Love Live! Bizarre Adventure Project
Part 1: Starlight Crusaders
Full Summary: It is the school year of 2011. Over a year has passed since Otonokizaka High School was saved from closure. Six of the young girls that were once the idol group called µ's must now embark on a new adventure. When Umi Sonoda withdraws herself from society out of fear that an evil spirit is possessing her and that she may cause harm to others, Honoka Kosaka reveals the truth to her: this "spirit" is really a "Stand," a physical manifestation of one's fighting spirit. What's more, Honoka and Nozomi Tojo possess Stands of their own and have learned to control them with ease. Honoka's arrival comes with another piece of news: an old family enemy has returned from the grave, causing the Stands of the Kosaka family to awaken. However, when a Stand manifests within some of Honoka's relatives, their inability to cope with it leaves them gravely ill, stirring the girls into action! Armed with the power of Stands, a nationwide adventure to where their adversary resides begins. Meeting an array of nefarious Stand users along the way, as well as new allies, the team leads a crusade to put an end to their enemy for good. (Loose adaptation of Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, albeit with different characters and Stands.)
Prologue
In 1995, off the northeast coast of Japan, a motorboat boarded by treasure hunters pull something out of the water.
"W-We did it!" Exclaimed a crewmate. "Finally, it's ours. 35-year-old sunken treasure!"
The captain tugs the rope with the crowbar. "All right! Easy now! Get ahold of yourself!" "Bring it this way..."
"I know! I know!" Both of them pull the artifact into the boat. "Upsy daisy." said both of them.
The crewmate controlling the crane took a look at what the two thought was a treasure chest.
"Isn't it kinda long and flat for a treasure chest?" He asked before pulling the artifact higher.
The other crewmate tells him "Hey! Not so high!"
"Okay, I'm putting it down. One, two, and three!" The crew finally get the "treasure chest" on the ground.
The captain gets excited from the discovery. "All right... Now pry it open already!"
But Crewmate B took a closer look at it. "Wait. Th-This is Bizarre. It's locked from the inside."
The captain argues "Who the hell cares!? Just bust it open!"
Crewmate B does so as he cuts the barnacles off the label of the 'treasure chest'. "Hang on! What are these letters?"
When he finally gets said barnacles off, the label reads "D-I-O... DIO. Someone's name?"
The captain yells "Does it matter!? The sun'll be down soon. We won't be able to see a thing out here!"
Crewmate B agrees. "Guess you're right."
Crewmate A adds "Fine, go get the blowtorch."
The captain says excitedly "It's time to meet our fortune!"
The next day, on a day like any other, a motorboat was found adrift and abandoned. The craft was largely undamaged and showed no signs of struggle. In the galley, three cups of coffee sat half-full. And... On deck, an iron chest, its lock melted away, lay open and empty. But the chest's unusual, shelter-life chambers baffled discoverers, who believed it to have once contained a vast treasure. But interest waned and, before long, the chest was forgotten.
Chapter 1: The Evil Spirit
It was a day like any other in the school year of 2011 when the fate of this young girl was changed forever.
"Ooh! It's Umi Sonoda from μ's! Aren't we lucky!"
Her days of singing and dancing have long ended, but that does not mean a new story awaits her.
"Stay away from me if you know what's good for you!"
"Are you crazy!? You're outnumbered ten-to-one!"
Little does Umi Sonoda know that a great danger awaits her and her friends. Something beyond her wildest dreams has awakened, and she's not quite sure how to tame it.
Umi Sonoda, a third year at Otonokizaka Academy, really liked waking up at 7:00 AM rather than 5:30, but she was never open about it for the sake of her proper image. However, even when she had to wake up at 5:30, Umi never had problems sleeping until morning and always woke up without fatigue or stress. It's been almost 7 months since μ's disbanded, so she, along with the others, didn't have to wake up early for the sake of practicing.
But! Umi missed being able to do something as a group. Even though Otonokizaka is out of danger, nearly half of the outfits and song lyrics in μ's were shameless and Honoka was a major nuisance, Umi found μ's fun. It was the most fun she had in her life. That said, Umi knew that life is not a fantasy, and is full of disappointments. She simply put μ's behind her and made her way to school just like every other day of the week. "Good morning, everyone!"
"Good morning, Umi-chan!" Kotori Minami replied happily, nodding at her childhood friend.
"Heeey, everybody!" Said Honoka Kosaka, showing up later than the two. She gave her friend a hug from the side, but Umi tried to break free.
"Good morning, nyaaa~!" Second year student Rin Hoshizora took it a step forward, also giving Umi a hug but from the other side. Umi said "Honoka! Rin! Let go of me!" while Hanayo Koizumi simply gave a respectful nod and smile.
As the five girls made their way to school, Honoka had a realization. "We only have six months left as third years, then we graduate."
Kotori nodded. "And thanks to you, Honoka-chan, this school will be there for years and years!"
Honoka shook her head. "It wasn't just thanks to me, the nine of us did it together!"
Something annoyed Rin. "What's the deal with Maki-chan going on a trip without us, nya!?"
Hanayo replied "Rin-chan, that's between Maki-chan and her parents. I'm not sure if we would be welcome to follow along."
Rin spoke. "I bet poor Maki-chan misses us right now! It's been a week since she left, nya!"
"I think she'll be fine, Rin." Said Umi.
After school, the three third years walked out together. Umi began to miss μ's even more, thanks to the conversation she had with the other this morning.
Umi hesitated for a moment, then she spoke to the friends she knew for as long as she could remember. "Honoka. Kotori."
She caught their attentions. "What is it, Umi-chan?" Said the ginger.
"There's something I want to ask of you two." She replied.
The silver-haired girl asked "Yes, Umi-chan?"
Umi replied. "Can we... go hang out together?"
The two girls smiled at the bluenette. "Sorry, Umi-chan. But we can't. We each have something important to do tonight." "We really want to hang out, but today is not a good day." Said Honoka and Kotori respectively.
