Chapter 5 – Learning to Stand
"I think I get most of it..."
"If you're still confused, I'm perfectly willing to answer your questions. Just ask."
The two of them were sitting in the hotel room. Josuke had resolved to ask Norisuke why exactly he'd been recommended, and why the man had taken such an interest in him. To his surprise, the hero had answered in detail, though not before sending Joshu out on some time-wasting errands.
"Well, okay, first: you lured him out with the arrow, right? The one you said can grant Stands? But where did it go afterwards, do you still have it?"
"No. We knew Whitesnake was a cautious man- he'd outwitted Star Platinum, the number three hero in the world after all. We had to actually donate it to the museum in order to sell the ruse, and it really was on the ship." Norisuke paused, sighing and bringing up a hand to rub at his temple. It was a gesture Josuke had become familiar with as he listened to the story. "But when I went to take it back, it was already gone. I know that Pucci wasn't in a position to take it at any point, so his henchman must've doubled back and grabbed it. He'd been sent to check the shipping manifest, and thus would have know where to look."
"Okay, and second: Why did you want the healing Stand? You said something about your grandson, but didn't really elaborate."
"Tsurugi. My eldest is Jobin, and his son is Tsurugi. The Higashikata family has an unusual affliction, you see. It is fatal, barring the intervention of a particularly powerful Stand. The eldest son is always afflicted, once they reach the age of ten or eleven. Tsurugi is nine."
"Why are you both you and Jobin alive, then?"
"We were saved. By our respective mothers. But what they did cannot be replicated."
"You're sure?"
"Yes. Just... don't worry about it, alright?"
"Alright. And where is Whitesnake now?"
"Likely with the villain he came to Japan to meet with. I hadn't anticipated Kira's loss, so when the sludge villain was teleported back to Pucci's side, I was overwhelmed, sad to say. I was forced to make a tactical retreat."
"What about Kira's Stand, and my- or uh, Josefumi's memories? Were you able to recover them?"
"No. I frisked Whitesnake's pockets while he was trapped, but they weren't there. I'm not sure where they went. He may have inserted them into himself, in order to spite me. I really can't be certain."
"Okay. I think I understand. So... is this why you want me to be a hero? And why not include your children in this? Aren't they capable Stand users? You'd be able to win so much more easily."
"Whitesnake may masquerade as a man of the cloth, or perhaps he's even fooled himself into believing his God would approve of his transgressions. But make no mistake, the man is a vicious murderer. How could I possibly involve my children?" Norisuke paused, letting Josuke take a moment to digest the implication. "And yes. This is why I recommended you for the hero course. If you can bring yourself back up to a level capable of combatting Whitesnake, we can try again. Josuke, we could cure Holly Kira in an instant. We could take your memories back.
"Knowing the truth, what do you say?" It didn't take Josuke long to decide.
"Alright. I'm with you. What will we do?"
"We're at an advantage, knowing Whitesnake's Quirk and his henchman's capabilities. Also, he isn't expecting you. But he has certainly gone to ground by now. He's likely reconnected with the villain he came to Japan to meet with in the first place. Ultimately, there's nothing you can do but train yourself. Prepare for the coming battle."
"What about you?"
"In the mean time, I'll be putting out feelers, and shaking down the villains I come across for any information. Right now, we just need to be patient."
Josuke thought that was easier said than done, but he understood.
Yasuho experiments had yielded a perfect score. She didn't have to check maps on her phone, she just followed Paisley Park. She didn't have to search for the exact item she wanted on a store's website, Paisley Park led her straight to it.
And when the prompt to choose between a dog and bucket had come up on her phone, she'd selected 'dog'. And the man who tried to corner her in an alley was swiftly chased off by some massive mutt which had broken off it's owner's leash.
She had to admit, Stands were totally awesome.
In fact, it had started her mind down a path it hadn't followed for almost a year now. Of course, she had thought about it before- what kid didn't want to be a hero? She'd watched all the videos of the top pros: the fashionable and dashing Best Jeanist, the dark and mysterious Edgeshot, the cold and stoic Endeavor. And like every kid, she'd marvelled at All Might, defeating villains with a smile wider than any river.
As she'd grown, she began to believe there was no dazzling heroics to be found in her future. Sure, her Quirk was strong enough, and fairly suited for combat, but could it measure up to the competition? Did she even want to spend all the effort that would be necessary for hero work? Did she have the requisite discipline?
She had doubted, and as the time to apply for a hero course drew nearer, had given up entirely, resigned to find some job as a… well, she wasn't sure yet, but there had to be something.
Now though, she had this Stand! Sure, it wasn't dangerous in the classical sense, but her Quirk already had that covered. Now she had the versatility, the supporting abilities that would almost certainly propel her even further than the other would-be heroes that would serve as her classmates.
It had to be destiny, that she had come to possess this ability, right? Things like that couldn't happen as a result of chance. She felt a calling now, one that hadn't been there before. She had to fulfil that childish dream, for some purpose she had yet to become aware of.
She knew Joshu would be applying to UA, and if she was being honest, that had put her off of it for a bit. She didn't want to deal with that every day. But now, she had a new friend in Josuke, and, perhaps this was a rather flighty reason, but she didn't want to have to part with him so soon.
But if she wanted to pass the entrance exam, she'd have to keep training. Not Paisley Park, Josuke had been right when he said using your Stand was nearly innate. But the Quirk she'd been neglecting, and the body she'd let grow soft.
