Author's Note: Alright, back into college we go. I'm not sure how this will impact my writing, if at all, but hopefully this doesn't mess with the uploading times I have planned. (Note from the future: It's been affecting me bad. Pray for ya boy.)
Also, no GioTrish for now. That will hopefully be on the next chapter, if everything goes right. I know I promised some today considering it's Valentine's, but right now I want to focus more on Trish's next step on her training. I hope that's not too big of a deal.
Oh yeah, here's where the fanfic rating will go up. Warning, there will be graphic violence in the later part of the chapter so if you're not into that, you can skip the dream sequence.
Hope you enjoy!
As Trish balanced over a long piece of string connected between the lake's bridge and a tree, Zeppeli was pondering to himself in thought. Both the two, Jonathan, and Speedwagon were at the lake near the mansion once more. Several days had passed since Trish trained with Jolyne; almost two weeks had passed since she first requested to learn Hamon.
The girl looked at the magician. "Everything okay, Mr. Zeppeli?"
The magician nodded. "I'm doing fine, Ms. Una. I'm merely thinking about something. You should instead be focusing on your balance."
The girl nodded before turning her attention back to the string below her. She channeled her Hamon through her boots to remain balanced.
"...Though I have been wondering", Zeppeli eventually spoke up, Trish looking back at him. "As far as lessons are concerned, I have finished teaching you the basics. From here it would just be a matter of refining your technique."
"Really?", she asked.
"Has she seriously finished training, Mr. Zeppeli?", asked Speedwagon, sharing the same surprise.
"Indeed", Zeppeli turned to him. "Though it took a little longer than Jonathan due to differences in potential, Trish has taken a relatively short time to learn Hamon."
"So what happens next?", asked Jonathan.
"From here I cannot teach anything else, and I would instead advise Ms. Una to apply Hamon whenever possible, just so that it is not forgotten", the magician answered, before putting a hand to his chin. "But I still feel like her Hamon abilities have a way to be improved somehow. What to do, hmm..."
It was at that time that both Old Joseph Joestar and Jotaro Kujo appeared. They were taking a casual stroll through the bridge when they encountered the four individuals.
"Mr. Joseph!", Speedwagon exclaimed.
"And Jotaro, too!", Jonathan added.
"Greetings, everyone; it's been a while since I've last seen you all!", the older man waved at the group. "Me and my grandson were just taking a look at England while we were here; The country's afternoon sights are beautiful!"
As Jonathan nodded in agreement, Jotaro turned his head away. "The old geezer forced me to join him. I didn't come here because I wanted to."
Joseph then turned to the girl atop a string. He noticed she was using Hamon to keep herself balanced.
"Is she a new student of yours, Zeppeli?", he asked.
The magician nodded. "I've been teaching Hamon to Ms. Una for about two weeks already, but I fear I've come to the end of my tutelage. I have already provided her with the three most important Hamon lessons, and as such there is not much remaining for me to do."
"That is a problem, yes...", Old Joseph put a hand to his chin. He then remembered where he got his own Hamon training from. "Then what about Lisa Lisa? Maybe she could help your student out. That's where I got my training from, and she did a very good job teaching me. She has a lot of techniques your student could learn!"
Trish almost slipped up from hearing Joseph's words. Is he actually serious!?
"I've been considering it", Zeppeli stated. "Ms. Una has spoken up about preferring to not take her training, but if she wishes to improve her Hamon, then I'm afraid she has no other alternative."
The girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. She suddenly remembered Lisa Lisa's words again:
...
"Wait, how are you sure I'll end up under your training?", asked Trish. "Did Mr. Zeppeli tell you anything?"
The older woman slightly shook her head. "He'll have no say in that outcome, nor is it something that I'll decide."
"Then how do you know?"
It was then that the older woman finally turned around to face her, this time showing what appeared to be a knowing smirk.
"Call it fate, dear."
...
Fate. Was that what she meant!?
"Trish has proclaimed before that she's willing to do anything to learn Hamon before", Jonathan chimed in. "Perhaps it's time for her training to increase in difficulty, after all."
"Then it's decided!", Speedwagon raised his fist. "First thing tomorrow, she'll begin training with Lisa Lisa!"
As all the men save Jotaro nodded in agreement, Trish's shock got the better of her when she became too distracted to focus on her balance. The girl suddenly slipped and fell head-first into the ground.
"OW!", she exclaimed.
The other five men turned to face her.
"Ms. Una!", shouted Speedwagon.
"Are you alright, Ms. Una?", asked Jonathan as he quickly ran to help her up.
"I'm doing alright, Mr. Joestar; It was just a little slip-up", Trish rubbed her head. She ended up being too distracted to even call Spice Girl to soften the ground.
"Focus on your balance, Ms. Una!", Zeppeli added with caution as she slowly stood up. "Remember that fear messes with your breathing! Do not be afraid of falling!"
"A mistake like that could potentially cost the girl her life...", Old Joseph couldn't help but mutter. "Lisa Lisa would definitely not let her live that down..."
Jotaro only crossed his arms as he looked away. "...Give me a break."
Hamon Profile - Trish Una
Description: After learning Hamon breathing from Will Antonio Zeppeli, Trish Una began adopting a series of new attacks into both her and her stand, including:
Spice Girl - Hamon Extension: Spice Girl gains considerable strength and speed while Trish circulates Hamon throughout her body. While in this state, Spice Girl can catch up to fast speeds like Stone Free's baseball throws. If Trish ends up too damaged to generate Hamon, this state cannot be activated.
