Nobody told Giorno the sad truth, but it had not taken him long to figure it out. His Stand, Gold Experience, was capable of creating life, but it could do something else in addition.

It allowed him to sense life. From the moment he first arrived at Brando Manor, he could tell that his father and nephew were far from the only inhabitants. Several servants dwelled on the various levels of the extensive house. Women he had never seen before and would probably never lay his eyes on again came and went. They would arrive in the evening, be escorted to DIO's tower, and leave the following morning, sore and disoriented.

Of all the people he had encountered, there was one that eluded him. One that nobody hardly talked about. His half sister, Dahlia. He had never seen her out and about in the mansion. She never joined them for meals.

There was the possibility that she had simply entrusted her son to her father, but Giorno could not seem to come up with why. If it were an issue of money, then why did she not stay in the pampered environment with the rest of her kin?

The son of DIO may have been young, but he was far from stupid. A simple matter of deduction was all he needed. She was dead.

As he watched his nephew get pummeled into the ground, he could not help but wonder what had felled her. It was pointless, as the damage was done, but still...

"Too slow," DIO said passively as Diego clawed at him, only to miss. The blood-sucker caught the young Brando's wrist without effort, and lifted him up. With a casual air, he tossed his heir into a statue of a woman holding a water jug. The impact was surely painful. Diego winced and groaned as his momentum made the stone decoration break. He and the pieces fell to the ground.

Giorno silently observed as his relative took in a breath and got on his knees. If there was one thing Giorno knew to be the absolute truth about the aloof and prideful Diego was that he never gave up. No matter what was thrown at him, no matter how many times he got bloodied and knocked down, he always picked himself up.

Your resolve is respectable, nipote. I suppose it runs in the family. Perhaps you'll be instrumental for my dream.

Diego cracked his neck as he bared his fangs, ready for another barrage courtesy of his grandfather. You think you can just waltz in and take what's rightfully mine, Giorno? My branch of the family tree was formed first. I was here first! And I'm not about to let some bastard replace me like some old pet!

Simultaneously, DIO had his own machinations at work as The World slugged Diego in the gut. That's right. You two don't need to like each other. You only need to serve me, DIO. You'll both make such useful tools.

XXXXXXXXX

The following day without incident. The morning lessons went on as usual, boring the majority of the students. The afternoon also went as normal as it could.

"That's the day," Roadagain said as the bell rang, sitting at his desk. "Have yourselves a pleasant evening."

The students of 1-A gathered their things and made to make their way to their homes.

As he stood, Johnny looked at his hand.

Gyro and Yaoyorozu noticed this, and the former grinned. "Thinking of getting a manicure, Johnny? Then again, with how your Stand works, it might only last a few minutes, nyo ho!"

"That's sort of what's on my mind," Johnny replied. "When I first got my ability, my nails, my ammo, would grow back in just a moment. But when it evolved, when I use Tusk in ACT 2, it takes a lot longer. About a minute. Not exactly a good thing if I miss a lot in a fight."

Gyro nodded. "Yeah, you ain't exactly a boxer."

"You could try ingesting biotin," Yaoyorozu suggested.

"Bio-what?" The word was alien to the youngest Joestar.

"It's a sort of vitamin that helps the body produce energy, thus making nails grow quicker."

Johnny rubbed his chin. "Guess I could buy some and try it."

"I think I heard somewhere that herbs do the job too," Gyro added as the three make their way towards the door. "Like mint and cham- ehi!" He had bumped into Iida's back. "What's the holdup, Prez?" He did not wait for an answer, opting instead to raise his heels to look over his peer's shoulder. What he saw was surprising to say the least. A throng of what he surmised to be other UA students had gathered around the massive doors of their classroom. What truly struck him was just how silent they all were. It was like they were waiting for a movie to start in the theater. "What on Earth is going on here?"

Bakugo walked past him. "Isn't it obvious, you damn idiot? They're trying to scope out the competition."

Gyro murmured a few profanities in his native tongue before turning his head to Midoriya. "Is it just medically impossible for him to not be a dick for twenty seconds?"

