Darpsonic6: Perhaps...
PhantomKnightPercival: Thank you, this comment really made me smile. Like, seriously, I'm legit touched. This is so wholesome, my heart can't take it.
ConfusedlookingCat: Thank you so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it!
devonc0nn0r7: Thank you!
The blonde Italian strode over to the registration booth, his brown cape flowing in the desert wind. His large hat covered his eyes, but his chin was lined with square tufts of hair. His purple shirt was adorned with tiny green balls, which matched the two steel balls strapped to his belt. The Italian bent over and signed his name on the leaflet.
Gyro Zeppeli
"Zeppeli, huh?"
Gyro grinned, revealing golden grills with the words, Go Go Zeppeli engraved on them. "Nyo ho, that's my name!"
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're twenty dollars short."
Gyro frowned. "Che cosa? I could have sworn..."
Gyro's green eyes scanned the crowd, and narrowed at the sight of a shady looking man that was standing right next to him. Gyro slowly brought up his hand and placed it on the guy's shoulder. "GAAAAAH!" The man screamed as his flesh began to twist, his hand opened to drop twenty dollars. "Hey! That man stole from you! Security!"
The man was dragged off as Gyro paid the rest of his fee, and walked toward his horse, Valkyrie. "HEY, YOU! WAS THAT YOUR QUIRK?! I'M TALKING TO YOU MEATBALL!" The man was screaming at him. The man pulled a gun from one of the guard's holsters and pointed it at the Italian. "TURN AROUND MOTHERFUCKER!" The guards tackled the man to the ground as he laughed. "You're entering the race, right? Maybe I should enter and sabotage your chances of winning! You hear me? I'm seriously thinking of annoying you from the bottom of my heart!"
Gyro stopped walking. "Guards, if you wouldn't mind, let the man go...and give him the gun."
"Huh?"
"Do it."
The guards could tell that this wasn't a man they should mess with, so they let the thief go, and dropped the gun. The thief looked confused, and glanced down at the gun, and then at the Italian, who was gazing down at him with contempt.
"Pick it up."
"Wha-"
"I want to see if you're going to be a threat to me or not. So, if you meant what you said...PICK. IT. UP."
"H-hey man, let's not get carried away here. I was just bullshitting you, that's all-"
Suddenly one of the steel balls that was holstered at Gyro's hip smashed into the thief's shoulder, causing him to squeal like a pig in a slaughterhouse.
"Do you think I'm stupid? I saw you reaching for it."
The steel ball rolled to the side, still spinning, as Gyro turned away, pulling a candy bar out of his satchel and eating part of it. The thief looked at his shoulder, horrified at the sight of his shoulder, the flesh on it twisting and turning. Then fear turned to rage, and the thief picked up the gun and pointed it at Gyro. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
It was then the thief realized that the gun wasn't pointing at the Italian jockey, but his arm was moving against his will, pointing the gun toward himself. "I warned you." Gyro said as the gun went off with a loud BANG, and the thief collapsed to the ground. "That wouldn't have happened unless you had the intent to kill me. Shame."
The Italian propped himself onto Valkyrie. "Hey, I think you dropped this." Someone said from the exasperated crowd. Panicked, Gyro whipped his head around. "WAIT! DON'T TOUCH IT, IT'S STILL-"
But it was too late, and a crippled boy around Gyro's age picked it up, only for his legs to twitch and launch him out of his wheelchair. The boy had a blue beanie on, with a horseshoe attached to the front. His blue shirt had black leather straps across the front, and his blue scarf blew in the wind as he stood there, emphasis on stood, looking justifiably confused. Then the boy fell over, landing with an "oof" as the ball bounced back into Gyro's waiting hand. The boy looked up, a mix of shock and what Gyro could only describe as hope on his face. "What was that?!"
"A muscle reaction, nothing more. Don't get any funny ideas."
"No, my legs were working for a moment there, almost as if my spine was moved back into place..."
"Nope, can't heal broken spines, sorry. Wish you luck."
Gyro prompted his horse to walk away. "That...that almost felt like Hamon." Gyro froze and instructed Valkyrie to stop. He turned to the crippled boy. "How do you know what Hamon is?"
"I can use it."