Then Honoka spoke again. "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow."
Umi smiled at the two, shedding a couple of tears. "Thank you so much. This means a lot to me."
Honoka and Kotori noticed Umi's tears. "Is something wrong, Umi-chan?" Asked the former.
Umi wiped her tears. "To tell you the truth, I miss μ's. I miss waking up early to practice, and I miss doing it with as the nine of us. I know a lot of the outfits and songs were shameless, but honestly, those nine months were the most fun I've had in my life. Sorry if that sounds weird."
Honoka and Kotori smiled back, also shedding tears. "Umi-chan..." Said the latter. "We miss μ's too. Kotori-chan and I talk about it occasionally." Said the former. Then they pulled Umi into a group hug.
Honoka reassured Umi. "We're glad you feel the same way. If it makes you feel better, we can hang out every chance we get after school. It's the least we can do." Umi hugged them back.
As the three walk home from school, they separate, going their own directions.
When Umi was walking back to her home, she found an alley. She knew it was getting late, and this alley is a faster route. However, Umi also knew that alleys are dangerous, but she was trained in martial arts, so she was willing to take the risk.
Umi walked down the alley, feeling nothing but disgust. The alley is crawling with dumpsters and thugs alike. They're trash, there's no different between them.
And as expected, Umi walked into a bunch of thugs. About ten of them.
"Well, if it isn't Umi Sonoda from μ's. Aren't we lucky?" Said one of them. To make matters worse, these guys knew Umi. Well, that was expected because of μ's popularity.
"We were waiting for either you or your friends to show up here, and it finally happened!" Said another thug.
Although Umi was terrified, she put up a fighting stance. "Are you guys looking for a fight or something?"
A thug laughed at her. "Are you crazy!? You're outnumbered ten-to-one! There's no way you can take us all on!"
Umi yelled at them. "I'm warning you!" But her defense was useless. Escaping her notice, two of the thugs grabbed her arms and picked her off the ground! "Hey! Put me down!" The bluenette cried.
"Fat chance, Umi-chan! Not until we take your money!" A thug mocked her.
Umi was terrified beyond comprehension. These guys are about to do mug her, and she couldn't do anything against it. All she could do is struggle.
Just then, something pierced Umi in the back! It made her loose conscious, and before she could black out, she thought to herself:
"These bastards had tranquilizer darts on them. Not only will they rob me of my belongings, they'll do it in my sleep as well."
And then everything went dark.
When Umi woke up, she was still in the alley, lying on her back. She saw that her coat and belongings were lying near her. Umi thought for sure she was mugged, but for some reason she is (mostly) safe.
She noticed that every single thug had been beaten half to death! She got up and what she saw was unlike any other.
It was a ghostly figure! It was holding a thug by its neck, staring ferociously at him.
"OORAAAH!" The figure chucked the thug into a dumpster and it dematerialized! Umi had no idea what was going on. This spirit saved her, but why?
A young woman stood in front of Umi, slowly clapping. She has blond hair, styled like Kotori's only mirrored and is mostly wearing black. Umi guessed she was about 20 years of age.
The woman spoke. "Congratulations. You lived. You possess the aptitude. Everyone lacking the aptitude dies. Because you survived, you have acquired a special power."
"Hold it!" Umi yelled. "What are you talking about!?"
The woman walked away, not saying a word.
Umi began to take in what just happened. The spirit is part of her, and it beat the thugs senseless!
"If that thing were to unleash upon Honoka and the others... I can't begin to imagine the horrors that might follow! There's only one thing I can do!"
As Umi put her coat back on, she looked at her watch and saw that she'd only been knocked out for ten minutes. She rushed home as fast as she could before this spirit could get any worse.
When she got home, her mother noticed stains on Umi's uniform. "Umi, you got your uniform dirty!"
"A truck ran over a puddle and it got on me. Sorry for not being responsible." Although it was not in Umi's nature to lie, she didn't have the heart to tell her mother what really happened.
Ms. Sonoda smiled. "We all make mistakes. No need to beat yourself up."
Umi put her coat in the laundry basket and went to her room. She knew if she locked herself away, the spirit that recently bound to her wouldn't harm anyone.
The next day, it is 8:00 AM and Umi is still lying in bed. Ms. Sonoda opened the door to Umi's room. "Umi, you're going to be late for schoo-"
Umi snapped. "I'm not going."
Umi's words baffled her mother. "Umi, what are you saying?"
The bluenette continued. "I'm staying here for a while. This may sound crazy, but I'm being haunted by an evil spirit. Who knows what she'll make me do next. It took all I had to keep this thing in check. I'm not going."
Ms. Sonoda was even more baffled the first time. "This is crazy!"
Umi got off her bed and walked toward the door. "If I wasn't being haunted, I would have left by now. If you still think you can release me, let me show you how bad things could get, so you'll have no doubt that making me leave is a very bad idea."
The spirit's left arm materializes next to Umi, and grabs a gun out of nowhere. From Ms. Sonoda's perspective, the gun floated over to Umi's hand. She exclaims "W-Where'd you get that gun from!?"
Umi points the gun at her. "You didn't see it, did you? My evil spirit..." She then points the gun to the side of her head. "In that case..." She loads the gun, much to her mother's concern and fear. "U-Umi!" Umi pulls the trigger, and...
BAM!
Ms. Sonoda screams in fear as a purple arm caught the bullet mid-air and in point-blank range, before it could hit Umi! She looks at the bullet, breathing heavily. "There's someone behind me. Not that long ago, it stuck itself to me." It turns out it wasn't just an arm but an entire figure in purple, which drops the bullet.
Umi's mother thought to herself. "Something really is haunting my daughter. But what is it!? It's unlikely, but maybe Honoka can help her."
About two hours later, Honoka and Kotori are in class, and they notice Umi's absence.
