Will edit later if I need to make changes.
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[All you need is determination]
"Mister Senku? And Miss Ana, I presume...?"
A chance meeting.
"Me? What about me?" Whispered Lalaine, not loud enough to let any other hear her voice.
Those who heard Ruri spoke to the foreigners were confused, not really knowing how their priestess knew their names. On the other hand, the owner of the names Ruri called out only threw a glance at her from over their shoulders.
"So, you're the priestess, Ruri?" Senku chuckled, "At last, we meet face to face."
"You already know our names, are you perhaps a fan?" Ana smiled softly at Ruri but her eyes had a certain glint in them, fortunately that seemed to answer Ruri's question in her mind.
"Senku, Ana... What are your family names?"
Ruri's question was the reason why both smiles on Ana and Senku's faces dropped as soon as they realized something. However, it only caused the villagers around to murmur in confusion once again. After all, this seemed to starting to become the most eventful day in the village so far.
"Family..."
"... Name?!"
"Omg, what's my last name again?" Lalaine asked a random villager that was standing close to her.
"I have no idea what that even means."
"A family name is another name that would precede your normal name..." Ruri rushed to explain, perhaps the two forgot what it meant?
"Yeah, yeah... We know what a family name is." Senku cut her off himself, because Ana seemed to be occupied by her own thoughts.
'But this village doesn't practice the culture of Family names. Why would she know about them...?' Senku was about to ask Ana what she thought about this newfound information. He stopped when she turned to face Ruri fully and by her gaze. Although, not directed at him, felt like they were telling him to shut up and stay put.
"How do you know about family names? Tell me, do you know what my family name is?" Ana questioned as she started to walk towards Ruri, but it was more like she was demanding the answers to be given to her right away.
"Could it be... Senku, you are... Ishi-" Ruri tried her best to give her answer to the dark haired girl and the man named Senku.
However, before she could do it, her knees gave out and she was falling. Ruri braced herself for the inevitable impact, but she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her from her front and caught her. Ruri coughed, covering her mouth before she looked up to see who helped her.
"When we win this thing, you better tell us what you know." Ana spoke of winning with full confidence, and despite the fact that it might seem like she was ordering Ruri, the priestess felt calm at her command. "So you better rest well, you'll be in good shape soon."
"Lady Ruri!!" Jasper called out in concern.
"This is because you let her walk around!! Quickly, carry her!!" Ordered Kokuyo, not really all the comfortable with a stranger so close to Ruri. How did she even get there?!
"Everyone! Stay away from the priestess!!" Turquoise prevent Senku from following Ana and questioning Ruri. Turquoise then turned to Ana, "And you, outlander-"
"Oh it has been a long time since I heard someone call me that." Ana only smirked, not letting go of Ruri, otherwise she'd let the girl lay on the ground fully.
"-While we appreciate your help, we can do it ourse-"
Ruri could not even object as Ana lifted her up in bridal style, the two girls ignoring the fuss that Turquoise, Jasper and Ruri's father was making. Ana started to climb the stairs easily. She gently laid Ruri down on her resting spot.
"Just behave there and watch me beat the shit out of my opponents." Ana leaned down to whisper on her, "Don't worry, when I win, I'll make a rule where the priestess can choose whoever she wants to marry."
Ana winked as Ruri's face flushed, she did not waste any second longer as she went outside. The priestess decided to not reply to Ana and just calm herself first.
When Ana went back down, it was just in time for her to see the bracket, and the opponents she will fight. After all, if she ends up fighting Senku or any of her friends, she won't beat the shit out of them, but just beat them. At seeing the blank and deadpanned face of her friends, Ana tugged on Lalaine's sleeve.
"What happened?" Asked Ana.
"Look, Ana... Just... Look..." Lalaine pointed at the bracket, the other side, opposite of where Ana and her opponents were.
'Oh... I was too focused on what way I should beat my opponents that I forgot to look at theirs...'
When Ana saw it, her face scrunched up.
"Is this a fucking joke?" She hoped so, they all do.
"ROUND ONE OF THE VILLAGE GAMES WILL BE..."
It was not a joke.
"KINROU VERSUS MAGMA!!"
"It's all the exact opposite of what we prayed for!!!" Exclaimed Suika, "And look at where Miss Ana is! She's at the other side of the matches!"
Kohaku, who was slumped down due to the announcement of the first round, perked up at that.
"There's still hope! If... If Ana manages to beat all of her opponents at her bracket, then, we'll have a chance to win this!" Suggested Kohaku, "And even if she ends up fighting a strong opponent, we can just tire them out! If it's any of us, then one of us could just forfeit!"
"I like your thinking" Surpisingly, it was Chrome who agreed right away.