Gyro's brow furrowed, whoever this guy was, he couldn't be just some normal paraplegic. There had to be a history. Gyro nodded. "It isn't exactly Hamon...it's more of a cousin to it actually. Although I feel like I should repeat myself, I can't heal a broken spine."
And with that, the Italian made his way to his tent, leaving the flabbergasted cripple to crawl back into his wheelchair.
...
Johnny couldn't believe what just happened. Not only did that man's steel balls somehow cause him to stand up, but there was something familiar about him. "Johnny!" Joseph came running over, handing his great grandson a pair of brown leather boots. "Why are you giving me boots Gramps? It's not like I need them. "
"So you can look stylish of course! Every jockey needs to catch the eye of the crowd, that's why I'm giving you a makeover!"
Joseph pulled out a marker and began drawing on the leather boots. "Uh, Gramps?" Johnny asked. "Hold on!" The eldest Joestar responded, before handing the boots to Johnny. The old man had sketched little stars on the front ankle. Johnny begrudgingly put them on. There were three leather straps on his light blue short-sleeved jacket, one going down his left shoulder, and the other two strapped around his chest. He wore two brown wrist cuffs with a yellow star in each of them, and blue jeans that matched the color of his shirt. Johnny had to admit, it wasn't a bad look for him. The hat that Kyoka got him and his lucky horshoe only added to the flair. Joseph smiled. "There! You look like you're ready to race! And handsome too if I may add, the ladies are gonna be flocking to you!"
"NO."
"Heh heh, like father, like son." Joseph teased. "Now, remember our deal. If you can get on a horse, I'll let you participate, but if you can't...we will have to go home."
Johnny nodded. Joseph motioned to one of the workers, who brought out an old looking horse. "You've gotta be kidding me..."
"Johnny, meet Slow Dancer. She's the only horse we were able to buy, but I'm sure she's great. "
"Gramps, that looks like an 11 year old Appaloosa. Horses that age are extremely difficult to tame!"
"Well I didn't know that! Besides, you're a smart kid, I'm sure you'll think of something."
Johnny groaned. He was pretty sure this was another one of Joseph Joestar's classic blunders, but he had already bought the horse...he couldn't just say no to him. The old man looked like he was having a blast, Johnny didn't want to rain on his parade. "Alright...I'll give her a try."
...
Gyro was still thinking about the paraplegic guy. There was something about him that was almost familiar. That guy had a physical reaction to the Spin, he stood up. That meant that he had the potential to use it. Gyro reached into his mouth and popped out his golden grills, revealing his normal teeth. He dug into his bag and pulled out a small container filled with spaghetti. He pulled out a fork and began to twirl. Ugh...I prefer pasta warm.
"Hey! What's that guy doing?!"
Gyro, curious, poked his head out of his tent, and sure enough the paraplegic guy was outside, getting dragged around by his horse. Two bystanders were watching him, concerned.
"Who the hell is this guy, and how does he expect to get on that thing?"
"Dude, didn't you watch the U.A Sports Festival? That's Johnny Kujo. Y'know, the guy that got an ass to the face by that kid who kept breaking his fingers?"
"On yeeeaaah! But he was jumping and flipping during the festival. Why is he like that now?"
"He was attacked by a villain. He isn't fit to be a hero anymore, so he had to leave the school. My guess is that he's still trying to hang on to the glory, he's in denial, y'know? "
Gyro raised an eyebrow. A failed hero student, huh? That's tough.
"Who's the old man with him?"
"That's his grandfather, Joseph Joestar. He owns Joestar Realty."
"Ooooh! He's a pretty big name in the realty business."
Gyro was shocked. They had to be mistaken. There was no way he heard the name that he thought he had heard. Joestar? Joseph Joestar?! Is that the same guy who worked with...?
Then he saw it. Johnny had shifted his weight in his effort to get on the horse, and his shoulder was briefly exposed to the sun. There, on the back of his neck, was a star shaped birthmark. Gyro remembered the conversation he had with his father.
"Gyro, if you ever see anyone with this birthmark, you will stay away from them. They are a Joestar, and when a member of our family becomes acquainted with a member of theirs, it typically results in death. Even if they are on some apparently noble quest do not help them."
"But what if they really need it?"
" It's not our business, Gyro. Don't try to be a hero like your great uncle Ceasar, just focus on your job. Let them die it you have to..."
