“Flight JA-KEDK, you cannot—” Kido turns off the radio, unable to concentrate. The tsunami was advancing towards the plane, and he could scarcely listen to protests from the passengers and crew. He knew he had to leave, the people on board wouldn’t be safe even if he backed up, nor could the airport take any more people. He grips the control stick, taking faster breaths now. He steadies his grasp, and the plane proceeds, Kido doing what people call ‘brace for the storm’.
The tsunami was closing in. The passenger's screams were becoming more audible in Kido’s ears. Feeling the plane starting to lift off and ascend, he heaves a sigh of relief. The plane collided with the waves, and the turbulence caused even more panic, this time, to the crew as well.

His heart was pounding in his chest. The situation wasn’t over. Water crashed down onto the plane, but the plane was miraculously off the ground now, and they officially left the airport. The waves of water on the plane had evaporated due to the sun above, allowing him to glide through the air with ease. Kido couldn’t believe it: he took off even during a tsunami. He planned on what he’d tell his family after this, that he not only conducted a flight to Vancouver, Canada (The furthest he’s ever flown), but he also managed it under the risks of the earthquake 5 hours prior, and the tsunami which he had just escaped.
He whooped and cheered, feeling as if a heavy rock had just lifted from his chest. The sky cleared up, revealing the vivid blue, along with the sun shining brightly to complement his mood. A grin spread across his face as he flew between the clouds, a surge of freedom overwhelming him.
He laughed, though was cut short when a flight attendant burst into the cockpit with a look of distress. “Captain! The…the plane! It-”
The flight attendant’s breaths shortened, her eyes rolling up to her head as she fell to the ground, unconscious. Kido immediately looked back to the window, noticing how the sea became rapidly close. It was then that the engine exploded, the pieces collapsing and dropping into the ocean. Kido desperately grasped for the controls, frantically pressing any button he could think of as the plane was getting closer to the ocean’s surface.

The plane was heading towards the ocean, no doubt, and Kido was plunging to his death with it. Sirens whirred, red lights flashing in and out of his vision as the plane neared the water. And before he knew it—

Everything turned black.

“Breaking news: Survivors from the crashed plane of flight JA-KEDK were just found. Here’s a clip regarding the incident...”

On the screen was a small huddle of people scrambling onto a piece of the wing that broke off. Some injured; but all alive—they were going to make it…

But Kido was nowhere to be seen.

Ascend or Descend?