A drop of water fell into a puddle, a volcano going off. Water trickled down a stone wall and into a cave. A monkey was sitting around in the forest, several animals looking towards a cave. Waves crashed in as thunder struck from a storm. A petrified Senku was in the midst of the water, a petrified Sumi caught in the wave but never moving from her spot. The sun started to rise as Senku was lying on the ground. A bat came out of the miracle cave, a drop of nitric acid falling onto Senku. The same bat passed by Sumi and gave her nitric acid as well. Soon, the stone around their eyes cracked and they awakened.
Senku held out his hand towards the beaming sun. He smirked while looking at his hand, turning around to the miracle cave. Some of his body was still covered in stone fragments. Sumi slowly stood up from her position, cracking her back. She looked at both of her hands, looking up towards the sunset as her hair flowed with the wind.
Senku chuckled lowly as his eyes were closed. "I'm so nostalgic, I could just about cry my eyes out..." He opened them while looking towards the heavily guarded miracle cave.
"Mm. Now who's getting sentimental?" Sumi smiled playfully at him as they were hiding behind a tree. He always teased her for being like this, and now she finally had a chance to say the same to him. He let out a small scoff, flicking her forehead.
"Keep dreaming," He replied just as playfully as she gave an annoyed pout. She reached out and rubbed the top of her head in silence.
"Is that...?" Kinro trailed off while looking up ahead.
"Yeah," Senku replied simply to him.
That's where Senku, Sumi, and I woke up... Taiju recalled his own awakening. Even though Sumi wasn't near it herself, it still played a part in her de-petrification. He then remembered reviving Yuzuriha and holding her in his arms. Where everything started. Another drop of nitric acid went into the pot. The miracle cave.
"The place you and Sumi told us about...where we get the stuff from bat guano..." Chrome trailed off.
"Our nitric acid," Senku confirmed for him.
"Without it...we wouldn't have gotten here today," Sumi murmured while closing her eyes. She couldn't imagine having fended off Tsukasa or reviving Yuzuriha without it. They wouldn't even all be fighting for humanity today if nitric acid hadn't woken her and Senku up.
Yuzuriha had a deep thoughtful look on her face as she recalled what it was. Nitric acid is used for everything. From breathing life into the statues to making gunpowder, which can destroy anything in this primitive world. Another drop fell from the cave. It's miracle water that can bring life...and death. Which is why...Tsukasa has so many people guarding it.
Hyoga opened his eyes a little as Tsukasa bent down to the ground in front of the gravestone. "Yo...I won't let your death be in vain," He then started digging to bury the eyepatch in his hand. "Senku and Sumi's objective is the miracle cave. We'll stop them in the names of Yo and the other fallen...and build a new ideal world...with Sumire by my side."
"Yes," Hyoga agreed with him, glancing away in exasperation to hear of Sumi once again. He knew she was important to Tsukasa, but the depths he was willing to go were getting a little tiresome to hear for him. And it wasn't like he didn't know why; Sumi was a capable fighter and scientist, but he just didn't believe that she was fit for Tsukasa.
The long-haired man stopped short and Hyoga looked up. In the ground was the speaker for the cell phone. Tsukasa gasped sharply at the sight below him.
Ukyo was standing in a tree, on the lookout for them as he listened. He could only wear the wind and he jumped down from the branch. He landed on another one, looking down at the other members of the Kingdom of Science. "Tsukasa and Hyoga are at the grave. It's pretty far away," He informed as Senku was in the tank with Sumi, Chrome, and Gen.
"Thank you, Ukyo," Sumi told him gratefully. It was definitely more tense now than it had ever been before in any setting. This would be the day that changed everything, for science and for humanity. Where this war would finally come to an end, though not without its own hardships...she did acknowledge that. And she knew that Tsukasa would see Senku again without a doubt at some point. She didn't know why she felt like it was something coming, but it was inevitable.
"Just the kind of thing I was hoping to hear!" Senku replied proudly while their friends surrounded the tank. Taiju was holding a carbon shield. "It's almost game time, everyone. One blast of this tank's fake cannon, and any modern person's morale will immediately sink, ten billion percent. But...don't forget that we're on a time limit here. The enemy will only panic and have the instinct to run away. For the first 20 seconds, though. After that, the enemy will come to their senses and retaliate." Everyone looked up at him with a serious expression on their face. "And if we fight, people will die."
"20 seconds is all we have, but it'll be all we need," Sumi spoke up while looking at every single last person. "We're not looking for a bloody siege, only the miracle cave. We'll throw everything we have at them. This isn't about who gets to reign the stone world," She looked back towards the cave, clenching a fist in front of her. "It's about rescuing humanity and what science can do for it! So I know you guys will try your hardest for our win. I believe in every single one of you here today. You'll make the Kingdom of Science proud."
Ginro let out a scared sound as he wasn't too keen on fighting. "So wait, 20 seconds in, we're killing each other?" He asked with hesitance.
Magma let out a joyous cackle in response. "That's when the real fun starts and we murder 'em all!"
"Were you really not listening at all?" Sumi deadpanned at him.
"No. Nobody dies," Kinro reminded him sternly. "Those are the terms of our alliance. The rules are the rules. Break them, and who knows what'll happen?" He glanced back at Ukyo in the tree, who gave a small smile in agreement.
"Ha ha ha!" Senku glanced back at the archer, Sumi doing the same. "In other words, our victory conditions are tough. We're conquering the miracle cave with our science-powered blitz Krieg without killing a single person!" He then reached out to take Sumi's hand, to her surprise. "Sumire...remember what I said, okay? You aren't some kind of reward out of all this."
She gave a soft smile as she interlocked her fingers with his in assurance. "I remember. I won't let that cloud my judgment. Now let's end this Stone War together."
Senku gave her a slight chuckle from her response. Of course she wouldn't let that happen...because he knew how strong she was deep down. The two then looked back up ahead, adjusting their helmets. "Alright, then," Senku started off.
"Let's get this started!" He and Sumi yelled in unison. The tank then started up, black smoke coming from the top.
