Episode three: The Rouge

The morning after

Brooklyn

"So there's a lot I haven't told you, and I was hoping you'd find out a lot later. But since everything has became fucked, I suppose now is the best time to do this." Anthony's brow had been raised since Kirby had initiated the conversation. Kirby was rambling speaking a million miles per hour, he'd always been a motor mouth but today he was in overdrive.

"Kirby, just start from the very beginning. What is going on? And why is there a demon following me?" Anthony had asked, Kirby let out a deep sigh and stopped walking. He took a seat on a nearby bench and ushered Anthony to do so as well.

"Anthony...you're what we call a stand user." He blankly stated.

"What's that mean?" Anthony asked.

"Welp, a stand user is someone who can control a powerful spirit. That's the cliff notes version, there's a lot of technicalities that go into it and some mystic mumbo jumbo. Along with the fact you could die-"

"What?!" Anthony exclaimed.

"Oh. I forgot to mention that, damn it I'm an idiot. Alright, so...your stand as of now is incredible violent and hostile. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only person that felt your stand awaken. If I felt it, Niccolo probably felt it." Anthony's face was struck with one of pure horror, his breathing stopped completely for a good half minute.

"He...he has one too?"

"He's had one for as long as I could remember, if not longer. Look, how about we discuss this over some Mc dicks. I'm hungry as shit and I think we may wanna be on the move." Kirby grabbed Anthony by his sleeve and practically dragged him down the street to a McDonald's. When they enter he takes a seat near the very back of the resteraunt. "Okay, I'm gonna go get us some food. But first I need to get your wallet." Kirby like always was unprepared, he often piggybacked off the more responsible boy. Anthony fished his wallet out of the pocket of his bomber jacket. He tossed Kirby his wallet and the blonde peeked into it.

"Dude, did Niccolo jack you again? Or are you balling on a budget?" Kirby teased with a goofy smirk.

"I honestly wish it was the former than the latter." Anthony stated as he looked to his side.

"That's cool, I can get us at least six burgers. I'll pay you back some time." Kirby hopped up from his seat and went up to the counter to order the food. Anthony was still absorbing all this information, he was once a regular teenager but now he has super powers all of the sudden. Sorta like the heroes in the comics, but mainly the shitty ones that're kept in the very back of Mick's shop. Not only that but his worst enemy is a stand guy as well, and is most likely coming for his head. Anthony was so deep in thought that he wasn't aware of someone taking a seat along side him.

"Found you Silverson!" Anthony jumped in surprise, and turned to see Kirby dying from laughter. It took all the self control he had to keep himself from throwing a burger at Kirby's dumb face. Kirby eventually collected himself and started to chow down on his first burger. "Now, what do you want to know?" Kirby asked nonchalantly.

"Everything!" Anthony exclaimed loud enough that it gather everyone's attention. Kirby panicked and stumbled over his words and quickly formulated something to say.

"Anthony you're supposed to be on a diet! You can't eat everything." Kirby smiled sheepishly, his eyes darted back and forth between Anthony and the other people in the restaurant. He turned back to Anthony who gave him the most intense death glare he'd ever seen. "Alright, so where do you want to start?"

"How do I get rid of it?" Kirby gave another weak smile, his hand found it's way to the back of his head, he rustled through his hair as he tried to bring out the right words.

"You can't, your stand is binded to you for as long as you live. If your stand dies, you die." Anthony nearly choked on the burger he was eating, how could he live with something that wanted him dead. His head lowered and he pinched the bridge of his nose, he was clearly agitated.

"If it wants to kill me, how do I live with it?" Kirby cupped his chin and entered into deep thought. "Good question, let's work on bringing it out first."

"Really? In here?" Anthony asked.

"No you idiot, I know this nearby abandoned warehouse. We'll head there after I finish this burger." Kirby continued to eat his burger, and Anthony looked a little less than amused.


