Euphoria: Maybe if it's a temporary thing. It's a neat idea though!
S.C.H: Thanks a bunch!
Monster King: Thanks!
WriterForFun365: You are extremely close!
BryanV2: Hey, I love theories! Obviously you don't have to, but it's fun to see what people think may happen!
Dumpstertrashfire123: Yup!
Kyoka's Journal:
I have always been pretty blunt.
When I want to say something, I simply tell things as they are. I can be just as rude as I want, as long as it's to people who deserve it. I'm not going to mince my words, ever.
Maybe it was a defense mechanism for the bullying, or maybe I was just born to do it...but if someone really pisses me off, I can give them them a verbal lashing so bad, they'll go crying to their mother.
I was very, VERY honest with DIO.
This is why I opened up this whole recounting of events with a question: What makes someone special?
I have no familial ties with anyone of importance to the history books, I really don't have a tragic backstory, my parents are supportive as fuck, and all in all...I really am the most grounded in normalcy of all my friends.
At least...until I met them. Now my life is on crack.
So why? Why would fate choose someone so ordinary...to suddenly enter the world of the extraordinary?
(Good lyric, bookmark this).
Why was I suddenly special? Wasn't I just an extra, like DIO said? Why did I become someone so important to the Joestar Family? Why me?
That day...when I went head-to-head with one of the most dangerous and evil villains the world had ever seen...I found an answer to those questions.
Kyoka proceed to jump directly on DIO's head.
"GAGH! WHAT IN THE-"
"So, who's Princess Peach in this scenario? Oh please say it's Johnny, that would be so funny!" Kyoka backflipped over The World's fist with a grin. "I mean...he is in danger right now, considering he's in the heart of your stupid fucking calamity."
"Wrrrryyyyyy..." DIO hissed.
"Let's be honest, he would kill it in a pink dress."
"Are you cracking jokes right now?" DIO asked, and Kyoka started testing out her new Mario Jumping abilities, giggling at the sound it made. "Are you so unbelievably idiotic as to not take me seriously?!"
"Oh no, I'm completely serious!" The purplette responded with a smug grin. "I just think this is the goofiest showdown I have ever had, and it's with someone who I'm terrified of. The contradiction is amusing, y'know?"
DIO snorted, and then jumped after her, swatting her with the tail that just grew out of his ass.
"Oof!"
"Fooling around while facing me is your death warrant, Jiro!" The Joestar's nemesis snarled, retreating into a large spiked turtle shell and spinning towards her. "Did you forget how you were bawling in a corner just now?! What's with this sudden change of attitude?! Your situation is still HOPELESS!"
"Oh, I know...I'm scared shitless." Kyoka responded, before sliding under the shell just as it was about to hit her. "I really, really am. You've had the upper hand this whole time, and even now, every word you say gives me chills...but there is always hope!"
Kyoka looked up and saw a yellow box with a question mark on it, and laughed. Jumping up, she hit it with her fist, and a mushroom popped out. She quickly stuffed it into her mouth...and grew twice in size.
DIO blinked in confusion as the much larger Kyoka barreled towards him, winding up her Mario fist. "This is utterly ridiculous!"
*Sound of an enemy being taken out in Mario*
DIO went crashing into a wall, and fell flat on his face, snarling. He got up, and rolled to the side just as Kyoka's foot came crashing down.
This is complete insanity! She shouldn't have any hope, she shouldn't even be giving me a challenge! By all accounts, she's only a step above normal! She's just more fodder for me to use against the Joestar family, and yet I've underestimated her!
Clearly Kyoka Jiro is more than what she appears to be!
DIO stood up.
I never thought I'd have to be careful with someone like her...but she's actually competent enough to pose a threat. I must continue with an air of caution...
"Jiro...what do you think will happen if you manage to take your body back?"
"Don't know yet! Don't care, only that we will beat you!" Kyoka yelled, raising her fist.
"Do you really think I wouldn't prepare for the likely scenario that the Joestars would sink the ship?" DIO retorted. "I know them like the back of my hand, you fool."