"That's just his neutral mood," Midoriya said, used to his old friend's demeanor.

"You call that neutral? Nuh-uh. Johnny here is acting neutral."

Bakugo, having not heard their small exchange, regarded the mob. "It's pointless, what you're doing! So why don't all you extras get lost!"

"Don't call people you've never met 'extras' right off the bat!" Iida reprimanded.

The Class President was not the only one unamused by the en masse insult.

"What did you just call me?!" A gangly, black-haired student forced his way towards Bakugo. "Did you just call me an extra?!"

Before the ill-tempered one could go off any further, another dark haired boy put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Narancia. You don't want to get any more detention."

Diego, having forced his way to the door with a series of shoves and slithers, got himself a front row seat to the heated words. He noticed at once that Giorno was standing next to the enraged young man. The two regarded each other with silence.

Narancia seethed, but ultimately let out a long breath. "Sorry, Bucciarati. He isn't worth it."

It was then that Bakugo's neutral mood vanished. "What?! You little-"

Bucciarati cut him off. "I suggest you exercise self-control as well." He led Narancia off. Giorno lingered for a moment, looking at his nephew, before he followed them.

A new voice came from the crowd. "I thought all of those in the Heroics department were arrogant. Maybe that guy was an exception." The owner of the words came forward. He had messy blue hair, and a look that would make anybody who looked at him think he had not slept for days. "You're all probably too absorbed with yourselves to know this, but there's tons of us in the General Education department because we failed the entrance exam."

"I was indeed aware of that," Diego said flatly. Deciding not to stick around for the sob story, he forced his way through the crowd, going after Giorno and his two friends. He turned out to be the only one to leave.

The exhausted confronter went on, unfazed by Brando's casual disregard for him and the rest. "You know, the Sports Festival can get somebody transferred to the Heroics Department if they do good enough. And the opposite can happen as well."

That claim sent a shiver down Midoriya's spine. He was not sure if this stranger was telling the truth, or just trying to psyche them out. But that was not a risk to take.

"So right now," the speaker continued. "I'm thinking... why don't I pull the rug out from under you, topple you off your high horses. You Heroic ones can consider this a declaration of war." Satisfied with having said his piece, he walked off.

"I'm starting to think Dio had the right idea," Johnny said. "He left before you put bullseyes on all our heads, Bakugo."

"It doesn't matter," the fiery tempered one replied. "None of it matters once you're at the top."

"Oh really, we're at the top?" Gyro quizzically asked. "I wasn't aware. When did that happen?"

XXXXXXXXX

The following morning, Ringo sat behind his temporary desk, having taken apart his firearm. He carefully scrubbed the intricate pieces. One wrong move and it could potentially fall apart. As he focused on the muzzle, he heard the door slide open. Instinctively, he glanced sideways to see just who it was.

"Midoriya. Bewildered. Talkative. And punctual. You're just full of surprises."

All Might's secret protégé felt his legs wobbling as he nodded with a tight mouth.

Ringo checked his wrist watch. "You're a good twelve minutes early. Your train arrive before schedule?"

Midoriya forced himself to answer. "Y-yes! But I also... I was wondering..." His arm, shivering, reached into his backpack. He pulled out a slightly worn hardcover book. "Could... could you sign this?"

The request caught Mandom's User off guard. Even in his homeland, he hardly got asked for autographs. But he hardly held that fact with disdain. He often went out of his own way to avoid attention. He took the novel out of his student's hand and read the title. Philosophies of the True Man's World.

"I wasn't aware they sold this so far from home." He turned it over and around in his hands. "This looks like a first edition."

"It is." Midoriya fervently nodded. "I asked for it when I was a kid."

Ringo opened the cover and put a pen to the inside. "Midoriya, I've never met a youth quite like you. Take that as a compliment."

The minutes passed, and more of 1-A poured in. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary... until Siri walked in. She seemed normal, but then hunched over.

"You sick, Valentine?" Ringo asked, rising from his seat.