"Okay, Steam Gorilla...move out!" Chrome exclaimed as Gen was wearing the same helmet as Sumi and Senku. He then moved the lever forward as the tank began to move. The others rushed forward along with the tank.
"EVERYBODY GET READY!" Kohaku shouted as they ran into battle. Kohaku glanced at everyone here today. These next 20 seconds will decide the future of humanity... Suika, Ruri, and Yuzuriha looked into the distance, knowing that the Kingdom of Science would prevail in this war. The elders back in the village were thinking of the same thing, though they were worried that they might lose someone...and then no one would revive any of the stone statues around if it were to be Senku or Sumi...or both of them.
"Fire!" Senku and Sumi declared, and the cannon went off. The loud sound of it got the attention of the guards, but it was too late at that point. Senku smirked as Sumi gave a confident look up ahead. No matter what, they'd ensure that not a single life was lost today...that this would be the end of their year-long strife with the Tsukasa Empire.
Count Down: Start
00:20
A loud explosion erupted, and headed towards the cave entrance as everyone let out a shout. The guards then turned around in alarm. They saw the cannon shot heading right above their heads. They stared in confusion. Senku smirked while adjusting his helmet.
"Hidden inside our little missile is a glass jar full of sulfuric acid. When the glass breaks, the acid will mix with the surrounding fuel made from alcohol and coal ash. It'll at least look like a giant Hollywood budget explosion," He started off as the missile headed for its destination.
"And it'll create one so massive that it'll guarantee the reaction we predict from the enemy. As long as no one is in close range of the thing, they'll be fine. Can cause some severe skin burns and trouble breathing if anyone gets the idea."
Once Sumi finished, the missile touched the stone above the cave. The big impact and tremor caused the guards to be panicked and they ran off. And because their focus was now elsewhere, it was time to make an attack. Ukyo looked up from the tree, his eyes towards the explosion from the miracle cave. He had a small frown on his face, hoping that they would meet their terms of their deal...he then looked in the opposite direction. He still couldn't hear Tsukasa or Hyoga...but them making an appearance was still possible. And who knows how much time the Kingdom of Science had left before that happened?
00:19, 00:18, 00:17
"Tsukasa's ready," Chrome warned the others inside the tank. He gripped an iron bar to steady himself. "He's been expecting us to attack with a steam engine."
"I've seen glimpses of preparation during my time there," Sumi explained while keeping her eyes forward. "It'll be difficult getting past every single one of them to reach the other side. I know that since it's you, it'll be no problem, but those traps are practically everywhere."
"And the miracle cave should be an itical-cray facility to protect," Gen looked a bit uneasy while steering the tank. "I'll bet you've seen every single one and that Senku knew of this before hand too."
"Oh, definitely!" Senku agreed with a smirk. "Ten billion percent!"
"So Senku, Sumi, how about a detour?" Gen called out in suggestion.
Senku gave a grin in response. "No way! CHARGE!" He shouted as the others did not look excited at all as their eyes bulged out. Especially Gen, since he was the one driving.
"This is bad!" The two exclaimed and Sumi reached up to her head. She let out a chuckle, getting their attention.
"Eh, you guys stay here and have fun in the tank. I've got business to take care of," Sumi gave a small smile while removing her helmet.
"What kind of business is that?" Chrome blinked in confusion. She leapt out of her spot in a flip, shocking them. She then landed in front of the tank with a smirk. "Hauling ass with my whip, of course! Yah!" She jumped forward, grabbing her whip while in mid-air. She then threw someone into a bush behind her.
"Whoa!" Gen blinked in shock from her action. If Senku wasn't in love with her, I'd go out with Mire-Chan in a heartbeat. Then again, I would be breaking them up...
Senku blinked and gave a chuckle towards his science partner once she landed. "Alright Sumi! The rest of us continue on!" He exclaimed as she leapt forward to join the others, backflipping to be in front of the crowd. They all turned back to her and gave a small smile that she was fighting by their side. One more warrior would be a big help in this case. Gen continued driving the tank, and bumped along the path. He let out a yelp while doing so. "GO!" Senku commanded and the tank sped forward. The guards were stunned at the incoming sight heading for the miracle cave.
"What is that?" One of them asked in confusion.
"Wait...no way!" A second one exclaimed in disbelief.
"Is that...a tank?!" Another one cried out. The tank then destroyed one of the hidden traps.
"We're screwed!" They backed away a bit.
"They're smashing right through all our traps!"
Magma cackled while charging ahead with everyone else. "I could get used to these tank things!"
"It's no surprise you like them, Magma..." Ginro deadpanned a little towards the stronger blonde.
"We busted through their traps. That saved us precious time!" Kinro reminded everyone, Sumi pulling out her sword.
"Let's go, everyone!" Kohaku shouted to the others. "Full frontal assault!"
"Let's give this our all, you guys! And remember our condition!" Sumi glanced over her shoulder.
00:16, 00:15, 00:14
"Crap! It's an ambush!" One of them exclaimed in realization.
"Stop 'em!" The one in front tried to swing at Kohaku, who jumped up high to dodge it. One of them raced forward towards Sumi to grab her whip. She spun it around, causing him to flinch. But instead of attacking, she used the distraction to leap above his head. Both her and Kohaku stomped on their attackers' faces, pushing themselves into the air, shocking the other guards. Sumi and Kohaku glanced to each other silently.
Heh. The opening encounter's the most crucial. Hope the panicked grunts can't pull off a counterattack.
If they attack us blindly, we lose our chance of having a bloodless battle Sumi thought as she could tell that Kohaku thought the first step was the most important. We can't afford to have that happen, Kohaku.
Killing's against the rules Kinro thought to himself while running past guards. But how do we handle them with that kind of limitation?
The two women landed side by side, looking up and gasping. A group of armed men were ready to attack the duo. Before any of them could land a hit, Taiju stepped forward to block their attacks with the carbon shield, which had the Kingdom of Science logo on it. Their weapons also broke off like twigs as he stood there in determination.
