I don't own digimon.

Story 76

Germinacide Pt 10: *Redacted*

Jo Kido was having a bad night. Bad enough that work was going overboard, but he also had computer classes in the morning. Add in the sky doing whatever the fuck and the appearance of digimon, he would just be happy if nothing else bad would hap-

"Ā, seikō no tame ni. (Oh for fuck sake.)" Jo announced and stared up into the sky. There, an airship of all objects looked poised to crush him into a pancake. The only way this could go worse would be if you were standing in a shed, having to do an autopsy for one of your dead friends. "Shinkokyū jō. Anata wa tada mizu ni tsuku hitsuyō ga arimasu. Soko ni tsuitara, monogoto wa umaku - (Deep breaths Jo. You just need to get to the water. Once there, things will be alr-)"

Jo's thought was cut off by the appearance of large hunks of rocks. A strange eye was proudly displayed on them.

"Jo Kido, you will serve as the perfect starting point for my revenge! You will rue the day that you crossed I, Quartzmon's path!" the rock announced and Jo continued on. He had a destination in mind and giant talking rocks simply had no part in that. Even if it was going to try anyway. A shame that Gomamon wasn't here to help. Though, he would probably laugh at his situation. That sounded like the exact kind of thing he would do.

"Watashi wa anata ga inakute sabishīdesu, tsubomi. (I miss you, bud.)" Jo thought as he looked ahead. The sea was quite a bit away and he had quite a bit of walking to do. Walking that was likely to take some time and be stopped by waiting for traffic lights and other such obstacles. "I do hope you're safe out there."

Letting that thought fade away, Jo picked up his pace to the best of his abilities. The faster he got to his destination, the faster that he could get this over with. That was usually how it worked. But considering the state of things here, it would likely not be.

"Soko ni imasu! (There you are!)" a voice announced, bringing with it Dark Gennai. Who, contrary to his name suggests, looks exactly like Gennai. Still makes me want to stab him. Sorry. Old habits die hard. "Watashitachi no michi ga saigo ni kōsa shita toki ni okotta koto ni taishite, watashi wa anata ni ongaeshi o suru toki ga kimashita. (About time I paid you back for what happened the last time our paths crossed.)"

Jo rolled his eyes. Just his luck. Of course he would be getting chased by three people. Though, did the airship even count as a person? Probably not. Someone had to be flying it or at least, going down with the ship. If not, that brought with it more questions. Past timelines did exist (if Victoria was anything to go off of), but was the same to be said about parallel worlds? Yes. The answer is yes, as we've proven many times in this arc. But that doesn't matter here.

"Gutaitekini dono yō ni suru tsumoridesu ka? (How exactly do you plan to do that?)" Jo countered as he stopped at a crosswalk. Waiting for the signal to change, he took a moment to check to see where his opponents were. The airship and the giant eye rock thing remained patiently above. Dark Gennai on the other hand, decided that was boring and looked ready to throw down.

"Semete ōdan hodō no mukō-gawa made matte itadakemasen ka? (Could you at least wait until we're on the other side of the crosswalk?)" Jo added, ignoring the attempt at a punch that his opponent tried to use here. Dodging out of the way, he watched the signal light change. Making his way across the crosswalk, an attempt was made to create some amount of distance between himself and Dark Gennai. While the idea was sound, the execution left much to be desired.

"Īe, sore ga dorehodo kutsujoku-tekidatta ka shitte imasu ka? Anata no orokana kawauso wa watashi ni sorera no sakana o hassha suru shinkei o motte itanode, watashi wa maru 1-shūkan waraimonodeshita! (No. Do you know how humiliating it was? I was a laughingstock for an entire week because you stupid otter had the nerve to launch those fishes at me!)" Dark Gennai shouted, getting a very confused look from Jo. If that was what his opponent was so butthurt about, then why did he decide that he was the one who needed to be punished here? Gomamon was a far better option, but still out of reach. Unless his punch was just as bad, if not worse. If so, that still sounded like a silly reason to take revenge on him. Especially considering how not much of a big deal it actually was.

"Amari? Megane o kaketa ano on'nanoko o chissoku sa sete iru anata ga watashi no kokoro ni motto tsukidete imasu. (Not really? You choking that girl with the glasses sticks out more in my mind.)" Jo countered and was treated to an eyebrow raise from Dark Gennai. The laughter from Quartzmon was not helping matters in the slightest. Jo tuned it out for now.

