "I'm sure he'll wander back like nothing happened."

Kohaku let out a little laugh and said, "Looks like the first battle between the Tsukasa Empire and the Kingdom of Science, the fight for Gen Asagiri, ends in a victory for the Kingdom of Science."

"Gen is a good person after all!" Suika cheered.

"Looks like we got a new member added to our roster!" I added, my tone cheerful.

"Yeah!" Chrome added, his tone excited.

"It's the world's flimsiest alliance, bound by a single bottle of cola," said Senku, before he let out a chuckle and said, "All right, I'll have to apply science to make Gen a ridiculously chilled bottle of cola in time for when he gets back."

I chuckled and added, making my voice sound like a TV announcer, "Senku Cola - all real ingredients, ridiculously chilled, and made with science, from over three-thousand and seven-hundred years ago!"

Senku looked over at me, smiled, and said, "I like that, David - aside from being on the battle team, and working as the Chronicler, you'll be in charge of the advertising department."

I smiled back for a few seconds, but then my smile faded, 'cause it was then that I remembered - Senku had assigned me to the battle team, despite my not wanting to be on there.


After the excitement had died down, it was business as usual - the battle team was training, while the science team was working. However, the science team had taken a break from their work, and came over to watch the battle team train. This was 'cause I was now a member of the battle team, and Kohaku had picked me out to spar with her.

Kohaku now had two sparring knives, which looked like small sticks with bags on them, while I was giving a sparring sword, which looked like a larger stick with a bag on it. Senku, Chrome, Suika, Kinro, and Ginro were off to the side, watching us as we were preparing to spar.

"I really don't want to do this," I said, my tone worried. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"What makes you so sure you'll hurt me?" Kohaku asked, her tone calm, yet firm. "Besides, we're just sparing."

"But what if it goes too far?" I asked, my tone worried.

"Has it gone too far before, David?" Senku suddenly asked, which got my attention. "Tell me, have you ever gone too far?"

"Well… yeah." I replied, my tone embarrassed, as I turned to look at him.

"And what did you do?" Senku asked, his tone straight-forward. "How did you go too far? We'd all like to know, after all."

"Yeah, what happened?" Chrome asked, his tone curious.

I felt my face go red with embarrassment, and I replied in a cautious tone, "Well, when I was a kid, I would sometimes wrestle and play-fight with my brothers and my friends. I didn't know my own strength when I was a kid, so sometimes, I would accidentally use too much force, and I would hurt them badly, and they would start crying from the pain. I got yelled at and punished for it - parents of my friends, teachers at school, my own parents, I got in trouble for accidentally hurting people, though I had no intention to do it, so it's best that I don't fight - I don't want to get in trouble, and I don't want to be yelled at."

"With all due respect, David, if you don't fight, you are going to be in trouble when you enter the Grand Bout," said Senku. "We're doing this to save Ruri and stop Magma - do you want Kohaku's sister to die, and Magma to rule the village, all because of what happened when you were a kid?"

"No, but… I don't want to get in trouble." I replied, my tone now worried.

"You're not going to get in trouble for sparring with me," said Kohaku, her tone reassuring. "Now come at me and fight - I'll be able to take it."

"She's a lot tougher than she looks, David," Kinro added. "Fight her."

"I don't want to do this." I groaned out.

"Fight me, David, or you're going to get hurt." Kohaku replied, now sounding somewhat angered.

"To be honest, I-"

Suddenly, Kohaku struck me with one of her sparring knives, right in the stomach, which hurt a lot! I let out a yelp of pain, as Kohaku attacked me again, hitting me in the back, which sent me tripping forward!

"Fight me, you coward!" Kohaku yelled. "What do you think, you'll get mercy in the Grand Bout?!"

"Fight her, David, come on!" Chrome yelled.

I got up but didn't fight back, which led to Kohaku attacking me again, over and over! It hurt, and my yelps turned to whines of pain, as I tried to hold back the tears from getting hit over and over! It hurt, but I remembered all of what happened when I was a kid, and I just couldn't get past the memories!

"You may be large, but all you are is a little child!" Kohaku snarled, as she continued to attack me again and again.

