TheSBRquestioner: Of course I responded. I try and respond to everyone! And as for your theory, I can confirm it is correct.
Guest01: Thank you for your honesty, I'll try to be better.
Another note: What do you guys think about the new cover photo? This is the first time I've put art out there, so if you guys don't like it, let me know and I will change it back.
"So let me get this straight...in the few weeks that I've been gone, you two already fought and defeated two serial killers...one of them was the guy my uncle was hunting for literal months, and the other was STAIN."
Kyoka and Izuku looked at one another, "Um...yes?"
"...what the hell?"
"In my defense, he attacked me first. Midoryia doesn't have an excuse though."
"Hey!"
"Alright you guys, knock it off, you have work to do." Josuke's voice came from the background.
"Wait, why is my uncle there?" Josuke popped his head in between Kyoka and Izuku. "Johnny! How's my favorite nephew?"
"I'm going to tell Dad you said that."
Josuke frowned. "Please don't..."
Johnny glanced at his uncle's arm, which was carrying a crutch. "It appears as though I'm no longer the only crippled Joestar, huh?"
"Yeah, I used to be a pretty good hero too, until I took an arrow to the knee." Kyoka groaned at the reference, and Josuke glared at her. "Just for that, you get 20 laps around the beach."
"Oh COME ON!" Kyoka got up and ran offscreen, and Josuke shouted after her. "Gonna make you SWOLE!" Josuke turned back to the phone. "She was such a great intern, I decided to continue training her, and Mr. Yagi insisted that I should bring Midoryia along, so... "
Johnny smiled. "See, I told you. She's a beast."
"You aren't wrong Johnny, you aren't wrong."
"Hey Johnny! Diego is making his move!"
Johnny 's eyes widened, "SHIT!"
Johnny quickly waved to his uncle and ended the call, leaving Josuke speechless. Who the hell is Diego?
Kyoka came huffing back, dropping to her knees in exhaustion. "Wha...did JoJo hang up?" Izuku nodded, his eyebrows coming together. "Gyro said something about a guy named Diego making a move...you don't think those two are up to something, do you?"
Kyoka wiped sweat from her brow and sat down next to Izuku and her mentor. "Every time I've called him, he's had some new injury."
Josuke turned to Kyoka, concerned. "What do you mean by that?"
" Well...
First he was covered in cactus needles, then he had this gash on his cheek from a 'fishing accident', and now he has a new one."
"What?! Where?! I didn't see anything..."
"His arm." Izuku stated. "He was trying to hide it from the camera, but we both got a glimpse of it. It had a bloody bandage on it...like he was cut."
"There's something more to that race than he's letting on. I...I think he might be in danger." Kyoka said, and Josuke could only stare at the ground.
"I think Jotaro should know about this."
...
"Faster Johnny, we're gaining on him!"
A multitude of racers had grouped up to finish the next stage, with Diego Brando in the lead. Diego now possessed a golden eye, just like Gyro, and he was rocketing towards the finish line.
But Johnny and Gyro were catching up, something that didn't go unnoticed by their rival. Diego have them both a toothy smile as he redirected his horse into the lake next to the trail.
Gyro turned his horse and began to pursue, only to feel Johnny's hand on his shoulder. "Wait, Gyro! It's a trap!"
"I can take it. Diego won't stand a chance."
"You won't beat him."
Gyro stopped his horse, taken aback by Johnny's bluntness. Then he felt anger brimming inside him. Who the hell does he think he is, telling me what I can and can't do!
Gyro turned to glare at Johnny. "Johnny Kujo, I don't think I heard you correctly. You mind saying that again...?"
"I'm sorry Gyro, but it's the truth." Johnny responded. "I'm not saying that you will never beat Diego, only that you can't do it the way you are now. You're an inheritor, someone who has had something given to them, the Spin, your training, everything. That is the only reason you're fighting right now, your inheritance. You may be fighting for that boy, but you don't have the drive, no...the hunger, to make your goal a reality."
"So, you're saying I'm a spoiled brat, is that it?" Gyro looked furious.
"No...I'm saying you need to find that hunger, Gyro. Diego isn't just hungry, he's starving, and he will try anything, in order to win."