"Kanojo no namae wa Meikodesu. Anata no yūjin no hitori ga anata ni sō itta to omoimasu.

(Her name is Meiko. I would think that one of your friends would have told you that.)" Dark Gennai announced and followed it up with a chuckle. Even if that did get him a look from Jo.

Turning his attention back ahead, the chosen of purity looked around for somewhere to lose his pursuers. At the moment, he could make out nothing in the way of an alleyway or open building. Even if he could, his opponents would just notice and wait until he got out. There had to be something here that could help with getting them off his tail… right?

As it would turn out, there very much was. Taking the form of a white bubble parasol with purple decorations, Jo was reminded of his partner for some reason. Nonetheless, he reached out to the parasol. Grabbing hold, it slipped out of his hands. Floating upwards, a spectral figure appeared. Shaped like a dragon, they looked to be double Jo's height. Dressed in a light blue bustle, one could just make out a long blue tail tipped with a pastel blue bow. Blue scales formed across their body as a set of gray eyes stared down at Jo.

"Nantekotta. Watashi wa jibun no domein kara oidasa reta yōdesu. (Oh my. I appear to have been whisked away from my domain.)" a motherly, androgynous voice announced as they landed right beside Jo. Jo did his best to meet their gaze, but found his eyes drawn to the number of rings on her claws. Clearly married multiple times, it brought with it more questions for the dragon to answer. "Watashinonamaeha yohan'na, mizu no ryōshu/ joseidesu. Anata ga watashi no betsu no bājonda to omoikomu no wa machigatte imasu ka? (My name is Johanna, lord/lady of water. Would it be wrong of me to assume that you are some kind of alternate version of me?)"

Jo raised an eyebrow. Try as his brain might to get the words that he wished to say to his mouth, the connection was simply not occurring. Why did it have to occur now of all times and, not during an awkward moment at a party? Actually, that was just as bad, if not worse now that he thought about it.

"Tabun? Kore wa watashi ga tsūjō kangaeru kotode wa arimasen. (Maybe? This isn't something that I normally think about.)" Jo answered and looked behind himself. Dark Gennai was still following, currently in the middle of pulling his fist back. Somehow unaware of the massive drake that was standing beside Jo now, he was about to be in for a world of hurt. "O ai dekite kōeidesu, yohan'na. Watashi wa jōdesu. Aete ureshī yo y - (It's nice to meet you, Johanna. I'm Jo. It's nice to meet y-)"

Jo didn't get the chance to utter the last word, Johanna cutting him off by swinging her parasol into Dark Gennai. Knocking the pursuer back, it wasn't enough to defeat him. At least, yet. Perhaps given some time and a chance or three to close the distance, then maybe it would be.

"O ai dekite kōeidesu, jō. (It's nice to meet you, Jo.)" Johanna answered as she spun around to meet Jo's gaze once more. The skirt of her bustle whipped about, revealing a set of bloomers leading right into a set of blue heeled boots. Sized to perfectly fit Johanna's feet, they looked quite cute. " (I'm guessing we need to work together to deal with everyone following you?"

Jo nodded, his attention turning ahead. They were still quite a ways from the ocean. At the rate they were going, it was only a matter of time before Quartzmon or Dark Gennai attempted to do something stupid. Then there was the matter of the airship. While only moving when he did, there had to be a reason for why it was done up that way. Like his fate was connected to the airship itself.

"Īe, soreha bakagete irudeshou. (No. That would be stupid.)" Jo thought and picked up his pace. Pushing the thought away to the best of his abilities, he found Johanna walking right beside him. "Yoroshikereba, anata no sekai wa don'na bashodesu ka? (If you don't mind me asking, what kind of place is your world?)"

Johanna raised a claw to her face. Taking a moment to compose herself, she got her thoughts in order. Perfectly understandable for her alternate self to want to know about her world.

"Mireniamon ga arawareru made wa, anata no sekai ni yoku nite imashita. Kare wa sekai o hikisakou to shita. Mo chikadzuite kimashita. Ano orokana dōkeshi no jesuterī ga inakereba, katarubeki sekai wa nakattadeshou. (It was much like your world, up until Millenniumon appeared. He attempted to tear the world apart. Came close too. If not for that stupid jester Jestery, there would be no world to speak of.)"

Her words rolled out and Jo froze. It felt surreal to hear about the destruction of the world. Yes, digimon had attempted to take over before. Yet, there was something different here. Like this was on a far worse scale than all of those messes.