"No. She isn't." The voice that answered sounded identical to Siri's. But it was coming from her back. Out from her blazer came another Valentine, and she looked furious. The copy full emerged and stood on her own two feet, glaring at her counterpart. "Somebody tell her that she can't switch realities with me in my sleep just so she can avoid the dude she dumped."

Those who had arrived before Valentine looked utterly lost, while the seemingly original Siri just sighed. "What made you figure it out?"

"Pannacotta, your, I repeat, your ex, decided to ask me to forgive him. I don't care how delicious sounding a name nor how high an IQ he has, the guy is a ticking bomb."

The other Valentine groaned. "Damn it. I was hoping to keep myself on the down low for at least another week."

"Well, you won't. Now get lost!"

XXXXXXXXX

As the days passed, the Heroes in training worked themselves to their limits. But they were not the only ones occupied with important business.

Overhaul scrubbed fervently as the soap and water ran over and off his hands. His private washroom was always kept in pristine condition. But still he felt the urge to wash. The water felt soothing on his currently exposed fingers.

"I think you got the dirt off." Those words caught his attention. His eyes darted upwards to the mirror hanging over the sink. He saw himself... and somebody else standing behind him. He had long brown hair tied into several ponytails. His red eyes held a sense of smugness in them. "Your hands are starting to go raw."

The Yakuza boss spun himself around, arms outstretched and ready to obliterate the intruder. His eyes must have been playing tricks on him. He was alone in the room. He blinked and started to steady his breathing. "I must be more tired than I thought."

"I'm not a figment," the same voice said. Overhaul looked over his shoulder, and the mystery man with there in the mirror. "I wager that your obsession with cleanliness will make it so you won't attack the mirror. That'll make things easier. Before you freak out, I'm not here to hurt you."

Overhaul continued his attempts to calm himself. "You aren't real."

The stranger smirked, and his hands reached down out of Overhaul's sight below the frame of the mirror. He heard a squeaking, and looked down slightly to see the faucet knobs turning, making the water flow stop. Having proved he was indeed real, he spoke once more. "Listen and listen well. My Boss is interested in... a sort of team up between our organizations."

"Your Boss?"

"Don't bother asking for more information. I don't know who he is or what he looks like. He makes it a point to remain anonymous. Those who look for him wind up... getting hurt. But that doesn't matter here. What does is you and us can operate in sync. Heroes have meddled in both our affairs, after all. And your hold is considerably weak on the underground around here."

"How do you know that?"

"You think the news won't report suspected Yakuza getting offed? Point being, you know the ins and outs of this city, even this prefecture, maybe even this entire country. And we have the bodies and means of taking over. Tell you what. You think on it, and I'll come back and check in with you in a few days."

XXXXXXXXX

Gregorio looked over the chart in his hands, standing beside Aizawa's bed. "Well, there's no hemorrhaging or infection. And you're completely mobile, all your bones are set in the correct positions."

"Does that mean I can finally get back to my job?"

The Zeppeli patriarch nodded. "I would suggest you avoid further danger, but that would be fruitless advice."

Aizawa looked at him, unable to read his unchanging face. The doctor had not shown emotion once since the educator had been committed. "You don't respect Heroes, do you?"

"Do not misconstrue me, Eraserhead. I adhere to the belief that nobody should overstep their boundaries."

Aizawa's mind brought forth images of the cackling Gyro. Just how far did that apple fall from the tree?

XXXXXXXXX

As the sun rose once more, 1-A filed into their homeroom, waiting for their lessons to start.

"Weird," Kirishima said as he looked at the vacant desk. "Roadagain-Sensei's usually here before any of us."

"Maybe he returned to his glorious home country," Siri suggested.

Johnny added his own theory, with a far less chipper tone. "Maybe he thought he had better things to do."

"He's still here," answered somebody from the doorway. All eyes turned to the entrance. What they saw could have passed for a mummy. Or a burn victim. But the voice was familiar enough to the students for them all to know just who it was.

"Aizawa-Sensei?!"

The perpetually exhausted Hero nodded and walked in, his words muffled from the bandages concealing his visage. "I can safely surmise that Roadagain has been tough on you all." The majority of his students nodded, with looks of painful memories etched in their eyes. "Good. You all should get as much preparation as possible."