Later that day, the Joestar group and all their allies had an evening dinner at the mansion, with most of the members either talking with other people or eating alone. Trish was eyeing both Zeppeli and Lisa Lisa as they talked to each other.
"...so I've been thinking about prescribing her under your own teachings..."
"...is that so?..."
As the two Hamon instructors talked, Lisa Lisa suddenly gave Trish a glance. The younger girl quickly got back to her food.
Meanwhile, Giorno was still studying Trish for any change in behavior. Aside from her little slip-up about Hamon training, she hasn't exactly acted weird since then. Giorno knew having doubts about her was doing him no good.
"Who are you looking at, Giorno?", teased Mista. Case in point.
"Nothing. Go back to your food", Giorno told him.
"Giorno, I was your age only a few years ago and lemme tell you, that thing you're doing is more than nothing", Mista snickered before hanging his arm around the younger boy's shoulder. "Now spill the deets already; You're way past overdue."
Giorno did not dignify his comment with an answer, the boy instead focused on his food. Chicken. It wasn't his favorite, considering childhood memories and his mother's cooking, but it didn't taste bad.
Since Mista didn't get a response from Giorno, he instead looked at where the boy was previously looking, quickly connecting two and three together.
Mista rubbed his chin while smirking. "Ohh, I see. You were looking at Trish, weren't you?"
Giorno almost stopped eating his food.
"Yeah, I can see it now! You were totally checking out her you-know-whats!", Mista laughed as he patted Giorno's shoulder. "I didn't think you'd be that type of person, but whatever floats your boat, man!"
The people around them turned to look at the two. Giorno's expression was indiscernible.
"...Mista", he whispered quietly without looking at him. "You're drawing unnecessary attention."
"Yeah I get it, I get it; You want to continue checking out her goods without anyone noticing", Mista did not get the memo. "It's all good Giorno, just act natural!"
The gunslinger continued laughing until Giorno slowly turned to face him. Mista immediately stopped the moment he saw the boy's expression. To say he looked like he wanted to kill someone was an understatement.
"...Or you can give me the creeps with that face. You can do that, too", Mista slowly retraced his arm before beginning to whistle.
Giorno merely sighed before turning back to Trish. She must have finished eating because she wasn't in her seat anymore.
"...Good grief...", Giorno quietly muttered to himself.
The next day, Zeppeli and Trish met outside the mansion along with Lisa Lisa, as the two Hamon instructors were now about to discuss their next plan of action for the student.
"Lisa Lisa will be your Hamon instructor from now on, Ms. Una", Zeppeli began explaining while motioning to the older woman. "I trust that she will do a fine job refining your skills, as she is even currently teaching my grandson..."
However, neither of the two women were paying attention to Zeppeli. Trish had a nervous look on her face, while Lisa Lisa merely had her arms crossed with another knowing smirk.
The expression on the latter Hamon instructor's face told the girl everything she needed to hear. Told you so.
Calling it fate, huh?, the girl almost gulped.
"...Now, do you have any objections to this?", finally finished Zeppeli.
The girl turned to face him. "Of course not, Mr. Zeppeli. I told you that I'm willing to do anything to master Hamon, and that hasn't changed."
Lisa Lisa only harrumphed before turning around. "We'll see how true that statement really is. Follow me."
As the Hamon instructor walked away, Zeppeli decided to tell the girl one last thing. "Before you leave, Ms. Una, I wanted to let you know that you have been a marvelous student. Definitely an unexpected surprise, but a good one nonetheless. Now it is with great joy that I leave you with this parting message: Don't forget your lessons, and learn to control your fears! In time, your courage will be your weapon!"
Trish smiled before bowing in response. "I won't forget what you taught me, Mr. Zeppeli. Thank you for your time."
The magician bowed back. "There is no need to thank me, Ms. Una, but the gratitude is well-appreciated. Now, go and take a step forward! Take this opportunity for growth into your own hands!"
"Right!", the girl got back up and nodded, before turning towards Lisa Lisa and running after her.
Stand Profile - Spice Girl
Stand Name: Spice Girl
Localized Name: Spicy Lady
Stand User: Trish Una
Destructive Power: A
Speed: A
Stand Range: C
Ability Range: A
Persistence: B
Precision: D
Developmental Potential: C
Stand Appearance: A pink humanoid stand with feminine features and pronouns, similar in appearance to Trish herself. She features mathematical signs all over her body, as well as a holed slip dress with a fishnet pattern.
Stand Ability: Spice Girl has the ability to make any physical object soft regardless of material, changing its consistency to that of putty. While in this state, affected objects become impervious to all forms of damage, as dictated by the stand itself, "soft but more unbreakable than a diamond".
Soft objects in motion, like capsules and bullets, retain their momentum even while affected, creating a kinetic reaction upon deactivation of the ability.
Stand Origin: As her father was a stand user, Trish had stand potential ever since she was a child, however her stand never awakened until much later. Thanks to Giorno's efforts, as well as the danger from an enemy stand they once faced, Notorious B.I.G, Trish developed her stand potential to awaken Spice Girl for the first time.
