16. Start of the Grand Bout
Jan. 14, 2023
A/N: Happy (belated) new year! I hope all of you are happy and healthy in 2023!
I would've updated earlier but Christmas and New Year on back-to-back weekends, and school coming back so soon, take up time when it comes to preparing. So, I'm REALLY, REALLY sorry for that. BUT I WILL *kinda* RETURN TO A REGULAR BI-WEEKLY SCHEDULE! (ï¼ï¾âï¾)=3
Are you excited about Dr. Stone Season 3?
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"God damn it! We got completely screwed over on our luck!"
You and the rest of the gang went back to the lab once the results of the matchups were revealed. They were the complete opposite of what you wanted.
"There's nothing we can do about it now. We just have to fight with all we got, especially you, Kinro," you stated as you looked over at him.
"Besides, relying on luck isn't part of a scientist's plan. The only thing we can do now is rely on doping!" Senku slammed his hands down on the table to reveal a glass bottle with liquid inside of it.
You raised your eyebrows. "Doping? What, did you make steroids or something?"
Kohaku looked concerned for her well-being after seeing a bowl of leaves and a mysterious liquid inside the bottle. "Yet another suspicious-looking medicine..."
"Kukuku, if I had the materials, I would have really made some doping agents. But unfortunately, we got a healthy alternative," said the scientist. He began to explain the ingredients to all of you, "The primary ingredients are Camellia Sinensis, honey, and Japanese flag. This will allow caffeine to awaken! The sweet flag is to cool you down, and the honey is to spike your blood sugar!"
"Ah...if only we could have it in soda form..." you sighed. Your eyes then wandered to see that Ginro was stuffing all of the ingredients in his mouth. "GINRO--!"
Kinro immediately punched the blonde in the head, causing bumps to form. "YOU IDIOT! Did you seriously eat it all?!"
"I couldn't help it! Just think about it! If Kinro loses, I'll have to fight Magma!" Ginro cried.
Chrome grabbed the jar to see if there were any ingredients left, but it was empty. "I can't believe he ate them raw...there's no more left."
"Guess we need some more sweet flags then," said the scientist.
"Suika will get it! It's a herb by the river, right? Even if Suika is not part of the Grand Bout, Suika can still be useful to everyone!" Suika happily cheered as she rolled out of the laboratory.
You sighed. "Might as well get going. The tournament will start soon, and we can't wait forever. Are you ready, Kinro?"
"You and Kohaku trained us for this. I'm ready as I'll ever be," he replied.
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All of you headed to where the tournament was being held, and Magma was standing at one end of the circle. He stood there, with his weapon planted on the ground, waiting for Kinro to arrive. As you all crossed the bridge, a small, but big-bellied, man was running behind all of you.
"Kohaku! It's awful!" He called out to the blonde girl. Now that you got a better look at him, he had a huge head, baggy eyes, and black hair that was cropped short. His clothes made him look like a peasant, as it was ragged and exposed his hairy chest. The man cried out with a suspicious grin on his face, "Suika had gone to the river to pick some medicinal herbs, and she fell in! You're the fastest and most agile! If you don't go now, she'll die for sure!"
All of you looked quite shocked from the sudden outburst, but you didn't buy it one bit.
Senku blurted out with an annoyed look on his face, "That is ten billion percent a lie."
The man stopped, then played dumb, "I'm not lying. I happened to be passing by the river when I saw it."
Chrome kicked him over and planted his foot on the man's head with a smug look on his face. "If you saw her drowning and just happened to pass by, then how did you know she was picking medicinal herbs?"
The scientist joined in as he put his foot on the man's stomach, "If you're seriously trying to take on the Kingdom of Science in the battle of wits, you got ten billion years to go before you stand a chance, you obvious moron."
"If Suika was drowning, how could you stand by? You didn't try to help a little girl from drowning? Even a lie like this makes you look like a terrible person," you added as you crossed your arms in disgust, adding another foot to the pile.
You then felt a hand on your shoulder. You turned your head to see Kohaku with a pained expression on her face. "What if there's even the slightest chance...that he's not? Then we would've left Suika to die..."
Senku spoke up, "Kohaku, you're one of the final lines of defense against Magma, next to (Y/N). If you pull out now--"
"But as far as I'm concerned, I'm the one of only ones capable of saving Suika. Even if I know he's lying, I still have to go to the river," she said, then looked at you. "I trust you to help save my sister in my stead. I'm sorry."
"Wait, Kohaku--" You tried to grab her wrists but she immediately slapped your hand away to run.
"Damn it!" Chrome seethed.
You turned to see that Ginro was trying to talk to the referee of the match. He explained that if Kohaku wasn't back by the time her match comes, she would be disqualified.
"Mwahaha! Well done, Mantle!" You heard Magma proudly cry out. "With Kohaku gone, I have no opponents in my way!"
"Yessir~! I had to be double sure!" Mantle cackled, rubbing his hands like a rat.
Senku then put a hand on your shoulder and whispered into your ear, "They don't know that you are more than capable of handling Magma. I would suggest you lie low with your skills, but use enough go defeat your opponent. It'll catch him off guard if you do end up fighting him."