"Taiju!" Kohaku smiled in relief at him.
"Thank you," Sumi told him happily. The guards were in shock that their weapons were now broken by a simple shield.
"Whoa! That broke my spear!" A guard exclaimed with wide eyes. Another one looked towards the shield, which only had a few small dents in it.
"It's a carbon shield!" Kohaku explained to the group.
"What'd you say? Carbon? You have that in the stone world?!" A guard repeated in shock. Sumi gave a small chuckle while smirking up at them.
"In this world, science is everywhere to make anything. This particular shield is made with calcium carbonate, which are in seashells. I don't have time to go into it, but it's stupidly ridiculously easy to find the material to make shields like that," She explained confidently as they stared at her in shock.
"Don't worry, you guys," Taiju assured his team with a look of conviction. "You can count on me to stop all the attacks at the head of the pack!" However, a large red lump came from the top of his head to prove him otherwise.
"You couldn't even stop the one that hit your head!" A guard argued while pointing at him. Sumi looked at him awkwardly, as she shouldn't be surprised at this point of Taiju's endurance...but sometimes it still threw her for a loop. She could tell that he was still okay, but she might have to check on it later. Unlike other head bumps, Taiju got it during a battle.
"That dude is tough..." Another one commented while Kohaku was speechless at her friend. This didn't stop Taiju whatsoever as he clenched a fist.
"Now listen here! Hasn't anyone ever told you that hitting people is wrong?!" He shouted at them. The guards were taken aback by this, to say the least. Sumi looked at him with white eyes while trembling in disbelief. None of them were really expecting that.
Is he really saying that in the middle of a battle?!
Oh, Taiju... Sumi rubbed a temple to calm herself down. Senku would tell you that this is illogical thinking if he heard that... It was the same level as him mocking her for being sentimental when giving out cotton candy to Homura. Or when he wanted Tsukasa to hit him until he agreed to stop destroying the statues...
Taiju moved forward with the others, using the shield to deflect a few guards at the same time. Some of them got past, but Sumi stopped them thanks to using her whip to knock them down gently.
"We need to prevent any injuries! Grab their weapons or destroy them!" Sumi ordered as she ran forward. One of the guards raised his arm, but she flipped so that her back landed on his shoulder. She then raised her legs in a flip. She landed behind him as quickly as she had been in close range while grabbing his weapon with her spear, to his utter shock. Sumi tugged the whip hard so she could throw the weapon out of his hands and into a bush. Kohaku leapt up next to her, looking at the other members of the Kingdom of Science.
"You heard her! Their weapons, knock 'em away!" She cried out as she used her katanas to easily slice them down in one fell swoop. One of them backed away into Kokuyo, and he looked up. He winced as the former village chief looked very intimidating. The blond raised up his fist and then knocked him down with a gentle blow to the head. The guard fell down in front of him while others were getting tied up.
"Tie up every last one," He told the ones not actively in battle.
"Follow Kohaku and Sumi!" Kinro told his brother, who let out a shriek of fear. The two brothers used their spears to knock the guards' weapons out of their hands. One of them approached Magma, who knocked him out easily with his axe. He laughed while putting it over his shoulder.
00:14, 00:13, 00:12, 00:11
Meanwhile, things weren't going so well for the tank. Just as they got over a larger hole, the ground caved in and the tank fell over to the side. The cave was just inches away from them. Magma, Sumi, and Kinro all looked up.
"Senku, Gen, Chrome!" Sumi shouted in worry as she and Magma instantly ran over to them.
"The tank's finally down!" One of the guards said enthusiastically. "Alright! The traps worked after all!" They ran over to go surround the tank.
Inside the tank, the three occupants were lying on their backs. Their eyes were very dizzy thanks to the fall. "This is bad," Chrome said in a shaky tone.
"Eriously-say," Gen murmured in agreement.
Senku just let out a laugh instead. "Honestly, we lasted longer than I expected..." He was also a bit shaky. Two shadows loomed over them. Sumi was in front of Magma as she climbed inside the tank in concern.
"Are you guys okay?" She asked while checking on them quickly. "You did end up saving us time, but the tank..." She glanced around them.
"We'll be fine," Senku assured her with a grin. "After all, we have our badass doctor if needed." She blinked and gave a small smile towards him. He then looked up and then blinked at Magma behind her. He gave a small smirk as Sumi sat up, both of them turning around to him. "Alright, Magma, you're up," He gave the brute a thumbs up.
"Mmhm," Sumi nodded at him curtly. "You know what to do."
"Who said you could boss me around like that? At least say please next time," He scowled at them. Sumi raised a brow as she crawled forward. The other three were signaling Magma to take it back as she gripped his shirt, pulling him closer to his shock.
"Just because we're at war doesn't mean we have a need to be polite right now," She snarled a little. "So PLEASE get your butt out there and do what is needed before I put my foot somewhere it doesn't belong!" She released him and he stumbled back with a yelp, landing on the ground. He grunted as she reached in to help pull the others out.
"Yes ma'am," He scoffed at her before gripping onto a copper bar. He then pulled it out, revealing it to be a paraboloid made out of copper. He held it towards the guards, causing them to come to a stop once they saw it.
"What is that?" One of them questioned in bewilderment.
"A copper plate...?" The other remarked since they had no clue what it did just by looking at it.
"Is it another shield...?"
Once Sumi pulled Chrome out, he grabbed a small leather pouch from his pocket. It had a rope attached to it. He then ran towards Magma. Senku chuckled as Gen covered his ears and he turned to Sumi coming inside. He grabbed her arm, gently pulling her close so that her back touched his chest. "It's one of our science surprise gadgets. The kind of modified sonic bomb," He said with a grin as Chrome put the pouch into the center. Chrome then let the fuse with fire. "We're harnessing all the sounds of a detonation with a parabola, and shooting it at the enemy."
