Angel: Ehhhh, I don't think Senku is too much of a bad influence on Sumi. If anything, they influence each other in small ways. Comparing them to Bazuka, I get why they're similar. But I would say Bakugo influences Izuka WAY more than Senku does for Sumi. Izuka was a completely different person before the start of MHA, while Sumi is relatively the same but had changed emotionally. She still has to reel Senku when it comes to being a mad scientist—when people don't shoot at her and her friends.
Yo 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.
"It's science vs. Science. In a dogfight!" The clamp came off as the plane then took to the sky...ready to face off against Stanley.
Senku grinned in his seat as Stanley gasped from the sight of the plane. Ryusui spun around a little as it was now officially plane vs plane. The Kingdom of Science versus the American Colony led by Dr. Xeno. "Stanley...let's do this!" Ryusui declared to him with a big smile.
"You've got this, Ryusui!" Sumi encouraged from behind, gripping the sides.
"Ha ha! I accept your encouragement! And I want more!" He declared, earning a blank look from her.
"I would like to retract my previous statement a little bit..." She remarked, though wasn't going to comment further.
"Focus, you two," The green-haired scientist called out to the both of them. The two planes started to circle each other and Senku pressed his foot on something. All three looked up at the plane anxiously as neither plane made any moves so far.
Down in the Perseus, people were cheering on for their captains to win. "Bring it on!" Yo grinned, clenching his fists in excitement. "A real dogfight!" Being a former police officer, dogfights weren't a common thing for him. Plus, them taking down the plane did mean that for once, the Kingdom of Science would have some leverage over Dr. Xeno.
"How can you be so hyped up about this, man?" A villager asked him in a panic. "You realize they'll mow us all down if we lose this battle, right?" After remembering what Hyoga had said about Dr. Xeno's side possibly using a pirate ship to take them down, he didn't want to die anytime soon...
Luna whimpered in a bit of concern, clenching her fists tightly. She seemed inclined to agree, though not entirely because of Dr. Xeno. "I mean, the guy's not wrong. But I'm more worried about my two scientist friends! Why are Senku and Sumi in a fight when they're both not fully healed?!" She panicked, knowing that eventually, it was going to catch up to the both of them. At the same time, though, this was Senku...and he wasn't going to pass up the chance to be up in that plane.
The Kingdom of Science's plane circled in, with Stanley's plane passing right by them. Senku grinned widely while looking back at the plane. He chuckled while holding what looked like a big machine gun. He then glanced back at Sumi. "Remind me again where you got shot?" He called out to her with a playful grin. "In the ass?"
"Ha ha, hilarious," Sumi deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "What, are you gonna kiss it and make it better after this is all said and done?"
"Hell no. I'm not that kind or obedient enough to bend to your will even if I am your boyfriend. Just making sure you're not putting pressure on it," He remarked and she pointed to her legs. She was using those to elevate her body above her seat so that she wasn't actually sitting.
"I've got it, don't focus on me!" She responded and he turned back around.
"No need to repeat yourself!" He remarked, knowing that if he worried too much about her own injuries, he'd lose his focus on the current dogfight.
"Huh?!" Minami looked up in confusion after seeing what Senku was holding with the telescope. "Hot scoop, Senku's got a machine gun! When'd he make that thing?!" She had a feeling that he must've used his recovery time making it when he was supposed to be resting at the time. Because otherwise, Sumi definitely wouldn't have made it, and Kaseki was never tasked with building one.
"What do you mean?" Yo called out to her in confusion. "The only boom stick those two have is the little beauty they swiped from yours truly," He pointed to his waist, as he was missing the only actual gun that they had.
And sure enough, that small sole gun was sitting next to Ryusui. "Ha! Don't tell me, you two. Is that just a toy?" He asked with a small smile.
"Yeah. If he finds out we don't have an automatic weapon, then he's just gonna close in and pump us full of lead!" The green-haired scientist grinned and Sumi flinched, sighing wearily as she closed her eyes.
"Of course you'd say something like that so soon after both of us getting shot..." She slowly shook her head, moving her bangs away from her weary expression. That was the worst timing ever on his part...I guess even when he had bullets in him, he's still making crude jokes...
"Ha ha! Good plan," Ryusui then looked back up ahead. "We're showing him our false fangs. And that's how we'll goad him into a legit dogfight!"
"We just gotta make sure Violet doesn't use her ass again as a shield," Senku smirked, picking at his finger. "Otherwise she's really gonna feel it later!"
"Okay, I get it, stop bringing that up! Ugh," Sumi glared a bit from behind. Man, he's never gonna let me live that down, is he? Don't tell me I have to start getting used to that...or maybe he just doesn't wanna see me get shot again? Something tells me it's a little bit of both, but I have no time to question that now.