"What do you mean 'if'? Don't even try to imagine me losing to anyone." Ana playfully huffed before making her way to the exit of the village, "We still have time, we should do some last minute preparation due to this sudden... Changes. Seriously, Senku, what is with your bad luck? I just went away because I had to let Ruri rest, and your luck immediately cursed the matches."
"Hey! Why me?!" Senku stared at her, "If you're my lucky charm, then you should always be around me, and not anywhere else!"
He froze, thinking back about what he just said.
'Oh wait, that sounded different...' Senku sped up his walk.
Ana, who forced herself to recover from that unintentional smooth line that Senku dropped.
"You said all that and yet you're the one walking away from me? Come here!"
Senku ran, he was no match for Ana's speed.
"Did they forget that they should save their strength for later?" Kohaku felt like looking away from those two.
"That's normal, you have no idea how much something like this has occurred between them." Said Lalaine, laughing as she remembered all the ridiculous situation those two were in, "It was worse back in our days because of the internet."
"You speak as if you're an old woman." Chrome forgot to put on his word filter.
Lalaine, Suika, Kohaku and the two brothers followed Senku and Ana, Chrome trailed behind them, nursing a bump on his head, courtesy of Lalaine.
"This is nuts... Absolutely nuts..." Groaned Ginrou from a corner in the lab.
"God damnit! We got completely screwed over on our luck!" Cursed Chrome.
"Oh please, don't include me from people whose luck is screwed over." Ana rolled her eyes, "If I was there, we could've gotten the best roll for the matches. Oh, wait, I was helping Ruri, soooo..."
Chrome wanted to scream at Ana's words, Lalaine took Ana's side because of what Chrome said to her earlier.
"Well, nothing we can do now. Besides, depending on luck is not how Scientists plans." Said Senku.
"People who say that are those who have the worst luck." Lalaine blurted out, which caused Senku to blankly stare at her and she only grinned in return.
"What I'm saying..." Started Senku, a manic expression morphing on his face, "Is if it comes down to doing the worst, we must do all that we can. In this Village Games of Schemes, doping is how we'll win! The kingdom's specialty, Science's Power-Up Drink!"
"Does that really exist?" Suika wondered.
"Yes, it does." Suika looked up to Ana's voice, only to almost freak out at her own manic face, "Our other friend, Athena, was addicted to it back in the days that I had to remind her regularly to not drink too much."
"Is... Is she powerful?" Stuttered Ginrou.
"Of course, she was!" Lalaine added her own input, "She was so strong she could bring anything she think of into reality!"
"What the Hell is she talking about?" Whispered Senku to Ana's ear.
Ana turned to Senku, whispering back at him, "Athena is an artist."
The two Scientist snorted, because technically, what Lalaine said was true.
"Yet another seriously suspicious looking medicine." Kohaku concluded.
"Well, if we had the materials, we would have really made some dropping agents..." Senku placed the 'sus' medicine on the table, "But unfortunately, we've gone with a whole and healthy alternative."
When Senku turned away from the drink and everyone focusing on him, no one- Except for Ana- noticed Ginrou picking up the bottle of caffeine and then shoving the herbs into his mouth.
"The primary ingredie-"
Ana decided to cut him off, "Senku, I don't think it matters, anymore."
When everyone turned their attention to her, they all saw how Ginrou downed all the caffeine, receiving a hit on the head from his older brother.
"Did you seriously drink it all?!"
"Whaaa? There's no more?!" Ginrou looked confused as he try to see if he actually did drank all of it.
"Ginrou!!! You didn't even leave anything for me, men!" Lalaine wildly gestured at the empty containers.
"He even ate the ingredients raw..." Said Chrome, peeking at the pot, passing it to Senku.
"Well, I guess I could get more stone flag..."
"It's that herb that grows by the river, right?"
"Suika will go get it!!" Volunteered Suika, already rolling out of the scene, "Even though Suika's not competing the tournament, Suika can still be useful to everyone!"
William slithered away after he watched a strange short man stalking the group, off to go hunting. His own master can deal with that herself.
"Ana, why didn't you stop Ginrou from drinking it all?" Senku picked his ear as they started walking back to the village.
Ana faced him, sending him a closed-eye smile, "I love watching humans make stupid decisions, Senku."
"I don't think that's supposed to be something that anyone enjoys." Sighed Senku.
"KOOOOHAKU!!!"
Everyone turned around, coming face to face with a short man with a weird face.
"IT'S TERRIBLE!!" He continued, "Suika had gone to the river to pick some medicinal herbs-"
"Wow, weirdly specific." Whispered Lalaine to Ana, who snorted in agreement.
"-AND FELL IN!! YOU'RE THE FASTEST AND MOST AGILE, KOHAKU-!"
"Wouldn't that be Ana by now?" Lalaine whispered once again, this time, both Chrome and Ana herself agreed.
