CHAPTER 9

Chapter 9: WINGS AND BOYS

One is alone, two is companionship, three is a group, and four? Is a recipe for disaster.

"But overcoming it is what makes me a pro adventurer!!!" Ryusui said as he controlled the burner of the balloon. "All you amateurs just sit back on the ship and leave it to me, your captain!"

Rika looked over to her right to see Chrome making a dumb face in her opinion. 

'Pro Adventurer?!'

Chrome was aghast, much to comment as insulted.'Did he just call me an AMATEUR?'

'Me?! The KING OF EXPLORATION?!', He thought. Chrome playfully scoffed as he scrunched his nose while looking at Ryusui. "You may be a pro adventurer of the seas..."

"Stop it." Rika rolled her eyes.

"—But I wonder how you do on land adventures?" 

Rika just sighed. "Keep going then, you monkeys." She murmured as she just looked down at the scenery below.

On the night of dawn, the four lucky (is it? ) people successfully onboarded the hot-air balloon consisting of Ryusui, Rika, Chrome, and Senku, and half of the crew are spoiled little manchildren. 

"Some who's taken the time to adventure on their own feet... A TRUE PRO ADVENTURE..." Chrome smugly sneered. "—would know something like this from feel and sense." 

Banters and screams suddenly felt like little inaudible noises to Rika while she stared face down at the scenery of the post-almost-apocalyptic Stone World. 

'I guess it's not that bad.'

She thought. It's not really about the journey for her. It is about the end. And this end? Damn, it's sweet.

Stuck in this new, and unfamiliar world, with no one, even Ryusui to lean on to. She doesn't even think she has the will to get this far. She would've never been like Senku.

Same abilities, the same brain, and yet, different aspirations and ambitions. If it were for her, she could give a damn if the civilization were gone. All she wants? Is to live. If she can eat, drink and sleep, she will be good.

Yet, she's grateful. Incredibly, at that. She was glad everything is here before she opened her eyes. Gracing her presence to improve. Rika was never an inventor to begin with...

"Guys," She called attention of the three and pointed down below. "Look."

With no hesitation, the view from below made everyone mesmerized. "Damn, I missed this sight." Ryusui huffed. Again, Rika was never an inventor, she was meant for innovation. "Rika, the doll—", She cut off Senku and dropped the weather doll on a whim.

"On it, Chie—" She had cut her own self when she saw how the doll flew. The two were flabbergasted. "Oh shit..." They both said in unison. Rika look ahead and she saw an enormous calamity right before her eyes.

Of course, of all day. It had to be today.

"Damn, looks like it's us against her," Ryusui was perceptive than ever. "Who?" Chrome asked dumbly, unaware of the impending danger. All of them looked at him and pointed the almost cartoonically catastrophic danger. "That, a cumulonimbus!"

A dark cumulonimbus cloud.

"A what?!" Chrome yelled. Rika is about to scream back but a thunder just formed near the balloon. "Ack!!" She ducked in reflex and looked at Senku. "Someone has got to say it! Your luck is truly, astoundingly shit!" He nodded and sighed, as if surrendering. "I know!"

Rika can do anything, but not everything. She's not Mary Sue. "I'm going to sit this one out!" She looked at them, determined. "But please help me be of help to all of you because I do not know how to handle this situation!"

Before the three can even say anything, the air ballon was sucked into the storm, making all of them lose their balance. Chrome fell on his back and saw the balloon, already torn up. "It's already open!" He panicked!

Senku and Rika looked up. "In this state, we'll crush to earth!" Senku then informed, as he too was quite stressed as Rika helped him stand up. Ryusui held to the rope and looked at them. "Not quite! I will find a way out!" 

"I shall gain the skill to control even this Devil of the Clouds!" The man proudly stated as he pull the rope lever to control the balloon and as much of the direction where they'll be heading. The remaining three hold on to the ropes connecting the wicker basket to the balloon. 

Even with dead flame, the balloon ascends upwards and its goes spiraling on them. The group had tried to remain calm as they find a way to get out of the storm right before they saw Chrome opened the burner! "BUST!"

He yelled. 

The three looked visibly confused. "What?!" Rika screamed right before a thunder struck near her. "FUCK!"

"NO! I SAID BUST!" Chrome misunderstood. "WE JUST HAVE TO BUST THROUGH THIS HELL—What?! Bad idea?!" He asked when he caught Senku and Ryusui's attention.

"No." Senku said while Ryusui was smiling. "If we did that, we'll shoot up and that way we'll go through even higher altitude than this monster!"

"Chrome, you genius!" Ryusui nodded. Rika on the other hand, processes the situation on her mind. "Senku! The bottle!" She said, right before Senku already had put it in the burner. "Hold Tight!"

The burner immediately let out a big steam that knocks Rika out of the basket. 

"RIKA!" Senku immediately reaches for her hand as the balloon skyrockets through the sky. Rika immediately hold on to the metal attached to the basket. She held for her dear life as Senku was panicking on how to get her up to the basket without him falling too. "Wait! Wait hold on! I'll get you back up!"

This caught the attention of the other two. 

Ryusui along with Chrome who were finding an exit from the monster cloud. He then throws his own sailor's hat to determine the updraft from the clouds. "Rika! You better not fall to your death!" He screamed for her to hear even when he's concentrating.

Rika rolled her eyes as she tries to lift herself up. "Shut up!" She's trying her hardest, but she's not really the fittest person out of them. "Hurry!"

Senku looked at Chrome. "Fuel the burner! Quick!" The latter quickly adhered on his own and throw all the fuel in the burner, and therefore allowing the balloon to be supplied with more steam for extra push forward by being carried by the wind.

One of her hands, due to intense wind flow got slipped off! "Rika!" Senku was a bit scared for her. That almost made Rika lose her grip! She looked up at Senku. "I'm fine! Calm down!" She yelled and yet, she too was shaken up.

Reaching the end of it, we all felt the restless and relief.

And due to this, the adrenaline rush, I felt myself losing grip, really losing grip. "Uhm...GUYS?! Help me! I'm slipping!"

The three helped grabbing her hands. When they were able to pull her up, she slumps on her butt, feeling a bit overwhelmed. 

"I think I just shat myself."

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Unedited.