Three months after her initiation, Airi Tsukihara — code name Imaginara — stood on the rooftop of Division X's Tokyo headquarters, the night wind sweeping across her newly polished Sakuyamon-style armor. The golden plates gleamed under the moonlight, accented with violet lines that pulsed like living circuits.
She tapped the communicator on her wrist.
"Imaginara here. Standing by for mission briefing."
"Confirmed," replied Director Misaki's calm voice through the earpiece. "Tonight, you'll be deployed to capture several of Kuroda Ren's operatives. Intel places them in Shinjuku, dealing illegal energy weapons."
Airi grinned beneath her fox-faced helmet. "Roger that. Let's see how well imagination performs in the field."
---
The night was alive with neon lights and heavy rain. Airi crouched atop a skyscraper, scanning the streets below through her visor's digital display. The scanner picked up several heat signatures near an abandoned parking garage.
"Gotcha," she whispered, leaping off the rooftop. Her armor's thrusters ignited softly, letting her land silently on the ground below.
Inside the garage, five men stood beside crates of black-market weapons — all glowing faintly red with Kuroda's unstable energy signature.
"Make sure the boss gets the shipment," one said. "He needs these for the next strike."
Airi smirked. Perfect opening line for an arrest scene.
She stepped into view, her armor shimmering in the dim light. "Sorry, boys, but this deal's getting canceled."
The men turned, startled. "Who the hell—?!"
Before they could react, Airi extended her hand. A glowing sphere of blue energy formed — her own version of Kamehameha Light, toned down for capture. She released it, and the blast of pure force knocked the men off their feet, scattering weapons like confetti.
Two tried to run, but she imagined chains made of glowing digital code — like Digimon data restraints — wrapping around their legs and slamming them to the ground.
"Man," she said, dusting her gloves, "I should've brought Agumon for this. He'd have loved the fireworks."
Minutes later, Division X agents swarmed the area, cuffing the men and securing the weapons.
Mission: complete.
---
In the cold interrogation chamber, Airi stood behind the one-way glass as the captured operatives were questioned. The agents pressed one of the men, a thin, nervous type with a burned mark on his neck — a sign of Kuroda's energy exposure.
"Tell us where he is," the lead interrogator demanded.
The man hesitated, trembling. "He's not… here anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"He's… gone to another world."
The room fell silent.
Misaki frowned. "Another world?"
The prisoner nodded. "Somebody helped him. A man who can open doors — portals — to other universes. Kuroda called him 'The Gatekeeper.' Said he'd find a world strong enough to challenge even him."
Airi's stomach dropped. Someone who can open portals? Like me?
---
In the command center, Division X's monitors flickered with data, energy readings, and images of unstable rifts appearing across Japan.
Misaki turned to Airi. "We've confirmed the prisoner's claim. Dimensional distortions have been detected — energy patterns similar to your Imagination signature, but not from you. Kuroda's escaped."
Airi clenched her fists. "Then I'll follow him."
"You've never opened a portal of that scale before," Kaede warned. "If you miscalculate, you could end up anywhere — or nowhere."
Airi smirked under her helmet. "I always end up somewhere."
Misaki gave a slow nod. "You have authorization to proceed. Locate Kuroda Ren. Capture if possible. Terminate if necessary."
Airi raised her hand to the air. Golden and violet energy rippled outward, reality bending like water. The air vibrated, forming a swirling vortex of light.
She took a deep breath. "Alright, imagination… don't fail me now."
And then — she stepped through.
---
Airi fell through a cascade of light, colors warping around her, universes blurring past like shattered glass — until she crashed face-first into concrete.
"Ow," she groaned, pushing herself up. "Okay… next time, land on something softer."
She looked around. The skyline was unfamiliar — tall skyscrapers, a red-sun horizon, and a massive sign that read Metropolis Daily Planet.
Her visor flickered. "Analyzing… cross-dimensional environment detected. Energy signature resembles—wait, what?! DC Universe?"
Airi blinked. "I'm in the DC Universe?!"
She froze. "Oh no. Oh no no no. That means—"
A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, shiny armor girl! You from Comic-Con or somethin'?"
Airi turned. A tall, stretchy man in red and yellow stood before her, his body twisted into a ridiculous pose, grin wide and eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Wait…" Airi whispered. "Plastic Man?!"
He puffed his chest out. "In the flesh! Well, in the… stretchy flesh. You look lost, space samurai. What's the deal?"
"I—uh…" Airi tried to compose herself. "I'm on a mission. Looking for someone dangerous who can… explode things."
Plastic Man blinked. "Lady, you just described half my old villain list."
She sighed. "His name's Kuroda Ren. A guy who can make anything he touches blow up."
Plastic Man whistled. "Sounds like a blast."
Airi groaned. "Please don't make explosion puns."
He laughed. "Sorry, couldn't resist. So you're, what, from another dimension?"
"Yeah. Japan, Earth… probably not this Earth."
Plastic Man stretched his arm around her shoulder casually. "Well, you're lucky you landed here and not in Gotham. The bats there don't like visitors."
She looked around. "So, you'll help me? I need to find traces of Kuroda's energy or the one who opened the portal for him."
Plastic Man nodded, his tone suddenly serious. "If someone's playing with universe doors, it's everyone's problem. You got a lab or a scanner thingy?"
Airi tapped her visor. "Already working on it."
Her armor emitted a pulse, scanning the environment for dimensional residue. A holographic map appeared, showing faint distortions — but none matching Kuroda's energy.
"He's not here," Airi muttered. "This isn't the right universe."
Plastic Man scratched his head. "So, what now? Back through the magic door?"
Airi looked at the night sky — bright stars and the looming LexCorp tower in the distance. "Yeah. But before I go, I need to stabilize the rift I opened. Don't want this world turning into a sci-fi blender."
Plastic Man grinned. "You're a real pro, you know that? Kinda reminds me of Wonder Woman… if she watched too much anime."
Airi laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."
She raised her hand again, summoning her power. The air shimmered, and a new portal began forming. Energy crackled, swirling between gold and violet light.
Plastic Man gave her a thumbs-up. "Hey, shiny armor girl—Airi, right? If you ever swing by this universe again, look me up. We could totally team up."
"Sure," she said, stepping into the portal. "Just… try not to turn into a trampoline next time."
He saluted dramatically as the portal closed.
---
Back in her world, Airi stumbled out of the rift, exhausted but smiling. Misaki and Kaede were already waiting.
"Report," Misaki said.
Airi straightened. "Target not found. I tracked him to another universe but… wrong one. Ended up in a place with superheroes. One of them helped me — name's Plastic Man."
Kaede blinked. "You met a comic book hero?"
"Yeah," Airi said with a grin. "Let's just say he's even weirder in person."
Misaki frowned thoughtfully. "Then Kuroda's still out there. And now we know he's working with someone capable of breaching realities. We'll need to prepare for cross-dimensional pursuit."
Airi nodded. "Then I'll be ready. Next time, I'll find him — no matter what universe he's hiding in."
As she walked away, her armor glowed faintly, and a spark of golden light flickered behind her — the faint trace of the infinite worlds her imagination could reach.