Kirisame threw the petrification weapon into the air towards Kohaku and Ginro with a yell. She then got a good look at the weapon as it came into sight. "There it is. With my eagle-eyed vision, I see Medusa's true face." It was a small, metallic-looking item with tiny etchings all over it. "Senku, you and Sumi were spot on yet again. It isn't a curse or a demonic device without rules. Though the Medusa of legend used magic...this is science." The weapon then glowed and emitted the green beam. It grew bigger while only surrounding the hut. Amaryllis looked up with tears on her cheeks. "It's up to you, Amaryllis and Sumi."

Sumi called out for her friends in horror, reaching out a hand as she could only watch. "Tell Senku and the others. Tell them all the secrets the infiltration team uncovered," Kohaku murmured while hugging Ginro.

Senku smiled while working with Kaseki. "If we're retaliating with science, we can't lose."

Kohaku then slowly started to become into a statue, half her face still skin while the other was turning into stone. "All that's left to do is wait and trust in the power of science."

"You're right...it'll turn out okay," Ginro murmured back while starting to become affected as well. "I know it..."

Sumi's eyes glistened while looking at the petrification beam, tears flying upwards from her face. "Kohaku...Ginro..."

Back at the Sapphire Cave, Yuzuriha was being revived, with kelp over her body. The golden glow went over her and she opened her eyes a few seconds later. Taiju gave out a happy sound looking at her, jumping up happily. She smiled while holding out her arms. "Yuzuriha!" He cried out with a big smile on his face.

"Hi, Taiju!" She smiled back at him, and he blushed in embarrassment since she was mostly naked. He then grabbed her hands, looking away instead of hugging her.

"No, we should just shake hands! Gotta be respectful, even when greeting close friends!" He looked away from the woman, and she had a slightly sheepish smile on her face.

Senku looked away, digging his pinky into his ear. "Ugh. Did you revert to a hover-handing middle schooler just now?" He wondered, as this was something very cliché. At least with Sumi, he had asked permission to do that type of stuff before actually executing it. And anything else he did on a whim, whether she was happy or embarrassed. Either reaction was fun to him either way.

Gen, Kaseki, and Soyuz were surrounding statue pieces on the ground. While they were sorting through them, Yuzuriha was at work immediately to sew. She smiled once seconds later, she had her dress back on. "Chrome's hands are this size, right?" Soyuz wondered, and Yuzuriha zipped over to grab the stone hand. He gave a sound of shock as she took it from him.

Once Chrome was put back together, he was revived as well. Gen glanced back at Yuzuriha quickly putting pieces back together with a sweat drop. "It's crazy how good she is at this. Her super memory is something else...add in her handicraft skills, and you've got one hell of a puzzle-solver."

Chrome's eyes shined once he took it in that he was alive again. "So bad! So that's how it feels to have your body petrified!" Hearts flew from him as he had a small blush on his face. "Stoked I finally got the chance to try it!"

"Kaseki had a very similar reaction," Gen noted while looking at him.

"Chrome and I are cut from the same crafty cloth!" Kaseki exclaimed while watching the brunet. "We are the builder duo round here, so it only makes sense! And speaking of, I'm gonna need you to hop on this project with me, now that you're up and at 'em, Chrome!" He gestured to the tool kit behind him for the drone.

"No way!" Chrome's eyes went white in shock.

"Drone-building team's ten billion percent ready to get to work," Senku smirked a little, hands on his hips looking at them.

"Which means, very soon, our 3-D warfare commences," Ryusui gave a small smile. "Of course..." He snapped his fingers knowingly. "We're gonna want a 3-D specialist for this! Am I wrong?"

Suika, just like with Ryusui's hat, had one made out of paper. She gave a happy smile holding it up. And soon, Ukyo was then revived as well. The other members all gave happy sounds looking at him, except Senku. He just had a small smile on his face. Ukyo adjusted his hat, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Ah. So we need some intel on the new enemy, don't we?" He asked, since he was the one who noticed the statues in the water with the radar.

"Ha ha!" Ryusui laughed at him. "Way to get right to the point. As expected of our sonar man."

Senku gave a small chuckle himself. "We've got it covered. Sumi and her team are currently in the enemy-"

"Hang on," Ukyo interrupted him while glancing over his shoulder as he could hear something. "In the water," He turned around to face it. "Someone's swimming straight for us. Although I can hear two movements, and one is very familiar..."

Two shadows were heading for the group, all of them on their guard as they hoped it wasn't Ibara, Kirisame, or Moz. They watched in silence and then Sumi and Amaryllis popped up. Both of them panted while catching her breath, some of Sumi's make-up coming off. Her eyes were also red.

"Amaryllis! Sumi!" Gen exclaimed, though Ryusui and Ukyo were a bit confused at the native they didn't know. Well, they had caught Ryusui up, so he was more so surprised by their presence.

"Sumi!" Suika and Yuzuriha ran up to the woman, hugging her. Sumi blinked but wrapped an arm around them silently. She flinched in shock to see Ukyo and Chrome revived as well. Senku then stared at his lover, noting how quiet she was, which was unlike her. Meaning that something must've happened, especially since two people of the spy team weren't with them.

"It's awful. Simply awful! Kohaku and Ginro were petrified!" She revealed and Sumi closed her eyes, nodding in confirmation.

As the green glow continued, Amaryllis watched from the bushes. Sumi landed in a bush nearby, thankfully no one seeming to care. Amaryllis watched with tears in her eyes as Sumi looked up, her eyes shaking in disbelief. The two could only do nothing, since neither of them had any way to stop the petrification. Sumi knew they had the revival fluid, but...didn't have any on her. The two then saw the petrification weapon stop glowing, looking towards the top. Kohaku was leaned over Ginro, his wounds covered by stone. Sumi slowly stood up, wanting to cry out as she panted, tears streaming down her face. Amaryllis began to cry as well, running over to Sumi. She grabbed the woman's hand and they ran off together.

"...Sumi..." Yuzuriha whispered sadly at her.

Sumi reached out to wipe off the makeup from her face with the back of her wrist as they could only stare in silence. Amaryllis continued to cry as Senku had a small frown on his own face. He glanced over to Sumi, knowing now that...having to watch it must be really affecting her. Because Kohaku knew that Sumi would've done the same thing if she had given the black-haired scientist time to think about it. And she couldn't let that happen. Not when Senku would've been devastated to know of it, and probably would've lost focus on the mission...

Sumi looked up silently at him, both of them just looking into each other's eyes. He wanted to say something to assure her, but...it would take a lot for her to acknowledge that she didn't cause this to happen. Kohaku chose to save her. She then looked away with closed eyes.

Suika gasped with tears in her eyes. "I almost can't believe it!" She looked up at Soyuz. "Soyuz is somehow related to the master?"

He flinched in alarm as the master's statue came into mind, unable to comment. "Well," Ryusui turned to him. "We can't take Ginro's speculation as concrete fact. Sumi might've seen what happened to him, but she wasn't there to confirm."

Senku bit his lip silently and then hid his emotion with a smirk. "Yeah. We'll save our theories about Soyuz's family tree for later. I've got a more pertinent question," He dug his pinky into his ear. "How do these guys operate and what are they packin'?" He then rolled out a map of the island on the table. "We may only have bits of information, but with our combined intellects, we'll fill in the gaps."

"Right. Leave it to me!" Ryusui had a small smirk on his face.

"Oh, I've for sure got this!" Chrome looked at the map eagerly.

"Great. We'll start with organizing our info," Ukyo spoke up with a smile.

"Ah, the Kingdom of Science is back together, and it feels so good!" Gen replied cheerfully in content.

