Not beta read, we die like Rex Lapis. I will edit later if I see any mistakes. Sorry for short chapter!
Enjoy~
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IT'S TIME FOR REVENGE!!
The day started off with Ginrou complaining and shouting about how his Silver spear has turned black, blaming the 'Fairy of The Spring'
"I'M NEVER GOING BACK THERE AGAIN!!!" Ginrou wailed, hugging one of the posts around as Chrome tried to pull him away to join them on their journey. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!"
"Whatever, you can just stay behind. You'll only hold us back at this rate." Senku scoffed, "But let me make one thing clear. This is no curse, this is Science."
"Besides, look at this, Ginrou!" Ana called out as she picked up Ginrou's silver spear, knowing full well that Senku does not like it when someone associates Science to a curse "Just apply some Alkali to the black charcoal left by Hydrogen Sulfide, it should return to normal. For example, by rubbing these ashes on it here..." Ana proceeded to do what she said, bringing the silver color back again to life. "Boom! Our poison gas sensor is back!"
"If this thing goes black, it'll all come down to our gas masks." Senku mummbled, "Thanks for that, I was about to do it myself."
"You can always trust your assistant." Ana boasted, proudly pointing to herself then putting on her own gas mask.
"Let's go and get that Sulfuric Acid!" Chrome announced.
After a few farewells, the Science trio started their journey once again to the Emerald Spring. Chrome volunteered to be the one to be their sensor this time, the three of them carrying bags with containers to put the Sulfuric Acid they will be collecting. When they reached a certain point, the tip of the Silver spear turned black, before the rest of it followed soon after. Chrome froze in his tracks.
What stands in their way is the Green Devil...
Chrome remembered Senku and Ana's words, about the story they told just yesterday. He couldn't move, not even take a single step forward. He doesn't even know if he was breathing.
'Here we are at the real fight against this barrier of Chemistry. Will our gas mask survive the showdown?!' He could almost imagine the looming figure of a deadly fairy and he was just within her reach, able to take a hold of his life and just take it away. 'One breath and it's over in this poisonous gas area of death!!!'
His dreadful thoughts were interrupted as Senku lightly jogged past him and Ana just behind him, humming a cheerful tune loud enough for all three of them to hear.
"YOU TWO ARE FRICKIN' CRAAAAAAZY!!" Chrome immediately covered his mouth as he almost lose his composure, "Seriously?! You guys are just rushing on in...?!" Chrome faltered.
"If you worry, you'll just start breathing harder, and if that happens the gas won't be able to keep up with neutralizing the poison gas." Senku drawled and chuckled as he looked back at the other male, "It comes down to stupidly simple matter. If you get scared, you'll die. Now if you understand, then let's get going."
"Basically, just don't overthink and do the only things we need to do here, Chrome." Ana helpfully advised, "I mean... Just... Keep your... breathing as much even as you can..." It was almost uncharacteristic how the girl almost stammered with her words.
"Yeah, sure, I get the idea..." Chrome trailed off, "But I don't know if I've got the same guts as you two..."
Chrome took in the figures of Senku and Ana in front of him, or more specifically, when his eyes landed on their hands. Their hands that were sweating and shaking in fear but the two were obviously trying to hide it in casual pretense. Chrome did not add any more words, he kept quiet. Like how he did not address the fact that his two friends were being shaken in nervousness by the current scene, he also pretended to not see the way Senku's shoulders visibly relaxed just by having Ana hold his hand for one brief moment. With determination and the hope of curing Ruri's illness, to overcome their current obstacle, the Kingdom of Science's brain trio went head on to do what is needed to be done.
A few time has passed, Ana did not kept count on how long they've been here. All she focuses on was to finish collecting Sulfuric Acid and get to return back safe and sound to their kingdom, of course, along with Senku and Chrome and to breathe evenly. With only the repeated sound of the light picking on materials and the occasional sounds of the popping of the spring's bubbles, of course it was only fair for her to almost choke on her own breathe when she heard Chrome shout Senku's name.
"SENKU! THE MAINLINE OF YOUR GASMASK, IT'S BEGINNING TO MELT APART!!" Chrome shouted as he ran up to where Senku was.
Senku, just in time, managed to cover up said mainline that was melting apart. "That was a close one. It's a good thing then that we came together..." His eyes widened as he how the rocks that Chrome stepped on fell apart, and now Chrome was about to fall into the spring.
The spring that's filled with Sulfuric Acid, the one that could kill even with its gas alone. Ana was too far away from the two, she wouldn't make it in time unless she God gave her a main character moment and she gets a power up and she get a speed buff.
