Taiju and Tsukasa looked up to see a paper plane soaring near the sun. It was dipped in yellow liquid. Senku chuckled, getting their attention. "Hey, Tsukasa!" He called out, as he was the one that threw it. "This isn't a battle between strength and science!" He then looked up with a smirk. "Because science actually is strength."
"You know why I say science is unlimited? Because anything can go in hand with it...even with those you say don't deserve to be revived," Sumi gave a small smirk, a hand on her hip as she held a paper plane of her own. "Science doesn't nullify strength. It only enhances the skill."
"There's a word you know that came straight from the ancient Greek word for power," Senku explained as the airplane hit a tree, causing a big explosion. Tsukasa and Hyoga braced themselves.
"And that's dynamite," He and Sumi revealed in unison. Gen was to Sumi's left and Chrome was to Senku's right, both of them holding the dynamite paper planes.
No one noticed Hyoga silently approaching the tree that got hit with the dynamite. He let out a gasp of astonishment, reaching up to pull down his mask. His eyes widened as he smiled. "Oh, wow!" He murmured gleefully, continuing to stare at the tree. "Magnificent...!"
Tsukasa gave a small sigh. "To negotiate. Sound good?" Senku confirmed to Tsukasa, who then looked on with wide eyes. "She's still alive...isn't she? The two of us are talking about your sister. Hey, Sumi..." He turned to her knowingly. "Tell everyone who your grandmother was."
She opened her eyes, staring right at Tsukasa. "My grandmother...was Dr. Rika Yakushiji," She revealed, and he gasped sharply. Rika looked over Mirai with Sumi, the girl brain-dead. The woman then passed away, the child Sumi crying over her.
'Her grandmother tied...trying to help my sister?'
"We might be able to heal her," Senku held the bottle of revival fluid, a drop falling from it. It de-petrified a swallow. "Because the revival fluid has a residual healing effect." The bird took to the skies, Tsukasa's eyes wide. "The terms are pretty simple, really." Tsukasa and Minami were digging together. "We'll do our best to revive your sister. And in exchange, Sumi and I are asking for a cease-fire."
"And no marriage either."
Tsukasa reached out to wipe the dirt away from the statue, gasping as his eyes glistened. He then gave a small smile towards who they were looking for. "Mirai..."
Night had fallen as Mirai was placed onto the ground. Everyone stood by to watch, waiting for the moment to see if it would really work. Senku kneeled in front of Mirai and removed the cork, about to pour revival fluid onto her. Sumi was sitting right on the opposite side while looking down at the statue of the little girl. And then...realization hit Taiju while giving a glare towards his friend.
"Hold on, Senku! Mirai's naked, don't look at her!" He shouted and just like before Yuzuriha was revived, he shoved two fingers into Senku's eyes. He yelped in pain, trembling as his hands were over his face. "No, you can't revive her right now! And once again I ask, would you still revive Sumi knowing she was naked?!" Taiju shouted and pointed at the green-haired scientist accusingly. Sumi let out a choked yelp as she flinched in horror with white eyes, one of her eyebrows twitching. The others looked eager for Senku's answer, well except Tsukasa, as he had a small blush over his nose and cheeks.
"TAIJU! Again with this?!" Sumi exclaimed in disbelief, whining and covering her red face. She had no idea why her friend liked bringing this up when it wasn't even important right now. This was about Mirai, not debating too hard when Senku thought of her looks without clothes. "Mmm," Smoke came from her ears a little as she was thinking about it way too much. Gen chuckled to himself from her expression.
"Stop asking us that question..." Senku gritted his teeth a little while shaking. Even if he wanted to answer out loud, which he didn't, he...wouldn't know how to react at first. But ultimately it wouldn't bother him just like anyone else being revived. He would have the same reaction as Tsukasa right now, though. Obviously he wasn't going to TELL them that...that was just bound to give him trouble if he even so much as hinted about it. And it wasn't like Sumi was dying for an answer herself either, so that put him at ease a bit more. Although if she ever did ask him in private, he'd just answer her simply and call it a day.
"This is so embarrassing, honestly," Sumi groaned while pinching her nose.
"Come on, you two, everyone wants to know~!" Gen teased them a little. "You can't blame them for being a little curious. Sumiku hasn't had much progress ever since the war, you know!" He grinned maliciously at them.
"Gen, no..." The black-haired scientist fell onto the ground in disbelief, looking up towards the sky with her cheeks flushed. "Why do you insist on pushing this topic when it's not like that...?"
"Here we go again with the same nonsense," Senku hissed at both Gen and Taiju. He decided to still ignore the fact that he knew of Sumi's confession because he'd rather not spread it to everyone. It'd be nonsensical when it was more needed to be in private. He did make it a note to have it be done and over with. It was just causing unnecessary drama just like this. "This is an emergency, and we're in the stone world! Nobody cares if you're butt-naked, or if your pee-pee's hanging out." The black-haired scientist covered her face again from having to imagine someone like that. Senku then sat up, removing his hands. Yuzuriha was quickly sewing something behind him. "You really love this bit, huh? Look, we'll figure it out once we wake her up-"
"Is this about the right size?" She asked cheerfully, holding up an orange dress with blue hemming and a blue ribbon in front of the fur collar. All of that done in less than a minute!
"So fast!" Everyone commented in shock at her except Sumi.
"Well, this is Yuzuriha..." Sumi gave a small sheepish smile. She was honestly a little surprised that they were even taken aback by this. Yuzuriha was the fastest person in sewing that she knew.
The men were gathered around the campfire while the women were a few feet away to help put the dress on. Yuzuriha then stood up once it was on Mirai. "She's all set! Go on, Senku," She called out to her friend.
He stood up, still holding the flask with the revival fluid. And every step he took felt like a heartbeat to Tsukasa. Everyone was just as nervous as well, not only for him but for Mirai. They didn't want to think that this wouldn't work, since they didn't know what the effects would be on a brain-dead person. Would it have no effect at all? Or would she still be brain-dead, but just out of the stone? All they could do was just have faith as they watched Senku and Sumi pour the revival fluid together onto Mirai's face. Tsukasa watched in anticipation and then seconds later, cracks began to form on her arms.
