It was very foggy as Hyoga's spear was pointed forward, the tip of it shining. Chrome gritted his teeth as he looked up ahead with an intense expression. "No, Hyoga...you can't, you bastard!" He growled out as Hyoga was standing right in front of him.
Hyoga then prepared to attack him. "Owari Otome Kanryu spear technique!" He shouted as he lunged the spear forward at Chrome...striking him through the stomach with ease. Ukyo and Suika gasped sharply...as Hyoga didn't actually pierce Chrome, and was really holding a shovel. Instead, he had moved past Chrome to start digging in the little hole that they had.
"Shit!" Chrome grinned in awe as he watched Hyoga at work. "That's bad!"
"I told you guys it was a good idea," Kohaku pointed out as Hyoga used the shovel just like his spear, leaning over the hole. "Your weapon is the perfect tool for excavation!"
"How unfortunate that Kanryu style is tarnished by such misuse!" Hyoga cried out as he would rather be using it against Xeno or his guards...
"Come now," Kohaku smiled in amusement, hands on her cheeks. "Ha! You've got it all wrong. Making all that progress through the ground, as you're stained by the earth itself. It's lovely." And by lovely, she meant that it was nice to see Hyoga doing dirty work for once.
"Huh," Tsukasa scoffed a little, Suika popping up behind him. "Perhaps you're right. But there's still the bedrock. That will be required from the blade of science we call a drill."
Chrome gave a slightly nervous smile. "Yeah...we've got our best craftsman hard at work. Kaseki's on it!"
And Kaseki was currently in his workshop, in front of a furnace flame. He grabbed something with a metal rod, pulling it out excitedly to reveal the loop knife! "Hoo hoo! Gather round, kids, and take a long look at my amazing spinny sword!" He exclaimed proudly of his work. The Perseus crew were already told of the plan since the tunnel crew had to ask Kaseki to help.
Moz examined it, rubbing his chin. "We just ram it into our foes, right? Yeah, this should do the job just nicely," He grinned at the thought of using it against a person...
"Disembowel them?" Matsukaze wondered as he looked as well.
"Why do you have to talk all scary like that?!" Ginro yelped from behind him.
"Don't know what the plan is, but it oozes bloodlust," Kaseki commented, the blond looking at him in bewilderment. "I always love a challenge, but I still couldn't shake feeling unsettled while I was crafting that thing."
This only made things worse for Ginro...
"They're just gonna use it to dig dirt," Minami deadpanned, knowing that if Sumi found out, she would toss the person wanting to kill someone with it off of the ship...
"Our next mission is to deliver the drill to Chrome," Ryusui spoke up as he arrived. "And we'll bring him the mobile lab while we're at it," He looked up while snapping his fingers, grinning. "Now, no time to waste! It's all hands on deck for this one! Time for the Kingdom of Science to strike back!"
Chrome continued to map out their plan, definitely feeling a little bit more pressure than before...
"Building a tunnel is an insanely big project to pull off," Nikki pointed out as she and Kinro stared at the supplies sitting in the mobile lab. "Whoever makes this delivery trip oughta stay behind to help that team finish."
"Maybe," Kinro murmured in agreement. "Involving more people raises the risk."
"Ha ha!" Ryusui chuckled as he stood behind them, getting their attention. "Behold. The time has come for our resident man-beast to do his thing."
Taiju slowly walked down the hallway, as he was the one being sent out to deliver the supplies. Which made sense given his infinite stamina and strength when it came to grunt-work. He looked into the room where Senku and Sumi were. Luna was looking over Senku, and Yuzuriha was doing the same for Sumi. Senku was out cold again for now. And Sumi...still showed no signs of waking up. In fact, she seemed to be getting worse as her face was a bit more pale and sickly. He stared at them with a frown, knowing that...in order to help his friends, he had to leave them behind. He could've said no, but...he also knew that they would want him to be rational about this. He narrowed his eyes and then slammed the door open, to the alarm of the two women.
"Hey, girls! Listen up!" He gave them a determined expression. "While I'm gone...take care of them."
They stared at Taiju and then nodded in agreement, knowing that he would want the two scientists to get the best care. If Yuzuriha were leaving, she would've said the same too...
He grabbed his backpack, hauling it over his back, looking towards the mobile lab in front of him. He furrowed his eyebrows, hoping that his friends would get better while he was gone...he then stepped forward silently.
Max and Carlos were in the forest watching the ship when Max noticed something. Carlos could faintly see it as the mobile lab was moving away from the Perseus on water. "Some kind of vehicle...?" Max murmured as he put down his binoculars.
"Maybe one of us should trail him?" Carlos suggested, though there was the issue of who would stay...
"Fine!" The two exclaimed in unison while pointing to each other. "I can stay here with Lady Luna while you go after them, okay?!" And then the two got into a fight over who got to stay and watch Luna, since they idolized her...
Max grunted as he stood over Carlos, who had a bunch of bruises. "I'm her bodyguard, so it makes sense that I stay with her. You're her driver, so get moving!" He gritted his teeth, not wanting to hear anything else about it.
"When you put it that way..." Carlos relented, though he was reluctant about it. They heard noises, glancing up to see the mobile lab was actually on its way over to them. The two men glanced up in confusion...and then realized that they were in the path of the vehicle.
"EY!" Taiju waved from one of the front windows.