"Umi-chan didn't show up." Said the former. "Is she sick?" Added the latter.
The two girls, along with the two second years, spend the rest of their school day without the bluenette.
When the school day is over, Honoka gets a call from Umi, and she answered. "Umi-chan, why did you skip school? Is something wrong?"
Someone responded to the phone, but it wasn't Umi. "This is Umi's mother! Something has happened to her! She says she's possessed! She calls it an evil spirit! I think she needs you!"
Honoka knew exactly what she's talking about. "Don't worry, Sonoda-san! I'll be there quick!" Honoka ends the call and looks at the others.
"What's wrong with Umi-chan?" "Why did she skip school, nya?" "This isn't like her!" Asked Kotori, Rin, and Hanayo respectively.
Honoka looked at the three. "Umi-chan needs me, and I'm afraid none of you can follow." She dialed a number on her phone.
Outside of the Sonoda residence, Ms. Sonoda anxiously waited for Honoka, who was able to make it.
The ginger asked "About Umi-chan... You said it was an evil spirit?"
Then Umi's mother breaks down in tears. "Oh... My poor Umi! I couldn't see it, but it grabbed the gun!"
Honoka asks more questions about Umi's current situation. "So you couldn't see it?" "Yes..."
Honoka tries to calm the older woman down. "Umi-chan said the spirit came upon her not too long ago. Is that right?"
Ms. Sonoda answers "Yes. Umi said she won't leave the cell until she knows what's going on. Oh, Honoka-san, what are we going to do?"
Honoka smiles at her. "There, there. Everything will be just fine."
Honoka snaps her fingers to a girl with green eyes and long dark-purple hair, tied into two low pigtails, signaling her to follow the two into Umi's home.
Back at Umi's room, Umi is playing with an RC car until she crashes it into a cell bar. Umi's 'evil spirit' brought more things to her cell. Books, a cup of coffee, a lighter, a DS, an indoor cycling bike, a luxo lamp, dumbbells, an office chair, a biker helmet and even a Gibson Les Paul Standard Cherry Sunburst guitar.
Ms. Sonoda opens the door for Honoka and the other girl to see. "The evil spirit brings things to her. Something horrible is haunting her..."
Honoka walks into the room. "Don't worry. I'll bring Umi-chan back to her senses."
Umi turns her head to the girl. "Honoka?" Ms. Sonoda tries to tell her daughter. "Umi-Senpai! It's Honoka-san! She can help! Just come out with Honoka-san."
Umi walks toward Honoka. They are now face to face. "Come out." Said Honoka.
"Please leave me alone, Honoka. You'll 'help'? What can you do for me? Sorry you came all the way from school, but you can't help me, Honoka." Umi shows Honoka a small yellow cloth in her hand. Honoka looks at herself in a hand mirror and sees that a piece of her ribbon had been torn off.
"My ribbon! When did she do that?" Umi tosses the piece of Honoka's ribbon back to her.
"Did you catch that? Didn't notice? That's the evil spirit. I'd hate it if you didn't stay out of this and it costed you your life." Umi closes the cell door and goes back to her bed. Honoka doesn't feel intimidated by Umi's words, but rather surprised at what Umi just did.
"Incredible! I don't believe it... She was able to pull something like that on me right off the bat..." It then occurred to Honoka what she must do. "Of course... I know all about Umi-Chan's evil spirit. But I think experience rather than explanation will truly drive the point home for Umi-chan. No, she has to learn now so she'll be ready for whatever danger she encounters later."
Honoka snaps her fingers again. "Nozomi-chan, your turn." The girl with purple hair, named Nozomi Tojo, walks into the scene.
"Umi-chan, it's Nozomi-chan." Umi takes a look at Nozomi, whom Honoka gives her request. "Please assist Umi-chan out of her room."
Umi is starting to get more irritated than before. "Back off. I know you're tough, but do you really think I'm someone who would take kindly to a threat like that? Nope, all that does is make me even more determined to stay exactly where I belong."
Nozomi doesn't turn at Honoka, but still warns her. "I regret that things may get a bit unpleasant, enough to where she will want to leave out of her own volition." Honoka answers "That's fine."
This concerns Ms. Sonoda. "Honoka-san, what are you doing?"
An orange, fire-like aura is shown around Nozomi. Next, a spiritual entity summons right in front of her! The entity has a red samurai-like appearance and seems to be on fire.
Umi sees the entity in surprise. "That's..."
Honoka smirks at her. "That's right. Nozomi-chan also has what you call an 'evil spirit.' An evil spirit that Nozomi-chan can control freely! And its name is..."
Nozomi's 'evil spirit' starts building up its flame as she announces its name. "Pure Love Lens!"
Pure Love Lens' flame forms a rope and straps Umi to a wall! "I-It's hot! Fire! My arm! My arm's burning! W-What is this evil spirit?"
Ms. Sonoda doesn't see Pure Love Lens or the flames, but she can still see Umi. "Umi's stuck to the wall and can't move! But how... Isn't it getting sort of..." The thermometer exceeds 40C (104F) and proceeds to reach 50C! (122F) "How is it that hot!? That's insane!"
Pure Love Lens' flame rope lets go of Umi, rather the spirit itself grabs Umi and tries to pull her out of her room. Umi retaliates by summoning her own 'evil spirit'. "ORA!" The spirit punches PLL and lets Umi free. "So, it's finally shown itself! And it's so clearly visible. What power."
Umi has a purple aura around her. Standing behind her is the full form of her 'evil spirit': A purple humanoid resembling a tall, slim young woman of similar proportions to Umi, if not with slightly more muscle. It barely wore clothes, but like a child's doll there were no sexual characteristics beyond the shape of its body. It has very similar facial expressions to Umi, long black hair similar to that of its user in terms of style, a red scarf, black gloves, gold shoulder pads, and black boots.