"Heh," Stanley remarked as he kept his eyes on them. "You've got some guts, challenging a military-trained fighter pilot. Alright, kiddos. I'll play along before destroying you," He then swung down his lever to circle around his opponent's plane, moving upward. Ryusui did the same as they circled around in front of the sun, moving back down. Stanley was now right behind the three while the planes moved around in the air.
"I don't really understand what they're doing up there," Ginro spoke up, trying to follow everything, but was failing to do so. "Why are they spinning around like they're playing tag or something?" Because Ishigami Village never had airplanes, only boats, dogfights were something he and the other villagers weren't familiar with.
Tetsuya swung down his hand with a small smile. "Aerial combat is about fighter planes struggling to get a good lock on the enemy!" Minami froze in alarm at the explanation. "So whoever secures the 6 o'clock position wins! Basically means they're never gonna stop chasing after the other plane's tail!" He looked up in a bit of dread, wondering if both planes could really sustain flight should this go on for a while.
"And you know that why?" Minami wondered, a little freaked out since she thought he was a manga artist, not from the military...
"Because I am a military mangaka!" He revealed, as he used to draw military battles back in the old world. So he would do a lot of research about dogfights for his manga stories, spending lots of time studying before actually drawing anything. And that was mostly for authenticity.
Stanley's plane picked up speed, and Senku was shaking behind Ryusui's seat. Oh, shit! My body feels so heavy! But this ride is way more intense than a roller-coaster! Some ridiculously nasty g-force! He thought while trying to keep himself still. But with the plane moving around like it was, trying to not re-open his wounds would be difficult...
"Huh?!" Sumi yelped from behind Senku as she saw what was happening. "Sen, are you-"
"I'm fine! Even though you did help me with my wounds, I'm the one who chose to get in the plane when I knew I wasn't fully healed," He glanced over his shoulder. "So don't start filling your head with the misconception that you had anything to do with that."
She blinked and then smiled at him softly. Even when he's crude, he's still caring at the end of the day.
Something then popped open from the side of the plane. "Something's loose," Ryusui gritted his teeth, having a good feeling that the wind was what did it. Most likely the altitude they were at. "Not good!"
Senku chuckled while turning away, holding a wrench and hammer. "Well, Violet and I did slap it together. Relax," He put the hammer in his mouth, bending down. "That's exactly why I'm here! And Violet's here in case we do happen to get hit by his machine gun!" Inside the plane were small medical supplies for her to treat either of them.
Something else popped from the other side and Sumi glanced over to her left. "I got it!" She called out, tying her whip to her seat as it was wrapped around her waist. Once she was tightly secured, she vaulted over and swung down to examine the problem.
Stanley's plane circled around again to be right behind them. "Our friend is gaining on us!" Senku warned as Sumi vaulted herself back into her seat.
"Ha! Truth be told, I only ever took my private planes on standard grocery runs!" Ryusui confessed to the two scientists.
"That's not remotely standard," Senku pointed out to him.
"Well, it is for someone who had a shit ton of money," Sumi stated as she looked over her shoulder to see how close Stanley's plane was. "And besides, he's the only one with the flight experience."
"We're facing off against a true fighter pilot. If it's speed we're talking about...it's pretty obvious he's got the advantage," Ryusui then gave a small frown. "Stanley's too fast for us to handle...so let's take advantage of that!" He then swerved the plane around to go towards the left. He, Senku, and Sumi had to brace themselves from both the change in direction and the increase in speed for them.
"We already almost bit it with a machine gun, you better be careful and not actually finish the job!" Sumi managed to say, gripping onto the seat in front of her.
"A break turn?!" Tetsuya gushed while looking out the window. "Thrilling! They can't slam the brakes in the air, especially while flying with those primitive planes! If he can force Stanley into overshooting and passing them by...they instantly have the upper hand!" The Kingdom of Science's plane then appeared right behind Stanley's. "Oh, what a 6! It's their chance to lock on!" He shouted in excitement as the plane was now in position.
Ryusui grinned while Stanley was looking a little nervous.
"Heh heh. We've got your ass now," Senku stated as he watched.
"Finally time to get our revenge in this attack," Sumi grinned widely as she peeked over her shoulder.
Stanley then moved his wheel towards him, the two scientists gasping in shock...to see him completely disappear right in front of them. "What in the...? He's gone!" Senku murmured in shock, wondering what just happened.
Ryusui flinched, his mouth opening wide. Sumi looked around her from the back. "Ah...don't see him. And my nose is useless in high altitude," She gritted her teeth in a bit of frustration. It was thanks to all of the wind that scents for her would mostly be obscured. When she smelled the fuel oil the first time, she was able to do so on solid ground. Ryusui looked up...to see Stanley moving his plane straight up above them.
"What's wrong, fledgling science team? Don't tell me you've never seen this," Stanley remarked confidently, knowing exactly what he was doing.