XXXXXXXXX

"I suppose my tenure here as come to an end." Ringo sipped the tea Nezu had prepared for him. The two were sitting in the teacher's lounge alone.

The Principal helped himself to a cup. "On the contrary. I was hoping you would accept a more... long term position."

Ringo, in the midst of blowing off the steam atop his drink, looked at his employer. He did not know what to feel. Suprise? Gratitude? Happiness?

"You don't have to necessarily answer right now," Nezu assured. "Perhaps I can offer you something smaller so you can test the waters?"

XXXXXXXXX

At last, the day came. Countless people would be tuning into the display of UA's latest batch of power. The stadium would be jam packed, surely. But what a select few were aware of was the latest addition to it.

Telence waited by one of the numerous cars into the garage, having made sure the door was closed. Every inch of glass on the vehicle, sans the front windshield, had been painted black and covered with the thickest of fabrics, all to keep the sunlight out of the backseats. The gamer heard the door open and glanced over to see his employer, dressed in his usual gaudy clothes, along with a long, hooded coat as extra precaution. Giorno and Diego had departed earlier for their preparations.

DIO climbed into the back. "Let's be off, D'Arby. Pucci informed me that our arrival is expected."

Telence got behind the steering wheel. "Yes, Lord DIO."

XXXXXXXXX

Outside of the Stadium, a massive crowd had already gathered. Vendors lined the walkway, selling everything from food to shoddy merchandise. Among those in attendance was Mount Lady, using her assets, fame and looks, to get a reduced price on a snack. He fell for it, lock, stock, and barrel.

As she enjoyed her food, something caught her ears. Angry shouting. For a moment, her worried the man she had flirted with had come to his senses, but that went away when it became evident that numerous people were raising their voices.

"Watch it!"

"Learn to drive!"

"Use the roads!"

A car horn rang out behind her. Before she could react, she felt someone, or something, pull her from the walkway, just in time for a black car to speed past her towards the Stadium.

"Some people," said a deep voice behind her, whom she assumed to be the one who moved her.

Rather than a face, she was met with a muscled chest adorning a harness. Her eyes drifted upwards, past the pectorals and neck to meet the gaze of the man. He had a hard, unassuming face, and red eyes surrounded by black sclerae. Covering his blue hair was a God-like hat with six small metal orbs the size of ping pong balls hang on the ends.

So tall... she thought. And so... ripped.

"You obviously aren't hurt," he said. "Good day." He started walking off.

Mount Lady found herself running after him, quickly struggling to match his pace due to the difference of lengths in their legs. "Hey, thanks! I never got your name."

He gave a sidelong glance at her, hesitating before responding. "Ferro."

"Nice name. You foreign?"

"You're a smart one, aren't you."

She ignored the double sided statement. "I'm positive you know who I am. Are you a Hero too?"

"No."

"Then what do you do?"

"Run a few businesses and parlors."

"So... you're loaded?"

"My associates and I get by."

Yeah, he's rich. And hot to boot. She grinned and walked closer to him. "You wanna maybe sit next to each other during the Festival?"

Again, he paused before answering. "Maybe. One of my business partners accompanied me here, but it seems I've lost-"

A woman screamed at the top of her lungs and slapped a man with purple hair. He grinned perversely. "Di molto!"

"There he is."

XXXXXXXXX

"Have you all finished your preparations?!" Iida loudly asked his classmates as they all lounged in their designated waiting room.

"For the ninth time, yes!" Gyro shouted back, finishing the patterns on his newly formed Steel Balls.

Johnny downed a cup of chamomile tea. "I still can't believe they're letting you use those."

"It's only fair. Pinky over there gets those boots. Plus I got these too." He grinned widely, showing a new set of grills that still read 'GO!GO!' on top and '1-A!' on the bottom.

"Those are so manly!" Kirishima was obviously impressed.

Diego regarded them with disinterest, finding nothing better to do other than let their inane chatter bounce on his ear canals. Next to him, Midoriya was trying, and apparently failing, to reign in his anxiety.