"Yeah. We'll need your investigation skills here, Sumi," Senku turned to her and she blinked rapidly. "With your detective capabilities and intuition, I'm sure you'll give us something crucial from that wonderful brain of yours."

She stared at him with her mouth wide open and then her cheeks turned a little red. Her eyes were shaking as she tried not to cry out of happiness. "Senku..." The tears pricked her eyes anyway as her lip quivered. Him saying that meant a lot, given how he would sometimes tease her by calling her a dummy. She then clenched her fists in determination. "I'll try my best if it means it'll help!"

"I just said we need your investigation skills, silly. Come on, no need to get your face all stained," Senku gave a small hum with a small smile, obviously not mentioning the fact that he complimented her to make her feel better. Even so, the others looked at them with smiles, as they could tell his intention right off the bat. He just didn't want to do it in a way it made him unrecognizable.

"This is awesome!" Suika cheered as she looked on. "It's that team of six Kohaku mentioned before, but what'd she say?" She tapped the side of her head trying to remember but couldn't. "They're like, our brainy generals!"

Taiju let out a laugh as he and Yuzuriha were looking on as well. "A meeting of the Kingdom of Science's top brass!"

Senku gave a small chuckle. "You two and the spy team should be very proud. You put in some excellent work and it's about to pay off big time, cause you just leaked a major secret to us," He revealed, confusing Amaryllis. Sumi then blinked in realization. "They've got a petrification weapon, yes, but only one," He held up a finger. "We can deal with that."

"I had suspected it since we only saw one from Kirisame. Thankfully my instinct was right," Sumi hummed a little with a small grin.

Ryusui, Ukyo, and Gen all looked on proudly. Meanwhile, Chrome didn't seem to understand given his baffled look. "Ha. Some critical intel," Ryusui then commented after hearing this. "That's a game-changer, right there."

"My, oh, my!" Gen spoke up next. "Considering Ibara's psychology, it makes sense."

"Though we can't say for certain, it's a decent theory," Ukyo finished while, Chrome whipping his head around the whole time.

"Hey, back it up! What am I missing here? Sounds obvious to you, but if it's so obvious, why am I so lost?!" Chrome pushed away the split screens. "Somebody explain it!"

"Relax, Chrome," Sumi gave him an amused smile. "We're getting to it."

"Our report really told you that much? But how?" Amaryllis was honestly just as confused as Chrome.

"If Senku and Sumi say they figured it out, they have!" Taiju boasted with his arms crossed.

"Taiju's accepted that with a smile," Yuzuriha looked up at him sheepishly.

Ryusui then snapped his fingers. "Don't get it? Then listen up!" He started off, getting their attention. "This is another puzzle we're carefully solving, but using intel instead of rocks. As you know, puzzle-solving goes quicker with more hands. Or in this case, with more minds. Two especially handy minds are Chrome's and Mimi's," He pointed to the two of them. Sumi let out an annoyed grunt as she thought that dumb nickname had died out, but apparently not. Chrome was still confused, though. "Their instincts are both on point, but from different perspectives. He can see things from different angles, while she looks at things with every possibility there is. In fact, I recall that you usually have insight on events looking at them through your medical outlook."

"While I appreciate the compliment, I really wish you'd stop calling me that..." She told him with a small sweat drop.

"Don't go makin' me sound all smug about it like you," Chrome remarked with a playful look. "But sure! Count us in!"

The moon continued to shine over the water and island. "First off, their master doesn't have a petrification weapon," Senku started off the layout presented in front of them.

"And if he did, he used it on himself," Chrome pointed out next. "So wouldn't that mean Ibara has one since he's the real head honcho?"

"Most likely," Amaryllis agreed with their reasoning. "Ibara is very cautious. He must have an extra!"

"He's also a son of a bitch creep who tried to grope me when I got selected," Sumi huffed while crossing her arms. "And yes, I'll explain later," She opened an eye while looking towards Senku, who had flames around his body while looking pissed from the reminder. "But that's not even important right now."

"Agree to disagree," Senku growled a bit, trying to keep himself calm.

"I never pegged Senku as the jealous type," Taiju blinked rapidly at him.

"Well, relationships are still new to him," Yuzuriha giggled a bit. "It's honestly really cute how much he cares about Sumi at this point."

"Sen..." Sumi sighed at his reaction, patting him on the head affectionately and he calmed down...a little. "Trust me, I'm not a fan either, but let's regain focus please. While I do think Ibara's always calculating, I don't think he has one, Amaryllis."

"Huh? But why?" Amaryllis turned to her.

"May I interject?" Gen questioned the group. He then had an evil knowing look on his face. "See, he's the type to have insurance out the wazoo. It's fairly safe to assume if a second petrification weapon did exist, he would be the one to have it. For, in the event of an emergency, surely Ibara would want to have his weapon ready to go, but he relied on his righthand lady."

"My guess is that he trusts Kirisame with it more than Moz, since we've only seen her throw it. Plus, he probably wouldn't want people to assume there are extra if there was one, therefore giving more opportunities for people to rise up against him," Sumi held up a finger with a small smile. "Which he wants to avoid at all costs if it means having more power. So he has her do the petrifying instead of risking his own life doing it himself."

"Exactly," Senku pecked her forehead and she blushed.

"Yes. That's amazing," Amaryllis blinked in surprise at him. "You deduced so much from such a small clue."

Ryusui then snapped his fingers. "Uh-huh. Now we know there's only one!"

"Nice!" Taiju exclaimed in awe. "At first, it was a little complicated, but I finally got it at the end!"

"The thrower's at risk of being petrified as well. Wary old Ibara watches from a safe distance while Kirisame does the dirty work," Senku then explained to them.

"What?!" Chrome yelped with wide eyes. "That selfish geezer is just rotten to the core! And a creep like Sumi said if he was trying to make a move on her!"

"Can we not with that?" Sumi groaned, a hand on her face. "I was right there front and center for the whole thing, I don't think Senku needs to hear it 24/7..." She glanced down at Senku biting his lip angrily while shaking.

"That guy is gonna pay when I'm through with him..."

"That time will come, just not right now..." Sumi murmured a bit awkwardly while rubbing his back. Chrome gave the two a sheepish look.

"Whoops. Sorry about that."

"Question," Ukyo looked up seriously at both Amaryllis and Sumi. "This could tell us another very important thing. If you confirm it." The two of them turned to him curiously. "Try to remember. When Kirisame threw her weapon at them, you said that she chucked it high above the master's chambers, right? How high."

"Extremely," Amaryllis answered and Sumi nodded in confirmation.

"I couldn't see too well thanks to the forest, but I remember seeing Kohaku jumping at a high point."

Ryusui and Senku gasped from this. "I see..." Gen murmured a little. "When she threw it, she aimed high enough to avoid catching the master in the blast."

"Yeah..." Senku turned to Ukyo and Sumi. "That's a stupidly helpful piece of info to add to the heap. Poor Kirisame," He gave a teasing smile. "She doesn't know the master she serves is made of stone."

"Hmm..." Sumi blinked in thought. "You know, if she's the one trusted with the petrification weapon, there's gotta be a reason. Maybe it's because Ibara has an inkling feeling that Moz might either be suspicious or even know that fact himself. Coupled that with the fact that he has more trust in her, Moz might be a less trusted player for Ibara." Which made sense given that he stopped Ibara from touching her...and prevented her and Kohaku from getting killed earlier too.

"Hmm," Senku and Sumi gasped sharply, their eyes wide. Amaryllis had the same expression...as Moz was standing right behind her! "Not sure how you worked that out, but congratulations. You're right."

Moz! Amaryllis looked panicked glancing back at him.