"Oh no...that's crazy!" Tetsuya gritted his teeth in realization. "He's making a short ascent to slow down fast, then forcing his way into the enemy's turning arc! Next, it's a quick ascent to speed up again. He'll not only catch up, he'll be on their six! See all that yo-yoing back and forth up there? He's attempting a high-speed yo-yo manuveeeeeeeeeer!"
"Damn it," Senku grunted while looking up to the sky. "That's some real OP shit! Especially in such a janky homemade airplane."
"He must've been the top of his class when he was in the army. I knew he was good, but not that good," Sumi gritted her teeth a little as she stared. "Especially since they had to rely on lesser materials for that plane!" Those are some difficult moves to pull off when in the stone world, various parts are limited...I didn't even know he was capable of that!
"I want it," Ryusui declared, getting their attention. "Hey Stanley! I want that killer technique of yours! That skill!"
Sumi gave a sheepish expression from behind her boyfriend. I should've known he'd say that...yup, not even Stanley shooting at us isn't enough to keep Ryusui from desiring something out of the enemy. As crazy as it sounds...
Stanley swooped down to fly right in front of them.
Ginro let out a terrified scream as he watched Stanley chase down their plane. "He's on their five or six or whatever now!" He yelled, hoping that this wouldn't mean the defeat of their captains out there.
"That's not good!" Tetsuya gave a worried frown. "He's right in range to shoot 'em down!"
"As I've demonstrated, dogfighting is a relentless, breakneck negotiation of speed, altitude, and energy. It's 3-D chess," Stanley stated while looking towards the Kingdom of Science's plane. "An amateur could never hope to prevail." He eyed his target until he managed to get the right shot. "Locked on. Game over. Sorry, but I'm gonna have to kill you now. See you in hell, baby science brigade."
However...as Sumi glanced back, something was off to her. "Huh?" She blinked as she eyed the plane, staring at Stanley. He's on our six right now, but he's not shooting at us at all? Why? Wouldn't he have armed the plane right now too...? And yet I don't see the plane's artillery. What's he doing...?
Senku stared at her, wondering what was on her mind. What's with that look on her face? Is she noticing something?
"Ha ha! I really owe you one, Stanely!" Ryusui had a big grin on his face before Senku could ask Sumi the question. "I never would've had this opportunity to risk our lives with an aerial stunt. Lucky for me, you put us in a do-or-die situation!" He pulled up the wheel, the flaps over the wings moving down. "They're mine! Your gorgeous technique and skill!"
Stanley flinched, his eyes shaking as he stared in disbelief. "It can't be!" He watched as the plane turned towards him while he was getting closer, to his utter surprise.
Meanwhile, the three were bracing themselves once again, gritting their teeth hard.
"Why are they flying straight up like a rocket all of a sudden?" Minami wondered at their tactic.
"The cobra maneuver..." Stanley recognized what they were doing. "But how? With that dinky plane? But now they're doomed to stall and crash! I know that engine's limits. But there's no way it has enough power to ride itself."
"Ha ha!" Ryusui grinned and then pulled a lever, letting some smoke out from the back. The plane turned and then straightened back up.
"What?!" Stanley yelped in disbelief that the plane was still operational, and not even a single hint of stalling. And he couldn't determine why, as he assumed that they were using the same oil as his plane was. They did use the discarded plane he left behind, after all, and all of the other planes were made out of the same material and fuel. So that tactic shouldn't have worked at all, and if he tried it, it wouldn't work out well for his plane.
"Yup," Senku closed his eyes knowingly that Stanley was surprised. "It ten billion percent shouldn't have had enough power. At least, not while using that petrol fuel of yours."
"And if we had stuck with that oil...then yeah, we would've crashed in seconds. But you made the mistake of giving us your plane as discarded trash!" Sumi cackled a little at the irony.
"Have to finish it..." Senku stated weakly while Francois took notes of what the team was supposed to do. "We'll use castor beans..." Sumi across from him was still unconscious.
"Castor oil happens to function as ridiculously high-quality engine oil. Japan doesn't have crazy access to oil like the folks in the Americas. So our broke-ass nation had to improvise out of sheer desperation," Senku said, and Nikki and Magma themselves had to smash the beans until they could be made into the oil.
"Castor oil reduces friction, improving fuel conservation and mechanical efficiency way better than petrol oil," Sumi grinned, adjusting her hair accessory. "That's what happens when the Kingdom of Science gets a gracious gift from the Americas! In your face, Stanley!" And she so wished that he wasn't wearing his mask right now so that she could really take pride in how he was feeling right about now.
"Damn straight," Senku smiled a little towards her in agreement as the plane moved right behind Stanley's.
Ryusui reached out to his hat and goggles, taking them off and looking up ahead. He then tossed them behind as they flew away into the sky. "My right arm's well-prepared from hardcore gaming! Senku, Sumi? Time for a combo move with your science!" He announced to the two scientists.