"AH! OH MAN, LOOKS LIKE HE SETTLED THE ARGUMENT FOR US!" Both of them shouted with wide eyes, looking up in bewilderment as Taiju stopped the vehicle. He then jumped out through the window to land right in front of them. Carlos flinched while Max immediately pulled out a small gun that was given to him before he left.
"We haven't met, have we?" Taiju gleefully spoke up with a big smile, much to their shock. "Hey, I'm Taiju! Nice to meet ya! Let me guess, you guys are here to spy on us for the doc, aren't ya?! Just like what we sent Kohaku's team to do!" He then leaned in towards the two, who backed away anxiously. They...weren't expecting him to be so nice, that was for sure. "Oh, but forget I said that last part! That's a secret!"
Carlos bent down to whisper to Max. "The dude's speaking Japanese. I think...can't understand it, but I somehow get the gist," He murmured, both of them not sure what to do.
"Same here, something about that bombastic voice doesn't need translation," Max responded back quietly.
"Since you're here to spy on us and all, you were gonna try and chase after our mobile lab, weren't ya?" Taiju pointed out, causing the two to turn to him in alarm. He then jerked a thumb to the mobile. "How about you save those feet of yours and hitch a ride with me in the back? I won't take no for an answer!"
It was utter silence for a few seconds before the two loomed over Taiju, looking at him like he was crazy. "STOP BEING NICE! WE'RE YOUR ENEMIES, YOU KNOW!" Both of them screamed in disbelief, only earning laughter in return.
"Don't be shy! We're going in the same direction," He played off, his eyes softening as he remembered Sumi's state. "Besides...that's what she would do."
"Hm?" They both blinked at the sudden change, but decided not to question it.
And so, Carlos was left sitting in the back with the supplies, feeling very awkward...Taiju hummed while he drove. So weird...
"I sure hope Carlos is alright," Max murmured while back at his hiding spot.
Taiju continued to hum as he headed for his destination. Carlos glanced up at him, knowing that he was the only person from the Perseus he had come into contact with so far. So he had to know... "Is Ms. Luna still safe?" He wondered, breaking Taiju out of his humming.
"Sorry! I can't quite understand you," He called out while keeping focused on the road. "Let's see. I think you said Luna? You mean that pink-haired girl, yeah?" Carlos got a bit more hesitant upon hearing about her. "...She's fine. In fact, she's looking after my best friends." Carlos then looked at him in a bit of surprise that they hadn't gotten rid of Luna... "Ryusui warned us. We know Luna's a spy." Luna walked over to Senku's bed, placing down water and a rag. "But so what?" She gently dabbed at Senku's face, Yuzuriha staring at her while tending to Sumi. The woman was sweating hard as she struggled to breathe, the brunette's eyes saddening a little. "It doesn't matter. She's taking really good care of Senku and Sumi. That's good enough for me. I promise you that none of us would ever dream of hurting her. So don't worry." After she promised to help them when he asked her to...he knew he could trust Luna regardless. So he was putting faith into her right now.
I don't know a single lick of Japanese, but one thing's for certain... Carlos' face softened as he silently stared at Taiju. That's a real solid guy right there...yeah, there's no denying it. A shake suddenly broke him out of his thoughts as he yelped.
"Wait a minute," Minami looked up in realization. "Hate to ask, but does Taiju even have a license?"
Yuzuriha flinched as she looked dumbfounded, knowing that...only Gen still had a license. And Taiju was only around 15 before everyone got petrified...
"He kinda just took the wheel when we were trying to get away from Moz," Nikki pointed out while eating her meat.
And Taiju's driving was definitely chaotic...but unfortunately, he was the only one that could go with the mobile lab. So he skidded and swerved, bumping into a lot of trees. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Carlos cried out from the back. "Whoa! What the hell, man?! I do not want to die with you!" He looked at Taiju in a panic.
"My bad!" Taiju smiled a bit awkwardly. "I don't have a lot of experience on the road. You must be worried that I'll hurt myself, right? That's so nice! Luckily, I'm super tough, so I'll be good!" He then yelped as he hit a rock, though was missing the point...
Carlos was terrified for his life right now... "This is exciting, but not in a fun way! Help!" He shouted in fear, and eventually took over the controls. Although he had no choice because he would rather stay alive if it meant helping the enemy...
Taiju gave a look of awe at Carlos, who was doing much better than him. "That's it, yeah! Did the other guy call you Carlos? Cause dude, you're one hell of a driver, Carlos! This is freakin' awesome!"
"I was a professional driver, so it's all good! I've got this!" He reassured the man behind him, though was coming to regret his choice just a little bit. Why'd I let myself become the enemy's personal chauffeur?!
"Sending them the mobile lab makes sense. But what's to stop their spies from following after it?" Kinro pointed out while carrying a big log.
"They'll rendezvous with Ukyo before reaching the base. Anything traveling fast to catch up will make a huge racket," Ryusui answered while walking next to him. "And as we all know, Ukyo will definitely hear it. They'll have plenty of time to react accordingly."
"Help me understand," Ukyo rubbed the side of his head nervously. "I couldn't hear that there was anyone following you. Because he was the one driving..." They looked towards Carlos tied up and gagged to a tree as Taiju had already found them... "Care to explain how he got to this point...?"
Carlos could only stare at them blankly...
"Why'd you tie up my good buddy Carlos, huh?!" Taiju demanded the others, displeased to see this. "He's really nice and cares about others, and drove me all the way here!"
