Author's Note: Hi there, not much to report. I just saw a new way to end this story, so I wanted to add a little more plot in the meantime. For those who are coming back to this story, I recommend you to reread the first chapter, as I included some additional details that help shape the later chapters.
I don't see enough Trish fics, so I figured to give the girl her own time in the spotlight. She definitely needs it from how little she was featured during Part 5, but that's just the way the ball rolls. Time to expand upon her potential!
Also yes, the timing of this chapter's upload was also on purpose. No better way to celebrate a new year than with a new chapter, right?
Hope you enjoy!
"Oh, there you are..."
Zeppeli heard a girl's words trail off into silence. He recognized the voice.
The man turned around to look at Trish approaching him. The girl had a look of surprise on her face, which was reasonable considering the magician was standing on water.
Small ripples of Hamon energy reverberated from the tips of his toes, keeping him propped up against the liquid surface.
Both Italians were standing outside the Joestar Mansion, in the same lake where Zeppeli met Jonathan for the first time. The next day had passed since the girl requested to learn Hamon breathing from the magician.
"Is that... Is that what Hamon can do?", Trish asked in shock.
"No, I'm just wearing a special pair of shoes", Zeppeli joked to the girl before somersaulting out of the water. The girl could barely keep track of his quick movements.
"Hamon allows for the transfer of life energy between and into people, animals, and even some objects like water", explained Zeppeli as he steadily regained his balance. "It is expected for a dedicated Hamon user to be able to quickly transfer energy between different vessels, as well as walk on water with ease."
"Walk on water, right...", The girl noted.
She also noticed they weren't alone; both Jonathan and Speedwagon were also there to witness her training.
"You know, this is the very same lake where I met Zeppeli and learned to use Hamon for the first time", Jonathan reminisced with a smile as he turned to look at a nearby tree. As he held one of the tree branches, little flowers began growing around his hand. "Zeppeli helped me fulfill my destiny by teaching me how to optimize my breathing."
Trish gasped at the flowers growing around the gentleman's hand. That ability is similar to Giorno's Gold Experience! So this is what Hamon breathing can do...
"And now, we will see if I can do the same with you", Zeppeli added, the girl's attention focused back on him. "But first, I believe a proper introduction is in order. My name is William Antonio Zeppeli, but you can refer to me as Mr. Zeppeli."
Trish nodded. "Trish Una, but you can call me Ms. Una."
"Ms. Una...", the magician said the name out loud. "A wonderful last name, Ms. Una. By the way, I would also like to appraise you for heeding my recommendation."
"Huh?", the girl asked, before quickly realizing what he was talking about. Yesterday he told her to wear more comfortable clothes for her training:
She was currently wearing a long-sleeved dark turtleneck shirt that ended just above her navel, and dark leggings underneath a shorter skirt. She wore leather-brown fingerless gloves that matched her boots, similar in appearance to Joseph Joestar's. Both her shirt and skirt were decorated with yellow borders that featured mathematical signs, and her shirt's fabric was also slightly see-through, meaning her brassiere could be seen.
"Still an unusual outfit, but at the very least more manageable than yesterday...", Jonathan sighed to himself.
"Come on, Mr. Joestar; at least she's dressing the part", Speedwagon commented in response.
Trish sheepishly took ahold of the thin fabric covering her arm. "I do have to admit that Lisa Lisa helped me with the wardrobe change", she explained with embarrassment. "After she found out what I was trying to do..."
She couldn't even begin thinking about yesterday's events without cringing slightly...
...
"So wait, you're telling me you're now a member of the team?", Fugo asked the girl, both them and the rest of the Passione group inside the manor's kitchen. "Meaning we're equals?"
"That is indeed the case", Bruno helped himself to another cup of coffee. "Ever since we decided to betray the Boss, Trish has become a valuable member to our team. She was a key component against Notorious B.I.G, one of the enemy stands we faced after you left, as well as her own father."
The girl couldn't help but smile at his words.
"So then, that means I don't have to follow your demands anymore...", Fugo mused with a hand in his chin. Trish didn't like where this was going.
"Not necessarily, yeah", Abbacchio laid back in his chair, headphones slightly above his ears so he could hear what was going on. "Why the question?"
"Well, this might seem rude, but...", Fugo trailed off before bowing to Trish with sudden speed. "Forgive me, Trish, but I refuse to lend you my clothing for the rest of my life! I do not want my jacket treated like your disposable towel ever again!"
Trish took a step back, "Right, apology accepted...". Did he seriously still remember that?
"You can borrow one of the spare shirts I have, if you want", Mista offered, studying his revolver for any possible dents. His face then turned into a smirk. "If you don't mind smelling like a sweaty man, that's is."