"Oh, that's bad!" Chrome gasped in shock.
"Whoa!" Ginro added as the cracks continue to form around Mirai.
"The stone statue...it's starting to crack apart!" Kokuyo exclaimed as a bright glow came from Mirai.
"It's actually turning into a real live person..." Ginro sweated while patiently waiting for the result like the others.
Gen noticed their shocked expressions of those from the village and realized why. "That's right. The villagers haven't seen this stuff in action before," He commented in a knowing way.
"And now for the moment of truth," Senku said grimly, and Sumi hummed while nodding in agreement.
"Time to see if it'll finally pay off..." She murmured as Tsukasa's eyes widened. He watched the bright glow emitting from his sister. But he couldn't hold onto hope just yet. Not when she was still de-petrifying.
Yuzuriha was kneeled on the ground, clasping her hands as she prayed. "Please...I really hope this works and heals Mirai just like it did Senku! And when the stone falls, please just let her be okay!" She pleaded out loud.
Senku gave his infamous chuckle as Sumi waited with bated breath. "The revival fluid has worked great so far. Just consider who it's been used on. Taking people who are ten billion percent brain-dead and giving 'em a huge wake-up call is all it's done. At the end of the day, a brain's a brain. I don't see a reason why this one would be any tougher," He explained to everyone.
"Yeah..." Sumi gave a small smile after hearing him. "It hasn't failed us before, and it's not going to start now. If it can bring back Senku when his cervical nerve was snapped...then it could do its magic on someone who was brain-dead for not just 6 years...but for 3,700 years. So this shouldn't be any problem now..." Though she was praying just a little bit too on the inside.
The glow became brighter, and Tsukasa lifted up a hand to shield his eyes from the glare. A loud crack then came from her statue, pieces of stone shattering all around her. He let out a quiet gasp...as she held out her arms while sitting up. Mirai...was moving just like any other person. He couldn't believe it. After so long of seeing her in that hospital bed...it felt like a fantasy...but it was real, right in front of him. He reached out and took his large hands into her dainty ones that were the same as before. Kohaku and Chrome looked on with their mouths open. Senku just gave a small smile while Sumi covered her mouth in shock. He glanced to her and chuckled. She had told him the story over the years of knowing him, just leaving out the names. So after all that time...all she did to help Mirai...must've been very rewarding for her, and for Rika.
"So...how does it feel?" Senku turned his smile over to the black-haired scientist.
"I've stood over lots of people working with my grandma..." She murmured softly while looking on. "The only thing I wanted when I saw her...was to get her to open her eyes...and see the world around her again. And now...after doing everything we could back then to save her and seeing her actually moving..." She reached out to wipe away a stray tear with a finger, having a relieved smile. She knew Mirai back then didn't have a chance the first time she saw her. But she didn't have anything to lose thousands of years ago. Even when people told her and Rika that Mirai wouldn't recover, they didn't give up. The one thing she didn't have then...was now the answer to everything. And Tsukasa had to believe that Rika tried every single thing. Because those who fought...should make sure that they see through it to the end.
Mirai blinked as she lifted up her head. "What just...happened?" She looked around, a bit disoriented from being woken up. She didn't recognize anything at all, so it made sense she'd be confused. "Where am I?"
Hearing her voice again...it had been forever since he heard it. "Hey, Mirai..." He spoke up softly to his sister.
She blinked from him saying her name, slowly turning towards him. Despite the drastic change to Tsukasa...she knew that this was her brother. "Big brother...?" She then gave a teasing smile as his eyes glistened. "Wow...you've gotten super old. You look really handsome, though. How many years...have I been asleep?"
His eyes widened as he realized...he wasn't dreaming at all. "Six years," He revealed almost quietly to her. "No...it's been thousands of years, Mirai..." He and Mirai shared an emotional hug. While the others watched, Kohaku walked towards the cliff, her arms crossed. The sun was starting to rise in the distance.
"Even though there was no chance for recovery..." She murmured slowly while looking empathetic. "He kept on fighting and never gave up hope. For years...and years." She remembered all of the days that she carried hot spring water to her sister...multiple times just so her only sibling could live again, to live a long life. So she knew exactly what it was like... She then looked up towards the sunrise. "You've been waiting for this...haven't you, Tsukasa? You and Sumi...all that time...for this very moment."
Tsukasa had tears in the corners of his eyes while hugging his sister. Sumi gave a soft smile, looking on happily.
Everyone walked back to the area that they were temporarily staying at. "Now grab your stuff!" Kokuyo announced to everyone. "We'll head back to the others waiting for us at the village!"
"Yeah!" Everyone exclaimed happily, pumping their fists. Mirai looked on from a tree stump as Tsukasa approached her. He looked back with a smile to see Sumi packing up her things.
"Sumi, can you come over please for a minute? I want to introduce you," He called out softly and the woman looked up. Once she saw Mirai, she gave a small smile. The little girl was confused and Tsukasa leaned in a bit towards her. "This woman is very dear to me. I'll explain why in a minute." Mirai didn't know who Sumi was, was she her brother's girlfriend or lover? She examined Sumi as she walked right over to them.
She's really pretty...but why does she have that scar? She wondered as Sumi came to a stop. Mirai also noted the black turning into red hair, the ribbon, and the necklace Senku gave to her. "Mirai, this is Sumire Maeda. Sumire, this is my little sister Mirai...her grandmother fought really hard to keep you alive. Sumi even raised money on her own...to help fund your stay at the hospital all those years ago."
Mirai's eyes shined at the woman in awe, as Sumi held out her hand with a friendly smile. "Hello there, Mirai. Tsukasa's really fond of you...I could tell whenever he came to visit. I'm so relieved that you're okay."
"Was your grandma...really the one who helped me?" Mirai asked while taking her hand and Sumi nodded with a small smile.
"Yeah...she was very dedicated to you. I wanna be like her when I grow up," She gave a soft expression.