Even my ears didn't hear him sneak up!

I couldn't even smell him! How the hell did he get here? Sumi then immediately grabbed Suika and Amaryllis underneath her arms. She flipped backwards twice before landing and sliding backwards. She put them down, glancing towards Taiju. "Stay low, Suika," She warned quietly before standing up, looking to Taiju. He ran up to Moz, who knocked him back immediately with his weapon. He then hit the rocks with a painful grunt.

"Taiju!" Yuzuriha screamed in worry, tears in her eyes. He landed on the ground, looking up as it didn't seem to affect him at all. He then ran back up to Moz, standing in front of everyone with his arms held out.

"You can take a hit, I'll give you that much," Moz noted while looking at him. "However...me repeatedly beating you up will only buy you some time. Unless you have another plan in mind. Well?"

Senku smirked while looking at him, trying to come up with something. Taiju did just buy us some time. Precious seconds I can use to save us. I need to get my head in gear and think, think, think!

Sumi frowned deeply staring at Moz, examining him. Considering how she felt about Kohaku and Ginro, they couldn't ask her to fight him for them. Ryusui was calculating himself looking at the warrior. As somebody who desires the strength of others, I can tell even if we all attack this guy at once, it won't change a thing.

Gen's eye twitched looking at Moz, who was just waiting. Well, it's curtains for us! If there's a way out of this, I'm not seeing it!

Ukyo clenched his teeth. Hopefully at least one person will manage to get out alive!

Sumi gritted her teeth, revealing her whip. It was tense now as everyone stared them down. Senku, Gen, Ryusui, Chrome, and Ukyo all gave sounds of surprise at her. Moz gave a small smirk at what she was holding. There's one way to buy them some more time to come up with a plan...I'm the only fighter from the Kingdom of Science now, since Taiju can only block Moz. So I have to hold him off as long as I can!

"Didn't take you for a dominatrix type, Sumi," Moz teased towards her. "Is that scar from taking things too far between you and a lover? Why don't you tell me all about it so I can know the experience?"

She simply scoffed while looking up, Senku looking annoyed. He'd retort, but he'd let Sumi handle this one. "You're something else, you know that? Almost just as bad as Ibara. But you're not welcome here."

He narrowed his eyes a bit from that last sentence. "Do you not know who you're talking to?" He replied back a bit smugly.

"It doesn't matter who the hell you are, you're not laying a hand on my friends," She stated as calmly as she could, gripping both ends of the whip. Everyone then started sweating as they had no idea how this would turn out. It could go either way... "Turn back right now, and I won't have to hurt you, Moz."

Sumi can beat him... Suika looked towards her in determination. Because we all believe in her!

He's not gonna back down so easily, and neither is she. Although... Senku stared at his lover knowingly. Not only is she letting her emotions get the better of her, they're starting to cloud her judgement. Which is a given since she saw Kohaku and Ginro get petrified...

Moz gave a small huff before readying his weapon. She gave a small hum as she didn't say anything. He then lunged forward, but she leaped away from him to land a few feet away. He threw his weapon at her, but she swung her body around just as it nicked the rock walls away from the others. She held out her arms to steady herself as she landed. She grabbed the weapon with her whip to lightly toss it back to him. She then jumped up into the air, spinning around in a pirouette with her whip to the shock of the others. Moz leaped up towards her, lunging forward to punch, but her spin blocked it off. She held up her sword, their weapons clashing with a loud clank. She then spun away from him to gain distance, cracking her whip. He quickly turned his head to the side to avoid it and she recoiled it back before it could hit anyone. Both of them landed on the ground again.

Everyone gasped sharply at this, Chrome sweating nervously. "That was a close one..."

"Heh," Moz gave another smirk towards her. "Can't say I'm surprised if Kohaku was the one who taught you that. You're just as strong and fluid as her, but it's different...I honestly can't decide who I'm liking spending my time with more." He then flinched in alarm as he was actually hit in the face this time, not enough to leave a scar though. His eyes widened as the tungsten rope went flying back to her. She placed a hand on her hip, waving it with a smug smile.

"Anyone ever tell you that you try too hard and can never shut up?" She smirked while getting into a defensive stance. Moz gave a small grunt from her remark and what she did. They all watched as she swung her leg around slowly. She then moved her arms around to crack her whip again, and he held up his weapon to deflect it. She continued to move her arms around as if she were doing a ballet of sorts, spinning around while attacking Moz at the same time.

Suika let out an amazed gasp as their eyes were wide. "It's like...she's both an angel and a viper at the same time," Soyuz murmured in awe.

Senku let out a small chuckle. "When you really think about it...science can be used here too. She's calculating her movements with her weapons, while also trying to find the best strategy using distance since they have an audience. Every single muscle spasm and move, she has to think about in seconds..."

Sumi then stopped her little display, staring down Moz to silently challenge him to get closer. After a few seconds, he lunged forward into the air and once he landed, she held up her whip rolled up to clash it against with his blade. She gritted her teeth while holding the weapon in both hands, his own right in front of her face. She then swung around her arm repeatedly so that his own would get thrashed around, grabbing the weapon with her whip this time in a grip. He pulled his arm back as Sumi stepped a few feet away from him. He attacked again by swinging an arm, and she held up her wrist to deflect it. As he attacked, she moved backwards, using her whip or arm the entire time to block him. He then swung his leg in a strong kick, knocking her off her feet.

They gasped as she flew backwards, but spun her body around. She then landed hard on her stone heels, causing a snap from her right ankle. She let out a painful cry as she bent down in pain. "Sumi!" Suika cried out in worry as the woman gritted her teeth clutching it.

Damn heels...I forgot I'm still in my makeover clothes...

Senku ran up to her, stopping right behind her back while biting his lip. "Alright, that's enough!" Amaryllis stood between the two. "She just broke her ankle, please stop this!"

"Am I really that defenseless?" Sumi chuckled slowly, getting their attention. She then used two rocks nearby, grabbing her hair ribbon. "Moz doesn't want a quitter," She reached down to use the two rocks to surround her ankle, everyone staring at her. She then tied it all together with her hair ribbon into a makeshift splint. "He wants someone who can keep up with him. Because to him, that's what makes a fighter and gets his attention." She then got onto her feet slowly, shocking everyone, even Moz himself.

"But Sumi, your ankle!" Amaryllis cried out in concern.

"Yeah…hurts like hell. But I'm not down for the count just yet. Not until the score is settled. My friends' lives, Senku's life…are at stake here. I can't just stand down from something like that…so if you're up for it, Moz, the match isn't over yet," She turned to him, hands on her hips.

He stared at the woman quietly for what seemed like hours. Fighting with a sprained ankle, and wanting to match his level just for her friends...he admired that. "Hm...I don't know just how you do it, Sumi...but if you're still willing, then who am I to stop you? Especially since this has been pretty fun...cause you're right. I see your strength right in front of me...don't you worry about that," He narrowed his eyes a bit darkly looking at her. She bent down to grab her whip, crouched in front of the others.

"Oh, trust me, I'm not," She remarked while eyeing him closely.

Her friends and Senku silently stared at her before unanimously stepping away from her, trusting that she'd be fine. Senku himself smirked towards her as of course she wouldn't let this stop her. Even if that meant Moz could kill them all. Amaryllis all stared at them, as none of them showed any doubt or concern for her at all, not even Senku. It was like...they all had ten billion percent faith in not only her, but her abilities. She clutched a hand in front of her heart, deciding to follow their example.

