Welcome to another chapter!
I know it's been a couple months but to be honest I honestly had a hard time with this one since I'm not entirely sure of adding the Vanilla Ice battle. (ノ*°▽°*)
I'm sure you guys already know this by now from the tags that this is a "Everybody Lives, Nobody Dies". So you guys already know they won't get you know... („ಡωಡ„)
I most likely will not include the battle, will skip straight to Dio's World. I'll see how it goes. (/▿＼ )
I do apologize for the long wait, but I hope you guys enjoy! ～('▽^人)
D'Arby, The Player Part 2
As both vehicles flew high up in the air, it appeared as if they were neck to neck, but just as they feared, Terence D'Arby was ahead.
"Terence is ahead by a car length!" Joseph said.
"Now my speed will be doubled! Victory is mine!" Terence declared.
Noriko frowned, "No!" She shouted at Terence. "You have less power remaining, Terence!"
Terence looked at the screen and gasped. The red-haired girl was right.
"Which means…" Noriko extended her arm out, allowing her Hierophant Green to take over. Hierophant Green pressed on the D-Pad, its slender green and white fingers went in a rapid circular motion.
Noriko's #28 car spun and knocked Terence's car out of the course. Noriko's vehicle landed safely back on the track.
"You did it!" Joseph cheered.
Noriko looked over at Terence, "The one with less power goes flying. You were wrong to think losing power didn't matter." She pointed out. "You didn't realize that I intentionally dropped a length behind you, so I could knock you off the course."
A devious smirk spread across Terence's face. "Is that so?" He asked. "I'm afraid it's you who failed to realize."
Noriko blinked, "What!?" She thought.
"My plan all along was to lose power." Terence admitted. "I did it on purpose. You took the bait and sent my car flying off the track as intended." His smirk turned into a huge grin.
Noriko gasped and averted her eyes back on the screen.
"This battle isn't over!" Terence announced. "Behold! Watch where my machine is going to land!"
The red machine landed back on the course and continued to drive.
"I-It flew over the curve and landed further ahead on the course!" Joseph pointed out.
Noriko was in disbelief, "I-Impossible…" She muttered. She couldn't believe it. Her strategy to knock him off the course only made it worse.
"Indeed. It normally isn't possible." Terence began. "Normally, you would expect to crash right into the ground after driving off the course at 850 kilometeres per hour. Reaching the next part of the track this way is usually impossible." He explained. "However, Noriko, you made it possible by slamming into me. I wanted you to send me flying! I purposely reduced my power so you would attempt to hit me. Now then…" His devious smirk turned into a wide grin.
"Shall we continue the race, Noriko?" Terence asked.
Noriko was still at a loss of words. She stared at Terence in shock. From the beginning it was all planned and she had fallen into his trap. Her chances of winning the race are no longer possible.
"Don't admit defeat, Noriko!" Jotaro told her.
His words failed to reach the girl. Noriko mumbled under her breath and felt a large hand grab her by the throat. It was Atum. Terence's Stand grabbed Noriko and pulled her soul right out of her body.
"I-I'm sorry, JoJo…" Noriko thought.
"Noriko!" Joseph cried out.
"I now hold her soul in my hands. She has just admitted defeat." Terence stated. He then let out a dark chuckle, "She admitted within her heart that continuing the race was pointless."
Before Noriko's body could collapse onto the table, Jotaro quickly grabbed her. Her body limped against his hands, her head dipped downwards and her hair sprawled all over her face. Her body was now cold and turned pale like a ghost.
Terence glanced at Noriko's lifeless body. "Still, Noriko, no one has ever been able to make me sweat like you have." He admitted, with some sweat dripping on the side of his face.
Noriko's soul was pulled into the doll that Terence was holding. The doll that looked identical to her. He was caressing it like a prized possession.
"This doll is now an especially valuable piece of my collection." Terence said and glanced at the two Joestars. "She is the first opponent I've faced who overcame their fears, and refrained from making mistakes due to their lack of mental fortitude."
Jotaro silently handed Noriko over to Joseph, his fists clenched tightly as he glared deadly at Terence D'Arby. His eyes switched between Terence and the doll Noriko's soul was in. He could hear his girlfriend's painful groans coming from the doll.
"I shall treasure her and take good care of her, so you don't have to worry, Jotaro." Terence said with a sly smirk.
No longer able to contain his rage, Jotaro took a few steps forward, lifting his fist to beat the crap out of Terence. But the enemy raised his hand, halting the teen.
