PhantomKnightPercival: It was bittersweet. I loved JoJolion, but I'm excited for Part 9!
Spaghetti sauce: That would be a pretty funny joke ending!
TheSBRdude: Perhaps...
Kosaku Valentine: I'm always grateful for your encouragement and your help! I'm glad you like my story so far, and I know I can always count on you for some amazing ideas!
AshenOne: Yep, Anasui is going to be a recurring character from now on, and Ermes won't be far behind. I feel as though I've neglected Stone Ocean in this story, and I want to correct that as soon as possible. And you might be onto something with Hol Horse...
Guest: Thank you!
"Jiro walk with me."
"H-huh? What?" Kyoka said, and ran after Jotaro, who was walking briskly down the hallway. Due to Jotaro's height, the much shorter Kyoka had to half-run just to keep up with him.
"So, you've got that rumor drama sorted yet?"
"Um...how do you know about that?"
"I'm your homeroom teacher now, so I have the misfortune of hearing all of the gossip a certain pink-headed classmate of yours likes to pour out of her ass."
"Ah...well, as for the cause of the rumors, that's taken care of...but I imagine a few jealous Joestar fangirls will be making some moves pretty soon."
Jotaro nodded, scratching the stubble on his chin. "Well, keep an eye out. One of them might be an enemy stand user for all we know...and remember that they don't have my approval, you do."
"Y-yeah. Hey...why is it that you approve of ME in particular?"
"Because unlike them, you legitimately fixed him. Susan broke him down, to the point were all I could do was pick up the pieces and hope for the best...and then you brought the glue. I think the glue is going to hold, there may still be some cracks, but you did what I could not. Jiro, I owe you."
"I think you're giving me a little too much credit."
"No, I'm not. I know that it isn't my style to say things like this but...my family means everything to me. You saved my son from himself...so...I'm really looking forward to when you're a part of it."
"I...I don't know what to say."
"Don't say anything, just know that I think you're someone I can rely on. Which...is why I wanted to speak with you."
"What is it?"
Jotaro turned around, finally stopping. "One thing I've noticed is how you've not only stood alongside my son, but that you've grown beside him. From the beginning of the year to now, you've gone from an insecure teenage girl who doubted everything she did, to a hero who can confidently look death in the face. I'm sure Johnny had a big part in that."
"Well...he certainly laid the foundations." Kyoka said, smiling. "But...that was all me. I grew all on my own, and I think that was what he wanted. I can finally stand on my own."
Jotaro nodded. "Which is why I want to test your limits, see if you can reach the next level. Jiro, I want to make you a leader."
"A leader? I don't know if I'm all that good with giving out orders and stuff."
"That's the one thing that separates you from Johnny and Gyro. You can stand on your own, but usually you follow along with whatever plan they have. I know that you are capable of being a leader too, because you've beaten stand users by yourself. There's...something we need to do, and I can't go out and do it myself right now, because I have a new responsibility on my shoulders. Which is why I'm going to put you in charge."
"Dr. Kujo, with all due respect-"
"I'm not forcing this on you, but I believe you'd be best for the job. You know how Diego Brando will have to defeat DIO's ghost, right?"
"Yeah."
"He needs a specific object to do it, the first blade that truly harmed DIO when he was alive. It was once in the possession of the Speedwagon Foundation, who reforged it after it was broken in battle. That is...until Santana went in and killed everyone..."
"Oh..." Kyoka felt her heart drop. Of course she needed to be reminded on how deadly their new nemesis was.
"He took whatever he could find: files containing information, stand arrows, this rare plant that they were studying...and the blade we're looking for. Through the files, he learned who the blade belonged to, so he hid it somewhere, and we have recently found where it may be hidden. We need a team that can safely explore a cavern, and your earphone jacks are perfect for detecting cave-ins."
"I'll...I'll do it, although I don't really think I'm leader material..."
"That's why I'm doing this. I'll give you a list of classmates to recruit for our "study session", and Gramps will be your "guy in the chair", just remember to ask him for help if you are stuck."
"Okay...I'll get on that."
"You have some time, so don't worry about it right away. I'm putting my faith in you Jiro, remember that."
"Yeah I will! What are we looking for again?"
"A sword."
"Got it..."
