77. Josuke Higashikata and Erina Zeppeli ~Alone~

Josuke takes in the scent of the people around him. He can smell the blood of Sheepmen, Pigmen, Humans, Western Dragons, Trolls, Berserkers, Lycans, Aswangs, a Grimm or two, and Tikbalangs.

Josuke snarls softly, walking in the streets of Earth Prince's Burnham City. Josuke yawns as he showed his fangs, causing a few Tikbalangs to immediately jolt away.

"Geez... Summer vacation just started... and it's so friggin' hot..." sighed Josuke.

Prince emerges from Josuke as Prince grabs a poster from the ground.

Josuke's eyes then sparkle.

"Sorbetes!" he smiled.

Josuke reached the new sorbetes place in town, only to gasp. A long line of people is shown waiting for the sorbetes place to open. He sees a few people woged as Sphnixes, Karkadnnans, Tawerets, and Airavatas.

"Dang it!" shouted Josuke. "This'd take hours! I can't woge like other people in this line! Aswangs aren't meant to live in tropical areas! We were known as Vampires and evolved to take the coldness in Germania! Darn! Why was I friggin' born as a Vampire! Geez!Huh?"

"Oh my God! Oh, God! My arm!" sobbed a Pigman who trembled on the ground.

"I didn't mean to," sobbed the Maltese Tiger. A pair of Sphinx cops pull the Maltese Tiger away.

"Whoa," said Josuke, approaching the phenomenon. "What's happening here?"

"He tore off my arm!" the Pigman sobbed, as his stump bled all over. His arm is shown to be on the ground. "Oh my God! Oh, God!"

His arm is shown to be on the ground, torn off by the Maltese Tiger by accident. A pool of blood is under the arm. The arm twitched erratically. The smell of human meat mixed with pork meat could be smelled in the air. Bones were shown sticking out of the arm, indicating that the pull was rather too strong that it broke and tore off the Pigman's arm.

The Pigman lay on the ground, trembling with his saliva foaming. The Pigman's eyes quivered in horror. He gasped for breath as people tried to approach him. However, he let no one help him, because he's scared of these people who could be predatory Cryptids.

"It's okay! I can help!" smiled Josuke.

"Prince Josuke Higashikata," said the Sphinxes, as they bowed.

"What's happening here?" asked Josuke.

"The Maltese Tiger pulled his friend's arm to try and run to the sorbetes shop. The friend is a Pigman," said the cop. "He ended up tearing the Pigman's arm off."

Josuke smiled and approached the Pigman.

"No! You're a Vampire!" sobbed the Pigman. "I don't want a monster like you to touch me! Please! I'm..." his eyes quivered. "I'm terrified. Please..." His saliva began to foam. "Please!" he screamed and wailed.

Prince emerged and punched the man's arm, as it went back on his shoulder.

The Pigman, however, stood up and threw his fist toward Josuke, only for Josuke to slip on a sorbetes as he fell to the ground. The Pigman then punches a pole that happens to be behind Josuke.

"GAH!!!" shouted the Pigman, as his hand is fractured.

"Sorry," said Josuke.

"YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!!! YOU'RE A PREDATOR!!!" shouted the Pigman. "YOU'RE A MONSTER!!! A FREAK!!!"

"What!?" asked Josuke, slowly backing away with his hands pushing air away. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Sir, I was just trying to help."

The man trembled from the trauma. "You're an animal!" he sobbed. "We're all animals! Animals! Animals!" he sobbed. "We shouldn't have been born!"

"We're not animals," said Josuke.

"You don't know what it's like to live in fear..." said the man. "What do you know, you freak!? My grandparents were murdered by one of you. A filthy beast of a man wanting nothing more than a quick meal!The world needs to eradicate your freaks! Eradicate the more powerful! Stay away from me!" he sobbed, as he limped away.

"Geez," sighed Josuke.

Josuke turns back to the line. More people took his place. "Dang it."

Miguel sits on a bench. Behind the bench he sits on is another bench stuck back-to-back with it. Zed, his old friend, sits on the other bench.

"Yo," said Miguel.

"Yo," said Zed. "Here are the files you've asked for, Mr. President," said Zed, as he handed him a folder.

Miguel opens the folder and sees a file of a picture of a rather handsome man.

"His name is Elvis Jackson," said Zed. "He's from our Universe. You apparently inadvertently saved him from Straizo's slave network."

"Uh-huh..." said Miguel.

"He had been killing Stand-Users and Predator Cryptids," said Zed. "He had been going around and murdering them."

"What is he?" asked Miguel.

"He's a human," said Zed. "Head and CEO of his company, Jackson Industries. He was a marine. Afghanistan."

"Stand-User?" asked Miguel.

"No," replied Zed.

"Then how is he killing Stand-Users?" asked Miguel.