"Now, now." Terence began. "I'd like to warn you against attacking me in retaliation. Actually, no, not just attacking me. If I were to slip on a banana peel and hit my head, or choke on a piece of gum…" He continued as he started caressing the doll again and even brought it closer to his face to snuggle it, only to infuriate Jotaro. "… or die of a heart attack from the bang of an inflated popcorn bag being popped, Noriko's soul would pass on to the realm beyond this life."
Terence walked over to his cabinet of doll collections and opened one of the bottom drawers. He crouched down and placed Noriko there, sitting her up. He walked back over to the table of four, going back to his seat.
Once he sat back down, Jotaro pulled back the seat Noriko was previously sitting on and sat down on it. Meanwhile Joseph was being gentle and careful with Noriko's lifeless body, he settled her down on a chair.
"Hmm? J-Jotaro?" Joseph was confused.
"Oh?" Terence raised a brow.
"Jotaro, why the hell are you sitting down?" Joseph demanded, walking over to Jotaro. "I'll defeat him! Let me fight him next!"
Jotaro turned to his grandfather, "Gramps, have you played any of these more than Noriko has?" He asked.
Joseph grumbled under his breath with sweat trailing down the sides of his face. He knew what his grandson was trying to tell him.
"Just stay out of this, Old Man." Jotaro warned. "This isn't like playing cards or hanafuda."
The delinquent reached over to the pile of games and grabbed one of the cartridges. He picked up a red cartridge and averted his dark gaze to the enemy.
"Next is baseball." Jotaro declared. "I challenge you to a game of baseball. I'll bet my soul!"
An amused smirk spread across Terence's face.
"Good. Then I shall wager Noriko's soul." Terence announced.
Jotaro felt the pressure on his arm lift away, making him pull his sleeve up to inspect it. Atum's hand was no longer there.
"I removed Atum's hand from your arm." Terence stated. "Now that I have Noriko's soul, there's no point in holding on to your arm anymore. It would put my Stand at a disadvantage to fight with only one hand. Your Star Platinum's movements are extremely fast and super precise."
Jotaro tossed the game cartridge at Terence. The enemy chuckled as he caught it.
Terence took a glance at the game. "To be honest, I didn't expect you to choose the baseball game…" An amused grin spread across his face and looked back at Jotaro. "This just so happens to be the game I'm best at."
"Terence, as soon as you lose to Jotaro, I will finish you!" Joseph threatened. "Remember that!"
Joseph placed the cartridge inside the gaming console, turning it on.
"Oh! That's A Baseball!" The announcer of the game said on the title screen.
Joseph used Hermit Purple once again to inspect all the equipment but found nothing.
"There's no trickery in this game either." Joseph confirmed, recalling his Stand.
"To start, select your team." Terence said.
On the screen, the game showed a small list of baseball teams.
"I pick The Jaguars." Jotaro said, selecting his team.
"Jaguars!"
"Interesting." Terence muttered. "So you've chosen a team with a strong offense. Two of your players have batting averages over 0.4. Then I shall choose the Red Dragons." And with that, he selected his team.
"Red Dragons!"
"Would you like to bat first or second? Take your pick." Terence asked.
"First." Jotaro simply answered.
"Very well." Terence spun a drawing pen between his fingers that he picked up from the table. "The Jaguars are up first."
Looking back at his screen, he began to draw on it. "There's an option to create a character that will portray your players in-game." Terence informed.
"This is Star Platinum." He said after drawing out their Stands as the players on their team.
"Now, let us play ball!"
Inside the game, both teams faced each other in a line on the baseball field.
"Jaguars VS Red Dragons!"
"Play ball!"
Both teams settled in their positions out on the field.
"I chose #15 as my pitcher, since I was born on January 5th." Terence informed, though he had already said that to Noriko when they were picking their race cars on F-Mega.
"Here I go." Terence said.
The pitcher winded up then pitched the ball at the batter. At the same time, as the ball was being pitched, Jotaro's batter swung too early and missed. This surprised both Terence and Joseph.
"Strike!" The npc behind the catcher called out.
Joseph was in shock. "H-Hey, Jotaro, what did you just do?" He asked. "You swung the bat before the ball could even leave the pitcher's hand."
Jotaro ignored his grandfather and continued pressing the button that made his character swing the bat, over and over again. It was like he was testing it. As he kept doing this, Terence raised a brow in curiosity.