Moz charged forward with a yell as she stood up and he swung his weapon once he reached her. She immediately ducked her head, looking up at the blade right in front of her face. She stood up, and once she did, he flung around his arm to try and catch her off guard. Using her hands, she did a little flip to the side, being mindful of her sprained ankle. Moz grabbed the end of her whip once she landed on her feet and pulled her backwards. She spun around on her good ankle, moving right past him as they quickly stared at each other intensely. She pulled out her sword to strike it against his blade again, and a powerful wind came from the clash of weapons.

"Whoa..." Gen murmured while blinking. "Both of them...are evenly matched right now. Even with our faith in her, it's still a tough battle...and that's all with a broken ankle."

"Come on, Sumi..." Ryusui muttered as they watched.

She grabbed Moz's incoming fist to place him behind her, swinging his arm so that he was in front of her. The two clashed weapons again with just one arm and they both circled each other while still hanging on, never letting go. Moz smirked as her hair flowed with her movements as she kept a serious look on her face. She then stopped, turning her head as he attacked once more. She used her hand to push him backwards and they clashed weapons again. He then swung her arm around, grabbing her waist as she turned her head to face him.

"We both know who'll come out on top...so why not surrender now while you still can, hm? I'll even let your friends live," He offered and she glared, as she could smell the sweat coming off of him. He was lying without a doubt. She silently twisted his arms off of her, spinning around and then kicking him with her good leg. He slid backwards to a safe stop, looking up as she dropped her arms.

"Like I said before...if you're gonna use that on all the girls, you're pretty predictable," She panted a bit and he snarled. Moz leapt up and struck down his weapon. She gritted her teeth and let out a yell, flinging her arm forward to capture it with her whip. He let out a small chuckle as she gripped it so tight her knuckle was turning white. He pulled her close, but she pulled out her katana blade to create distance between them. He then pushed back hard plunging the wooden end into her stomach, causing her to slide backwards a little. She let out a sharp gasp as she felt like the wind had gotten knocked out of her. The others gasped as they looked, her whip slipping out of her hands.

Sumi narrowed her eyes and re-caught the whip back. Moz blinked in a bit of surprise that she recovered so quickly. She spun around in a flip, causing him to slide forward a little as he hung onto his weapon tightly. However, he then gave a smirk as he kneed her in the chin. She wasn't fazed and swung her leg up, kicking him in the face. She made sure her leg was near his hands as the whip wrapped around her good ankle and she moved her leg back, to his shock as he was sent flying. This was thanks to the whip being released with a bunch of force. Moz spun around from the momentum and landed first in the water. Sumi landed in front of the others on the side, grunting in pain from the rough landing.

"Sumi!" Chrome ran up to her as they were standing in shock. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She snarled as he and Gen helped her stand up. She then rubbed her chin in pain. "Ahhh, that sleazy bastard got me good, I'll give him that."

"Heh heh. Kohaku would be proud," Senku crossed his arms with a small smile.

"Mm. Thanks," She returned the smile.

Moz crawled out the river, coughing. Sumi immediately got into a defensive position but Senku put his arm in front of her. "I think you both got each other good enough, okay? No need for bloodshed," He narrowed his eyes in a bit of warning towards Moz.

"I'm so sorry," Amaryllis covered her eyes in guilt; if she hadn't led him here, Sumi wouldn't have gotten hurt. "He must've followed the both of us when I grabbed Sumi. I led him straight to us!"

Chrome then gasped from what she said. "I've been a scavenger ever since I was a little kid, so I know better than anyone what a pain in the ass it is to look for stuff in the dark. It's annoying as crap! Killing Amaryllis and Sumi would've been way easier, but he went through all the trouble of trailing them to this cave," Chrome glared towards Moz. "Which means he knew. This scumbag knew full well that Amaryllis and Sumi were a few of the trespassers!"

"Uhhh...he literally told myself and Kohaku to our faces that we were intruders," Sumi gave a sheepish look towards him.

"Thank you for that illiant-bray deduction, Captain Obvious. Of course he knew. Kohaku outed herself, so naturally, everyone who associated with her would also be-!" He then flinched as he realized something. Senku, Ryusui, Ukyo, and Sumi all realized it as well.

Wait...that means...! Ukyo trailed off in thought with wide eyes.

Ginro's cover was blown right along with Kohaku's! Ryusui continued off, as they all knew they were thinking of the same deduction.

That's quite a significant detail, yet he hid it from his big bossman. Senku had a big grin on his face.

If he confronted both myself and Kohaku being intruders, that means he must've seen or heard Ginro right before he spoke to us! After all, we tended to talk in private and usually quietly. Sumi stared at him knowingly.

Moz watched Ibara leading Ginro to the master's hut. 'Ibara led an intruder to a private space, high atop the palace. And Moz just sat there watching.' Moz had a small grin on his face. Meaning...Moz doesn't care if Ibara dies! Suddenly more and more pieces were fitting into the puzzle for both him and Sumi. In fact, he might wanna kill him!

If he did really see Ginro, he might've seen the pineapple or even smelled it. He would've deduced that Ginro wouldn't carry it if it was just fruit.

Senku then had a big smirk on his face as he chuckled. Sumi gave a triumphant smirk, hands on her hips. "More pieces of this knowledge battle just clicked. I was curious about our enemy's state of affairs, and now we're starting to see the picture in its entirety."

"And given how I've seen how Moz acts by now, both from a distance and up close...we can tell just what we're dealing with here," Sumi gave a small hum. "Honestly, since it's Ibara, I shouldn't be surprised."

"We have a good shot at tearing them down then, yes?" Gen whispered with his hands in his sleeves. "But who among us will...?" They all stared at the mentalist in silence and he gave a nervous sound. He turned to see Chrome, Amaryllis, and Yuzuriha looking at him too. He glanced to the other side to see Kaseki, Suika, and Soyuz looking too. He sweated immensely while turning to Moz, realizing that his skills were needed... "Oh. Right. Me..." He then flinched as he saw Moz was...eerily staring at Sumi and got an idea.

"Mire-chan, work your charms on this guy while I negotiate with him!" He hissed and she fell to the ground in disbelief. Senku himself looked very surprised looking at him but then dropped it a few seconds later. Sumi took a bit more time to recover as she stood up.

"No, absolutely not!" She chuckled in awe. "This shouldn't even be something to ask of me. Nope, I'm not doing it!"

"He's been eyeing you this whole time ever since you got selected, obviously he's interested," Gen deadpanned at her. "Come on, get on his good side! You can do it, just use your appearance to our advantage."

"Say what?!" She hissed in embarrassment, her cheeks red from the explanation. "Seriously, you didn't even ask if I'd be okay with this first! Uh-uh, not to mention we were fighting not too long ago. Bleugh!" She stuck out her tongue at both the possibility of having to flirt with him and him falling for it. "No, end of story, Gen."

"Come on, I helped you, now you owe me," He pointed at her.

"I have a boyfriend, did you forget that?" She snarled in annoyance. "And you technically being the reason why we're in a relationship isn't enough to do...this!"

"But you can be really persuasive or toy with him into joining us!" Gen clasped his hands pleadingly.

"This whole charm thing with Moz is not happening, ugh!" Sumi closed her eyes in annoyance.

"Isn't that wrong?! Senku would be watching the whole time!" Taiju whispered while still keeping his eyes on Moz.

"Heh heh heh...relax, big oaf. It's not cheating if she's just playing him. She's talked with Moz before. It only makes sense she use her charms on him too," Senku crossed his arms and she froze. "I did tease Homura a bit when I caught her, and Amaryllis tried to put on her little show for me twice. So it's about time to call it even." He was more mad at Ibara right now than Moz anyway.