"The very moment you release him, he'll return to Dr. Xeno's base in a proper hurry," Hyoga explained to him, which was the last thing that they needed.
"And there's no way this guy won't tell them about our tunnel," Chrome defended, hands on his hips.
"Uh...guess you're right," Taiju remembered that Carlos was still technically with the enemy, and that they couldn't take any chances...
"Uh...huh?" Carlos then realized what Chrome just said. "A tunnel...?" His eyes shook in shock at the news. They made a tunnel?!
"Whoa ho-ho!" Chrome cheered as Taiju pulled away the bag to reveal the loop knife Kaseki made for them. "That spinny sword is bad! We have engines and drones now! Ah shit, this is too awesome! You brought us a real deal treasure trove, Taiju!" He smiled gratefully at his friend.
"Hey, that's great! Makes it worth the trip!" Taiju smiled back to see how excited Chrome was, almost like Senku would be.
And so, they carried down the materials from the mobile lab to the outside. Carlos watched them walking around from the tree. They listened to Chrome's orders as he held the roadmap. The driver couldn't believe how old they were, and yet they were working like an actual construction crew... Our enemy's just a buncha kids...about the same age as Ms. Luna, maybe younger? High-schoolers? His eyes shook at the team, as they were borderline Dr. Xeno's level...
Chrome pulled apart a component from the drone. "B-B-But why are you busting our drone into tiny pieces?!" Suika yelped up at him.
"We need these little blades to push air," He explained; and part of him was inspired by how Senku would take components from other projects to be of use. "If we don't blast air into the tunnel while we're building it, then we'll run out of oxygen," He pointed to a picture while showing her. "And if that happens, we die."
"What about the noise?" Kohaku wondered as she looked up at Ukyo, standing in the hole to prepare the air tube.
"We don't have to worry at this distance," He answered, looking out towards the base. "Xeno's factory is making a lot more noise than we could ever manage. That works out in our favor," He specifically looked towards a factory pipe blowing steam, which was more than enough to help mask their building.
Taiju and Kohaku looked down the tunnel and he crawled inside. Ukyo was building something as Kohaku pulled a cart of dirt out. Tsukasa hauled a bag out of the tunnel as Suika dragged something across the ground. Chrome was building a wheel as carefully as he could. Suika then ran down the tunnel with the air tube. Ukyo set up some lights from an arch that he had made to help them see. Hyoga continued to dig with Taiju's help to get them as far as possible before they had to use the drill.
Carlos stared at them wide-eyed, especially towards Chrome, who he knew was a beginner at this sort of thing. And yet...he was still doing all of this...all of them were working hard towards something he knew wouldn't work. Chrome was sweating a lot as he was trying to finish up.
Hyoga then hit solid rock with the shovel inside of the tunnel. "Ugh!" Taiju groaned in frustration as they were now stuck. "This ground is way too hard!"
"I'm afraid manpower alone won't suffice here," Hyoga informed, knowing that they needed the drill...
No, there's no way! They're insane! Just give up already. It's hopeless! Carlos thought as he watched Suika, Chrome, Kohaku, and Tsukasa gather around. He just couldn't understand why they were putting themselves through this when it would end up in failure...if it was him, he would certainly give up now.
Chrome then looked up...as it was now time. Soon, the drill was now built, pointed right at the rock. He, Tsukasa, and Kohaku watched from the start of the tunnel. Taiju gripped the lever, spinning around the switch that would get the knife to spin. He continued to move it...until the drill was now activated. But then came the real test of how it would react... Chrome's eyes twitched in anticipation as they watched Taiju move forward with the drill. It touched the rock as they continued to wait, even Carlos waiting with bated breath. A few seconds passed and nothing, frustrating Chrome a little. And then...the drill started to move away rock, the little pieces of ground flying past Taiju.
"Yeah! The drill busted through!" Taiju reported in surprise, causing everyone else to cheer in victory. Chrome himself was especially happy for their success.
This can't be...happening... Carlos thought in disbelief, but it was the truth...they were going to get to Dr. Xeno in due time.
"We're digging our way through...with science!" Chrome held up a fist to the sun, grinning widely. "Bit by bit...covered in dirt as we go!"
"We may have conquered the land, but we can't forget the sky," Ryusui declared as the others were still working on the runway. "We need it all. Sky, land, and of course, the sea! Let's get our carrier and plane ready right away!" He declared while holding a hammer.
"Sounds nice, but we need Senku and Sumi's help to finish the job!" Kaseki reminded him, as the scientific explanation of it would definitely be needed...
"To finish it..." Senku started off weakly once he was awake, trying to maintain his breathing. "We'll use castor beams. Split the Holst...and get Magma and his guys...to crush them up." Francois was writing down everything that he was saying.
"Stop that!" Yuzuriha yelped in protest as she and Luna looked up ahead in shock. "You're supposed to be resting!"
"I apologize for causing your patient stress, Dr. Luna," Francois spoke up, knowing that this was taking a lot out of Senku to do this. "You must understand. Nothing can stop him from taking charge. In science...and in battle," They looked at Luna straight in the eye, causing her to gasp. "So I'm helping to convey his orders. That will be most conducive to his recovery," Francois then walked off without another word, Ginro arriving. He froze, getting out of the way in alarm.