Gyro blinked. He stared at the paraplegic Joestar trying to get on his horse. Gyro grinned. "Fuck you old man, I do what I want."
Gyro walked over to the fence and called out to Johnny. "HEY! You've already got the basics down, why don't you put a new spin on it?" Johnny glanced up at Gyro's sudden arrival. "Wh-what?" Gyro said nothing, just tipped his hat and walked back into his tent.
...
Johnny was confused. What did the steel ball guy mean? Put a new spin on it? On what? That's when Johnny remembered their earlier conversation.
"That almost felt like Hamon..."
" It isn't Hamon...it's more like a cousin... "
"I can use it..."
The steel ball was spinning...
A lightbulb went off in Johnny's head. I have to rotate my Hamon! Johnny motioned toward Slow Dancer, luring the old horse to him. "That's it girl, lick my face. Come on, lick my face!" The horse bent it's head to lick Johnny's face, but Johnny grabbed onto its neck and transferred the Hamon from one part of his body to the other, using the momentum to spin onto Slow Dancer's back. I-I did it!
Joseph's jaw hit the floor. Johnny just pulled a Hamon move that he had never seen before out of nowhere. It was thanks to the advice that stranger gave him. Joseph scratched his beard. "Well, you got on the horse, so go on, race to your hearts content!"
Johnny nodded. "Thanks Gramps, I'll do my best."
Johnny steered his horse towards the start line to join the other racers. Gyro glanced back and saw that Johnny had figured out his hint, and smiled. Smart guy, didn't take him long at all...
"All right everybody! The first stage of the Steel Ball Run is about to commence! As our racers prepare for what could be the biggest cross continent race in history, we would like to announce the crowd favorites!"
"All the way from Egypt...wait is he on a camel? Is that allowed? Whatever...we have Urmd Abdul! "
The crowd went wild for said Egyptian as he waved for the crowd. Johnny thought he was his father's old friend, Mohammed Avdol, for a split second, but his facial features were too different.
"Next we have the born-again cowboy and self-proclaimed ladies man, Mountain Tim!"
Said cowboy raised his hand and gave a brief wave, before settling down.
"And finally, the genius jockey all the way from London. The gorgeous blonde with a thirst for victory...we have Diego Brando!"
Brando
Brando?
Joseph felt his blood run cold as he watched said racer greet the crowd. Those eyes...the pompous sneer...the long blonde hair...there was no way this was a coincidence. The air had developed an unsettling chill as Joseph stared at the blonde man. An overwhelming amount of fear had overtaken both Joestars, as the jockey slowly put on a cap which had the letters...
DIO.
No...it couldn't be him. Jotaro killed DIO, he's dead. This guy was just a lookalike, that's all...
Right?
Joseph's fear only grew when he noticed that Diego was glaring right at Johnny, and Johnny looked like he was about to vomit. The way the British jockey was staring at his great grandson was like a wolf about to tear apart a rabbit, a predator stalking prey.
The same way DIO looked at him when he was chasing Joseph on the rooftops of Egypt.
Diego looked to be around the same age as Giorno. That's when it hit Joseph: Did DIO have a fifth son?!
Was Johnny going to be alright? Was he in danger? Should Joseph pull him out of the race while there is still time? It didn't matter...
The race just started.
...
One of the racers broke out in front, outsprinting everyone else. The crowd stared in shock as the blonde man with a big hat charged full speed across the desert. Gyro Zeppeli was not holding back.
"What's this?! One of the racers has already broke through the pack! Is he crazy?! He still has almost two miles to go! He'll wear his horse out!"
But Gyro wasn't showing any signs of slowing down, in fact, he seemed to be going faster. "Someone get me that man's name! It's...it's...Gyro Zeppeli! Gyro Zeppeli is in the lead! And it doesn't look like he'll give it up soon!"
If Diego Brando was enough to get Joseph worried, now he was about to faint. Zeppeli...
"CEEEEEAAAAASAAAAAAAR!"
Joseph closed his eyes, blocking the painful memory. There was a Zeppeli in this race, but there was no way he could be related to his late best friend. Still...a Brando and a Zeppeli namedropped in the same race that Johnny was participating in.
It was unsettling, to say the least.