"So I have to cheat my way to victory like Diego does."
"NO! You need to hunger nobly. You need to grab any opportunity that comes your way, unless it contradicts your morals. If you hesitate, even for an instant, Diego will steal any chance for victory from you."
Johnny spurred Slow Dancer towards the trail. "I'm not following him. You can do what you want, but I would recommend following me." And with that, Johnny raced off.
Gyro grunted in annoyance, and instructed Valkyrie to follow Diego.
...
Diego turned around and smiled. Zeppeli took the bait. Diego watched in satisfaction as Gyro's horse got stuck in the mud. Since Diego could turn Silver Bullet into a dinosaur, he could get through the mud easily. Diego breached the water back into the shore.
"GOD DAMMIT, YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!"
Diego turned in suprise, only to see Gyro and Valkyrie charging straight at him, an enraged look in the rider's eye. But Gyro's horse was tired from dragging itself from the mud, and Valkyrie slowed down, much to Gyro's disappointment.
"Come on...shit."
Gyro threw his supplies to the ground, his food, his water, everything that was weighing his horse down, he tossed it all. He even ripped off his shirt, throwing it to the wind in his desperate attempt to catch his quarry. That was enough to lessen Valkyrie's load, and Gyro ended up right beside Diego.
That was until Diego coughed up one of the rocks he ate earlier, spitting it at Valkyrie's leg and causing the horse to whinny with pain and slow down again, but Gyro applied a steel ball to his horse's side, giving it energy and catching up with Diego.
Diego snarled and aimed a knife at Gyro, but Gyro knocked it aside and punched Diego in the face, causing DIO's son to spit out blood. The two men grappled for control as they fought to push the other off their horse. The two of them neared the finish line, and the audience was hushed in anticipation as they waited to see which racer would win.
And then Johnny suddenly pushed past the two of them, crossing the finish line in first place, both Gyro and Diego could only stare in shock as Johnny gave Gyro a knowing look.
You need to grab any opportunity that comes your way...
"Johnny Kujo has won first place! He has won the third stage of the Steel Ball Run!"
Johnny raised a hand and waved at the spectators, ignoring the girly shrieks that were coming from the stands. This was his victory, no fangirl was going to ruin it.
"Except he DIDN'T!"
Johnny froze, his hand still up, grin still on his face. "What?"
"The racer known as Hot Pants came here before all of you! Johnny got second!"
Johnny gritted his teeth. "WHY DON'T YOU SAY THAT FIRST, INTEAD OF GETTING MY HOPES UP!" He shouted.
"Because I'm a SOCIOPATH!" The announcer enthusiastically stated.
Johnny spit on the ground and directed his horse to the food table to drown his disappointment in appetizers. Gyro watched his friend as he rode past. I see what you were saying now, Johnny. You saw an opportunity, and you took it. I just threw all my stuff into the dirt. Gyro felt a smirk grow on his face. And here I thought I was teaching you...guess it goes both ways, huh?
...
Johnny and Gyro both groaned. They were trying to head to the next stage, but they seemed to be lost.
"Johnny, doesn't that tree seem familiar?"
"Yes Gyro, we passed it...five times."
Gyro sighed. "Why can't we find the right path? We have a map, don't we?"
"Yeah, I've been following it, but we just end up on the same path again."
Suddenly, Hot Pants came through the brush in front of them, looking over at them in surprise. "I see that you two are lost as well."
"Oh great, it's Squirty Mcstripper, what are you doing here?"
"Same as you. I wonder why we keep ending up in the same spot? My compass hasn't stopped pointing North, but there is iron in the plums nearby, so maybe that could be it."
"Hey hey hey! Don't go talking like we're friends or something! Last I remember, you tried to kill us! We're never gonna trust you, got it?!" Gyro said.
" ...then I will be the one to trust you. "
"Huh?!" Gyro asked, confusion plastered over his face.
Hot Pants sighed. "From what I can tell...you two aren't bad people. I'd rather follow people like you, rather then someone like Brando."
"What the hell are you playing at? What's he saying Johnny?"
