"Damn, Kinro!"
"He's giving the Magma a run for his money!"
"Kinro's so amazing!" [Y/n] cheered, which irked Senku a bit.
"But it's not too convincing when you say it with that mask on!" Suika said, cheerfully, while [Y/n] nodded.
They two men were talking, but the spectators were too far to hear what they were talking about.
"I can't hear what they're talking about, but Magma's turned into a clean Magma." Suika said, but [Y/n] didn't believe it for a second.
"Referee, this mask was clearly thrown into the match by Suika in order to help me. Knowing that, I still wore it. If I've broken the rules, then I've lost. The rules are the rules." Kinro said, and [Y/n] sighed.
"Damn it, you could just keep your mouth shut if it's going to hurt you." Chrome said.
"That's Kinro for you. He's so strait-laced." Ginro muttered.
"You didn't throw it at him or anything. The mask is just an article of clothing. Therefore, it's not a-"
Magma came at Kinro from behind and hit Kinro in the head, hard, with his fighting rod, causing the watermelon mask to break into pieces.
[Y/n]'s eyes widened in horror while Magma laughed. "I'd knew you'd go and ask. You're proper as hell, after all, Kinro!" Magma yelled.
"Winner: Magma!"
"Damn it, that dirty bastard." Chrome said. Kinro was carried to the group by Jasper.
"Kinro!" Ginro called and ran over to his brother.
"Sorry." Kinro struggled to say.
"Thank goodness you're alive." Ginro sobbed while [Y/n] nodded.
"That's all that matters right now." She said, and Senku chuckled, lightly.
"Well, whatever. This is a team battle. As long as someone beats Magma, we win. That match should have dealt plenty of damage to him. That's what matters most." Senku said.
"Allow me..." [Y/n] said, and Jasper nodded then set Kinro on the ground. [Y/n] sat on her knees and gently placed Kinro's head on her lap while Inosuke curled up next to her.
"Will Kinro be okay, [Y/n]-chan?" Ginro asked, and [Y/n] nodded with a reassuring smile.
"He'll be alright. It doesn't seem too severe. The only thing you need to do is focus on your match, Ginro." [Y/n] said, and Ginro blushed a bit.
"You know...you're really pretty when you smile, [Y/n]-chan. If you do it more, maybe Senku will like you better." Ginro said with stuffed cheeks, causing [Y/n]'s eyes to widen a bit, and Kinro glared then threw a pebble at him. It hit him square in the face.
"Hey! That hurt!" Ginro yelled, and Kinro winced in pain then groaned a bit.
"Ginro...please go focus on your match." [Y/n] said while Inosuke squealed, angrily, at him, and Ginro left sadly muttering, "I was only trying to help."
"I-I'm sorry." Kinro continued to apologize, and [Y/n] took some supplies off of her belt.
"There's no need to apologize, Kinro. That trick Magma did was dirty and underhanded." [Y/n] said and started to clean the blood from his face.
"No, about Ginro." He said, weakly.
"I know Ginro can be brutally honest, I suppose. It hurt a bit to be told that my best friend doesn't like certain things about me because..." [Y/n] said and paused for a moment while bandaging Kinro's wounds.
She was looking for the right words while trying to avoid the certain "L" word that she vowed never to say in anything involving Senku.
"I've been by his side for as long as I can remember, and he's never mentioned it before." [Y/n] finished and took a small bamboo cup from one of her bags and a bottle from the other.
[Y/n] slowly sat Kinro up and gave him the drink. "This will help your injuries heal quickly. Are you able to drink?" [Y/n] asked, and Kinro nodded then gulped it down.
"Thank you, [Y/n]." Kinro said as [Y/n] help lay him back down.
"That's what friends are for. Rest now, Kinro." [Y/n] said with a small smile.
"Due to Kohaku's absence, the winner is Senku!" Jasper announced, and [Y/n] smile fell.
'Kohaku...didn't make it...?' [Y/n] thought.
"Senku!" Everyone's attention turned to the bridge, where Kohaku was running.
"Kohaku-chan!" [Y/n] and Suika called.
"Damn it! You barely missed it!" Chrome said as Kohaku fell on her knees, out of breath.
"I'm sorry! Mantle caught me and Inos-!" Suika apologized.
"Thank goodness!" Kohaku interrupted, and she hugged Suika. "I'm so glad he was lying. All that matters is that you didn't drown." She said, and Suika's eyes filled with tears.
"This is my fault. I'm sorry. You lost because of me, Kohaku-chan." Suika continued to apologize.
"There's nothing we can do about that. Besides, it isn't your fault in the slightest." Kohaku reassured her.
"Doesn't that basically settle it? The priestess's husband, the new chief is...It's Magma!"
Magma grinned. Magma blew a kiss at Ruri. "Be glad, Ruri. From now on, you're my woman." Magma said, making all of the girls sick. Including [Y/n].
"Now that we've lost our last stand in Kohaku, the only fighting chance we have left is..." Senku muttered and looked at Ginro, "Ginro the guard. You're all we've got."
