So, her powers had partially developed. And the powers seemed quite promising. Would that mean the Bucciarati would stop treating her like a child? Trish sighed, realizing that there was a five-year age gap between the two of them, and she most likely seemed like a child to Bucciarati. Which… made a lot of sense in actuality. She just wanted to be seen as an equal, which was quite tough. The two sat alone in the turtle, awaiting further feedback from the rest of the team. The quiet made Trish a little antsy, as she felt nature calling. She stood up on a chair, and reached her arm out to try and leave, when Bucciarati called out to her.
"Trish, please get down from there. It's too dangerous for you to leave." He swiftly stated, a piercing authority in his voice, as was to be expected of a capo.
"Listen, Bucciarati, when it's time to go, it's time to go. And there aren't any bathrooms in here the last time I checked, now are there?" Trish questioned, glaring right at Bucciarati.
Bucciarati leaned forward, cupping his chin in his hand. "You're absolutely right. Just give me a moment." He said, standing up and walking towards the closet.
Trish was mildly curious as to what Bucciarati was planning. When she heard the sound of zippers, she knew it wasn't a good sign.
"This closet will be our bathroom. Have at it." Bucciarati presented the closet to Trish, which was entirely bare, save for an unzipped hole on the bottom of it's floor.
Trish grimaced at this. Bucciarati rubbed the back of his neck, continuing "I… don't really know where this portal leads, but I'm sure the turtle will be fine. It might actually be good for him."
Trish felt she was the only sane person in this group sometimes. She began sputtering at the capo. "Bucciarati, please tell me you're not suggesting that I-"
"Bucciarati, we'll be traveling by car now." A booming voice came from above.
Trish snapped her neck to the source, facing Giorno's gigantic face.
Bucciarati nodded. "Once the area is secured, we can leave." He stated to the blonde teen.
"Understood." Giorno said, turning his attention to something else outside.
"I am never getting used to that." Trish murmured to herself.
Bucciarati then turned his attention to Trish. "Well, if you're not going to make use of it, then I will." He said matter-of-factly, closing the door behind him, leaving Trish alone in the main room of the turtle.
Trish cast her gaze outside of the turtle, looking at Giorno's expression, which warranted one of worry. "Giorno, is everything alright out there?" She called to him.
Trish looked around the turtle, realizing the door behind her was now ajar, with what looked like no one inside. But that couldn't be possible. Bucciarati was just in there a moment ago. How could he have left? She didn't even hear a zipper being opened. Cautiously, she approached, peeking her head around the corner. She nearly screamed at the sight of Bucciarati's body being cubed.
"R-Run Trish! G-Get the hell o-out of here!" Bucciarati meekly cried.
That's when she saw it. A small purple figure within the closet. Before she even realized it, her own body found itself outside of the turtle laying right next to Giorno.
"Trish, what are you doing out here? We're being followed." Giorno said to the pinkette, pointing to a motorbike.
"I know that! Bucciarati just got cubed!" Trish cried, standing up.
Giorno cocked an eyebrow. "Cubed? Wha-"
A fleshy chunk flew right in front of the two of them, both staring for a moment. Trish tried to keep her composure when she realized that the chunk came from Giorno's neck.
"Trish, s-stick close." Giorno rasped, the two of them standing back-to-back, eyeing their surroundings.
"How the hell can you even speak right now?" Trish questioned.
Giorno muttered under his breath, "Not sure."
Another chunk flew right infront of Trish, watching as a green eye flew past her. She also watched as her body got further away from her left eye.
Trish silently cursed to herself, getting Giorno's attention, as he turned around to see her cubed eye on the ground. He went to try and heal her, but she denied the gesture.
Trish growled. "Where the hell is this thing?" She muttered under her breath.
"Right behind you." A new, shrill voice entered the fray.
Trish swung around, facing Giorno a little too close for her liking. But what she wasn't planning on seeing was a rock, divided into cubed sections.
Both teens jumped back, Trish nearer to the wall, with Giorno closer to the motorbike, as he placed the turtle on the ground next to him.