Sumi gave a big sweat drop and then gulped in defeat. It might increase their chances, but she was so not going to enjoy this at all. She and Gen both staggered past Taiju. "Hey..." The mentalist spoke up first. Taiju dropped his arms, Moz staring at the two. "Since you're here, why not spare us an itty-bitty moment of your time. We have offers that might interest you~ What say you to teaming up with the Kingdom of Science? A thrilling prospect, don't you agree? Exciting, even!" Gen's eyes swirled while holding up a finger.

"In fact, I think I might have to take back what I said about you, after our...intimate little session," Sumi wanted to die saying that. Taiju's eyes widened but clamped his mouth shut, Senku looking indifferent. He could tell right from the get go she had to will herself to even tell Moz this.

Moz stared at the two silently, examining Sumi the longest. He couldn't tell if she was making that up. "Hmm...is that so? Here I thought you weren't interested. You did keep rejecting me, after all..."

"Interested is a loose term," Sumi glanced away while giving a deadpan look towards Gen, who gave an innocent look. He then reached into his robe to release stars into the cave. Moz gave a look of shock before Senku chuckled, pressing a button. The drone flew up above their heads, and the fighter looked up in awe. Like everyone else on the island, he thought that this was a demonstration of sorcery.

"So do you like our sorcery bird?" Gen gave a big smile. "Of course you do. It flies wherever we desire it to go! And doesn't make a peep! With one fell swoop, we can snag Kirisame's petrifying weapon right out of the air!"

"It flies wherever we desire is the overstatement of the year," Senku gave a knowing look as a chibi head. Sumi popped up as a chibi head as well, looking annoyed. "Our little electric bamboo copter isn't even stabilized yet."

"Yeah, anyone can tell just by looking at it that it's an unfinished product. We're not catching anything with the state it's in," Sumi rolled her eyes a little. And the fact that the drone was still hitting the ceiling because of its movements, only further proved her point.

"Details, Sumiku dear."

"Not in front of Moz!" The two hissed at him and he flinched in alarm that Sumi was supposed to be pretending to be interested in Moz. Gen sweated a little as Moz thankfully didn't seem to catch onto the name for the couple.

Why play your weak card when you can make it out to be the ace of spades? It's a good opening move for a gambit, especially in this case Gen thought to himself, holding up a deck of cards.

Should this escalate, Moz will slaughter us all. Even with Sumi on our side, she can only hold him off for so long Ukyo sweated nervously while staring between Gen, Sumi, and Moz.

Ryusui had a big grin looking at the trio. Ha ha! If we play our cards right, we might just get the strongest one in their deck to join our suit!

Senku chuckled to himself, sweating just like Ukyo. Everything is riding on your silver tongue, empty words, and Sumi's charms.

Chrome looked at the three nervously, hoping that this would work in their favor. C'mon! Do your thing!

I really hate doing this. But if it's to help the Kingdom of Science… Sumi cleared her throat awkwardly. "Anyway, it'd be really...beneficial for the both of us if you stopped being Ibara's lapdog, hm~?" She gave an awkward smile while trying to come off as flirty, but it was definitely still not her thing.

"Is that how you see me?" Moz gave her a playful chuckle. "Hmm...if I were to join, you and I could really get to know each other, huh?"

"Relatively," She glanced upwards with an uncomfortable look on her face, along with a small frown. She really hoped she wouldn't have to go that far just to convince him...because that was where she had to draw the line.

"With my sorcery, and the combined brawn of you and Sumi, Moz, no one could stop us!" Gen gave an innocent smile while standing right next to Moz now. "The island would be ours for..."

"When did Gen get over there?!" Suika exclaimed at how fast he had switched positions. "He is a sorcerer!"

"So what do you say?" Gen gave a sweet smile towards the warrior. He then popped up holding a finger. "Manipulation technique! Open your minds and follow along, kay? This is actually a pretty popular tactic. Rather than face someone, foster a sense of solidarity by facing the same way! When trying to win someone over, always choose counter-seating over a table!"

Senku then gave a pleased smile as he figured out Gen's play here. Ahh. Making Moz look at the drone segued into Gen's next move, sidling up to the one-man army without getting shish-kabobbed. Not that Sumi would let that happen anyway, probably why he needed her too. And speaking of, she's managing to keep her composure and not freak out to blow her cover. Nicely done, you two.

Gen's eyes shined at him. "I mean, you're so amazingly powerful with all of those big, bulging muscles! I have no doubt that even if Ibara and every warrior he had combined their strength, you'd still be, like, 50 percent stronger and annihilate them all, wouldn't you, Moz? Isn't that right, Sumi?" He nudged her a bit and she gave a silent whine to herself. But she masked it with a sweet smile.

"Uh-huh!" She nodded eagerly at him. "Forget smarts, I really admire your power, Moz." I'm doing okay, it seems, considering how Moz hasn't caught onto me...I'm so sorry, Senku...!

No! Amaryllis gave them a horrified look. They're selling him far too short!

Moz gave a small hum at the both of them. "The power gap is a little wider than you think," He remarked as he didn't seem to be insulted at all.

"Hmm...!" Gen narrowed his eyes a little in interest and then popped up for the next lesson. "Did you see what I did there? Manipulation technique number two: force a response! Try offering a comment or claim that holds truth, but is still off the mark! Cue the urge to correct you! Even if they were unwilling to talk, they'll jump into the conversation because they'll feel compelled to set the record straight!"

Ryusui then gave a pleased grin as he was apparently falling for it too. The more I hear, the more inhuman this guy's strength sounds. I want him! With him and Sumi's strength as well, they'd be unstoppable!

Sumi flinched and then glanced back at Ryusui with nervous white eyes. I know that look anywhere...did you forget that I'm not even trying to cooperate with Moz like that, you jerk? I want nothing to do with him...

Gen then admired Moz by moving around him. "Ooh! If you're as powerful as you say, then you could topple Ibara and his measly men whenever the mood struck, now couldn't you?" Moz had a devious smile on his face, half of it covered in shadow. Sumi's hair stood on end at how much he looked like a villain. She then looked at Gen wide-eyed.

Uh oh. I get the distinct feeling he's seen through our every play...well, I could ask Mire-chan to go further, but I feel like I'd be pushing her limit...

"To obliterate you and all your meddlesome friends, or to end that old fool Ibara? Hmm...what to do," He had a smirk on his face looking down at them. "But then again, there is Sumi herself who seems to be the only fighter you have." She flinched upon hearing her name and immediately got into a stance in front of Gen, her whip ready.

"I wouldn't if I were you~" She said in a playful way to him. "If you do...then we won't get to play, won't we?" She tilted her head while trying to look as seductive as possible, although the more she had to do this, the more she'd throw up. Her eyebrow twitched nervously as she had no idea if that would even work on him...

"Hmm..." Moz pointed his weapon right at her and she sweated anxiously with wide eyes. "I can't help but wonder...Is this another one of your little tricks? Kohaku didn't put you up to all this, did she?"

"Ummm...I...ahh..." She glanced around while looking pale. She then cleared her throat. "Don't worry about her. What about...you and me?" She blushed in embarrassment as she wasn't a good flirt, that was definitely more Senku's department. "Because you were good, really good. If I say I wanna be entertained by you, it's guaranteed...you like that because we get each other, right?"

Gen laughed a bit while giving her a thumbs up. Senku gave a small grin. He already knew Sumi didn't mean any of that, it only had to sound convincing to Moz. So he wasn't worried about this getting out of hand. And he wouldn't be getting mad like he did with the whole Ibara thing.