"H-Hey! Jotaro, why do you keep taking practice swings?" Joseph asked but he quickly came to realize something. "Wait a minute… don't tell me, have you ever played this baseball game-No, have you played any video games before?!"
Jotaro doesn't answer and ignores his grandfather again.
"Answer me, Jotaro!" Joseph demanded, annoyed by grandson's cold shoulder.
"It's whatever, I know the rules of baseball." Jotaro replied nonchalantly. "I'll figure out the controls as I go."
Terence glanced at him in surprise, both brows raised up.
"WHAT?!" Joseph cried out in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
He walked over to Jotaro. "That ridiculous, terribly-timed swing!" He criticized. "The way you're working the controls…" He crouched down and pointed a finger at the delinquent. "This is your first time playing any game, isn't it?!"
Terence silently continued and pitched the ball. Once again, Jotaro missed.
"Strike two!"
"This time you swung the bat after the ball hit the mitt! You're a total amateur!" Joseph shouted near his grandson's ear.
"God dammit, Jotaro! You've never played a video game before, have you?!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
Annoyed and irritated, Joseph grabbed Jotaro by his jacket's collar.
"Quit screwing around, Jotaro!" Joseph snapped. "I've had enough of your damn attitude! You gambled your soul! You can't back out now!"
"Good grief. You know, you should be supportive at times like this, Gramps." Jotaro casually said. "It's the first inning. You've only just started. You can do it Jotaro." Like that."
Joseph frowned and gritted his teeth. "What the hell are you thinking? Even with your Star Platinum's super precise movements, did you really think you could beat him without any knowledge about video games at all?"
Instead of answering his grandfather, Jotaro lowered his head, allowing his hat to shadow his eyes.
"What were you thinking, Jotaro?!" Joseph demanded. "What in the hell were you thinking?!"
"Jotaro…" Terence spoke up, interrupting the Joestar's small dispute. Both Joestar men turned to look at the young D'Arby.
"If this is some vain effort to trick me into thinking you're an amateur, it's not going to work." Terence warned. "I never let my guard down regardless of the situation. Even if it were an infant betting their soul, I would still give my all to defeat them."
"Gramps…"
Joseph looked over at his grandson.
"I'm not thinking about anything… except…" Jotaro glanced over at Terence with a dark look, pointing a finger at him. "... that he's sitting there, so sure that nobody can beat him at this game, oblivious to the fact that I want to smash his fucking face in. The only thought on my mind right now is getting Noriko's soul back."
In reality, Jotaro wanted to do more than just smash Terence's face, he wanted to beat the shit out of him beyond recovery for what he did to his girlfriend.
Terence closed his eyes and raised his controller, "Say what you will, but it's only the top of the first inning, and with one out." He reopened his eyes, "Let's continue the game. Don't forget that if one of us takes an eleven point lead, the game will end."
Jotaro doesn't say anything and pressed a button on his controller, summoning another player in the field.
"Second batter, number three!"
And once more, Jotaro failed to hit the ball three more times and his player was out again. Meanwhile, Joseph was mentally distressed from what he was witnessing. The difference from their skills is far too vast. Joseph compared it as being in a tea ceremony filled with members who had never held a bat in their life and decided to challenge a championship team. It's too pathetic.
Jotaro summoned another player and failed two more times to hit the ball.
"Strike two!" The announcer cried out.
Terence silently side-glanced at his opponent. "It appears as though he truly is an amateur… He's weak! Now I understand how a judo master feels when he gauges the strength of his opponent by how they put in their gi. When it comes to video games, Jotaro is indeed an amateur. However, I refuse to lower my guard. I've memorized the weakness of every batter in the game." He pressed on the right side of the D-pad, aiming where he'll throw the ball at. "My next pitch will be low on the outside. I'll pitch my best screwball and get three strikes before he manages to get a single run."
A small smile appeared on his face, "Top of the first, two outs, two strikes, and no balls. Here comes my next pitch." He declared.
"Go ahead. I've pretty much learned how to bat now." Jotaro stated.
Terence pressed the button on his controller and his smile instantly faded away as his eyes widened, "What? What did he just say? How to swing? What?! Did he just say pretty much learned?!"
Terence's player throws the balls. "What the hell is he talking about?! What does he mean?!" He continued asking himself in panic.
The ball collided with the bat, creating a hollow sound in the air around the stadium.
"WHAT?!" Terence immediately stood up from his chair in shock.