...
Gyro patted his horse's butt. "Atta girl, keep it up!" Gyro grinned, flashing his golden grills. "We're going to get undisputed first place!"
Suddenly, Gyro heard thumping behind him. He glanced back, only to be met with the sight of a massive camel bearing down on him.
The camel's run. Johnny thought to himself. It looks like it is going slow, but it actually just has a really long stride. It doesn't need to take as many steps as a horse. Zeppeli is going to have a hard time keeping Abdul off his back.
John's eyebrows raised as he saw Diego gaining on Gyro and Abdul. He's making his move while the both of them are distracted with each other. Damn, he's clever.
Abdul slammed his camel into the Italian's horse, causing Valkyrie to cry out in pain. Gyro gritted his teeth in anger. Fucking bastard! No one hurts my horse and gets away with it! Gyro unhooked one of his steel balls and hurled it several meters in front of him. Almost immediately, dust and grit began to cover the path. Diego spat, and slowed his approach as Gyro and Abdul charged into the dust cloud. Abdul readied his camel for another hit, only for said camel to fall face first.
Abdul was blinded by the dust, and accidentally guided his camel into a cactus patch. As the camel struggled to find it's footing, Abdul flew through the air, before landing crotch first on a cactus. The Egyptian's eyes bugged out as he just hung there, lamenting the loss of his future children.
Gyro smirked as the steel ball returned to his hand. Johnny's eyes widened as he processed what just happened. "It was that spin again! That steel ball kicked up the dust! Gyro lured Abdul into that cactus patch!"
"Nyo ho! You wanna be next Brando? There's more cactus where that came from! "
The British jockey sneered. "As if I would be dumb enough to fall for one of your parlor tricks!"
Diego appeared to be analyzing the situation, before a devious smile came into his face. Diego fiddled with his gloves, before pulling out a small concealed blade. I think I will just throw this into his horse's leg, then he can crash and burn like Abdul, and first place is mine!
The blade was small, it could easily fit in the palm of his hand. Diego slowly gained speed as he prepared to throw. "Muda Muda Muda Muda MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!" Diego cried as he threw.
Too bad a nail bullet intercepted it.
Diego whirled around, his steely gaze becoming fixed on Johnny. Diego growled, before turning his attention to Gyro once more. I don't have time to waste on that pathetic excuse for a Joestar...Zeppeli is my target.
Gyro, on the other hand, noticed the altercation happening behind him. Did Kujo just save me? And what's that little pink thing floating by his head? Diego pulled up beside Gyro, his overconfident attitude making Gyro even more missed than he already was.
"How long are you going to run, Zeppeli? I'm surprised your horse hasn't tired out yet!"
Gyro wiggled his eyebrows. "How long are you going to stare at Valkyrie's ass, Brando? Or maybe you're just enjoying the view?"
Diego snarled. "THAT'S IT!" Suddenly, Diego's gloved hands sharpened into claws, his mouth opened up wider than any human could, and his teeth sharpened into points. A lizard-like tail sprouted out from behind him as he gave Gyro a malicious, toothy grin.
"Your cocky attitude will be your undoing, Zeppeli, now that I have revealed my stand: Scary Monsters!"
"I'm terrified. Hey lizard lips, Marvel called, they want their Spider-Man villain back."
"USHAAAAAAA!"
Diego swiped a claw, not at Gyro, but at his own horse. Much to the astonishment of all the racers nearby, the horse began to morph into something resembling a dinosaur. The dino/horse hybrid began to rapidly pick up speed. "You can outrun a horse, Zeppeli, but HOW ABOUT A DINOSAUR HORSE?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"That's really stupid, what are you, five? "
"Tough talk for someone who is losing his lead!"
Gyro narrowed his eyes. Diego, despite the fact that a dino horse was one of the stupidest things Gyro had ever heard of, was indeed gaining on him. Damn, the dino parts are making up for his horse's limitations, if I don't think of something, that pompous prick is going to pass me!
Quickly, Gyro scanned the route, searching for some type of advantage. Then he saw his ticket to success, a small bridge going over a river, leading into a woodland path. Gyro directed Valkyrie to the bridge, and Diego followed him, a greedy expression on his handsome features as he undoubtedly wanted to catch Gyro. Gyro grinned. He isn't the only one who can enhance his horse...