"Jesuterī? (Jestery?)" Jo inquired and Johanna nodded. It's weird hearing your own name spoken by someone you don't even know. At the same time, it's kind of cool. Like I'm a celebrity or something. Oh wait. I already am, by way of my mothers. Forgot I even mentioned that.

"Hai. Kanojo wa hōtei no dōkeshi ni shokuhatsu sa reta itazura-shadearu to shuchō shimashitaga, seizon-sha ga ikite han'ei dekiru yō ni sekai zentai o kaeru tame ni jibun no inochi o gisei ni suru koto wa, karera no 1-ri ga okasu itazurade wa arimasen. Mochiron, soreha tenkei-tekina Bikutoria asa no Igirisu no yō ni mie, subete no hito o doragon ni kaete shimau to iu daishō o haratte imashita. (Yes. She claimed to be a prankster inspired by court jesters, but sacrificing one's life to alter an entire world so that its survivors could live and thrive is very much not a prank one of them would commit. Of course, that came at the cost of everything looking like stereotypical Victorian England and turning everyone into dragons.)" Johanna explained as Dark Gennai went in for a punch. But all that accomplished was getting his arm twisted. Coming awfully close to breaking off, Johanna took the time to

"Zuruidesu! Dareka ni hanashite moraitai! (No fair! I want someone to talk to me!)" Dark Gennai whined and got an eye roll from his opponents. The nerve of these two idiots. Why couldn't they see the importance of his mission here. So what if Quartzmon also wanted his own pound of flesh? He had a far bigger claim here than that stupid rock. Not that Quartzmon would ever admit it. Better yet, how the fuck had he even managed

"Watashitachi wa anata o tasukeru koto ga dekimasen. (We can't help you there.)" Jo answered as they reached the crosswalk. Coming to a stop, he kept his attention on Johanna here. Even as Dark Gennai attempted to use his other hand to cause some amount of havoc here. Getting knocked back, it was now Quartzmon's turn to take a crack at this.

Gypt Ryūshi Hou!

Firing forth a massive laser, it wasn't quite having the same destructive effect it had the last time it was used. Thank fuck for that.

"Darn it! I knew I should've absorbed something before trying that." Quartzmon announced as the signal light changed. Jo and Johanna did their best to create some distance, to no effect. For now, Jo focused on his companion. When was the last time he had someone to talk to on this walk. The circumstances could be better, but that was just life.

"Yoroshikereba,-ha no shihai-sha/ joseidearu to wa dō iu kotodesu ka? (If you don't mind me asking, what does being lord/lady of the wave entail?)" Jo inquired and got a chuckle from Johanna. Raising a hand to her chin, why did it feel like he walked into something that wasn't quite easy to explain? Or at least, something without a concrete idea.

"Fudan wa suiro o mamori, seitaikei no kaifuku ni kōken shite imasu. Jikangai ni, watashi wa nakama no ryōshu ya shukujo ni inochi o ataeru koto de hōshi suru koto ga arimasu. Anata ga watashi ga itte iru koto o shitte irunara. (Normally, I protect the waterways and help restore the ecosystem. Off the clock, I sometimes serve my fellow lords and ladies by granting them life. If you know what I'm saying.)" Johanna answered and Jo nodded. While she didn't need to sugarcoat it, that was pretty obvious in retrospect. Though, that did bring the question of dragon pregnancies, but that was a topic best left alone at the moment. Especially if he wanted to make it out of this mess alive.

"Karera no apointo ya sukurīningu mo anata ga tantō shite iru to omoimasu ka? (I trust that you also handle their appointments and screenings as well?)" Jo asked and got a nod, only to be followed up by Johanna's cheeks turning light blue. Looking behind them for just a moment, it's back over to the chosen of purity.

"Tadashī. Karera wa jōren kyaku ni totte mottomo kawaī chīsana monodesu. (Correct. They are all the cutest little things with their patrons.)" Johanna answered and got a chuckle from her parallel version. Of course, Quartzmon had to cut it off by attempting to fire off yet another beam of energy. "Īe, anata wa shimasen! (Oh no, you don't!)"

Raising a hand in Quartzmon's direction, the lord/lady of waves locked in on him. A seashell appeared in front of it, shooting up at the giant rock. Smashing into Quartzmon, it did little to actually damage the nuisance. Did make him think twice of doing something stupid for a bit. Shifting back to Jo, she felt a shoulder pat.