"Once it goes off and it's amplified, it can overpower anyone in just one explosion to absorb it. All thanks to Kaseki's hard work," Sumi replied, though was trying to ignore her beating heart being in close proximity of Senku. She then covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Time for earplugs!" Kohaku announced, and everyone put them on, since Sumi recommended it. Once they had created it, she informed that they really didn't want to hear the sound, should they want their ears to bleed. And she wouldn't be able to heal every single person's ears on her own if they didn't have them.
"Hope you're ready for this...our acoustic weapon: the shock cannon!" Senku revealed as Chrome was bent down near Magma, who stood straight. There was a white flash as the leather bomb exploded. Its amplified sound was then diverted at the guards, who were trying to shut out the sound by covering their ears. However, it did nothing to help. Chrome and Magma both braced themselves and soon, a lot of the guards passed out. Many of them couldn't move as only a few were still guarding the cave up ahead.
Sumi sighed in relief as she climbed out first. She turned around and grabbed Senku's hand to pull him out as Magma laughed. Kohaku and Kinro yelled as they both charged forward together.
00:10, 00:09, 00:08
As the battle was going on, a blonde woman was hiding behind one of the trees. She looked on while watching them. Everyone's panicking. This is the exact opposite of what Tsukasa said to do. She then looked a bit annoyed. In case of an ambush, calmly retreat and regroup! Is that so hard?! She sweated a little before turning around and running off. She had a small blush on her face as she looked happy of what would happen once she told him. Oh well! It's a good chance to use my journalistic skills! I'll go report to Tsukasa and tell him what's going on! She gushed while holding her cheeks and swaying around. Wow, you're such a capable woman. Stay here by my side, oh can you imagine? Well, first, I have to figure out what to do about Sumi, but she doesn't appreciate him so maybe I won't even have to worry!
Before she could even reach him, an arrow landed nearby, causing her to come to a stop. She looked up to see Ukyo had fired it, having heard her footsteps. "You won't be going any farther," He had a small smile on his face.
"No way..." She murmured in surprise that he was going against her. "Ukyo?" She was then grabbed from behind and she let out a gasp. She looked back nervously to see that it was Nikki holding onto her. She had a deep frown on her face.
"We won't let you..." The pigtailed blonde revealed in a foreboding tone.
"Uh? Nikki, wha-" Nikki didn't let her continue speaking as she started tickling her. She let out a few giggles with tears flying from her eyes. Two guards ran over as they heard the laughter.
"Minami!" They were both surprised to see that she wouldn't be moving anytime soon.
"Damn it! We gotta tell Tsukasa!"
The other turned around in alarm as he heard a noise. "Hey, hold up!" He exclaimed in alarm as several other people from their own empire were surrounding them with weapons from behind. They were working with the Kingdom of Science. The two silently surrendered since they were outnumbered. Nikki finally released Minami, who fell to the ground in exhaustion.
"No one's getting away on our watch!" She said with determination, hands on her hips.
00:07, 00:06, 00:05
"Chrome, move!" Senku and Sumi shouted in unison. Chrome stopped as Magma looked up as a guard had a weapon ready in his hand. Sumi grabbed her whip, but it was too late as the man moved his arm downwards to burst the leather bomb. Just as Chrome was going to put it into the copper paraboloid. The smoke released from the bomb as Magma dropped the device and lunged forward. Kohaku came in from above, Chrome, Sumi, and Senku falling towards the ground.
Damn it! This is bad! The bomb popped! Chrome thought as Sumi quickly checked over him with her eyes.
Magma landed on the ground with the guard in his grip. He looked over his shoulder. "They're coming!" Kohaku looked up as Tsukasa's men were about to attack, with their weapons ready. The men yelled as they jumped over the four. Sumi gasped as there was no way she and Kohaku could take on that many. If they did, then someone surely would die. Taiju had an uneasy expression on his face as Senku immediately moved Sumi to be behind him, his hand resting on her leg. He gritted his teeth towards the guards.
Not good. We can't fight off that many!
00:05, 00:04
"We need a substitute and now if we wanna defeat these guys!" Sumi hissed to her friends so the guards wouldn't hear her. As if knowing what she was saying, Taiju snapped out of it. He ran up to join his friends, going as fast as he could.
00:03
He slid to a stop in front of the four, to their shock.
00:02
They continued to stare at Taiju as he took a deep breath, leaning his head back. Chrome, Sumi, and Senku immediately caught on as they gasped. The three grinned as Kohaku immediately covered her ears. The three held up the copper paraboloid to Taiju. He then yelled into the cannon as loud as he could. The sound from his voice created a strong shockwave that sent the guards behind him flying into the cave. The four then looked up in surprise once he was done, and the men all fell onto the ground unconscious. The jar of nitric acid shook a bit from the amount of people, but didn't spill a single drop.
Taiju looked up, letting out a deep breath.
00:01
"Damn!" One of the guards exclaimed as some of them were running away from the battle. The two stopped in place as Nikki and several other allies from the empire stopped them. They had guards already tied up, and there were seven of them, so no way would they be able to get past. Knowing this, they surrendered in fear by holding up their hands. Minami was also tied up, a woman with short brown hair holding her. The other allies then smiled for their advantage.
The nitric acid continued to dip into the jar. Senku, Taiju, Chrome, Kohaku, and Sumi looked up ahead in silence. The green-haired scientist looked outside the cave. "Any casualties?" He wondered, and in a bit anticipation since he didn't wanna assume just yet.
"Everyone is accounted for and captured?" Sumi placed a hand on her hip while looking back. They could both see that everyone from both sides were all still alive. No injuries, blood, or people dying whatsoever.
00:00
The countdown was officially over and the two gave a small smirk. "Zero."
"Our condition has been met," Sumi said proudly of the group.
"Aw, yeah!" Taiju cheered while pumping his fists. "The miracle cave!"
"We actually conquered it!" Chrome added happily, Taiju and Chrome surrounding their scientist friends. The two were in a bit of shock, but smiled back at them. This was their victory; they had finally gotten back the cave and without a single person lost. Kohaku smiled as Magma, Kinro, and Ginro stepped inside. All of them looked happy as all of the Kingdom of Science let out happy cheers. Senku and Sumi smirked at their fellow people, and they turned back to the nitric acid. Taiju slowly stepped up, bending down to the cup.