Gyro brought out one of his steel balls and rotated it, before gently pressing it into Valkyrie's side. The horse bent it's head and charged over the bridge, yellow energy spiraling around it's legs. The impact from it's hooves obliterated the small bridge behind him. Diego attempted to slow Silver Bullet down, but it was too late, and DIO's son plummeted into the river, screaming "WRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" all the way down.
"Nyo ho!" Gyro chuckled to himself as he pocketed the steel ball. Johnny, who was a bit of distance behind, glanced at Diego as Slow Dancer lept clean over the river. Diego looked up at him in shock as he realized that Silver Bullet could have just jumped the river. Then shock turned to anger as Diego began yanking on Silver Bullet, as the horse was knee deep in mud. Diego lifted his horse over his head and carried it toward stable ground. Diego got onto his horse and angrily chased after Johnny, yelling "JOESTAAAAAAAAR!"
Fuck, now he's angry at me...
Diego pulled beside Johnny and glared daggers into him. "Let's get one thing straight. I don't care what happened between our fathers, even if you do. But if you continue to get in my way, I'll make sure your lame legs are the least of your injuries, GOT IT?!"
"Whatever you say, Dino DIO."
Suddenly, Diego's claws were an inch from his face. "Careful who you antagonize, Joestar. I will not hesitate to kill you!"
With that, Diego charged after Gyro, and Johnny felt as though he may have just made an enemy. Wait, he's DIO's son...of course he'd be my enemy. He even acts like him...
Well, he is a Joestar. It was only a matter of time before someone threatened to kill him.
...
Gyro burst through the woods towards the finish line, and the first thing he noticed was that Diego was back, and he was gaining again. On top of that, some wacky guy named Poco Loco had somehow got ahead of him. Gyro decided that causing an avalanche would cut off Brando, so he threw a steel ball towards the cliff. Right then, a man with a green ponytail was running on the ridge, only to get tripped up by the steel ball hitting the cliffside. Watch where you're going...
Bullets tore through tree limbs, and Johnny crashed through the underbrush into the open field, pursuing the Italian that caught his interest. I can't lose him! I need to know more about that spin!
Johnny felt an impact on his shoulder, and he turned to see a hostile looking guy smiling at him. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Big shot U.A student? Oh wait, not anymore! Hee hee!"
Johnny gritted his teeth, before feeling an impact on his other side. The asshole had a friend, apperently. "What's wrong, where's your hero training?" Now Johnny was really getting pissed off. He was sandwiched between these two fuckshits who were making fun of what had happened to him. They pushed him for side to side, taking enjoyment in watching the paraplegic trying desperately to hold on to his horse. "How bout' we knock you off, wouldn't it be funny to see him roll around like the potato he is?"
"Heh heh, yeah! But don't worry, he's a heeeero! I'm sure he'll find a way to save the day! "
The two men laughed and pushed Johnny back and forth, and the young Joestar snapped. He glared at the man on his right, and the man's face twisted into a mask of terror. "H-his eyes!"
"What?"
CRACK!
Johnny's fist clubbed said man across the face, full force, and said man flew about ten meters away from his horse, the man smashed into the ground and rolled right into a boulder, a splash of blood peppered the rock. The other guy squealed and angled his horse away from the enraged Joestar, but a Hamon infused lasso tied itself around his neck and flung him under the competitor's horses.
"Oooh, and a startling burst of violence from Johnny Kujo, however, this was not against the rules as those men were trying to sabotage his race, so it was self defence!"
Johnny shook his head. Yare yare...since when did I have a temper? I definitely went overboard right there...
Johnny gazed ahead, and saw that Gyro was nearing the finish line. He prodded Slow Dancer to go faster.
"Gyro Zeppeli has crossed the finish line! Gyro Zeppeli has won the first stage of the Steel Ball Run race!"
Gyro pumped his fist into air as the crowd cheered his name, his gold plated grin shining in the sunlight as he bathed in his victory.
"Except he didn't!"
Gyro just stood there, fist still in the air, his grin still on his face, but a bead of sweat ran down the side of his head as he awkwardly stood there.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Zeppeli threw a projectile at the racers known as Sandman-
"SOUNDMAN!"