"Jotaro!" Joseph cheered.
"Good. This game is interesting." Jotaro remarked.
"W-Wait a minute, the ball is still in the air!" Joseph pointed out.
"Did he seriously just say that?!" Terence gritted his teeth. "I've pretty much learned how to bat." Learned?! Did he just say learned?!"
The ball went out of the stadium and fireworks were shot up in the sky for the victory.
"No way! No way!" Joseph pointed at the screen and laughed.
"HOME RUN!" The announcer said.
On the screen, the score between the Jaguars and the Red Dragons changed. The score for Jotaro's team changed from zero to one.
Terence was still in disbelief as he slowly sat back down in his chair but hearing Joseph shouting Home Run none stop and laughing annoyed him even more. He smacked the table with his hand, glared at Jotaro and pointed at him.
"Jotaro! You bastard!" He hissed. He then smacked the table with both hands and stood up. "What did you mean, "I pretty much learned how to bat" ?! Isn't that what you just said?!" He demanded.
"There's no reason for me to repeat myself." Jotaro simply replied, his eyes averting from his screen to Terence.
Terence sat back down, continuing to stare at the delinquent.
"He was, without a doubt, a beginner." He confirmed. "Is he saying he managed to learn the controls by swinging eight times?" He furrowed his brows while gritting his teeth. "Kujo Jotaro's Star Platinum has the power of super precise movements. Now I know exactly why he's such a nuisance to Lord Dio, as well as how my brother lost to him!"
He silently picked up his controller and smirked, chuckling under his breath. "Interesting. This is how my opponents should be. In spite of how boldly you boasted about your formidable ability at the top of the first inning, Jotaro, I will make you regret ever speaking a word…"
"Let us continue the game, Jotaro." Terence said.
They continued the game and Jotaro got three more home runs. Joseph cheered behind his grandson for the victories.
"You did it!" Joseph exclaimed, filled with excitement. "You got another home run! Now it's four to nothing in the top of the first! Looks like you're getting the hang of the game, Jotaro. You got this! Keep it up!"
His attention then turned to the young D'Arby.
"Hey, Terence…" The Elder Joestar approached the young man. "I bet you don't want to hear this, but I'm feeling generous. If you return Noriko's soul right now and take us to Dio, we'll consider sparing your life."
Instead of giving him the answer he wants to hear, Terence put his controller down on the table. "My brother was both a master at gambling and a master at cheating. Yet he never asked me, "Hey, brother, would you like to play a game of poker?" Not even once." His eyes turned to the Joestars. "Do you know why that is?"
Jotaro and Joseph only stared at him, not sure where he was going with this.
"When I was fifteen," Terence continued. "My brother tried to hit on my girlfriend. I beat the shit out of him even though he's ten years older than me. I broke his ribs and kicked him until he vomited blood." A sinister grin spread across his face, sounding proud for what he had done to his brother. "And after all that, the only words he could muster were, "I'm sorry." Do you know why?"
"What the hell are you getting at, you bastard?!" Joseph questioned.
"Ever since we were children, my brother has known he couldn't beat me. He knew there must've been a reason for it." Terence then pointed at the delinquent. "Right now, Jotaro's confidence is growing as he becomes better and better at this game. However, he is still just as uncertain as my brother was as a child. He is uncertain of my abilities. "It couldn't be, or maybe it is…" is what he's been thinking. Am I wrong, Jotaro?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Joseph snarled, stepping between the two.
"I'm changing pitchers!" Terence stated. "I'm switching #15 for #77!" On the screen, it showed the list of pitchers for Terence's team. He picked #77. "#77 is the fastball pitcher whose fastest pitch clocks at 165 kilometers per hour! Now I shall declare the pitch I'm about to throw!" Atum manifested behind its user.
Jotaro narrowed his eyes, what was Terence planning on doing?
"#77 Will pitch a forkball straight down the middle!" Terence declared.
"What?! Did he just reveal his pitch?!" Joseph cried out.
"I'm pitching a forkball down the middle!" Terence repeated. "Do you believe me or not?"
Joseph turned to Jotaro, "Jotaro, he's trying to play mind games with you! Do not fall for his tactics!" He warned.
Star Platinum also manifested behind his user. "Pitch, Terence."
"Do you believe me or not?" Terence asked again then let out a dark chuckle before pressing the button on his controller.
