Tsukasa walked in front of his army, which included Gen, but he was the spy. He still had his injuries from when Magma attempted to kill him. He approached a statue and then held up a pot of the revival fluid. He poured it onto the statue, and one of the men leaned towards another.
"So what I heard is...Tsukasa's been looking for him the whole time."
"Yeah?" He turned to his comrade. "Seriously?"
The stone started to break as they watched. "So who is this guy?"
The piece around the eye fell first, followed by the rest of the body to reveal Hyoga himself. He slowly stood up, taking in his surroundings and looking at himself. "Welcome, Hyoga," Tsukasa spoke up and he turned around. "You're now 3,700 years into the future," His eyes glimmered while having a pleased smile. "In this brand-new world, your skills are needed. And you will shine..."
A bit later, Hyoga had got himself clothed, putting his black mask over the lower half of his face. Gozan laughed while slapping him in the back. He slid forward a couple of feet, not reacting to him at all. "I was thinking he was gonna bring back a real badass fighter. But this guy looks like a little toothpick."
Hyoga simply looked back over his shoulder, still staying silent. If he was fazed, he definitely wasn't showing it. "Yeah, how's this shrimpy dude gonna help us anyway?" Another man examined him, pushing him back a bit. They laughed while Tsukasa looked on in silence.
"Fight him and you'll understand," He simply stated to them. "Why don't you go ahead and spar?"
"Ha ha. Are you sure? We might end up killin' him."
"I feel kinda bad for the wittle guy."
"He may still be sleeping after his long nap!"
They all laughed while mocking him, and Hyoga finally spoke up for the first time since being revived. "I don't mind."
"Oh yeah?!" One of them got into his face and Hyoga turned around.
"If I'm allowed to use my preferred weapon, I'll gladly take on ten men by myself."
"Ha!" Gozan looked back with a confident smile and then laughed. "Well it's too late for you to back out now!" He lunged forward with his fist, and in no time flat, Hyoga had taken all of them down. He stood in front of the defeated men with his kudayari in his hand. Gen looked down at one in front of his feet, raising a brow. He then chuckled, as he knew that Hyoga wasn't one to take lightly.
"My, what impressive ills-skay."
"Heh," Tsukasa approached the white-haired man. "I apologize. Seems there weren't enough men for a proper warm-up spar after your rest."
"...It's not really a matter of numbers," Hyoga said after a few seconds. "The only proper fighter here, by which I mean, the only one I wouldn't want to fight...is you. You're the strongest primate high schooler, Shishio Tsukasa, after all."
"I'm glad you've joined us," Tsukasa held out his hand. "Let me show you around our new world." Hyoga clasped his hand and soon, they were on the tour. There were at least three bridges as everything was made out of rock. They walked up a path of rock as people were doing grunt work, eating, or guarding. Someone was sitting up in a tree, having a bow and arrow.
"As you see, nature's bounty is generous," Tsukasa spoke up as Gen and Hyoga followed. "We want for nothing. Well...one thing I want is out of reach right now," He closed his eyes and Gen blinked, as he could tell that the man was thinking of Sumire. He then sighed while going back on topic. "The world was like this for ages. Well before human civilization. It belonged to no one. However, from the moment you and I were born, the old world hammered a message into our heads. This world is not yours, because there's not a single square centimeter of land on it that isn't already the property of some rich old fool."
Gen took his words in, staying silent since at this point, he was already allied with Senku and Sumi. "Yeah, it's true," He glanced up towards a blonde woman named Minami. She was nestled into the large stone building in front of them. "I worked myself ragged, day in and day out, only to give up most of my money to someone else as rent. Looking back on it, that's just slavery," She gave a small smile.
"The privileged elders were ruthlessly exploiting the impoverished young," Tsukasa told the two of them, a look of conviction in his eyes. "The old world worked by theft and rampant corruption."
"I'm a lot happier now in this new world," Minami confessed to them with a small chuckle, laying her head down. "Although part of that is due to I was already a super fan of Mr. Strongest Primate, Tsukasa. Are you sure you still want Sumi as your wife?"
He gave a small hum, his eyes narrowed a bit as he didn't answer. "Yo, we caught a big ol' sucker!" Two men came in hauling a boar. Minami laughed while waving at them. "Check it out. Whaddaya think about this?"
"Oh," Tsukasa commented, his mind being taken off the question thankfully. "Excellent work."
"I'm just happy were finally able..."
Gen stared at them in silence, assessing Tsukasa and how he operated. 'Well, even in the old world, Tsukasa was an extremely charismatic fellow. Take someone strong, handsome, and soft-spoken, give him a half-decent argument, and it'll prove awfully difficult to talk anyone into turning their back on him. Sumi knew that first hand...' He stepped forward to catch up with Hyoga and Tsukasa.
The two were walking across a stone path. "Hyoga...the way things were 3,700 years ago...would you call that a utopia?"
"No," The white-haired man answered simply.
"Suppose those in the privileged class of the old world were revived today, and they obtained the weapons of science that made killing so easy. What would happen?"
"I imagine they'd try to use those weapons to recreate the pyramid of wealth and influence they once stood upon. No one who has drank of that sweet nectar could be compelled to abandon it. Regardless, this world has been reset. It's in no condition to support seven billion lives," They walked past several petrified heads that had been broken off. "So there must be a culling."
Gen looked very nervous behind them, and thankfully they didn't turn around to notice him. 'The two deadliest warriors alive today, and they're in total agreement with each other,' He thought to himself while sweating a little.
Tsukasa and Hyoga walked up to the edge of the cliff. The sun's rays were shining down on them. "Then it is up to the young to create a new world in harmony with nature. The world of the past must stay in the past." They reached the edge and stood there in silence for a few seconds. "There were...well, I'm hesitant to acll him a friend, and her his ally. But there were a man and a woman, named Senku and Sumire who had superhuman grasps of science. They both sought to revive the old world. Meanwhile, I had sought Sumire, who is like no other," He narrowed his eyes at his hand. "Therefore...I had to kill him with my own hands...and show Sumire what's more important. With no Senku, there will be no science. Sumire's too heart-broken to continue it without him. The corrupt human race will be purified and march together into a new world. And when Sumire can learn to set aside her connection to Senku...she'll rule by my side..." He held up his fist to the sky. "To accomplish those goals...I'll stain my hands as much as necessary."