Using the Light Rifts scattered across time, Lisa Lisa took Trish 50 years into the future in Italy, or to the girl, around 60 years before her own time period. There she was instructed that she would be training there for a week, as the Hamon users from Lisa Lisa's era were training to defeat the Pillar Men and had little time to waste.
Having arrived on Lisa Lisa's Air Supplena Island, Trish found herself meeting two interesting people. One was the grandson of Will Antonio Zeppeli, named Caesar Antonio Zeppeli. The other was a younger version of the Joseph Joestar she first met, who despite seemingly not noticing, had a pair of purple vines clinging around his arms.
That must be his stand, Trish studied the growing vines on the large man's arm. For how long has he had it? Is it similar to how I had Spice Girl as a child?
"Huuuh? And who's this little twerp?", a younger Joseph asked loudly while stretching his muscles, looking down at the smaller girl beside him. They were all currently inside Air Supplena's Fight Island, the training grounds located away from the main part of the island.
"She's Lisa Lisa's newest pupil, Trish Una, as well as our training companion", Caesar explained before gently holding Trish's hand. "And also a fellow Italian. It is my pleasure to be of your acquaintance, signora mia."
The girl couldn't help but giggle at his gentlemanly attitude. "Il placeré é mio", she smiled back.
Joseph didn't even try hiding his disgusted face. "Ugh, spare me the sappy shit and let's get this done already! Where's Lisa Lisa!?"
"Dear lord, you are hopeless...", was all Caesar said as he gripped his nasal temple. He then let go of Trish's hand. "Training will start soon, signora, so it's in your best interest to pay attention."
Trish nodded back.
"JoJo, Caesar, Trish."
They all turned to the overhead balcony. Lisa Lisa was looking at them with an emotionless expression.
"Lisa Lisa!", Caesar greeted respectfully.
"I assume you both met our newest guest?", asked the Hamon instructor.
"I guess so, yeah", Joseph wiggled a finger inside his ear. Caesar looked at him with distaste. "Why, what's the big deal?"
"The 'big deal' is that nothing has changed. Training will resume as usual", Lisa Lisa responded impassively. "The only difference is that you have a new peer training alongside you. Whether you let that deter your progress or not is not my responsibility."
"Heh, well as long as the little twerp doesn't get in my way, it's not gonna affect me at all!", Joseph sneered to the girl. Trish had to hold back the urge to slap him.
I can't believe Giorno's related to this guy, she thought to herself. They're both complete opposites!
"So, shall we get started?", asked Lisa Lisa.
"Yes ma'am!", Caesar bowed quickly.
"Yeah sure", Joseph waved off.
Trish nodded silently.
...
Lisa Lisa's training proved to be just as how Trish imagined it to be, if not worse. Her lessons were more aggressive and difficult in nature than Zeppeli's, as the girl now had to face a multitude of physically-demanding tasks like climbing walls and holding her breath underwater for extended periods of time.
It had only been a day since she changed Hamon instructors, but the girl felt like weeks were passing by with each hour.
As the girl gasped for air and held onto the pool's edge, she turned to the blond Zeppeli sitting nearby taking a small break.
Caesar looked at an ornate watch he left on a nearby table. "That was only seven minutes, signora; Unfortunately that's not good enough", he stated.
Figures, the girl nodded back, before looking at Joseph still underwater. He entered before her several minutes ago and was still holding his breath. Wait was he also... playing with fish?
Trish mumbled a few curses in Italian before breathing deeply, letting more blood circulate through her body. After taking a sufficiently-large breath, she plunged herself back into the water.
As the girl continued training under Lisa Lisa, she got to learn more about the people she was training alongside with. The Joseph Joestar of this era had two poisonous rings in his body that he had a month to get rid of, and the only way to do so was to defeat the Pillar Men going after the Red Stone of Aja. Not even the Noble One's advances stopped either of the two groups from making their move.
Caesar Antonio Zeppeli was a different story. Eccentric like his grandfather but in his own way, Caesar was hellbent on defeating the Pillar Men in order to get revenge for his friends and family, as well as finish what his ancestors started. In his own words, There is nothing more powerful for an Italian than the ties they have with their bloodline!
Trish remembered her father. She couldn't disagree more.
Each minute turned into an hour, and the hours amounted to days. Eventually, a full week passed; Joseph only had a few days left to get both rings off his body.
"Man, I can't believe I'm running out of time to get these ceremonial rings off of me!", Joseph sighed as he patted his pecs. "Talk about getting things off your chest!"
"Focus, JoJo; We're about to take our final exams and you won't have time to think about the rings", Caesar told him before turning to the girl. "Follow me, Trish. Our instructors are waiting for us."
After the two groups parted, Ceasar was tasked with a test spar against Messina, while Trish was taken to Lisa Lisa towards the center of the main island. As it turned out, she had to make it out of the Hell Climb Pillar alive while under the Hamon instructor's supervision.
Don't think I won't be able to notice you using your stand just because I don't have one, the girl remembered Lisa Lisa words as she looked up the oil-soaked pillar. This pillar was built for the art of Hamon breathing, and as such only accepts Hamon and nothing else!
"Talk about hardcore...", the girl muttered to herself before focusing her Hamon on her fingertips, slowly beginning to climb up the pillar. From here it became a constant cycle of breathing and touching the pillar with her fingertips, slowly but surely making her way up.
