Summary : This fight feels like the halfway point for the Simon arc. What about you guys? Thankfully after this chapter we get another memory so two chapters this week as well.
They entered the rundown town. "Seems like no one's here..." Tsuna said. "They look like Italian houses." Reborn commented. "They're already old and rotten." Gokudera said. "I bet they used to be super pretty." Sakura said.
They all heard a voice and went over to it. Gokudera and Tsuna checked the window to see who was inside. "It's Shitt P!" Gokudera said, surprising everyone. "Shitt P! It's me! I'm here to fight!" Gokudera yelled for her attention but there was no response. "Alright. S... Sh...Shi...Shi... Shitopi-chan!" Gokudera yelled, embarrassed by the nickname.
"Gokudera-kun, I'm glad that you called me that." Shitopi turned her attention to him. "Sh-She talks properly!" Tsuna said surprised. "Hey." Gokudera greeted her. "This town looks similar to the one Simon's ancestors lived in. The end of the story." she shrugged. The girl leaped out of the building, breaking a hole in the roof, and landed in front of the group.
"I prefer Gokudera-kun to fight with me. I want to toy and defeat cute Gokudera-kun." she said looking right at him. "Of course, you opponent is me!" Gokudera said. "Are you sure?" Sakura stepped up. Gokudera looked at her. "Yes. I'll defeat her quickly and we can keep moving. I'll save the stronger ones for you senpai." he said smirking. She nodded and took a step back. "Gokudera-kun..." Tsuna muttered.
"I'll be fine, Tenth! Even though she's an Uma, as a representative of the homosapiens and also as a guardian of the Vongola, I'll make sure to defeat her!" Gokudera was determined. But Sakura and Tsuna couldn't believe that this boy really thought she was an Uma.
"I'll tell you my pride!" Gokudera was ready to get started. "I've been observing Gokudera-kun. Gokudera-kun's pride is that you're a subordinate of the Vongola tenth. Am I wrong?" Shitopi-chan asked him. Tsuna was surprised by this but Gokudera and Sakura were already aware of it. "That's right! Being a Guardian and serving the tenth is my pride!" Gokudera confirmed for all of them. "That's why you're weak." Shitopi-chan said.
Everyone looked at her confused about what she meant by that. "To me, it's not for someone or to serve someone but for myself. Always being my own self without falsehood is my pride." she shared. "I may get it or maybe not." Tsuna said, confused. "She's saying that she's strong because she's fighting for herself." Sakura explained to him.
"I'll teach you that you won't stand a slightest chance if you fight for your tenth. Now, prepare yourself, Gokudera-kun!" She said glaring at him. "The same goes for you! Here, I come, Uri!" Gokudera was fired up as he summoned his cat. Sakura lit up. That's the same cat adult Hibari had her open in the future. Little Uri was all decked out in the same style as Gokudera. "Cute!" Shitopi-chan commented.
His cat jumped up on his shoulder and began licking his face. "Gokudera-kun and Uri used to have a really bad relationship though. Uri's totally attached to him!" Tsuna pointed out. "Uri! Cambio Forma!" the storm guardian called out. The cat joined his gear and the return of the Smokin Bomb arrived. "I'm ready for it." Gokduera said with his new glasses and decked out dynamite gear. "So the Vongola Gear for Gokudera was dynamite after all." Reborn commented, impressed. "It's the revival of the smokin' bomb!" Tsuna yelled. "It suits him." Sakura agreed.
"Ah, Gokudera-kun... you're smoking cigarettes." Shitopi-chan pointed out. "Huh? Not quite. This is my custom Vongola Gear of the storm's dynamite's... pipe shaped igniter!" Gokudera held up the igniter like a cigarette. "It suits you, Gokudera-kun. If it were me, I'd like to shove about 20 of those in my nose." Shitopi-chan said smiling. "What the hell are you saying? She's flipping weird" Gokudera was a disturbed. "Shitt P!" Tsuna said. Sakura shook her head in disbelief that such a person actually exists.
"Anyways... Shitt... er, I mean... Shitopi-chan... What should we do about the rules of the fight?" Gokudera asked. "It's already been decided. We're popping balloons." She said smiling. "Breaking Balloons?" Gokudera asked in disbelief. "Yup. Try lighting this 'fiamma balloon' with a flame." She said tossing them to him. Gokudera caught them and looked at the two small balls in his hand. "What the hell is this..." he asked her. "Try lighting the flame just like your ring." Shitopi-chan encouraged him. Gokudera did as he was told and the two balls turned into two balloons that floated behind him.
"What?" He asked, looking up at them. "It floated?" Tsuna asked, shocked. "An alien weapon?" Gokudera asked in disbelief. "These are balloons, right?" Lambo asked. "How interesting." Sakura said. "I've also floated two of them. The fiamma blooon's consistency is just about as delicate as a regular rubber balloon." she explained. Shitopi-chan did a backflip. The balloons followed her. "No matter how wild you move... They will follow within one meter of you." she explained. "Oh! They really do!" Gokudera commented as he tested this out.