Hyoga's kudayari then broke off.
Senku and Sumi smirked while Hyoga stared at the broken spear tip. He held it up, staying silent as the two kept their confident faces towards him.
"What?! You see that? They cut right through his spear!" One of the men exclaimed, wide eyes in disbelief.
"Aw, damn it. We gotta run!" They turned around and ran, Ginro looking on in relief with tears in his eyes.
"Oh, yeah!" He pumped a fist in victory, and while he was doing so, Sumi looked on with narrowed eyes. If she and Senku knew Tsukasa, and they did...he wouldn't take a second defeat lightly. Or Hyoga for that matter, since they seemed to think on the same page. In fact, Hyoga was just standing there, completely unfazed by the retreat of the others. The fact that his kudayari was now broken, Gen revealed his betrayal, and he was now alone, just none of it was even bothering him. And it was making Sumi very skeptical of this man.
"Remarkable athleticism combined with coordinated teamwork and a dirty betrayal..." He spoke up calmly, Gen chuckling a little. He then turned to the duo of scientists. "Add to that the scientific knowledge to create guns and Japanese katanas. You people seem to know the proper way to do things."
Senku gave a small sound of confusion while trying to figure him out. Sumi tried to calm her breathing as she felt dread from him. She just knew he had something planned, but what it was, she couldn't deduce. And this was what he wanted.
"What would have been more proper...was if you two had realized that all of this was merely a distraction!" He revealed, though Kinro and Ginro were still confused.
Sumi caught a whiff of something and gasped in horror. "No...it couldn't be..." She murmured while looking back in fear. "Senku...!" She cried out and his eyes widened. He whipped around in her direction to see a light of orange and red coming from the village. Sumi clutched her heart while looking on, her eyes shaking.
"No..." She whispered in terror at the sight.
"Ah...so that's really why they came here," Senku mumbled while looking on. All of the huts were on fire as people ran around in a panic.
"This is bad! Fire!" Chrome screamed as the villagers were yelling in alarm. One of the buildings started to collapse and Argo guided people away.
"Head for the bridge! Hurry!" He ran off as a flaming building fell. The commotion caused Ruri to step out of her hut, gasping as she looked on. She then gestured to the two guards towards the village in concern.
"Jasper, Turquoise, I don't need your protection right now! Save the children!" She shouted in a panic.
"Of course!"
"Right!"
They turned around to head for the bridge connecting to the main area. However, as they approached, a figure came in out of nowhere. She bent down while holding a torch, and they saw another burst of flames up ahead. They stopped in shock as the bridge then fell over, blocking their access to the main area.
"It burned down!" Jasper exclaimed in shock. Turquoise gasped while seeing the figure.
"Who is that?" She kept her eyes on her. She was still holding the torch, and was a petite woman with pink hair and red eyes, just like Senku's.
"A hindrance," She merely remarked, with no regret on her face.
"Get everyone to safety!" Kokuyo yelled over his shoulder. However, before they could move, the same figure who set everything on fire walked towards them. "Another one?"
Sumi gritted her teeth in anger, knowing that she played a part in this. "Say hello to Homura, my right hand," Hyoga introduced the woman. "Unlike those mush-brained macho men, she can get things done properly. She's quite thorough."
She tossed her torch into the water, rushing towards Kokuyo. He flinched and raced towards her. He swung his blade with a scream, but she flipped backwards over his head with grace. She landed on her feet easily, leaving him stunned. Kohaku broke out of her own stupor as Homura was approaching fast. She and Sumi ran towards her, the blonde jumping up into the air. However, Homura dodged both of them with a handspring, gripping the rope from the bridge. She flipped over everyone with ease, Sumi glancing back in alarm.
"Her moves are incredible! She moves almost like Sumi," Kohaku watched her, the black-haired scientist watching with her eyes narrowed. She knew exactly what they were dealing with here...a gymnast. Sumi herself was one too, but nowhere nothing like that. No wonder why she was revived, there was no way they could fight someone who moved like this, not even Sumi herself. Homura landed in front of Hyoga, glancing back at the group. The two then left everyone behind.
The yells from the village snapped Sumi out of it and she turned around immediately. "No time to worry about them!" She shouted, getting their attention. "We need to help with the fire, NOW!" She ran off first, followed by the others. The fire was consuming the entire village at this point.
"This is horrible!" Kaseki commented in worry while watching the flames. "Once a fire gets to raging like this, the wind coming down off the mountain will fan the flames out of control, like a gust of death!"
"Everyone!" Gen shouted while holding out his arms. "We need to evacuate!"
Senku and Sumire were running past the burning houses to see if anyone was still inside. Sumi smelled something and skidded to a stop in front of one, waving Senku over. An elderly couple were trying to put out the fire, but it wouldn't help matters thanks to the wind.
"Hey, unless you wanna die, you better forget about the houses! Get out of here right now!" Senku warned the two. Sumi held out her hands to them.
"Please, listen to us! Your safety is more important! Take my hands!" She told the two urgently. They nodded and ran towards the exit, and once they grabbed Sumi's hands, she pulled them both out. Sumi released them and placed her hand on her neck in relief, sighing. But that brief moment of relief faded away as she gasped in realization...she didn't have her necklace on her. Her eyes widened in a panic while looking around, her heart hammering. "Wait! Where's-"
Something caught her eye and she looked up ahead as she saw something glinting in the distance. And by the green color…she knew what it was too. Flying on the roof of a hut tied by rope was her necklace, a great hiding spot as at night it looked like a star. And during the day, no one would've noticed because of all the work Senku had been putting them through.
"Ack!" Chrome yelped in alarm as he saw three women heading towards the main hut. "We can't go that way either. The bridge was burned down! We have to get to the science shed!" He frowned in worry towards Ruri and the others on the opposite side. She looked just as concerned as him, as they had no way to get across now.
"Senku, help take everyone to the shed!" Sumi gently pushed the elderly people she saved towards him. "I have to do something important!" Sumi then took off running towards the burning homes without waiting for a reply, alarming everyone.