If she attempted the pillar when she first arrived here, she was sure she would have struggled and possibly remained stuck on the bottom. However, after a week of training that arguably felt like a month, the girl was relieved that climbing a pillar was all she had to do. The rushing sounds of oil cascading in front of her only added to help soothe her thoughts as she continued climbing up.
The higher Trish climbed up, the more concentrated she became while using her Hamon. She eventually lost the desire to eat or sleep, and even her stand fell silent save for a few occasions to remind her she wasn't alone.
Climb up the pillar slowly, but with a strength of an iron vise, Spice Girl told her as the girl continued alternating between her left and right hand. Do not forget to draw out your strength, but as slow as you can. Doing this fast will only tire you quicker.
Trish mentally nodded as she continued climbing upward. That was all she could do as she focused on her fingertips. Left and right. Left and right. Nice and slow. Nice and slow.
...
Eventually, Trish managed to finish the pillar. The girl grunted as she used the pillar's edge to propel herself upward.
The girl panted as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. She didn't know for how long she was on the pillar; She was only focused on climbing.
The girl looked up to see Lisa Lisa.
"For how long...", Trish began asking with a hoarse whisper. She had even lost her speech for a moment. "For how long was I down there...?"
Lisa Lisa only continued looking at her. "You've been climbing for two days, almost three", she told her. She then walked away from the girl. "But congratulations, you passed. From here you get to make a decision."
"What do you mean...?", the girl asked as she slowly stood up.
Lisa Lisa barely turned her head as she stopped. "While you were climbing, the Pillar Men came to ambush us with a surprise attack. Loggins was killed by Esidisi, and both Caesar and Messina were left heavily injured after fighting Wammu. However, Kars forced his subordinates to retreat after failing to find the Red Stone of Aja, but not without Joseph recovering the two antidotes he needed to get the rings off his body."
The Hamon instructor then turned to Trish. "From here you make your own decision", she repeated. "We'll be going after the Pillar Men to destroy them once and for all, and it'll be up to you to determine whether you want to join us or not."
The girl stood there in shock. She didn't expect to be given an opportunity to do something else beyond her training. Maybe if she joined them, she could continue evolving her Hamon and gain more strength...
But, there were still a few things she wanted to do with her own group.
"...How much time to I get to decide?", questioned Trish.
"You have two days. Messina has lost an arm, so he won't be able to join us", Lisa Lisa explained. "Caesar was left seriously injured and is still recovering, but he insists that he can keep fighting, so we'll wait until he heals completely."
Trish was about to tell her that Giorno could make extra limbs and heal injuries when Messina suddenly arrived. "Lisa Lisa, a small army of German soldiers have arrived on Fight Island!", he shouted. "Joseph's holding them off, but he probably won't last very long!"
"German soldiers?", asked Lisa Lisa, walking towards the main tower's exit to see a couple of soldiers fighting against Joseph on the smaller island. Their leader seemed to have dark energy emanating from him.
"That must be General Stroheim", Lisa Lisa noted. "The only way they could have made it here is through the Noble One, and are either after the Red Stone of Aja or JoJo's Holy Corpse part. Either way, JoJo won't be able to take care of all of them!"
The Hamon instructor then turned towards Trish. "Remember what I told you, Trish! You have two days to decide!"
Before the young girl could say anything, Lisa Lisa was already off.
Messina turned to Trish. Unlike with the male students, he was considerably nicer to the girl. "You take a break and stay out of this, Ms. Una. You are in no condition to fight after climbing the Hell Climb Pillar", the large man stated.
"B-But", Trish interjected, almost tumbling to the floor after taking a step forward. The lack of eating and sleeping was finally staring to catch up to her. "I have Spice Girl to protect me. I can still be useful!"
"Ms. Una", the man got closer. "You have already proven your worth by passing the final exam. When the group's ready to go, you get to decide if you want to join them to pursue the Pillar Men", he explained. "I can no longer fight because of my grave injuries, but you have the potential to pick up the mantle! You proved so today and no doubt you will continue proving so!"
The girl could only nod dejectedly, struggling to even remain standing up from the lack of energy. She seriously needed some sleep.
"...Alright, I'll go back to my room", the girl slowly walked outside. "After some rest, I'll travel back to the Joestar Mansion. I still have some things I want to do there."
Messina nodded. "I'll help you", he accompanied the girl, holding her arm over his shoulder. "You must be seriously tired after all that climbing."
The girl only nodded silently as they both continued to walk.
Stand Profile - Hermit Purple
Stand Name: Hermit Purple
Localized Name: N/A
Stand User: Joseph Joestar
Destructive Power: D
Speed: C
Stand Range: D
Ability Range: A
Persistence: A
Precision: D
Developmental Potential: E
Stand Appearance: A series of thorny purple vines that cling onto Joseph's body. The vines are strong enough to support their own weight, and long enough to bind someone completely.
Stand Ability: Hermit Purple has the ability to gather information through a variety of media using his vines, including spirit photography, thoughts, videos, maps drawn on sand, etc. The closer the information is, the more detailed it ends up being. Joseph can also manipulate his vines to swing between different places, or infuse them with Hamon to protect himself against vampires and deal additional damage.