"Alright..." Senku breathed out, sweating like crazy. "I need...a little maintenance... Get the stethoscope. Use it...to listen to my breathing. In both my lungs..." He let out a small cough as Luna's eyes shook a little. She grabbed the stethoscope from the table, using it against his chest.
Now that's a man...he's right around my age, and yet...he woke up all alone, here in the stone world. And he with Sumi built all of these amazing things from scratch...my instinct was spot-on. I knew I liked him the moment I saw him... She stared towards Senku as he struggled to breathe, her eyes shining in admiration. This guy...he's so blunt, and foul-mouthed...Dr. Senku... She then looked up with determination as Senku had his eyes closed again. I absolutely can't let him die! I mean, I can't let anyone die! But especially not him.
"Your breathing sounds quieter in your left lung," She reported after listening to him heaving. "Not good. I think that means you have some blood trapped in there."
"Okay...what's...Sumi's current status?" Senku panted a little and Luna blinked at the question. She looked towards Sumi, using the stethoscope on the woman. And Luna could tell that her breathing was getting slower.
Luna's eyes softened a little, glancing towards Sumi, who was getting worse. "Her breathing is so quiet, I can barely hear it. Your friend lost a lot of blood...I think the only way to save her now is a blood transfusion surgery. But I don't even know her blood type..." She murmured sadly, not wanting the woman to die. Senku processed that information, closing his eyes and letting out a small sigh.
"So...just stab me with a needle and drain it to give it to her." Yuzuriha, Ginro, and Luna turned to Senku with terrified yells. "She's type AB. Give her...the blood transfusion and she'll make a full recovery. Of course...there's still the bullet wounds that need to be tended to on a routine basis..."
"What?" Luna furrowed her eyebrows, knowing that he'd be losing more blood in the process. "But Senku-"
"She's the heart of our Kingdom of Science..." Senku turned to Sumi slowly. "Without her being the support...I wouldn't be able to accomplish all we've done. So she absolutely can't die. I can hold on...for long as it takes because she's our best shot. Her life can't end like this..." His eyes narrowed a little; he refused to let her die by the enemy...
"She's...that important to you?" Luna whispered while looking over to Sumi.
"...Yeah," Senku murmured softly towards his girlfriend. "Take all the blood...you need from me to wake her up. But it's gotta be enough...so that I don't end up croaking as a result. She'll know what to do from there..."
Ginro sniffed as he cried, Yuzuriha doing the same. "That's so sweet!" He cried out at Senku's sacrifice. Yuzuriha gave a small smile...knowing that he wasn't just doing this so he would stay alive. But...in turn, it would save Sumi's life as well.
Luna flinched in realization, holding up the needle as she would still have to use it regardless if she was gonna get Sumi's help... I'm Luna, a coolheaded gal. I'm Luna, a capable woman! Coolheaded Luna, capable woman!
Yuzuriha and Ginro were still getting over their crying, yelping as Luna fell to the ground, panting in fear. "So, if you drain the blood, and my breathing still sounds quiet after...that means there's blood spilling out. Likely from a small wound in my lung. In that case, Sumi will get the blood in there and do what she can to stop the bleeding. But she knows I'll need a transfusion after she wakes up. Go find someone with AB."
"Sure! Got it!" Yuzuriha responded and left the room.
"How's AB gonna help us stop you from dying?! You've got Luna all confused too, just look at her!" Ginro protested as Luna steadied her breathing.
"Luna," Senku spoke up, getting her attention. "I'm well aware that you're working with the enemy to spy on us. Still...you're all I've got, and Sumi too right now. She's running out of time...please..." He looked at her pleadingly; he normally wouldn't beg...but he couldn't watch Sumi die either...
Luna slowly got onto her feet. "I'll help, but...there's something I want," She spoke up, causing him to look at her in confusion. "No, I-I don't need an answer. I don't expect one..." The pink-haired woman walked over to him. "If you could just say you'll think about it...that should be enough...to keep me going."
He gave a weak chuckle in response. "What's your request? You want us to surrender? We refuse," He replied, but then faltered as he saw the smile on her face.
"If you do survive this with Sumi's help...will you be my boyfriend?" She questioned the scientist softly.
A few seconds passed and then he looked absolutely flabbergasted by what she was asking of him...
Sumi slowly opened her eyes after what seemed so long, she felt like she had been petrified all over again. Once her eyes were fully opened, she gasped sharply, sitting up and remembering exactly what happened. "Senku!" She turned to him, seeing his state. Immediately, she got out of bed and ran over, listening to his heartbeat. The woman looked up at Ginro and Luna with a fierce expression. "I need someone with AB blood, quick!" She demanded the both of them, Luna surprised by how well she was taking the situation. Not to mention, the blood transfusion was a success, and she was looking much better.
"You're alive!" Ginro cried out happily, holding up his hands.
"D-Don't worry, Yuzuriha is on it," Luna stammered upon seeing how serious Sumi seemed as an actual doctor, even if she didn't go to medical school...
"We need to know the floorplan of their fortress," Tsukasa stated to Hyoga, as they wouldn't be able to find Xeno without a map.
"It would be unfortunate if we should emerge in the enemy's barracks," Hyoga agreed as Taiju popped out of the tunnel. "I would prefer to avoid that outcome."
"Ah!" Taiju smiled as he realized something. "Hey, Carlos! You know where everything is, don't ya?" He smiled eagerly, holding up a pen and paper. "How about you be a buddy and draw us a map of Xeno's base?"
