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It started with an innocent question; Who could beat Kohaku at arm wrestling?
Ryusui had been the one to propose the question after witnessing her effortlessly haul lumber around the shipyard. Quickly the topic was picked up by the other workers and during a break, a group of them sat around in the shade, throwing around names as possible opponents and speculating how the theoretical match up would go down.
“What about Kinro?” Ryusui asked, stroking his chin at the thought as he tried to imagine the pair.
“Maybe?” Kohaku replied, flexing her hand nonchalantly. “He has gotten fairly strong since he started training with me. Might have a decent shot.”
“What about that big blond guy?” Nikki chimed in. “Magma? He seems pretty strong.”
Kohaku laughed. “Ha! Not a chance! He’s strong but his reflexes suck. It’d be over in a heartbeat!”
The discussion continued well after the break had ended, with more names being tossed out only to be swiftly shot down. It became clear that most of match ups against Kohaku weren’t nearly as interesting as originally proposed. And so, the conversation shifted.
New pairs were tossed around and debates formed to predict the hypothetical winner. Others around the worksite who hadn’t been part the original discussion soon joined in, adding their own suggestions and postulating theories.
“How about Magma verses Taiju,” Ukyo suggested.
“Probably Magma,” Kohaku admitted after a few moments of thought. “I do think he’s a little stronger than Taiju.”
“Maybe. But what about Taiju’s unlimited stamina?” he said. “If he had a sturdy enough grip, I think he’d be able to stand his ground and wait till Magma tired himself out.”
“Hey I’ve got one!” Chrome shouted down from the scaffolding he was perched on. “What about Ginro verses Suika!”
Nikki frowned up at him. “What kind of match up is that? That’s a literal child!”
“Suika,” Kohaku answered immediately, full of confidence.
“How?”
“Ginro would get overly sure of himself, probably try to show off. So while not paying attention, Suika would beat him.”
Nikki considered. Though she hadn’t known the villagers very long and was still getting a handle of their capabilities, from what she had seen of the young guard’s personality Kohaku’s logic seemed solid.
“Ah! I’ve got a good one!” Ryusui suddenly shouted, snapping his fingers loudly to gain attention. “What about Senku… verses Gen!”
Silence fell over the shipyard. For once the answers didn’t come right away, everyone carefully considering the abilities of both opponents.
In terms of strength and stamina, both were… abysmal. One would think with all the work they had been doing after all this time, they would’ve built up some manner of muscle. But against all logic, that didn’t seem to be the case. It wasn’t uncommon to spot one or the other lagging behind when it came to any projects involving physical labor. Imagining either coming out victorious when pitted against the another was quite the difficult task to imagine.
“That’s… That’s actually a tough one,” Ukyo said, the first to break the silence.
“Senku…?” Chrome said cautiously. Even he wasn’t entirely confident with his choice.
“I dunno,” Nikki said, hands on her hips as she tried to imagine the scenario. “I mean, I’ve seen the guy struggle with carrying anything over ten pounds but he’s at least got a little more meat on him compared to Gen’s twiggy arms.”
“Gen is pretty fast though,” Uyko offered. “Speed can be a pretty big factor in arm wrestling. If he caught Senku off guard--”
“No way!” Chrome shouted, sounding much more confident now with his answer. “Senku’d probably come up with some science way to help him win!”
Kohaku shook her head. “Honestly, I agree with Ukyo. Gen’s got some swift hands. Besides, he’d probably come up with a way to trick Senku so he’d win. It seems like the kind of thing he’d do.”
“Senku’s way too smart to fall for any of Gen’s tricks!” Chrome shouted again as he began climbing down. “R-right?”
Silence.
“Well damn. Now I’m actually curious.” Ryusui smirked. “Only one way to know for sure!”
“Excuse me?”