Stand Origin: Joseph had the stand potential ever since he was a teenager, however he did not fully awaken his stand until much later in life, when DIO re-awakened and Jonathan's body sent a distress signal in the form of stands for all of the Joestars. Hermit Purple's divination abilities subconsciously guided Joseph throughout the events of Battle Tendency.
After Trish arrived to her room and was left alone, the girl immediately laid facedown on the bed. She was too tried to bathe or change clothes. She would have to take care of that after a quick nap.
But the nap ended up being a long sleep. She owed her body two days' worth of sleep after the Hell Climb Pillar exam. That sleep soon enshrouded her in a void of darkness.
The void remolded itself into past memories. And before Trish knew it, she found herself in the center of a darkened coliseum.
"...Huh?", the girl opened her eyes, looking at her obscure surroundings. She couldn't see anything beyond her immediate vicinity, but the stone patterns on the ground reminded her of a past location.
"Am I... back in Rome?"
Suddenly, the girl felt a sensation of danger run down her spine. She felt it approaching from all sides, so she immediately called out her stand and began breathing rhythmically.
"Spice Girl!", the girl shouted, her stand floating beside her. Her body began to glow a soft yellow hue as she felt her muscles relax and harden. Sparks of Hamon energy jolted throughout her body.
"Whoever you are, come out already!", Trish ordered, posed into a fighting stance. "I'm not afraid to fight you!"
"O h ,
a r e
y o u
n o w?"
She recognized that voice.
Her eyes widened.
It can't be!
The girl commanded Spice Girl to make the ground soft; Now whatever was approaching her would leave behind vibrations, which the girl could use to detect where her opponent was.
But she couldn't believe the voice she was hearing. She was unwilling to accept who she thought it belonged to.
"I'm not scared!", she repeated, biting her finger to leave drops of blood above her hand. "I'm not scared! I'm not going to run away from you, whoever you are! So come out and fight me already!"
"T h a t
s p i r i t
o f
y o u r s...
it craves violence."
The voice kept growing clearer. It became unmistakeable.
"You were never like this before. You've have grown more confident, more powerful. Your training helped you surpass your weakness, grow considerably in strength, and gain the resolve needed to catch up to your allies..."
The figure then revealed itself. Trish let out a gasp.
"Or at least, that's what you tell yourself."
"...Diavolo?"
The girl took a step back. Her breathing became erratic. "Y-you... What are you doing here?", she questioned. "How are you alive?"
He stretched his arms in front of the girl."Did you really think I could be suppressed forever? A true emperor surpasses and destroys all obstacles presented in front of him, in order to continue standing at the apex."
The man stared holes into Trish's consciousness. "I am like sin itself. My power runs for eternity. That is the truth I carry."
He then took a step forward, intent on interrogating the girl. "What is your truth? Have you truly grown strong?"
The girl slowly recovered herself. "...Yeah, I've grown strong. I've learned Hamon breathing and powered up my stand. I'm not the same useless girl I was before!"
"Wrong!"
Trish took a sharp breath.
"That training of yours is nothing but futile. You cannot change your weakness!", the man declared, his stand manifesting beside him. It looked furious beyond recognition. "The fate of your death by my own hand cannot be avoided!"
"Spice Girl!", the girl suddenly shouted, her stand punching the ground in front of the man. A large wave reverberated into the ground, knocking the man off-balance.
"Haaaaah!", the girl ran towards him, readying her stand to punch the man directly in the face. However, he immediately disappeared, and the girl felt a deep indent in her shoulder.
Trish barely turned her head to see a crimson hand run down her shoulder, almost as if trying to destroy it. The man named 'Diavolo' somehow managed to re-appear behind her in an instant.
However, the girl also noted that her shoulder bent around the enemy stand's arm like soft putty.
"...Huh?"
She turned to Spice Girl, whose hand was touching the girl's shoulder and making it soft. The stand had cracks in her face, and her irises were starting to dull.
"Spice Girl! Are you okay?"
"Do not believe what you're seeing, Trish", the stand told her, the cracks starting to reach her neck. "You are currently inside a nightmare, and the figure who looks like your father is your own fear personified. Your own consciousness is testing you."
The stand's face was cracking even deeper. "The reason why you can now soften people is because your Hamon training, as well as your resolve to grow stronger, has caused an evolution of your stand ability. Trish, do not let this nightmare deter you from that resolve."
"Spice Girl... Then why are you..?", Trish tried asking in bewilderment; However her stand was punched into the ground by Diavolo's own stand, bringing their conversation to an end.
"So you've made yourself soft", she heard the man's voice behind her. She could barely turn around before her throat was suddenly gripped by a large hand."Big deal."
"Kh!", the girl resounded, her breathing completely thrown out of balance.
I-I can't use my Hamon! I'm too panicked to use it!, she mused to herself. She tried ordering her stand to punch him, but Spice Girl was struggling to stand up with the cracks in her body.
"None of your jester tricks will help you. You're still fated to die by my own hand", the man finished, tightening his grip on the girl's neck even further. "Nothing has changed."
The girl began to hyperventilate. Calm down! Calm down! You can still use your Hamon! Just focus and calm down!
She tremblingly moved her hand to grab the man's neck, however it barely had enough force to grip it.
If I can just use a percentage of my Hamon, it should be enough to throw him off!, she thought to herself. I can still do this! I'm not scared!
"Do you really think you can defeat me?"
The girl stopped.