"The rules of the battle are as follows : Popping two of your opponents' Fiamma balloons counts as a win. How's that?" She asked Gokudera. "I see. How interesting. I was just wondering how I felt about hitting a girl directly... even if you're just an Uma in the form of one. With those rules, I'll be able to run wild with my Vongola Gear!" Gokduera sadi pleased with this. "What a sweet little thing to say. You're so cute Gokudera-kun. The field is this entire town. If the duel isn't over within five minutes, it's a tie." Shitopi-chan explained the rules. "In the event of a tie, the Vindice will take both of them away to their prison just like the battle between Ryohei and Koyo." Reborn said frowning.
"Let's begin, Gokudera-kun!" Shitopi-chan was excited. "Fine by me." Gokudera was serious.
"But before that, Tenth! Please take cover somewhere safe, as far away as you can from here! It would be awful if you got hurt! Senpai! Please protect and help the tenth in my stead." he asked them. "Ah right, I got it." Tsuna said, taking their things. "Leave it to me, Gokudera-kun." she said and let Reborn jump on her shoulder. "Watch yourself, Gokudera." Tsuna said. "Again with, 'tenth this...' 'tenth that...'" Shitopi-chan wasn't having it. "Come on, Lambo!" Tsuna said. "Carry me!" The cow baby demanded.
"Start!" Shitopi-chan and Gokudera said at the same time. "Let's hurry up and settle this!" Gokudera said and launched his "Rocket bomb Version X" The boy could see the trajectory of the bombs through his glasses. "That's cute, Gokudera-kun. So weak" Shitopi-chan countered his attack by melting his rockets. "What?" Gokudera was shocked. "They melted!" Tsuna yelled. "How..." Sakura tried to ponder it.
Shitopi-chan threw down her equipment and ran full speed at Gokudera. She launched herself at him and straddled his waist by wrapping her legs around him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she held him tightly. "Wha?" he muffled in her shoulder. "You're slow, Gokudera-kun. So slow. So slow." She whispered in his ear. "Hey!" He yelled, unable to get her off him. Tsuna blushed at how close they were. Sakura could sense the trap and she narrowed her eyes at the other girl.
"But, Gokudera-kun... living in the comfort of others is proof of weakness. I'm talking about living for the sake of the tenth. Having no confidence in yourself, and being completely dependent on others. Right now, Gokudera-kun, if the tenth were to disappear, your sense of honor would crumble and you'd turn lifeless like a corpse. I also have people I love. I love Enma, and Adelheid, and Kaoru, and Rauji, and Koyo. I'm not really sure about Julie... but Gokudera-kun, you're cute, so I love you too. But the one I love most is me. My sense, my thought process, and my style... my big tits, my thighs... my self respect." Shitopi-chan explained to him. She then pressed her forehead against his and met his eyes. "I love me more than anything." she told him before using his shoulders as a balance beam and kicked one of his balloons popping it.
"That's why I'm strong!" she explained to him.
"A balloon burst!" Tsuna said. "He was too distracted." Sakura pointed out. "Crap . You..." Gokudera got ready to launch his counter attack but he lost his balance as he sank into the muddy puddle below him. "The ground's gone muddy!" He yelled out, surprised. "My flame is of the seven elements of the earth, the flame of the swamp. I can ferment any inorganic substance into a bottomless swamp." she explained to him. "That's fermentation? So that's what it was?" Tsuna asked. "Fermenting inorganic substances? I've never heard of that." Reborn commented.
The swamp reached up to the boy's waist. He had to get out now. "Air bomb!" He yelled as he threw down a different dynamite. The force was strong enough not only to free him but also send him up into the air. He landed safely. "Awesome!" Tsuna said, impressed. "The Vongola gear of the storm looks like it's equipped with new bomb forms," Reborn said. Sakura nodded her head in agreement with both of them.
"But Gokudera-kun's heart, which has been living only for Sawada Tsunayoshi, is brittle. Normally you don't even try to look past his facade. Shall I show you right in front of your eyes that 'no matter how you think about it, Sawada Tsunayoshi is no good'?" Shitopi-chan asked the bomber. "Eh?" Tsuna started to freak out. Gokudera braced himself for another attack.
Shitopi-chan stood tall. "You know that I've always closely observed Gokudera-kun. Gokudera-kun has somehow pushed himself to see Sawada Tsunayoshi as the figure of a Vongola boss. He looks past all the 'no good' parts of Sawada Tsunayoshi. But Sawada Tsunayoshi... is incredibly ignorant." She said looking at the bomber. "What?" Tsuna was offended. "His midterms and finals always score less than 10th from last. If you take an average of everything...he's the one of the top three people who have repeated grades the most." She said holding a picture of all of Tsuna's bad test scores. "How did you find that out?" Tsuna was traumatized.