"Ha ha. We only get one shot at this," Senku remarked as Ryusui went over to the side. He then reached out to the plane, holding Yo's gun. "Yo. Heads up, Stanley. Now it's our turn to play."
"He he he!" Sumi giggled in excitement, clenching her fists. "Now we get to be in his shoes for ones when it comes to guns!" She declared while feeling fired up. And she wouldn't be saying that if he hadn't shot at them beforehand; it was only fair that they get to shoot at him now.
"We're locked on!" Ryusui reported as he had his shot.
Stanley looked back, gritting his teeth. If he didn't do something quick, they would win, and he couldn't have that. So then he started to wobble the plane around, to the shock of the three. Stanley himself knew what he was doing, moving the wheel back and forth.
"Damn it!" Sumi hit her fist against the wood angrily.
"He's jinking now?!" Tetsuya yelped at this new move.
"He's what?" Yuzuriha stared at him, hopelessly lost, because like Ginro, she wasn't too familiar with airplane tactics. And Senku wouldn't work on airplanes, he worked on rockets with Sumi. So neither of them would've mentioned the term during their scientific lectures with their friends.
"Stanley's finally rocking his plane on purpose!" He explained, and thanks to the wild movements of the plane, Ryusui no longer had a good shot.
Got...no shot... He knew that if he fired now, he would definitely miss. And he didn't want to waste the limited ammo that the gun already had compared to Stanley's seemingly endless supply of bullets. "Are you able to get him?" He asked, looking over his shoulder to Sumi.
"No. Whip's too short, and his movements are too unpredictable," She answered in a bit of frustration. "And we're lacking a good eye in the air..."
"And if we get in too close for you to make a move, we're giving him more reason to really kill you," Ryusui murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Well, I'm not letting your sacrifices be in vain!"
"We're still alive!" Both Senku and Sumi retorted back in unison.
"You've got this, you guys!" Ginro encouraged a bit anxiously. "Don't give up! All of us believe in you!" He then gave a small smile, knowing that if they managed to knock down Stanley, he wouldn't have to worry about getting shot...the sooner that they brought down the plane, the better for him. I'll be cheering you on from an extremely safe distance!
Magma let out a laugh as he, Nikki, and some villagers were watching from up top, having some shields for protection. "Just shoot that loser down, then the sky is all ours!" Magma shouted to the three in the air, even though they could not hear him.
"You know what happens if they miss him, right?" Nikki reminded him in annoyance. "He's gonna fly on over and shoot at us!" And she had a feeling that was why Ryusui didn't shoot even if Stanley hadn't moved his plane on purpose.
"HAH?!" Ginro yelped with wide eyes, looking up in a panic. "Oh, please don't miss, I beg you!" He cried out in fear, clasping his hands.
Matsukaze was down below, looking up at the cheering people. He then turned to face the back of the ship. A dramatic air-battle. Everyone has their attention focused skyward. So I mustn't take my eyes off the ground. Not now He was back there just in case Dr. Xeno's side decided to attack from behind. Knowing him, he wouldn't send just Stanley to deal with them when Dr. Xeno did that three times already...not if he wanted to win the title of being ruler of the stone world. He narrowed his eyes, readying himself should that occur.
I'd imagine there are some on that side who are naturally wary. They're thinking...we can't pull out a ground attack. Oh, but too bad for them. Our reality exceeds their paltry imaginations.
Down in the water, approaching the ship...something was heading towards the Perseus. And it was a huge submarine! Which was what Dr. Brody had been working on for the entire past two weeks.
Now, allow me to introduce you to the 21st century world and it's technological advancements...
Dr. Xeno opened his eyes while in thought...knowing that Dr. Brody was proud of his work. Because on that submarine were all of his soldiers...with the Perseus crew still unaware of their arrival.
Science is...elegant.
The Kingdom of Science continued to cheer towards the dogfight, though neither side was close to winning. Matsukaze continued to watch the back, eyeing the water. Suddenly, the boat shook, causing everyone to stop cheering. It moved again just as the submarine appeared right behind them...
"What the heck was that?!" Ginro cried out in alarm.
Minami looked out the window, seeing the top of the submarine approaching their boat. "Huh?! Is that a submarine?!" She cried out as Tetsuya looked up with wide eyes. "No way!"
The submarine then knocked into the back of the ship, causing an explosion. Everyone inside shouted as they braced themselves from the impact. Fire and smoke came from the back, as ropes were tied to the side, latching onto the bars. The soldiers started to climb up the side of the ship with ease, and one of them lunged forward. With a single swipe of a spear, one of them was able to break the windows entirely, causing everyone inside to yelp. Glass flew inside as they stepped backwards. Kinro and Kirisame ran up to defend them when needed. The soldier then jumped inside, landing in front of the group.
