Last time, Makoto Naegi fell victim to The Boss's Stand, and died, thanks to her lack of iron. With La Squadra defeated for good, what now?

Kana called, "We should park here!" She, Pets, and Beth arrived, as they saw Naegi's body. She added, "We must remain vigilant."

Pets nodded, "Got it."

Beth gasped, as she examined Naegi's body, downed and bloodied, "Whoa! I think I used too much on this guy!"

Pets asked, "Kana-bun, any idea who he is? I can't make heads to tails on this guy."

Beth examined him, using Aero-Bunny, "No good. He's dead. I think we done and mauled the guy. His breathing stopped completely, and his Stand's gone, too. Though, Pets is right. It's tough to ID this jerk."

Kana said, "I think it's safe to say that he is the member of La Squadra; or, in fact… the leader of the team."

Pets asked, "Are you sure?"

Kana said, "He came here solo. So, he could be an elite assassin, or, in this case, regardless of personal skill, the sole survivor of a decimated team. Not only that, there was another competent killer here. One that got in his way and ended his life."

Beth stated, "Uh, not to rain on your detective skills, Koumoto, but I was the one that killed the bastard! His corpse is full of holes that he's Swiss Cheese!"

Kana pointed at the severed foot, "Look again, Beth. We're not alone on this battlefield. You were just a pawn."

"Eh?"

"Look at his foot. Someone severed it off, before he bit it. If Galaxy Train or Aero-Bunny were to sever it, there may be severe burns and abrasions on the wound. But it looked like it was torn clean off."

Pets cried, "BUT HOW? Beth's Stand was able to contact ONE able breathing body!"

Kana replied, "It's unsure why and how... but I believe that both fighters were blindsided, so the survivor is out there, licking their wounds. Though, how they were able to conceal their breathing is still a mystery to me."

She asked to Beth, "Beth, did you contact the others?"

Beth nodded, "Sis & Nanao are on the way to where Mossan is. Emily's watching over Okuma."

Kana said, "Then we'll follow after them! From here on, we're to track down any breathing signs, even if it's as small as a mouse! Our mystery killer is still in the area. They're an extremely dangerous member of the famiglia."

The Boss was hiding in the rocks, away from the others, badly wounded from the recent battle. She moaned, "Damn it… this is inconceivable! Sardinia is my birthplace! I can't… let it be sullied by that scum!"

She crawled off, weak and breathing heavily. She has plans to stop them, but after the last battle, The Boss seems to be badly injured.

Act V: Episode 11, Chapter 3: The Woman Behind the Face!
The Boss's Face - Revealed!

Beth analyzed with Aero-Bunny, and said, "I know we're outdoors, but this is ridiculous! If I up the sensitivity, I won't even pick up frogs or rodents. Not to mention, if I fiddle too much on the radar, then I'll pick up random tourists and car exhausts." She complained, "AGH, SCREW IT! I can't force myself to burn down the whole area, but I'm trying not to!" She turned to Kana, "Hey, Capo, any suggestions? Because I'm drawing a blank!"

Kana said, "The frogs and mice will most likely be burrowing underground. Their skittish movements will be different. Just focus on anyone that is clearly on the run."

Beth asked, "Eh? Running away?"

Pets used Galaxy Train to act as a sonar, "I see... They'll be trying to leave the area. Beth, up the sensitivity on your radar."

Beth nodded, "Right."

XXXXX

Meanwhile, near the rocks, The Boss was devouring a frog, as she was sucking up the nutrients from inside its body. She moaned, as she regained her energy, "Good… I'm good to go now… But… No time to lose. I have to stop Mossan… Her replay… I have to stop the replay, and soon! That accursed Stand of hers! She can't use it!"

XXXXX

June and Nanao arrived above, as they spotted Mossan. Nanao called, "There. Dead ahead." She asked, "Hey, I only saw Man Motoyama. Where are the others? Beth Nevins gave us the word, and we thought we would assist them."