Trish smirked back, "Thanks, but I'll pass."
"I can help you search for someone who possibly has a lot of clothes, if you want", Giorno spoke up from the corner. The girl turned to look at him as he continued, "There are a lot of people in this mansion; one of them possibly has what you're looking for."
"Do you know anyone?", she asked.
Giorno shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We'll have to ask until we find someone."
Trish didn't really like the answer, but it didn't look like she had any other choice. Reluctantly, she followed the golden-haired boy out of the kitchen.
"Right, leave it to Mr. Goody-two-shoes to step up and save the day", Abbacchio remarked with disgust as the two left, Bruno giving him a stern look. "What?"
...
After leaving the kitchen, Giorno proposed for the two to split off to cover more ground. The two kids then went in different directions and began searching throughout the mansion for people who could help. After a while, they both reunited near the entrance.
Any luck?", the girl asked.
"No; I ran into some of Koichi's friends and had to deal with them", explained Giorno, looking unusually tired from what was supposed to be a simple search.
"Did you... did you fight with someone?", Trish almost stuttered upon noticing his exhaustion.
"No, I just got an earful", the young man quickly responded before recovering himself. It was the first time he encountered Koichi's girlfriend, but he knew he would never forget her after what she tried doing to him...
"How about you?", he asked her, trying to move on from recent terrors. "I'm assuming you weren't successful, either?"
"No, not really", Trish rubbed her arm demurely. "I asked everyone who looked like they could help, but I ended up empty-handed."
Or rather, I asked everyone except Lisa Lisa, the girl internally added. She might know something about training attire, but I don't want her to find out what I'm trying to do...
"In that case, we seem to have reached a dead end", grimly noted Giorno, looking disappointed at himself. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you."
"It's alright, Giorno. You tried helping me, and the intention counts", Trish smiled to try and cheer him up. She then exhaled in a lower voice, not really noticing what she was saying, "But you're right; we returned with nothing. Looks like I'll have to go like this for my Hamon training tomorrow."
"Hamon?"
The girl widened her eyes. Oh no. She didn't mean to say that.
"Uh-", she turned to the golden-haired boy. Giorno was already formulating ideas as he put a hand to his chin. The girl couldn't get any words out of her mouth as she continued stammering, "I didn't, umm- I didn't mean to-"
"That's the breathing technique that Jonathan uses, isn't it?", the young man asked, not really expecting an answer as Trish was still in shock. "I see; I'm assuming you wanted to hide it from everyone for a specific reason, so I'll keep it a secret."
Trish had given up trying to explain, the girl slumping her shoulders in defeat. She dug her own grave.
Giorno merely gave her a polite smile, "I don't know what you're trying to achieve by learning Hamon, but I sincerely hope you're successful."
The girl turned her head away in embarrassment. She really didn't mean to say that, but at least she now had a supporter. "Thank you, Giorno...", the girl blushed slightly.
The boy nodded, before a voice interrupted them from atop of the stairs. "Did I hear 'Hamon training'?", it said. Giorno wasn't the only one who heard Trish's slip-up.
The two pre-teens looked up to come across an elegant figure with hands on her hips.
"That's...", Trish trailed off in surprise.
"If you're going to learn Hamon, you're going to need better clothes than that", the woman sternly declared before turning to the hallway. "Follow me."
As the woman disappeared from view, Giorno looked hopeful. "It looks like we might have a solution in our hands after all, Trish", he said in response, before noticing that the girl didn't share his enthusiasm. "Trish?"
Trish looked horrified. It was Lisa Lisa. The one person she didn't want to get involved just got involved. And to make matters worse, she was her only way out.
"Trish?", Giorno repeated. "Are you okay?"
"...Huh?", Trish looked at him, finally snapping back to reality. Giorno seemed worried for her, but for some reason, she hated that look of concern. It made her feel weak and vulnerable.
"O-Of course I'm doing alright, you dummy; why wouldn't I be?", she dismissed his concerns brusquely, quickly walking past the boy. She then murmured more quietly, "Let's just go follow her already..."
The girl then began to follow after Lisa Lisa. Giorno didn't know the reason behind her behavior, but he didn't ask anything as he instead followed her up the stairs.
...
As the woman led the two pre-teens inside her room, she sat down at a chair next to her desk. "You asked to receive Hamon training from Mr. Zeppeli the magician, correct?"
Trish nodded. "That's right."
"I see", Lisa Lisa turned back to her desk. Giorno closed the door as she continued, "I normally prefer buying specifically-tailored clothes rather than making them myself, but I have tried sowing some years ago as a pastime. We'll see if I have lost my touch."