Meanwhile, in the Bronx

"Niccolo, we have business to discuss." Niccolo turned to see his older cousin, Luigi Borgia approach him. He was a tall and stocky boy with short messy chestnut hair. Luigi had a full grown man's stubble despite being 17 years old, that made him rather attractive to people who's attention he caught. Luigi was also taller by a few inches when compared to his younger cousin, though he was only a 17 year old, he was often mistaken as older.

"Luigi I'm busy!" Niccolo turned and continued walking down the sidewalk. There was this girl from school he had a hot date scheduled with, and he'd be damned if Luigi got inbetween that. He suddenly came to a dead stop, he gasped in surprised when he looked down to see thick black shackles around his ankle that connected to a nearby street light.

"I'm not taking no for an answer cousin. If you're to be the head of the Borgia mafioso then it's time you act like it. But that's not why I'm here, while you've been fucking around, I've been gathering intelligence. Daria of house Vicario has approached Anthony Silverson for recruitment." Niccolo crossed his arms and his mouth curved into a shit eating grin.

"Even more reason for me to kick his ass. He should've known better than to take arms alongside our enemies. Give me his location and he'll be dead by midnight." Luigi formed a grin of his own, ready to drop a bombshell that'll wipe the grin off his cousin's face.

"He has a stand." Niccolo's eyes widened, the news was so surprising his jaw could've hit the floor.

"So that's the power I felt last night...that was his?!" Luigi nodded in response, it was about time the brat got what was coming to him. Luigi knew that Niccolo coming to the realization of Anthony becoming a stand user would scare him. And that was all apart of his plan.

"Yes, and as we speak, he's mastering his stand." Luigi stated confidently.


Back in Brooklyn

"Try bending your knees a bit. Sorta like In Dragonball." Kirby offered bad advice, nothing out of the ordinary. Anthony had been trying to bring out his stand for the past hour, but it was to no avail. He then stopped trying and fell onto his backside.

"I don't think this is working, how'd you summon your stand?" Anthony asked.

"Well, it's different for everyone their first time. Everyone has a different trigger, for some it's an emotional trigger, other people not so much. It really depends on the type of person you are, now let me show you how it's done." Kirby snapped his fingers and out from behind him popped out a humanoid figure.

There was no doubt the stand wasn't Kirby's, especially since it was something would be interested in. The stand's appearance was very reminiscent of Gundam Wing. Personally, Anthony had always preferred Voltron when it came to giant robots. The stand was almost like a bulkier version of the RX-78, to Anthony, it was a mere shameless Gundam rip off. The only thing different was it's mostly blue color scheme and black accents. Part's like the shoulders, knees, and helmet were black. But the biggest differences were the giant red circle in the middle of the stand's chest. Instead of eyes, there was a thick red visor the stand presumably saw with. Anthony also noticed that the stand floated with the assistance of some sort of rocket propulsion.

"Nice, an off brand Gundam. Can't wait till the copyright cops hear about this." Kirby rolled his eyes and sent his stand towards Anthony. The stand lifted Anthony off his two feet and held him above it's head. Kirby began to slowly pace around the robotic stand.

"Every stand has a unique ability, it's what makes them special. Check this out, Robot Rock!" The stand turned it's robotic head towards it's missile. "Create Computer!" The mecha fired four thin lasers from it's chest and began to create a laser outline of a computer. When it finally finished, an perfectly made computer was created. Kirby flashed a cocky grin, thinking he one upped the other boy.

"It's a cool ability and all, the whole creating stuff thing. But what's with the name? Why's it named Robot rock?" Kirby's confidence dropped immensely at the mere mention of his stand's name.

"At least I can summon my stand you cock nozzle!" Kirby roared as he shook his fist in the air, Robot Rock retreated back into it's master. "Alright, we gotta find your trigger, do you have an idea of what it could be?" Kirby's question was answered with a small shrug. This caused him to let out a deep sigh, He entered a deep thought as he cupped his chin.

"How'd you summon yours?" Anthony asked.