"Can I...can I meet her?" The little girl asked happily. Tsukasa froze as Sumi flinched, standing up and looking away. She felt bad for reacting that way, since Mirai could've never known what happened to her grandmother...and it wasn't the little girl's fault either. It was no one's fault...she couldn't blame Rika for working day and night on something she was so passionate about, and never once even asked for anything in return...except for Tsukasa to continue to watch over the little girl. "Eh? Did...did I say something wrong?"
"No, no, not at all," Sumi waved a hand immediately. "It's just...well, she's not exactly...here with us anymore."
"She's up in heaven, Mirai..." Tsukasa murmured while looking up towards the sky. "She's...happier now. She...met her end while you were still asleep."
"I'm sorry..." Mirai's eyes saddened at Sumi, who gave a soft smile, bending down in front of her.
"It's okay, Mirai. Because the only thing she wanted was to see you healthy. And I'm sure that right now...she's really happy too, just like your brother," She closed her eyes, heaving a small sigh. Talking about her this much was starting to take a toll on her, she'd admit. Lillian knew that Rika had passed, but never spoke of it for Sumi's sake. She'd visit Rika's grave for Sumi back when the two were living together, since the girl didn't want to go...she never wanted the reminder of what happened. But now...she kinda wished that she had visited Rika's grave...
Mirai stayed silent, thankfully not asking why Rika died. And Sumi didn't think she was ready to hear the reason either. Mirai then gave Sumi a wide smile. "You're just like the Little Mermaid, huh?" Sumi recoiled back in surprise for the comparison. "How you're always interested in science and want to see more of that kind of world...the little mermaid is curious and pretty, and listens to her heart. So I just thought you two are similar."
Tsukasa blinked while Sumi looked away, flushed by the compliment. "That's really kind of you, Mirai," She smiled while rubbing the back of her neck with a bashful chuckle. "Thank you. But I don't think that's a fair comparison..."
Tsukasa gave a small smile for what Mirai said as he agreed with her. Mirai just let out a small giggle from Sumi's reaction. Senku stared from behind as he had been watching the whole time. He wasn't sure if they were really similar himself. In fact, he thought it was a bit ridiculous to compare the two. But he couldn't lie to himself that Sumi was very persistent in what she wanted in life. She didn't go over to Tsukasa with Chrome and the others for the sake of it, after all. She did it because she wanted to accomplish her own personal goal. He then chuckled and turned away.
"So oblivious, you dummy," He muttered to himself while walking away, hands on his hips.
"We've gotta help the others pack everything," Sumi stood up with a small smile and then looked annoyed. "And I've got a patient to check on before we head out, after which Senku will no doubt have me put to work. It was nice talking to you, Mirai. I'll see you later, okay?" She waved and walked off. Mirai smiled while waving back to her.
"Wait here, Mirai. I'll help as well," Tsukasa turned around and went off in another direction.
Someone then stepped up to the little girl from behind.
"Mirai..." She flinched and glanced behind her to see Hyoga. "You still have some little bits of rock on you. It's doing a disservice to your beauty," He then pointed upwards to the distance. "Why don't you go and wash up, huh? Down at the river there..."
In the meantime, something already was...off to Chrome. He was looking at a box near one of the huts. Sumi was checking over Ukyo, Senku standing behind her. "Are you sure you're okay, Ukyo?" She asked him in concern.
"I'm doing fine, thanks to you," He gave her a gentle smile. "I guess we're even now after I shot you with my arrow, huh?"
"Don't think of it like that," She gave a sheepish look. "I really don't want you to say that when we both know you didn't mean to do it..."
He gave a small laugh in response, tipping his hat. "Alright then."
"Hey Senku, Sumi," Chrome called out, and the two looked over their shoulders. He then held up two sticks of dynamite. "We seem to be missing a few sticks of dynamite..." He revealed gravely to the three of them. Just looking at the box, it was looking a bit more empty than it did before.
"Ehhh," Ginro slid over as it didn't seem to bother him. "Well, we used a bunch of that stuff, so we probably just lost count. Don't you think?"
"No!" Chrome defended while looking over to him, jerking a thumb to himself. "I'm the Scavenger King! I never misplace or lose count of anything!" Well, other than the one time they were out of coal without him realizing it.
"I don't like this at all..." Sumi frowned deeply, getting their attention. "Something just doesn't feel right."
"Mm," Ukyo turned around in thought, crossing his arms. This couldn't be a coincidence now that Chrome said that he was always making sure he had the right amount of his things. "I agree with her. If somebody had stolen it...I'm positive I would've heard them. Or Sumi would've been able to sniff them out if it was recently. It would take somebody who was very skilled in covert missions...to fool my ears," He tipped his hat again.
"Can you tell who it was?" Chrome turned around to Sumi. She lifted up her head to take a long sniff. She then moved her head back down regretfully.
"No, sorry. Even if you don't take account the many other scents around here, nothing sticks out...which is odd. I've never had any trouble sorting out scents before, but it's like this one is completely fizzled out..." She crossed her arms in thought. "Like someone moved fast enough for me to not be able to tell..."
"I can only think of one person who could fool her nose..." Ukyo frowned a little.
Suika was holding a bowl of food while Chalk was walking next to her. She looked up ahead and was confused that Homura's cell was unoccupied. They had taken her with them in case she had broken out on her own and attacked the elders. "What gives?" She questioned while running over, as something was even more off. "Mantle was supposed to be in charge of watching over Homura's cell! I don't see him anywhere!" She gave a small frown as he was known for constantly sleeping on the job. "That guy is always slacking off..."
Chalk's barking snapped her out of it and she looked to see her dog near a bush. She walked over, gasping in surprise. Mantle was lying on the ground, not moving at all. He had four head bumps on the side of his head as he was completely knocked out. She gave a sound of concern while looking over him. Chalk barked again and she turned around. He pulled off Homura's blanket to reveal that it was only a sack head and a small log! Not only that, but two pieces of the bars had been completely cut off.
"Uh-oh!" She panicked while rushing over to the camping area. "This is really bad, you guys!"