June stated, "There must've been an enemy. They're likely in pursuit now. And it seems that Mossan hasn't reached the time period of her replay to what we needed." She explained, "Tanukichi said that his father met The Boss, here in Sardinia, 15 years ago, in June, but he has NO recollection of a specific date. Prog Tech is pinpointing its exact time. Once it reaches the point of time in June…"

Nanao added, "…it'll lead us to the Boss, by forming her visage!"

June called, "Let's move!" And then they departed.

Down below, Mossan was using Prog Tech to find the replay, during the year 2004, which happened on this spot, where The Boss met Zenjuro Okuma, in Costa Smeralda. She was almost there. Suddenly, a couple of girls in blue shirts and white shorts were about to play soccer together. As they played around, Mossan thought, "Almost there. It's almost June of 2004. I wonder if this is the exact day… But for that matter, I wonder if this is the right June, fifteen years back."

XXXXX

Kana asked, "Well, have you found them?"

Beth gasped, as she saw one dot on radar, "There! I'm sure it's the enemy!" She saw a dot running away, "80 meters to the right, and they're running off, pretty slowly, straight for the tourists!"

Beth dashed off, but Kana called, "WAIT! Beth, hold back on this one! Whoever the enemy is, we need intel on them!"

Kana, Pets, and Beth spread out, as Beth said, "Behind that rock! Now what?"

Pets gasped, as she saw blood on the rocks, "Eh?! Blood? But how did-?"

Kana signals them to stay quiet, and pointing at two feet sticking out, behind the rock. Beth whispered, "That's her, alright..."

Kana signaled to them, and then they split up, hiding behind a rock. Pets took the rock on the left, while Beth scampered to a rock near the right-hand center area. Kana stood in place and called out, "Listen! You have a choice to make! I'm only going to give you three seconds to surrender and come out! But just know, I'm forced to kill you! If you are incapable of combat, I command you to show yourself! You have my word that you'll live, if you do! You have three seconds, starting now!"

They waited three seconds, and then Kana boomed, "YOUR TIME'S UP! AND YOUR LIFE IS FORFEIT! ALT R.C.!"

Her Stand smashed the rock into a portal, but…
Kana, Pets, & Beth gasped in shock.

XXXXX

Mossan waited again, but the soccer ball flew up to the tree branches. The girls were reaching for the ball, as they were making noises. Mossan thought, "Ugh… June's almost over, and those girls are breaking my concentration. What's the deal? This better be the right month!"

Mossan yelled, "HEY! Will you be quiet? Play your game, somewhere else!"

One girl in black hair called, "Keep your skirt on, fatty!"

One girl in pink hair called, "Who even kicked it up there?"

One girl in light brown hair said, "I don't know. You kicked it!"

One girl in long hair cried, "ME?! Why? You're the goalie!"

The girl in black hair was reaching for it, and cried, "Lift me higher! This is as far as I can reach!"

Mossan sighed, and turned to Prog Tech. It remained, as Mossan headed to the girls, "ENOUGH! I'll get it off for you!"

XXXXX

Beth gasped, "What the-? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

Pets cried, "That's... That's the enemy?"

They saw a girl being beaten and bloodied, wearing only a white bra, blue shorts, and her mouth was sewn shut with shoelaces.

Kana called, "HOLD ON! Don't attack her! That's just an innocent girl being attacked! One of the tourists!"

Pets gasped, "Her mouth's been sewn shut! And with her shoelaces!"

Kana said, "This is the enemy Stand User's doing. She must've switched places! The girl's complexion shows that she's lost a lot of blood... Only, where did the blood go?"

Beth barked, "What kind of sick and inhumane bitch would do something to a poor innocent bystander like that? She probably vanished into thin air, after she attacked her! And she'd probably be dead, seconds ago!"

Pets whimpered, "No... You mean... How did she get away?"

Kana said, "I don't know. None of this makes any sense."