"Midoriya." The two friends watched as Todoroki approached them, his face as blank as Johnny's. "I'll cut to the chase. In an objective sense, I think I surpass you in terms of strength."

Gyro looked over his shoulder wearing a coy grin. "Really? You're tougher than the guy who can't throw a punch without crippling himself? You're a damn genius!"

Todoroki ignored the European and continued addressing Izuku. "You've somehow managed to grab All Might's attention as well. I'm not going to pry into that. I'm only letting you know that I am going to beat you today."

Some of the words spoken unearthed the mystery that had plagued Diego's mind. As Kirishima attempted to alleviate the newfound tension, Brando's thoughts wandered.

'He's a Quirkless loser...'

Got this power from somebody else...

'Your Quirk is a lot like All Might's...'

Everybody seems shocked All Might took a teaching job...

He can barely control his power...

'Somehow managed to grab All Might's attention...'

Present Mic, sitting in the announcer box, smiled widely as the microphone in front of him made feedback go through the numerous speakers."Welcome all, welcome! To our great yearly melee! The UA Sports Festival!"

1-A made their way out into the open, as did all the other first year classes, a rumbling came from above.

"Is it gonna rain?" Gyro wondered aloud. They all looked upward, but they did not see dark clouds. Rather, what beheld them was a dome slowly closing overhead of the entire arena, with scores of blinding lights on the underside, keeping the contestants and spectators out of the massive shadow that would have surely been cast down on them.

"That's new," Kirishima said, recalling when he had watched previous Festivals from home. "I don't remember that happening last year."

Diego surmised what was going on and surveyed the audience. Who he was looking for would certainly be in a good seat. He quickly found that he was right, and pointed. "I think he is the reason why the sun is being blocked."

Several of his classmates looked to where he was indictating, and saw a man who looked strikingly similar to Diego.

Kaminari squinted. "Brando, is... is he your father?"

The inadvertent mention of the man Diego hated most forced him to take a deep breath before answering. "No. Grandfather."

"Your what?! What's his secret?"

"Immortality." He felt that was explanation enough and stopped talking as the scores of students approached a podium. Standing on it was a woman who looked like she had just come from a sex dungeon. Most of the males in attendance instantly recognized her as Midnight, the R Rated Hero.

"Nice to all of you giving your undivided attention," she beamed. "Player Rep, please come on up! Bakugo Katsuki!"

He did just that, but strangely without his usual boisterous air. Instead, he was slouching with his hands in his pockets.

Midoriya was shocked, to say the least. "Our representative is Kacchan?!"

Diego glanced at him, still mentally finishing the puzzle. "It matters little. I'm just curious to see how spectacularly he paints targets on us."

Bakugo stepped onto the podium, up to the microphone. "I'm gonna win," he said simply. "You'll all make fine stepping stones for me."

Diego might have chuckled at the uproar that immediately followed. "I knew it."

Gyro waved his arms towards the other snarling classes. "We are not willingly affiliated with him!"

But his words went unheard. Numerous students voiced their disdain all at once.

"I'll be the one to tear you down!"

"Don't get so cocky!"

"You arrogant motherfucker!"

"I'm gonna use you for target practice!"

Bakugo paid them no mind and simply walked down to rejoin his class.

Gyro rubbed his face. "We're fucking doomed."

Midnight also seemed unbothered by the vulgarities. "Well then, onto the preliminaries!"

"Never a dull moment," Uraraka said.

A massive rectangular hologram formed behind the dominatrix, suspended in midair. "Our first round towards destiny... will be this!"

Two words appeared on the screen. 'OBSTACLE RACE'

"A race between all eleven classes around the outside of the Stadium!" Midnight was sounding more and more excited by the moment. A gate leading to a path into the sunlight opened, revealing the starting line. Taking the hint, all of the first years approached it. "We take pride in our freedom on campus around here. The same applies here! You're free to do anything, so long as you don't stray from the course!"

In the audience, DIO smirked. Make me proud, boys.

Midoriya took a spot next to Brando. This is my chance. The world is watching. But if I'm always unable to use my power, I'll always be stuck with limits. I need to surpass these trials.