Carlos stared at him in silence for a few seconds and managed to remove his gag to yell at him. "Why the hell would I do that?! We're enemies!" He had to remind Taiju again.
"Yeah, guess that's true," Taiju murmured in a bit of disappointment.
Ukyo gave a sheepish laugh from the interaction just as the phone rang. He looked at the cipher solution as he listened. "3-5. 1-1. 1-4," It was Luna this time while he wrote something down.
"I don't recognize this girl's voice," He stated, as his team left before Luna showed up. "She's new."
"3-3," Luna recited in front of the speakers, having been told about their cipher code. "3-7."
"Ms. Luna!" Carlos yelped upon recognizing her. "What's she trying to say? Tell me!"
"5-7. 6-3."
Ukyo flinched as he deduced the message... "It finally happened..." He murmured, hoping that it wasn't about the two scientists dying.
Carlos opened his mouth and eyes wide as he had a good feeling of what Luna was talking about. Chrome and Kohaku arrived, listening to the message. They could see not only Ukyo sitting there stupefied, but Carlos was hanging his head sadly...
"Is the message something bad?" Kohaku wondered, only for Carlos to burst into tears a few seconds later.
"Nooooo!" He shouted, to the bewilderment of the others.
"What the hell?!" Chrome yelped from this reaction. "Why's he crying? What happened?"
"Well, uh..." Ukyo started off, not sure how he was going to explain this at all...
"I finally have a boyfriend!" Luna cheered while looking so happy. "And his name's Senku!"
"WHAAAAAT?!" Taiju yelled angrily as he stood up, Carlos still crying.
"What's up with this load of crap she's trying to tell us...?" Chrome murmured, knowing that Senku would never agree to Luna being his girlfriend. That, and Sumi would NOT be happy to hear it...
"Oh boy. I can guess what's going on here," Kohaku stated with an unamused look. "Guaranteed he's up to something skeevy again. And that either Sumi doesn't know, or she has to go along with it, otherwise that girl would not be telling us this..."
"So is he really cheating on Mom...?" Suika cried out a little, not wanting to believe it.
"No way! He has to be faking it!" Taiju yelled in protest, clenching his fists. "Because Sumiku isn't breaking up again! Not if it's the last thing we doooooo!"
Carlos didn't hear this conversation as he bit his lip, tears streaming down his face. As much as he didn't want to believe it...he only wanted Luna happy at the end of the day. He then stopped crying and grunted, knowing that if Luna trusted Senku, then he did too. He managed to get the pen, to the shock of the others. "To hell with Xeno's stupid plan!" Carlos spoke up with the pen in his mouth. "Max and I are both exclusively team Luna! We'll follow her straight into hell itself!" With the paper he was given earlier, he drew a perfect map of the base.
"Exquisite," Hyoga commented over Carlos' drawing skills. "You'll make a proper ally indeed. We can count on our inside man. Gen will be able to lead the way once we've breached."
"Huh?" Suika looked up in confusion. "But wait, we haven't told Gen anything. How can he help us if he doesn't know the plan?"
"This Uesugi cipher thing's just a bunch of numbers," Chrome looked at the key, not knowing what to make of it. "It's useless if you don't know what it is first."
"Hah!" Kohaku scoffed, crossing her arms. "Let's not forget, we're talking about that slimy, untrustworthy smooth talker. We can trust him to work it out."
"You can't have it both ways!" Chrome pointed out to the blonde. "Do we trust the guy or is he untrustworthy?!"
"Hm," Kohaku smiled a little, looking towards the base. "I feel like Sumi would, for what it's worth. So, that's all that really matters to me."
Meanwhile, at the base, Gen was being kept in a room, which was guarded inside by Maya. And of course, she was eating meat again. He was wearing the earring that they used for messages on Treasure Island. Luckily, no one had noticed it on him the whole time.
"3-5. 1-1. 1-4," He heard Luna recite since she was still on the call. He had the receiver hidden in his sleeves.
A code, eh? It would be simple, yet practical. Something Xeno can't figure out. But that I could decode. So which option fits the bill? He looked up while trying to determine which one it was. He knew a lot of codes already, so picking one that matched would take a bit of time... He then grinned mischievously to himself. "Yes, it makes sense. The Uesugi cipher, duh!"
Before he could determine the message, the room shook, getting their attention. Something was definitely going on in Dr. Brody's area...the engineer and Stanley looked up at the new invention with smiles on their faces.
"Is that what I think it is, boys?!" Maya dropped her meat immediately, throwing open the doors. "Is it done?!" She went through the doors before Gen could follow her. He grabbed the handles and pulled, but unfortunately, the door handles from outside had been trapped with a pipe. So he wasn't going to be able to get out and see it. He pressed his ear to the door.
"Magnificent work, Dr. Brody!" Dr. Xeno exclaimed at the sight in front of them. "It's the very embodiment of elegance!" Maya walked up behind them with an impressed smile. "Less than 48 hours until it begins! Our decisive battle!"
Is it something big, like a vehicle? This could be really ad-bay... Gen thought a bit anxiously, as he still had no way to tell the others... A secret stone world weapon? Something even our brilliant Sumiku won't see coming...