"Patoron? Anata no sekai de no dejimon no yobikata wa? (Patrons? So that's what digimon are called in your world?)" Jo continued, the ocean getting that much closer into view. Turning back to Johanna, he was met with both a nod and a head shake. By no means the answer expected here, it was certainly bound to have an interesting explanation for why that was the case.

"Dejimon to kangaete mo ī nodaroukedo, dejimon ka dō ka de giron ni narudarou na. Hitsuyōna jikan to rōryoku ni miau dake no kachi wa arimasen. (I guess they could be considered digimon, but they would probably get into an argument of whether or not they were. Just not worth the time and effort required.)" Johanna remarked as Dark Gennai decided now was a good time to throw himself at the pair. Getting a look from both of his opponents, that wasn't enough to stop him from throwing himself at them. "Nankai kono ressun o oshie tsudzukenakereba narimasen ka, rōjin? (How many times must we keep teaching you this lesson, old man?)"

Dark Gennai rolled his eyes and flipped the bird. Getting no reaction from Jo, that was Johanna's cue to throw him into the road. Right in the path of a box truck. Likely on the way to cause a life-altering event. In this case, Dark Gennai's.

"Anata ga watashi no yōna mono o mita no wa kore ga saigode wa arimasen. (This isn't the last time you've seen the likes of me.)" Dark Gennai muttered, Jo and Johanna not even taking the time to look and see him disappear. Instead, they took the time to check on the falling airship. While still up in the sky, it almost looked like someone had gone through the trouble of jumping out. Why and for what purpose remained to be seen.

"Hikōsen wa anata no sekaide wa futsū no kotodesu ka? (So are airships a normal thing in your world?)" Johanna inquired and Jo shook his head. Cool of an idea as it was, it was bound to be a logistical nightmare. Which made all the odder that someone had gone through the trouble of creating one. Perhaps the world that it had come from had figured out a solution to make them actually viable. That, or this was someone's ego product. The latter. It's very much the latter. Though, I don't think the boss ever put much thought into that angle. He probably thought it was cool and ran with it. Not that I can really ask him what his reasoning was to begin with. Even if I could, I would much rather use that time for far more useful things.

"Īe, hikōki no sutairu kara hazuremashita. (No. They went out of style for airplanes.)" Jo answered and looked up at the sky. The airports were likely closed to ensure that passengers and crew remained unharmed. The planes on the other hand, we're likely a far more complicated issue. One that was best left to the insurance company and the airlines.

"Ō. Sorera no izureka ga watashitachi no michi ni yattekuru to wa omoimasen yo ne? (Oh. I don't think any of those are bound to come our way, right?)" Johanna inquired as they reached the next crosswalk. Not much further to their destination, there was still a chance of someone or something appearing to make life har-

In this case, that would be Marine Devimon. Quite confused by why they were suddenly back in the human world. Lasting only a moment, their attention shifted to Jo and Johanna.

"Hey! You summoned someone! That's not fair!" Quartzmon announced and shook about. The nerve of their opponents. So annoying. Yet, they were bound to have the data of someone on hand to counter them here. Hmm… where exactly had they left it? Right. In themselves, of course. They felt like such a silly goose here. "Imperialdramon, show them your might!"

Letting forth an entirely different beam, Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode appeared. Looking mighty and powerful, the dragon jet digimon made a beeline for Marine Devimon. Not even paying attention to Jo and Johanna, that didn't stop the pair from looking in the direction of the ensuing battle.

"Yohan'na-san, shokumu igai ni nani o tanoshinde imasu ka? (So beyond your duties, what do you do for fun, Johanna?)" Jo inquired, catching a glimpse of his companion firing off a blast at Quartzmon. While the attack connected, it didn't particularly cause much damage to the giant eye rock digimon. Need something bigger and more explosive to accomplish that.