It's been a long time...None of them would've ever guessed that it'd take this long to get back to this point. For Taiju...it did mean having to say goodbye to his friends and infiltrate Tsukasa. Yuzuriha and Taiju stared at Senku and Sumi across from them. "So...going forward, the two of us will be spies inside the Tsukasa Empire" Sumi pulled away from Yuzuriha with a smile. Taiju then gave her a death hug. "And you and Sumi will be recruiting for the rebel science army." Sumi ran after Senku, stopping at his side as they walked together. As Taiju looked on, Sumi turned around and waved to them with a grin. The two waved back to her before turning around and leaving. "We'll each by fighting our own battles." Yuzuriha gave them one final look before following Taiju.
"Tch, that's the idea," Senku said as Sumi glanced at him knowingly. Taiju then held up a fist into the air, after having called to them. "Parting is such sweet sorrow. Better get going before we start to cry."
Sumi and Senku were having their playful argument when they heard Taiju's voice. They looked back, seeing him in the distance. The two glanced to each other and then smiled. Senku and Sumi held the flag up in the air, the woman waving her other hand to Taiju as a final goodbye.
Taiju and Yuzuriha then planted the grave that they would pass off as Senku's. Taiju stood behind Yuzuriha protectively as she was gathering herbs outside the empire. The two then had their meal in front of the fire during wintertime. Nikki was keeping a close watch on them. The two walked together as it snowed, the frost on the rocks next to them. They kneeled in front of the gravestone together, pretending to pay their respects.
Taiju had tears in his eyes at the memories of not having two of his friends with him. Having to act as if they were part of the enemy just to get intel on their movements...was really hard for him. A whole year of not seeing or being able to talk to their best friends, and even after all that, it was only Senku's voice they heard. Thanks to Sumi having been captured at the time, so they didn't even get to hear her, and they found out she got hurt. And they couldn't talk to her at all when she was actually there for a brief period. But finally...having gotten the nitric acid again, it all made every single thing worth it in the end.
"It's been a whole year since you two and I parted ways," He said tearfully and Sumi gave a look of sympathy. "To fight this battle...to make it here." Senku gave a small hum as he smirked. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he did miss the big oaf from time to time. Especially when he and his science partner would talk to their friends about them explaining the infiltration. Sumi stepped up to him with a small smile.
"We did it together, Taiju," He blinked as she had a happy expression on her face. "Yes, it did take a whole year for all of it to come to this. We did what we had to...for this very moment," She placed her hands on her skirt as she had a bigger smile on her face. "But now we're all back together, aren't we? And we can use it for what we all want to now. We finally earned this...all of us."
Chrome and Senku gave a small smile for what she said, as she was absolutely right. After all of the hard work and preparation...it culminated into the victory that they wanted.
Taiju let out a happy scream while holding up the nitric acid above his head. "You're right, Sumi! Finally, we finally have it back!" He had a big grin on his face.
"A bucket of bat guano turned nitric acid! It's ours!" Chrome exclaimed while pumping his fists.
"The miracle wateeeeeeeeeeer!" Taiju shouted as Sumi gave them both a giggle.
"Always bringing in pure joy when needed," Senku gave Sumi a small smirk. "Never gets old of how infectious it is. I guess that's what happens when you grow up with Lillian Weinberg."
She blinked while looking up at him, and smiled for the compliment. "Yeah...I guess in many ways, we really were alike," Her smile turned a bit sad since there was no way to revive Lillian at this point in time...she wished her mom could've seen her efforts, seen what they had all accomplished as a Kingdom of Science. Senku noticed her expression and then placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair.
"Don't give me that face, we won, didn't we?" He let out a cackle as she squealed and he removed her ribbon so that her ponytail was down. She held his head, trying to swat him off.
"Senku! Come on, really?" She whined, but a few seconds later, she let out a laugh, her eyes closed as she had a beaming smile. Senku gave a little one himself from seeing it, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Taiju and Chrome looked on with small smirks as Sumi finally pushed him away from her gently. She then giggled while taking her hair ribbon out, reaching up to re-tie it.
"Now that we've got a hold of this, we're set! We can make revival fluid and gunpowder!" Chrome exclaimed optimistically, though Senku turned around and walked away. Sumi followed him, confusing the brunet. He ran forward to see the two standing in front of the fallen tank. Nikki was keeping watch over some guards. The two seemed to be looking for something. "Hey, what are you doing, Senku, Sumi? We won, get excited!"
Taiju just laughed in response as he followed. "He's always been the type to keep a cool head, you know?" He replied knowingly about them. "It takes a minute before he celebrates. Usually, Sumi is always excited unless it's really important. Hey, Senku, Sumi!"
"As much as I wanna be happy about our victory, we still have important things to do. But I'm definitely open to throwing one after we get back to the village. Maybe even throw a big feast for everyone too," She gave a small smile towards them. "It'd keep everyone's spirits up after the intense battle."
"Yeah," Senku looked up with a smirk. "Trust me, we'd love nothing more than a big victory party right about now. But we don't have the time to waste on that. We're gonna start making gunpowder."
The two gasped while recoiling back. "That's right, and that's bad!" Chrome turned to Taiju in realization that they still had one big obstacle in the way. "We need to get ready before Tsukasa and the rest of his crew catch on and find us here."
"Da da da da~!" Senku and Sumi sang in unison, as they both lifted up a large sealed glass jar. It was filled with a dark grey substance and marked 'S&C.' "Sulfur and charcoal!" The two walked away while holding it.
"It's our instant gunpowder starter kit. All you gotta do is add nitric acid and you're ready to make things go boom!" He explained to Gen and Chrome near the tank.
"You must've made this when Chrome and I got captured, huh?" Sumi smiled a little towards it.
"Yup. Thanks for getting me the sulfur before you were gone, by the way. Saved me a lot of time," He smirked towards her and she winked.