"Turn to the next page," said Zed.

Miguel does so. On the folder's next page, Miguel sees a blueprint of some sort of armored suit that resembles a power ranger's. Its body is completely silver, according to words in the blueprint. It has a large cape at the back. Its helmet resembles a bird. It has two goggles at the front with a small beak-like appendage on its face, making it somewhat resemble a plague doctor's outfit. Finally, it has a top hat on top of the helmet.

"What the hell?" asked Miguel.

"Guess what it can do, Miguel," said Zed.

"Sirit," spoke Miguel.

"It can disable Stands in a 15-meter range... same as yours," said Zed. "Somebody ripped your Stand Ability off. But it can also see and disable Cryptid's and possibly Grimm's woges."

Miguel's eyes quiver, staring at this particular person.

"What was the element that disables Stands?" asked Zed. "Was it called Spirit Stone?"

"It's a material that temporarily takes away Stands," said Miguel. "Where'd he harvest this stuff?"

"I don't know," said Zed. "He's killing people, Miguel. He also has a cult. There happens to be a meeting tonight."

"Where's this meeting place?" asked Miguel, covering his eyes with his hat.

Meanwhile...

Josuke eyes a baby Sheepman. He puts out his finger and air tickles her, saying, "Coochicoochicoo!" The mother sees this, takes Josuke's scent, and hides her baby from Josuke, slowly putting the baby nearer to the window.

Josuke frowns, sighs, and looks away.

By looking away, Josuke sees a friend.

Erina Zeppeli eats ube-flavored sorbetes, sorbetes made from purple taro. It is topped with two other flavors, Rocky Road and Buko Pandan, or Coconut-flavored sorbetes flavored with Pandan Leaves. She softly takes a bite. The ube-flavored sorbetes have a gentle taste, which balances the rocky road's strong taste and the Buko-Pandan's strong grassy taste with a hint of rose, almond, and vanilla. She looks around and sees a few people woging in and out of the blue since the place is so busy. The Cryptids are woging out of taste and savor. Erina sighs softly.

Josuke calmly sat in front of her. Erina turned red.

"You waiting for anyone?" asked Josuke, smiling.

Erina checks her phone. "I guess... My boyfriend kinda canceled on me."

"Great!" smiled Josuke, as he sat in front of her. "The part where I can sit in front of you... Not the part where your boyfriend-..."

"I get it," snapped Erina.

Josuke looked saddened by that response.

"I'm sorry," said Erina, covering her face with her arm as she dropped her chin on the table. She is still red. "That was rude."

Josuke notices that Erina's hair has purple color on the tips.

"It's fine," smiled Josuke. "Nice hair."

"Oh," said Erina, as she covered her face with her hair. Her eyes look away. "Thanks."

"So... Who's your boyfriend now?" asked Josuke.

"David Sereno from Class 8-B," said Erina.

"Oh," said Josuke. "He's a year ahead of us."

Josuke eats his three scoops of vanilla sorbetes.

"You sure like vanilla," said Erina.

"Yeah," said Josuke, looking down. "I only went here to try the sorbetes here."

Erina looks down on her sorbetes as she carves a heart shape on the ice cream. "Hey..." said Erina. "Wanna hang out?"

Josuke finishes his sorbetes with the last bite.

"Sure," said Josuke.

Erina immediately takes out her phone.

"Whatcha doin' there?" asked Josuke.

"Breaking up with my boyfriend," said Erina.

"'Kay," said Josuke. "Weird that all the boys fawn over you guys."

"You fawn over Jessica, my friend," smiled Erina.

"Yeah, but then she had coitus with Gio Brando," said Josuke. "I kinda decided that I don't like her anymore."

"Well, they always did love each other," said Erina. "So! Where do you wanna hang out?"

Josuke's eyes sparkle as he lets out a big smile. "Ooh! Ooh!"

Erina smiles.

Erina stands up.

"You didn't finish your sorbetes," said Josuke.

"Eh..." said Erina. "These flavors are... boring..."

"Hm," said Josuke, as he stood up and left.

Later...

Erina frowns.

"Bumper cars?" asked Erina, sighing. "What are you? Five?"

"Mentally, yep!" smiled Josuke.

Josuke and Erina are strapped in together.

Josuke smiles and stays immobile.

"Aren't you going to drive?" asked Erina.

"Nah," smiled Josuke.

Erina notices that all the other bumper cars, around 40 of them, hit each other. Meanwhile, Josuke and Erina's bumper car stay intact at the center and is completely untouched by the other bumper cars.

"How-?" asked Erina.

"Just enjoy the show!" smiled Josuke.

"I heard Josuke's ability has something to do with causality and probability," thought Erina as she stared at Josuke. "It's as if nothing can touch him..."