XXXXX

Mossan punched the ball off the branch, as the girls cheered.

"YAY! SHE GOT IT!"
"Grazie mille, friend!"
"Thank you very much!"
"Come on, let's go!"

The girls leave, as Mossan smiled, knowing she did her job. However…

"Thank you!" A girl in fawn hair ran past her.
SMASH!
And suddenly, Crimson War Goddess smashed a huge punch through her stomach, gushing out blood. The girl that passed her… was The Boss.

"There's just no place like home. I'm on a roll." She hissed.

She departed, as Mossan collapsed in a seated position, bleeding out. And then, her eyes closed, and stopped moving. Prog Tech was lying on the ground, with its face cracking.
The Boss did her job: She killed Mossan.

Inside a dark studio, in which the room is all monochrome, including the people, Mossan was sitting in the chair, sewing some clothes. She then sighed, as she was looking for more thread. She then saw a woman sitting in her chair, reading a teen magazine. She called, "Excuse me…"

The woman was wearing a gray suit and black skirt, with long auburn hair. She asked her, "Ma'am, do you have any string?"

The woman said, "Sorry about that. Do you need any help?"

"Just some thread. Thank you." Mossan said.

The woman said, "Yes, I understand. I was here watching over you. You're to take remedial classes for a student of mine. Poor girl fell ill, and I had you to take her place. Big Exposé, coming up. In any case, I have been watching over you, Miss Motoyama. Believe me when I say this, your expert skills are needed."

Mossan smiled, "So, you think I can do all the work for you? Well, I'll try not to overwork myself, like before. But I won't let you down." She then asked, as she was about to get some thread, "Hey… Curious, ma'am…"

"Go on."

"Well, just so I know, from my own suspicion… What if you don't finish, by the time it's the deadline? It's likely that we can finish it, in time, but even with so many tears and abrasions, one cannot be sure if we'll be finished, before the big gala. More still, if you do make it on time, and the assholes somehow take credit with shady lawyers saying that it's their work? What can you do, after that?"

"Good questions. I keep going, until I continue to reach my goal. If the outcome is what you're looking for, it's easier to enter shortcuts. And ultimately, shortcuts prevent you from seeing the truth. It drains your spark, for life. What matters most is to do your best and reach for your goal, no matter what the task is, depending on the difficulty you have been given. As long as you press on, it doesn't matter what happens. And that's what we believe in, to be great designers."

Mossan sighed, and then replied, "You're right. I did some shady things in the past, which almost ended my dreams. So much despair… and my friends saved me from it. For as long as I remembered, I dreamed of the day to be a great designer… Back then, I had something that you had mastered, ma'am. I continued to live my dream, all because of people like you. However, I screwed up, big time. The people forgave me for my actions, but I couldn't live up to that despair, any longer. We're utterly hopeless, and our shortcomings always lead to despair… if things go rocky."

The woman put the magazine down and said, "No, I don't think so, Miss Motoyama. The path you're on is righteous and just. You are not a designer, right now, and by the looks of it, you never will be, anymore. Though, it's a decision to make, only you want to resume your life, to the way you are. Even so, you always hold a sliver of hope inside you, Miss Motoyama."

Mossan gasped, "Huh? How did you know my name? Wait… Who are-?" She ran out to the door and cried, "I don't know who you are, but I suddenly remembered! I have to go see my friends!" She tried to open the door, but it was locked. She cried, "NO! What did you do? You can't trap me here, forever! Kana! Pets! EVERYONE! I have to go see them!"

The woman said, "It's too late. You locked that door, by yourself. There's no way to leave… or enter… You're stuck here, forever."

She gasped, as she sobbed, "It felt like I've… I've known you from before… but…" She wept, "No… You can't be true… Please, no… You're…"

The woman said, as she explained, "Oh, Miss Motoyama, even if you're a designer or not, you did the right thing. You're always going to be one of my best students, amico mio." The woman that trapped her here… was her teacher in the local designer studio, the very same studio, long ago, that Mossan took the bribe from the druglord in mauve, and led to a double death between the druglord and a security guard.