"Always gotta deliver!" She replied and he gave her another smile. He hoped sooner than later, he could finally tell her that he heard her confess. It was nagging him almost constantly that he had to put it off in sake of the war and what she had gone through. Plus the amount of time she was even willing to wait...he wished it didn't take that long to figure out, but because he was logical, he just didn't see it clearly. If Byukaya were here, he'd probably laugh in Senku's face for being oblivious for thousands of years. And he was sure that once Sumi found out how he knew that she'd be very pissed at Gen, which he was looking forward to a little bit just for entertainment.
"So well apared-pray," Gen deadpanned a little while giving a jar of materials to Chrome.
"Of course we are," Senku remarked while looking away. "Gotta save time."
"Not like we would've had it anyway if we didn't have this kit," Sumi gave a deadpanned look while glancing upwards. She couldn't even imagine Tsukasa allowing them that much time to make it since he already waited until winter was over. "But at least with this, we can finally stop Tsukasa now that we have the miracle cave back."
"Oh, yeah! You know what this means!" Taiju cried out happily in front of the two. "Victory for the Kingdom of Science!" He raised his hands in the air, earning a laugh from Sumi.
"We've got gunpowder!" Chrome cheered as well.
"We're still not out of the woods yet if we haven't made the stuff! Let's hurry up and mix it with the nitric acid," Sumi reached out to the lid. As she did so...how they wished that it was that easy. Ukyo let out a gasp as he heard something...he expected this from the start, and now an unpleasant feeling was hitting his stomach. And he knew straight away what it was. Even though he knew the plan...he didn't think it'd come crashing down this soon, or even a slight hint that it would happen. He kept silent as he thought it was imagining it all...unfortunately, no. And just as unfortunate that Sumi had an inkling of a feeling that this would be the outcome.
No way...! He turned to the side with wide eyes in disbelief. They're fast, but not that fast! Two pairs of fast feet were heading their way. How? He wasted no time turning to the others as this didn't require an answer. "GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted urgently, getting their attention as they turned their heads to him. "RUN FOR IT!"
Hyoga's kudayari flew in and Ukyo turned around in shock. He or Sumi had no time to react as it hit him in the chest, sending him flying into both Senku and Sumi. Blood oozed out from him as the jar of sulfur and coal fell onto the ground, spilling the substance all over. Gen gave a panicked look from inside of the tank.
That was our ace in the hole!
Sumi let out a cough as she sat up a bit, looking up ahead and seeing the injured archer. "Ukyo!" Sumi shouted while bending down to him and seeing the blood on the ground. "No..." She immediately pressed her hand against his wound while cradling him in her lap in alarm. She glanced behind her while gritting her teeth towards Hyoga. Damn it...we can't make gunpowder to stop them now! At least the kudayari didn't go completely through Ukyo's chest, or he'd be dead instantly.
Senku slowly lifted up his head from the ground while gritting his teeth a little. Despite the smoke, he could still see the broken jar, Sumi, and Ukyo. Shit...our chemical compound... His eyes shifted over to Sumi as she had her eyes squeezed shut, gripping onto Ukyo's wound. She was even shaking, and he could tell...that she was scared. Sumi... His eyes softened just a bit as he knew that she felt like if she didn't act quickly...he would die. And she had never had one of her patients lose their life before.
"We're screwed!" Someone called out as they looked at the black smoke cloud.
"We don't stand a chance now!"
"Damn it!" Carbo was uneasy while looking up. "You're kidding me!"
Mantle gave uneasy sounds while holding his sword. The dark powder was starting to get blown away, revealing Tsukasa's cape. "Even with Kohaku and Magma here...having to fight one of these guys would be hard enough," Ginro murmured anxiously while sweating. Magma simply let out a small growl while keeping his fierce look up ahead.
"It doesn't matter which, either one would be too much for us alone..." Nikki said with an uneasy expression. The smoke finally cleared to reveal Hyoga and Tsukasa, both holding weapons.
"It would appear you've already figured this out instinctively," Hyoga spoke up as the tip of his weapon was already covered in Ukyo's blood. "But any hope the Kingdom of Science had of winning has just disappeared..."
The air was very tense as there was now silence. Senku coughed, Sumi snapping her head at him as he got up. She was about to go check on him when he held up a hand in front of her. He then turned to her with a serious expression, silently telling her that her priority right now was Ukyo. His eyes continued to look into hers, hoping she understood. Sumi gave a small gasp and then nodded silently at him.
Good, you little worrywart. Don't stress about me, I'm fine. I haven't forgotten our promise He thought to himself with a small smirk. It was still silent as the sun's rays shined on Tsukasa, until he was the one to break the silence. After a year of preparing for this...they were finally seeing each other again for the first time.
"Hey...Senku," He greeted a bit casually.
Senku didn't turn around to him. "Yo...Tsukasa," He replied back and Sumi bit her lip. Since she was between Tsukasa and Senku...she had that strange feeling again like she did when Tsukasa revealed his intentions. That she was caught in the middle between them. Especially since if either of them walked in a straight line, they'd reach her easily. She knew what Senku said...of not being a prize. But within this moment, that was almost forgotten to her. Tsukasa darted her eyes to her and she gripped Ukyo closer protectively, not saying a word.
"What a long...long battle it's been," Tsukasa commented with a dry smile on his face. "A whole year has passed. It's upsetting...it pains me to think I'll have to take your life a second time. Do you really wanna put Sumire through all of this again?"
Sumi gasped sharply while gritting her teeth. How dare he bring her into this acting as if he actually cared. Even if he supposedly did, he was still going to stomp all over her heart just to get what he wanted. It was like he couldn't see what was right in front of him that she couldn't begin trying to understand him. "You-"
Senku interrupted her with a chuckle. "That's so cold, man. And after I crawled my way out of the pits of hell to see you again. I don't know what the hell you're talking about, I'm not putting Sumi through anything," He then turned around with a dry smile of his smile. "All I had to climb...was the thin thread of science."