"Watashi wa oyoi dari, gādeningu o shi tari, hoka no ryōshu ya josei to tamuro shi tari shimasu.-Kun wa dōdeshou? (I swim, garden and hang out with the other lords and ladies. How about you?)" Johanna answered as she spun around to face the right direction. Continuing their journey to the sea, Jo took the opportunity to think the

"Kinmu jikangai wa konpyūta Saiensu o benkyō shite imasu. Itsunohika, dejimon wa futsū no sekai ni narimasu. Sonotoki ga kuru to, sewa o tetsudatte kureru hito ya dejimon ga hitsuyō ni narimasu. Sore ijō ni, hon o yon dari, tomodachi to chekkuin shi tari suru no ga sukidesu. Mochiron, watashitachi no sukejūru mo omou yō ni itchi shimasen. (I've been studying computer science when I'm not on call. One day, digimon will be a normal part of the world. When that time comes, they will need people and/or digimon to help take care of them. Beyond that, I like to read and check in with my friends. Of course, our schedules don't quite match up as much as we would like too.)" Jo explained and got a nod from Johanna. The edge of the water was coming just in view, bringing with it the reflection of the airship that was intent on crushing him. "Ē to… watashitoisshoni kitekurete arigatō. (Uh… thanks for coming with me.)"

Johanna raised an eyebrow and grabbed Jo. Shaking the chosen of purity about, she didn't need to say a word. The nerve of her parallel self to throw himself into such a danger

"Oi. Watashi wa kiken ni chokumen suruto atsukamashī kamo shiremasenga, orokade wa arimasen. Jūbun ni mogutte kara fujō shimasu. (Hey. I may be brazen in the face of danger, but I'm not stupid. I'll dive deep enough and then surface.)" Jo announced and felt Johanna let go of him. Taking a moment to compose himself, Jo looked to his destination. Now or never. " Yohan'na, kuōtsumon no ki o sorashite kureru? (Johanna, could you distract Quartzmon for me?)"

Catching a nod from his companion, Jo ran towards the water. Not even taking the time to strip out of his clothes, he dived right in. Thoughts of the time he dived in to rescue Takeru. At the time, he hadn't been as strong of a swimmer. Now, a dive like this was second nature to him.

"Kono hikōsen ni nore! (Take this airship!)" Jo announced as he descended down into the water. Not even looking up to the airship, a feeling of dread came over him. He couldn't say why exactly he was feeling that, but it refused to go away. "Shizumanaide kudasai. Shizunde oshitsubusanaide kudasai. (Please don't sink. Please don't sink and crush me.)"

Staring upwards, Jo could feel his glasses attempt to slip away. Grabbing hold, the airship touched down. Creating a massive wave across the water's surface, it managed to float on the water. Somehow, Jo did what his past version could not - defying death itself and laughing at their attempt to end him. Of course, there was still a chance that death would have the last laugh here on account of drowning. Not that the chosen of purity would allow that to happen. Swimming back up to the surface, he opened his mouth back up. Taking care to remain up above the water's surface, his focus turned to Johanna.

Jumping about to remain on top of the water's surface, she looked divine. Even more so while swinging Marine Devimon around. Throwing them right into Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode, that brought the dragon jet digimon's attention over to her. As for Quartzmon, they were looking at the airship.

"Tasuke ga iru? (Need some help?)" Jo called out and Johanna shook her head. By no means the response he was expecting to get here, it was all he needed to see. Especially in the face of possible survivors. For the best. If at least one person could make out alive, then it would be worth it.

Focusing on the airship, Jo swam towards the surface of the air vehicle. The water landing hadn't created anything in the way of holes on the side, but there had to be a way in. Perhaps from the top. Yeah. That could make sense here. Yet, that didn't explain the intensifying dread threatening to come over him. What could possibly be in there to elicit such a response from his mind? Jo did his best to decipher a possible explanation for these feelings, only to find himself at a loss here. Whatever it was, it would remain out of reach until he entered. "Here goes nothing."

Taking care to grab hold of the airship's side, it was surprisingly easy to climb up. Even with the additional weight of his soggy clothes, Jo found himself able to climb up with ease. Once on top, he was met with a hole. Likely the one that Angel had used to get out and torment Koushiro, it would serve as the perfect entrance to enter the airship.

Jumping down without even looking down, Jo stuck the landing. Standing up, out came his cell phone. Turning on the light function, he took care to scan the area. Bodies stripped of their details as far as the eye can see. The only thing that wasn't stripped of its details is a katana in its saya. A note in a plastic sandwich bag has been put on top, almost in the hopes that it would make a difference.

Jo made his way over, slipping his phone into his shirt pocket. Picking the saya up, sadness and defiance echoed about his mind. So contradictory and yet, perfect for this situation.