Mossan sobbed, as the room regained color, "Wait… It's you. My former teacher… You… You're one of those people that forgave me, all because I took that fucking bribe from that damned woman! But you died, before the drama ended!"

The teacher smiled, "I'll always forgive you, Miss Motoyama. You did the right thing, no matter what you do."

Mossan was crying, as she reunited with her teacher. But how she died remained untold. All Mossan knows is that she mysteriously died, during her time in the designer studio, and never heard of her, since. And that was when… everything changed… Man Motoyama died doing the right thing.
She always has.

Back at Costa Smeralda, June, Nanao, Pets, & Kana found Mossan, near the rocks, lying lifeless, and with a hole in her stomach.

"MOSSAN!" Pets shrieked, "NO! What happened? It's not real. It's not! IT CAN'T BE!"

Nanao whispered, "No way. Man Motoyama?"

June rushed over, as Pets cried, "June, what are you waiting for? Heal her!"

June hesitated, as Nanao turned away, likewise Kana. Pets shouted, "WELL? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, A FUNERAL? HEAL HER NOW! HEAL HER, BEFORE I GET ANGRY! FIX THIS!"

June paused, and suddenly felt it. It was nothing. Literally nothing. June whispered, "I'm sorry. It happened in a split second… She… She was killed at close range."

She kneeled down and bowed her head, whimpering, "She… We were too late. How could someone... let Mossan get too close to be killed? How could you let the enemy get close to you, to do this?"

Kana instructed, "Nanao, do not let anyone out of the turtle."

Nanao nodded, "Understood. Once we leave, Emily Maynard and Beth Nevins must hear the grim news."

Pets shouted, "What are you talking about? Mossan's alright! She just had a huge wound! She's still breathing, right?"

Kana whispered, "It's my fault… The enemy's still there, and Mossan died here. We have to leave this place, immediately. It's not safe here. Even though we have no clues on The Boss's identity here, our investigation has ended. If we stay here, it's highly likely that the enemy would go after Okuma, next."

Pets stated, "Wh-What are you saying, Kana-bun? Mossan will wake up. She's not dead at all."

Pets doesn't know it, but she has gone under denial. She continued, "June will fix her up, good as new! June will repair her wound and she'll wake up again! Right?" She turned to June and cried, "Please, you have to save her! Mossan's alive! Say it! Isn't that what happened before?"

June sniffled, as Pets shouted, "Please! June, you-!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH, PETS!" Kana roared. "You have said enough, but it won't work! Even so, we need Galaxy Train to survey the area, along with Octo-Eros and Aero-Bunny, for an escape route."

Pets was frightened, as she cried, "Please, no! YOU CAN'T SAY IT! I'll kill that cagacazzo, by myself, if I have to!" She was under a bargaining stage, as she called, "Nanao! June! You have to believe me! If he's nearby, I'll kill him!"

June whispered, "She's right. Pets, we have to go. Listen to Kana!"

Pets gasped, as she underwent fear. She hugged Nanao and sobbed, "Nanao! You're a healing robot! Heal Mossan!"

Nanao said nothing, and then replied, "How can I? My powers can heal wounds, not revive the dead!"

Pets sobbed, "Not you, too…"

June called, "Pets, we have to leave, now! If we stay here, the enemy may find us, immediately."

Pets was angry, as she roared, "WHAT? YOU WHAT? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

She grabbed June and yelled, "YOU BITCH! YOU'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO KANA-BUN AND NOT ME? YOU'RE NOT TRYING HARD! YOU'RE NEVER THE TYPE OF PERSON TO TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR COMRADE LIKE THAT! YOU BRING HER BACK TO US! PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO WAKE HER UP! YOU BUILD SOME REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR-!"