"-If you don't go and save her now... SHE'LL DIE FOR SURE!"
No one said a thing at first, the group looking alarmed, but then Senku decided to speak.
"This is 10 Billion percent... Obviously a lie." Said Senku, face morphed in disbelief, the same expression everyone else had, except Kohaku.
"... I'm not lying~ I just happened to be passing by the river when I saw it happen~"
Lalaine kicked the man down, and soon enough, Chrome and Senku joined in. Ana only sighed at their antics.
"If you saw her drowning when you just happened to be passing by the river, then how do you know she went there to pick medicinal herbs?" Chrome grinned down at Mantle.
"If you're seriously trying to take on the Science team in a battle of wits, you've got 10 Billion years to go before you'll stand a chance, you obvious moron."
Senku felt a tap on his shoulder, expecting Ana as he turned around, he was met with Kohaku's worried face.
"Even if we know he's lying... What if... There's even the slightest chance he's not... Then we would have let Suika drowned." Explained Kohaku.
"Aaaand... That's how the liars plant the seed of doubts in your head." Muttered Ana, "Kohaku would get easily scammed in the modern world, and when she finds out, she'll probably beat them up."
"Kohaku, you're one of our final line of defense to defeat Magma. If you pull out now..." Senku trailed off.
"But as far as speed and agility goes, I'm capable of saving Suika. Even if we know he's lying, I still have to go to the river." She then pointed to Ana, who crossed her arms, "And even if I'm not here, I have faith in Ana. Even I know her skills are superior to mine."
At this, Ana seemed to have a look of panic in her eyes when she met Senku's own gaze that promised interrogation after all of these were done.
"M... Me?!? Don't flatter me! I'm not that strong..." Ana stopped at Kohaku's pleading expression before slumping her shoulders, "... Just go."
Kohaku did not need to be told twice, immediately sprinting towards where the river Suika went to. Ana gritted her teeth, taking in a deep breath to calm herself down. She turned to glare down at the maliciously smirking face of Mantle.
After a moment, the corner of Ana's mouth twitched into her cheek, her glare that showed anger turning into ones that promised she won't let him off the hook with this one.
It unnerved mantle that the girl was grinning down at him in glee while her eyes were barely containing the... Anger? No, he mistook her earlier behaviors as anger. He was wrong, she was looking at him in annoyance.
Was she annoyed that he said that lie and made Kohaku go away?
Or was she perhaps annoyed that he was making her do more work than she should?
'I have to warn Magma!' Mantle's smirk was wiped off his face and was replaced with a wary one.
"You're a cowardly, cheating bastard, Mantle." Ana spoked casually, with no hint of any negative feeling.
How she did it, Mantle would like to not find out. Instead, he turned tail and ran ahead of them to the village.
Lalaine walked up beside Ana, checking up on her. Ana nodded in assurance that everything was fine.
"I mean, men, just say the word, and I'll go eliminate him tonight. Or do you want right now?" Asked Lalaine in casual tone, making sure to not fuck up her words.
"No need, he can be fodder later. Who knows." Ana waved her hand dismissively, "Go ask that Jasper- What the fuck, he has the same name as my Uncle- What will happen with Kohaku."
Lalaine went ahead and did just that. The reply they got had everyone clicking their tongue.
"Kohaku's match is up third. If she's not back by then, she will be disqualified."
"God damn it!" Sneered Chrome, "Hurry back, Kohaku!!"
"MWAHAHAHAH!!! WELL DONE, MANTLE!" Magma did not even try to be subtle.
"Yessir~!! Better safe than sorry! Had to make doubly sure!" Reported Mantle before he remember something, "Be careful with the dark haired girl, thou-"
"Anyone else doesn't matter! With Kohaku gone, I have no opponents in my way!" Magma smirked, "It's decided!!! I, Magma, shall become Ruri's husband and next chief!! Kinrou, if you vow to serve me now, I'll make you a subordinate under my direct authority. I've nothing against strong men. Here and now, before everyone, lick my shoes! That will prove your loyalty to me!"
Kinrou looked back at him in silence, "Magma even if your words were tru, I still would never surrender. Even in the midst of these Village Game of Schemes, as a man, I will fight honestly. As a man, that is all I can do."
Magma stared back at Kinrou as he continued.
"On top of that, your words are not true. Because the me of today, is different than the me up till now."
"MWAHAHAHAH! COMING FROM A MAN WHO'S NEVER BEAT ME EVEN ONCE?! WHAT'S SO DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU?!"
Kinrou gripped his weapon, "For the sake of my friends, I must win, no matter what it takes. Compared to that flimsy, filthy selfishness of yours... I'm carrying the world on my back!!"
Kinrou attacked.
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Anyways, next chapter might be written in drafts soon enough because we'll be changing to Opening and Ending 2 lols.
See ya next chapter!