"Does Ginro have any shot against Magma?" Chrome whispered.
"To be honest, it'll be tough." Kohaku muttered, and Ginro laughed a bit.
"You said it yourself, Senku...We're gaming the hell out of the Grand Bout. The strongest isn't necessarily going to win. Haven't you been wondering what I've had in my mouth this whole time?" Ginro said and turned to his friends, revealing his full cheeks.
"Don't tell me..." Kohaku muttered.
"Isn't that the raw ingredients for Senku's science drink?" Chrome questioned.
"He has sweet flag hanging out of his mouth." [Y/n] said, flatly, with a disturbed look.
"You've kept it in your cheeks like a squirrel this whole time?" Senku asked.
"I've been saving it for just before my match." Ginro said and was called forward.
Ginro stood in front of his competitor, Argo, while rubbing his cheeks to get better access in eating the raw ingredients.
"I happen to know powerful Senku's science power is from when we went to get sulfuric acid. Senku's special power-up drink...I bet it's even more effective if it's raw!" Ginro announced.
"Raw?! You're just going to end up with the runs!" Chrome yelled, and Senku shushed him.
"Shush. He's better off not knowing anything at this point." He said. Ginro looked like he could barely stand.
"Still...He doesn't look so well..." [Y/n] muttered.
"Here...Here we go..." He muttered.
"That man sure is impressionable. Not that I didn't know that..." Kohaku said while [Y/n] nodded in agreement.
"It's unbelievable..." [Y/n] muttered.
"For better or worse. There's so much gaming going on in this Grand Bout. Simpletons like him tend to break through situations like these." Senku said.
Ginro charged at Argo and was trying to jab him, repeatedly. Leaving Argo barely any time to block.
"He's under the impression that he's gotten stronger just by eating the herbs?" Kinro questioned, which scared [Y/n] a little. Kinro's wounds were almost completely healed.
"You shouldn't be moving, Kinro." [Y/n] scolded him.
"He's never had caffeine before. He's completely wired." Senku said ten chuckled, "And his gullibility makes him fearless. Not a thing wrong with that."
[Y/n] watched in shock as Argo freaked out and started hitting Ginro, repeatedly. Agro backed away, out of breath, while Ginro chuckled.
As the dust cleared, everyone could see Ginro's badly injured face.
[Y/n] looked in horror. "H-His face..." She muttered. His eyes was swollen, mouth was bleeding and had a couple of bumps on his head.
Ginro was able to corner Argo and push him off the platform.
"Winner: Ginro!" Everyone cheered.
Suddenly, Ginro dashed off while holding his stomach.
"Where are you going, Ginro?!" Kinro yelled.
"He probably has the runs." Suika said.
"Not surprising after how much he ate." Chrome said.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
As the drum was beaten to a rhythm, a new bracket was drawn. It was Chrome versus Magma and Senku versus Ginro.
After Ginro finished with his "business", [Y/n] bandaged him up and returned back to Senku's side with Inosuke right beside her.
"I'm sure you know what the situation is. If we let Magma make it to the final match, it's game over." Senku said to his team.
"The possibility of Ginro, who's all beaten up, or Senku defeating Magma is closest to zero." [Y/n] muttered.
"So, the only way to save Ruri is for me to defeat Magma." Chrome said, and [Y/n] sadly nodded.
"If you take down Magma, you'll be the new village and Ruri's husband, Chrome." Senku said.
"Magma, Chrome, forward!"
Chrome and Magma stood in front of each other. "There's no way Chrome can beat Magma if they go head-to-head. But this is a team battle." Kohaku said.
"All we can do is hope Kinro's done enough damage to him." Senku added.
"Chrome's been practicing so hard against target, too. I'm sure the gods of battle are watching." Suika said.
"Semi-finals: Magma versus Chrome. Begin!"
Chrome went straight for a jab, but Magma did a heavy swing with his fighting rod, connecting it to Chrome's head. He was down easily. Magma kept beating him and beating him.
[Y/n] cupped her hand over her mouth with tears in the corners of her eyes.
"How cruel..." [Y/n] muttered, and Senku pulled [Y/n] close to his chest, so she wouldn't have to witness this gruesome display. But, she could still hear the sound of the rod connecting to Chrome's body. The faint sound of fractured bones, and Chrome's grunts of pain. [Y/n] clutched her fists on Senku's clothes. It was tearing her to pieces.
When [Y/n] looked back to the match, Chrome was hovered over what was left of the watermelon mask while Magma continued to beat him.
"What is he..." [Y/n] muttered as Chrome held out the mask on the end of his rod.
"That's right. I'm Chrome. Science user Chrome!" He said.
"What is he doing with Suika's mask?" Kohaku questioned. Magma chuckled.
"Oh, look at that. It's the sorcery mask that I bashed up. Do you think you can scare me with that now?" Magma said, and Chrome looked at the sky.