Johnny gave Gyro a bored look. "I think he's saying, since the three of us are lost, we should work together to find the right path. I don't think he's an enemy Gyro, what happened earlier was a misunderstanding."
Silence passed between the two friends for a moment, before Gyro spoke up.
"Tell him to go eat shit, Johnny."
"Tell him yourself."
"EAT SHIT ASSHOLE, FALL OF YOUR HORSE!" Gyro hollered. Hot Pants sighed. "Look, I really need help, and I will repay you for your kindness."
Hot Pants pulled out a bag and tossed it towards the two, and Gyro reluctantly picked it up and opened it. The Italian's eyes became huge as he stared at the contents.
"Johnny, there's like, a mountain of roast beef sandwiches in here!"
"What?!"
Gyro licked his lips as he pulled out said sandwich, his mouth watering from anticipation. "This is great! We've been running low on food!" Gyro turned to Hot Pants. "Fine, you can travel with us, but no funny business, got it?"
Hot Pants smiled and directed his horse to follow Gyro. "Thank you, I promise you won't regret this."
...
"So...Johnny was bleeding?" Jotaro asked, while his face betrayed nothing, his eyes were filled with worry.
Kyoka nodded. "He's been hurt every time we've called him...I don't think he's being honest when we ask about it."
Jotaro looked down. "Zeppeli...that can't be a coincidence."
"What do you mean? Is there something about Gyro we should be worried about?" Izuku asked, confused. Jotaro shook his head. "No, I'm sure he's genuine. It's just that he isn't the first Zeppeli that has helped the Joestar family out..."
"Really?"
Jotaro nodded. "The Zeppeli family is one of the main reasons that the Joestar family hasn't died out. The first was Baron Will. A. Zeppeli, he trained Johnathan Joestar, Johnny's namesake, with Hamon. If he hadn't done that...Johnathan would have died a lot sooner than he did, and there were no other Joestars at the time, he was the last of his line.
Ceasar Zeppeli was my grandfather's best friend. Joseph Joestar wouldn't have beaten the Pillar Men without his help. Ceasar gave his life to ensure that my grandfather could live on. Honestly...if those two weren't there...
Me and Johnny wouldn't exist..."
Kyoka blinked. "So...if Gyro is related to those guys, that means..."
"Johnny could very well be in mortal danger. There might be a world ending crisis coming up, and Johnny and Gyro could be our only hope of stopping it." Jotaro stated. "But...with Johnny's condition..."
Izuku stood up. "We have to help him! There's no way..."
"No...besides, it's only a theory. You two have your own problems to worry about, I'll call up the old man to see what's going on."
Jotaro got up from his desk. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Johnny is very lucky to have friends like you."
Kyoka and Izuku looked at each other, before reluctantly leaving Jotaro's office. Jotaro walked over to his desk and picked up two photos.
The first was the photo that he took with his friends in Egypt, the memory of the hazardous journey still fresh in Jotaro's heart.
The other was of Johnny when he was six, and it showed Jotaro carrying his son on his shoulders. They were both smiling, those had been simpler times.
Johnny...what have you gotten yourself into...?
...
"So...are you a boy or a girl?" Gyro asked, tilting his head.
Hot Pants raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean? What do you think I am?"
Gyro shook his head. "I just don't want to assume anything, that's all. You're wearing clothing that hides your body composition, and you're wearing makeup to make yourself look more masculine. You're clearly hiding something about your gender, so I just wanted to make sure, y'know?"
Hot Pants sighed. "Please don't spread this around...I'm in disguise. Let's just say, I would get in trouble with my superiors if they found out I was here. So...for now, you can assume I am a man."
Johnny noted that he/she didn't give a straight answer. Well, he's in disguise after all, I guess he's really trying to keep it a secret, huh?
"Hey, a clearing! I think we finally made it out!"
The three racers entered the clearing, where a small wooden cabin stood firm as another racer was walking around in circles, stewing over his bad luck. "Whose that?"
"I think his name is Guacho."