"Do something, David!" Ginro yelled out. "Don't just stand there and take it!"

"You're going to let my sister die, just 'cause you're scared?!" Kohaku asked, as she hit me again. "You're going to let Magma rule the village, 'cause you don't want to fight?!"

"Fight, David, fight her!" Kinro yelled.

Senku didn't say anything, but he just watched in silence, while Suika looked worried and anxious, at how I was getting the living daylights beaten out of me! The tears of pain were now starting to come, and I felt pain everywhere, all over from where Kohaku had struck me! She continued her attacks, forcing me up against the Shed of Science, and as I was mercilessly pummeled, I didn't care anymore! I didn't care what anyone would think of me, I didn't care if I would get yelled at - I wanted the attacks to end!

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I cried out as loud as I could.

I started blindly attacking for all that I was worth, as Kohaku went on the defensive, and I swung the sparring sword as hard and fast as I could! And when I accidentally let go of the sparring sword and threw it, I turned to my fists and attacked, punching in all directions! I focused all my anger on attacking Kohaku, as she ducked and dodged my attacks! However, in my rage, I didn't see that I was going for the generator, which led to Kinro and Ginro quickly rushing in and grabbing me!

I started punching the two of them, and landed some solid hits, but then Kohaku got involved and tried to hold me down! I then shoved her and sent her reeling, while picking up both Kinro and Ginro by their necks and throwing them as hard as I could! I then saw Kohaku and, angry at how she had attacked me, ran at her like an angry bull, letting out a roar of anger as I did! In desperation, Kohaku threw her shield at my legs and tripped me, 'causing me to face-plant right on the ground, which snapped me out of my rage!

As my face was now planted in the ground, I came to my senses, and tears started coming from eyes, to which I gritted my teeth, trying my hardest not to let out a sob. This was one of the first times, in a long time, that I had let my rage get the better of me, and I was really upset by it.

"David," said Kohaku, her tone now one of concern, as I sensed her kneeling by my side. "David, look at me."

I looked up at her, and saw that Kinro and Ginro were standing behind her, both looking worried. They all had scrapes, bruises, cuts, and bumps from the attack, but they weren't injured badly. Kohaku looked at me with a concerned and regretful expression.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I whimpered out, try my hardest not to cry. "I'm okay."

"You did good, now relax," She replied kindly, before turning to Kinro and Ginro and saying, "Help him up."

Kinro and Ginro obeyed, taking my arms and helping me to my feet. They let me go, and I then looked over at Senku, Chrome and Suika - Senku looked amazed, Chrome looked stunned, and Suika was frightened, hiding behind Senku's leg, as he gently patted her head. I composed myself, trying to stifle back the crying, and looked at the rest of the battle team.

"Guys, I'm sorry I-" I was about to start, but then Kohaku interrupted me.

"No, I'm sorry," she said, her tone apologetic and gentle. "I shouldn't have pushed you like I did - I went too far with what I said. You don't need to fight if you don't want to - I understand now."

"Hey David, that was quite the crazy rage you had going on there!" Senku called over to me, his tone patronizing. "You use that against Magma, we'll win the Grand Bout in no time!"

"As brutal as ever." Kohaku replied, her tone absolutely perturbed.

"You have some hidden strength to you, David," said Kinro, his tone calm and calculating. "You're more powerful than you think - you were right, you don't know your own strength."

"I'd hate to go up against you in an actual fight." Ginro added, his tone both impressed and scared.

I took this into consideration, as I composed myself, and was able to stifle my crying. Kohaku then her hands on my shoulders, and she had me look into her eyes - they were very pretty, a vibrant blue, and I didn't want to look away from them. For some weird reason, looking her eyes, with her close to me like this, it calmed me down, yet filled me with courage.

"David, you have the strength of a lion, and you could be a powerful warrior, but I'm not going to force you into something you don't want to do, and neither will Senku," said Kohaku, her tone soft, yet firm. "It'll be fine with just Kinro, Ginro, and myself, and you can help out on the science team, or you can just continue working as the Kingdom of Science's chronicler. Whatever you choose, we'll be fine with it. But I want to you know that you're not a coward, you're not weak, or a little child - in fact, I think you're brave, strong, and a true man, just for choosing not to fight."