Back on the Perseus, Luna was stirring her drink. "So, I'm dating Senku now, right? Just checking," She wondered as she certainly didn't feel like she had a boyfriend... "What's it even mean...to date?"
"That's quite philosophical," Francois commented while cleaning a glass. Kaseki, Minami, Yuzuriha, and Kinro were nearby eating.
"Nothing's changed between us!" Luna yelped as she thought that since Senku was getting closer to recovery, he'd start being a little more romantic... "We don't hang out or anything, and he hasn't even tried to hold my hand!" She slammed her hand on the table in frustration. The other four looked at her awkwardly, knowing that even Sumi was someone Senku had to ease into doing that stuff with...and just like with Senku being nice to Luna, they figured either he or Sumi would tell her the truth about who Senku's real girlfriend was. So they weren't going to break it to her. Luna then lifted up her head with a nervous smile. "No, I'm a coolheaded, capable gal! And it doesn't bother me at all! I just thought it would be interesting to get your opinions on it, sooo, yeah." The four looked up at her. "For instance, let's get crazy and talk this through. It's not like he's ten billion uninterested in dating anyone, and he just agreed cause it was prudent. But he doesn't care for me one millimeter. It's impossible anyone could take it that far just to accomplish a goal, am I...right?" She stared at them to see them staring at her with dumbfounded looks. They then turned away in a bit of guilt to hear her talk like this, and because the truth still hadn't come out... She stared at them wide-eyed, wondering what would cause that reaction.
"You should probably know that he got married to accomplish his goals..." Kinro spoke up a little awkwardly.
"He's married?!" Luna yelped at that answer.
"Yeah, but that didn't last long," Kaseki added, feeling just as awkward as Kinro.
"He's divorced?!" Luna questioned in the same manner.
And unfortunately, Sumi heard all of this as she was in the doorway, dropping her first-aid kit as her arm felt limp. What...the hell...is going on here? Am I going crazy, or did she really say she's dating Senku? Her hand twitched as a bunch of sweat was dripping down her face. She was only here to get some water for Senku, not to hear that he had suddenly...gotten a new girlfriend without telling her. Did he really agree to that? Why?!
"Oh!" Luna turned around, having seen her. "Sumi, have you heard the news? I'm Senku's girlfriend now!"
"Oh...that-um...huh. That's, uh...wonderful!" Sumi's stupefied expression didn't change as she could only stand there...
"Just so you know, I won't be getting in between your friendship!" She smiled at Sumi, waving a finger.
"Oh, believe me, you aren't..." Sumi's eyebrow twitched as she processed the information. Knowing Senku...he had a good reason for her to say all of this. At the same time though, she had the urge to reach out and strangle someone, whether it be Luna or Senku. "Why don't you come with me, actually? He just woke up, so he can tell me himself...!" Her expression changed to being furious.
"Why do you look like a murderer?!" Luna screeched at her change in mood.
Poor Senku... Kaseki, Minami, Kinro, and Yuzuriha thought in unison.
Sumi opened the door as Senku glanced up at her, smirking a little. Then Luna appeared right behind her and he immediately got pale. Crap. Does she know? He thought while sweating bullets, as the look on his girlfriend told him one thing and one thing only.
He was gonna get killed.
"Sen, can we talk please?" Sumi had an innocent smile on her face, turning to Luna and not waiting for an answer. "Listen, Luna-"
"Senku's girlfriend," Luna gushed, causing the black/red-haired scientist to grunt quietly. Senku yelped a little for her saying it out loud for them to hear.
Why would you tell her that?! That's a ten billion percent chance of a death sentence! His mouth shook a little; usually, he wasn't scared of anything, but with how their...disagreements had turned out, he knew he screwed up. Especially since this was probably the worst timing ever for Sumi to have to wake up and realized what he did...
"Yeah, that. Stay right here, try to relax," She kept her smile as she gently pushed Luna into the hallway.
"Sure thing, Dr. Sumi!" Luna replied with a small smile while waving. Sumi then closed the door, turning around while stepping forward without dropping her innocent smile. Senku got over his shock and realized that she hadn't been taking things out of proportion unlike the love potion thing. The woman closed her eyes happily as she reached his left side, hands behind her back.
"Heh heh. Ten billion points for not accusing me of cheating or some troublesome behavior like with the love potion," He remarked, hoping that he was safe...wishful thinking, probably.
"Yeah, let's just take a moment to acknowledge that I am under control unlike last time right now," Sumi gestured to herself while taking a deep breath.
"Yup. More power to ya," Senku agreed without hesitation to her.
"Not freaking out. I am totally fine," She even looked pretty calm too.
"And through this relationship of ours, after everything, you took the time to improve. No complaints," He bowed his head a little at the woman.
"Awww, thank you," She smiled again, holding up a finger. "Having said that..." She then seethed, causing him to recoil back as she was definitely not happy with his little stunt with Luna. "What the hell is going on?" Sumi asked him with shaking eyes, pointing to the door. "Does she have any reason to introduce herself to me as your girlfriend in front of the others?" She responded in a quiet hiss so that Luna didn't overhear.
"Alright," Senku relented as he closed his eyes. "You've seen how she has some medical experience, and apparently she's love-stricken for people that are my type."
"Uh-huh..." Sumi implored him to continue, crossing her arms.
"I may have agreed to be involved in her request of a political marriage to help us out," He explained a bit hesitantly, looking away.