As soon as Jotaro left her line of sight, Kyoka's face squinched as the stress began to overtake her.
The PRESSSUUUUUREEE!
Gyro groaned as he shifted his weight in his desk. He briefly caught Momo looking at him in concern and have her a brief smile to let her know he was okay.
Just another gunshot wound.
Man, what has my life come to where I can just dismiss getting shot like that? Gyro wondered to himself. When they got back from the USJ, the rest of the class bombarded them with questions. Of course, they had to lie and say they got permission for late night training when they were attacked.
Jotaro was currently giving a lecture on zombies, for obvious reasons, and Gyro couldn't help but notice that Mina was shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Her grandfather on her mother's side was the culprit, he had passed a long time ago, so she had never known him.
But finding out that your zombified grandfather was responsible for blinding your beloved homeroom teacher had to take some kind of a toll on you. They probably should have kept it a secret, but Gyro felt like they had enough of those.
When the class ended, Gyro limped to his locker and put his head against it, sighing.
"Hey, you okay?"
"I'm fine Johnny...it's just...when Hol Horse compared the two of us, I can't help but agree with him. We're similar people, I mean, I'm not a villain...but I can't deny that. Really, if I hadn't met you, learned how to hunger...I think I would have been just like him."
Johnny sighed and leaned next to him. "Has Hol Horse ever befriended depressed crippled hero students?"
"Well...no, I don't think so..."
"Has he given people hope during the darkest days of their lives?"
"I don't know, maybe?"
"Is he a good partner who would never even think about leaving his friends behind? Even when they are fighting a losing battle?"
"No, he runs like a little bitch."
"That's three differences, right there. Sure, you two are similar...but you've always had a heart of gold, while that bastard shot my dad's friend and ran. You are the sole reason I got through that nightmare that was the Steel Ball Run, hell, I don't even remember it as a nightmare. I had fun, because of you."
Gyro smiled to himself and turned to Johnny. "Thanks...you know, you picked me up too. I would never had gotten through all that if you weren't by my side."
"Don't look down on yourself just because you have a few things in common with that fake-ass cowboy. You and I are the real deal, and I believe-"
"Hey uh...am I interrupting something?"
Johnny and Gyro turned to see a girl standing behind them. She had green hair and pointy teeth, kind of like Kirishima. "Um...I don't know, is she?"
"Only slightly."
"Okay, then you're only slightly rude, continue."
The girl snorted. "You guys are weird...I'm Setsuna Tokage, from 1B. I know things are kinda tense between our classes, but I really wanted to meet you guys."
"Well, it's nice to meet you." Gyro offered his hand, and the two began aggressively shaking hands.
"Why aren't you being a douche right now?" Johnny said, and Gyro elbowed him in the gut. "Sorry, Johnny doesn't have a filter, so I'll translate: our classes are rivals...so why are you being so friendly?"
"Eh, it's all just stupid drama, plus I think you guys are pretty cool, you in particular Kujo."
"Me?"
"Yeah, you came back from a broken back! I mean, who does that?! That is a career ending injury, and you just waltzed back in here a few months later like it never happened! Some people are saying that you're secretly immortal or something."
"It was an experimental surgery, very risky. I was lucky it worked."
"Right after the Steel Ball Run probably. I was watching it, and I was rooting for you guys the whole way. It was so cool seeing someone from our school racing like that!"
Johnny then realized Setsuna was in rather close proximity to him. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he shifted his gaze towards the hallway...
Only to find Kyoka standing a few feet away, with her textbook snapped in half. Clearly, she was bothered by the 1B student's closeness to her boyfriend. Her eyes drifted towards his, and she held up the two halves of her textbook in a shrug. Uraraka was standing next to her with a concerned look on her face.
Yare yare daze...
Gyro also noticed this, and adopted an amused expression. "Well, it's been fun, but Johnny and I have some studying to do. Nice meeting you!"
"Oh yeah...see you some other time?"
"Maybe."
Gyro led his best friend over to the the exit, and Johnny took Kyoka's hand as he passed her, giving it a squeeze. Kyoka gave him a brief nod and a smile, and turned back to Uraraka and began apologizing.
Gyro slowly lowered himself down onto the couch, grunting as his wounded leg flared up. To his surprise, Katsuki Bakugo sat next to him.