"Why you..." Umi signals her 'evil spirit' to attack Nozomi. "OORAAA!" The spirit grabs Pure Love Lens by the neck. This reflects onto Nozomi, who looks like she's being strangled.
"To think she'd be able to manifest its form so clearly!"
"So you too have an evil spirit. And Honoka, you know what it is..."
Honoka replies "I do."
Nozomi tells Honoka about the finger-like marks on her neck. "Honoka-chan, you asked me to bring out Umi-chan. It was my intention to hold back, but with her startling power, one wrong move and she may end my life. Shall I stop? If you prefer that I continue, I may have to resort to considerable force. And I may end up sending Umi-chan to the hospital."
Honoka, not minding the idea of Nozomi seriously injuring Umi in battle, tells her so. "Fine by me. Give it a whirl."
"Yes, ma'am!" Nozomi proceeds to use Pure Love Lens more effectively.
"Red bind!" Pure Love Lens summons the rope-like flame and ties up Umi with it. The rope almost pulls her out the doorway, but she grabs the sides with her hands and her feet!
Ms. Sonoda only sees Umi floating at the bars. "It's so hot! What is happening!?" Then she turns to Honoka.
"Honoka-san! What are you doing to Umi!?"
Honoka looks at Ms. Sonoda with a smile. "Sonoda-san, Nozomi-chan and I have it all under control!"
Because Nozomi's red bind is covering Umi's mouth, she is running out of breath. "I-I can't breathe..."
Umi's 'evil spirit' starts dissipating, as Honoka informs her about it. "As the heat consumes your breath, it weakens. Allow me to tell you what it is! It is an evil spirit, and yet is not. Umi-chan! What you call an evil spirit is a powerful apparition, created from your own life energy. What stands next to you is... A Stand!"
"A Stand?" Said Umi until Nozomi taunts her. "As the famous Aesop fable goes, the traveler who pulls his cloak tightly in the chill of the wind, releases it under the heat of the sun. Care to come out, Umi-chan?"
Umi looks at her with violent intent. "Whatever. I'll stay put until I know I'm not a danger to others. It's nice to know you were a fellow evil-spirit wielder, but, you know, if you keep this up, you die."
Umi kicks a table and it crashes into the wall, releasing water from the pipes! "She destroyed the wall!" Ms. Sonoda said in surprise.
The water from the pipes rain on Umi, putting out Nozomi's flame! "I warned you." Umi summons her Stand, and it's more furious than before! "ORA! ORAA!" Umi is just as furious! "DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!"
Umi's Stand breaks the door in half as if it were a chocolate bar and it uses the halves as weapons! Umi's Stand points one of the bars at Nozomi, preparing for the attack! "OORAAA!"
Nozomi doesn't flinch. She just calls her Stand back, turns around, and walks away. "Hey! Don't turn your back on me! Look at me!"
Nozomi walks to the wall and sits to the floor. "Honoka-chan. As you can see, she has left her room."
Umi accepts her 'defeat' and she also calls back her Stand. "So... You got me, eh?"
Nozomi corrects her. "Not exactly. I had planned to send you to the hospital. You were more powerful than I had expected."
Umi points a broken iron bar at Nozomi. "What if I hadn't stopped my evil spirit from throwing my door straight through you?"
Nozomi doesn't flinch at a large object being pointed so close to her either. "My Stand is Pure Love Lens. It can melt such steel in mid air."
Honoka adds "Nozomi-chan is just like you." Umi tosses the halves of her door down the corridor. "Proof enough that you need not study your evil spirit here in your room any longer."
Stand Profile: NOZOMI TOJO
Stand Name: Pure Love Lens
Namesake: Junai Lens by Nozomi Tojo (CV: Aina Kusuda)
Type: Close-Range Stand
Appearance/Personality: Pure Love Lens resembles a samurai much like a Gundam does. It's partially covered in flames, even though the flames never burn it. It does not show any personality, having a constant aggressive demeanor while listening without fail to its user.
Abilities-
Pyrokinesis: Pure Love Lens is capable of generating flames intense enough to evaporate metal projectiles in mid-air. Moreover, Pure Love Lens' fire is not ordinary, but can be freely manipulated by Nozomi. With a thought, the seer can redirect her flames mid-air, give them any shape, control how intense their destructive power is, and even give them other supernatural properties. As the flames are the product of a Stand, they are invisible to non-Stand users despite still having the same properties as normal flames; non-Stand users merely feel the heat and see the generated heat waves.
It was also shown that Pure Love Lens' flames are vulnerable to water and can be extinguished with them. Furthermore, the flames can be instantly removed by Nozomi. Nozomi uses several different techniques with her flames in order to maximize versatility in various scenarios, manifesting as being almost "magical" in both appearance and physical nature.
Red Bind: Pure Love Lens can use its flame to tie its opponent, like a rope. With this, Nozomi is even capable of imprisoning her enemy's arms and legs to the wall, as well as their neck. By putting a flame too close to the opponent's face, it eventually burns the oxygen around them to the point of suffocating them. Such as when they were used to firmly restrain Umi against a wall, and left her gasping for air after a few seconds of exposure to the flames around her.
Stats-
Power: B
Speed: B
Range: C
Durability: B
Precision: C
Potential: D
Honoka, Nozomi, Umi and first year student Yukiho Kosaka are seated in a café. "Oh, thank goodness. Umi-Senpai finally came out of her cell." Yukiho exclaimed with joy, hugging Umi's arm.
"Yukiho, stop that. We're in a public area!"
Honoka agrees. "Yukiho, don't cling to her like that!"
Umi turns to Honoka. "Honoka! Tell me one thing... Just one thing... How do you know all this? Why do you know about my evil spirit- I mean, Stand? Does this have to do with you or something?"
Honoka nods. "Of course. That's why I rushed to you after your mother called, after all. I need to start from the beginning. This has to do with the Kosaka family, which you have pretty much been a part of for all these years." Honoka takes some photographs out of her pocket. "First, take a look at these pictures."