"Splitting up, eh? I suppose it's a good strategy." The rock stated, lunging for Giorno. Now it was his turn to lose an eye. More specifically, his right eye. Giorno, in a last-ditch effort, glared over the half wall to the parking lot, trying to get his message to Trish. Trish realized that the team was on the other side of the wall. She quickly nodded, moving towards the half wall.
"Not so fast, girlie." The rock called, moving at breakneck speeds towards Trish. Seeing this, as if by instinct, Trish reached for the ground and pulled it over her body, the ground around her becoming more elastic by the second.
"W-What the?!" The rock cried, bouncing right off the elastic grass, and crashed right into the motorbike.
Giorno and Trish stared for a moment, both in bewilderment at the scene before them. Had her stand powers been developing more? She supposed now was not the time to be questioning these things. She reached for her dismembered eye, and pushed it back into place, a gross squelching sound assaulting Trish's ears, watching as Giorno did the same with his eye and throat piece.
The motorbike was now leaking gas, with the turtle close by. Cautiously, Giorno approached the motorbike, eyeing the surroundings for any visual on the enemy. Trish joined in, watching carefully. She thought about calling over the rest of the team, but that would most likely lead into a clean escape of the enemy.
Giorno reached for the turtle, and in the flash of an eye, the gasoline sprang to life, revealing a short purple humanoid figure. Giorno managed to get the turtle and keep his distance from the stand.
The enemy's stand smirked. "I'm really only here for the girlie over there." It pointed towards Trish, a scowl forming on her face.
"Sooo… you just have to disappear. No hard feelings, 'k?" It stated to Giorno, the stand's fist flying towards the teen. Giorno summoned Gold Experience to block the punch, but his right arm god ripped right off of him.
"HA! Gotcha!" The stand cried, taunting Giorno. "You aren't even close to beating the immaculate power of me, Babyface." Trish would have laughed at the ridiculous name, if they weren't in such a life-or-death situation.
But Giorno stood firm, to the dismay of both Trish and Babyface for varying reasons. "Rearranging the human body into other objects, you just gave me a terrific idea." Giorno glared right at Babyface.
"Now that I think about it, your abilities aren't too dissimilar to Gold Experience. We both have the power to create something entirely new." Giorno stated, keeping his gaze focused on the stand before him.
It was at this point that Trish realized Giorno's dismembered arm was nowhere to be seen. Where did it even go?
At this point, it seemed Babyface was entirely done with Giorno's rambling. It snickered, saying "You know what, I'll give you credit. You did manage to spook me a bit back there, you bastard. And now get ready for the hurt, cause I'm gonna rip your head o-"
"As I was saying, you have a talent for transforming body parts into objects, correct?" Giorno interjected, interrupting Babyface mid-sentence.
"It's inspired something in me." Giorno continued, both Trish and Babyface seemingly lost as to where he was going with this.
"Maybe it was simply fate, or perhaps our similar abilities that drew us together." Giorno droned on, as Babyface looked around it's surroundings, searching for something, and Trish had an idea as to what the stand was looking for.
"Whatever it was, Gold Experience is a lot more capable now, thanks to you." Giorno stated, the sarcastic thanks seemingly ignored by Babyface.
Babyface seemed on the verge of breaking. He began shouting, "Alright, where is it? Where the hell did the arm go? I know I tore it off, but how-"
"Tore it off, you say? You've got it all wrong." Giorno said, his voice sounding like he said it with a devilish smirk, but his face was devoid of any emotion.
"I chose to let it go on purpose." He casually admitted, earning shocked looks from Trish and Babyface.
"But I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you some solid advice. You might want to stop pointing that finger at me and defend yourself, rather than going after me." Giorno advised.
Babyface was not amused. "You can shove that advice up your smug ass. Now die." It shouted, launching it's fist right at Giorno, just before the stands left arm began spasming, and bulging in odd places.
"That hand you just severed has already become a different organism, and is eagerly devouring you from the inside out." Giorno flatly stated.