"Uh...hi?"
"Look Meatball, I have something to ask you, and you're gonna be honest about it, alright?"
"Uh-"
"Does JoJo ever actually talk about me? About our childhood? Or does he just talk about Deku?"
"I mean, he's mentioned that you used to be friends when you were little, but he mostly just talked about how you treated Midoriya, which by the way, I'm not a fan of."
Bakugo was silent for a change.
"What is this about Bakugo?"
"Nothing...the bastard saved me back at the USJ, almost as if he actually cared. Guess I was just pushing my luck." Bakugo picked himself up and turned to leave.
"Hold it."
"Don't tell me what to do." Bakugo said, but he stopped anyway.
"If I know Johnny, which I do, better than anyone...he is loyal to a fault. People are what matters most to him, and there are quite a few of them he'd be willing to die for. If you were really as good of friends as you say you guys were...you had to seriously fuck up to get him to abandon you."
Bakugo grunted, and Gyro caught a glimpse of sadness on the explosive teen's face before he asked one last thing:
"Does he care?"
It was at that moment that Gyro realized that Bakugo wasn't just asking a question, but giving him a statement. Bakugo was saying that he still cared about Johnny, in his own way. Hell, he might even still care for Izuku...
"He wouldn't have risked his life if he didn't."
Bakugo didn't say anything, he just left the room, leaving Gyro puzzled.
Was there more to Bakugo than he thought?
He didn't have time to ponder this further, because next thing he knew Kyoka had taken Bakugo's place with a huff.
"I think I'm turning into everyone's therapist."
"Shut up Gyro, I need help."
"...is this about Tokage?"
"No, I just got mad that she was getting so close to him, I wasn't worried about anything. No, Dr. Kujo put me in charge of a...uh...task force? I guess? He wants to make me a leader."
"That's great Kyoka!"
"Yeah, but I don't know how to be a leader! I've never been put in charge of anything before, and I want to do my best. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Well, that's up to you."
"GAH! I was hoping you wouldn't say that! I can make decisions on my own, but I don't know if I can order people around. I'm worried, Gyro...and whenever I think of a leader, I think of you so...do you have any advice? Any tidbits I can use?"
"Well...for starters I'm flattered. And...what I would consider is being open-minded. Just because you're the leader doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for help, and your teammates can provide it. Make sure you pick people you can get along with, and if you have an odd one out, remind them who's in charge. Basically, don't be a hard-ass."
Kyoka twirled an earphone jack and smiled. "You know, for a major cheeseball, you give great advice. Thanks Gyro, you're the best!"
"Don't mention it, I'm always happy to help."
Kyoka put an arm around Gyro and gave him an appreciative squeeze, before standing up. "Well...I have people to recruit for some caving, I'll catch you later!"
"Bye Kyo- oh my God, another one?"
Valentine sat down beside him. "Zeppeli, I feel as though we should talk."
"Do YOU need therapy?"
"I'm dead, it's a little too late for that. But...I feel like I should get something off my chest, and you are more likely to listen to me than Kujo."
"Well?"
"I've...been thinking about the Steel Ball Run a lot lately. I still think that my goals were just...but the means I took to achieve them made me...well, I deserve the hate I get. I don't expect forgiveness, but I've come to regret my actions."
"Regret? You?"
"I know, it's not something I've even considered...but then I was shackled with the responsibility of taking care of the two of you. I saw you both grow, I learned more about your pasts, your ideals, the people who depend on you...if I had taken your lives, things would have been much worse. And...I wouldn't of even batted an eye. It took Kujo killing me to make me realize that I was targeting two people who practically embody what my idea of an American should be."
"I-Is this an apology?"
"No. No, because you deserve more than that. I've told you about Scarlet, something I never told even my closest advisors. I've...grown to care for the both of you, it's pointless to deny it, and I know it will always be one-sided, considering what I've done to you. I know better than to ask for forgiveness...so I shall atone. I think...I think that was what Christ wanted me to do."
Gyro just sat there, frozen by Valentine's confession. The same man who sent assassins after him during the Steel Ball Run, the same man who almost killed him, had just admitted that he cared about him. It was surreal. Just a few months ago, he was putting everything he had into killing this man, and Valentine was trying just as hard to kill him.