"Sumire...have you thought about your decision? I see that you're fully healed...I'm glad that we treated you well," Tsukasa closed his eyes with a warm smile. She squeezed her eyes shut while looking away, biting her lip. She then recoiled her back slowly, with a cold expression on her face. Senku stared at her as she had a shadow over her eyes.
"What makes you think I've even thought about it?" She said quietly, but he still heard her. "You're never gonna stop with that, are you? How many times is it gonna take before things finally change, Tsukasa?" She looked up at him while trying not to cry...not in front of him. She didn't want to be in front of the same man that had killed the love of her life and was willing to do it again...trying to remember what Senku told her was almost too far away now at this point. Tsukasa blinked and didn't respond at all, turning away in silence.
Senku clenched a fist from her reaction; this was what he didn't want for her. Not only because it'd make her feel upset over it, but because...the real reason things didn't seem to change in this war...was Sumi herself. He still refused to believe either him or Tsukasa would gain her as a result of who would win, but...she was the main reason other than science that this would go on now, even if neither of them had to say it to her. And he didn't want Sumi to keep living knowing that she was a main driving force of this battle to begin with. She was an actual person, not something to gain for his own. He wanted to earn that bond over time, not automatically have it just because of some victory that seemed impossible to others now. He wanted to think Tsukasa felt the same, but...it wasn't. None of his actions regarding Sumi seemed to support that at all.
Seconds later, more troops came out of the forest to surround the Kingdom of Science. The battle team was hesitant, since they didn't know if they could keep fighting and fighting...not with Tsukasa and Hyoga here now. They proved that by injuring Ukyo.
"Uh-oh...what do we do?"
"I don't know."
Senku placed a hand on Sumi's shoulder, causing her to look up. The soft expression in his eyes told her...that things would be okay. She let out a quiet gasp as he reached out his hand. She reached out to touch it, the two slowly moving their fingers to clasp together. She bit her lip at Ukyo, as she couldn't carry him. Not if Hyoga was gonna use his spear again while holding him. She looked down at the archer, telling him with her face that she would be back to help him. She slowly let go to put Ukyo down gently, her left hand soaked in his blood. The two then silently stood up together, walking at the same pace bravely.
"Don't worry, y'all!" A female voice called out, getting the attention of the allies from the Tsukasa Empire.
"Lillian?" The woman with brown hair turned around to the tank.
"She must be inside the tank!"
"Alright, let's get over there right now and protect her!" One of them said in motivation.
"Yeah, everything will be okay!" The woman smiled optimistically.
"The US army will be here soon!"
After this was spoken, the mobile phone was immediately thrown to the ground by Hyoga. Gen turned around, gasping as the batteries fell out. "Lies, all of it. Enough of this charade. Show yourself, Gen. You could never really contact a place as far as the US with such a primitive phone..." Hyoga mocked at the army.
"Damn it!" Chrome glared while clenching his fists. "They got us totally figured out!"
Senku chuckled, letting go of Sumi's hand. "No wonder they got here so quickly if they found our cell phone."
"We could only keep up the charade for so long before it finally caught up with us..." Sumi spoke a bit gravely, her eyes closed.
Gen then crawled out of the tank, revealing himself to the crowd. "Gen?!"
"You were impersonating her?"
"And we know of Sumi's big secret," Hyoga spoke up and her eyes slowly widened in realization. Senku let out a gasp as they knew what he was referring to. "That's right...you're Lillian Weinberg's adopted daughter."
Everyone from the Tsukasa Empire gasped, murmuring in shock. "Sumi is Lillian's daughter?"
"But how?"
"Why didn't she tell us?"
"Yeah..." Sumi opened her eyes, unfazed right now because their enemies were more important. "And your point is?"
"Such a shame that she couldn't admit to the world...that you were a mistake." She growled in response, tightening her fist. She then slightly let go of it as she might've been giving Hyoga the reaction he wanted. It was just a response to him trying to make her pissed so that she'd fight him...but she wasn't giving him that opportunity.
Senku clenched a fist while trying to keep it together. But like Sumi, that was what Hyoga wanted from them. So he couldn't give the spearman satisfaction either.
"Yes..." Tsukasa finally spoke up again. "It was a close one. But by a thin margin, this war has just been won," He looked at the broken jar on the ground.
"You and your people have lost, Senku and Sumire," Hyoga added in, his eyes closed. "But I have a proposition for the two of you. If you would both agree to-"
"Yeah, yeah," Senku interjected while rubbing the back of his neck. "You don't have to spell it out for us, we understand," He then switched to his other hand to pick at his ear. "You'll let all these fine people live, but in exchange...the science man has to die right? And you'd think I wouldn't be able to guess the second proposal. That Sumi has to agree to marry Tsukasa?"
The others, including Sumi, let out gasps in shock. She then furrowed her eyebrows at that last part. She closed her eyes and glanced away in silence. She really wished that they wouldn't have to do either of those. Sumi then stepped up and stood protectively in front of Senku. "No. Your life's in my hands, remember..." He stared at her in surprise that she was standing her ground.
"...Sumi..." He could only murmur as his eyes shook.
"How sweet. Too bad for you, that bond of yours will be broken by my hands," Tsukasa narrowed his eyes a bit, clenching a fist. "I should've known you had a part in destroying all of my preparations. You told Taiju and Yuzuriha to do so."
"Yeah...I did do that, didn't I? Must've been really mad to find out," She gave a small smirk, hands on her hips. "Tch," She looked away in annoyance. "For someone who's all brawn, you're not that hard to read, are you?"
"Mmm," Tsukasa narrowed his eyes a bit at how defiant she was being right about now. Hyoga glanced between the two of them briefly before speaking up.
"All three of you took the words right out of my mouth. I appreciate your perceptiveness and your stubbornness," Hyoga remarked to the duo. "As for Sumire, her presence will never be without 24/7 supervision again, like it should've been from the start. She'll never have any outside contact with the world for the rest of her life. It's what Tsukasa wants, after all. Nothing personal."
Taiju was the first to react to this as he rushed forward. "NO! Don't do it, Senku! And don't marry him, Sumi!" The memory of Senku falling to his death came to mind for both him and Sumi herself. "It's gonna be...just like before! I...I can't lose you again! And Sumi can't give up her freedom for Tsukasa! That'd make her miserable for the rest of her life!"