"Heh." Moz, without warning, swung his weapon upwards at her, her eyes widening as the others gasped. Tsukasa sliced at Sumi's lip, causing her to fly backwards.Senku ran up to her side immediately, pulling her backwards away from Moz. There was a slice heard and she stood there frozen as nothing actually happened. Senku blinked in confusion while holding her from behind. He could've sworn Moz was gonna leave a scar just like Tsukasa did, but the weapon didn't even touch her since he got to her in time unlike with Tsukasa. And then the front of her top split apart to reveal her bra and part of her breasts. All of their eyes widened at her except for Moz and she looked down to see why. She yelped in alarm, gritting her teeth.

"HEY!" She shouted while stepping back, covering her chest with her hands. "What the hell?" She demanded while Yuzuriha covered Suika's eyes. "If this is how you treat other women, that's not how this is gonna work, dumbass!" She then blinked at herself examining the cut as she wasn't actually hurt. "...Wow, you did a perfectly clean cut and I'm not bleeding. I don't know if I should still be mad or slightly impressed."

"I've had experience."

"Uch," Sumi looked away while gagging.

"Hmm…" Moz stared at the woman in front of him. Other than her anger, she hasn't felt the need to attack me again despite her fighting capabilities and the threat I made. Is this part of her strategy?

Sumi was trying really hard to keep her cool, biting her lip while sweating. If I beat the shit out of him now for this, it's all over for the Kingdom of Science. My reaction could've tipped him off, but it didn't. Is he testing me to see if I would strike back? Or maybe he thinks it's the same thing when Kohaku saved me from Ibara...

"You're blessed, I'll give you that," Moz gave her a small chuckle and she blushed in embarrassment. "You almost had me there, and I could've slaughtered you for trying to trick me...but you managed to impress me with how far you were willing to keep this up. And since I can kill you whenever the mood strikes, no harm explaining what's going on in my head." Amaryllis, Soyuz, and Yuzuriha all gave nervous sounds while sweating. Sumi took a deep breath to calm herself down, although it wouldn't change what she felt about what just happened. "Though you seem smart enough to have realized this. The one who turned the master into a crumbling statue...was Ibara." Ibara grinned evilly while holding up the petrification weapon in front of the statue of the master. They all stared in silence listening to him. "He played his role well, and I do applaud his efforts, but it's high time that old fogey bit the big one. I'm not just saying this for my sake, either. The girls would love it if I assumed control. I might even forgive Sumi's slyness if it means she's willing to compromise with me."

"Mm," She grunted while looking away, deciding not to say anything else.

Senku chuckled, deciding to ignore that last part for the time being. "Why not put a hole in that bag of bones and take his spot, then?" The green-haired scientist wondered, since Moz's power was definitely the highest compared to Kirisame and Ibara. He could've taken down the latter with ease.

"I would've done that ages ago, but that petrifying beam is a risk," Moz gave a small knowing smile. "It was smart to entrust the weapon to Kirisame. She's no pushover. I'd clearly win in a fair fight, but one shot from her unavoidable green glow and I'm history." He could imagine being petrified and then smashed to pieces. Even with Yuzuriha's puzzle-solving skills, he didn't know that and therefore, back then, there would've been no chance of revival.

"I get it," Ukyo spoke up as it was like a chain. "If you attack Minister Ibara, Kirisame would retaliate since she doesn't know the truth about the master. But if you expose him, the inner palace you've come to enjoy might cease to exist, or at the very least, you'd lose access."

"That's some deadlock you have between you three," Gen commented up at the warrior.

"Heh," Ryusui gave a small smirk. "The geezer's a schemer and not just an old fool. He's got a good thing going and he knows it."

Meanwhile, Taiju just looked baffled as he was starting to be unable to follow. "Um, this got complicated again, and I can't really keep up..." He admitted while trying not to break his brain. Sumi gave a small hum, patting his back.

"It's okay, it can be a lot to process," She told him gently.

"Right, we'll break it down in a way that even a big oaf like you can follow," Senku spoke up next. "Basically, Moz wants the petrification weapon to vanish. And we'd be more than happy to take it off their hands. Seems to me our interests are aligned. Ten billion percent."

"Because if it's gone, he can have the life he desires," Sumi crossed her arms underneath her chest. "And not just because Ibara's a creep, either. But if we manage to take control over it...then Ibara loses his big advantage on this island," She gave a small grin.

Moz stared at the two of them in silence. Before he could say anything, Gen popped up, shocking the trio. "Bingo! We want that weapon more than anything in the world! Any good negotiation has to be made on equal footing," He walked up to Moz. "And you'll settle for the island, won't you? A harem and a home are certainly enough." Sumi rolled her eyes to the back of her head as that sounded very familiar...Gen basically asked for the same thing before he even switched sides. "We'll help you achieve them on one tiny condition, but it's non-negotiable. The petrification weapon will belong to us, not you! Okay? I'm not asking by the way, I'm demanding, Mozzy-boy!"

Amaryllis had some blue lines underneath her right eye staring at the two in disbelief. He sounded like a baby almost. Why say it like that?

He's so skeevy... Ukyo had an exasperated look on his face, Chrome the same expression.

That's only gonna make Moz dig his heels in harder...

Moz narrowed his eyes a little. "Equal footing?" He didn't seem too keen on the idea. "Ha. I don't need to honor your conditions, do I?" Gen gave a shocked sound by this. "I'm the strongest, which means I set the terms. You and your ragtag team will use your sorcery on my behalf, and you'll surrender the weapon to me once you have it. Oh, and I want Sumire to join me afterwards," He gave a pleased smile, though everyone gave sounds of disbelief. Everyone except Gen had shadows over their eyes. Then almost everyone was pale with blue lines and sweat drops.

"...What," Sumi murmured in shock, confusion, and disgust towards Moz, unable to process the last condition.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Gen waved his hands rapidly in a panic. "Be easonable-ray! We don't benefit at all like that! Equal footing, equal footing!"

"What'd he expect?" All of them questioned from behind. Gen then flinched as Moz pointed his weapon at him. Sumi immediately ran in, pulling him backwards to stand behind her. She raised her sword to be right up against Moz's cheek, her eyes narrowed.

"I'll keep your hideout a secret for now. Your only choice is to do exactly as I say. That understood?" He had a gleeful smile on his face. Gen was shaking nervously as he didn't want Sumi to die if they fought again. He then sagged his shoulders in defeat, getting Sumi's attention as she glanced back at him.

"Yes..." However, Moz couldn't see his big evil grin on his face. And then it only widened further after a few seconds. It was now time for lesson three. "Bet I got you guys, huh? Manipulation technique three: reactance! Or psychological reactance is the proper term! When somebody feels coerced and is told to do things, they'll reaffirm their right to choose on instinct. Thus, they'll refuse you in order to maintain control."

"Genius!" Ukyo smiled up ahead. "Pure genius! He knew! Should've figured. Their talk took a sharp turn."

"Yeah, I'll say," Senku commented while looking up ahead. "The very first topic was Moz trying to decide if he wanted us to keep breathing or not. But after seeing Sumi's fighting and her attempt to sway him, that was the first shift. Moz was so determined not to let this gilb guy get his way that, through reactance, Gen moved the goalposts, and now we're talking about working together."

"As long as I don't have to do any more flirting, I'm gonna watch this play out," Sumi murmured while standing between him and Ukyo.

"You don't relentlessly beat the other person down to win a deal, like some barbarian," Gen smiled wistfully as the paper stars fell around him. "You set a flowery yet illusive red carpet. One that leads them down a pathway straight to our goals. That's what truly matters."

Senku and Moz shook hands. The latter then held out his hand to Sumi, who did so reluctantly. He smirked and she looked away in exasperation. She reached out to her ear to take off the earring, tossing it to Moz. He then put it on himself—Sumi was not risking him putting the moves on her again if she did it for him.