To his left, Brando bent his knees as his mouth split open. You pathetic flock of pigeons. I'll stand above you all in the end. You're all guilty!

"START!"

All of them charged forward... only to get stuck. They were crammed shoulder to shoulder like sardines in a can.

"The gate's too cramped!" Izuku audibly realized.

"For you!" Diego jumped up, and began running atop his fellow students, using their shoulders and scalps as a walkway. As he made his way forward, those below him became immobilized. The chill in the air told him why. He could see Todoroki taking the lead, leaving a trail of ice behind him. The frozen substance climbed up those unfortunate enough to not have dodged it.

As Todoroki sprinted forward, he heard his classmates call out to him. "Nice try!"

Had he looked behind himself, he would have seen Kirishima, Bakugo, Aoyama, and Yaoyorozu soaring towards him, the latter making a Steel pole shoot out from her hand to keep her going up and forward.

Seeing them widen the gap between them, Brando felt his competitive side flare up. It was just like his derby days. And like then, he would do anything and everything to win, regardless of who he hurt.

He opted to start then and there. He hastily made his way to the pole created by and still carrying Yaoyorozu, and wrapped his claws around it. Summoning his might, he forced it down. Like a house of cards, it fell, taking its creator to the ground. She slammed into the ice, making Brando grin. I swore that I would pulverize those who stood above me. I've not forgotten how you bested me during Aizawa's first logical ruse.

"Dio, you fucking cheater!" Gyro shouted as he tried to free himself from those still stuck in the gateway.

"They said anything goes, Zeppeli." Diego's words were spoken moreso to himself than anybody else. As he ran forward, he made sure than his foot made an impact on Momo's back.

Johnny had thought that nothing Dio did would surprise him. And he found that to be true. You don't know him like I do, Gyro. And Izuku, I still think he's played you like a fiddle. He has no shame. He probably has no limits. He has a hunger, and he'll go to Hell and back to satisfy it. As he made his way through the bodies, he saw in his peripheral vision the tired looking bluenette from several days ago, being carried by several other students, all of whom looked spaced out. What are you capable of?

Finally, all of them made it out into the open, with Todoroki keeping his lead. He risked a glance over his shoulder to see just who was tailing him. "I knew some of my class would dodge that. But I didn't expect so many."

A sound nobody thought they would hear that day rang out. The whirring of a plane. The culprit came into view. A small red, almost toy-like fighter zoomed through the air, descending and opening fire. The ground was quickly littered with holes.

"Live ammo?!" Several shouted out.

Giddy laughter came from one of those chasing after Todoroki. "If I can't use Aerosmith on that jerk, I'll take filling you full of holes!" He would have done just that, but a giant metallic hand swatted him away.

Scores of robotic voices thundered. "Multiple targets acquired."

Zero-Pointers from the entrance exam converged on the participants.

Back in the stadium, DIO, along with everybody else, watched it all unfold. "The funding this school has must be astronomical."

Pucci nodded. "Society is always willing to throw money towards those who protect them."

DIO smiled thinly. "That is far too true." He watched the gigantic screen, on which Todoroki froze the towering robots. His grin remained as the ice sculptures collapsed separating him from all those behind him.

"Oh-ho!" Present Mic laughed. "He's blocked them all off! Harsh!"

"Don't be so sure." Aizawa countered, albeit with his signature tone.

Outside, Todoroki kept going at full speed... and heard two people screaming behind him.

"ARIARIARIARIARIARIARI!"

"WRYYYYYYY!"

"Looks like 1-A's Brando and 1-B's Bucciarati have made it throw the freezing wreckage!"

Todoroki again rubbernecked and saw that Present Mic was correct. Coming out of the dust thrown up from the collapsing debris came an unlikely duo.

Brando, with his claws and tail covered in frost, was charging right at him.

Not too far behind Brando was somebody Todoroki had never seen before, but could only be Bucciarati. Hovering behind him was a blue and white ghost covered with armor and zippers. So this 1-B student was a Stand User, and could make his way out of trouble.

Both had a look of utter determination as they zeroed in on him.