The man kept his grip, but only kept looking at her. "Be honest with yourself. Despite the growth you claim to have, you still haven't caught up to the level of your allies. What makes you think you can surpass your own fate?"
The girl's breath left her.
"Is that what you really believe?", the man repeated, moving the girl closer to him. Trish's eyes began to water. The girl could feel her throat tighten to the point of inward collapse. "Do you really believe you're strong enough for that?"
"...P-Please stop...", she barely whispered.
"Is that what you really believe?", the man questioned again. The girl could see her stand beginning to crumble into pieces. "Do you really believe you can surpass me?"
"Stop, please...", Trish felt tears running down her face, despite trying her best to hold them down. She felt her Hamon completely leave her. She was too panicked. Her father shouldn't even be here, wherever they were.
"Do you really believe you're not scared?", the man continued, slowly breaking down all of Trish's walls. He only continued gripping her tighter. "Do you really believe you've gained the courage you wanted?"
"Stop... Please stop!", the girl tried pleading above a whisper. She couldn't bear to hear his voice anymore. She felt her stand ability lose its effectiveness, slowly hardening her body back to normal. She felt the pain in her neck multiply tenfold, further driving her near her limit.
"Do you... really believe you've grown strong at all?", he finished, gripping the girl's neck even tighter. She felt her threshold approaching.
And suddenly, it snapped.
"PLEASE, STOP IT!", she cried, breaking down completely. She was completely powerless against the man's grasp. "I don't want to hear you anymore! Please stop! Stop!"
The man didn't let up. Instead, he simply raised her...
Before throwing her into the ground.
THUD!
CRACK!
The girl felt her air leave her. She felt several bones inside her snap into pieces. Most of her ligaments were damaged beyond repair. Her spine was completely shattered.
Trish could barely move her hand, her digits shaking from utter fear. She felt a warm liquid pool gather beneath her head and upper body.
And now her own father was standing above her, the ruthless man looking down at his bloody handiwork.
"I regret giving you birth into this world", he merely stated. "I should have killed your mother the moment I met her, if I had known she would produce a nuisance as weak and useless as you."
"...P-Please..."
"And now, I'll finally surpass my past by getting rid of what remained of her", the man raised his arm, getting ready to attack her once more. "You."
The girl couldn't even brace herself for the impact. She knew she was finished, regardless of what she planned to do. Pleading for mercy was never going to work.
So, she stopped trying.
She gave up, and rested her hand in the hard concrete. Blood began to gather around it.
"Goodbye, my daughter", the man merely stated before raising his hand, his stand also repeating the motion. A moment of silence passed. Her view blurred back into obscurity. She couldn't do anything anymore.
He suddenly brought down his hand towards the girl.
A bloodcurdling scream soon resounded.
"AHHHHHHHH!", Trish suddenly woke up in a cold sweat. Her body was trembling; Her hands were shaking. She could barely see anything beyond the tears drowning her eyes and face.
"..."
The girl couldn't register her surroundings at first. A few moments after, she began to recall where she was. She was sleeping in her guest bedroom, still inside Air Supplena Island. It looked to be night outside, meaning she had to have been dreaming a few minutes ago.
"..."
The girl slowly wiped her face clean, tears still welling up in her eyes. She tentatively shifted her body to sit in the beside, before looking out into the moonlight.
"..."
Trish began to inhale and exhale rhythmically, restoring her breathing back to normal. She felt her Hamon coursing though her body, however it didn't feel as liberating as usual.
That was... a dream?, the girl asked to herself, looking at her trembling hands. She then looked back into the night sky. It must have been... But, it felt too real. And I couldn't even do anything...
"..."
Trish slowly stood up, still breathing slowly. The Hamon energy in her body prevented her from collapsing to the ground.
You ended up having a nightmare, she heard Spice Girl say beside her. She turned her head to see her stand hunched in her usual pose. Are you alright?
Trish let out a gasp. Her stand was completely fine, with no cracks in her face or body.
Spice Girl!, she almost shouted out loud. You're alright! But that dream... I saw how you...
I do not know why I appeared to have crumbled in your dream, no, the stand stood up fully while facing her. But I am alright. Now I repeat you this question: Are you alright?
Trish was still taking in what just happened. I... I don't know..., the girl hugged herself as she turned to look away. Her stand didn't change her neutral expression. I remember you telling me in my dream that it was just my consciousness testing my resolve, but I lost to what looked like my father. He looked... so real... If I couldn't even keep my resolve then, then that must mean...
She then stopped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was from her own stand.
You are still growing, Trish. The process of growth is not a straight line, nor is it something that can be achieved easily, Spice Girl said. This only means that you have a lot more to go, not that you haven't grown at all.
The girl stared at her stand before looking away again. But, I still haven't caught up to anyone else's resolve; I still don't understand Giorno or anyone else. I don't know if my Hamon training has proved useful, not if I'm still afraid of my own weakness...
Spice Girl remained silent for a few seconds to let the girl take in her situation. Trish was still trembling from the disturbing visual.
"..."
Finally, her stand spoke up, It can be hard to see your growth when you compare yourself to others, but one should always keep in mind how they were in the past.
Spice Girl then pressed onto Trish's shoulder, slowly softening it into a putty-like consistency.
The girl momentarily gasped. "My ability..."