Guacho noticed the three new arrivals and walked up to them. "Hey! You three! Do you know they way back? This asshole in the cabin isn't helping at all, he's just sitting on his porch! "
A man with white hair and a goatee that resembled a skull was sitting on the porch of the wooden cabin, staring at the racers with a bemused expression. "He said he'd only let me go if I killed him! How can he show me the way out if he's dead?!"
Johnny caught Gyro's eye, and Hot Pants nodded as the three shared a mutual agreement.
Stand User.
Guacho stomped up to the man as the other three cautiously followed him. "Listen here asshole! You've been holding me up for the past two hours! I'm sick and tired of this! Just tell me the way out!"
"It hasn't been two hours...it's only been about thirty minutes, and the only way you are getting out, is it you kill me." The man calmly stated.
"You know what? Fine! Let's go, on the field, right now! You wanna die so bad? Then let's duel!"
Guacho and the man made their way to the center of the field, hands on their respective guns. "I've got a bad feeling about this..." Johnny muttered.
BANG!
Guacho had shot first, but the bullet must have missed, because the man didn't even flinch. He just pulled out his gun and flicked the safety a few times, squeezing the trigger as he fired about eight shots directly into Guacho's chest.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Guacho staggered back, coughing up blood while clutching his chest, which was soaked with blood, before collapsing to the ground, dead.
Gyro put a hand to his steel ball, Johnny activated a nail bullet, and Hot Pants brought out his stand as the three of them prepared to fight. The man looked up from Guacho's body and shook his head. "One at a time, otherwise I'll just use my stand."
"Oh yeah? Which one of us are you gonna fight first? Because I'm gonna wipe the floor with you!" Gyro challenged, his lips curved into an angry snarl.
The man pointed at Johnny. "Him."
Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Why? Easy pickings?"
"No...if anything you'll be the hardest to defeat. I saw your eyes when I killed that man. You were pissed off, and I knew you wouldn't hesitate to return the favor."
"Huh?" Johnny frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"You have the eyes of a killer, boy."
Gyro laughed. "Johnny, a killer? Oh, that's a good one! He wouldn't hurt a fly."
"I disagree. Allow me to introduce myself. The name is Ringo Roadagain, and my stand's name is Mandom. It is my belief that the only way to become a true man, is to win a fight to the death. Only when you can take a human life, can you feel truly accomplished. I'm here for those Corpse Parts, gentlemen, a dear friend of mine asked me to get them, Funny Valentine is his name, although I'm sure you've already heard of him."
So he's an evil version of Kirishima...and he's one of Valentine's goons...I don't have a choice.
Johnny spurred his horse forward as Gyro gave him an alarmed look. "JOHNNY?!"
Johnny's head was down, so that way a shadow was covering his eyes. "He said it himself, the only way for us to get out of here is if we kill him."
"You can't be serious! Johnny, you're a hero student-"
"FORMER HERO STUDENT!" Johnny snapped. He turned his head upwards to meet Ringo's gaze, and Gyro's heart skipped a beat as he could only stare in shock.
Johnny's eyes were literally on fire, and bright blue flame incased his irises as he glared at their enemy.
"Those rules don't apply to me anymore, Gyro..."
"J-J-Johnny! Your eyes!"
"The Dark Determination." Ringo Roadagain said with a grin. "When an unrelenting will meets killing intent, the eyes will produce a flame that represents their inner fire. Only certain people can achieve this state of mind. He has abandoned his morals, and now he will fight me to the death." Ringo put a hand on his gun, ready to draw it from his belt.
"You may fire when ready, Johnny Kujo..."
Hot Pants nudged Johnny's arm, and jerked his head towards Ringo. Hot Pants had detached his arm, somehow, and was now aiming the spray at Ringo's back. Johnny understood, and waited for Hot Pants to make his move.
Hot Pants fired flesh at Ringo's gun hand, causing him to recoil his hand in shock, and then Johnny fired a nail bullet right at his opponent's head.
Except it never hit.
"My stand, Mandom, can rewind time for 6 seconds. You won't get me with a cheap trick like that."
Johnny looked down in shock, to realize that the nail never left his hand. Hot Pants was equally confused, until a bullet pierced his chest.
BANG!