Honoka shows Umi photographs of a motorboat, a 'treasure chest', and the label on the 'chest' that reads 'DIO'. Umi asks "What is this?"
"That's a thirty-five-year-old coffin pulled up from the Pacific Ocean, off the Japanese coast sixteen years ago."
Umi looks at Honoka in confusion. "Coffin?"
Honoka continues "I did my research, and found it was on the passenger ship where my grandfather, Honathan Kosaka, was killed. Apparently it was empty when they discovered it. But I know what lay inside! Nozomi-chan and I are trying to locate him as we speak."
Umi notices when Honoka said 'him'. "Him? Hold on... You make it sound like it's a person. Why would you call something that's been at the bottom of the sea for thirty years 'him'?"
Honoka slams her hand at the table as she stands up. "He's evil incarnate! And his name is DIO! Awakened after thirty-five years of sleep. And it's our destiny to fight this man!"
Umi shrugs and turns away from Honoka, much to the latter's annoyance. "What gives, Umi-chan!? That face you're making makes me think I'm boring you!"
Umi turns her face to Honoka. "This face means that stupid story makes me speechless, Honobaka."
Honoka gets even more annoyed. "H-Honobaka!?"
Umi turns to Nozomi. "Nozomi, I've known you for over a year and you're one of the more mature among what was once μ's, but I also know you are a pompous one as well."
Umi turns to Honoka. "And Honoka, you expect me to listen to that crazy story and just believe it?"
Nozomi chuckles. "Is it any less believable than the evil spirits you and I have?"
Honoka takes her seat. "Fair enough. You'll have to believe us soon enough. Once you understand how I know DIO, and why I must pursue him..."
Nozomi hands a polaroid camera to Honoka. "Allow me to demonstrate. It turns out that I too gained my own 'evil spirit' or Stand about a year ago."
Yukiho bats her eyes at her sister. "What?"
Umi looks at Honoka in slight confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Honoka slams the camera on the table. "Let me show you! This is..." An orange arm with a yellow heart motif on its shoulder and yellow plates of armor on its arm summons right next to Honoka! "...my Stand!"
The arm demolishes the camera, which prints a photo afterward and Honoka takes it. "Did you see it? That orange arm next to me? That is my Stand! It can reveal far-away visions and print them on film!" The busted camera starts putting itself back together. "It may look like I've gotta bust a 30,000 yen ($237.24 US) camera every time I use it, but my Stand can fix whatever it touches!"
A waiter walks over to them. "Ma'am, is something wrong?"
Nozomi turns to him. "We're fine. Thank you."
The waiter nods. "Right..."
Honoka explains the photo to Umi. "The image that's about to appear on this photo, Umi-chan... Will define your very destiny!" "What?"
Honoka looks at Yukiho. "Yukiho, have you ever taken a close look at the back of your next?"
Umi moves a little closer to Honoka. "What does this have to do with her?"
The ginger doesn't break her attention to Yukiho. "You've probably never noticed. On the back of my neck is a mark like a star."
Honoka moves her hair and pulls the collar of her shirt down to reveal a star on the back of her neck. Yukiho does the same, and it appears she also has a star!
Umi slowly loses her patience. "What does all this mean?"
Honoka continues. "My father has it, too. Seems all those with Kosaka blood have this mark."
Nozomi sits in silence, only listening to Honoka and Umi's words. The bluenette asks "Honoka, what will show up on that photo?"
Honoka answers "The star that escaped my notice and Yukiho's is our destiny!"
Umi gets more annoyed. "Don't mess with me!"
She snatches the photo. "Show me the photo!" When Umi takes the photo, a vision appears on it.
On the photo is the backside of a shirtless blonde man with the Kosaka birthmark on the back of his neck, standing in the dark at over 190cm (More than 6 feet) in height!
The mere sight of the photo fuels Honoka with rage. "DIO! My spirit photography bares his image every time! Take a look at the back of his neck! Below that rotten bastard's neck, is the body of my grandfather, HONATHAN KOSAKAAA!"
Umi and Yukiho's eyes widen in horror.
"Fifty years ago, a mysterious incident unfolded on the Pacific. From what my granny told me about my grandfather's death, DIO must have survived by taking his body! But one thing's for certain. He's hiding somewhere, plotting something! It's been sixteen years since he was revived. My Stand appeared within the past six months... It has to be DIO."
Nozomi adds on. "'Normal' people would deem our abilities as supernatural. I've had this Stand since birth. But Honoka-Chan's ability share an invisible link with DIO, or Honathan's body. Undoubtedly, DIO has awakened her dormant ability. Since you don't have Kosaka blood in your veins, Umi-chan, your Stand must have awakened by coincidence."
Honoka hands the photo to Nozomi. "Nozomi-chan, where is he? Can you tell from the photo?"
Nozomi shakes her head. "I cannot. The background is barely visible."
Honoka is disappointed. "As I thought."
Nozomi puts the photo in her pocket. "I will examine this." "Please."
Honoka pats Yukiho on the head. "Oh, Yukiho. Forgive your Onee-chan for all the scary talk. Now, let's go home."
Yukiho gets off her table. "Y-Yes..." The four girls proceed to the Kosaka residence.
"Nozomi-chan and Umi-chan will be staying over for a while. Thank you for putting them up."
"Of course, Onee-chan. Let's go, Umi-Senpai." Said Yukiho.
As the four girls head home, Honoka feels the star on her neck.
When does a story truly start? When did the next story of µ's truly begin, anyways?
Did it begin when they saved Otonokizaka from closure? Could it have been when Honoka was convinced to compete in Love Live for the former third years' sakes? Right after µ's disbanded? That moment the arrow struck Umi Sonoda?
Or perhaps, it was that moment when Honoka Kosaka informed the others about a great evil that she must chase after?
Somewhere unknown, DIO lies on his bed. "Again... Just now, it felt as though someone was watching me."
