As soon as they crossed the city limits, they were not entirely greeted by a sandy desert, but rather a rocky wasteland. However, there was one thing that truly captured Aerith's attention. If strolling on the upper plates of Midgar only offered them a polluted sky, this time a cloudy sky stretched vastly above them. There were no giant buildings. Only an arid expanse that seemed endless.
"Wow, Johnny... it's beautiful. It's so vast!" Aerith exclaimed. Fascinated, she intended to stand up in the sidecar to feel the blast of the hot wind.
However, Johnny's large hand quickly held her shoulder. "Don't stand up, Aerith, you'll be thrown out," Johnny reprimanded while keeping his focus ahead. "Have you never seen the outside world like this at all?"
Aerith obediently sat back down, fixing her wind-blown hair. "I haven't. Or more accurately, I don't remember. Back when I was still with my birth mother, I lived on a snowy northern island. But I was just a baby then."
Johnny wiped his motorcycle goggles briefly. "I think it's much safer in Midgar, Aerith. At least for now," he said. "But this scenery is nothing yet. After we pass this wasteland, there will be lots of trees, green grass, and flowers. You'll definitely love it."
Aerith's eyes sparkled. "Really, Johnny?"
"Right. The air will be much fresher, too."
Johnny revved his motorcycle slowly, maintaining a medium speed because the distance between Midgar and Kalm was only about twenty kilometers. However, the relaxing journey came to a halt when Puck's pointy ears suddenly twitched rapidly. The fairy, who had been sitting casually on the gas tank, suddenly stood up straight.
"Boss! Eleven o'clock! There's a huge movement under the sand!" Puck shouted, pointing at a mound of dust rushing quickly toward them.
Ivalera immediately flew close to Aerith's shoulder, radiating a pink aura as a warning.
Johnny rolled off the throttle, downshifted, and braked smoothly. He positioned Aerith's sidecar on the safe side, completely shielded by a dry coral boulder and the body of his motorcycle.
From beneath the sand leaped a pack of Sand Hounds—mutant desert dogs the size of small lions with protruding fangs. They were not alone. Behind the pack, the ground exploded open, revealing a giant red Crawler covered in a hard shell, hissing angrily.
"Stay in the sidecar, Aerith. This will be quick," Johnny ordered in a low tone.
He got off the motorcycle, his steel boots thudding heavily on the rocky ground. His right hand reached for the hilt of the Dragon Slayer on his back. With one smooth pull, the giant black sword was drawn.
"Assess," Johnny muttered quietly.
His eyes scanned the enemies quickly. Both types of monsters shared the same weakness: ice. Without wasting time, Johnny activated his Ice Materia, channeling freezing energy that made the Dragon Slayer's blade emit a cold aura.
Two Sand Hounds lunged first from the left and right, their jaws wide open aiming for his neck. Johnny didn't take a single step back. He twisted his hips and swung his sword with full force.
"Whirlwind Strike!"
SLASH!
In one crossing slash, the two monsters were cleaved incredibly cleanly. Blood splattered onto the hot sand, but not a single drop touched Johnny's motorcycle or Aerith's sidecar. The sharpness of the sword was truly different now; cutting through flesh and bone as if merely parting water.
Seeing its pack dead, the giant Crawler roared angrily. It took a deep breath, preparing to spew deadly acid from its jaws.
Inside the sidecar, Aerith did not stay idle. She closed her eyes, gripped her Guard Stick tightly, and channeled her MP to her two guardian fairies.
"Puck, Ivalera, now! Use... Barrier!" Aerith cried out.
A bright green, transparent energy dome formed quickly, enveloping Johnny, the motorcycle, and the sidecar, right as the thick green acid spray hit them. The deadly liquid hissed loudly and evaporated instantly upon contact with Puck and Ivalera's magic shield, failing to harm anyone.
Given the perfect defensive opening, Johnny darted forward through the remaining acid smoke. His armor clanked in sync with his movements. He rushed the Crawler, took a solid stance, and raised his giant sword high, eclipsing the scorching sun.
"Ground Braver!"
CRASH!
The desert ground cracked violently. The hard shell, normally immune to standard Shinra rifle bullets, shattered into pieces under the Dragon Slayer's vertical slash. The monster collapsed lifelessly on the spot.
The rest of the Sand Hound pack, seeing their leader destroyed, immediately turned around, intending to flee.
However, Aerith quickly cast her magic. "Blizzara!"
Thanks to the combined effect of the Magnify and Elemental Materia, the deadly chunks of ice didn't just hit one target, but chained together, striking the three remaining Sand Hounds until they collapsed, frozen.
The battle was over in just a few minutes.
Johnny flicked the remaining stains off his blade with one hard snap toward the ground, then sheathed it back on his shoulders. He walked slowly toward the sidecar with even breaths, as if he had just done a light warm-up.
"You're not hurt, Aerith?" he asked as the green Barrier shield slowly faded into the air.
Aerith met his gaze with a relieved smile, brushing a little dust off her cape. She then let out a long sigh with a feigned annoyed expression. "I'm fine, Johnny. Sigh... it's just that we barely made it out of Midgar. Why is it that every time we are enjoying a nice date, there's always a monster ruining it?"
Puck flew in circles above the monster carcasses with a cocky flair. "Hahaha! You're right, Princess! I just realized, there's always at least one monster incident ruining the mood. But what can you do? Good job, Boss! Good job, Princess!"
Ivalera giggled softly. "We are on an adventure, after all, Princess."
"It's just... I want to go on an adventure without enemies for once," Aerith grumbled cutely.
Hearing his fiancée's innocent complaint, treating this deadly journey to Nibelheim like a date, Johnny smiled faintly.
"Or should we just go home, Aerith? We're only ten minutes into the trip. I can turn around right now," Johnny teased, getting ready to grab the handlebars again.
Aerith hastily shook her head. "No, don't! I'll get a fever again from that Lifestream call," she quickly refused. She then smiled sweetly at Johnny. "The Lifestream has called. Let's continue, my Knight."
"Alright then, Princess," Johnny replied softly.
He shifted gears and accelerated the motorcycle once more, cutting through the wasteland toward the town of Kalm.