"Sumire, wait! What are you doing?!" Senku shouted while running after her. She ignored him and he reached out, grabbing her hand to tug her backwards. "You can't go back there, it's not safe!" She squeezed her eyes shut as she didn't care. She just needed to get it back. She snatched her hand back, running towards the hut while following the glint. "SUMIRE!" Senku held out his hand towards her, watching in utter shock and dread as she turned a corner, disappearing in the flames. He was scared as he could only watch, but then snapped out of it. He immediately rushed after her.
She reached the hut, looking up towards the glint again. The doorway was already covered in flames, so she couldn't go through there. She looked up towards the roof, hearing it shake as it couldn't take the fire for much longer. There was a safe spot just in front of the necklace she could land on, though. She just had to be quick about it. Sumi then flipped to land on the roof, sighing in relief as her necklace was still intact, the flames growing around her. Smoke inhaled into her nose, and she let out a cough. She gripped the necklace in her palm tightly, and turned around to leave. She was about to slide off of the roof when it caved in underneath her feet, causing her to fall through. She looked up with wide eyes as debris fell around her. Ruri gasped sharply as she could see from her spot.
"No...Sumi..." Her eyes shook in worry.
"SUMIRE!" She heard while she landed on the ground hard inside the hut. She gritted her teeth while pushing her body up to sit. The smell of the smoke was even more overwhelming thanks to the small space, and she continued to cough. She covered her mouth with her wrist while unable to stop, looking for a way out. It was getting hotter and hotter for her as she started sweating. She looked around slowly past the flames and saw something across from her.
"The door!" She looked at it in realization as it wasn't covered by wood...but it meant she had to get past the flames. "I just need enough momentum..." She stepped backwards, a piece of flaming debris falling down. It hit her wrist, causing it to burn through her bandages. "Ah!" She winced, almost losing her balance. She pressed her hands against the ground and then ran as fast as she could, continuing to cough. Sumi leaped forward and dove straight above the flames and out into the open.
Everyone stared in disbelief as she went flying out. She spun around and hit the hard rock of the ground. She ended up on her back, grunting out in pain. They were all frozen for a few seconds before Senku was the first to react. He rushed over to her as her eyes were closed, bending down on his knees to examine her. Her clothes had some burn marks on them, as well as her wrist and some soot was on her face.
"Sumire! Can you hear me?" He screamed while lightly shaking her. "Speak to me! Sumire!" His eyes were panicked and then he put his head to her chest. He looked up towards the others. "She's not breathing! Gen, I need you here now!" He shouted with frantic eyes.
Gen rushed over to them without question, looking down at Sumire in concern. "What do you need me to do?" He asked seriously, trying to look brave even though it was the woman he wanted as his best friend in front of him.
"You know CPR, right? I need you to compress her chest in 2 second intervals," Senku informed and Gen nodded, doing as instructed. "Hopefully she didn't inhale too much smoke." He pinched her nose to give her mouth to mouth, everyone staring at her in concern and anticipation. Gen continued giving her chest compressions while Senku lifted his head. He grunted in frustration that there was no reaction and bent down again. This went on for a few seconds before Sumi let out a breath. She started coughing excessively, and the two recoiled back to let her do so. The others let out a sigh of relief to see her okay.
Then Senku got back into her eyesight. "Sumire! Are you insane?! Why would you go back in there?" He looked down at her, his teeth gritting a little.
She looked up towards him silently and then slowly moved her arm away to reveal what she had in her hand. He recoiled back with realization at the necklace, his eyes wide. "I had to get it back...you made it for me, remember...?" She asked him weakly.
A younger Sumi and Senku were in his apartment, which was decorated for Christmas. Senku gave her a box with his face stoic. "Here. Open it." She gasped happily as he tossed it into her hands. It had been the first Christmas that they had became science partners. The box was a long grey rectangular shape, with red wrapping paper and a white bow wrapped around the middle. Byukaya looked on from the doorway, not wanting to ruin it. He was holding a tray of hot chocolate for them.
"Wow, for me?" She then eagerly ripped off the wrapping paper with a big smile on her face. And once she opened it, she was surprised to see the golden chain necklace with the emerald. "Oh...a necklace?" She held it up to examine it with a smile. "Did you make this for me?"
"Don't read too much into it," He crossed his arms. "I was just messing around and made that. It's cluttering up inventory, so I figured you could have it." She wasn't fazed by his distant tone as he looked away and she beamed happily, putting it on. Her heart leaped as she felt so happy, and wasn't gonna tease Senku over the real reason why he gave it to her. She knew he'd never throw anything scientific away.
"You wanted me to have it the first Christmas we spent as science partners...because you knew that I'd appreciate it, didn't you? And here I thought you didn't do that sort of thing," She let out a few more coughs, smiling softly.
"I could've made you another one! Was it worth almost dying over?" He responded back, as he didn't care about the necklace right now. And it certainly wasn't worth what she had done.
"Sen...even if it costs my life, I promised to never take it off. And I broke it. I'm sorry..." Her eyes started to fall and the last thing she saw was Senku shouting for her in worry. "Sen...ku..." And then it was all black for her. Kohaku, Kinro, and Ginro led the villagers to the Kingdom of Science, Suika helping them along the way. Senku was rushing behind everyone with Sumi in his arms, her head hanging over his right arm. He looked down at her while gritting his teeth in concern, gripping her arms while running as fast as he could. Everyone cleared the way so that he could have a straight path towards the Kingdom of Science.
People were gathered around, Kinro, Ginro, and Kohaku standing guard. They all looked very worried, glancing back occasionally at the lab. Gozan and Hyoga watched them from the trees, the former laughing.
"That was an awesome move by Homura. We even managed to take down one of their leaders! That's what they get for makin' us look like fools," He had a sadistic grin on his face.
"You'd look like a fool regardless," Hyoga remarked at him, sighing. "We set those fires to force the villagers out into the open. That much should be obvious even to your mushy brain. And even more obvious is that Tsukasa won't take Sumire's defeat lightly."
"Say what?" Gozan glanced at him, a bit offended.