He gets off the bed and starts lurking in the darkness. "It has to be Honathan's descendants... This body is sending off some kind of signal to his offspring."
On a set of stairs lie many women's corpses, with three holes the size of fingertips in their necks. DIO has drained them of their blood.
"Very well. It must be fate... A fate that must be annihilated, a destiny that must be erased."
DIO standing on the top of said stairs, spoke eerily. "My intervention begins now."
The next day, Umi prepared to leave for school, but she heard Honoka's voice inside. "Umi-chan! Wait! Let's walk to school together!"
Honoka holds Umi's hand. "This isn't grade school, Honoka! Let go of my hand!"
Honoka looks at Umi with sad eyes, and the latter sighs. "Good grief. I guess it's fine."
Honoka cheered "Yay!" Then the two made their way to school.
On the way to school, Honoka and Umi run into Kotori, Rin and Hanayo.
Rin was happy to see her senpai after she skipped school for a day. "Hey, it's Umi-chan, nya!"
So was Hanayo. "W-What? Umi-chan? You're right! It's Umi-chan!"
Kotori is happy to see her classmate again. "Good morning, Umi-chan!" Kotori holds onto Umi's hand.
The bluenette spoke in her mind "Damn it, you two! Stop holding my hands!"
Kotori spoke again. "Umi-chan! You took off school yesterday! What were you up to?"
Umi looks at Honoka, who gives her the signal that it's okay to tell them, and Umi looks at Kotori, Rin and Hanayo.
"This sounds crazy, but I locked myself in jail because I thought I was possessed by an evil spirit." Umi's news surprise the the three, and Hanayo spoke "An evil spirit!?"
Umi nodded. "Yes, and it turned out it wasn't an evil spirit at all. It's a manifestation of the soul, and it's called a Stand."
Kotori, Rin and Hanayo look at Umi as if they know what she's taking about.
Honoka tells Umi "Kotori-chan and Rin-chan are Stand users as well, but it's best if you don't reveal your ability until you absolutely have to. The two of them understand this."
Hanayo added "I'm not a Stand user. When Rin-chan used her Stand, I couldn't believe her at first."
Umi nods. "I see. I can imagine a Stand being this personal. If I were to summon my Stand right now, it would be like if I took off my clothes in front of all of you here! Shameless!"
The other four girls laugh as they continue their trip to school.
Meanwhile, a girl with semi-long red hair and purple eyes is painting on a canvas. The painting is a low-detailed Umi.
When Umi starts walking down the stairs, the girl draws a red line on the Umi painting's leg! Umi's leg gushes blood and she falls down the stairs!
"What!?" Umi yelped.
Honoka, Kotori, Rin and Hanayo scream in terror. "UMI-CHAN!"
As Umi falls, she sees a tree nearby! "The branches..."
Umi summons her Stand and it grabs the branches, breaking her fall!
Honoka yells "Umi-chan!" then she rushes toward Umi. Kotori, Hanayo and Rin follow, as Hanayo yells "Taihen desu!" (This is bad!) and Kotori "Umi-chan fell down the stairs, nya!"
Rin adds on. "Oh, but she's still moving! The branches broke her fall, nya!"
The branches Umi's Stand grabbed bended over so she could reach the ground safely, and Umi thinks "Did a branch just slice open my knee? No... It was there before the fall!"
Umi lets go of the branches and stands back up. "That's why I missed the step. I know it." Umi brushes the leaves off her uniform. "But..."
The four girls make it to the bottom of the stairs. "Umi-chan! Are you all right?" They asked in unison.
At the top of the stairs, the girl with red hair finds out her attempt to kill Umi failed. "Oh? I see her Stand has great power. It's no wonder..."
The girl discards the canvas by throwing it at a tree. "...the Master wants her dead, as well as Honoka. No matter..."
She swipes her paintbrush and the canvas shatters. "Neither of them are a match for my Stand."
At the bottom of the stairs, the girls check to see if Umi is fine.
"You really scared me. Are you okay, Umi-chan?" asked Honoka.
"Are you okay, Umi-chan?" asked Hanayo.
"That was lucky. Fifteen centimeters (Six inches) more, and you'd have hit the pavement, nya!" said Rin.
"I'll remember not to let go of your hand next time, Umi-chan." Kotori said to Umi's dismay.
"That is not an option!" Umi snapped.
The red-haired girl walks down the stairs in an overly feminine fashion, now wearing a long white scarf that also wraps around her right arm.
She stops at Umi, handing her a handkerchief. "You... Your left leg appears to be bleeding. Here, you can use this handkerchief to clean yourself up." Umi takes it from her.
"Are you alright?" The red-haired girl asks.
"I'll be just fine." She walks away, but Umi stops her. "Hold it."
The redhead turns her head halfway around in a menacing manner.
"Thanks, Maki. I thought you wouldn't be back home until next week."
Maki Nishikino fully faces toward the other girls. "We had to cut our trip short. We just came home yesterday."
She walks away, while Rin and Hanayo wonder what's up with her.
"Maki-chan never returned our calls for three weeks. What gives, nya?" Rin asked.
"Maybe she so focused on her vacation that she forgot to check up on us." Said Hanayo.
"Could be." Said Kotori.
Honoka places her hand on the star on her back, as if she could sense something.
Meanwhile, somewhere unknown, DIO does the same, then he lets go.
"Back then, I was weak..." He starts recalling when he killed Honathan fifty years ago.
"I had no body. If I hadn't stolen Honathan Kosaka's body!" A pale green light emits behind him as he poses dramatically.
"If it hadn't been for his energy, negligible as it was, I wouldn't have survived those thirty-five years at the bottom of the sea. But this body is an expression of the bond between parent and child." DIO feels the connection between Honathan, his son, his son's daughters Honoka and Yukiho. "It seems to tie me to Honathan's descendants."