"But what about what all that you said back there?" I asked.

"I was just trying to get you to fight me, so I said those things to drive you to it," Kohaku replied. "But it was wrong of me to do so, even if it worked to rile you up."

I was quiet for a few seconds, before I replied, "No…"

Kohaku was confused by my response, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"No, I'm going to fight," I replied, my tone now affirmative, as I moved back, and looked at all three of them. "The world I knew, where I accidentally hurt people and got in trouble, that's all gone now. Now this is a new world, where when I fight, it'll be to protect my friends, who I have come to consider as my new family. Kohaku, Kinro, Ginro, I'll fight alongside you three, and we'll win the Grand Bout. So, we're in this together, and now that I've gotten over my fear of fighting, let's get to sparring."

Kohaku let out a laugh and suddenly hugged me, which surprised me at first. Man, just a couple of minutes ago she was beating the daylights out of me, and now I was getting a hug from her. Not that I was complaining - it felt good, with her hugging me, and I returned the embrace. After a few seconds, she moved back and I let her go, before turning back to Kinro and Ginro, now with a serious expression on her face.

"Alright, David's on board with us now," said Kohaku, her tone commanding. "Let's continue our sparring session - Ginro, get David's sparring sword, and then it'll be you and Kinro, versus me and him."

Ginro obeyed, and went to go and get my sword, while I heard Senku let out a chuckle, and turned to look at him.

"I must say, you have earned my respect, David," said Senku, a somewhat villainous smile on his face. "Despite being totally afraid of fighting, you're still going to go through with it - you've got guts."

"Thanks, Senku," I replied. "That means a lot coming from you."

Senku then made a motion for me to lean closer, and he whispered in my ear, "And there's also the matter of you and your crush on Kohaku, which is probably another factor in why you're going through with this, though I don't know why, and don't care."

Holy crap - he knew, and that realization made me turn pale, and I felt sick for a few seconds, like before I got over my fear of fighting!


Chronicler Log #6

Kingdom of Science - Members

Senku - Leader, Professor

Chrome - Scientist, Resource Gatherer

Kohaku - Muscle, Protector

David (Me) - Muscle, Chronicler

Suika - Information Gatherer

Kinro - Warrior to save Ruri, Muscle,

Ginro - Warrior to save Ruri, Muscle

Taiju - Muscle, Resource Gatherer

Yuzuriha - Tailor, Craftswoman

Gen Asagiri - Mentalist, Spy

Kingdom of Science - Allies

Village - Hopeful Allies

Kingdom of Science - Enemies

Tsukasa - Main Enemy

Magma - Enemy

Magma's cronies - Enemies

Kingdom of Science - Progress

First Project - Make an Antibiotic to help Ruri recover from sickness. - Still in progress.

Second Project - Get more manpower for the iron furnace. - Completed.

Third Project - Create a magnet. - Completed.

Fourth Project - Create a generator. - Completed.

Fifth Project - Win Grand Bout, and make someone from the Kingdom of Science the elder - In Progress.

Notes

Well, I didn't want to join the battle team at first, but now that I've gotten over my fear of fighting, I'm going through with it. I've got some major potential, apparently, and Senku says if I fight Magma, and I use my rage against him, we'll be winning the tournament in no time. I have to learn to control my strength and my rage, however, which is something that Kohaku will help me with. Glad I got a friend like her, especially considering how pretty she is, like a lioness. And how sweet she really is, despite being really tough and sometimes vicious, and-

Oh lord, I'm crushing over her - I shouldn't even be writing that part down, 'cause if she finds it, I'll be in a lot of trouble. I'll just have to erase it, or pull this page out, burn it, and start over.

Oh yeah, speaking of which, Senku knows! I pray to God that he doesn't tell Kohaku that I have a crush on her. I mean, he did the whole thing with Chrome and Ruri, which worries me - maybe he'll have pity on me and not do it.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm doomed to some embarrassment from him.