"We're dealing with people so incredibly naïve and sentimental that they wouldn't even abandon a village guard. I guess they get it from Sumire herself if what Tsukasa has told me about her true," Hyoga explained with his arms crossed.
"Why the hell does that matter?"
"I know!" Another man piped up. "We're gonna snatch up one of them little brats that we smoked outta there and use 'em as a hostage!"
"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Gozan looked on, laughing confidently.
"There's no guarantee they'll attack head-on," Kinro spoke up to Ginro and Kohaku. "Keep your eyes and ears open for anything!"
"Uh..." Ginro gave a nervous look. "Can we really protect this many people?"
"Sumi did the same for everyone else when we first met Hyoga, it's time we don't take that for granted!" Kohaku gritted her teeth, and then gestured to the shed. "Put all the children up in the science shed! They'll be safer."
"Yeah, right!" He exclaimed and turned around, frowning. "I hope she's okay..." He murmured to himself while running.
Kinro and Kohaku didn't respond as they didn't voice their concerns, but still felt them. And she couldn't imagine how Senku must be feeling right about now...
Sumi laid down on the lab table with a blanket over her, her hair underneath her body. Thankfully the smoke wasn't too much in her system, but she still had the small burn bandaged and her face was now cleaned up. Kohaku and Suika had cleaned up her clothes as well. Senku was working on something for her and he grunted. He slammed his fist against the table near her head while thinking about what she did. He couldn't believe she jumped over there just for the necklace when she could've just left it there...he wouldn't have minded. He could've just created her a new one.
"Damn it...you're so stupid sometimes..." He growled out and this caused her to open her eyes. She slowly turned to him as he didn't notice her yet. "Why do you do this? Why do you always put your life on the line when you don't need to?!" He snarled and she blinked, as she hadn't seen this side of him before. "First Hyoga and now this! Why can't you just listen for once and stay put so you don't have to die?!"
"Sen...ku?"
He gasped from the quiet soft voice and he turned to her looking at him. "Ah..." He then closed his mouth, as he didn't know if she heard all of that. "Mm, you're finally awake. About time too. Wait here," He turned around and she turned her head, watching him silently. "I know that it isn't the most comfortable place to rest, but it's the best we've got. We have to put people into the shed, so it's way less private there. I'm putting the finishing touches on a tea to help with the drowsiness." She didn't respond at all and once he was finished, he walked over to her. He held up the clay cup to her lips, but she didn't open her mouth. "Sumi, drink up. It'll help you regain some strength." She still didn't drink and he clenched a fist, gritting his teeth in frustration. She knew what it would do, and yet she wasn't drinking it. "I'm serious, just drink it."
"...Sen...are you still mad at me?" She asked slowly and he slowly dropped the cup in silence. He sighed while looking away, closing his eyes.
"...I'm not mad at you. It's just that...for a moment, I thought you were dead. Why was it so important to get that back? You already almost lost to Hyoga," He glanced at the necklace around her neck that he put back on her when he got here.
"Because you made it for me..." She whispered to him softly. "It was the first time...I had received something genuine for Christmas in years." He faltered as he realized...that her holidays before she met him...must've been hell with her father. She then sent him a weak smile. "And I just couldn't give up on it. That necklace...is a sign of our friendship. I can't apologize for trying to get back something so important to me. But-"
Senku placed a hand near her neck on the table, causing her to gasp. He leaned over her to look straight into her eyes. "Let me explain something to you, Sumi. If you were to die...because of something that could never break between us...I wouldn't be here today. It'd be...lonely," He admitted while making his hand into a fist. "I wouldn't have anyone to share my enthusiasm for science with. But you...I need you by my side. You're the most important component in the Kingdom of Science. So you need to be careful. Don't you understand?" His eyes widened at her while shaking and her mouth opened a little as his voice sounded a little broken. "Your life is in my hands...and you almost threw it away for something less important than that!"
She stared up at him in shock, her cheeks flushed as her heart was hammering fast. Looking at him now...she could see how terrified he was the whole time she was asleep. She reached out to touch his cheek, staring into his eyes as he flinched. "I need you too, Senku...I can't promise I won't risk my life, but I haven't forgotten our promise at all. I'm sorry I made you think I did, but I know how much our deal means to you. Just like when you fended off Hyoga...that's why you saved me, didn't you? Although knowing you, you wouldn't admit that," She gave a small smile.
He had a serious look on his face as his gaze remained on her. Her heart hammered even more, especially since he was still inches away from her face. His own heart felt like it was going to burst thinking about how her lips tasted earlier...he couldn't stop thinking about it. He rubbed his thumb against her cheek as he wanted to continue looking at her, and how beautiful she was. She reached out to hold his hand resting next to her head. He interlocked his fingers with hers, keeping his gaze on her. He noticed her crush didn't even seem to be on her mind...if he was, she would've told him to stop or pulled away by now.
He tilted his head upwards to give her a kiss on the forehead. Her breath hitched as he pulled away to look at her, her eyes wide. Senku then moved back down to be at eye level with her. Her face was flushed from his action. But he flinched, as he couldn't be thinking about...that, would he? He had to stop before it got too far; he was still treating her. And not to mention...there was the whole issue with her own crush that he had failed to remember until now. Normally he wouldn't care, but...for the sake of Sumi's feelings, he needed to give her space. He had no idea what even came over him, and he needed to focus on helping her.
He cleared his throat, moving away from the woman. "Just...don't ever do that again for just a trinket. You should be fine in the morning." She simply smiled at him, knowing how much he cared for her safety without having to say it.
"No promises..."
As Ginro was reaching the shed, a wall of fire appeared in front of him, getting the attention of the others. He yelped as he stepped back, and Homura was on the other side. She was carrying another torch and Kohaku growled. She ran towards her while Senku ran out of the lab. Homura escaped and Kohaku looked up in alarm.
"Grab water!" Senku shouted while running past her, carrying some water. "We can't let it hit the lab!"
"Come on now, hurry!" Kokuyo instructed the villagers as they had more pots of water.
"We gotta start dousing it before it spreads!" Senku screamed while Ginro was kneeling, holding his head. Sumi peeked from the doorway of the lab, her eyes widening at the fire.