Nanao restrained her, as she cried, "Tomomi Hetada, that's enough!"

"LET ME GO!"

"TOMOMI HETADA!"

Pets was roaring, as she was trying to break free of Nanao, but she headbutted June, falling onto Mossan. Then she stopped, as she saw sunlight shine over Mossan's corpse. Pets was saddened, as a tear fell from her eye, "Mossan…"

She sobbed, as she was freed of Nanao's hold. She cried, "Kana-bun, you're just going to leave Mossan behind to rot? Are you going to leave her, all alone? After everything we've been through, how could you just walk away? I don't want her to be alone! Don't order me to abandon her! Anything but that! PLEASE!"

She wailed, as Kana bit her lip, growling. She calmed down, as she seethed, "Pets, that is a direct order! Leave Mossan behind! It's… It's out of my hand. She knew of the risk, and she paid for it! We're leaving!"

She walked off, as Pets shrieked, "WAIT! KANA-BUN!" She tripped and landed on the ground. She sniffled, as Pets was saddened, under depression. And then…
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! MOSSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANN!" Pets pounded the ground, as she was bawling for Mossan, knowing that she's dead. Nanao and Kana walked off, leaving Pets behind, as she was crying her heart out, knowing that Mossan is now gone forever.

June looked at the corpse, one final time. But suddenly, she saw something in her hand.

"That's…" June whispered, and then called, "Everyone! Get over here!"

They returned, as June called, "Mossan, she… she held onto something, before she died."

Nanao said, "It's just a piece of rock."

June stated, "Yes, but it seems that it came from somewhere. And if I'm not mistaken…" She shone and bellowed, "Restore it, Devil Princess! Return from whence it once belonged!"

She touched the rock piece, and it turned into a ladybug. It flew off, heading to a rock pillar. Nanao headed to the stone and gasped, as the ladybug turned back into a shard, "No way… Man Motoyama... She used Prog Tech to finish her replay."

Kana gasped, "This must be a death mask. A death mask from the replay! Right before Mossan's Prog Tech disappeared, she used the last of her Stand's energy, and slammed its face onto the stone pillar, creating an imprint, like a lithograph!"

June asked, "What kind of face is it?"

The stone showed a female face with a hand imprinted on. Kana confirmed, "Yes... I get it now! Mossan... Mossan knew about it! This is her dying message! THIS IS THE BOSS'S TRUE VISAGE!"

Mossan's dying words were clear. She showed everyone the identity of The Boss's true face. And now, they are one step closer to ending The Boss, once and for all.

"Miss Motoyama…" Up in heaven, the teacher said to Mossan, "You made everyone proud. Truly, your path to righteousness has uncovered the truth has made its way to the hearts and minds of your friends. And that, my dear… is all that matters."

And so, with a heavy heart, and accepting the loss of their ally, Kana Koumoto and the others departed Sardinia, and headed off to their next destination. But where? All we do know is that Mossan's death will not go in vain. Kana, June, and the rest will avenge her death, and put an end to The Boss of Alternativa.

That evening, as the sun set, Mossan's corpse was gone, replaced with a field of daisies and yellow flowers. Like Ayame Kajou, Devil Princess left behind a small field of flowers, honoring a member of a lost ally. This was the final resting place of Man Motoyama, one of the members of the famiglia, who escaped despair… and brought hope to her friends.

[Man Motoyama a.k.a. Mossan - Prog Tech: DECEASED]
[MISSION REPORT: The Boss's identity is revealed, by face only. All that's left is to know who she really is.]

Episode 11 - The End

La Squadra is now defeated, but at a heavy loss, our heroes lost Mossan. With Mossan dead, she left behind one final gift - the visage of The Boss of Alternativa. All that's left is her name and identity. Will they be able to find her, soon enough?
And as for The Boss, herself, what is her next move, now that Kana and her team have been able to procure the proof needed?
Find out in the next exciting chapter!

To be continued…