[Y/n]'s eyes widened in realization. "He's trying to set Magma's clothes on fire." [Y/n] said, and Senku's eyes widened as well.
"He's got the wrong idea." Senku said, and Kohaku and Suika looked that them, "The magnifying glass that I use to start a fire is convex, which means it focuses on light. Meanwhile, glasses are concave. They spread light."
"What does that mean?" Kohaku asked.
"Suika's glasses aren't going to start a fire." [Y/n] said, sadly.
"I like it! Show me what you've got, you lanky brat." Magma said.
"No, Chrome! You can't start a fire with a concave lens!" Senku yelled.
"Don't worry, Senku-sensei. I'm a bit of a science user myself." Chrome said.
"Chrome, don't tell me... No way..." Senku muttered, and [Y/n] smiled a bit.
"It seems that we've underestimated our pupil, Senku. He made a convex lens, literally out of sweat and tears." [Y/n] muttered.
"Is that actually going to start a fire, though?"
[Y/n]'s eyes widened, and she turned to see Gen standing one of the posts on the bridge.
"Yeah, it's called a burning lens. There's even been a case where the lens made from a suction cup and air started a fire-" Senku stopped and turned. "Asagiri Gen!"
"The smooth talker! Why are you here?" Kohaku asked.
"Long time. Look, never mind what I've been up to. Shouldn't you be worried about Chrome-chan? I need the kingdom of science to win. I need that bottle of cold, y'know." Gen said, and Senku chuckled.
"You've been watching the whole time, haven't you?" Senku questioned.
"How many seconds does he need to start the fire? That's the big questioned." Gen said.
"It turns out the maths isn't that simple." Senku said while putting his hands on his hips.
"I'll do it!" [Y/n] said, cheerfully, then her look turned serious as she closed her eyes. She put her pointer finger and thumb on her chin.
"The lens has a diameter of five centimeters. The solar constant is 1362 watts per square meter..." [Y/n] muttered while Senku nodded, "2.6821...Rounded to 2.68. Assuming a radiation rate of zero due to calm winds, fur's condition for ignition is close to that of paper. With a specific heat of 1.3 kilojoules, a density of 900 kilograms per cubic meter, an ignition of 300 degrees." [Y/n] smiled and snapped her fingers. "Sixty seconds exactly." She said.
"Okay!" Gen said and jumped down. "Now it's up to the mentalist."
"Come on, bring it." Magma said, "Hurry up, or I'll kill you." Magma raised his rod until...
"Magma-chan!" Gen called from the top of the priestess' hut. "Thanks for killing me the other day." Gen said with an evil smirk.
"You!" Magma said, "The sorcerer from outside!"
"H-H-How are you alive?!" Mantle yelled, and Gen smiled.
"With sorcery, of course." Gen said then did some weird poses, making flower petals fall above them.
"I put a curse on you so that your heart will explode as soon as to take a step." Gen said, evilly.
"This is obviously outside interference by sorcery. This is cheating." Magma said to Jasper.
"It would be if your heart exploded. But if it's a bluff, then it's just a taunt. Nothing wrong with that. Why don't you try moving? See if you explode." Senku mocked while making an ugly face while Kohaku, Kinro, and [Y/n] looked at him with a deadpanned expression.
"Chrome-chan, take him down while he can't move." Gen said.
Something connected in Chrome head. "O-Oh no. I'm so terrified that I can't move anymore." Chrome lied.
"Wh-Wh-What horrible acting, Chrome!" Kohaku said.
"It's good enough. Gen made it convincing." Senku said.
"Please, I'm begging you. Hurry! This sorcery is seriously draining. I can only hold him for a minute." Gen said, weakly, and Magma laughed.
"Good thing you're a wimp. All I have to do is wait for the sorcerer to run out of strength." Magma said.
[Y/n] smirked. 'I see what he's doing. Kinro really did wear Magma out, and he's using Gen as an excuse to take a break. Not bad.' [Y/n] thought and looked at Chrome. He was still shaking a bit.
"Calm your mind, Chrome...for Ruri-san!" [Y/n] yelled, loud enough for Chrome to hear.
Chrome closed his eyes for a moment, and his limbs went completely still.
The lens began to set Magma's clothes on fire. Senku smirked. "Pat it." He said, and Magma patted his clothes.
"What is this?" He muttered, and the fire spread.
"It a surface flash fire. The fire spreads instantly across fluffy clothing." Senku said, and [Y/n] crossed her arms.
"He deserves it." [Y/n] muttered.
"Hey, Magma, relax. I have no intention of becoming a murderer. I'll do you the kindness of helping you!" Chrome said and hit Magma in the groin with his fighting rod, pushing him into the ocean.
"Winner: Chrome!"
Everyone cheered. "Magma's down!" Chrome cheered.
"Which means... the last contestants are..." [Y/n] muttered.
"Senku, Chrome, and Ginro-chan." They ran over to Chrome, and Senku slapped him on the back.
"It's a total win for the kingdom of science!" Senku cheered.