She flinched and pinched her nose in realization. "You didn't..." She muttered, knowing that with how she was before she woke up that something had to happen. Being suddenly okay out of nowhere didn't come without someone helping her, which had to have been Luna.
"Of course, I considered our relationship, Violet. This isn't easy to ask, but we're in need of her as an ally. You know I wouldn't pass that up, spy or not," Senku stated, chuckling a little. "So I'm gonna need you to let her down easy, and convince her to join our side permanently. Don't break her heart too bad, though."
Sumi placed a hand over her face, dragging it down. Is he really asking me this? Only he would have his own girlfriend do something on his own level... And it was definitely an odd ask to have his own girlfriend handling breaking up a 'relationship' hours after it started. But he did get married and divorced in like 3 minutes... "You're unbelievable...if I don't, it'll hurt the Kingdom of Science even more, right?" She wondered reluctantly, looking into his eyes.
"Maybe we could have a mutual exchange once you're successful," He smiled in a bit of amusement.
"Should be if, not once. I'm no Gen," She corrected in a bit of annoyance as she crossed her arms, blushing. "I wish he was the one doing this, but we both know that we can't rely on him right now..." Sumi then sighed in defeat; if she had to choose between flirting with Moz or doing this for Senku...she honestly couldn't say which one was worse. "Give us a few minutes..."
"Hey," He grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could leave.
She blinked as she stared down at him. "What is it? Is it your lu-" She flinched as he cut her off...by leaning his body upwards to connect his lips with hers. Her eyes widened down at him as she didn't react at all, and a few seconds later, he pulled away.
"Heh. Figured I owe you a little reward for nursing me back to health," Senku smirked a little as her face turned red.
Sumi felt like her brain was breaking a little from the unexpected kiss...and then she pushed him down back onto the bed, lightly hitting him repeatedly. "You're supposed to be resting, not kissing me before I have to break up with Luna for you!" She told him in a bit of embarrassment, and he moved away her hands.
"If you didn't like it, you wouldn't have let me. Meaning that you did want one," He hummed with a sly expression. "Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm not back to perfect health just yet, you pervert."
"Mmm!" She glared a bit in annoyance. "I am not. Whatever, I'm leaving now. And you better get actual rest." She turned away while her face was still red because it was now starting to cross her mind thanks to him.
"Mm. Doctor's orders," Senku replied a bit playfully as he watched her leave.
Luna paced a little outside the door, wondering if she was getting in between them. When I asked him to be my boyfriend, he didn't mention if he was single or not. But he must've been, right? If he was dating Sumi, they would've acted way more romantic!
Sumi opened the door and closed it, getting her attention. She then looked over her shoulder with an awkward look. "Luna, right? Why don't we talk, just the two of us?" The woman offered as she placed a hand on Luna's back to lead her down the hall.
"Hm? Sure," Luna blinked in a bit of surprise.
Sumi then rubbed her chin in thought, looking up. Doing this for Senku didn't really leave her with options that would result in success... "How do I wanna put this...? You see-"
"You're special to Senku, huh?" The pink-haired woman interrupted with a small fond smile.
"Uh?" Sumi blinked while turning to her in surprise, not expecting that question. "How do you know that?"
"He told me! He asked me to save you first and didn't hesitate to offer his blood for your surgery. That without you...there'd be no Kingdom of Science," Luna's eyes softened from the request Senku gave her. "And well, you are best friends, right?"
"He...did all that for me...?" Sumi murmured softly; it hadn't even crossed her mind until now how she was able to recover with Luna's help. I never expected him to give up his blood just like that...just so I wouldn't die? Well...he did have his own personal reason, but...still She touched her heart with a small hum. And now she felt kinda bad for having to break the news to Luna... "Anyway, I did used to be his best friend, but...well, uh, I'm actually his lover..." She bit her lip a bit awkwardly while scratching her cheek as Luna froze from the news. She couldn't even move as the last four words echoed in her head repeatedly, feeling limp. "Um...Luna?" Sumi waved a hand in front of the pink-haired woman's face. Oh no, don't tell me I broke her! Senku did say not to break her heart too much, but didn't say I might break her brain!
"...Eh?" Luna then finally realized what Sumi just said, twitching in shock. "W-W-W-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! S-Senku has a girlfriend already?!"
"I'm really sorry that you had to find out this way," Sumi rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, giving a sheepish smile. "It's just...he really needed your help. He's not exactly beating around the bush, but...we were the only ones who could help him. I know he said what he said and I'm sorry, but...we'll do what it takes to make this right once he's fully recovered." At the very least, she could try and comfort Luna because she was definitely no Gen or Senku. Remind me to never do this again for him, even if he asks...that mutual exchange better be worth it...
"I...I thought I had found an intellectual..." Luna cried out, falling onto her knees and shaking. "Someone I thought was my dream guy. We were gonna be a power couple...and now I found out he's actually taken?!"
Sumi winced a bit awkwardly at the power couple part, waving a nervous hand. "I didn't intend to hurt you, Luna. And I know that you're gonna find someone who will love you the way you are. I mean, you're pretty, you seem nice, and your makeup is cute," She gestured to Luna, trying to cheer her up.
Luna let out an agonized sound. Now that ice cream thing makes a lot more sense...! But wait...how did she manage to date him when he doesn't act like a boyfriend? "...Why do you think he finally warmed up to you? I can tell he's not very romantic," Luna implored while her head stared at the floor, still upset.