He walks past a group of shadowy figures. "They know of my presence."
He walks up a set of stairs. "Honathan's body has given me a new power two years ago... The Stand!"
DIO walks next to candles, and they light up when he walks past them. "It reaches out to the flesh of his progeny."
DIO stops in front of a mirror. "Alas, with it comes advantages and disadvantages. They are two sides of the same coin. Such is life. I must eliminate them. The Kosaka clan must be exterminated."
Meanwhile, at Homura, in Honoka's room, Nozomi opens a wrapper containing bread inside.
"As long as Honoka-chan and I can sense DIO's existence, we must assume he can sense ours. Even if we don't know his next move, or even what his powers may be..."
Nozomi takes a bite out of the bread. "Mmm. This bread tastes delicious today."
In one of the hallways in Otonokizaka Academy, Umi and Kotori walk to class. Honoka had fixed the former's leg earlier.
The silver-haired girl spoke. "Come on, Umi-chan. You can show your Stand. It's just you and I."
The bluenette replied. "Not happening. Honoka said it's best."
Unknown to the two third years, a red and white vine slowly follows them.
"I just want to see it. I won't tell Honoka-chan." Said Kotori.
"I said it's not happening!"
Kotori looked down in sadness. "Oh well."
As the two make their way, the handkerchief Maki gave Umi fell out of her pocket. "Whoops."
She picks it up and sees writing on it. "What is this!?" she exclaims. The writing on the handkerchief reads:
UMI SONODA, TODAY, YOU DIE AT THE HAND OF MY STAND! -MAKI NISHIKINO
"M-Maki!?" Umi then sees Kotori shaking for an unknown reason.
"Kotori, is something the matter?" Asked Umi.
Out of nowhere, Kotori pushes Umi into the janitor's closet!
"What are you doing!?" Exclaimed the bluenette.
Kotori growled creepily. "Just relax, Umi-chan. This will be over quickly."
Kotori whipped out a pair of scissors and tried to stab Umi in the eye! Luckily for the latter, she was able to grab her arm in time!
"What the!?" Said Umi.
Unfortunately, Kotori's strength is seemingly greater than Umi's, as she slowly moved the scissors towards her face! The silver-haired girl's expression even got creepier!
Unknown to Umi, who's too distracted by Kotori about to stab her, the same red and white vine from earlier crawls up the latter's leg!
"What is this strength!? I knew Kotori was strong but she was never a match for me! Is this the work of a Stand? Maki Nishikino... Did she cut my leg on the stairs, too?"
"Bingo." Maki, holding a marionette, opens the closet door and dashes to the opposite side of the corridor.
"Y-You're..."
Maki says smugly "So we meet again."
She lifts the puppet. "I've attached my Stand to Kotori. She is under my control now."
Maki starts shaking the puppet around. "Attack my Stand and you'll injure her, Umi."
Umi said "Maki, why are you doing this!?"
And then Maki spoke "My Stand's name is Psychic Fire. And while I am human, I pledged my loyalty to him..."
"Him?" Umi asked, then Kotori stabbed her in the face, making her yelp in pain! Fortunately, she missed her eye.
Maki raises the puppet's hand. "Which is why..."
The puppet does pointing gesture. "...I have to kill you!"
Kotori continues her attack on Umi, who notices two red lights in her mouth.
Umi forces the pen out of her face, and kisses Kotori on the lips!
It was indeed a shameless act, but Umi had to do it to remove Maki's Stand from Kotori.
Umi's Stand successfully pulled Maki's Stand out of Kotori's mouth with its teeth!
"I'm not letting you harm her. Now that I've dragged it out... I see... It's nothing more than a pathetic parasite."
Umi's Stand bites Maki's Stand's head harder, and Maki cringes at the reflected pain. Umi continues to drag Psychic Fire out of Kotori, and while her Stand lets go with its teeth, it now grabs it by the head.
"Maki, is this your Stand? Kinda reminds me of a big red balloon."
"You're going to regret dragging that out of her, Umi." Maki starts to feel the grip Umi's Stand has on her own. Umi gently places Kotori down.
"Keep saying that. From the looks of your forehead, I'm about to pop two balloons at once. For now, I'm gonna keep a grip on you for a bit. I'll take you to Honoka. I'm sure she'll be pleased to see you after school... Besides, I'd like to know more about DIO myself."
Umi notices a light red liquid oozing from Psychic Fire's hands. "What!? What's this red stuff coming from her Stand's hands!?"
Maki looks at Umi with violent intent. "I already told you, Umi... You will regret this."
Maki moves the puppet as if she were using it to move her Stand. "Get ready for my Stand, Psychic Fire's..."
Umi warns Maki not to do anything "Enough foul play!"
But she was too late. Psychic Fire's hands move closer together to charge up its attack move with this liquid. When it was ready, it shot red crystals out of its hands!
"Emerald Splash!"
"Emeralds aren't red!" Said Umi as her Stand tried to block the "emeralds", but it was no use. They broke her Stand's chest open and sent both it and Umi flying to the wall, crashing down the door. Umi calls her Stand back as she coughs up some blood.
Maki walks over to Umi. "What do you think? Emerald Splash... What you thought was red ooze is the destructive energy Psychic Fire controls! It pierced your Stand's chest, so you must be bleeding internally."
As Maki monologues, Umi tries to get back up. "So you must be bleeding internally. You and Kotori..."
Kotori tries to get back up, but the internal injuries Maki inflicted on her knock her unconscious, much to Umi's shock.
"W-What? But how? I pulled the Stand out of her..."
Maki turns to Umi. "I told you... Attacking Psychic Fire hurts her. My Stand can travel father than yours, though it prefers closed-in spaces. It particularly enjoys hiding from sight. Pull it out, however, and you'll witness its wrath. That's why it tore her to shreds."
Maki proceeds to pin the blame on Umi. "It's your fault, Umi! You're responsible! It's all because of you, Umi! This is your doing! If you would have just let me kill you, she would be perfectly fine now."