"Hmm," He stared at it curiously. "This was Kohaku's, unless my memory's playing tricks. And then Sumi was wearing it not too long after."

"Tee-hee-hee!" He gave a shocked sound to hear Senku's voice. "Kingdom of Sorcery HQ here," He whipped around to Senku using the cell phone. "Checkin' to see if you copy, Moz."

They watched as he was escorted away by Soyuz in boat, and they left the Sapphire Cave together. It was then dead silence as they continued to stare. "...He's really gone?" Gen asked after a few seconds, his back to the others.

"Yep, he's gone," Suika confirmed for him.

He then let out a yell as his brain felt drained. He fell onto the ground in front of them. But then they surrounded him with smiles, Taiju, Senku, and Ryusui hitting his back. "Good going, mentalist!" Senku congratulated him as the others laughed in relief.

"Ha ha! The way I see it, we just acquired the mightiest force on the entire island, everyone! Am I wrong?" Ryusui had a happy grin on his face.

Senku grinned in a troll-like way, chuckling. "That mighty force is ten billion percent planning to murder us once we're no longer useful and he has what he wants."

Chrome gave a big toothed smile. "Well, we'll cross that burning bridge when we come to it later, I guess!"

"Um, if it's all the same to you guys, I would very much like to take an extended break, okay...?" Gen murmured in complete exhaustion. Sumi bent down to him with a sheepish smile, rubbing his back gently.

Taiju then gasped and turned to the black-haired scientist. "I can't believe you cheated on Senku!" He held his head in a panic.

"Uh?" She blinked and then gave an awkward smile. "Calm down, I would never cheat on him. I don't have any real interest in Moz, I'm just making him think he'll have his way with me. Like Chrome said, we'll deal with the aftermath when it comes to that point. Although I'm making a mental note to never be alone with him."

"And may I point out that your chest is still on display?" Gen glanced up towards Sumi.

"Eek!" She turned around immediately while Yuzuriha handed her a sewing needle. "I already hate this team-up..." She whined as she forgot that Moz had cut open the front of her clothing...

Later, Sumi had finally put on her other clothes because in all honesty, the shoes were a major pain to wear. She didn't know how Amaryllis or Kohaku did it...she kicked off her stone heels gently while sitting in front of the lab, unbraiding her hair. Suika, Chrome, Ukyo, Ryusui, and Senku all watched standing around her, just to make sure she was okay.

"I can't believe you fought against that guy even with a broken ankle!" Chrome commented in awe and she sighed heavily, closing her eyes.

"Just barely," She undid the final part of her hair, holding her head while trying not to seem stressed out. "First Kohaku and Ginro get petrified, then Moz, and now this. Could things get any worse for us…?"

The four all blinked, realizing that she had gone through a lot today...they couldn't imagine the pressure she must've felt fighting off Moz as much as she did. And to have to do something she didn't want to for the sake of their lives. Suika then ran up to rest half her body over Sumi's legs, hugging them comfortably.

"Uh? What brought this on?" The black-haired scientist couldn't help but wonder.

"But Sumi, you're so cool and powerful, even with your ankle!" Sumi blinked in surprise down at Suika. "We're reviving all our friends and we're still alive because of you! In fact, I wanna be strong and smart just like you someday! The way you handled Moz shows you're the best in the whole world."

"Suika…!" Sumi cried out happily while covering her mouth with her hands and blushing. The other four gave small smiles from her expression. That was enough to lift her spirits, that Suika still looked up to her.

"Can you train me soon?" The little girl looked up at her eagerly. "I wanna fight like you do!"

"Umm..." The black-haired woman gave a nervous smile. Suika doing all those moves right now would be exhausting for her age. Especially since the training wouldn't be easy either... "Let's wait until you're older, okay?"

"Heh," Senku gave a small grin, his arms crossed. "Sumi, that was exciting to watch, but don't ever do all that with an injury again…"

"You're welcome, Sen," She replied back sarcastically and then he gave a small smile. He walked over to behind the lab, pulling out the cotton candy machine. Sumi gasped as her eyes shined, a blush on her cheeks.

"Figures you'd be craving some. So I had Kaseki remake it, now I won't have to watch your sulking."

"Sure, let's pretend that's the reason," Gen deadpanned at him. Sumi just smiled as of course he'd guess that would be on her mind.

Once Sumi was sitting on the table inside the lab, she took off her shoes. She sighed in relief since her splint was starting to poke one of them. "Sleazeball, even more than Ginro," She grumbled and before she could jump off the table, Senku stepped inside.

"How's that ankle?"

"It's only strained, but it'll heal in a few days," She responded, lifting up her leg to make sure her splint was still intact. "Though now Amaryllis and I can't go back to the inner palace. Not when they're aware of who I am now and by association, she can't be trusted anymore..."

Senku stared at her for what seemed like a very long time. He didn't want to let it linger any longer than it had, and he needed to know given that she couldn't comment at the time. "…I need to ask you a question. When you…heard what I said the last time I contacted you…how'd it feel?"

"Hm?" She froze from what she was doing, looking up at him. She remembered her reaction like it was yesterday. How her heart was pounding and that he didn't tease her or deny it either—at least, not within earshot of her. "Oh…I was really happy, Senku…because I love you too," She gave a small smile while sitting up. "See? This relationship stuff isn't that hard."

"I have a millimeter of doubt it's not worth anything if I don't at least tell you directly," He told her seriously and she blinked. She didn't really need it told to her face, just hearing it was enough for her, even if on accident.

"Huh? Well, I did tell you first how I felt over the phone and then I explained later, didn't I?" She giggled a little. "So I think we're even now. You don't need to—"

"No…no, you don't need to say it's okay. It wouldn't be for me. Besides, you've had it 3,700 years coming," He stepped forward while bending down, gripping the fabric from her dress. He kept his head down so that he wouldn't have to look at her, and so she wouldn't see his very flushed face. His hands were shaking as his eyes were white, a sweat drop going down his face. Sumi gasped down at him, her heart pounding.

Come on, Senku, do it. Tell her...this shouldn't be that difficult, and yet I'm feeling sick. Not because it would revoke that type of reaction, but because...I've never done this before! You said you were gonna tell her, so just say it!

"I…" He squeezed his eyes shut, holding her closer. "I lo…I love you, Sumire!" He finally said and she gave a happy smile seconds later. She reached out to place her hands on top of his and he looked up to see her expression.

"I love you too," She hummed a little, with a slight blush over her cheeks. He then gave a slight chuckle while standing up. So that was what it felt for Taiju...he never thought he'd get there, but he finally did, and seeing her face like that was worth it. Sumi then blinked as she felt a hand caress the side of her leg.

"Sumi…I wanted to ask you before the contest, and this is a serious question," He blinked while staring her in the eyes. "Can we try a little more intimacy when we have the chance?"

A chill literally blew in past Sumi, her hair flying as she processed the question. "Uh?" She blinked in shock at him.

"We don't have time now unfortunately, and it's one of the things we talked about, remember? I'd prefer to get a little experience in after we stop Ibara before giving into hormones in the future." Sumi felt like her brain was getting barbecued staring at him, her cheeks very red. He then gave a semi-awkward look from her reaction. "Oh, yeah. Right, your thing. We don't have to do it if you don't want to. This is something that we both should be comfortable with ten billion percent. That's how this works."

However, that wasn't why she reacted like that…okay, a small amount of it contributed to her sensitivity. But also, she was also picturing what it would be like, and it was making her very flushed. She then snapped out of it, looking away. Maybe it was because of Ibara, or Moz, or the fact that her breasts were on display not too long ago. Although she doubted it was the last option since he didn't even have much of reaction to it. Either way, it didn't matter as her cheeks were still red.