Senku raised a brow in confusion. He’d been buried in work, drawing up new blueprints with Gen’s help when they were suddenly interrupted by Ryusui, Chrome and Kohaku. They had burst into the lab rather abruptly and given the serious looks on their faces, he’d thought something bad had happened at the shipyard.
He should have known it was something nonsensical.
“W-well,” Chrome began, fidgeting with his hands as he tried to articulate his thoughts. “We were talking about differences in strengths between various people and how they would fair when matched up against one another and--”
“We wanna know who’d win in an arm wrestling contest,” Kohaku interrupted, growing impatient with Chrome’s long winded explanation. “You or Gen.”
Behind him, Gen snickered. Senku let out a sigh. “You seriously interrupted me for this? We have enough work to worry about right now. Hypothetical strength competitions can wait until later.”
Kohaku scoffed. “It was just a simple question.”
“I think you’d win Senku!” Chrome exclaimed, fists clenched in excitement. “You’d use the power of science to gain an advantage!”
“And I still say Senku’s got zero strength and Gen would win.”
“Oh Kohaku-chan, I’m flattered you have such confidence in me,” Gen said smugly.
“Yeah well, you’d probably cheat anyway so it’s a safe bet.”
He frowned, “And now I’m insulted.”
Senku sighed again, rubbing at the back of his neck. “There are more important things we should be focusing on right now.”
“Come now Senku,” Ryusui smiled wickedly. “You can’t tell me you aren’t the least bit curious about who’s stronger between the two of you.”
“No,” he said flatly, eager to end the discussion and return to his work. “I already know what the outcome would be anyway.”
Gen tucked his hands into his sleeves and tilted his head to the side, “Oh really Senku-chan?”
“Yeah. I would win.”
“Oh?” he scoffed. “You really think you could beat me?”
“I don’t think I could beat you,” Senku retorted, hands planted firmly on his hips. “I know I could. Arm wrestling is more than just strength. It’s about leverage. With the right angle, I’d win in an instant no matter who I went up against.”
The mentalist smirked as he took a seat at the table in the center of the lab. He pulled back his sleeve and planted his elbow firmly, holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers. “Care to test your hypothesis then? Mr. Scientist?”
Senku considered. While there were certainly more pressing things that needed his attention, a harmless distraction could also be beneficial. He could do with a short break and this certainly wouldn’t take that long.
Pulling around a stool, he took a seat directly across from Gen. He rested his elbow on the table, grabbing hold of the other’s hand. “Fine. But don’t complain when I win.”
“You mean, if you win.”
“Wait wait!” Kohaku shouted gleefully. She sprinted over, clasping her hands over theirs. “If we’re really doing this, it needs to be done right! Ready? Set? GO!”
She leapt back as she released their hands, expecting a burst of force from the two of them as they began.
But nothing happened.
Or rather, something tried to happen. For the briefest of moments, their hands wobbled then went completely still. One would think they hadn’t actually started… if it weren’t for the frustrated looks on their faces and the strained grunts of effort they were both making.
Wait, no. Something isn’t right.
Huh? Come on. Move!
I should have more leverage than this, shouldn’t I?
This shouldn’t be so hard! Just keep pushing.
Did I get the angle wrong? Miscalculate Gen’s forearm length?
I know I’m stronger than Senku-chan. I must be.
I should be making some progress. What’s going on?!
He’ll tire out eventually. Right?!
“Is, is it possible,” Kohaku wondered aloud, “to expect an outcome and still be disappointed when it actually happens?”
“Actually, I’d say they’re doing better than anticipated,” Ryusui mused.
“Go Senku! You can beat him!”
Senku tried to ignore the commentary from the side, focusing all his attention on pushing down his opponent’s hand. He tensed his forearm, twisted at his shoulder. He put all his body weight behind it, grabbing the corner of the table to use as an anchor point. But Gen’s hand just wouldn’t budge.
On the mentalist’s side, things weren’t progressing much better.