Umi finally stands back up, but Maki taunts her. "You're trying to stand up? How sad. You look like a sorry punching bag, awaiting your next thrashing." Umi looks at Maki with anger and disgust.
"Look. Nobody ever said Umi Sonoda was all sunshine and rainbows. When Honoka and Hanayo's BMI went up a little, I gave them the most unfair workout routine known to man until they were back in shape, although both of them probably just got muscular in the first place. Remember when you drew on my face after Nozomi and Rin got me to fall asleep? I scolded the three of you and none of you pulled a stunt like that on me again. Five days ago, I went down an alley on the way home and a bunch of thugs ran into me, so I used my Stand to beat the crap out of them. But... even a girl like me... can spot evil when she sees it! Evil is when you use the weak for your own gain, and then stomp on them when it's over! And that's exactly what you've done! Especially to an innocent woman! Your Stand gets to hide from the victim, the law, and the consequences! And that is why...
...I'll judge you myself!"
Maki chuckles at her. "Evil? You have it all wrong. The loser is evil. The victor is righteous. Whoever survives to tell the tale!"
Maki summons Psychic Fire. "The end justifies the means!"
Psychic fire stretches into tentacle-like appendages, and tries to attack Umi with them.
Umi dodges and runs around Maki, then she kicks a stool at her, which Psychic Fire tears into bits. Psychic Fire ties Umi up with its appendages, and all hope seems lost!
"The loser is the evil one. And now, the final blow!" Despite being in a seemingly hopeless situation, Umi keeps her composure.
"What? The loser is the evil one?"
Psychic Fire charges its attack. "Emerald Splash!"
A barrage of emeralds are shot at Umi. "Well, in that case..."
Umi summons her Stand, and it catches all of the emeralds with its arms!
"ORA!" With one swipe from each of its arms, Umi's Stand pushes all of the emeralds away!
This unexpected event surprises Maki. "What!? There's no way! No one can just deflect the Emerald Splash!"
Umi points at Maki and her Stand charges at her! "...let's see just how evil you really are!"
Umi's Stand grabs Psychic Fire by the neck and starts shaking it! "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
Maki coughs up some blood as Umi's Stand slightly raises its hand and curls its fingers into a fist. "ORAA!" The Stand punches Psychic Fire in the face, shattering its eye!
Umi's Stand then punches Maki's Stand repeatedly in the face! "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORAAA!"
"I'll show you justice..." Umi's Stand launches Psychic Fire into the air!
"...with my Stand!" The force from Umi's stand breaks Psychic Fire through school's floors and ceilings, even the roof! The force even breaks the windows!
In a classroom, Honoka sees Maki's Stand break through the floor and the ceiling as the windows shatter. "Looks like Umi ran into trouble. I should go see her."
Back at the hallway, the force inflicted on Maki causes her to gush blood from everywhere, and it knocks her unconscious. "What power..." She falls to the ground.
"You caught me off guard back there. I'm glad my Stand is tough, but I get the sense it's growing more and more savage by the day. That was close." Umi walks over to the unconscious Kotori.
"Kotori should be good as new once Honoka gets here."
The school's fire alarm goes off and Umi starts hearing voices. "What was that? A gas explosion? It came from the corridor! Everyone stay put!"
Honoka enters the room. "Umi-chan! Did you run into an enemy Stand user!"
She gasps at both Kotori and Maki unconscious and bleeding. "What did you do!?"
Umi lifts up the redhead. "There's no time to explain. I hate to say this, but we should take the day off."
"I agree." Honoka uses her Stand to heal Kotori's wounds, then she helps Umi carry Maki home. The bluenette turns to the ginger.
"Maki has some explaining to do. About DIO..." Umi jumps out the window since she's only on the first story of the school, and she catches Maki after Honoka tosses her out. Honoka joins the two as they head back to Homura.
Stand Profile: MAKI NISHIKINO
Stand Name: Psychic Fire
Namesake: BiBi song of the same name
Type: Long-Distance Stand
Stand Cry: None.
Appearance/Personality: Psychic Fire is a red and white athletic humanoid with robotic features, such as the eyes and legs. It is only slightly taller than Maki herself, though it can stretch itself to great lengths. Psychic Fire possesses a body covered in veiny lines, which is protected by a light-colored armor. Psychic Fire appears to not have a personality, serving Maki without hesitation or question, even seeming to act as Maki's mouthpiece. It is known that it hates wide open spaces and enjoys ripping things apart.
Abilities-
Coiled Body: As Psychic Fire's original appearance is not humanoid, but instead just a group of connected membranes, it is able to unravel itself into multiple long strings for multiple purposes such as acting like ropes.
Marionette Control: Psychic Fire is capable of sliding its coils into a person's body, allowing Maki complete control of that person. This serves to protect Psychic Fire and Maki from attacks if her opponent is someone unwilling to harm the innocent. Additionally, she can completely destroy the controlled being's air passage as she emerges, as well as the host's internal organs. When this ability was used, Maki was holding a marionette by the strings, but that was just for dramatic effect.
Emerald Splash: Psychic Fire's most powerful ability. It gathers energy into its body, causing it to glow light red, before firing off a large amount of energy which takes the form of red crystals. Before the blast is fired, a red water-like material is produced by Psychic Fire's hands, a byproduct of a large amount of energy the attack is giving off. The blast's range and shotgun-like dispersion, along with its incredible destructive power and high speed, makes Psychic Fire an extremely capable combatant. Interestingly, it seems that though this blast is quite powerful, it doesn't seem taxing on either Maki or Psychic Fire. However, the likes of Umi Sonoda can easily block or deflect the attack.
Stats -
Power: C
Speed: B
Range: A
Durability: B
Precision: C
Potential: D
Next time on Love Live! Bizarre Adventure Project!
Chapter 2: The Curse of DIO