Terence's pitcher threw the ball going straight, but was it going to remain straight or will it fall? The ball remained straight and Jotaro's batter swung lower than usual, he had bet it would go as a forkball. The batter hit the bottom of the ball but since it managed to hit the ball but not as hard, the ball was caught by one of Terence's players.
"Out! Top of the first, three outs! Change!"
The crowd in the stadium cheered and both teams switched. Terence's team was now batting and Jotaro's team were out scattered in the field.
Jotaro gulped as a bit of sweat dripped down on the side of his face.
"How could you be this stupid?!" Joseph scolded his grandson. "You actually believed him and swung for a forkball!"
Jotaro lifted his hand and pointed at Terence, "No." He denied. "He was sure I'd swing for a forkball, so he changed it to a straight fastball. Like he said, I've been uncertain since we entered the mansion. He somehow knew Star Platinum would throw a right punch."
"I-Impossible…" Joseph stammered, realizing what his grandson was trying to say. "So you're telling me," He averted his gaze over to Terence. "... that he can somehow read your mind?!"
Terence's sinister smirk was still displayed on his face, "Next is the bottom of the first . It's my turn on offense."
The batter lifted his bat, pointing at Jotaro's pitcher.
"I declare I will hit a home run!" Terence announced. "I will hit the ball you pitch into the left stands."
Jotaro turned to his grandfather, "Old Man. You're sure the game and console aren't rigged in any way, right?"
"There's no chance of that." Joseph confirmed. "I've been keeping an eye out for any signs of cheating from him."
Jotaro averted his eyes to Terence. "That means his Stand holds the secret." He stated. "It doesn't just take souls, it holds some kind of hidden power."
He looked back at his screen, "Let's try this…" He pressed on the D-Pad to aim where he'll pitch the ball. He aimed directly at the batter. "…This should tell me something." He took a brief glance at Terence from the corner of his eyes.
"What the hell is he thinking?! He's going to try to hit the batter on purpose?!" Joseph thought to himself in shock.
"Where might you be aiming to throw? Inside? Will it be high? Or low? Are you planning some sort of trick?" Terence questioned the teen.
Jotaro silently pressed the button on his controller to pitch. The moment the ball was thrown, Terence's batter dodged it. Both Joseph and Jotaro raised their brows in surprise.
"What?! He dodged it the same time the pitch was thrown!" Joseph pointed out.
Terence smirked and his bat collided with the ball. The ball was thrown high up in the air.
"H-He read that!" Joseph stammered in shock. "He read that perfectly! There's no way he could have done that without reading Jotaro's mind!"
"HOME RUN!" The announcer stated and fireworks went off in the sky above the stadium.
Terence let out a dark chuckle, "That's one home run." He stated.
"I-Impossible!" Joseph was in disbelief. "We've met all kinds up until now but we've never encountered a Stand that could read minds! If it can read minds, then will no amount of intelligence or power stand against it?" He turned to his grandson with worry.
"What are you going to do, Jotaro?!"
Terence's batter once again declares he'll get another home run, which infuriates Joseph.
"Will the next one be outside? And low? Or will it be a straight?" Terence asked, chuckling to himself.
Jotaro throws another ball and once again, Terence makes another home run, surprising both the Joestars.
"Four to two." Terence stated.
Joseph grunted under his breath, clenching his fists. "If you can deduce information about your opponent and surroundings, you can figure out how they tick! Somehow his Stand knows the exact course the ball will take with perfect accuracy! And it's not because he's cheating!" He looked back at the screen and Terence's batter hit the ball, receiving another home run.
"Another home run! That's four to three now!" Joseph gritted his teeth, "How can we stop him from reading our minds?! Just how?!"
Terence let out a low, dark chuckle, "This will be turned around shortly. Now, will the next one be inside? Down the middle? A high? A changeup? I wonder where it'll go."
Suddenly, Jotaro removed his hat and placed it on top of the small TV, blocking Terence from looking at his face.
Terence scoffed, "You fool. Do you really think I would resort to underhanded methods like my brother?"
"Jotaro, it's not that! Hiding behind your hat is pointless." Joseph said. "He isn't watching the reflection of the screen in your eyes! And he's not listening to the sounds of your fingers to figure out which buttons you're pressing, either! I have been watching him this entire time, that's not what's going on." He nodded his head.
Jotaro turned to his grandfather, "I haven't sweat like this in a while. That's why I took it off." He explained.
"Hurry up and throw the next pitch already." Terence demanded with an impatient tone.