Hot Pants toppled off his horse onto the ground, landing with a thud. "NO!" Johnny cried as he angrily fired off another shot, only to stare at a bullet heading straight for his forehead.
A sickening crunch was heard as Johnny's head jerked back, and the crippled Joestar slumped over, as Gyro looked on in horror.
"JOHNNY!"
Gyro tossed his steel ball at Ringo as he rushed over to his fallen friend, but Ringo tilted his head and avoided it, taking aim at Gyro.
BANG!
Gyro cried out as the bullet landed into his gut, causing him to fall forward. Ringo walked up and grabbed Johnny's corpse, dragging it away as he spoke to Gyro.
"You aren't even worth killing. You're a conformist, you let others decide your path, not the other way around. You only threw that steel ball in retaliation to your friend's death, not with the intention to kill me. You're pathetic."
Gyro could only crawl away as Ringo dragged the bodies of his friends into the cabin, suddenly faced with the terrifying prospect of being left alone.
...
Kyoka and Izuku were walking back to class, being escorted by Josuke, when suddenly the fourth JoJo clutched at his head, falling to his knees. "MR. JOSUKE?!" Kyoka asked, rushing to her mentor's side.
Josuke rubbed his head, his eyes were wide with fear. "Something...something just happened to Johnny...I felt it."
Kyoka's eyes widened as she struggled to pull out her phone. Jotaro had told her about the blood connection that the Joestar family has, so she knew that Josuke actually felt something. Kyoka dialed Johnny's number and her fear only grew when he didn't pick up.
"Midoryia, call Gyro, NOW!"
Izuku was one step ahead of her, tears were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes due to the stress of the situation. Jotaro kicked open the door to his office, noticing the group in the middle of the hallway, and rushed over to them with the speed of a mother bear protecting her cub.
...
Gyro finished sewing up his stomach as his phone rang. Oh fuck!
It was Midoryia. How the hell was he going to tell the kid that his friend just died?
Gyro reluctantly answered. "H-hello?"
"GYRO! Is JoJo okay?! His uncle just collapsed saying that something happened to him!"
Fuck is a word that isn't strong enough to indicate how I'm feeling right now.
"Uh...he's...he's..."
The image of the bullet going into Johnny's brain came across his mind, and the guilt began to eat away at Gyro's soul. The way it pierced through his horseshoe and into his brain.
Wait...
"He's gonna be just fine, Midoryia, don't you worry. "
"Wait what do yo-"
Gyro hung up. The bullet hit the horseshoe, that was the crunching sound he had heard. While the horseshoe wouldn't have completely stopped the bullet, but it would have prevented it from piercing Johnny's brain.
His friend was still alive, and Gyro was not going to leave him behind.
Gyro lifted his hat, as a dark green flame burned in his eyes, the Dark Determination coursing through his entire body. I'm gonna save you Johnny, even if I have to kill that bastard!
...
Ringo examined the Corpse Hand, fascinated by it.
"Yes Mr. President. I have it, Kujo is dead. His friend ran off like a coward, I knew he would. Zeppeli just didn't have what it takes. "
That's when Johnny began to stir, and Ringo took a step back. "Well...it appears as though Kujo somehow survived a shot to the head. Oh no...there's no need to worry, I'll finish him off. I'll mail the Corpse to you when I'm done."
Ringo brought out his gun and pointed it at the unconscious Joestar, and pulled the trigger.
That is...he would have, if a steel ball hadn't come bursting through the wall straight at him.
Ringo ducked as it crashed into the wall. "Give me Johnny, Roadagain! You can't hide from me, I can see through walls!"
"Come in here and get him yourself, if you want to settle this like a man."
Ringo didn't actually expect Gyro to come through, so he was surprised as hell when Gyro came inside, steel ball at the ready. "Duel me, Ringo."
The gunman stood up. "You aren't made of the right stuff, Zeppeli."
"Those be fightin' words. Will you allow me to prove you wrong? "
Ringo grinned. "Certainly."
Ringo fiddled with his gun, bringing it to his side, Gyro did the same with his steel ball. Their eyes connected, Dark Determination hiding inside the both of them. "Just to let you know...before I throw this steel ball...I'm going to hit you in your collarbone."