"That's a good question, how did I summon him?" Kirby began to think, while Anthony started twiddling with his thumbs.

He was aware of Anthony summoning his stand but the details surrounding it were foggy. Anthony could barely remember how he managed to bring it out, as far as he knew it was just an accident. Though that could've been a possibility, obviously a hidden factor in the equation.

"Maybe it's a spur of the moment thing?" Anthony suggested.

The boy suddenly came to a realization thanks to Anthony's words. He had an idea of how Anthony could draw out his stand, it was another trial and error effort that if done right, could work. That or it'll just go horribly wrong, but it was still worth a try. It was time for Kirby to take a risk. He summoned Robot Rock and slowly walked towards his good friend.

[MENACING]

"Hey Kirbs, what's your idea?" Kirby was silent as he continued to walk forward, he couldn't tell Anthony of his plan. Anthony looked down at the stand's fist clenched tightly as it slowly walked towards. "K-Kirby?"

"I'm sorry Anthony." Rock then charged at the boy, drawing his fist back ready to strike him square in the nose.

Anthony attempted to raised his arms to block but he was too late. The fist collided with his nose and for a split second he felt searing pain course through his face. He flew back and tumbled onto the ground, he rolled across the ground until he slammed into a beam stopping him. Propping himself onto an elbow, he looked back at his friend. Kirby stood with his stand by his side. The boy's hair obscured his eyes and his stand's visor glowed scarlet red.

Drip, drip, drip

He heard droplets hit the concrete below him, drops of blood were descending onto the ground. He hesitantly moved his hand up to his face, when he withdrew his hand, he noticed his digits were covered in blood. His eyes shot wide open, then the pain had suddenly kicked in. He pushed himself up, onto his shaky and weak legs, He dragged his sleeve across his bloody nose and raised his fist. He didn't know why Kirby attacked him, but as of now, Kirby wasn't his friend. Rock lunged forward once again, the mecha's arm hung low causing his fist to create sparks along the ground. The fist then arced upwards as he closed in on the boy, this time Anthony was ready. Anthony crossed his arms to block the punch, the attack slammed onto his forearms sending jolts of pain through his arms. The attack caused Anthony to slide back, his arms dropped down and hung limp. Steam began to flow from the bruised area on his arms, two large holes were ripped into the jacket.

Kirby's eyes widened, he used his stand to block the attack. He wanted to tell Anthony that he summoned his stand but that would ruin anything. He'd have to go further with this, he can't risk losing all this progress so soon. He took a look at Anthony, he could tell that the older boy was only keeping himself up due to the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Rock's shoulders pads opened up revealing the tips of missiles, Anthony's breathing stopped for a few moments. Was he really going to fire missiles at him?

"Kirby, what the hell is wrong with you?! Are you really going to do this? Kill me?"

Kirby was unresponsive, only furrowing his brow and stiffening his body. But his dead stare was broken when he noticed the fiery aura flow from him. Anthony's once broken arms began to move, one arm wiped his nose whilst the other went into his jacket pocket.

"Come at me! No more pulling punches, no more games, I know the game your playing! Either you bring out my stand, or you kill me." Kirby hesitated for a moment, but he realized he's come this far into the plan. They stared each other down, the air was still. The only noise in the area was the sound of blood hitting the concrete, his still bloody nose ran thick red streaks down his lips. They just started at each other, Kirby's face was cold and expressionless, he didn't even blink. Anthony's face was stricken with a pure rage and fury, his fist were clenched so tightly his nails broke through the skin of his palms. He let out a deep grunt, and shouted out at his friend. "Just come at me already! Fucking fight me!"

Kirby charged at Anthony, he drew his stand as he let out a fierce cry. Anthony got into a blocking stance, he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. As Kirby drew closer, he felt himself tap into something...primal. He felt the rage bubble up inside of him, and a burning heat akin to the previous night flow into his fist. Robot Rock's fist propelled through the air heading straight towards Anthony's temple. Rock's arm was blocked and an intense pain hit his forearm. He looked up from his arm to see Anthony's stand in all it's glory. The stand had blocked Kirby's attack.