Jotaro averted his eyes back on the screen, "But I don't think I have to worry about sweating anymore. I'm going to declare my pitch."
Both Terence and Joseph widened their eyes in shock.
"It's gonna be a straight, high to the outside." Jotaro declared.
"What's that?!" Terence furrowed his brows in confusion.
"W-What?! What are you saying, Jotaro?!" Joseph demanded, grabbing his grandson's shoulder to make him look at him.
"You heard me." Jotaro stated in a firm tone and turned his head to the side. "Are you so old that your hearing's gone, Old Man? I said I'm going to declare my pitch." He narrowed his eyes, "I'll pitch straight, high to the outside." He repeated.
Joseph could sense the menacing aura emitting from his delinquent grandson. He gasped under his breath in realization and took a step back.
"Jotaro…" He muttered.
Jotaro's intense gaze averted to the young D'Arby. "Well, do you believe me or not?"
Terence huffed then smirked, "Are you that foolish?" He asked as his Stand manifested next to him.
Terence's Stand, Atum, not only has the ability to take souls like his older brother, but also has a second ability; Binary Soul Reading. Atum can see their opponents soul as if they were night vision. No matter who it is, the soul does not lie. It has to be a yes or no type question in order for Terence to know his opponent's next move.
Such as, will it be outside or inside? High or low? A change-up or straight? He will always know the answer a hundred percent of the time.
"A straight, high to the outside?" Terence asked the young Joestar. He then narrowed his eyes, "Yes or no?"
Terence's Stand glanced at the delinquent, his aura was flaring up.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Jotaro is not lying," Terence thought. "A straight, high to the outside…" He muttered, but he was suspicious as to why Jotaro would declare his pitch out loud.
"What is he trying to do?" He asked himself. "Apparently he defeated my brother by bluffing but does he really think that will work on me? What a fool."
"I'm pitching." Jotaro declared.
Jotaro's character pitched the ball at the batter.
A sinister grin spreads across Terence's face as the ball is making its way towards him. "Don't forget that the game will be called once there's an eleven-point difference." He reminded the delinquent.
As the ball was now over halfway, it suddenly curved, throwing Terence off guard.
"What?! It was a changeup?!" Terence shouted in shock. "It went through! Impossible! It turned!"
Terence's batter barely hit the ball and was caught by one of the infielder's, throwing it to first base.
"He's out!" The announcer declared.
Terence gasped under his breath as his eyes widened. He couldn't believe what just happened. "I-Impossible!" He thought. "I was certain he chose a straight, high to the outside. Even if he were a holy man like Buddha or a genius con artist like my brother, he couldn't possibly possess that kind of control over his own soul!"
"I'm going with a straight, high to the outside again." Jotaro declared once more.
Terence gasped, using his Stand again to see if Jotaro was lying or not.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"
The young D'Arby gritted his teeth in frustration as his brows furrowed, "He's not lying this time either! He's serious!"
"Jotaro." Terence spoke up. "You're not cheating, are you?"
"I DO! I DO! I DO!"
"WHAT?!" Terence's brow's raised up in shock, his mouth agape. "He is cheating!?"
Jotaro's player pitched the ball again and this time it was a forkball, low to the inside. And once again, Terence's batter was out.
"Jotaro, you bastard! You're cheating!" Terence snapped at the teen, standing up from his chair. "You rigged the console, didn't you?!"
"No! No! No! No! No!"
He raised his brows in surprise, "What?!"
"It's not rigged?!" Terence began to hyperventilate. His eyes scanned the round table to see any possibility that Jotaro could've used Star Platinum to mess with the wires or gaming console.
"I know for a fact you are cheating! How are you doing this?!" Terence demanded.
"..."
No response came from Jotaro's soul.
"D-Dammit! I had forgotten that it has to be a yes or no question!"
Jotaro placed his hands under his chin, leaning a bit forward on the table. "It seems your mind-reading questions can only be answered with a yes or no." The delinquent pointed from what he had observed. He picked up his controller, "Your brother liked to say this, It's not cheating if you don't get caught ." He smirked at the young D'Arby.
Terence was sweating profusely, his brow twitched in anger from what Jotaro had just said.
"It's not cheating if you don't get caught, huh?" Terence growled under his breath. "How dare you speak to me like you know it all?!" He screeched. "Just who do you think you're talking to?!" He was shaking so much from holding in his anger.