"Alright." You nodded, then cupped your hands to make a microphone, shouting, "KICK HIS ASS, KINRO!"
The blonde man he was facing grinned. "Ha! You got yourself a fan, Kinro! I have nothing against strong men, so if you get on your knees and beg for loyalty, I'll make you a subordinate under direct authority. You'll be able to marry any woman you want, including that one right there! Now, come and lick my shoes before everyone! It will prove your undying loyalty!"
Your face twisted in distaste. "I don't have issues with Kinro, but no."
The brunette stared at him, then replied, "Magma, even if your words were true, I can't surrender. I will fight honestly as a man in the Grand Bout of schemes. Though, your words are full of lies because the me of today is different from me then."
"Coming from a man who has never beat me once?! What's so different about you?!" Magma demanded.
Kinro then gripped his spear tightly and moved forward. "Compared to that flimsy, filthy selfishness of yours, I'm carrying the world on my back!"
He struck Magma multiple times, leaving no time or space for an opening. This initiated the official start of the Grand Bout. All Magma can do was block, but from what you could tell, they were on equal footing.
"Oooooh, he's doing ten billion times better than I thought!" Senku said happily.
"It's all thanks to the battle team's special training!" Ginro proudly cried with the ingredients still in his mouth.
"What the hell are you talking about, Ginro? It was all thanks to Kohaku and (Y/N) training you guys," Chrome stated.
You were carefully observing how Kinro and Magma were handling each other. The brunette's speed is giving him the advantage, while the blonde's brute strength is something to consider. You had a small grin on your face. "How amusing. Kinro is doing extremely well. If he keeps it up, he can eventually overpower Magma."
In the corner of your eye, you noticed Mantle holding two large rocks. Before you could do anything, Chrome spoke up, "Ooo, Mantle~ you think a strict judge like Jasper is gonna let that slide?"
You noticed that the ref was looking directly at the short man, his eyes full of judgment. Mantle had sweat running down his forehead, and he ended up putting on a fake smile to save face.
"Er--these rocks? I just brought them along to cheer with! See? They just go clack-clack!" He nervously answered as he hit the rocks together.
"Damn it!" You heard Senku scoff. You turned to him to see that he dropped items from under his garments, ranging from chemicals to science tools.
"OHHH, MAGMA'S PUTTING SOME DISTANCE BETWEEN HIM AND KINRO!"
You whipped your head to see that Magma had backed up a few feet to avoid Kinro's barage of attacks. Immediately, you noticed the brunette severely squinting his eyes to look at the blonde brute. Now that proved to you that Ginro was right and that Kinro needed glasses.
"As soon as Magma stepped away, Kinro's eyes started squinting..." you heard a small voice.
You turned around to see Suika hanging from a pole. "Suika, you're safe!"
"Then that means that whole 'Suika is drowning' thing was a lie!" Chrome confirmed. "Mantle, you absolute shit!"
The young girl frantically dropped from the pole and went up to you and Senku. "Kinro must have blurry eye disease! Suika was exactly the same way, so that's how she's sure!"
You then saw Kinro try jabbing at Magma, but it wasn't close enough to hit him. The blonde then had a confident grin on his face, and smacked the spear out of the way, taking his large weapon to bludgeon the brunette's face multiple times. He was thrown backward by the amount of force Magma used to hit him, and lying on his back.
"Kinro!" All of you cried with worry.
Chrome blurted out, "Crap, he just ate that hit full-on!"
As Kinro lay still, Magma tried getting him to lick his shoe once more. Suika had rushed over to the large hut where Ruri and her father were to watch the matches. She immediately rolled down the stairs to gain momentum and threw her melon helm into the air.
"Use the eyes of science, Kinro!" She yelled out.
Everyone watched the melon fly in the air, and Kinro jumped up from the ground to grab it. As he landed, all of you saw him wearing the helmet and posing, which caused a lot of different comments from other people.
"Who the hell is that creep?!" Senku, Chrome, and Ginro all had the same thoughts about it.
"Wha--he looks cool! Like Kamen Rider!" You snickered.
You heard Magma laugh, "Bwahaha! What is that mask, Kinro?!"
He rushed over to attack, but Kinro started to dodge every single thrust, but just barely. The crowd went wild, and it was causing Magma to lose his touch. Even though the glasses weren't a perfect match in Kinro's prescription, it was enough for him to overcome Magma and beat him to the point of kneeling.
"Let me tell you something Magma. All I needed was science to overcome my eyes because as far as strength, I'd already beat you long ago!" Kinro declared.
"Woo! Let's go, Kinro!" Chrome cheered.
Magma kneeled with an unusually gentle face and started speaking to Kinro, all of you unable to hear what they were saying. You watched them speak but couldn't make out all of the words they were saying. But then you saw Kinro walk to Jasper, his back turned towards his opponent.
"Referee! Suika clearly threw this helmet in attempt to aid me in battle. I knew that, yet I donned it. If I've violated the rules, then I accept my loss! Rules are rules!" Kinro announced.