'If I dive into the Sulfuric Acid spring like this, my gas mask will definitely come off. This is seriously... Crazy.' Chrome stared ahead, seeing Senku was the one to ran up to him this time. 'Ohh, and here comes Senku trying to catch me. I bet Ana is on her way too, but don't try to force yourselves. It's clear tha neither of you will make it in time.' Chrome couldn't even bring himself to gather tears in his eyes, he only felt frustration. On himself, and to the fact that he might not get to see Ruri being cured from her sickness, to be able to see her so bright once again. 'Damn it... Just from that momentary slip... Anyways, I leave the rest in to the hands of you two, including... Ruri...'
When Chrome saw a spear heading for his direction, but not in means of harming him, he identified it as the one last hope for his salvation. He quickly wrapped his arms and legs around the spear, because of the sudden weight, the spear bent and shook.
"GINROU...!!!" Senku and Chrome acknowledged the unexpected arrival of their companion.
"With a reason, and with your heart, you can try to beat fear." Ginrou remembered his conversation with old man Kaseki earlier, "I don't exactly know what's going on, but that's how it looks to me. Besides, anyone would want their savior to acknowledge them, right? To do something that could pay them back from what you owe them. That would just be right."
'Yeah, thanks for that, Kaseki...' Ginrou thought, 'But...'
"SO... HEAVY...!!" Ginrour breathed, hard, doing his best to keep hold of Chrome with his spear.
"Lower your breathing, Ginrou!!" Senku instructed, "If you breathe heavily, the gas mask won't hold up!"
"IT WON'T HOLD UP...?!" Ginrou shrieked, "SO THEN I'M GONNA DIE FROM POISON GAS?! I'M GONNA DIE NOW...?!"
"A large amount of activated Charcoal and Potassium Carbonate will absolutely crush out any poison gas as long as you're able to control your breathing!" Senku hurriedly explained, knowing it would be futile for him to help Ginrou physically because he was nowhere near athletic himself. "You're winning against fear! That's the whole reason that you came back here on your own, isn't it?!"
"YEAH, GINROU!!!" Chrome exclaimed as he pointed one hand to his chest, "THINK WITH HERE AND HERE! No matter how powerful nature is, it has no mind to think or heart to feel with. And that is where we can beat it!"
'That's right... I... am the Guardian Ginrou.'
"With my brain and heart, I will win against fear...!!"
Ginrou is fired up and won the battle against his own fears, alright, but not yet enough to boost his strength. Well, if worst comes to worst, like Senku said. He just had to...
"ANA!!!"
As if summoned by his call, Ana sprinted past Senku and stopped right on Ginrou's side, taking hold just beside where Ginrou was gripping and, with their combined strength, flipped the spear and Chrome along with it to the safe side, away from the deadly spring and what could have been his death.
[SULFURIC ACID ACQUIRED!!!]
"OH MY FUCKING GOD, SENKU!!!" As soon as Ana was sure that Ginrou and Chrome were safe, she immediately turned to the leek-haired teen, "Are you alright?! DID YOU KNOW THAT I ALMOST COMPLETELY PANICKED WHEN I HEARD YOUR GAS MASK ALMOST FELL APART?! I wouldn't even know what I would do if you didn't cover it up in time or if I didn't get to help Ginrou in saving Chrome! The two of you almost died, and I'm sorry for panicking, but-" Despite being in a current state of panic, Ana was still trying her best to breathe as normally as she could, like what Senku kept reminding them to do.
Which, speaking of, when Senku heard the way the girl was close to breathe rapidly and the tremble in both her voice and the hands that were gripping on his shoulders and yep, she's definitely crying when he heard small sniffles from her. He decided he had to comfort her, right now.
"Ana, thank you for protecting us and saving Chrome. I'm sorry that I had a miscalcula-"
To be honest, he was not very good at comforting people. So it was kind of a surprise, yet at the same time not, when Ana pulled him closer and hugged him tightly.
"You're not good at comforting people, Senku. Don't even try." Ana murmured from his shoulder where he buried her face, "Just let me remind myself that I wasn't too late and that you're still here."
Senku chuckled, "I'm 10 Billion percent still here, silly." Despite his words, he casually returned the hug with one arm, "Are you sad? Then don't be sad."
"I am no longer sad." Ana replied, acting as if she wasn't crying a bit just mere seconds ago.
"I'm the one who actually almost died but..." Chrome started.
"Why does it feel like we just got reduced into background character?!" Ginrou finished, wanting to complain but he was too proud of his victory against his own fears to actually be serious about it.
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