She then turned to face the girl, "Since you're learning how to use Hamon, you'll need to use clothes that complement it. What I recommended is clothing that covers the upper chest, as that is the most important part of the body that generates Hamon. That is where we'll begin the modifications for your clothes first, so I'll need to know your measurements."
"Right, umm...", Trish bit her finger nervously before turning back to Giorno, who once again had a hand on his chin. He looked like he was deep in thought, so he probably wasn't paying attention to what Lisa Lisa was saying.
"Giorno, can you do me a favor?", the girl asked slowly.
The golden-haired boy looked up at her, interrupted from his thoughts. "Yes?"
"Can you please go back to the kitchen? We're about to...", Trish trailed off awkwardly, motioning to the older woman. "...We're about to talk about girl things, and I'd prefer if you didn't listen."
Everyone in the room went silent for several seconds.
But eventually, the kid turned towards the door. "...Of course", he merely said as he opened it and stepped outside. "Good luck with the outfit."
A few seconds passed after the kid closed the door, Trish sighed as the elegant woman turned back to her desk. "I suppose that explanation works", Lisa Lisa stated, before slightly turning her head. "Now you'll need to come up with a better one; since you're trying to learn Hamon, you must have known I can also teach it. Why didn't you turn to me first?"
Trish was taken aback by her question. She had a feeling lying wouldn't work, so she instead gave in, "I heard from Joseph that your training was hard. I didn't want to go through whatever he was going through."
Lisa Lisa only looked at her without a reaction. "So you're willing to learn Hamon, but not that willing? Am I hearing correctly?"
"Well, it's not like that", the girl tried explaining, "It's just-"
"I don't need your excuses. Whether you master Hamon or not will depend on how badly you want to learn it", the woman turned around, gathering the materials needed for the new shirt. "If it turns out you're not willing to learn Hamon that badly, then at worst that only means I have wasted my time designing your outfit."
The younger girl was surprised to hear those words. "So wait, you're still willing to help me out?", she asked.
Lisa Lisa didn't even turn around to look at her. "This will be your first test from me", she stated. "If you learn Hamon from Mr. Zeppeli, then you'll eventually end up learning under my supervision. By then I would already know that my efforts were not a waste. Otherwise, I'll ask for the outfit back."
The girl nodded in understanding, before curiously looking back at the woman again. "Wait, how are you sure I'll end up under your training? 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."
...
The girl shuddered at the memory, not cringing as much anymore. What did Lisa Lisa mean by fate?
"Now before we begin training, I would like to test your abilities", Zeppeli spoke up, interrupting the girl out of her thoughts. He then adopted a peculiar fighting stance towards the girl, almost as if showing off a new yoga pose. "I challenge you to a spar, Ms. Una, and I want you to make the first move. First one to fall to the ground loses."
The girl was left speechless at his challenge. "Can I, uhh...", she trailed off momentarily. "Can I use my stand?"
"Of course; use anything at your disposal", the man nodded. "I just want you to make the first move."
The girl nodded back in response. "Alright, then I won't hold back!", she declared before summoning her stand. "Spice Girl!"
Her stand proudly appeared above her, before directing a punch towards the magician.
However, what Zeppeli did was swerve his body to the right, barely missing the punch by a few hairs.
Trish's eyes widened. What!? How did he know where Spice Girl's punch was!?
The magician then used Hamon to dislocate his joints painlessly, stretching a punch towards the girl. "Zoom Punch!"
The girl used her stand to block the punch. However, some of the magician's Hamon got through the stand and into the girl's arms, momentarily shocking them out of their senses.
Zeppeli used the opportunity to direct his pinky finger towards Trish's stomach, "Now, what is true courage?"
Once he made contact, he sent another wave of Hamon to further immobilize the girl. "True courage is about merging with your fears and turning them into your power! Kuohhhhh!"
The magician then inhaled a short breath of Hamon as glowing ripples appeared on the ground below him. "Hamon breathing maximizes the flow of blood to harness the sun's light!"
After gathering enough power, he readied another Zoom Punch towards the still-recovering girl. "Sunlight Yellow...!"
The girl could feel her murkiness start to disappear once again. She summoned her stand to try and hit him. "Spice Girl-!"
"Overdrive!!!"
The punch knocked Trish into the air, sending her straight into a nearby tree.
"Ms. Una!", Jonathan screamed.
"Such power!", Speedwagon commented.
The collision caused a short cloud of dust and leaves to fill the area, covering everyone's eyesight. As Speedwagon sneezed to get rid of the dust, Zeppeli slowly approached the tree with caution, circulating more Hamon through his body.