"While your world moves around me, my world stands still at the center of it," said Josuke. "I was supposed to die that night... when the Reverse-Flash attacked my family. In the end, I wasn't killed by someone who killed the rest of my family... In the end... I always end up alone, protected by fate itself."

"So... this is your life?" asked Erina. "Your life is to just... stand alone on top while you watch the rest of the world burn?"

"This ability sucks, Erina," said Josuke. "Watch..."

Josuke raises his two hands. A pair of hotdogs are then thrown at him as his hands catch the pair of hotdogs. He offers one to Erina. He puts the other hotdog on his lap as he raises his hands once more, gaining two cups of soda randomly.

"My ability relies on what is the most rational thing to happen," said Josuke. "I can restore things by manipulating the laws of physics. Also, I have some sort of Psychic Sense to know what's wrong and I have the absolute urge to fix what's wrong. I'm here in this world to fix things, Erina. Also, nothing can technically touch me, but I can touch anything.I've never been hurt before, Erina... Except when I fought Kira, I've never been hurt before.Since that's how my abilities work, I've always been ignored by the people around me to prevent myself from being hurt. Only 3% of the population knows about me being the King of the Vampires, and therefore, Emperor of the five worlds. In school, literally, no one except you and a few other people know me.That's my punishment, Erina... for being born into this world... is to not exist in this world. The world decided that I deserve to not exist. The world decided that I should forever be alone."

"You have friends," smiled Erina. "Finn, Jake, Spongebob, Patrick, Gumball, Darwin, Jedan, your family, Mr. Reaper, the Crusaders, Me... We're all here."

"And how long will it take before the world decides to take you guys away from me?" asked Josuke.

"I dunno," said Erina. "But in case we do get in danger... that's why you're here now... To fix everything, right?"

"Yeah... But..." sighed Josuke. "I'm the only one who can fix this..."

"Kinda egotist of you to say that," laughed Erina.

"Yeah... I hate that," said Josuke.

"First time I heard you say that word," said Erina.

"Yeah... well... everyone hates something," said Josuke. "I just hate that I'm the guy who has to fix everything alone..."

Erina grabs Josuke's hand.

"You don't have to do it alone," said Erina. "I get that... What it's like to be alone in a world filled with people that you understand, but none of them can understand you. I get that, Josuke... That's why I'll be here... with you.Because since you're out there fixing everything, who'd fix you when you come home?"

"Well that's why you're here," said Josuke.

Erina laughed.

The two stared at the bumper cars attacking each other. People laugh, and children out there cry. Parents are shown arguing out there.

"I think I'm in love with you," said Erina.

Josuke sighed and laughed.

"Really? Me? A guy whose favorite flavor is vanilla? A guy who only studies half of the day and watches television on the other half? A guy whose favorite type of music is swing music and cover songs? A guy who is incapable of romantically liking anyone? A guy who literally no one in school knows about? Me? You'd honestly go for a guy like me?" asked Josuke, with all seriousness. "What makes me so special?"

"You're the only person who is stupid enough to think he can fix everything," said Erina. "Well... you and Mr. Reaper... But Mr. Reaper is already taken."

"Doesn't that just make me arrogant?" asked Josuke.

"Not at all," said Erina. "Because underneath all that self-deprecation and the inherent belief that everything's going to be okay... you're honestly the only one who gives a shit."

"You'd rather go with vanilla than all the other flavors out there?" asked Josuke.

Erina smiled and nodded.

Josuke stares into Erina's eyes, as he turned softly red.

"PFFFFT!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!" laughed Josuke, grabbing his stomach.

"What? What!? Hey! What's so funny!?" asked Erina, turning red as a cherry.

"It's just funny that after everything when we first met, you're so open to being someone who's this close to me," smiled Josuke, still laughing. "Wanna go somewhere else?"

Erina smiled and nodded.

The two stood up and left the bumper car. The moment they stood up, a bumper car hits their own.

Meanwhile...

*shing... shing... shing... shing...*

A man in an armored suit, similar to the blueprints from earlier, walked in front of his soldiers. It actually does resemble a plague doctor's outfit. However, this suit has several blades sticking out of his hands.

He spoke in a British accent. His voice was rather sarcastic and spoke very slowly. It was deep but effeminate with a soft grunt at the end of every sentence. He hisses at times and growls.

He walked at the center of two lines of soldiers, all standing still with armored mecha outfits similar to power rangers.

"Greetings, my apostles," he spoke. "Two of you guard the doors."

This armored man sat in front of a familiar face: Dylan Straizo.

"Hello, old friend," smiled Straizo.

"Hello, my enslaver," said the man.

"Listen," said Straizo. "My current leader is having me arrested for countless murders, so I wish for you to accept me into your new... organization of yours."