Yo watched her from behind a tree awkwardly. "Seriously?" He frowned a bit while turning away. "We're busted already?!" He then started running in the other direction, a big nervous grin on his face.
Last night, he was walking around the forest on his own. He looked around at the trees. 'Oh yeah! I just figured out how I can get myself back on top! All I gotta do is nab that jailbreak monkey boy Chrome! And that little sly Sumi! I'm the only one who knows what direction they went off in. They're gonna lead me right to the enemy camp and Senku!' He glanced upwards, giving a small gasp. He laughed as his eyes bulged out, pointing right at the camp behind some bushes. 'That's it, awesome! That only took a few seconds!' He then popped out of the bush with a wide smile. 'Guess I haven't lost my touch after all!' He gasped as he looked up ahead to see Homura sitting in her cell. Mantle was nearby sleeping. 'Homura...'
She blinked as she glanced over her shoulder, giving a knowing look. "Yo..." She whispered and he gasped at being addressed. She looked up towards the moon. "Go and contact Hyoga. Wait until the time is right. Then free me. Because Hyoga's true objective is to..."
A huge explosion erupted from the distance, catching everyone off guard. They looked back to see the thick smoke surrounding the trees in the area. "What now?!" Ginro yelped nervously as they stare.
"An accident?" Chrome wondered, just as alarmed as the others.
"No, can't be. Doesn't feel right," Ukyo trailed off uneasily.
"Where'd it come from?" Kohaku asked, though Senku and Sumi stared ahead knowingly. They knew exactly where it was.
"I think that's the...miracle cave..." Senku muttered in disbelief.
"And that's the smell of..." Sumi trailed off in horror.
A few more explosions occurred, the rest of the Kingdom of Science looking on. A guard screamed while running away. "Get away from it!" The ceiling caved in, the rocks in front of the cave falling off piece by piece. The smoke then began to spread in the area.
"Did anybody get trapped in there?"
"Head count, now!"
Kaseki bent down to all the rubble, letting out a sad cry. "The miracle water's buried in there! Without it, we won't be able to make any more science weapons anytime soon!"
Homura looked on from a tree. "It's Homura," Ukyo guessed correctly as he, Senku, Sumi, and Gen stood on the edge of the cliff. "But why did she attack the miracle cave?"
"Homura doesn't do anything on her own volition," Gen pointed out while turning to him, his hands in his sleeves. "She's following someone's instructions."
"And who's that?" Ukyo asked the mentalist.
Senku gave a nervous chuckle as Sumi bit her lip knowingly. She already knew that this was a distraction...because that was just how Hyoga operated when he wanted something done. "That son of a...!" She trailed off angrily while turning around immediately and running off, shocking the others.
"Isn't it obvious?" Senku simply asked while turning around and running after the black-haired scientist. He growled a bit while running as fast as he could.
"What's up?" Chrome asked the two in shock.
"Where are you going?!" Kohaku called out to him.
"Everyone, hurry!" Gen urged them as they started to follow.
Meanwhile, they weren't the only ones who heard the explosion. While Mirai was washing herself off, she, Tsukasa, and Hyoga also heard it. She looked up, startled and nervous. "Huh? An explosion? What's happening?"
Tsukasa bent down to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder to assure her. "Wait. I'll go check it out," He stood up and then started walking up the hill...leaving Hyoga alone with her. He stared towards Tsukasa and then turned around to Mirai. In the distance behind him, Senku and Sumi were running towards the two.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM NOW! MIRAI! TSUKASA!" Senku shouted as loud as he could.
"Hyoga isn't to be trusted, run away!" Sumi screamed at the top of her lungs. The two turned to the scientists in silence, but didn't have time to process it. Hyoga, with no hesitation at all, raised his kudayari. He then spun it in Mirai's direction. Sumi then gasped in realization, reaching for her whip. She pulled it out quickly and threw it as hard as she could while gritting her teeth. Tsukasa clenched his jaw as he rushed forward. Mirai slowly turned around to see what was happening. And no one...not a single person...could've anticipated the next few seconds. A loud snap was heard just as Sumi's whip was about to reach them. She then gasped in horror as her whip fell limp onto the grass, just a few feet away...
Blood seeped onto the river in front of Mirai. "Before, whether I snuck in from behind or attacked you in your sleep...I'd never be able to take down Shishio Tsukasa." Kohaku and Chrome were still running while looking up ahead, horrified as well. "The strongest primate high schooler so easily." Ukyo halted in his tracks, staring in terror. Not even Senku or Sumi could comment. Hyoga then pulled off his mask, a malicious grin on his face. "But that changed...once you finally had someone else to protect." His kudayari was dripping in blood at the tip. "I was the one who'd been waiting...all this time...for this moment."
Mirai glanced back...as right behind her was her brother, the kudayari speared right through his lung. His hands were outstretched right in front of his sister, blood oozing out from his wound. The blood continued to drip into the water. The little girl looked back with wide eyes and in fear, gasping. Tsukasa knew what was gonna happen...and Hyoga wasted no time in forcefully chucking him off the cliff.
Senku and Sumi ran right past him, panting as they reached out to Tsukasa. They both grabbed his hand at the same time, his body dangling over the cliff. Sweat flew from their faces as they gritted their teeth looking at him. Tsukasa looked back with wistful eyes. "Sen...ku...Su...mire..." He muttered as the others were approaching Hyoga from behind. Sumi looked up at Hyoga just in time to see him raising his spear.
She gasped and turned around to be on her back, grabbing the spear with her whip as she gritted her teeth. She struggled to both fend him off and hold onto Tsukasa at the same time. Hyoga then struck Sumi hard in the knee with his spear, knocking her off the cliff first. Senku gasped sharply and grabbed onto her hand, but the added weight caused him to fall over into the water down below.
"BIG BROTHER!" Mirai cried out with tears at the corner of her eyes.
"SENKU!" Kohaku yelled in a panic.
"SUMIRE!" Chrome shouted after her. Hyoga then dived down, leaving the rest of them behind as they reached the edge of the cliff. He landed in the water and Kohaku quickly got over her shock. She lunged forward, only for Kokuyo to reach out for her.