Gen tightened his grip, keeping his wrist straight. No matter how hard he pushed, the scientist’s hand just wouldn’t move. He had hoped to catch Senku off guard with speed, pinning him before he had the chance to prepare, but he missed his chance. So now, it was a test of endurance. If he could hold steady, he could win. But that was easier said then done. Already he could feel a twinge traveling up from his elbow.
Maybe a glass top table wasn’t the best spot for their match.
Slowly the minutes ticked by. Senku puffed heavily through his nose while Gen gritted his teeth. The pair glared daggers at one another, beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads as their faces became more and more flushed as time went on. In the beginning there had been some slight movement, their hands wiggling back and forth, but now they were stone still. Neither had made any more progress and the whole spectacle had just become kind of sad to watch.
“I can’t look away,” Kohaku said, staring transfixed.
“Hmm,” Ryusui hummed. “Yes. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion.”
“I’d say it’s more like a, like a water flea… fighting a bean sprout.”
“Maybe we should stop them?” Chrome suggested, having long since stopped his cheering for his mentor and now watching with growing concern. “I think they’re both gonna pass out at this rate.”
“You guys… were the ones… that wanted this!” Senku huffed, his grip on the edge of the table tightening.
“Give up!” Gen hissed through gritted teeth. “I’ve… almost… got it!”
“In… your… dreams! Men-ta-list!”
The sun had begun to set. People were wrapping up their work for the day, settling down to relax for the night.
But within the lab, there were still two people hard at work.
Senku’s hair was drenched in sweat, drooping over his face like a wilting plant. Gen’s was much the same, the collar of his haori damp and clinging to the back of his neck. At some point Chrome had nodded off to sleep, now slumped against the wall. Ryusui had left, having been called away by some passerby. Only Kohaku remained, continuing to watch the ongoing fight. Determined to see it through till the end.
“S-Senku?”
“Y-yeah?”
“I think…” Gen tried to straighten himself up. His whole body had gone stiff and numb. “I think… it has become abundantly clear… we are at an impasse.”
“Yeah. You could, say that.”
“So perhaps, we should call it a draw?”
“We should’ve called it a draw,” Senku said, shaking his head to get the hair out of his face, “about forty minutes ago.”
Gen chuckled dryly. “Right. So how about, a truce. On the count of three, we both relax.”
“…Ok.”
One.
Two.
Three.
…
“You didn’t relax, Senku-chan.”
“Did you really think… I would fall for a trick like that?”
“Well… you can’t blame me… for trying.”
“Surprised you didn’t do that sooner.”
“Well excuse me. For trying to win. Legitimately.” Gen swallowed hard. “But seriously. I think we need to stop. I can’t feel my arm anymore.”
“Me neither.” Senku admitted. “Holding this position for so long. We’re probably pinching nerves. Not to mention restricting blood flow. We could be causing, irreparable damage to our limbs.”
Gen’s face went pale. “So, let go then?”
“Can’t. Hand’s cramped. You let go.”
“I, I can’t?!” He clawed with his free hand, trying to pry his fingers loose. “Oh god! Oh no!”
“Stop panicking!” Senku shouted, grabbing with his own free hand. He had no strength left his in fingers after gripping the table’s edge for so long. “We just have to relax!”
“How can you tell me to relax when you just told me I could loose my hand!!”
“I didn’t say that!”
“All right. That’s enough.” Kohaku walked over, firmly grasping both of their trapped hands. “I got it.”
“Kohaku-chan… w-wait!”
“Lioness! You gotta to be gentle!”
Chrome was startled awake by sudden screams of agony. When he looked, he saw Kohaku standing beside the table looking mildly amused. Senku was still seated at the table, grimacing and waving his whole arm back and forth rapidly. Meanwhile Gen was curled on the floor, clutching at his wrist and screaming.
“Pins and needles! Ah! My arm is pins and needles!”
“W-wait! Who won?!”
“Nobody,” Senku groaned. “And we’re going to agree, to never speak of this again.”