"I don't know what to say Valentine, you kind of dropped a bomb on me."
"I know...but I had to say it. There's another thing too, something I think you should know."
"What?"
Valentine pulled a napkin from his pocket, which considering that the man was a ghost, left Gyro with questions. The former president then took an apple from the kitchen and placed it on the table, and draped the napkin over it.
The lump in the napkin disappeared, and Gyro's eyes bugged out of his head. Behind Valentine, a half-transparent stand shimmered to life. Half of it's face was caved-in, as if it was pummeled by a mighty fist.
"D4C is coming back..."
Hol Horse gulped as he entered the large mansion.
Today was the day he had to see the big guy himself, Santana. Considering that this was a guy who could devour someone simply by walking through them...to say Hol Horse was terrified would be the biggest understatement of the year.
Himiko Toga stood on top of a flight of stairs, clad in a fancy dress. An eyepatch covered the side of her face that Diego scratched out, but she had her usual manic grin. "Ah, Hol Horse! Lord Santana has been expecting you!"
"I'm...honored."
No, I'm not.
Toga gestured for Hol Horse to follow her, and he did so, not wanting to bring the psychopath's rage down on him. They went through the ornate hallways until they came across an office, where Hol Horse was ushered inside.
Santana sat behind the desk in a business suit, his orange hair groomed nearly as he tinkered with what appeared to be a stone mask. To the right of his desk sat the ever frozen Kars. Santana noticed Hol Horse patiently waiting.
"Ah, Hol Horse. Please sit."
Hol Horse did as he was asked. "Look, I know what this is about, an-"
"It's alright Hol Horse. The Joestars cannot be underestimated, I don't blame you for failing a few times."
"I...didn't really expect you to be so understanding."
Santana chuckled. "Humility never hurt anyone Hol Horse. It guarantees trust. I just wish you didn't keep losing partners, you're going to run me dry at this point."
"I wish it didn't keep happening, but that Acid King guy blinded a teacher and painted a huge target on our backs. I mean, Zeppeli almost killed me."
Santana blinked. "Say that again?"
"Acid King pai-"
"No, that name."
"Zeppeli?"
"Zeppeli...isn't that the name of the Hamon warrior that almost killed Lord Wammu?"
Hol Horse was a bit disturbed to find that Santana didn't direct that question to him, but to Kars.
"It is...hmm...no wonder you lost Hol Horse. Lord Wammu, one of my mentors, fought a Ceasar Zeppeli and nearly lost his life..."
"Did you just...talk to the statue?"
"Oh, this is Lord Kars. He is the best of the Pillar Men, although he was sent into space following a battle with Joseph Joestar. Ever since then, he's been trapped in this form...but he has recently developed a..."
Santana tapped his head.
"Different means of communication."
"Oh, I see." He's nuts!
"Come with me Hol Horse, I have something to show you."
"Sure..."
Santana got up from his desk and lifted the head of a statue, revealing a keypad. After plugging in a series of unknown numbers, a door opened in the wall, revealing an entire secret lab right behind his office.
Hol Horse followed Santana inside, both mesmerized and terrified by the machinery on display.
"Recently, I had captured the doctor responsible for creating the nomu, and put him on a NEW project. You see, Joseph Joestar and company killed my fellow Pillar Men, and put Lord Kars in a permanent state of stone. I am the only able member of my species left on this planet...until now."
Santana took a vial from the rack to his left, it was labelled T-0RU. "The new beginning that I wish to create involves the resurrection of my species, and I've decided that humanity would be the best template."
Hol Horse took a closer look at the vial, and to his horror, there was a fetus inside. "You're growing more Pillar Men?!"
"Well, Pillar Man/Human hybrids, but yes. Using the same technology as Nomu, I can extract my own DNA, and use it to preserve my species. However, it will take years, perhaps even decades, for these to grow into people. Still... "
"What does this have to do with Zeppeli?"
"Because people like him are hell-bent on eliminating Pillar Men for good. They are a threat that can take down a Pillar Man..."
Santana put the vial back.
"So perhaps...a Pillar Man should be the one to take care of him..."
"W-what?!"
"I'm taking you off duty Hol Horse. The next opponent Zeppeli will face...will be ME."