"Kohaku, wait!" He held her back as she struggled. "The current is too fast! You see?"
"No, Father!" She cried out in worry for her friend.
"You're not gonna find them underwater!" He told his daughter and she knew he was right. The current ended up in the ocean. So there was no one point that they'd be able to find the four. She gritted her teeth in defeat; when she saw Hyoga next, she was gonna make him regret this...
"Let's go. We'll look for them downstream," Ukyo suggested and they went off in the other direction.
It was almost dark by the time the three washed up elsewhere. They had held onto Tsukasa the entire time. Senku bent down over the rock, breathing heavily. His hair was down thanks to it being in the water. Sumi coughed excessively, her hair a wet mess. She put her hand in front of her mouth, hitting her hand against her neck. Both of them had their arms around Tsukasa's waist.
"My spear went clear through his chest," Hyoga revealed to the two, standing a few feet away. "It's fatal. You two won't be able to save him. Not even you, Sumire."
"Wait, hang on!" Yo held out a hand. "I knew we would drift ashore here." With his kudayari, he knocked Yo off the cliff and into the water. Yo screamed while trying to keep himself afloat. "I'd run a test of sorts." Yo let out a sneeze as he washed up in the same area.
"Yeah..." Senku murmured knowingly while Sumi slowly caught her breath. "I'm sure you did...Hyoga. No way you'd have taken the risk," He glanced over his shoulder with a small glare. "Jumping after us if you weren't sure you'd survive."
"Indeed," Hyoga agreed while approaching them. Sumi said nothing, keeping her fierce glare on him. "And now that Tsukasa's effectively out of my way...Senku, Sumire, you two and I can finally have a private discussion." The sun had already set at this point as the stars were out. Senku let out a chuckle in response.
He dug his pinky into his ear while looking back, not caring at all. "What are you, some shy middle schooler mustering up the courage to confess your love?" Sumi flinched while looking away awkwardly, sweat near her cheek since...she had feelings for Senku ever since they met in elementary school. Hyoga noticed this reaction, but didn't say anything about it. Although he did find it interesting, to say the least. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm already married. Wait, actually I'm divorced," He blinked as he corrected himself, as he had broken it off after like five minutes with Ruri. "Either way, we don't have one millimeter of interest in chatting."
"I'd expect not...but I'd like you both to hear what I have to say. Whether you two act upon it by persuasion or torture...either way will work for me," He swung his kudayari towards them and Sumi immediately reacted. She stood in front of Senku, using her whip to stop him in place. Senku blinked up at her.
"If he says he doesn't wanna talk, then we're not letting you utter another word! Screw you," She growled angrily at him. "You tried to kill Mirai, a child who had just woken up only a night ago!"
"It's cute how you care so much about others, Sumire. But no matter what you do..." He then kicked her in the stomach hard, blood seeping out of her mouth. Senku gasped sharply while looking at her fall in front of him. "You're outmatched."
Senku immediately reached out his other arm, catching her and wrapping his arm around her back. She held her stomach with both hands, coughing up blood as it trickled down her mouth.
"You're practically the doctor, aren't you?" Hyoga continued off to them as she shook in pain. That hit was hard enough to draw blood, but not enough to injure her...yet. "So you'd be aware that the next attack...will very much end your life. Therefore, it's best if you listen to what I have to say, both of you."
Senku moved his hand to the back of her head, gently cradling her close as she coughed into his shoulder. It would mess up his clothes, and his strength equaled a flea's...but he couldn't care less about either of those. He gritted his teeth up at Hyoga as there wasn't any other choice now. If he wanted Sumi to keep living, they had to listen. And if she wasn't coughing right now, she'd agree with him too since Hyoga proved it. Sumi squeezed her eyes shut into his shoulder, gripping onto his shoulders in fear with her hands.
"Now where was I? Oh yes. Of course we've had our differences...but Tsukasa and I shared one fundamental belief. And that is...the phenomenon of petrification that inflicted our entire species thousands of years ago was to select certain humans," He stared at them with a dark expression on his face. "To thin out the herd, so to speak."
"Oh?" Senku breathed out a little. "I find that idea to be like ten billion percent unexciting. You realize unfounded speculation like that...would be nothing but a joke in the scientific community," His other hand that had been around Tsukasa the whole time...was putting pressure onto his wound. And Hyoga didn't know it, but Tsukasa's eyes were weakly opened the whole time, thanks to Senku's hand not letting him succumb to his wound. Senku's hand was trembling the entire time, though. He then turned to Sumi, gently running his fingers through her hair so softly that she wouldn't notice, but she did anyway. She finally had stopped coughing and looked towards Hyoga, not commenting about Senku at all. It wasn't the time or place.
"And there's no way that'd help humanity..." She breathed out a bit. "We don't know who or why it happened, so why should we assume whatever did it was to end all of society?"
"Regardless of why it happened Senku, Sumire, there remains a basic fact that even you two can't deny. There's absolutely no way that this planet can sustain 7 billion people indefinitely. So then...who is to live on?" Hyoga pointed out to them.
Tsukasa stood on top of a cliff, looking out to the area in front of him. "Hyoga...what do you think?" He asked slowly as the spearman was a few feet away from him. "The lives of the young who have a future...they should have priority. We can eliminate the established powers who do nothing but take from those below them. This is our chance to create a new world. And maybe once Sumire sees it...she'll finally see what was right in front of her the whole time," He gave a small chuckle in hope. "I don't know why I continue to be drawn to her when she hasn't shown any interest...guess I just wanna hang onto this feeling of affection towards her..."
Hyoga opened his eyes as he kept silent.