"Hands behind your heads and get on the floor, you brats," He demanded all of them. "Don't make me repeat myself. I'll shoot if you move one toe out of line!" He then pointed his gun at them, proving that he was armed. And that if any of them did try anything, they'd be killed within seconds.
Maya landed in front of Magma, Nikki, and the others with a strong amount of force that wind blew from her landing. They all charged towards her and she simply chuckled while standing up. She lunged forward with a laugh, managing to overpower all of them in seconds. And this was proven as the shields were flown off the balcony.
"All clear!" A soldier reported to the others.
"All clear!" Another one called out from the front.
"Hey there," The one with the gun grinned towards someone specifically. "Luna."
She looked up nervously, already tied up on the ground. She had no idea that they would be attacking while the dogfight was going on...and now it was very clear to Dr. Xeno's team that she had betrayed them.
"Neutralized," Maya remarked with a confident smile. "And in less than 10 seconds," She was holding a tied-up Yo and Magma under her arms. And their bruises were so huge that it not only knocked them out, but they were more powerful than Nikki's, Kohaku's, Sumi's...and she was possibly even stronger than Tsukasa or Hyoga. She smiled towards a soldier happily. "I feel like singing~!"
"Please don't," He pleaded, already fully aware that her singing was not good at all...
The fire and smoke continued to persist from the back while they took over the Perseus...
"We've neutralized the base of the fledgling Kingdom of Science," Dr. Xeno reported with a pleased smile, sitting in front of a chess board. Gen was standing nearby, having overheard. And because most of the others were out, they didn't feel the need to restrain Gen again.
"Uh!" Gen gasped in disbelief, unable to close his mouth. "Wow. You sent a legit submarine brigade? Eally-ray...?" He looked away a bit anxiously, wondering if Senku or Sumi even anticipated that. But if they had known about it, then he wouldn't have heard the news that the Kingdom of Science was neutralized...
"It's my science against Senku's and Sumire's. In a game of chess with the new world's throne at stake..." He smirked towards the chessboard, knowing that the king title was definitely within his grasp now...
"It's an overwhelming win for us!" One of the soldiers announced while most of the Kingdom of Science was restrained with rope. "That battle in the sky? It was just a distraction, you know."
Minami let out a terrified sound, squeezing her eyes shut. "Sorry, kiddos," Maya smiled pleasantly, closing her eyes. "Hold the landing spot for the plane that you stole. We're taking over the mothership, so you know what's up! Our team won," She then looked up towards the sky, watching the two planes. And unfortunately, Sumi, Senku, and Ryusui were too focused on Stanley to realize what was currently going on down below.
Stanley was still wobbling the plane around on purpose. "Ugh," Ryusui groaned in a bit of annoyance. "He keeps on shaking that thing like it owes him money!"
"Because we forced him to," Senku replied with a knowing smile. "You remember, don't you?" Ryusui looked over his shoulder curiously. "It's the whole reason why we whipped out our big machine gun earlier. This is still a battle of science. Stanley traded away his speed for all that rocking and rolling. You know what that means? For just a very short while...that speed demon is like ten billion percent slower."
"Meaning...that he's unknowingly given us an opening," Sumi grinned from behind Senku. "Which means we've gotta be quick if we wanna take down his plane for the second time. Even if it's only for a few seconds that he keeps moving like that, we still have time to whip up something that'll get him to stop moving!"
Ryusui gasped in shock and then smiled at the two, as there was no need to doubt them. "Ha ha! Enough said!" He pulled the wheel closer to him, and the plane moved up straight again.
Tetsuya looked up in surprise, having seen what happened. Now Senku's plane is rising all of a sudden! What's he doing? He had no idea what they had planned now...
"Ascending should mean a relative loss of speed. But now, within this narrow window...while Stanley's slowing down! We can get right on top of him!" He announced to his fellow captains as he continued moving the plane away from Stanley's.
"I don't get it!" Stanley immediately took notice of this, and was now starting to get pissed off. "Why would they move above when they had a lock on me? I was in their sights!" If it was the other way around, he certainly would've shot them down immediately. So whatever they planned to do, he had no clue... "It makes no sense!"
"Ha...confused yet?" Ryusui asked knowingly, his hair blowing in the wind. "You should be. It seems absurd according to the old world rules you're used to following. However..." He looked up with a smirk. "We're in the new world now, we have to make our own rules!"
"Humanity's first dogfight was stupidly primitive," Senku said while hanging onto Ryusui's seat. "And it was basically just two guys throwing tools at each other!" He chuckled as Ryusui straightened the plane.
"Well, when you have a French Voisin the Third against a German Aviatik B, of course the biplane would force the German plane to land back then," Sumi stated as she grinned, pulling something from behind her. And she looked pretty excited about it too.
Senku looked over his shoulder with the same expression as her. "But we can do a tiny bit better," He took the box of bottles from her. They looked to be filled with grey bags over white powder. And covering them at the rim were wooden stakes. "We're gonna win this battle with science. Acetylene gas, an engine's worst nightmare!"