"GO AHEAD AND PITCH, JOTATO!" Terence yelled. "I'll figure out your trick and drag your damn soul out!"
"Now then, shall we continue?" Jotaro asked nonchalantly. "My next pitch will be a straight, high to the outside."
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Jotaro's soul chanted.
"Jotaro's soul is not lying again. He's serious about throwing a high outside straight." Terence began to growl under his breath in frustration. "I'll figure out how you're cheating, Jotaro! I'll figure it out no matter what!"
While Jotaro's character is pitching the ball, Terence paid close attention to what Jotaro's soul chanted as he was seeing the ball get pitched. As it got closer to the batter, it suddenly dropped to a forkball.
"WHAT?! IT CHANGED COURSE?!" Terence shouted.
But Jotaro's soul was still saying yes despite the ball having changed. Terence's batter missed and the catcher caught the ball.
"OUT! Three outs, change!" The npc behind the catcher said.
Joseph exhaled in relief while Jotaro remained silent.
Terence began to hyperventilate again, "I don't get it! I don't know how he's cheating! Up to the very last moment, Jotaro's soul intended to throw a straight and yet the pitch changed! Why? Why the hell is that happening?!"
Jotaro turned to Terence with his arms crossed. He silently raised his hand and pointed at him.
"I will defeat you, Terence." Jotaro stated.
Terence clenched his fists, "Shut the hell up!" He snapped. "T-The fact that you took off your stupid school cap is suspicious!" He smacked the school cap off the TV. "The cheating started the moment you took it off! Now get up! I'm going to inspect your seat and controller!" He demanded.
Jotaro obliged and got up, he went to go pick up his hat. While retrieving his hat and patting the dirt off, Terence desperately inspected the chair and controller but found nothing. The teen put his hat back on and turned to face the D'Arby.
"D-Dammit! I don't get it!" Terence turned his head to Jotaro. "I don't know how, but your school hat is what you're using to cheat! Am I right?!" He accused, pointing a finger at him.
"No! No! No! No!" Jotaro's soul responded.
"Your trick is somewhere around here, right?!" Terence pointed at the TV.
"No! No! No! No!"
"You're using Star Platinum to cheat, aren't you?!"
"No! No! No! No!"
Getting more frustrated and desperate, Terence smacked the table with both hands.
"You rigged something, didn't you, Jotaro?!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!"
"God damn it! I… I can read people's souls! I can read your soul, Jotaro! But why are all his pitches different from my readings?!" Terence asked himself. The mystery was driving him crazy.
From hyperventilating and being desperate, the young D'Arby started to look like he was aging right before the Joestar's eyes. Jotaro silently sat back down in his seat.
"It looks like he's starting to get older." Joseph commented. "He doesn't look like a kid in his twenties anymore."
"Terence, it's your turn to pitch." Jotaro reminded him. "So hurry up and throw."
"Four to three…" Terence mumbled, "I can win one run back in no time." He was still sweating and even saliva dripped from his mouth.
"I'm a genius when it comes to video games! There's no possible way I can lose! My mind is invincible! An expert in video games is an expert at life! I won't let this bastard damage my reputation!" He reassured himself.
Terence sat back down, picking up his controller and continued the game. His character pitched and Jotaro's batter hit it, receiving another home run. Speechless, he stared at the TV screen like a zombie. No longer able to handle it any longer, as his body swayed side to side, the doll that Noriko's soul was stored in, opened its mouth and her soul came out.
Terence gasped with his mouth agape, Jotaro and Joseph widened their eyes. The red-haired girl's soul returned back to her body.
Noriko immediately started to groan, her brows twitched.
"S-Shit! I accidentally let go of her soul!" Terence tried to explain.
Joseph rushed over to Noriko and a big smile spread across his face. "Noriko's soul and consciousness have returned!" He announced.
"N-No! No!" Terence dismissed, waving his hands in panic. "I haven't admitted defeat! It was an accident! I let go of her soul by accident!"
Jotaro stood up from his seat, setting the controller back down. His eyes lingered on his beloved girlfriend, his eyes had softened and was relieved. "If her soul was set free, that means that your own soul…" His intense gaze returned and turned to Terence, "… has admitted defeat." He turned his back on him and walked over to Joseph and Noriko.
Terence looked down at Jotaro's controller from hearing a faint sound and spotted Joseph's Hermit Purple wrapped around the controller.