Hyoga swung his staff quickly, knocking Tsukasa away from the two in an instant. Sumi gasped sharply while looking towards him. "It was our high-minded friend Tsukasa that was aspiring to...was a kind of shangri-la where no one took from their fellow man. Personally, I don't have a shred of interest in such a thing. If we revived only brain-dead fools selected solely because of their youth, eventually we'd be taken from it in order to keep their bellies full!" Sumi blinked incredibly at his assumptions. It was honestly kind of degrading. He then looked up with a crazy look in his eyes. "Therefore, careful selection is absolutely necessary. In this new world, only the superior are meant to survive!" Senku just blinked at him, both of them staring. "And the mediocre perish! That's the only logical answer, right? And I'll be taking Sumire as my wife! She's proven to be a capable fighter. Clearly her skills aren't to be ignored." Sumi let out a small gasp of disbelief, Senku...utterly speechless to hear this. "The petrification gave humanity the chance we so desperately needed to-"
Before Senku could react, Sumi beat him to it. "Wait, what?" She blinked in alarm at him. "Go back to the me part of your plan," She looked really pissed off.
"I said-"
"Da, da, da, da, da!" She waved a hand rapidly while standing up. "I heard what you said and that's not happening!" Her eyes turned white as a red mark was near her forehead. "I already have enough guys coming after me and I literally won a war a day ago because of that! Seriously, what is the deal there? This is getting annoying as hell!" She swung down her arms in exasperation.
"But you are right about humanity," Senku spoke up finally while standing up, shocking Hyoga that the scientist agreed with him. "It's all just ridiculously logical. While that may be so..." He then moved up his hair with his hand. "That's not exciting," He then gave Hyoga a small scoff, Sumi smiling a little. "I say if we can't sustain 7 billion people... then let's try having 7 billion people look for a way to sustain 7 billion. After all, that's the way science does things."
"Say what you want about humanity, Hyoga," Sumi smirked while moving her hair to be in front of her face. She then shook it dry with ease as it fell back to being around her hips behind her. "It won't change the fact that your ideals aren't how science works. People are capable of surviving if we do it the right way," She then placed a hand on her hip, giving a small scowl. "And I don't know why you need me by your side when I've had my choice set for me for thousands of years. I don't need a strong man to be able to keep humanity alive. I have everything I need already in this stone world..."
Tsukasa was still on the ground as Hyoga narrowed his eyes at the duo. He then used his kudayari to slice off Senku's bandages from his left arm. The two were left speechless as Sumi reached for her whip, but Senku grabbed her arm to stop her from doing so. She looked up in protest at him, but his eyes were kept forward, not even looking at her. Sumi recoiled back in shock that he wanted her to stand down. But for him...he didn't forget what Hyoga did to Sumi. So if she attacked him right now, Hyoga would kill her like he said he would. And Senku had no doubt in his mind that it would be the outcome.
"Indeed, Senku. The power you both wield with science is impressive. And although it'll take time, I know you can make more nitric acid. As well as it will take time for Sumi to realize how wrong she is. So let's conquer the world together and select the right people for humanity. The three of us could form an unstoppable tag team!" Hyoga then sliced again, this time leaving a cut on Senku's pinky. The two gasped sharply, Sumi lunging forward, but he stopped her with his arm this time. He took a hold of her hand, silently telling her to trust him. She bit her lip and squeezed his hand back, hoping he knew what he was doing. "The only acceptable answer is yes. Until you say that, you'll lose one finger at a time. Then I'll move onto your legs, and with Sumire watching. I thought you two understood the choice here. I'll get my way, through persuasion or torture."
He then stepped forward as Senku clenched a fist. The two gasped nervously while stepping back, both of them hitting Tsukasa's hand from behind. He clenched his own fist as they silently understood what was going on with him...he needed a distraction. Hyoga then moved to the side as a rock was getting thrown at him.
"Get back, Hyoga!" Senku shouted with wide eyes and sweating, holding more rocks. "JUST STAY AWAY!"
"We mean it, don't you dare come closer!" Sumi snarled while they continued throwing rocks at him. He just looked annoyed at their attempts as the rocks didn't affect him at all. Especially considering that he had seen Sumi's fighting skills, yet was not showing them off whatsoever.
"How embarrassing. It's far too late for these kinds of theatrics, you two. It seems as though I overestimated the both of you a bit after all," He commented with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Shut up, will you?!" The two screamed while tossing multiple rocks at the same time. At first, Hyoga didn't think anything of it until they turned out to be petrified swallows. They broke apart in mid-air and attacked him, to his shock. Senku chuckled as he poured revival fluid into one of his pouches, which had more swallows inside. Hyoga fended them off, only to see Tsukasa heading towards him with a yell. Sumi grabbed Hyoga's spear with her whip, hovering over Tsukasa's shoulder after lifting herself up. Tsukasa punched while once she was past his shoulder, she kicked back Hyoga with her right leg in rapid fashion. "Ya!" She cried out as he was sent flying back. He gasped in disbelief, his mask falling away from his face. Tsukasa glared towards his former partner.
"So I'll make you this promise..." Tsukasa stood naked in front of the dead lion he just killed. "As long as we're together, the three of you will not be in danger again," He then turned back to them with a small smile. "I broke the promise I made to you back then...because I thought I had to in order to realize my ideals." Senku and Sumi looked up at him with the sun's rays nearby. "And yet still..." He hugged his little sister happily near the sunrise. "You kept the one you made to me..." Tsukasa got onto his feet in front of the duo. "Now it's my turn to keep my word, honor the promise," He revealed and Sumi let out a quiet gasp of surprise.
"No...we will, Tsukasa," Sumi stood next to him. She tightened her grip on her weapon with a smirk. "Because nobody's gonna get to Senku while I'm around. Especially not this bastard."
Senku chuckled and stood up, walking over to stand at Sumi's left side while holding his pouch. "This time I mean it. I swear I won't let you or Sumi be in danger ever again. Cause from now on...I'll be the one in charge of fighting." The three stood there in silence while staring towards Hyoga.
"That just means that I need to kill you together! Until this point, Tsukasa and I ruled this new world as equals. But with him on his last legs, the title of strongest primate belongs to me! And so will Sumire!" He snarled at the three.
"Pfft. Equals, huh? It's kinda funny, isn't it?" Sumi remarked with a small grin, as she had decided to ignore that last sentence.
"Yeah..." Senku gave a small knowing smirk, digging his pinky into his ear.