"It's gonna burn down! Chrome spent his entire life collecting those minerals! And we spent months and months building the lab together! If we lose it, it's all over for us!" He panicked and Sumi frowned in concern.
"We can't let it come to this..." She glanced behind her, Suika looking worried near Ginro.
"Because of where I hid the necklace, Sumi got hurt. I can't let them get to her. The Kingdom of Science...Sumi I've gotta protect them somehow!" She frowned while thinking of something. The only thing to do would be to draw their attention away so that they could focus on something else...and during all of the chaos, no one noticed her slipping away.
The enemies were looking around when they spotted the little girl in the distance. "Look!" She shook in fear of them, since they were all bigger and stronger than her. "There's some dumb kid who didn't get away in time!" However, she managed to push through her fear if it was gonna help her friends. She tucked her body into her mask and then bounced away.
"Oh yeah!" They started to chase after her, taking the bait. "We found ourselves a hostage, boys!"
Homura and Hyoga only watched from up in a tree. "She's so devoted that she'd sacrifice herself to help the others. I certainly appreciate her naïveté. We only need one captive to win, and this will be far easier than attacking the home base of those soldiers of science." Homura nodded silently in agreement with him.
Sumi started coughing and then kneeled, covering her mouth. Everyone looked to her in alarm, as they didn't even know she had gotten up. Senku rushed over and helped her onto her feet. "Come on, let's get you back inside."
She sat in front of him, drinking her tea slowly. "So it took me jumping into a burning house for you to care?" She joked and he scoffed, flicking her on the forehead. "Ow...fine, I deserve that," She rubbed the top of her head.
"Don't act like you're off the hook here. You could've died, Sumire," He crossed his arms while watching her drink.
"I could've, but I didn't because you saved me," She revealed and he blinked. "Yeah, I remember what you did and said before I woke up. Your emotions are coming out more and more frequently, huh? I know that you probably don't want to hear it, but I am grateful for you in my life. And I mean that too," She smiled happily at him.
"Well..." He sighed while turning away. "I guess the most illogical thing to do here would be to not accept that. And you know what kind of guy I am."
She smiled while taking another sip, blushing a little. She stepped out, the others relieved to see her standing up and walking. She grabbed a bucket of water like it was nothing and stepped forward, and they smiled silently. She looked around for a quick count of everyone, freezing up in alarm as there was one person who was missing.
"Senku...?" She asked in fear and he turned to her. She dropped her bucket as her eyes shook, as well as her hands. "Where's Suika...?" He flinched from her question, both of them looking around but seeing no sign of her. "Suika?!" She started running around to look for her. "Suika?" She called out, but didn't get an answer, and this caused panic for her as she looked around again. "Suika?"
"The last time I saw her, she was helping the villagers evacuate," Senku looked at her and they scoped the area again. Not even a sign of her watermelon mask.
"Suika?" Sumi ran over to a bush to look for her there, moving apart the leaves frantically. She and Senku let out a small breath to try and calm down. But the fact that she was nowhere to be seen was causing them to worry.
"Suika?!" Senku hollered for her. "Suika?"
"Suika?" They both shouted while running around, Sumi looking especially panicked. Everyone roamed the area for her while the two continued to run, almost like a worried mother and father. Sumi and Senku continued calling her name while searching everywhere they could in the area.
Suika was currently hiding behind a tree, shaking while the enemies were still searching for her. Gotta run a little, then hide a little. Gotta get 'em far away from the Kingdom of Science! She then bounced away from the tree. If I run upwards towards the mountain, they won't be able to smoke me out with more fire!
One of them noticed her bouncing around. "She's running that way, you guys!"
"What?!" Kohaku exclaimed, getting the attention of Sumi and Senku. "Suika ran away?!"
"I, uh, tried to stop her, but she took off towards the hot springs!" He exclaimed nervously, Sumi looking towards the direction of that area.
"Wait a second..." Kohaku spoke while they were going towards the lake of sulfuric acid. "I come here all the time to get water from these hot springs."
"It gets dangerous up ahead. The poison gases that form here, the hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, are heavier than air."
"We don't sugarcoat when it comes to science...usually," Sumi stated while the birds were melting.
"A powerful wind's blowing in from the mountains."
Senku narrowed his eyes, sweating a little as Sumi frowned. There's something strange about this wind. I've got a really bad feeling about this... They both thought and Sumi gasped in realization of where Suika was heading. She ran towards the lab to grab something and then ran towards the forest. "Kohaku, Senku, I need you to follow me now!" She screamed while rushing past them. They realized what she was holding and followed after her. She looked extremely worried for Suika now...
"Just give up already!" A man yelled while they were still chasing the little girl.
"When we catch this brat, I say we break her legs!" Morito shouted, Hyoga and Homura following close behind. Suika suddenly came to a stop as a gust of wind blew. She looked up ahead to see a light blue cloud, coming from the sulfuric acid that had made its way into the area. A squirrel then dropped dead in front of Suika. She stared at it while Homura looked up.
"This wind...brings death..." She pointed out while Suika could only stare at the terrifying sulfuric woman. And she wasn't able to get away in time.
"SUIKA!" Senku and Sumi shouted while they caught up to her. Sumi willed herself to go faster.
"Climb up that tree!" Senku warned as the black-haired woman was followed by Kohaku. She gave Sumi a boost from behind so that she could catch the girl in time. Kohaku then bent down her back. Sumi jumped off it and flipped, landing on a tree branch, putting the gas mask over Suika. She looked down as the poison gas came in like a wave.
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay, Suika..." Sumi sighed heavily in relief.
"Ah! Wh-what just happened?" Suika was shaking a little in fear. Sumi's eyes glistened a little while pulling her closer, seeing the tears in her eyes.
"Shh, don't worry. The poisonous gas will settle."
It took a few seconds for the enemies to realize what she said. "What?!" They looked up at the two. "Poison gas?" Homura and Hyoga were already sitting in a tree behind them. They then frantically climbed to get to safety. Senku and Kohaku were down below, unaffected thanks to the gas masks.