If found, please give this blade to Miguel Parks

Jo stared down at the note. Even with it still in the plastic baggie, something about the directness of the note said it all. Not that he knew anyone named Miguel Parks. Probably something a search on the internet could solve. For now, it would be best to head to the cockpit of the airship. That was bound to be where the person with a vendetta was. Perhaps they could shed some light on why exactly they were intent on murdering him. That would be a good start. After that, then maybe getting them out of here.

Pushing those thoughts away, Jo approached the door. Taking care to push the door open, a chill ran down his spine. Not that of fright, but more of a clear understanding of his existence and place in the universe.

The body parts of a black cat lay strewn about the cockpit. A pair of naked bodies sit up at the controls, their details scrubbed away to the point that one might be keen to think that they were in fact mannequins and not people. An empty notebook sat at their feet. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Please don't be who I think it is. I'm no doubt overreacting here. It's not like that whatever is capable of killing something intended to be immortal is going to attempt to breach the walls that keep reality from going topsy-turvy.

"Koko de nani ga okotta no? (What the fuck happened in here?)" Jo whispered as he walked over to the notebook. Attempting to pick it up, all that accomplished was creating another Jo. Closer in appearance to when he first went into the digital world, he looked… fatigued. Like the weight of the world had come upon him and he was struggling to hang on.

"There is no hope for you. God is dead. If not even he can stand up to this, what chance do you have?" the duplicate of Jo announced as the original Jo raised an eyebrow. While this was all big news to him, he was clearly grasping at straws. Straws that wouldn't be easily grasped

"Watashi no yūjin to watashi ga yorokonde tatakau koto o shiru ni wa jūbundesu. (Enough to know that my friends and I are willing to fight.)" Jo announced and puffed his chest out.

"Not enough." the Jo clone announced and set his hands onto the featureless bodies. Nothing happens. Forcing his attention back to Jo, he is met with a confused look. How could that not be enough? They had defeated all manners of threats by working together with each other and the whole world. What could be different from that? Or was this a case of the threat being on a whole different level that they couldn't even fathom. "The might of many parallels is required to even make a dent. Perhaps you will need some outside help if you want to succeed."

Staring up to the ceiling, the Jo clone winked. Fuck. This universe is the target, isn't it? Yeah. This… isn't good. Not in the slightest. But that goes without saying. Sooner or later something would occur to break things up. Would've loved it to be more subtle, but beggars can't be choosers. Now, can they?

"Sorenara, anata ga machigatte iru koto o shōmei shimasu! (Then I'll prove you wrong then!)" Jo announced as his clone turned his attention back to him. Miming a chuckle, he beats his hands together. While not accomplishing anything of note, it did look kind of cool. Which all that mattered here.

"Your funeral." the Jo clone announced as the notebook erupted into flames. Igniting the airship as well, this was very much not good. For now, Jo took in as much oxygen as his lungs would allow here. A part of him had hoped that Johanna would notice and maybe help him out here. But alas, she was likely still dealing with Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode and Marine Devimon. Which left it up to him to get out of here. So much for his original plan. Oh well.

Heading behind the featureless bodies, Jo charged at the cockpit window. Taking care to hold in his breath as the fire burned on, he smashed his way through with the saya. By no means the appropriate way to use such a storied weapon. It very much worked. Which is the only thing that matters in this situation as Jo hit the water. Taking care to get his bearings, he didn't need to go far. Johanna was still fighting Imperialdramon Dragon Mode and Marine Devimon, but it was clear that she had the upper hand. Not a drop of water hung to her bustle, likely absorbed into her skin.

"Dōdatta? (How did it go?)" Johanna announced, casually tossing Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode further away from land. Jo looked away and let his breath out. Where to begin here? On one hand, it would probably be a good idea to fill her in on the fact that god is dead and all kinds of bad things are headed for this world and in turn, all the other worlds/timelines/universes. On the other hand, there was also the matter of the bodies in said airship and the fact that it was on fire. There was no telling what kind of fuel was used to get it afloat. Definitely something flammable that didn't like water in the slightest.

"Yokunai. (Not great.)" Jo answered as he closed the distance. Stopping right beside Johanna, that was the dragoness's cue to scoop the chosen of purity up and set him on her back. Jo accepted the gesture, uncertain if this was the right call to make here. On one hand, this was far better than being swept about by the waves. On the other hand, he was very likely weighing Johanna down with how waterlogged his body got. "`Kami' wa shinde ite, hijō ni warui koto ga okotte iru koto ga wakarimashita. Gaibu no tasuke o karite ikinokoru kanōsei ga watashitachi ni yūride wanai hodo warui. (It turns out, 'god' is dead and something very, very bad is coming. So bad that the chances of surviving with outside help are not in our favor.)"