You put your hands on your face in frustration and screamed into them, "NO, YOU IDIOT!"
"Sheesh, he's blowing it for himself! Just keep your mouth shut!" said Chrome.
"Nobody's more stubborn than Kinro," Ginro sighed.
Then Jasper replied to the melon warrior, "She didn't throw her helmet as a direct attack. As such, it amounts to nothing more than a costume. I see no issues--"
He was interrupted by a large man approaching Kinro furiously. "I knew you'd do the right thing, like a good boy! That earnestness will kill you one day, Kinro!"
He took his large weapon and slammed it against the boy's head, cracking open the melon and knocking Kinro unconscious. And with the boy unresponsive, the brute had laughed at his victory.
"The winner is Magma!"
Jasper carried the boy to your group and laid him on the ground. He came to a few minutes later, with Ginro crying on his chest.
"Kinro! Thank the stars you're alive!" The blonde boy wailed.
The fallen warrior apologized weakly, "I'm sorry."
"That's just how it is," said Senku. "Remember, this is a team battle for us. As long as someone beats Magma, we win, and that big jerk took a bunch of damage from the last match."
You added, "That's what matters most right now. You did good, Kinro."
The boy looked at you with surprise, but his expression had changed to gratitude. "Thank you. Because of Kohaku and you, I was able to fight for as long as I could."
"For the second match, will Chrome and Mantle step forward!"
Chrome and Mantle stepped into the center of the arena. Mantle's weapons consisted of two blunt hammers, while Chrome had a spear layered with thick cloth, just like Kinro.
"One problem we have right now is that the lioness hasn't come back. If she doesn't make it before the match ends, she's out," Senku told all of you.
"Yeah, I know," Chrome said. "I'll drag this out for as long as I can."
And so the fight between them began. It wasn't exactly a fight, as both of them had no skill in martial arts from what you could tell. It was as though you were watching two toddlers hit each other with sticks. Quite amusing, if you must insist. However, in the middle of the fight, you noticed Magma stand up from where he was resting and used his index finger to run it across his throat.
"Oh no, you got me!" Mantle cried as he suddenly fell over.
"The winner is Chrome!" announced Jasper. Chrome was sweating bullets, and the rest of you were worried. Senku went straight to the middle with a weapon in his hand, waiting. The referee continued, "For the third match...since Kohaku isn't present, the winner is Senku!"
"Oh no, she didn't make it in time..." Suika whimpered.
"SUIKA!"
Your group looked over towards the bridge to see Kohaku running frantically.
"Kohaku, if you made it a second earlier, you could've fought!" Chrome told her.
Suika began to hurriedly explained herself as she ran to the lioness, "Suika is sorry! Suika got caught by Mantle and--"
The girl was interrupted by a large embrace from Kohaku. Tears in her eyes and with a sigh of relief, she spoke, "Thank goodness Mantle was lying. It's enough to know that you haven't frowned, Suika!"
Suika returned the hug as she wrapped her arms around the blonde, tears pouring from her brown eyes. You and Senku stood next to each other, watching the sweet moment unfold between the both of you. But alas, the sweetness had turned sour as Magma and Mantle interrupted the moment.
"If Kohaku loses by default, then the whole tournament is basically decided! Ruri-sama's husband and the new chief is going to be Magma!" cried Mantle.
Magma took two fingers and blew a kiss at Ruri with the most ugly face you've seen so far, "Be happy, Ruri! You're my woman starting today!"
You, Kohaku, and Suika looked in disgust. You even noticed that Ruri was shocked, her eyes whitening out from his actions.
The scientist sighed. "Now that Kohaku, one of our best lines of defense, is gone, the only real fighters that the Kingdom of Science has left are Bodyguard Ginro and slowpoke."
"You got it. Don't worry guys, we can handle it, right Ginro?" You grinned with a thumbs up. But you noticed that the blonde boy didn't say anything and that his head was hanging low. It was as though the nickname Senku had given him had stirred something within.
"Hehehe, you're the one who said it Senku...how we're rigging the Grand Bout in our favor. So it's not like the strongest necessarily wins, right? Besides, weren't ya' curious about this?!" The boy then showed off his stuffed cheeks, some sweet flag sticking out from his mouth.
"You still have that in your mouth?!" You questioned him.
"Don't tell me that's the ingredients from earlier..." Kohaku had a deadpan expression on her face.
Senku added, "What are you, a squirrel?"
He proudly replied, "Yup! I've been saving it for my match! Now, I've learned a thing or two... When we went to get that acid, I saw what Senku and (Y/N)'s science was capable of. So this is their power-up drink, and raw ingredients should be much more effective, right?!"
He swallowed all the ingredients whole, which made you cringe a little bit inside. "More like give you a massive stomach ache...hopefully the training I gave him is enough..."
"Best to keep quiet when he's like this, slowpoke," Senku snickered.
Just like that, Ginro was up for round four.
-To be Continued-
A/N: I did my best to finish on time so I could upload this chapter! I'll do my best to not delay the next one more than I need to!