"Mother Nature is neither friend or foe," Senku stated while looking across the area. "Heh heh heh...she doesn't care one way or another."
"Hey, ya pipsqueaks!" Gozan pointed at Sumi while looking at Senku. He glared at the duo accusingly. "You were the ones who made all this poison gas, huh?"
Senku gave him a look of amusement. "Huh? Yeah!" He dug his pinky into his ear. "Damn right it was us! That was a pretty dumbass move launching an attack on the Kingdom of Science! You never had a chance against our modern weapons!"
"What's also a dumbass move is calling me a pipsqueak! If I see you again, you'll have regretted calling me that," Sumi called out in annoyance while hugging Suika still.
Senku then looked up at her and the little girl. "Now then, it's time to head back! Just breathe nice and slow, Suika. You'll be fine."
"Right! I'll do my best!" She called out, Senku laughing as Sumi jumped off, landing safely between him and Kohaku. She wobbled a bit though, thanks to what she had to endure from the fire. She steadied herself with a small sigh, not wanting to have this be exploited to their enemies. Senku stared at her for a few seconds before looking up at the group in the tree.
"You guys can go back home and go suckle on Mama Tsukasa's teat. Of course, you'll have to wait like ten billion seconds for the gas to clear out of here!"
Sumi sighed at his word, shaking her head. "Suika, don't have anyone answer what teat means, okay?" She asked and turned around, walking off first. Hyoga stared at the woman, noticing how close she was hugging Suika in a protective way.
"Ha! No wonder why Tsukasa wants you for his bride," Hyoga remarked while watching them leave. Kohaku and Senku stopped, glancing back at him. "Perhaps I could convince him to let me have you instead."
Sumi slowly came to a stop, glancing over her shoulder. "Heh. Yeah, right. I would have more to say, but since we have Suika, I won't waste my breath. But you can take a guess of where I'd like you to end up once you hit the poison gas," And with that, she left, followed by the others. She really hoped that Tsukasa wasn't hung up on getting her married to him the next time they'd show up...but she knew that with her friends, they wouldn't allow that to happen.
Suika looked up at the woman. "What did you mean? Are you okay?" She asked her softly and Sumi hummed.
"Don't worry about it, Suika. But I'm definitely much better now."
"Heh, that was pretty gutsy what you said," Kohaku commented the woman, glancing at her.
"When Sumi cares a lot for her friends, she doesn't hold back," Senku had a small amused smirk behind his mask. "And I have to give her props for not getting mad at them enough to lose control of her breathing."
"Man, I really wanted to say it, though," She gave a small pout. "Could've really let him have it if it wasn't for the poison gas."
"...I'm really sorry," Suika murmured while hiding her face into Sumi's shoulder, getting their attention. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have went into that hut..."
"Suika...you did nothing wrong," Sumi gave a small smile, patting the back of her head. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine thanks to the Kingdom of Science looking out for me, and Senku too. If anything, you did a really good job of hiding it. After all, the Great Detective Suika is the best at what she does!"
Suika gasped, looking up with tears in her eyes as she blushed from the praise. She couldn't see Sumi's expression, but she could feel her smile.
"You didn't know there'd be a fire," Senku placed a hand on Suika's head. "Sumi's just really stubborn."
"Mmm," She glanced at him in annoyance.
"You're so cool, Sumi! Like a big sister!" Suika piped up and the black-haired scientist looked down at her in confusion.
"Eh?"
"And I'm sure the others would say that too. With how you always protect us no matter what, and how you make sure you're helping everyone."
"...Ahh, never grow up, Suika," Sumi closed her eyes with a fond smile. "You're too adorable to let stuff like that be forgotten..." Kohaku smiled at the two, Senku chuckling as they continued to walk back towards the village.
"Ugh," Gozan let out a groan. "They're just screwin' with us. No way we're waiting that long!"
"Yeah, I mean it's not like they could actually make poison gas in the stone world, right?" Akashi asked skeptically as they looked towards the ground.
"Good point. Let's deal with this properly," Hyoga spoke up while standing up, holding his kudayari. "We'll need to make sure the gas is gone before we move. This is a great opportunity. You lot can finally perform a job as you should, despite your mushy brains," He then lifted up his spear, alerting Gozan. He hit the man in the nose with his spear, blood spurting from it as he screamed. He landed on the ground, along with the other three. Gozan could only look up as the poison gas headed towards them. The sulfuric woman yelled as it hit them, and they were unable to escape from it.
"Well..." Hyoga said, completely unfazed and not even regretting what he did. "Look at that. They actually died. So those gas masks were real, at the very least," He and Homura stared at the poison gas still present down below. "It would appear that Senku, Sumi, and their allies...have a variety of metals and chemicals under their control. The Kingdom of Science is quite a force. We'll have to crush them with sheer numbers. Tsukasa and I will lead the charge, of course. Backed up by the most massive and powerful army that our empire can muster."
Back at the village, all of the homes had burned down, the fire thankfully gone. However...not everything was lost, as they did all survive. "We can always rebuild our lost homes! But our people's lives are precious, and we didn't lose a single one. We could've lost our village chieftess, but thanks to the Kingdom of Science, she'll be safe and sound! Which means Ishigami Village has won this battle!"
Everyone cheered at this news, and he was glad to see that they weren't fretting over the battle. He then bent down to Suika. "Hey, I am so proud of you, Suika." She beamed in delight from the praise, giggling.
"But that was pretty dang reckless! Almost as much as what Sumi did earlier," Kaseki scolded her a little.
In the lab, Sumi was drinking more tea as she was almost better. Thankfully she didn't suffer any injuries or it would've been worse. She let out a small cough, Senku looking up at her and sighing. He stepped up to examine her wrist wrapped around in a bandage. He held up a glass jar of ointment he made, opening it up. Both of them were quiet while Senku placed some ointment onto his hand. He then gently rubbed it against the burn. While he was doing that, he was holding her wrist gently. Once he was done with the ointment, he grabbed some bandages and wrapped it around her wrist, ripping off the excess gently. He then tied the end off with a knot, doing it a little too hard.
"Ow," She hissed and he looked up, immediately stopping while he kept his gaze on her. He looked a bit apologetic while loosening it up for her.