His words rolled out and Johanna let out a sigh. By no means the answer the dragoness wanted to hear here, she accepted it all the same.

"Tsugini, sorera ga machigatte iru koto o shōmei suru hitsuyō ga arimasu. (Then you just need to prove them wrong then.)" Johanna countered as Marine Devimon approached. Letting forth a blast of energy, she aimed it right at the squid demon digimon. Blasting through with ease and reducing Marine Devimon to digital data, that just left Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode and Quartzmon. Likely in that order, unless someone else decided that they needed a piece of the action as well. Considering the state of things at the moment, that was pretty much inevitable. What form it would take, was the wild card here.

"Un. (Yeah.)" Jo answered as Imperialdramon Dragon Mode decided to swoop back over. Massive cannon pointed directly at them, they were quite keen to fire.

"Do it, you oversized drake!" Quartzmon announced and Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode rolled his eyes. Very much underpaid at the moment (if at all), they began charging up the cannon. Bluish white converged in front of the shroud, making quite a loud sound to boot.

"Shit." Jo muttered and stared down at the katana. While clearly intended for 'Miguel Parks', Miguel was bound to not mind if he used it, right? This was an emergency, after all. Taking care to pull the katana out, Jo took the time to gaze into the blade. While relatively clean, one could clearly make out the wear and tear brought about by someone clearly not knowing how to use a katana and emulating what they thought real life samurai did. Yet, that doesn't explain the feeling of power surging through the chosen of purity's body. It made him want to shout out attacks and pretend that he was an angsty teenager.

Katanabīmu! (Katana Beam!)

Rather than the curved beam of energy that would normally launch forth when the weapon's original owner would use it, we are instead treated to a proper beam of energy shooting from the katana and into Imperialdramon Dragon Mode's cannon. Bringing a swift end to that attack

"U ̄ n... (Ugh…)" Jo whispered, the energy he had once felt rapidly leaving his body. Sheathing the katana for now, he was treated to a look from Johanna.

"Daijōbudesuka? (Are you going to be alright?)" the dragoness inquired and Jo nodded. By no means the craziest thing he had done (let alone tonight), it was perhaps the most taxing. There were so many different things he wanted to know and so little time to get the answers to those questions. If answers existed in the first place."

"I sincerely hope so." Jo whispered as Johanna charged up another blast. Launching it forth, that did Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode in. Which just left Quartzmon in order to have this mess all cl-

End of the World!

Sadly, we will never get to know what more that Quartzmon was capable of. Mostly on account of him being blasted by way of an unknown assailant.

"Kuso. Orudinemon. (Shit. Ordinemon.)"

Right as Jo muttered that, his friends decided that was as good of a time as any to arrive on the scene. 'Daisuke', Jun, Gammamon and V-mon in tow, all eyes were on Jo and Johanna here.

"Etto… mōsukoshi no ma, watashinotomodachi o tetsudatte kuremasen ka? (Uh… you wouldn't mind helping out my friends for just a little bit longer?)" Jo continued and got a thumbs-up from the dragoness. Heading back to solid ground, they had their work cut out for them…

.

Varia let out a sigh. While she very much knew who had to be picked up, that didn't make them any less annoying. Landing right outside the lab, the mage digimon didn't need to wait long for the guest of honor to arrive. While her memories of her were hazy, she had a decent enough picture of what to expect.

"Long time, no see. Flower is happy to see you!" Flower greeted, taking a moment to shift Gorgonmon. As she did, what looked to be a sock puppet stuck its face out to examine the situation. Pulling away once Flower had noticed it, the alarune's focus shifted back to her ride.

"Please tell me you're not going to talk my ear off." Varia muttered as she scooped her passengers up. Getting a chuckle, she ignored it. Wasn't worth bothering with at the mom-

Varia didn't get a chance to finish that sentence, mostly on account of Meiko and her companions approaching.

"Uh… by any chance could you help us get to Odaiba?" Meiko announced and Varia rolled her eyes. As much as she ought to get back to her chosen, it was best to get this over with. Especially with the way things had been going tonight…

Harlequin's Notes:

Fuck. I hate it when I'm right. Shit. This isn't good. Could be worse, but could be better. I probably should let them know.