Ringo raised an eyebrow, before stating, "If that's the case, then I'm aiming for your throat."
The two men made their move, Gyro threw his steel ball just as Ringo fired, they both hit their respectful targets.
Gyro fell back, blood oozing from his throat, as Ringo did the same, his collarbone and everything surrounding it crushed by Gyro's steel ball. Ringo attempted to get up, only to realize that Gyro's steel ball crushed everything in such a way, he couldn't move.
I have to use Mandom! I can't get the Corpse to Valentine in this condition.
Ringo clicked a switch on his watch, and time reversed to the point where Gyro and Ringo were having their standoff.
Gyro glanced around, rubbing his throat, before turning to Ringo with a smirk. "Again, Mr. Roadagain?"
Ringo fired another shot, this time knocking the steel ball away, hitting Gyro in the shoulder. That's when a piece of wood smashed into Ringo's collarbone, and the gunman collapsed.
"The structure of this cabin isn't very stable, Roadagain...no matter what you do...I've ensured that you will be hit in the same spot."
Ringo stared at Gyro in shock, before a smile came into his face. "You trapped me in a time loop of your own..."
Gyro nodded. Ringo stood up, albeit with some difficulty and faced him. "It appears I was wrong about you, Zeppeli. You do have what it takes... "
And with that, Ringo fired, but Gyro threw his steel ball into Ringo's wound, sealing the enemy stand users fate. As Ringo fell to the floor, dying, he said this:
"Welcome...to the true man's world..."
...
"They were really worried about you Johnny, you should call back."
Johnny shrugged, rubbing his head where the bullet was. "I'm just more suprised that you were able to use Hot Pant's stand. I thought only the users could use them."
"Well, it seems like his stand is a bit different. You should go make sure he's alright."
Johnny nodded and crawled over to an unconscious Hot Pants. He was shot in the chest, so I better make sure his wound was healed correctly. He put a hand on Hot Pant's chest, checking for the wound.
Instead, he felt something soft and round...
That's a boobie...OH SHIT!
Johnny immediately retracted his hand, red as a tomato. He stared at his hand in disbelief. "Hey Johnny, what's with you. .." Gyro glanced at his startled companion, and then at Hot Pants.
"He's a she, I'm guessing?"
Johnny nodded. "Gyro...I need you to cut my hand off."
" No. "
Gyro grinned. "Johnny, you pervert, copping a feel on Hot Pants like that."
"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"
...
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Kyoka screamed at her friend.
Johnny's face blinked back at her. "Nothing, I fell and hit my head on a rock, that's all."
"Stop LYING TO ME! You've been lying this whole time! Mr. Josuke fell over, saying that something happened to you, do you think I'm an IDIOT?!"
Johnny shook his head. "I'm not-"
"YES YOU ARE! I can tell! You aren't telling me the full story, and to say I'm worried would be an understatement!"
"Look, I'm telling you, I'm fine. Even if I am in a little danger-"
"It's not a little danger, JoJo! People don't just get psychic warnings unless it's something serious! Can't you see that I care about you?!"
"Look Kyoka, I don't want to give you any more problems."
"You ARE one of those problems, JoJo!"
Then Kyoka shut her mouth. She didn't mean for it to come out like that, and judging from Johnny's expression, it was clear that he was hurt.
"JoJo...I didn't mean-"
"No...it's okay. I'm sorry that I've been bothering you."
"Jo-"
"It's fine, I'll be out of your hair. That's all I am after all...a problem. Something to be taken care of. Dead weight."
"Johnny -"
"Goodbye Kyoka. I won't make the mistake of bothering you again."
And with that, Johnny hung up, leaving Kyoka staring speechless at her phone, regret slowly seeping in as she mentally cursed herself for her stupid mouth.
She had hurt him, now he was only going to get worse.
Kyoka shifted her weight as she fiddled with one of her jacks, the more and more she moved, the burning feeling of guilt only got stronger. You knew how he feels about himself Kyoka, and now you've gone and screwed it up. He probably doesn't want to talk to you anymore...
What kind of a friend am I?