Sumi bit her lip while sweating, as she was on the same page as him. She then let out a deep breath as she had to remember to have faith in Senku...and that she could still protect his life. Back then, the situation was much more different than it was now. Plus...her life wasn't promised to Tsukasa. So there was no way she'd let him have willpower over her.
Senku was silent just like she was and then he chuckled, catching Taiju off guard. "I don't wanna see your face all gross and tear-stained, ya big oaf. Same thing goes to Sumi," He teased a little and Sumi gave a tiny smile since she wasn't crying. "How is this like before? Go pluck your eyeballs out and wash 'em. Remember, Taiju?" He recalled Taiju's face while running to the at-the-time dead Senku. "You didn't make it in time back then...Sumi couldn't either. I was on my own. Sumi...got hurt," He clenched a fist and she hung her head a bit while remembering Tsukasa slicing at her face. He then looked up confidently. "But look around you. This is way different. We've got tons of allies here. We've got you, and our Kingdom of Science buddies backing us up!"
"But what about Su-"
"Heh..." Sumi gave a small smirk while interrupting, turning to him. "My freedom is something only I control, Taiju. See this?" She took off her necklace, holding it up to show everyone. "Senku gave it to me. And ever since that day, I felt like I could fight for what I strive for! So if anyone wants to deprive me of my life...they have all of us to go through to get it. I'm not happy because I'm free. I feel that way...because I have all my friends. And Senku doesn't hurt either," She reached out to take his hand. "As he says...it's a hell of a lot more exciting when the two of us are in sync."
"Heh. Right back at ya, Sumi," He squeezed her hand gently without having to look at her.
"Yeah!" Kohaku agreed with a nod. "Got that right...Senku and Sumi!"
"Uh-huh," Chrome gave a small smile. "Got another science man right here!"
"We're with you," Kinro stated in determination, Taiju turning to him. "You've both said from the very beginning that no one dies. And rules are rules."
Ginro gave a brave look for the first time in a while. "It may be tough, but we trained hard for this. And we're not about to give up now!"
"Yes..." Kokuyo agreed with the two. "There's no doubt that Sumi and Senku lead us together..." He then unsheathed his katana. "But they're also our friends!"
"Ha ha ha!" Magma let out a cackle. "So all we gotta do is take down these two? Should be easy."
"You guys are a little too passionate for my taste," Gen spoke up with a shrug. "But...I guess if Senku and Mire-chan were to lose now...I wouldn't get to drink my cola anymore. Or have her finally call me her best friend!"
Sumi blinked in shock at everyone's words and then gave a soft smile towards everyone, trying not to cry. She reached out to wipe her eyes so that Tsukasa and Hyoga wouldn't notice. Taiju was just as surprised as her. The two were right all along. He didn't need to worry about them in danger again...not when they had a team full of people willing to stand behind them no matter what the odds. He then tilted his head while giving a laugh.
"Yeah, you're right," He looked at his friends with a smile. "This is nothing like last time! Senku...Sumi...forgive me."
Sumi glanced back as Senku didn't respond at all. She then winked with a small grin. "All good, Taiju...with us around, you don't need to fuss."
Kohaku took a few steps forward, looking towards Tsukasa. "Heh. Hey, long-haired man. It's been a while, huh?" She remarked as she hadn't seen him for a year.
Tsukasa blocked one of Kohaku's blades with his spear once she attacked. "Not too friendly, are you? What's wrong with hello, or I don't know, nice to meet ya?" He replied casually to her, but she kept a glare towards him.
"You wanted a nicer greeting? It's a bit overdue, but allow me to give you one!" She gave a confident smirk as they all stood together, looking up at the two. "Nice to meet you. We are the Kingdom of Science!" She then took a deep breath and dashed forward, weapons in hand.
Kinro flinched in disbelief at her. "Do you have some kind of plan?! Kohaku!" He cried out to the blonde.
"Of course not!" She shouted back, but she was sure of herself. "Obviously! But...we need to protect the miracle water!" Kinro rushed forward after her. "This is siege warfare! If we can buy even a little bit of time..." Ginro, Magma, and Kokuyo all charged towards the two with her. "Our scientists can do it! I know they'll figure something out, and find a way to win!"
"Yeah, sure!" Gen called out in concern. "But in case you've forgot, we're out of chemicals and stuff! There's no way!"
This didn't deter Senku or Sumi at all as they smirked. As the battle team continued forward, the two ran off while still holding hands. Chrome followed behind the two as they headed for the miracle cave. "Run, scientists! Sumi, grab Ukyo!"
"On it!" Chrome replied as Sumi nodded at him.
"Okay!" Sumi moved down her arms in one fell swoop, grabbing Ukyo into her arms. She gripped his wound to put pressure on it once again.
"They'll be dying for nothing," Hyoga sneered a little. "I suppose they're just brain-dead barbarians after all." Kohaku and Kinro let out a yell. Hyoga and Tsukasa leaped off the tree branch. Once the spearman landed, he wedged his kudayari into the ground. This was impactful enough to send Kinro, Ginro, Magma, and Kohaku flying backwards. Tsukasa landed safely soon after. He then stood up straight, keeping his hardened eyes towards them.
In this primitive stone world...Sumi, Senku, and Tsukasa all thought in unison. The winner will be decided by...
Tsukasa looked towards his fist. The force granted to humanity by nature...strength. He then cracked it, giving a small glare.
Sumi panted while hugging Ukyo close, her determined eyes kept forward. Senku had a small smirk on his face. The fruit of humanity's endless efforts...science! The two thought the same thing as each other. Senku put a pipette into his teeth. Sumi put a pouch into her teeth, gripping Ukyo's arms tight. The nitric acid dripped again from the ceiling. Tsukasa took a fighting stance while Senku reached out to the jar of nitric acid. Sumi slid over to the side of the cave as both sides were prepared to see this through and win for each of their purposes.