"And effective, considering how that's how we took down his plane last time. Second time's the charm!" Sumi hummed as she bent over to grab a bottle, and he did the same.
Senku slammed his hand so that the stake would pop open the little bag. "This stuff will make it stall ten billion percent of the time!" He then opened up a side door, clamping it open with metal. "Special delivery! Drink your fill! Enjoy some tasty carpet bombing, by homemade acetylene gas!"
"This is what you get for shooting us down multiple times, you murderous bastard!" Sumi called out as she appeared next to her boyfriend. Both of them tossed down the prepared bottles towards the plane. "So I hope you enjoy it!"
"I keep telling you idiots that I'm not dead," Senku deadpanned as he tossed another bottle. "But I guess since it's you, that makes it personal now or something? Besides, I seem to remember a certain doctor saving my life."
"Which wouldn't have happened if you didn't agree to be someone else's boyfriend and have me end that relationship. So, you don't get to talk," Sumi remarked with a playful smile on her face.
"Well, you do make a good point," He affectionately rubbed the top of her head as they watched the bottles explode into gas.
"You lose. Looks like you were too familiar with the old rules," Ryusui stated as he watched the bottles continue to explode. The two scientists kept throwing them until eventually, one of the bottles exploded in front of Stanley's plane. The military pilot gasped in shock as he flew right into it, as he had no time to get away. And with the gas now stuck in his engine...the Kingdom of Science officially won the dogfight.
Some of the American soldiers walked down the staircase, looking for anyone that they might've missed on the deck. And one of them was indeed armed with a gun. He then heard a click, looking up towards the dark, empty hallway. Footsteps then walked forward, suggesting that someone was there. "There's a couple more of 'em below deck!" The one with the gun cried out to his comrades.
"Hmm," Moz smirked, with Matsukaze standing behind him. "What's it called, a machine gun? And it's the best short-range weapon you've got now, isn't it? What, you expected us primitives to piss ourselves and surrender the moment you pointed those things at us?"
He and Matsukaze readied themselves, immediately charging in towards the two. The soldier yelped and was immediately knocked down by the efforts of the both of them. Ginro was there too, looking scared for his life. He was just lucky that the two soldiers were on the good side...
"But that's not gonna work on the island-warrior tag team. We just don't find your toys to be all that scary," Moz mocked as he walked away, followed by Matsukaze.
Someone walked onto the deck, alarming another solider as he looked back. "What the hell are you doing? Why aren't you at your post?!" He demanded the one that had just arrived.
"Are they for real...?" The one who had arrived was sweating a lot, now looking very scared. "Fighting a machine gun with just a sword and a spear? No hesitation?" He gritted his teeth as he couldn't believe it himself. "Aren't you scared?" He grunted as Moz jumped up form behind him, knocking him onto the ground.
Another soldier yelped at the sudden appearance of the warrior. And before he could even attack, Moz spun around the front of his spear in a similar fighting style. Which was enough to shred the soldier's clothes a little bit and send him spinning. "Mm," Moz smiled pleasantly as he looked at the bamboo support that he now had in his weapon. "I like this kudayari!" He then grinned eagerly to fight. "Its reach is deadly."
On the deck, Moz was fighting against Hyoga at night. Their weapons clashed and Moz struck multiple times, only for Hyoga to dodge.
Sumi held out a cut bamboo piece for Moz, having just finished it. "Tsukasa and Hyoga asked me to make this. It will help master the Owari Kan Ryu style," She revealed and Moz took it with a small amused smile.
"Aren't these made with an instant lubricant, though? You sure you're still dating Senku?" Moz remarked with a seductive smile. This earned him several whacks on the head, leaving him lying down on the ship with a big bruise on his head...
Sumi walked away, hands on her hips after giving Tsukasa and Hyoga a small version of what looked like a first-aid kit. "Return that to me after you've treated him..." She grunted in annoyance at his behavior.
Moz then tested out the kudayari, with Hyoga watching. And he had a bandage wrapped around his head. He tested it again, watching it spin around as he practiced his attacks.
"That's the first time in my life...I let someone train me!" Moz revealed with a bloodthirsty smile; and considering the results, he didn't mind at all.
"Meet at the top of the stairs!" One of the soldiers demanded, he and Maya running towards Moz. He ran down the staircase as another soldier threw grenades!
Yo, Yuzuriha, and Tetsuya all shouted in alarm at the sight. "Grenades?!" Nikki yelped in shock, her pigtails twitching. They went flying towards Moz and Matsukaze. The latter glared, his hand reached out to his weapon.