I told you that you've become stronger, her stand told her. You can now make yourself and other people soft. You didn't have this ability before, now did you?
The girl turned away shyly. I... I guess not.
And take a closer look at your Hamon, the stand added, pointing to Trish's hands. Have you noticed how it looks like?
Trish looked back at her stand with a raised eyebrow. Huh? What do you mean? My Hamon is...
The girl stopped as she looked at her hands. Sparks of energy were dancing between her fingertips, but they were no longer yellow.
They were now a deep red.
"W-What...?", the girl tried asking. She was too dumbfounded to produce full sentences. "What does this...?"
Mean?, her stand finished her sentence. This means that you've taken the Hamon you learned and turned it into your own power. Even if you're scared of your past weaknesses, your current strength cannot be ignored.
Trish only looked at the red sparks jolting between her fingertips. They glowed a dark crimson hue with hints of pink.
"...The beat of my heart gives way to the beat of my courage", she suddenly remembered Zeppeli's words. The red sparks continued dancing in her hand. "I... I cannot forget what I have, and what I've learned, even if I'm scared."
She sat back down her bed as she contemplated further. "This nightmare only serves to remind me that I'm not where I want to be yet. I still have more catching up to do."
The girl then looked back at her stand. "But that doesn't mean I should forget what I've achieved now. I've grown a lot stronger since I first asked to learn Hamon. I... I can't forget that."
She then remembered more of Zeppeli's words. Now it is with great joy that I leave you with this parting message: Don't forget your lessons, and learn to control your fears! In time, your courage will be your weapon!
Trish then remembered how powerless she felt in her dream. She remembered how she pleaded for mercy against her father then.
The girl gripped her hands at the sorry memory. "I won't forget what you taught me, Mr. Zeppeli, no matter what gets in my way", the girl told herself, her stand only looking at her silently. "No matter what scares me, I won't forget anymore..."
Stand Profile - Spice Girl
Stand Name: Spice Girl
Localized Name: Spicy Lady
Stand User: Trish Una
Destructive Power: A
Speed: A
Stand Range: C
Ability Range: A
Persistence: B
Precision: D
Developmental Potential: C
Stand Appearance: A pink humanoid stand with feminine features and pronouns, similar in appearance to Trish herself. She features mathematical signs all over her body, as well as a holed slip dress with a fishnet pattern.
Stand Ability: Spice Girl has the ability to make any physical object soft regardless of material, changing its consistency to that of putty. While in this state, affected objects become impervious to all forms of damage, as dictated by the stand itself, "soft but more unbreakable than a diamond".
Soft objects in motion, like capsules and bullets, retain their momentum even while affected, creating a kinetic reaction upon deactivation of the ability.
Thanks to rigorous and extensive Hamon training for around a month, as well as the resolve to understand her allies better, Trish has evolved Spice Girl with the ability to make a person soft, including Trish herself. Softened people can't cause harm, but they themselves become physically indestructible.
Stand Origin: As her father was a stand user, Trish had stand potential ever since she was a child, however her stand never awakened until much later. Thanks to Giorno's efforts, as well as the danger from an enemy stand they once faced, Notorious B.I.G, Trish developed her stand potential to awaken Spice Girl for the first time.
Hamon Profile - Trish Una
Description: After learning Hamon breathing from Will Antonio Zeppeli, Trish Una began adopting a series of new attacks into both her and her stand. Further training with Lisa Lisa has caused the girl's Hamon to glow a deep red instead of yellow, symbolizing Trish's growth as both a person and Hamon user.
Inside one of the Joestar Mansion's guest rooms, Giorno found himself looking out the window once again, the boy wondering how Trish was doing. As he was the only person who knew of her whereabouts, he reassured the Passione group that she was safe when they began asking where she was. The group knew Giorno was hiding something, but when he explained that it was part of a promise he made with Trish, all of the group's questioning died down.
Well, except for one member.
The boy's late-night musings were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door.
He didn't even tell the person to come in as he knew Mista would just enter regardless of his answer, and that's what the gunslinger did as he invited himself in the room. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No. I was just thinking to myself."
"About Trish, right?"
The boy didn't say a word. Nothing he could say would convince Mista otherwise, so he didn't bother.
His silence only confirmed Mista's guess. The gunslinger snickered as he closed the door. "You don't have to be ashamed to admit you have a crush, Giorno."
That he had to correct. "I have no such thing. I am merely thinking about the promise I made with her."
"Oh so you are thinking about her. Good to know."
The boy fell silent once again.
Mista took the opportunity to sit on a nearby chair. "You know Giorno, you don't have to be so uptight about how you feel around others, especially not me", the gunslinger stated. "I'm sort of like your right-hand man at this point, whether you like it or not. You know I'll be available no matter what happens, so loosening up every now and then can't hurt."
The boy barely turned his head. "You just want something to gossip about, don't you?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Depends on how good the deets are."
Giorno remained silent for several more seconds, before finally saying, "There is something else I'm thinking relating to Trish, but it has nothing to do with love. If you promise to not use the information I share with you against me, I can let you in on a few of my thoughts."
Mista raised his eyebrows at that. "Oh, that's new. Not saying it's bad, but why the change?"
"I've been frustrated about my thoughts repeating themselves lately. I need someone to listen to what I have to say, and break the cycle."