Gokudera looked at the picture. "If it was just that, what would you think of him as the Vongola Boss... but on top of that, he's a complete pervert. On the way home from school, on countless occasions, he's stalked Sasagawa Kyoko. He stays a fixed distance right behind her and follows her." Shitopi-chan continued. "Th-that was just to see Kyoko-chan... but... I didn't have the courage to say anything." Tsuna defended himself. "And on top of that when Sasagawa Kyoko's skirt was blown up by the wind, he made this face." She held up another picture. "Uwah! When the hell did you?" Not only was Tsuna now embarrassed and traumatized but he was shaken to his core.
"He has no sense of excellence or superiority. In sprinting, starting from kindergarten he was dead last. In his physical education test, he was also dead last. Because of Sawada Tsunayoshi, they lost at the last minute at least 12 times. And he's even afraid of chihuahuas." Shitopi-chan continued on with her verbal assault on Tsuna. "She sure did her homework." Reborn commented. Sakura was holding back a giggle. She knew how sad Tsuna seemed but his character and what kind of person he was, made her accept him as the next Vongola leader. "For some reason... I started crying..." Tsuna felt completely destroyed.
"What do you think, Gokudera-kun? Wake up and look at your no good Tenth. If the Sawada Tsunayoshi you worship wasn't the Vongola Tenth, you wouldn't think he was anything but a regular, no good loser." She laid on the icing. Gokudera scratched the back of his neck. He then met Shitopi-chan's eyes. Is that all?" he asked her, with a bored expression on his face. Sakura smirked. Reborn perked up. Tsuna looked confused.
An explosion went off behind Shitopi-chan. "Woah." she cried out. One of her balloons burst. "Shitt-P's balloons have burst!" Tsuna said loudly. "Heh, now we're even." Gokudera commented.
"Dynamite? From where?" Shitopi-chan asked, looking around. "Before I go giving away my secrets, I'll tell you this. All those no good parts of the tenth you were talking about... of course, I knew all about them." he said calmly. "Eh?" Shitopi-chan asked, surprised. "Geh??" Tsuna asked. Sakura smiled. "Even so, what about them? That doesn't make up more than one side of the tenth. The tenth that I think about, the Vongola tenth whom I respect greatly... that has nothing to do with him." Gokudera was clearly unbothered.
"Eh? Nothing to do with him?" Shitopi-chan couldn't believe that she didn't shake Gokudera. "Go...Gokudera..." Tsuna muttered. Sakura touched Tsuna's shoulder and smiled at him. "There is no one more worthy to be the next Vongola leader than you Tsuna. Don't forget that." She encouraged him. He blushed and nodded his head.
"More importantly, let's figure this out. Between you and me... which one is stronger?" Gokudera asked her. He rushed at her. "Certainly, I'm fighting for the tenth and to be the tenth's right hand man! That's why I still don't like myself." He was getting closer to her. "Still?" she asked him. "That's not my weakness. Because the tenth's right hand man.. That's what I'm aiming for, far higher up than the current me." he explained to her as he launched his dynamite onslaught.
"There are so many things that I'm missing, so I train, stretch myself, and scheme." His attack included having his cat land behind her. But he kept her focus on him. "I don't get what you're saying." she was confused as she used her flames to melt his dynamite again. "Maybe an Uma can't understand. And now, I'll tell you how I did that surprise bomb just then." he continued his attack on her.
"The storm's Vongola Gear has dynamite as its main weapon, but it also has a detached secret weapon. And now, that secret weapon is aiming for the catnip that I put on you." he said smirking. "Cat...nip..." Shitopi-chan was confused. "Ah it can't be!" Tsuna got it right away.
"Cat!" Shitopi-chan turned around and saw Uri behind her. But it was too late. "Uri!" Tsuna and Sakura yelled out. It clicked with the girl. "This is the storm Vongola Gear's secret weapon, and, at the same time, it's my other self. Uri as a bomb himself blew up with a small meow. Shitopi-chan's other balloon popped. "This is the end." Gokudera said. She landed on the ground less graceful than before. "Wow. The Fiamma balloon popped..." she said disappointed.
A super tiny Uri landed on Gokudera's shoulder. Even though it was tiny it had a strong voice. "Good job, Uri! Ouch! Here, Ill give you catnip... ouch. OUch! Give me a second!" He yelled as he tried to get out the catnip. Sakura nodded. Reborn let out a sigh of relief. "You did it! You won! You're awesome Gokudera!" Tsuna was the most excited.
"It was a piece of cake!" Gokudera said happily until Uri scratched him again. "I said that hurts!" He scolded his cat. Tsuna, Sakura, Lambo, and Reborn went over to the storm guardian. "Huh? Don't you think Uri's shrunk somehow?" Tsuna asked, looking at the small cat. "Yeah... since the Uri bomb consumes Uri's own flames, the more we use it, the smaller he gets. I think when he gains his strength in about three to four days he'll be back to his normal size." Gokudera explained. Sakura went over and petted the cat. "He's so cute." She praised it. "I see." Tsuna said.
"The victor and the defeated have been decided." The Vindice appeared.