"-Soundman, and sabotaged his race. As a result, we have demoted Zeppeli to 25th place."
Gyro slowly lowered his fist, a look of annoyance on his face as he struggled towards Johnny. Johnny, who had dropped off of his horse and climbed into his wheelchair, looked at the Italian in confusion before Gyro grabbed him by the back of his collar, dragging Johnny and his wheelchair with him towards the table where the race officials were celebrating. One of the official turned toward Gyro with a bemused look on his face. "Something wrong, Zeppeli?"
Gyro slammed one of his steel balls on the table, glowering at the officials, before turning away. "Nothing...nothing at all. Enjoy your champagne gentlemen." Right then, the corks spun off of the bottles, spraying the alcoholic beverage everywhere as the Italian dragged the paraplegic to their horses. "Umm...may I ask why you're dragging me?" Johnny asked with an eyebrow raised. Gyro eyed the paraplegic . "I wanted to talk to you."
Gyro brought Johnny at a stop near Valkyrie and Slow Dancer, and sat on a bench across from the paraplegic. "You're a Joestar, right? Don't lie, I saw the birthmark." Johnny nodded. "Well, my last name isn't a coincidence. I'm a bona fide Zeppeli, straight from William and Ceasar." Johnny furrowed his brow. "Okay...wow. So...are you going to tell me what that spin stuff is? And how did it make me stand up?"
Gyro sighed. "It's basically an evolution of Hamon. The Zeppeli family invented it back in the forties, after...well you probably know. It is the art of rotation, a lot of complicated stuff goes into learning it...but you're already on the right path."
"Huh?!"
Gyro threw a cork that he took from the official's table at Johnny, and he caught it. "Wait a second..." The two waited for a while before Gyro said: "Open your hand." Johnny did as the Italian asked, and to his shock, the cork was spinning. "See? You're already using it. Those nail bullets of yours? I took a good look at them, and they were spinning. You've been using the spin all this time, you just didn't know it."
Johnny blinked, stunned by the revelation. He was using this ability since he was a child, and he had no clue that it was anything different than Hamon. "That's why you stood up when you touched my steel ball. I wasn't using the spin right there, you were, only by receiving proper training with the spin can you hope to walk again."
Johnny felt something stirring in his chest, was it...hope? Should he get his hopes up? Is it okay to do that, or will he get shot down again? "W-will you teach me?" Johnny asked.
"That depends..."
"On what?"
Gyro stood up and looked down at the paraplegic, his face made it clear that he was being absolutely serious. "I can't just give the awesome power of the spin to anybody Johnny. After all, you could just be a selfish bastard who wants to be in the spotlight again. I need to know your intent, Johnny. So, answer my question: why should I?"
Johnny took a deep breath. "Listen, something brought you here, Gyro Zeppeli. The fact that a Joestar and a Zeppeli met here after so many years...it can't be a coincidence. Call it whatever you want, fate, destiny-"
"A horse."
"-it doesn't matter! The point is, I will learn this technique, I have to. I need to. So I can have another chance to carry on my family legacy, so I can laugh, and have fun with my friends again. I will follow you to the ends of the Earth if I have to, because I'm not giving up."
Johnny's mind wandered back to his conversation with Kyoka in the hospital. Her words of encouragement were flowing through his mind as he looked Gyro dead in the eye, and said:
"I am not throwing away my shot!"
Gyro stared at Johnny for a moment. Then he smiled, and got onto his horse. "The second stage is about to start, and we should probably get going." He began to guide his horse away from the confused paraplegic, before turning his head back. "Are you coming, or what?"
Johnny beamed at the Italian. "Yes!" Johnny spun onto Slow Dancer, and followed his new friend, the smallest fraction of his hope for the future restored.
...
A man watched as the two jockeys made their way to the starting line. His blonde hair was shaved into a strange checkerboard pattern, and a mustache grew on his upper lip. His yellow outfit was covered in red and blue polka dots, and feathers sprouted up from the collar of his shirt. Wekapipo glared at Gyro as his horse walked past. Wekapipo jerked his head, and a man who looked like he was a part of the band Kiss walked to his side. "Remember, make sure there are no witnesses when you kill Zeppeli, Mrs. Robinson."
Wekapipo glanced at Johnny. "No witnesses."