An aerial attack like the petrification weapon... He knew too well what those were like thanks to the Medusas being flung in the air to petrify him and his village. You don't know how hard I trained to perfect my defense. Against those vile devices...that plagued us hundreds of years ago He closed his eyes, the attack still in his mind...and with that, he gripped his weapon and used it to knock away the grenades like it was nothing. They flew back up into the sky, exploding at a safe distance away from everyone else. Everyone still on the deck looked up ahead in surprise to see what had happened.
"Nicely done!" Moz complimented as he watched the smoke. "A marriage of both modern and ancient techniques," He smirked towards Matsukaze, who returned the sentiment.
"Oh shit!" The one who threw the grenades then held up a missile in his hands.
"Don't be an idiot!" Maya was quick to protest at this tactic. "Do you have any idea how many people you'd kill in close quarters?" Like Luna, she wasn't too keen on anyone getting killed, even if it was the enemy.
"Aww," Moz teased as he peeked over the opening. "And kill our girls? You're the one manpower, aren't you? You're gonna need some abled slaves like us to do the gruntwork, right?" The one with the grenades looked at him anxiously, as the face Moz had suggested that he was furious for trying to kill all the women... "Meaning you can't afford to take risks. As for our side, we've had joy taking risks."
"He's such a creep...!" Minami said slowly, not wanting to be anywhere near Moz right now... "He's so selfish and powerful, yet also calculating! No wonder why Sumi was needed to distract him when he met the others..."
"Moz is pure scum as an enemy," Kirisame commented, her eyes growing a bit wider. "Although he makes for an exceptional ally..." That is, when girls were involved...
"Now, now, everyone. Just take it easy," Maya warned, pointing up at the sky. "Look up." The soldiers looked back in confusion as she could see Stanley's plane falling down. "Seems to me their dogfight's already over."
Stanley's plane was shaking and smoking, starting to lose control.
"We, uh, did it," Senku was a bit out of breath, as he still wasn't fully healed. "Their engine...it ate the gas..." Sumi glanced over to him in confusion. "It's settling...ha ha..."
"Ha ha!" Ryusui laughed victoriously, snapping his fingers. Though he didn't seem to notice Senku's state. "Sweet victory! Down he goes!"
"Are you okay, Sen?" Sumi examined his face, flinching a bit. "Ah...damn..." She placed a hand on her side, bending down a little. "My ass is now in more pain...the painkillers I took must've worn off..." She mumbled while falling onto the side. Not to mention, her legs were giving out because the whole time, she had to make sure she didn't actually sit down in her seat...
Stanley struggled to control the wheel, but was unable to. And soon enough, the plane descended towards the forest, causing it to crash.
Senku yelped...and dropped the last bottle of gas, causing it to break open and explode. He yelped as the smoke overfilled their plane, now affecting their engine.
Ryusui was left sitting there with his mouth open...knowing what just happened. Don't tell me you just...
Mmhm Senku knew exactly what he was thinking, looking up with a thin smile. Our plane ate it too. We're going down...
You just had to risk recovering to be on the plane...though I'm not one to talk... Sumi looked up at him wearily. All three of them screamed as the plane spun around, heading for the trees. And they weren't able to stop themselves either.
Sumi flinched as she winced in a bit of pain, sitting up. She immediately grabbed Ryusui and Senku by the waist as the plane was getting closer to the ground. It crashed seconds later onto the ground, sliding to a stop. And it was now out of commission just like Stanley's plane... The two held on tightly to her as she landed in a tree, using the branches to jump down at safe distances. Finally, she reached up her hands to grab a branch, swinging down safely in front of the tree. Once she landed, she immediately fell back against the wood, panting out of breath.
"You're not gonna die on me, are you?" Senku bent down to examine her.
"No. I'll be fine, and I'm not planning on dying when I just woke up from getting shot," She grunted as sitting was starting to hurt. "Just...help me up." Both of them grabbed her arms to help her get onto her feet. Sumi then dusted herself off, letting out a big sigh of relief. "At least you guys are okay."
"I was starting to get a little woozy up there, and that made me drop the bottle. But this does mean we won the dogfight," Senku innocently rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ha ha! Right you are, Senku!" Ryusui grinned and Sumi looked around the area.
"Even so, we've still got things to do. Just because he's down doesn't mean he's unarmed," She reminded the both of them, sniffing around.
Meanwhile, Stanley's plane was in pieces as well, smoke coming out of it.
Sumi led the way for the three away from their plane. Senku was panting a little, still exhausted and a bit out of breath. "Senku," Ryusui looked over his shoulder. "You good?"
"Much better than I should be," He remarked, knowing that with his recovering body, it was going to take a bit more time before he was back to being fully healed.
The black/red haired scientist blinked as she caught the scent, pointing up ahead. "There!" She came to a stop in front of what was left of Stanley's plane. Though, there didn't seem to be any sign of the pilot himself... "What?" She murmured in confusion, knowing that he couldn't have gotten away that fast. Especially if he got injured himself.