"Sorry," He mumbled and she sighed at him.
"I know you still think that it was a stupid move, but why so doom and gloom?" She gave him a small smile. "Where's the annoying brat Senku I grew up with?"
"Mm," He gave her a small scowl and she giggled, holding up a finger.
"Yup, there he is."
"You're impossible, you know that?" He remarked while working his fingers lightly around her wrist. He then adjusted the bandage and stepped back. "There. You're lucky it was only a first-degree burn." He looked down at the woman, thinking about what he did to save her. The scientist looked away with a small blush, his eyes closed. Sumi tilted her head in confusion at him, wondering what was on his mind.
"Sen...? Everything okay?" She asked quietly and he turned back to her, looking at her lips and not even noticing the scar this time. Performing the CPR on her was what was on his mind, and it was getting a bit frustrating that it was taking away his focus.
"It's just...Tsukasa won't stop until he has you. And when he finally does...it'll mean..." He looked away again and she sighed a little, smiling as she knew what he wanted to say.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. You know that I'm not going to marry him. Our friends are keeping an eye out so they can prevent it. I'm not going anywhere," She reminded him and he closed his eyes, giving a small hum. She then realized they were too close for comfort and she cleared her throat. "I-It's important that we defeat Tsukasa, you know?" She turned away from him before she was a blushing mess, her heart beating erratically. "We need a new weapon against them so that we have an advantage."
Senku took a moment to process what she said, snapping out of it. He could agree with her, there would be time to dwell on this later. The scientist leaned against the wall. He rubbed his chin in thought and she stared at him.
"Thinking about a plan, huh?" She guessed correctly and he glanced up at her, chuckling as an idea came to him. He leaned in to whisper to her and she gasped, grinning happily up at him. After hearing it, it only solidified what she felt towards him.
The next morning, the village was getting repaired as the bridge was being rebuilt. The huts were also getting rebuilt, the only sounds of work being heard and chattering. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Science were in front of the laboratory. They were discussing what to do about the Tsukasa Empire, the group smiling at Sumi.
"We're so glad to see you're okay, Sumi!" Suika smiled and the woman returned it, nodding.
"Thanks. It still hurts a little, but I'm not gonna sit around on my ass and do nothing," She said in assurance to them. "Not if it means we're getting started to take down Tsukasa's empire." Senku chuckled at her, a small smirk on his face. It still crossed his mind that if Tsukasa targeted her, he could lose her...but he had to put his faith in her, just like she did when she was facing Hyoga with the Japanese katanas.
"So what's your next move?" Gen asked Senku and Sumi. "You've both managed to hide for quite a while. But they'll tell Tsukasa you're alive and that Sumi isn't in mourning."
Senku dug his pinky into his ear. "Yeah, and we're sure he'll figure out we can't produce the gunpowder that quickly," He closed his eyes in thought. "At least not enough to produce guns."
"We're lucky they even believed we had them at all when Hyoga showed up the first time," Sumi remarked with her arms crossed. "Otherwise it would've been a total disaster if they caught onto us then."
"Huh?" Ginro blinked in confusion. "What do you guys mean we can't produce enough gunpowder?"
"Why would that be?" Kaseki tilted his head at them.
"It's like this," Senku began to tell them. "The revival fluid that Tsukasa's guys have been cooking up is actually easy to make. And yet, we still haven't revived a single statue. That's because we don't have enough nitric acid. Now we could make some from dung or seashells, but we're short on both time and materials. Also, no nitric acid means no gunpowder. Tsukasa's smart enough to figure that part out on his own."
Sumi nodded in agreement with him. "As much as it would benefit us to make our own nitric acid, we need to focus our time elsewhere. If we spend too much on reviving people, it'll put us at a major disadvantage. And besides, that's not our main focus right now."
"Heh heh heh, we didn't have much gunpowder saved to begin with, now we're completely out!"
Kohaku narrowed her eyes a little as almost everyone was completely lost. "You lost me the moment you guys started talking about that whatever it was acid."
"Isn't there an easier way to explain it to us?" Kaseki questioned them next. Both of them sighed at this.
"I'd rather not go into nitric acid again, I tried that on Taiju and it did not work," Sumi pinched her nose a little.
"Listen, even if we have guns, they'll know that we can't really use them. And I'd say there's about a ten billion percent chance Tsukasa's gonna have a huge army built up for the invasion," Senku told the group.
"The more time passes, the more fighters they have after all," Gen spoke up with a small grim smile. "Too bad we can't do that with gunpowder," He then gave a weak chuckle.
"Even if we did, it wouldn't solve the issue of still having none. The only way to get it is to get past the miracle cave, which we can correctly assume is guarded," Sumi glanced away, sweat dropping a little. "There's no way Tsukasa would allow that area to be free from us if he knows what he can do with it..."
"Well, so what are we gonna do?" Ginro asked, his eyes a bit worried.
Senku responded with a grin. "Ah. I think it's fairly obvious! We'll just have to attack them first. With a ridiculously awesome scientific toy!" They all gasped at the explanation while Sumi hummed with a nod.
"Mmhm! It'll be really useful against our war with Tsukasa."
"Ha!" Kohaku looked determined towards them. "You got the right idea! Waiting puts us at a disadvantage! So our only way is to strike first!" Ginro shook in fear with white eyes looking at her at the idea of fighting them.
"And to that end, we gotta start building our new weapon!" Senku replied with a small smirk, arms crossed.
"Uh," Chrome popped up beside them. "So what kinda weapon are you guys talking about?"
Senku let out a low chuckle before smirking, his eyes glimmering a little. "We've gone leaps and bounds, but now it's time to break out the ultimate modern tech! We've been recreating scientific advancements from as far back as the Stone Age! But we're finally getting to something from mine and Sumi's time. What was truly the deciding factor in modern conflicts. The strongest weapon in 2 million years of history."
"Wait...you don't mean nukes, do you?" Gen looked at the two nervously while sweat dropping.
"Hell no!" Senku replied back with a semi-blank look.
"Oh my god, no! Are you trying to make this a bloody war field? We're not sadistic, sheesh," Sumi looked at him with white eyes. Gen recoiled back a bit from her tone. "What we mean is, it's the most modern thing we've ever gotten to ever since revival."