"What?!" He gasped and walked over to it. "J-Joseph's Stand… It's coming out of the controller." His eyes trailed to where the Stand led to and it was to Joseph Joestar.
Joseph noticed that the young D'Arby spotted his Stand, "O-Oh, whoops." He recalled his Stand.
Terence couldn't believe it. "S-Something so stupid… The cheat was the one manipulating the controller…" He realized. "… Dammit! Jotaro wasn't the one controlling it, it was you, Joseph Joestar!"
"Hmm?" Joseph raised a brow in confusion.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Joseph's soul chanted.
"That's right, Terence." Jotaro confirmed, "I'm sure your brother would've been able to figure this out easily."
Terence widened his eyes from the comment and froze in place. He then fell to his knees in defeat, looking down at the ground.
Both Joestar men turned around, Jotaro glanced at his grandfather as they made their way over to Noriko.
"By the way, Gramps," Jotaro began. "I'm glad you caught on to my idea without a signal."
"Why of course! I can tell what you're thinking, you're my grandson after all!" Joseph said with a chuckle at the end.
They both stopped and looked at Noriko.
The elder Joestar placed a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, Noriko! Time to wake up!" He gently rocked her body.
A low groan escaped from the girl's lips as her violet eyes finally fluttered open.
"D-Damn it… From behind…" Terence was still in disbelief.
"Now then…" Joseph muttered. A threatening aura emitted from both him and Jotaro. They averted their eyes back to Terence.
"… All that's left is to dispose of him."
Terence yelped and panicked. "P-Please forgive me! I already gave you back Noriko's soul! Everything is back to normal now! Forgive me, please? Please? Please?" He begged, doing a dogeza.
"If you want to know if we'll forgive you, why don't you read our souls?" Jotaro suggested.
"No! No! No! No!"
Terence screeched in panic and fear.
"Here's a question, will I hit you with my right fist or left?" Jotaro asked. "Try to guess."
"P-Please, just hit me quickly with your right fist." Terence said, his hand shaking and bringing it up close to his face.
"No! No! No! No! No!"
"Y-Your left?"
"No! No! No! No! No!"
"I-Is it both?!" Terence asked, now horrified.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!"
"Are you going to do that "ora ora" thing?!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh my god!" Joseph said, gritting his teeth in annoyance from the questions.
Without any hesitation, Star Platinum manifested and began pummeling the young D'Arby with his barrages of punches. The purple warrior Stand let out his battle cry as he made sure each punch was harder than before, for the grave mistake Terence had made by targeting Noriko.
Terence T. D'Arby, retired.
Terence was launched into the pink sky and broke through a …wall?
"Looks like we broke through some sort of wall." Joseph pointed out. He glanced at the two teens, "Let's get out of here, come on, Jotaro! Noriko!"
"Gimme a damn break…" Jotaro muttered under his breath, allowing his grandfather to take the lead.
Jotaro turned to Noriko and offered her his hand. Noriko glanced at him and gave him a warm smile. She grabbed his calloused hand and stood up. She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Thank you, JoJo." Noriko whispered.
Jotaro's cheeks turned pink and looked elsewhere, hiding his blushed face. They silently followed behind Joseph.
xxxx
When the group finally stepped out of the "illusion" room, they found themselves in a cellar. Joseph pulled out his lighter to bring in some light. Suddenly the mansion rumbled above them. They all looked up, seeing some of the dirt fall down from the ceiling.
"What was that?" Joseph asked. "Just when I thought the illusion had gone away, I heard the sound of a wall breaking somewhere in the mansion."
Noriko turned to Joseph, her face filled with worry, "Could it possibly be Avdol, Polnareff and Iggy?" She asked.
Jotaro narrowed his eyes, a small "hmm" leaving out his breath.
They went to search for an exit of the cellar and once they did, the ceiling above them rumbled once more.
Alarmed, Noriko turned to the two Joestars. "Mr. Joestar, that sounds like a battle is happening!"
"Yeah, there's no doubt about it. They must be fighting around here somewhere." Joseph said.
The mansion quaked more violently this time.
"Hurry! We need to find them!" Joseph urged. He went ahead and started to run.
The teens pursued behind the Elder Joestar, hoping they could find the rest of their friends on time before it's too late.
To Be Continued….
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! One again, I apologize for the long wait! I also just realized I updated in the middle of the week instead of the usual Fridays but I have kept ya'll waiting for way too long!
I hope you guys have a wonderful and a great weekend! Cya next time! ～('▽^人)