"There's the enemy plane. We've gotta capture-"
Sumi sniffed the air and then flinched. "Get down!" She swooped in to push Ryusui and Senku onto the ground just as the shots were fired. Luckily, they hit the tree, and not any of them. Once they rolled to a stop, Sumi managed to land in a crouch, glaring up ahead. Ryusui looked up ahead in shock, realizing something...and that was why Sumi managed to save them. Her reaction of her pissed off expression on her face and her shaking eyes only further confirmed it for the captain. "You've got some nerve," She hissed towards up ahead.
Stanley would never miss at this range...
"How do you know it's a man?" Chrome blinked up at Sumi in the tree.
"Well, if the occupation matches, women only make up a small portion of military if that is where he's from," Sumi gave him a small shrug. "Plus, he attacked first, which a female usually doesn't do. Take Kirisame, when Kohaku was in disguise, she made herself known first and then spoke before attacking her."
And since what she said does make sense...wouldn't Stanley have shot at us the second he had his six? Ryusui thought as he glanced over to the woman.
'Stanley' was trying to re-aim, but the gun was jammed. The injury from the crash then flared up, causing them to grip their shoulder in pain. The three ran up, Ryusui pointing their own gun at them. And when the pilot sat up...the mask fell off, revealing that it was not Stanley at all the whole time. Instead, it was a woman with blue eyes and short blonde hair staring up at them.
"Just who the hell are you?" Ryusui demanded, knowing that they hadn't heard anyone by her description being on Dr. Xeno's side. "Cause you clearly aren't Stanley Synder."
"You knew it wasn't him just by scent, huh?" Senku looked towards Sumi knowingly, remembering when he saw her confused look earlier during the dogfight. When the pilot was right behind them...yet didn't take the moment to fire.
"More like I knew something was up earlier, but I didn't have proof. But as soon as we arrived here, I could tell," She narrowed her eyes down at the blonde. "If he was hiding where Ryusui said he was to shoot the two of us, he'd smell like the trees, but he doesn't. Not to mention that with his marksman skills...when he was on our six earlier, he would've immediately shot us down. But he didn't," She gritted her teeth in frustration.
"You're right, I'm not him. But you're good," She pointed up at Sumi. "They did mention you had a good sense of smell. The real Stanley never would've missed like that. He would've taken you out in a single shot. As easy as that one pop and you're done. You never would've left your ship if you'd known that a truly god-tiered sniper was waiting for you," She scoffed and then looked up at the two confidently. "But that would've made neutralizing you a pain in the ass!"
The three gasped sharply at what she was saying. "The dogfight...it was a distraction?!" Sumi turned towards the direction of the Perseus. That's why she was shaking the plane like that to prevent Ryusui from getting his shot earlier...!
Moz and Matsukaze were facing the two remaining soldiers. "Okay, the game's all over now," Maya announced, clapping her hands as she turned around. "You kids are done playing hide and seek. The real star of the show has arrived."
Both Matsukaze and Moz flinched, wondering what was going on.
Something shot out of the submarine, landing right between the two men. Stanley, the real one, was now on the Perseus. Matsukaze attacked first, swinging down his weapon. However, he got shot in the shoulder before he could deal the final blow. Moz yelled as he lunged his kudayari, only for Stanley to graze the weapon with the gun to break apart the spear, releasing the blade. He then shot at Moz, who groaned in pain as blood flew from his shoulder. He kneeled in pain, Matsukaze the same way as both men were now wounded. Though thankfully not fatally. Stanley got onto his feet, cigarette in his mouth. He smirked as he lit his cigarette, blowing out smoke.
"I've restrained every last one of them. Job's done. It's over," He reported, though he seemed to forget that he was missing some people.
"A truly elegant move, aptly handled by my most powerful knight..." Dr. Xeno carefully placed down the knight piece onto the chessboard. "In case you missed it..." He sat up with a triumphant smile on his face. "Checkmate."
"We see..." Senku smiled knowingly of what was happening on the boat...and with Dr. Xeno right about now. "A surprise attack from an S-tier knight. Ends in a checkmate."
"Or...does it?" Sumi smiled while rubbing her chin. "Because we've still got moves on our part that need to be played."
Dr. Xeno gasped as someone stomped in front of him. He looked up stupefied...to see Tsukasa pointing his weapon at him. And he could only sit there in shock, wondering how this managed to happen. Senku then gave a proud smirk.
"On both of our sides..." He deemed, knowing that they were at a stalemate...as Chrome's team had managed to corner Dr. Xeno. Meanwhile, Stanley's team had the Kingdom of Science trapped, though was unaware of what was going on with his friend.
"Too bad for Dr. Xeno...that we have a fledging scientist who can manage to do a lot all on his own. And he thought it was a good idea to send almost everyone over from his side to our ship," Sumi smiled proudly, hands on her hips. "But we still have Dr. Chrome and his tunnel team...to turn things around!"