Outside, the man's "apostles" begin to scream in pain as they began to growl, with their salivae foaming in their mouths.

"I could, in fact, allow you in this organization, but... three reasons why I simply cannot," this man spoke. "One is... you enslaved me for... well... five years... the other... is... you murdered my husband and my children..."

The door starts to shake behind the man.

"Lastly..." said the man. "You are... a Stand-User..."

"What?" laughed Dylan Straizo.

"You didn't do your research, did you?" asked the man. "Do you know the purpose of this organization?"

"What is it?" asked Straizo. "What is your little organization for?"

"I am Elvis Jackson, and I am here to eradicate all the Stand-Users in this world," said the man. "Call me... Eradicator..."

Straizo laughs.

Eradicator then presses a button on his wrist.

The zombies smash the door in and start to walk in.

They all stop and immediately fall on the ground, dead.

"What!?" asked Straizo.

Elvis gives a loud sigh. "I could let you live and warn your former leader about me. Sadly, I have to get you killed, Straizo.You, a Hex of all people, are a disgrace... You Predator Cryptids and Stand-Users only care about being dominant... Being above our precious little selves... No more..."

Straizo stands up and backs away out of fear. He woges.

Elvis smiles.

"I'm not a Grimm, so I can't tell if you're woging," said Elvis. "I'm just a regular human person... Ooh my! You seem to be rather... afraid of me... How flattering...It is rather...insipid... however... that you mostly rely on your ability rather than your powers."

Straizo tries to strangle Elvis with magic, but nothing happens.

Straizo shouts. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!!?"

"I am the solution to these worlds' problems..." said Elvis. "I am here to eradicate the filth that is you Predator Cryptids and you Stand-Users that run around and think you have all the Goddamned power in the world. We, the bottom of the fucking food chain, are forced to put up with your devilish schemes! Every war in the Grimm and Prince universes was caused by Cryptids! Today, every problem and issue has something to do with your species feeding on ours! IT IS TIME FOR US HUMANS TO RETURN TO THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS!!! TO STAY ON TOP WHILE YOUR KIND DISAPPEARS!!!You must be thinking, 'Salvi was right after all... Humans are insane...' Well! We quite are! We, humans, fear one thing, and that is the unknown! You are unknown to us... and have been for the last two million years on our worlds!!! Therefore, we will take you out from this world for you to disappear and be forgotten from this world!I will murder every single one of your kind and save the world from fear!!!For the more powerful must fall and the less powerful must rise!For the people... For my people...I WILL ERADICATE YOU ALL!!!"

Dylan Wahrewoges and bites into Elvis's neck. Nothing happens.

*STAB*

*SPLAT*

*sputter*

*GASP*

Dylan backs away, having been stabbed by fifteen blades.

*SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING*

*SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLATTER*

Dylan gasps for breath as he backs away.

Dylan tries to call for The Reaper with his phone.

Eradicator grabs his phone and crushes it.0

"No one can help you now. There is nothing that you can do!" shouted Eradicator, as his blades retract into his arm. He grabs Dylan's face as he bashes it over and over into the tile ground.

*CRACK CRACK CRACK*

*SPLAT*

"How do you like it, Hex? How do you like it when someone from the bottom of the fucking food chain bashes your face into the ground to the point of near-death?" asked Eradicator. "How do you like it? To feel powerless? To be beaten by your victim? To be beaten by prey?!"

Eradicator kicks Dylan over and over again as his blood spurts all over the floor and splatters everywhere.

Eradicator then grabs Dylan by the leg and head.

Dylan sobs in pain.

"The Reaper may be chivalrous for trying to bring you in... But he's still a predator... and a Stand-User..." said Dylan, clenching his jaw. "No different from you."

"OH MY GOD!!! FUUUUCK!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! OOOH!! OOOH GOD!!! I'M SORRY!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

*CRACK*

*SPLORGE*

*SPLAT*

Blood can be seen everywhere.

Dylan had been torn in half by Eradicator, as his intestines and stomach hang from his torso. Dylan twitches violently as his mouth foams with saliva.

Eradicator then drops Dylan on the ground.

"I'm not done," said Eradicator, as he bashed Dylan's face over and over again with his fist. "I'm not done."

*BASH... BASH... BASH... SPLAT... CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...*

"I'm never going to be done..." whispered Eradicator.

"Never..."

*CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT*

"NEVER!!!"

*POP*

*SPLAT!!!*

Dylan's brain pops out. His eyeball hangs from his head along with his tongue.

Eradicator slowly stands up.

Eradicator turns around and leaves the bloody room.

He opens the elevator.

The janitor appears in the elevator as he steps out. Eradicator walks in.

"Clean this up," said Eradicator.

"Yes, sir."

The janitor walks in.

"Goddamnit," he said.