As the title suggests, we're going to meet Squigly in this chapter. She's definitely a fan favorite. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Danganronpa, or Skullgirls.
Jojolion Chapter 9: Dead Singer
Big Band, Peacock, and Painwheel decided to take the Lab 8 crew back to their base, since it was still possible to salvage it. Along the way, Painwheel had a talk with Filia about her wish. After it was over, Filia had a lot to think about. "I guess my wish is too selfish," she noted, "We'd just be trading one Skullgirl for another. And I seem to be regaining memories without the Skull Heart's help." "Even if it's not complete," Josefumi noted, "You could still see this as a new beginning. I mean, now that you've found your best friend again, is it really so bad? Anything you need to remember, you can just ask her."
Just then, Josefumi's phone went off. Yasuho was on the other end. 'We've got a serious problem! The Skullgirl's presence is starting to raise the dead! Good news is they're easily put back down, but there are hundreds of them!' "Damn," Big Band said, "It's like Selene Contiello all over again. Although, there will be one zombie who will be fighting for our side." "Who?," Sonia asked. "Selene's daughter, Sienna," Big Band explained, "Her friends and family call her Squigly. She resists the Skull Heart's influence with the help of a family Parasite named Leviathan."
"Now there's a name I remember," Samson noted, "It's been centuries since I've seen him. The last time we met was when a previous host of mine named Delilah was killed." The next person to call was Joshu's group. 'We've just spotted a major site where the Skullgirl is. But several zombies are rising from their graves.' "Looks like Joshu might need help," Josefumi noted. "We can hold things here, Jojo," Peacock assured him. "Be careful out there, Filia," Painwheel said, "I'd rather not lose you after we got back together." Filia smiled. "I'll be fine. I've got Samson to help me, after all."
Josefumi and his group found Joshu's group in a state of confusion. Parasoul was on her knees facing a blue-skinned girl in an opera gown with her mouth sewn shut and a dragon-like serpent growing through her head. Nearby it looked like Joshu had used Nut King Call to nail several Egrets to the sides of the buildings while Hajime was delegating some sort of argument. From the sounds of it he was being rather successful. "What happened exactly?" "Earlier we saw the Skullgirl toss a large portion of the Medici Tower into the nearby river," Joshu explained.
"At first we feared sheer destruction was her aim," Gundham said, "But it seems she had a direct target in mind. From the chaos flew a zeppelin bearing Lorenzo Medici, or at least we assume as such from the Skullgirl's cacophonous wailing. She aimed specifically for when the zeppelin was closest to the water, then launched the tower with the strength of a thousand behemoths. The zeppelin was clipped and started to plummet. We've no idea if any on board survived." "Not that anyone would shed a tear if Lorenzo died in the crash," Parasoul said as she got up.
"So the Skullgirl seems to be focusing on the Medici," the snake dragon said, "At least her rampage is focused for the time being." "But if it keeps going the chances of innocent people dying will increase," the girl said, "We cannot let that happen." Josefumi then realized something. "I take it you two are Squigly and Leviathan. Big Band mentioned you." "So the old brass is still among the living," Leviathan said cheerfully, "That's good news to hear." Ibuki was blinking rapidly. "Are my ears going nuts, or is there an echo to Squigly's voice?"
Squigly looked confused. "I take it you didn't notice your mouth was sewn shut," Kyosuke noted. Squigly gasped as she felt her mouth and realized Kyosuke was right. "Who would do something like this!?" "No doubt Lorenzo's idea of a cruel joke," Leviathan said sadly, "If not for the rising power of the Skullgirl I doubt I could even hear your voice." He turned to the others. "You see, the Contiello have a long tradition as opera singers, and growing up Squigly was more than happy to take up that tradition. She's quite the expert diva as well."
"So what happened?," Sonia asked, "We were told your mother was a former Skullgirl." "The Contiello used to be allies with the Medici," Squigly explained, "Both of them were looking for the Skull Heart. But somehow the Skull Heart was hand-delivered to my mother on the night of her birthday celebration, and the Medici found out. Thinking we betrayed them, they had my entire family executed. Mother, in her despair, wished upon the Skull Heart that we would be revived. And we were... As an undead horde. But Father was able to spare me the fate of being another puppet by having Leviathan bond with me."
She looked around. "Everything's so much more different. How long was I asleep? And what year is it?" "I think it's 2013," Samson chimed in, getting Leviathan's attention. "Well well. And so an old rival returns." "Good to see you too," Samson said, "So you've been hanging with the Contiello for a while, huh?" "Unlike you, I'm not the sort to wander," Leviathan pointed out. He then looked over Filia. "And it seems you've gotten a new host. I do hope you don't lead this one to her doom like so many others." "What is that supposed to mean?," Filia asked.
"Only that Samson's recklessness and aggression has gotten more than one host killed," Leviathan clarified, "Don't get me wrong, his heart is usually in the right place. In fact, back in the time before the Skull Heart appeared, he and I were good friends. So what is your agenda right now?" "We were trying to find the Skull Heart to get Filia's memories back," Samson admitted, "Even I'm confused as to how that happened. I've never had a fresh host lose their memories on me." Filia closed her eyes. "But after finding an old friend of mine who understands the pain caused by the Skull Heart... I realize I can't rely on wishes to get my life back."
"That's wise," Leviathan said, "No wish made on the Skull Heart has ever not resulted in a new Skullgirl. Wishes tend to be inherently selfish, no matter what the reasons for them may be. And while it is possible to resist the Skull Heart's influence for a time, as seems to be the case with our new Skullgirl here, it will not remain so for long." He looked sad. "Such was the case for poor Selene..." "Looks like I'm not the only one who misses a former host," Samson said, "Or was her husband your host at the time?" "Roberto was my host at the time," Leviathan clarified, "But he lost his life during the incident. His last act was sending me to aid Squigly."
Meanwhile, Parasoul was speaking with Josefumi. "My sister was spotted heading for an old cathedral. I need to go and retrieve her. I don't want to risk what would happen if she got near the Skull Heart." Josefumi nodded. "I understand. We have our own path to follow. Be careful. If what we saw is any indication, the Skullgirl's power exceeds anything my family ever fought before." Parasoul nodded, and she and her Egrets were off. Josefumi was left thinking to himself. 'Thus far the most dangerous enemy my family has fought was Kars. But this Skullgirl could be even more deadly... I hope this team is up to it.'
We'll see how well they handle it soon. But there may be twists in store. Read and review.