"Anthony you did it!" Anthony turned to see his stand blocking Rock's attack, Anthony raised his fist into the air in celebration. Kirby watched as the stand began to move, the stand replicated Anthony's move. Then Anthony's face went from celebration to one of pure shock, Anthony had just remembered something about his stand.

"Kirby! My stand I just remembered, it's-" Anthony was struck in the back of the head by his stand. Anthony hit the cold concrete floor, and was out cold. The stand clutched it's head reacting to the pain but after a while it faded.

"Anthony!" Kirby cried out as Robot Rock readied itself for combat.

Anthony's stand lunged forward and stuck Rock in the face. He didn't expect it to be that fast, another punch found it's way into Rock's side. Kirby spat out wads of saliva as he felt himself lifted off his feet, Rock recovered and swung at the rouge stand. The rouge stand was hit and stunned, Rock wailed on the stand throwing a deadly combination of left and right hooks. Anthony's stand recovered mid combo and blocked one of Rock's hooks. He grabbed the mecha's wrist and yanked it downwards, when the stand's head was where he wanted it, a knee plowed into Rock's head. Kirby's left ear ringed intensely and his lip busted, then he was forced back as Rock was punched in the face.

Rock caught himself by using the jets on his back. Rock flew forward and slammed into the rouge with all it's weight, Kirby got back up and began giving commands. "Robot Rock, don't kill it. But don't hold back." Rock then forced the stand into the ground and began punching it into the concrete. With each punch the stand was forced father into the ground, Rock brought both his hands into the air, locking his fingers together into one first. Then brought it down into the stand's eye gem, the attack exerted so much force nearby glass shattered. The rouge stand's body was limp, Kirby assumed the battle was over and recalled Rock. Suddenly it popped up from the ground and shot forward, before he could draw his stand, a fist rammed into his stomach. Blood shot from his mouth and onto the stand's arm, a strong hand wrapped around his throat then sent him into the ground. The stand attempted to stomp him but Rock appeared and sent a strong fist into the rouge's ankle.

The rouge's ankle snapped when it came in contact with the fist. Another punch hit Anthony's stand in it's side, then another struck it in the neck. Rock's assault continued with a punch straight in the eye gem, then ending off with a rocket propelled knee to it's chin. The stand was raised into the air, allowing Rock to grab it's ankles, he began to spin around extremely fast. Rock then let go and sent the stand flying, it crashed through multiple stone pillars and even multiple empty shelves, until it crashed into a pile of bricks.

"Kirby!" Anthony called out, he turned to see his bruised and battered friend leaning on a shelf. With his still functioning arm, he gave a thumbs up to the boy. "Don't kill it, but kick it's ass!" Kirby smiled at his friend and returned a thumbs up.

"Robot Rock! Let's give this fucker a mechanical ass kicking." Rock nodded as the stand charged them one last time, Robot Rock blocked a kick from the rouge. Rock's fist struck the gem head on, another struck the gem in the middle of it's chest. "Finish him off Rock!"

Robot Rock drew back and began to let out a fierce cry as he struck the stand. "KUDA!" A fist struck the stand in it's side, this would break Anthony's ribs. "KUDA!" Another struck the shoulder throwing it out of place.

"KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA KUDA!" Robot Rock let loose a barrage of punches that alternated between each extremity, the stand was powerless against the raw power of Robot Rock. Every punch hit harder than the last, and the stand was defeated long before the assault had ended. When Rock finally stopped, it's near lifeless body float in mid-air. The stand then retreat into it's broken user's body.

"Anthony!" Kirby ran over to his side and checked for a pulse. He was still alive but was clinging on just barely. Kirby could get Anthony back to his house, but healing him wouldn't be so easy. Luckily he knew a healer.