"There's something else that can give one side a huge advantage. We're talking about communications technology. We're gonna make cellular phones with service even in the stone world."
"Yup! It'll give us the element of surprise and we can use it against Tsukasa before he gets any ideas and strikes us first," Sumi smiled while clenching a fist.
The rest stared at him blankly, since of course they had no idea what those were. "Cell..."
"U..."
"Lar?"
Gen in the meanwhile was shaking, his mouth opened wide while looking at the two. Have they lost their minds? Because they just said something really crazy!
"Huh?" Magma had overheard while walking over to them with Mantle. "Cellular phones? What are those?" He had a small frown on his face. "Are they fish?"
The rest of the village were gathered at the Kingdom of Science, having been told of the plan. They were also curious of what it was.
"They work from a distance?"
"So you can have a conversation with someone..." Ginro started off with wide eyes.
"Even if they're super far away?" Suika finished for him.
"Definitely sounds like sorcery to me!" Magma pointed out with a frown.
"How can an idea that crazy even possibly exist?" Kohaku wondered, while Chrome and Kaseki were looking on in excitement. Both of them were eager to both build it and see what a cell phone actually did.
"So bad! I gotta know how that works!" Chrome exclaimed with a blush.
"Me too!" Kaseki added while blowing steam from his nose.
"And that's gonna be our weapon?" Kohaku turned to Senku and Sumi, both of them smiling in amusement.
"Oh, you bet it will! Communications can really turn the tides in a battle! Look, suppose we have a double agent who leaks intel to us in real time."
"It's Gen reporting!" Gen was wearing war paint while camouflaged in the bushes. He was holding a walkie talkie. "Senku, Sumire, the enemy is completely wide open on the west side. There's barely any guards to speak of. Over."
Senku and Sumi were standing in a communications room, looking down at the device while wearing war clothes. "It's Gen reporting! Senku, Sumire, the enemy is completely wide open on the west side. There's barely any guards to speak of. Over."
"Now that's some excitin' intel. We're gonna go nuts on their western flank!"
"Wait for further instructions, soldier!" Sumi smiled with her eyes closed.
"And if we coordinate our efforts correctly, we might take down the Tsukasa empire without bloodshed!" He looked over his shoulder with a smirk.
"This is why we need it. If we don't, then there will be blood drawn," Sumi narrowed her eyes a little. "Then it's a major loss for the Kingdom of Science."
"But who would we use to be our double agent?" Ginro questioned the two. Gen and Chrome glanced to each other questioningly. It couldn't be just anyone, they needed someone who was capable of relaying information and not make it obvious what was going on.
"Ah?" Senku glanced at Sumi and she smiled. They then both looked up to the sky, a hand on Sumi's hip. "We've already got our moles over there," They looked towards the flag Yuzuriha made for them. Gen and Chrome gasped in realization. "Two of them, in fact. Taiju and Yuzuriha."
Sumi giggled with a fond smile. "Mmhm. They have been the whole time we've been in this village. So we've already got that part covered." The two of them then remembered how eager Taiju was to have smartphones.
"Smartphones!"
"Oh sure, yeah. Smartphones would be great, wouldn't they?"
"Smartphones?"
"You know, I gotta praise your one-track mind on something that still doesn't exist. But no, still not those."
"You do love your smartphones."
Sumi glanced back up at the flag, hoping that they were safe. Senku chuckled next to her. "That big oaf was desperate to get his hands on a smartphone from the very beginning. Now, he's finally gonna get his wish."
"He'd be like a little kid right about now if he knew," Sumi smiled in amusement. The two then grinned widely.
They got a local kid to help paint out the road map, Sumi directing him for what he needed to draw and what order. "Granted, this will be more like a regular phone, not necessarily the smart kind," Senku spoke up to them.
"Hey, we all gotta start somewhere before we get to the real thing in the future, right?" Sumi smiled fondly with her eyes closed. "Right now, it's too advanced, but baby steps."
Kaseki hopped up and down, laughing eagerly as each step got painted out. Chrome clenched a fist in determination. "We can do this! That sulfa drug was a hell of a lot work, but we made that happen, didn't we?"
"No offense, guys, but I don't think you realize what they're saying," Gen spoke up, trying to be realistic. "This road map's full of things that are impossible to get."
Senku chuckled, getting his attention. He then smirked at the mentalist. "Nothing is impossible, Gen."
"Not while we're around," Sumi agreed with him, a subtle smirk on her face. "Science has no restrictions, remember? What seems impossible can be done if you work hard enough."
"Yup," Senku patted her on the head. "No matter how far off the goal may seem, if you follow the steps, you'll get there 10 billion percent of the time! That's how science works!" They all stared at the new road map, and Sumi brought the ramen cart forward. She then gave a bowl to the young artist, who took it eagerly with his mouth watering.
Meanwhile, at the Tsukasa Empire, Hyoga approached the man himself sitting in his throne. "Every single one of Gen's reports was a lie," He started off, Tsukasa slightly in darkness as he listened in silence. "The village already has considerable scientific power," He then took a small pause for what he said next. "And what's more, Senku is alive. Sumi's known the whole time and isn't in mourning." The man next to Tsukasa gasped in shock.
The man himself had his eyes wide, actually looking a little afraid for once. Senku and Sumi smiled knowingly that he must know by now. Hyoga wouldn't let the news just slip.
"Get ready for us, Tsukasa...we'll be coming for you," Sumi gave a small confident smile towards the skies.
Angel: Imma be real with you guys and say that I don't really know if Suika is an orphan or not. There's nothing I can find that suggests if she is one, not that it matters as far as both the manga and anime are concerned. But I'm going off the assumption that she is because we never see her parents and she's always with the Kingdom of Science, so. If there's anything out there that suggests otherwise, you can show me a link. So if people out there think it's weird that Senku and Sumi basically act like parents to Suika, it's not really gonna come up too much since their relationship hasn't really gone off the ground yet. And plus, they're thousands of years old, so they're technically not seen as teenagers by everyone else aside from a few characters. I regret nothing hahaha XD