Mista nodded in understanding. "Well I did say I was available for a listen, so by all means, spill the beans", he invited the boy.
And so, Giorno began telling Mista everything relating to Trish. About how she slipped up her words while looking for clothes, about how differently she acted around him, about how he was trying to discern her feelings, etc. He made sure to not tell him about her Hamon training, however, as that was a promise he was still set on keeping.
As he related to Mista about how frustrated he's become at the idea of having doubts about the girl, the gunslinger only put a hand to his chin as he listened attentively. It was an unusual sight for Giorno, but it was one he'd rather not question.
"...And I know running my thoughts in circles about how Trish probably feels is useless", the boy finally finished. He had no idea how much he was keeping to himself. "I know well that I hate repeating myself, and yet that's what I've done throughout most of the month. It's useless, useless..."
"I see, I see...", Mista hummed to himself as he thought of a solution. He then offered nonchalantly, "Then why don't you ask her out?"
"..."
"..."
"...Excuse me?"
"I mean that will tell you if she actually loves you or not, right?", the gunslinger asked. "You're getting frustrated from all your thoughts when I'm pretty sure just asking her out will get you the answer."
"...That would be one solution", the boy couldn't help but admit. He then looked away. "But we've barely talked before. All our past conversations have been brief. Asking her out immediately would feel awkward and uncharacteristic."
"You're trying to get her to say yes?"
The boy turned to him again.
"Because that's how it sounds like", Mista added.
The boy shook his head in frustration. "You're making this more complicated than it should be", he told the gunslinger. "I just want to clear my doubts and know how she feels about me."
"Alright I get it, I get it", Mista raised his hands. "You want to know her feelings and all that. But think for a minute; From the way you're talking about her, I don't think even she knows how she feels about you."
The boy looked up at him. "You think so?"
"Girls are complicated like that", Mista told him. "Before she can make a decision on her feelings, Trish has to actually figure out her feelings first, and that's completely normal. But that's why you have to take the initiative!"
The younger boy only looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that you have to take the first step! Give her the classic One-Two Punch Combo; Ask her about her feelings and she'll find an answer!"
"'One-Two Punch Combo'?", asked Giorno. "Does that actually exist?"
"Well it does now."
The boy only rubbed his forehead. "I think I'm starting to regret telling you about my thoughts."
"Hey it's your first time doing something like this, right? Of course it's gonna be awkward!", the gunslinger gave a hearty laugh. "At least it felt great getting to share how you feel with someone, didn't it?"
The boy only looked at him. "I guess so..."
"Talking with people about how you feel can be the right thing to do sometimes, even if doesn't look like it at first", Mista told him. "That's why you're gonna have to do the same with Trish sometime down the line."
The boy nodded in agreement before asking one final question. "How do you even know about stuff like this?"
Mista leaned back in his seat. "Well, I've had my share of dating in the past", he admitted to the boy. "Somewhat. They all failed. But I'd say it counts."
"How many people have you dated before?"
"Three. I wasn't going to try again for obvious reasons."
Giorno nodded again. He then looked out the window before turning back to him. "Thank you, Mista, for the advice. I haven't tried something like this before and even though I might regret it in the future, I am glad I got to share my thoughts with someone."
"Well I can tell this sort of thing is important to you so I'll give you a deal; Give me half of your food for the next week and I won't say a thing to anyone", the gunslinger offered.
Giorno raised his eyebrow. "Are you actually serious?"
"I would say I'm joking, but I need more food to feed my Sex Pistols."
The boy looked away for a moment before turning back to him. "How does chicken sound?"
"Deal", Mista shook his hand. He then stood up from his chair as he stretched his muscles. "Well, talking with you was fun, but I gotta hit the hay; I'm getting tired already. See you tomorrow, Giorno!"
"See you tomorrow, Mista", Giorno politely waved him goodbye as the older man closed the door. He then breathed out a sigh. "Good grief..."
Author's Note: I'll be honest, life's thrown me a wrench when it comes to writing this fic, as I've noticed two things:
1. Trish is OOC in the first chapter, at least when it comes to relationships between characters. I made her see admiration and even affection in Giorno, while in canon there was little to no sentiment between the two. Speaking of (semi-)canon:
2. The bonus chapter of Purple Haze Feedback features a possible outcome to Trish's future where it is revealed that she couldn't attend Bucciarati's funeral due to Giorno's orders. It's probably because she shouldn't get involved with mafia business out of her own safety, but still, at times it felt like Giorno was pushing her away.
Still, GioTrish is like a special recipe; There's specific steps to take when it comes to writing the two that allows them to be together while still keeping them in-character. I already fumbled it with the first few chapters, but I think I have a plan to tie it all back together in the next chapters, if I find enough motivation to continue. Hopefully I write Trish and Giorno more in-character by then.
Speaking of Trish, the last thing I want my readers to do is to think she's learning Hamon just for Giorno, when in reality she wants to gain more courage to fight for herself and not be useless. That was essentially the entire premise of her fight against Notorious B.I.G, and I also aim to expand upon that.
I have ideas for how this story will end, but I'm writing the chapters as the fic continues evolving, so please be patient in case I'm taking a long time to upload. I want to finish the story while I still have the motivation to do so; I promise the ending will be worth it.
Comments would be appreciated, as well; I would love to hear what you guys have to say.
In any case, I'll see you all later!