"You've hit the tree, so unless you fell to the ground afterwards, you still haven't lost", he explained to the girl in case she was listening. "Question is, can you fight back, Ms. Una?"
However, as soon as the cloud of dust disappeared, both Zeppeli and the rest of the onlookers shared a face of surprise.
"The tree!", Jonathan stated.
"She's gone!", Speedwagon added.
The tree was bent out of shape, and the magician could tell its consistency changed to that of rubber or a similar material.
That means...!, he connected the dots. Don't tell me that's...!
Before he could finish that thought, he noticed a large shadow covering him from the sun. Both Jonathan and Speedwagon looked up as they noticed it too:
Above the magician was both Trish and Spice Girl, the girl high into the air as her stand readied her fists.
"I used Spice Girl to soften the tree", the girl stated, her hair flowing in wild strands in front of her face. "Since I turned it soft, I used it as a slingshot to propel myself into the air."
The magician looked up to face her; by then it was too late to dodge.
"If you intend to get in my way, then I'll just soar high above you!", the girl declared. "Spice Girl!"
The stand connected a fist towards the magician's face, before connecting another, then another. Soon it turned into a barrage of punches:
"WAANNAAAAAAABEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
She then finished the barrage with a powerful uppercut, sending the magician flying high into the air.
"Arrivederci!", Trish told him goodbye.
As the magician was headed towards the ground, Speedwagon commented, "I-I didn't even see what happened back there! But it looks like Zeppeli's lost!"
"Unbelievable...", Jonathan trailed off, before being surprised once again. Both Speedwagon and Trish reacted the same way:
Before Zeppeli could hit the ground, he used his index finger to support himself against the grass, the magician now standing upside down while balanced on a single digit.
"And what is that!?", the girl asked incredulously.
"By connecting my Hamon to the ground and forcing the bones in my arm to support my body weight, I can balance my body to do this!", the magician explained, before jumping back to normal. "So I still haven't lost. You, on the other hand, need to prepare yourself, or else you'll lose."
Trish looked lost at that comment. "Wh-what do you-"
The girl then heard a noise below her, interrupting her sentence before she could finish it. She looked down to find a small frog spazzing near a small rock.
"What the-?"
"I sent a small percentage of my Hamon into the frog's legs through my own before you hit me", the magician leapt towards the girl, slowly gaining more momentum. "Now, I believe I made myself clear when I told you to prepare yourself!"
Trish turned to the magician, more than welcome to accept the challenge. She just needed to land a barrage towards his arms and she would win. "Oh I'm well prepared! Spice Girl-!"
Before she could say anything else, a small rock suddenly hit her left cheek, knocking her out of her fighting stance. "Ow! What the-!?"
"Zoom Punch!"
Zeppeli was successful in landing another punch to the girl's stomach, knocking her out of her breath.
"GACK!", Trish resounded as she felt the air leave her lungs.
Her senses flew into overdrive once again as the magician explained. "When I told you to prepare yourself, I wasn't talking about my attack; I was talking about the frog's legs. The Hamon in the frog's body forced it to kick the rock, effectively providing me with a window of opportunity to attack!"
You can't be..., Trish barely formulated her thoughts. You can't be serious! That's bullshit!
"Now to bring this to a close!", Zeppeli threw the girl into the air, before connecting another punch to her face. "Overdrive!"
The resulting punch sent the girl straight towards the ground, signaling the end of the match.
Both Jonathan and Speedwagon were left speechless.
"I-I can't believe it!", Speedwagon shouted. "Mr. Zeppeli won! It looked like he almost lost for a moment, but he managed to win using an unexpected trick with his Hamon!"
"Ms. Una!", Jonathan quickly ran towards the fallen girl. He then helped her get up from the ground. "Are you alright?"
The girl was still recovering from the same murky feeling as last time. She would have to get used to that sensation from now on. "Yeah I'm fine, I'm fine...", she dragged out.
She then flinched in pain as she rubbed her left cheek, feeling where the rock hit her. She was sure that would leave a bruise.
"I apologize if I hurt you, Ms. Una", the Hamon instructor spoke up, both Trish and Jonathan turning towards him. "But I had to use all of my power to defeat you. Otherwise I wouldn't have won."
Jonathan was about to comment something about holding back with women, but Trish spoke up first, "Don't worry Mr. Zeppeli, I understand... I have friends who can't hold back when they fight, either..."
The girl then groaned slightly, the weariness in her body finally starting to catch up to her. Now that her adrenaline had long since dissipated, she could feel her body scream from several places, more namely her head and stomach.