"Giorno, don't tell me you turned your arm into…" Trish trailed off, looking right as Babyface's bulging arm.
Giorno glanced over to Trish, and nodded. "Yep." He said, popping the 'p' on the end.
All at once, a large fish bit it's way out of Babyface, as the stand screamed out in pain.
"You guessed it. It's a piranha." Giorno called, Trish both horrified at the site of the piranha, and bemused that she got it right.
As Babyface writhed on the ground in pain, the piranha reverted back to it's original state, laying there on the ground.
"There's a hole that big in the back of it's neck, and it's still alive?" Trish murmured to herself.
"Goddamnit, screw this turtle shit." Babyface shouted, as it landed perfectly on Coco Jumbo's droppings.
"You'll pay for this by dying in disgrace. That's the least you can do for me." The stand shouted at Giorno, the blond teen ignoring it's threats, keeping an even glare with the stand.
"If Bucciarati won't turn back to normal after I destroy you, then I'll do it. You won't get away. Your head's next." Giorno declared, summoning Gold Experience and pointed right at Babyface.
"Just try it, you fuckwit!" Babyface roared, launching itself right at Giorno. Giorno easily evaded the assault, as Babyface's arm hung right above Gold Experience.
"You've gotten me twice already. I've got a good grasp on your range." Giorno stated, but in an instant, the arm grew in length, and slashed back down at Giorno's body. The teen just barely had enough time to evade a fatal blow, but the wound still slashed its way across Giorno's body.
"Shit, Giorno!" Trish cried, attempting to help Giorno, only for him to hold up a hand, signifying her to stop.
"I'm fine. It's just surface level. But…" Giorno trailed off, glancing back to the stand before them.
"This bastard's range just grew." He muttered, watching as Babyface's body began to grow, finally eye-level with Giorno and Trish.
Babyface cackled like a goblin. "Y'know, simple is best." It uttered, earning a glare from Giorno.
Babyface pointed yet again. "I'm gonna kill this bastard exactly how I want to kill him." It stated, beginning it's rush to Giorno.
"Bring it back, GOLD EXPERIENCE!" Giorno shouted.
Trish watched as the bike turned into Giorno's hand, returning to him within milliseconds, allowing for Gold Experience to launch a blow right to Babyface, landing directly on Babyface's temple.
"MUDA!"
The stand cried in pain, surprised by the attack.
"Seems to have been a direct hit." Giorno muttered.
In an instant, Babyface cubed itself up, moving it's head out of the way of Gold Experience's fist, allowing for it to get an advantage over Giorno. This, however, did not faze Giorno in the slightest.
"You should probably get your eyes checked. You missed me, assclown." Babyface taunted, gripping tightly on Gold Experience's right hand.
"I've won. This is the end for you. And once I dispose of you, I'll take the girlie over there back to my team." It stated, earning a disgusted look from both teens.
"I feel like I should have warned you, but it's useless now." Giorno warned, but Babyface ignored him, opting to punch him right in the skull. But Babyface soon fell over, it's left hand twitching like mad. Trish then realized that Giorno's and Gold Experience's right hands were missing.
"Wh-What the hell?!" Babyface cried out in anguish, wondering what had just happened.
"Look again. The hand brought back by Gold Experience wasn't my own. It was the bike." GIorno flatly stated, Babyface gasping in realization.
"I gave the bike life, and it returned to us as my hand." Giorno explained, as the bike finally reverted, causing Babyface to become ripped open in many places.
"And you took that bike into your body, as a part of you." He went on, reattaching his hand as Babyface screamed in agony.
"This… This is nothing." Babyface growled, a pained/angered look present on it's face, as it began to cube itself again. "I can just split apart and ge-"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Giorno warned, as a clear liquid seeped out of the cubes, and onto the stand's body. At that moment, the sparkplug sparked, causing Babyface to catch fire. Giorno was only a few inches away from the writhing stand, which was about to burst.