She set off on another jog, content to let her Stand lead her yet again.
"I must say, I am disappointed in you. I expected better."
"No apology I could make would be sufficient. Please, allow me to rectify my mistakes."
Enrico knew All For One wasn't looking at him in the traditional sense. Even if he couldn't see the man's face for all the darkness- the master villain had neglected to turn on a light for Enrico, possibly to show his displeasure- he knew the man to be maimed and blind. But he swore he could still feel his eyes sweeping him from head to toe.
"How did you become separated from your ally?"
"I left our temporary safehouse to procure necessities- food and water, as well as toiletries. Upon my return, the lock had been melted, and Crazy Diamond was nowhere to be found. I assume this to be the work of an opposing villain."
"Yes, if it were a hero, then your employee's arrest would have been publicised."
"Astute, but there is more to my assumption. When I had initially checked the museum for the arrow, the locks had been melted in much the same manner. I expect this would-be competitor is seeking to amass power through a similar method as us."
"I see. How would you begin the search for this individual?"
"They may not have been based in Morioh. It's likely they were simply following the museum's advertisements, the same as I was. I'll look for the hero that survived our fight on the ship. Stand users tend to attract other Stand users, and he's almost certainly as interested in this case as we are, so he may have a lead of his own. Meanwhile, I have something for you, something you'll want."
"What I want is Crazy Diamond in the hands of an ally, so that I may see the world again, so that I may walk and breathe and digest my foods uninhibited. I want that arrow, so that I may unlock a Stand of my own, and breed such abilities amongst my followers. Is your gift comparable to these things you have already promised, Enrico?"
"It is a Stand. A powerful one, suited for one such as yourself. All that is required is that you insert this disk into your head."
"Hmm. Perhaps I was hasty to condemn you. What is its name? And what can it do?"
"It is named Killer Queen. And as for its abilities..."
Without a home of his own, it didn't come as much of surprise that Josuke had taken up a brief residence in Kira Yoshikage's apartment. Brief because he'd soon have to move to be closer to UA. There was no way he'd be able to commute from Morioh.
That being said, Yasuho simply didn't like being in the place. It was almost certainly just a holdover from the last time she'd been there, but it gave her the creeps. She wasn't sure how Josuke could stomach it. It'd been near a month since he'd moved into the place, but whenever they met up, she'd still have it be somewhere else. A cafe, or clothes shopping, or some other such.
They were on one such outing now, at a small thrift shop selling unusual odds and ends. But today was different. She'd decided she was going to tell him about Paisley Park, as well as her decision, today. At some point. Just not now.
"Look, Josuke! Isn't this clock cute?" The clock in question was set in the stomach of a plastic tuxedo cat, and it seemed to have speakers on it for some reason. Without batteries, there was no way of knowing what sound it made, but she had to assume it meowed.
"I think I like this one more." He said, picking up a melted clock, an obvious reference to the famous Dali painting.
"Eh, it's bent, so you can't put it on a wall. You'd have to let it hang off a counter, and I feel like it might fall. Plus, the numbers are all in weird places, it just doesn't seem practical to me."
"Oooh, you're right. In that case, I'll get the cat one."
In addition to the clock, he also got a plastic stool shaped like a mushroom, while she only a purchased a small hairclip. The cashier smiled at them as she checked them out.
"Oh, the two of you are so precious, even if you seem a little young to be living together..."
"No that's not- we just- we're getting him things for his apartment! You've totally got the wrong idea!" The cashier hmmed, clearly disbelieving, but she let it drop.
That was awkward, but maybe today was just a day for awkward things. Yasuho steeled herself as they were going through the door. Now or never.
"You're going to UA, right?"
"Yeah, I talked about it before, remember?"
"I remember, I was just bringing it up. Because… I've been thinking of doing it too."
"You are? But, I think the exams have already been done. I did them a month ago."
"Well, yeah, the recommendation exams are finished. But the general exams are next week. I've already put my application in."
"Oh. That's great, maybe we'll be classmates! It'd be nice to have someone I know there."
Yasuho smiled and responded in kind, and then they were quiet for a moment, just walking along.
"What made you decide to do that?" And here it was.
"Well… maybe it'd be easier to show you. Mind sitting down with me?"
They made their way over to park bench. She wasn't delaying, definitely not, she just needed to rest her feet.
"So… you know how I don't have a Stand?"
"Yeah?"
She summoned Paisley Park. With a shout, Josuke jumped up, tripped on his feet, and immediately fell forward.
"Are you okay?!"
"Yeah, just surprised."
"Oh, okay, cool. Need a moment?"
"No, I'm good. More importantly, when did you get a Stand? What does it do? Why is it so pink? Is it pink because your hair is pink?"
"Uh, maybe? And… this is gonna sound weird, but I got stabbed."
"You- are you okay?"
"Yeah, it healed like, super quick. But that's where my Stand came from."
"That's weird, what kind of- huh. Hey, Yasuho." Josuke tone changed suddenly, losing the tinge of confusion. "Was it an arrow?"
"I… how did you know that?"
"Did you see the person wielding it? Where'd they go?"
"That's the thing- I'm not sure. He just started screaming, and then he evaporated- he was made of sludge, you see- and a disk came out of him. But then I passed out too. I can't be totally sure, but with how it happened, it seems likely it was Stand attack. One that targeted both of us."