The young girl fell to one knee.
"Ms. Una!", Jonathan shouted.
Trish could feel her consciousness begin to fade away; the girl realized she was too exhausted to remain awake.
Before passing out, she asked the magician one more question. "I want to ask one more thing, though... How did you know where Spice Girl was?"
Zeppeli crossed his arms. "I didn't. Stands are physical projections of the soul, meaning they're another form of life energy. I heard from Mr. Kujo that they are also called 'Spirit Hamon'."
The magician then fixed his hat, which somehow remained on his head the entire time. "Having that in mind, I simply used my Hamon breathing to detect where your stand's life energy was. This only works if you're a dedicated Hamon user."
By then Trish had already passed out, Jonathan carrying the unconscious girl into his arms. The magician then approached the two as he outstretched his hand. "However, I would still say you did a great job for your first fight."
The magician placed his hand on Trish's arm, sending a gentle wave of Hamon to heal her wounds. "Congratulations, Ms. Una. I am excited to see what type of woman you will grow into by the end of your training."
Meanwhile, a certain boy was inside his guest room reading an archaeology book from the mansion's library. He wasn't particularly interested in the field, but he had nothing better to do to pass the time. Bruno was supervising the Passione group as usual, and the rest of the Joestar group currently had no way to reach the Noble One.
The boy mindlessly flipped over another page before he heard a knock on the door. He knew who it was simply due to the fact that the person immediately stepped inside afterwards.
"Oi Giorno, how did the search from yesterday go?, asked Mista. "Did you guys find what you were looking for?"
Giorno turned his head slightly. "We did. We ended up finding someone who knew how to make clothes."
"Did Trish ever tell you why she wanted more clothes?"
"Not really, no. I never asked."
"Well you should have! A little bit of gossip wouldn't do bad around here!", Mista exclaimed, before leaning against the wall. "Ever since we began hopping around time periods with other people, our group conversations have gone stale. We need to talk about something new!"
"Talking with other people outside Passione would help."
"I don't trust any of those guys. The group I'm in is already more than enough."
"That's a shame, then."
They both went silent after that. Giorno continued reading the book, while Mista looked out the window. He had a feeling the kid was hiding something, but to make sure:
"Oi Giorno, you're not keeping anything from me, are you?"
"Of course not."
"I can always have Bruno lick your sweat, you know", joked the gunslinger. When his joke wasn't reciprocated with a laugh, he instead turned to the door. "Anyway, I'll be here if you ever want to spill the deets."
"I don't have anything to say."
"Sure sure, Giorno; that's what they all say", Mista smirked before closing the door, leaving the boy alone.
In truth, Giorno was thinking about Trish. Yesterday she made a slip-up and revealed her secret about Hamon training, which he thought was out of character. He'd also seen her smile and blush around him more, which was definitely out of character. The boy spent the remainder of that day and today to find the reason behind her change in behavior.
By the time Mista left, Giorno had already eliminated most of his initial hypothesis. There was no way it was nervousness, fear, or anger for her father; he was sure she was confident they could defeat him again. It wasn't an illness, either; he'd seen her behave normally around other people.
There was only one possibility left. If his hunch was correct, Trish will eventually display behavior similar to the schoolgirls who always used to follow him. He hasn't missed them ever since he embarked on this adventure, nor was he particularly excited at the idea of another fangirl pestering him.
But he also knew who Trish was. At the end of the day, they were just associates, friends at most. He knew Trish was one of the more reasonable people, so for now his only hope was for her to remain that way. He would have to continue monitoring her to disprove his hunch.
The boy closed the book. Trish... just what type of person will you become?
Author's Note: There might be some people who'll ask me if Hamon users can actually detect stands. My answer is I'm not really sure, since we don't get any direct confirmation from the series. I like to believe that they can, however, since stands also give off life energy (Giorno can detect life energy with his stand, and he mentions how Bruno's life energy was massive when Sticky Fingers hit Gold Experience in Eyes of Heaven, implying that stands also transmit life energy).
Those who trained with Hamon for many years also gain new abilities, like creating mirages or seeing into the future. I'd like to believe that detecting life energy in intangible objects like stands is not out of the question.
If you're not satisfied with the explanation, then just take it as a head-cannon; that way the fights are more balanced.
Also, the last section is something I literally added in last minute. I don't know, I figured to also show what Giorno is thinking. We'll see how the both his and Trish's roles will eventually converge with one another. I'm not an expert at writing romance, but I think I have a plan here. Only time will tell if I made the right choice.
In any case, thank you for reading this chapter. Have a good day and see you later! Happy New Year!