"He's only saying that to try and break our spirits," Tsukasa kept his cold glare towards Hyoga. "Still, his assessment does ring true...aside from the last part," He glanced at Sumi.
"Yeah, I guess it does, Tsukasa," Senku casually agreed with him. "I definitely trust your judgement on that." Tsukasa then glanced between him and Sumi.
"So let's all fight together, you two. You guys with me?"
"You bet," Senku gave a small smirk.
"Hell yeah," Sumi gave a smirk of her own, similar to one of Senku's.
"Let's show him a real tag team," Senku held out his fist to Sumi, as she was in the middle of the two. She smiled and held out her own, joined by Tsukasa. The three then all fist-bumped together, running towards Hyoga. "We're gonna take him down with science and might working side by side. So get excited!"
Hyoga opened his eyes, watching the trio. Sumi was walking between the two of them as they were whispering in her ears. "Are you really trying to strategize your plan of attack right now?" He sighed at them in disbelief. "Well, I won't be waiting around for you to figure things out!" He dashed forward towards them. "A team-up of a wounded lion, a kid who's never thrown a punch in his life, and a woman who hasn't been able to keep up with me would make for humanity's weakest tag team!"
Tsukasa lunged forward, punching against the kudayari. He then bent down his back so Sumi could jump onto it, leaping into the air. Hyoga saw her and then pointed his spear at her. She threw her whip against it and swung around to kick him backwards. She landed with a soft thump as he charged again, battling both Tsukasa and Sumi. They dodged every single attack, throwing a couple of their own. Hyoga then pressed his spear against their arms, causing them to slide backwards. Senku looked over his shoulder at the three while running off.
"Don't get cocky, Senku," Hyoga spoke up to him. "I'm keeping an eye on you." Senku held a beaker full of gunpowder, having just spilled all of it into a line. He then slid to a stop, landing on his knees. He looked over his shoulder again.
"11 o'clock!" He screamed at the two fighters. Tsukasa pushed the spear away, both of them leaping up at the same time. Sumi flipped while heading towards Senku, Hyoga pointing up his spear just as Sumi passed over him. He spun the tip around, but Tsukasa leaped and jumped over him as well, to his shock. He then looked down at his foot to see a circle of powder surrounding it.
"Gunpowder!" He exclaimed in realization. The trail of it from Senku to Hyoga caused the former to chuckle a bit. Sumi landed right behind him, taking out her whip again. The green-haired scientist put down his hand as the gunpowder started to light up in flames. Sumi threw up her whip in one swift motion, allowing it to light on fire as two sets of flames were now heading to Hyoga. Once it reached him, he was surrounded by flames, but he wasn't scared or worried at all. He took off his cape, placed his kudayari on it, and then spun it around rapidly. He used the smoke from the fire around him to put it out with ease, shocking the three of them.
"This dude is a monster!" Senku exclaimed in both astonishment and fear.
"No wonder why you revived him..." Sumi murmured while gritting her teeth. They needed something else to defeat him, and quick. Tsukasa let out an uneasy grunt while staring at the white-haired spearman. He continued to stand there without his cape on, and then charged right for Senku. Sumi held out her hands in front of Senku, whip ready. Both of them noticed his point of direction.
And now he's coming for me without missing a beat... Senku thought before pushing Sumi away gently. He then held up a finger. "Stop right there! The two of us can use the power of science to kill you with just one finger!" Hyoga then stopped right in front of Senku after hearing this. Sumi yelped as the wind from him caused her hair to blow away a bit. She snapped out of it and glared at him.
"That's right, Hyoga...so don't do something that'll end up with you dead," She said while looking at him straight in the eyes.
"Only your primitive friends would be foolish enough to fall for that kind of bluff," He retorted back to them. "Senku!" He then used his kudayari to strike Senku in the stomach, though not enough to actually injure him. He looked up with wide eyes.
"SENKU!" Sumi shouted in concern as he crashed into her. Both of them went rolling to a stop. Tsukasa immediately charged in from them getting hurt and growled. He punched Hyoga right in the face, continuing to strike. Senku was lying on top of Sumi, who was groaning in a bit of pain from the hard fall. She slowly looked up at him as his head was near her neck and she was very flushed, despite the tense situation. She slowly breathed to snap out of it, gently shaking him. "Senku," She whispered, but he didn't respond. She bit her lip in worry, glancing up towards Tsukasa. He threw a few more punches before kicking with his knee. Hyoga blocked each attack with his spear. Tsukasa, knowing that he wouldn't get another hit, still kept fighting him because he was angry. Not just for his friends, but what he was trying to do now. Senku still wasn't moving.
Sumi slid out of Senku's hold to place him on her lap. "Senku, you've gotta get up," She whispered while trying to keep it together. Tsukasa eventually ran out of energy thanks to his wound, sweating immensely. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. Hyoga then knocked him onto his back and he groaned. Sumi looked up with a sharp gasp, her eyes glistening. She then dropped Senku gently and charged in with a yell. Hyoga looked up and then turned his spear around. She threw her whip, but he caught it with his spear. She let go of it immediately and slid onto the ground. However, he used his leg to kick her in the chin and she was sent flying back. She hit Senku's back with a groan, laying there as that hit took a lot out of her.
Hyoga then pointed his spear at Tsukasa, who gripped it tightly. "Give up, Tsukasa. You have no chance against me as you are now," He taunted his former partner. "I'm sure you've already realized this...but the hole I pierced through your lung is fatal." Tsukasa touched the part of the fabric that was bloody, and the pain was still there... He looked towards it as his eyes looked dreary.
"Yeah...you're right, Hyoga," He admitted quietly to him.
"So why are you wasting your energy with this struggle?" Hyoga looked pleased to hear him admit defeat. "Your fate was sealed from the very beginning."
"I don't know..." Tsukasa murmured while looking away. "Maybe it's just...because I..." He then gave a weak smile, looking up at Hyoga. "Wanted to keep fighting...for as long as I could...even for just a minute," He gritted his teeth as Senku and Sumi were still down behind him. "Because that's how fun this is..."