"Eh? Oh...I don't blame you for pointing that out," Sumi hummed in acknowledgement, remembering that Senku had trouble with some things at the start. Like when he asked her too many questions after they started dating... "I appreciate him very much in my life. But...I never told him I loved him until after...well, it's complicated, but we had gone through a lot. Honestly...I wasn't good to him the way I was in the past," Her eyes saddened a little.
"What do you mean?" Luna looked up at her curiously.
"Again, it's complicated, but...something happened in front of Senku," Sumi bit her lip, tugging at her hair a bit bringing this up. "And I wasn't able to get over that completely right after. Even now, I still think about it sometimes. I just kept wondering how could I have prevented it...but I don't have an answer. Especially since it was an intense situation...and there have been times where I haven't been able to save lives the way I wanted to...because of my grandma and how she inspired me," She closed her eyes with a heavy sigh. Tsukasa getting hurt by Hyoga was a good example...the only way she could've saved him was petrifying him. And she could've done more had she had the materials at the time...luckily, since then, she had acquired a lot more tools and equipment to help her out.
"But..." Luna murmured, getting onto her feet. Just by listening to Sumi...she could tell how much she cared about others, especially Senku. "That's why you're here now. You've dedicated yourself to save him."
"Even when I save him, it's too late to keep pretending like I'm gonna be a stable partner in the future," Sumi hugged herself...thinking about the question Senku asked of her. She didn't even have a clear answer yet...not that he was asking for one right now. What if...something happens to me...and I'm not able to get out of it next time? What would become of us then?
"No, it's not," Luna stated softly, stepping up and placing a hand on Sumi's shoulder. The black/red haired scientist looked up at her with wavering eyes. She blinked to see the determined look on Luna's face. "He needs you, and you need him. You're not supposed to be good. You're supposed to be here...be a strong, level-headed woman for him!"
Sumi's eyes shook from Luna's words...realizing that she shouldn't worry about it too hard. That she had to do all that she could for Senku now... "...I am here..." She whispered with a small, weak smile.
"Do you love him?" Luna implored her curiously.
Sumi looked up in confusion of why she was being asked and then gave a small nod. "Yes. With having seen what happened to him before I passed out, it's like getting turned into stone again for 3,700 years. That's how long I've waited for him..."
"And I can see now...that he loves you just as much," Luna bowed her head in defeat. She should've seen it sooner...but with how Senku would talk about her, even give up his own blood for Sumi...that was real love, even if on the outside, Senku still acted the same.
"Yeah...yeah, he does. But he'd never be caught dead saying that as much as I do," Sumi chuckled softly, smiling at the thought.
"Then...I'll stay here and help you save anyone we can!" Luna pumped her fists in determination, to the shock of Sumi. "If Senku is happy with you, then I won't do anything to hurt you both. Because...he cares about you."
Sumi teared up happily, grabbing her hands with a beaming smile. "Thank you, Luna...!" She cried out softly, causing Luna to tear up a little too.
"I had a small feeling there was something...when he asked me to give you his blood even though he needed it," Luna whispered, feeling a bit defeated, but...at the same time, with a happy relationship that Senku and Sumi had...she couldn't break that up. Not when she knew now that no matter what, he'd risk his life for Sumi. And she would do the same for him.
"Hm...I didn't even know my blood type was AB," Sumi gave her a small fond smile. She had a feeling he must've looked into it while she was away for 2 weeks for attending all the court proceedings before being taken in by Lillian. Or he could've done it at any time, she really didn't know. But...she didn't really care at the end of the day. She was glad he did it. When my parents were gone...I never bothered looking into it myself. I was just too happy with life that it didn't matter to me. Even when he acts so blunt...he never stops caring. Thank you so much, Senku Ishigami...
"Uh..." Yo peeked out from the radar post, staring at the sight up ahead. He then flinched in alarm. "YO! Those boneheads are finally coming!" He shouted to the others down below.
"Huh?!" Ginro started to shake in fear, Matsukaze holding out his arm.
"And so it begins at last. The climatic showdown of science," Matsukaze remarked as he looked to the sky.
Kaseki growled while Kirisame and Moz stared up ahead. The plane was coming in fast towards the Perseus, Stanley ready to attack...
"Ha ha!" Ryusui laughed from his spot...all the way across a long distance on the ship. "We waited, Stanley! Game on!" He grinned...as the runway was completed! A panel moved down and opened up...revealing their own plane! It lifted up to the deck, revealing itself for the first time. Ryusui walked over and sat up front, the jets turning. He then jumped into the seat, wearing his helmet. "Show us your moves, I wanna see what a pro pilot's made of!" He grinned after putting on his goggles. "This one's for Senku and Sumi! We'll avenge them!"
"Tch," Senku grinned while sitting behind him, and Sumi was behind Senku. "We ain't dead yet, you know," He remarked as Sumi patted his shoulder from behind.
"Let him have this, he had to lead in our place," She whispered and then moved back to lean against her chair.
Two villagers pushed the plane's wings to make it move. It locked onto a harness as the two men ran off. The three braced themselves as Kaseki pulled the lever and the plane took off. It went down the runway so fast that they couldn't close their mouths. Ryusui chuckled a little as he looked up ahead.
"Science vs. Science. In a dogfight!" The clamp came off as the plane then took to the sky...ready to face off against Stanley.