"Giorno! Get over here!" Trish cried, grabbing Giorno by the back of his shirt and pulling him away from the active fire. The stand exploded, Trish pulling at the ground to cover the two of them and the turtle from the explosion.
After the explosion, Trish and Giorno looked out from their cover, seeing Babyface's corpse burn up to a crisp. Both teens sighed with relief.
"Are you alright, Trish?" Giorno questioned, their green eyes meeting once again. She said nothing for a moment, trying to catch her breath.
"Thank you, Giorno. I don't want to imagine what it'd be like if I was caught by that thing." The words tumbled out of Trish's mouth like a verbal waterfall.
Giorno chuckled. "I should thank you for creating the blast shield. I'd probably be blown to bits if it wasn't for you. And your powers seem to be getting more potent." Like Trish, the words seemed to just tumble out.
At that moment, the two teens watched as Bucciarati stepped out of the turtle.
"Get to cover, we have an en-" Bucciarati shouted, before looking at the scene before him. A bike explosion a few meters ahead of him, and a pseudo shelter right at his feet, with the two fifteen year olds safely hidden within.
"We got it already." Giorno and Trish said at the same time, looking up at Bucciarati, much to the confusion of the older man. Giorno and Trish stepped out of their shelter, as the latex like grass returned to normal.
At that moment, Narancia and Abbacchio ran around the corner, running up to the trio already there.
"We heard Bucciarati shouting, and ran all the way over here." Abbacchio said, glaring daggers at Giorno, betting that he had something to do with this.
"Sorry about this. We just had to deal with an enemy." Trish stated, lancing over at the site of the explosion.
Abbacchio raised an eyebrow at that. "'We?' Don't tell me…" He muttered, on the verge of shouting at Giorno. "You involved the girl in a fight!?" Giorno winced slightly, catching Trish's attention for a moment.
"It wasn't his fault, Abbacchio. The enemy had already infiltrated the turtle. I was already compromised and Trish barely escaped. I'd say the two of them handled the situation quite well." Bucciarati defended Giorno's actions, much to the surprise of everyone there, minus Narancia.
Abbacchio kept his attention on Giorno, still angry. "So then how come you two didn't call for any help?" He interrogated.
"It genuinely did cross my mind to call for you guys, but if I did that, then Giorno would have probably been taken, and that'd leave me all alone." Trish explained.
"And how did you guys not hear anything that was going on over here? It was pretty friggin' loud." She added.
Abbacchio and Narancia now adopted bashful expressions, earning glares from the other three.
"W-Well you see, when you're focussin' on highjackin' a car, your mind tends to not focus on the outside world." Narancia mumbled.
"Don't tell me you guys though a Goddamn explosion was nothing more than just background noise." Giorno fumed.
Abbacchio and Narancia shared a glance, both muttering a "Maybe" under their breaths.
Bucciarati sighed. "Did you at least secure us transportation?" He questioned the two.
"T-That's also why we came here, to tell you all that we got the car ready. We'll be splitting up eventually, so all of us, minus Giorno, can get into the turtle and head out on the road." Narancia explained, earning a nod from Abbacchio.
"Alright then, let's get going." Bucciarati said, returning to the turtle, followed soon by Abbacchio and Narancia.
Trish lingered for a moment, watching Giorno glance over at a brick idly sitting out in the field.
"You alright there, Giorno?" She asked, as Giorno looked back up.
"I'm just thinking that we should take out the user." Giorno said, picking up the brick and transforming it into a snake.
"Now, follow the trail." He said to the snake, as it slithered away from the teens.
Giorno just glanced back at Trish, a golden glint in his eye. "Just a little payback, is all." He said, before gesturing for Trish to get into the turtle.
Trish simply followed suit, and entered the turtle. She took a seat on one of the chairs, taking in their current situation, as she also wondered why Giorno acted the way he did. She wondered why his eyes went gold for a moment, before she passed out a moment later.
Giorno glared back down into the turtle, a single thought crossing his mind.
'I will protect them all, no matter the cost.'
A/N: Giorno, you're Dio is showing. Stop being corrupted, young man.