Senku held out his fist to Sumi. She held out her own, joined by Tsukasa. The three all bumped their fists together. "This fleeing moment...of fighting together...this final partnership..." Unknown to Hyoga, Senku had opened his eyes and he had one of his usual smirks on his face. Sumi slowly opened up her own eyes as well in front of him. She slowly turned her body so that she was next to Senku. She reached out to her whip while the two started crawling over to them.
"Is that so? Well unfortunately for you...I'm going to put an end to your fun!" Hyoga then moved his spear closer to Tsukasa, who held back as much as he could. He grunted as Hyoga fought back and won, the tip of the speak poking Tsukasa in the neck. A little drop of blood came from it.
"Yeah..." Senku spoke up, getting Hyoga's attention. Sumi was crawling next to him. "It's all over..." Hyoga then noticed that the green-haired scientist had his pinky bandaged, but there were also two wires sticking out from the top.
A bandage over his finger? The one I cut? Hyoga thought in confusion as he didn't know what was going on at all.
"What did I tell you earlier?" Senku looked up confidently with a big grin. Sumi smiled a little as she got closer. "You remember, don't ya? I said we could use the power of science...to kill you...with just one finger..." He stretched that finger out towards Hyoga, whose eyes widened.
"I see...that flame earlier..." Senku bent down his hand to make the flames approach Hyoga. Sumi threw up her whip in one swift motion to make it catch on fire. "How did they light it so quickly? And how is it that her whip isn't burned to a crisp?" Senku's pinky with the wires attached was how he was able to do so. Meanwhile, Sumi's whip was made out of tungsten, so any amount of heat wouldn't cause her to lose it that easily.
"Primitive science has its perks from time to time..." Senku started off as he was wearing something underneath his outfit.
"So does having a whip made out of the most heat-resistant metal known in this world..." Sumi grinned up at him.
"If these were lithium batteries, your little jab would've blown me into a billion pieces," The green-haired scientist had a big smirk on his face. "But these manganese batteries are tough enough..." Hyoga gasped sharply, his eyes shaking. "To both be a weapon and a shield." There was something strapped to his chest, with silver items poking out of it, along with a gray pack of something.
"I'll admit I was worried because we only had enough for one..." Sumi gave a little chuckle. "But that's why I've learned to never doubt my science partner. I'll admit if I had half of them, it wouldn't work as well...so that little jab you gave me to the stomach was worth it...!"
"How?!" Hyoga looked around in a panic. "Where did you...when did you two have time to make this thing?!" Sumi looked pleased to see him actually scared for once because he had already lost. And his loss was all thanks to...well, himself actually. Hyoga threw down the phone onto the ground and it broke apart. Senku chuckled from remembering all of the batteries that fell out of it.
"Don't tell me you forgot already? Hyoga, you were the one who was kind enough to deliver all the materials we needed right to us," He revealed to the spearman. "Just hook some batteries up to the thin wire coil from a cell phone and boom," He pulled off the clips from his top to reveal the wire that was attached to the batteries. "You've got a high-voltage transformer. It's the birth of a one hundred thousand stun gun!" He then chuckled while looking at Tsukasa. "Just for the record, Tsukasa...this tag team...was a ton of fun for me too."
"And for me...never thought I'd see the day the three of us teamed up...but it ended up being thrilling in the end," Sumi gave a proud smile. Tsukasa gave a smaller one of his own, as he didn't need to tell them anything back. Sumi then threw her whip at the spear, dragging him closer. Tsukasa gripped it while growling up at him, and Hyoga tried to get away, but couldn't thanks to the combined strength of the two.
"Now Tsukasa, Sumi, and I are gonna give you a little present...a gift of science," Senku then touched Hyoga with the stun gun, shocking him immensely. He let out a scream of pain as he felt it everywhere, and once the shock was over, he was sent flying backwards a little. The three watched as he fell onto the ground with a thump. He was even given a smaller shock just for good measure. He looked up towards the sky, breathing heavily.
"Wretched..." His eyes rolled to the back of his head. "Science..." He then closed them, falling unconscious.
"The shock wasn't enough to kill him..." Sumi murmured while falling back onto the ground in exhaustion. "We're not murderers. But it should be enough to hold him until we can get him back to the others..."
The wave rolled in as Senku and Tsukasa were laying behind Sumi for them to form a triangle shape on the ground. Senku was to her right and Tsukasa was to her left. Sumi had her eyes closed, listening to the peaceful sound of the water crashing in, and nothing else. All three of them were quiet as Senku opened his eyes a few seconds later. He looked towards the two as Sumi glanced up towards him as well. Tsukasa gave a light chuckle himself as they set their sights on the moon. Senku gave a small smile, Tsukasa returning it while looking relieved. Sumi smiled happily and the three all shared a high-five, without even having to look up.
Sumi let out a heh and then started openly laughing, shocking them both as they turned to her. "I'm sorry...I don't mean to laugh. It's just that...it's finally over," She looked up towards the moon with a small smile on her face. She sat up and they looked up at her, her hair flowing onto the ground behind her. "We can finally put this all behind us, you know? Finally start things over for a change..." The two blinked at her, knowing exactly what she was talking about. Now that they had stopped Hyoga...the Stone Wars were finally...finally over between the three of them. And she had never felt so relieved to think of this at all until this moment.
Tsukasa gave her a small smile. As he was thinking about it, Sumi had fought to save his life twice, once when she and her grandma helped him as kids and the other from when she attempted to save him from falling with Senku. And both times...she never questioned anything, or what it meant for her in the long-run. She just did it anyway, without even thinking about what could've happened if she had done something differently. He could finally see why she stuck with Senku so much to the end...because she was following his example.
I finally know now...why people are so drawn to you, Sumire...
Senku let out a small chuckle at her. She reminded him of himself in a lot of ways, despite that she was very stubborn and impulsive at times. Luckily, Sumi didn't suffer any major mental damage from all of this. And that would've been worse considering how she dealt with medicine, and not therapy. He wasn't worried that much anymore as he could tell she was starting to accept what happened. What he was worried about...was not only Tsukasa, but...
How his relationship with Sumi would start to change.