"Uh…y-yeah, sure. If that's what you want," She stammered shyly without even looking at him. "We can...try once Ibara is dealt with..." Both of them had to keep in mind that there were a lot of people right now that could walk in on them, and they didn't need the intrusion. Plus, time was running out with the drone-building and trying to save the rest of the crew.

"Don't say yes just because I asked and you wanna please me," Senku raised a brow at her. "Because I doubt that I'd get as embarrassed as you are right about now."

"No!" She exclaimed suddenly, her eyes squeezed shut. "Not because of that. But because…I'm curious too. And I knew this was gonna come up whether I'd be used to it or not. Don't worry about me. You have my permission to…do that when we free up more time," She cleared her throat awkwardly; he honestly threw her for a loop there...

"Alright," He held her arms gently, giving her a small smirk. "But don't hesitate to tell me if you've changed your mind when the time comes."

"I don't think I would...you're worth the wait," She breathed out, earning a wide-eyed look. She blushed again while looking away. "Stop looking at me like that, I don't think it's that shocking..."

"That's not why. You really said something that cheesy? Heh. Then again, you waited thousands of years just to confess your love to me. So being patient is only natural for you, huh? All because it's me," He gave her a teasing grin.

"If I could wait that long just for you to tell me you returned it, then-" She was silenced by Senku's lips on hers and she gave a surprised sound. Though seconds later, she returned the kiss as the two solidified their promise to come back to the moment once they were off the island.

The sun set on a new day with the Kingdom of Science's new alliance with Moz. Taiju gave Yuzuriha some cloth while Kaseki was building something. Yuzuriha was using the cloth she acquired to make something. Senku then stepped up to the phone, putting it over his back with a smile. He looked to the others as Sumi approached, both of them with small smiles on their faces.

Moz walked while in the inner palace, looking up to the master's area. Ginro and Kohaku's statue had been long cleared away. Static then came from the earring. "Yo, you hearing us, Master Moz?" Senku gave a small smirk, surrounded by Gen and Sumi. "Ready to embark on your own cool treasure hunt? Then follow our directions to the letter."

"And we can tell that's piqued your interest, considering what's in store is pretty fun~ But don't take that the wrong way, I do not need any more perverse remarks," She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, need you to head somewhere."

Moz walked along the forest and then turned to the side. He opened his mouth a little in surprise to see a brand-new weapon. "With our sorcery, we made this super valuable gift, just for you." Moz held it up with a proud look. "We the people of the Kingdom of Science, are sorely lacking in numbers. If they chose to attack us with brute force, we'd be mega-screwed."

"And considering how your weapon's instantly recognizable, we made this so we can play up the illusion," Sumi spoke up next. "Even if I were to fight them with you, I have more priorities here, and we need all the help we can get for our plan." Though in reality, she just didn't want to be with him on this, even though yes, it would help immensely. But compromise, having one would work just fine enough.

"That's where you're gonna come in, though. We'll use your strength to make them believe that we're all tough as hell. Give 'em a reason to think twice about messing with us."

Gen then gave a big smile. "And if you get them on the ropes, they'll resort to using the weapon!"

Moz hummed in realization. "In other words..."

Later that night, he jumped up while wearing the cloak Yuzuriha had made. The guards looked up in alarm. "Under the cover of darkness, I'll be a night raider!" He knocked down the guards with ease, glancing up towards Oarashi. The man was shaking looking at him, growling. He then ran forward to strike, Moz staring him down.

"They're better alive than dead!" Senku had a gleeful look on his face while Gen laughed. Sumi dragged a hand down her face looking at Gen. "Spare 'em so they can tell their friends how strong we are!"

"Their most dastardly plots always excite them..." Ukyo deadpanned a little towards their behavior.

"Well, great minds think alike, even devious ones..." Sumi remarked a bit awkwardly, laughing nervously from the two.

Oarashi fell to the ground, unconscious. Moz stepped over his face, the cloak flowing in the wind. "The deed's already done. Oh, I forgot none of them can hear my voice," He then looked up, his face in shadow. "This sorcery stuff's such a pain..."

Someone laid out a bunch of sand, starting to draw a mountain with it. Then they created the clouds in the sky.

(The ship we left behind was moving forward)

A figure was standing on top of a hut, looking out to the rising sun.

(At a speed so slow)

The hand then drew the nose and mouth.

(That it made us laugh)

The head and hair formed.

(But isn't it good if it doesn't sink?)

In front of the mountain landscape, Kohaku formed as she was looking out to the environment.

(Despite not having a map, we have arrived)

She gathered the hot spring water, her hair down. She then put her hair up into her usual ponytail.

(The harbor of your heart)

In midst of the forest, Kohaku was walking alone, wearing a basket behind her back. She then glanced behind her as Suika, Chalk, and Sagara ran up to join her.

(If you wish to leave on a journey)

Mirai joined in from behind holding a bag as Suika jumped up. Kohaku waved to her, Chalk and Sagara looking up happily.

(Please go ahead)

Mirai ran up to join Suika, Chalk, and Sagara who had ran up front. Nikki arrived from behind, pointing up ahead. Then Sumi ran up while waving to them, holding a regular basket of her own in her hands.

(Ride the sound of the waves)

Kohaku smiled while holding the basket, watching Sagara fall into some mud. Suika looked at him with an open mouth. Sumi gave a fond grin as well while still holding the basket in front of her legs right behind Chalk.

(If that's what you like)

Kohaku was in a tree as they were gathering apples. Nikki looked up at her while holding a basket full of them. Sumi held out her hands with a beaming smile on her face.

(Do what you like)

Kohaku gave a similar smile holding out an apple to them.

(Do what you like)

Two hands reached out so that her eyes and mouth would close. Then footsteps were drawn, heading forward.

(No one knows if everything will be all right)

The Perseus was nearby as they all looked out to the beach together. Kohaku held out her arms happily, Nikki and Sumi staying behind them.

(Or if we will meet again)

They then all enjoyed their apples together sitting on a log. Sumi was sitting next to Kohaku's left, smiling towards Mirai and Suika. Suika held out a portion to Chalk and Sagara as Nikki offered one to Kohaku.

(I won't blame you if you get on or get off)

The hand drew a river and then planted a sea shell. A hand then picked it up from the sand.

(Do what you like)

Mirai, Sumi, and Suika all surrounded Kohaku. The two children smiled as Kohaku was admiring the necklace that was just made for her. Sumi had her hands on her knees with a smile on her face as well.

(Do what you like)

(Even the sea doesn't know the right way)

Their shadows were reflected into the sand as they were all heading back in the direction they came from.

(Nor the sky knows the final destination)

Kohaku and Nikki were in the back, the latter waving up ahead. Mirai and Sagara were in the middle while Suika, Sumi, and Chalk were in the lead. And they were all walking on a bridge as well.

(Travelers of this round and blue planet)

Amongst the night sky, Ruri, Kaseki, Chrome, and Senku were at the other end of the bridge. Chrome had a big smile on his face waving to them. Senku looked over his shoulder just as Sumi arrived, hugging his neck with a happy grin. While glancing down at her, he smiled, and then the two turned towards Kohaku.

(Do what you like)

She stared at the two for a few seconds.

(Do what you like)

A hand then drew a smile on her face. The moon was then drawn over the bridge.

(No matter, do what you want)

The shadows were greeting each other happily before the hand wiped all of the sand away.

Angel: If you wanna get a sense of what Moz and Sumi's fight was like, check out the Wenwu vs. Ying Li fight scene from Shang-Chi, basically took inspiration from that.