He caught her fist, and pulled her in for a jab to the stomach. As soon as she doubled over, he grabbed her by her bangs and chucked her across the ground. The World began flickering, gritting it's teeth in frustration.
My Stand is still not fully formed, summoning it without a physical body drains me...I need to conserve it.
"I knew damn well the boat might be at risk! That's why Y2K should be fixing that problem any minute now! The Icarus Protocol might already be active!"
"The...what?" Kyoka said, her eyes widening.
"The Icarus Protocol, he came up with it himself." DIO said with a smirk. "This boat won't be sinking...in fact...it's about to do the exact opposite. As we speak, my Plan B is in effect!"
"ORA!"
Stone Free punched a hole in the side of the boat once more, watching as the water flooded in. Jolyne hummed in confirmation, rubbing her neck where her burns once were. Josuke had shown up, and and healed both her and her father.
He had also confirmed that her husband and Tokoyami were, thankfully, also okay, although she had yet to see them.
That's when the entire boat began shaking.
Jotaro, who had just gotten back from flooding Cell Block D, took Jolyne's hand s just as she was about to fall backwards. The holes they had in the metal walls, previously spewing water, were now running dry.
"Were the holes plugged?!" Jolyne yelled as they tried to maintain their balance. "How the hell?!"
"No Jolyne, look closer!"
Jolyne's eyes widened as the hole began to light up, and snow began blowing in. "That's...outside...but we are on the lower levels...is...is THE BARGE FLYING?!"
"We're rising into the air, DIO knew we would try and sink the boat, and probably had Y2K execute some backup plan." Jotaro replied, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. "Does he have a Quirk that can do that?"
"Magnetism. This whole tanker is metal...shit, he's making it float! What is this X-Men bullshit?!"
"It's safe to say that sinking the boat is no longer an option." Jotaro said with a grimace. "The only way we're stopping this boat from making to land is taking out Y2K."
"That's right! THE BOAT IS FLYING!" DIO spread his arms, grinning in satisfaction as Kyoka's mustached face turned pale. "Brilliant, isn't it? I'd imagine it's visible on land now, it's only a matter of time before we get to Mustafu, where the heart of the calamity lies!"
"This thing is old, how the hell is it not falling apart from the strain?!"
"Y2K solved that too! His USBs act as...braces of sorts. The only way they'll stand a chance of success is taking him out, and he was quite literally built to become a successor to that Quirk Dealer Guy...what was his name again?"
"All For One?"
"Right! Even Jotaro, who has the same Stand as I...would struggle to get to him. This whole boat is his domain! He is the true threat here, not me!"
"That's the real reason you stole my body..." Kyoka realized. "You...wanted to put a target on yourself-"
"So Y2K would seem like a simple lackey, correct! The Joestars fell for it, thanks to their sentiment towards you! In their attempts to save you, they have doomed SOCIETY!" DIO said with a laugh, putting his hands on his hips. "So Jiro, do you get it? I'm still winning, even with this...minor inconvenience you've thrown at me!"
Kyoka glared at him, scratching her newly acquired mustache as she tried to brainstorm something.
He's right...as of right now, in the outside world, he still has a massive advantage. I'm dealing with an evil mastermind with over 100 years of experience, he might even find a way to win, even if he's under Bohemian Rhapsody's influence.
However, there is no way DIO would bother with video games. He isn't familiar with Mario, so I can use that to my advantage!
Kyoka slowly took up a fighting position, and DIO snorted
"So, you study the Sendo variant of Hamon. Jonathan did too...I recognize that fighting stance. Fine then, let's continue this pointless battle!"
A feint...a dodge...
DIO was an adept hand-to-hand fighter, he didn't even need his Stand to keep up with her. Kyoka, who specialized in martial arts due to her extra appendages, was seriously struggling against this opponent.
Left kick.
Right jab.
Not to mention she was only 5ft tall, and he was a fucking giant.
"Impressive Jiro...not too shabby!" DIO mockingly complimented, ducking under a kick aimed at his head. "For someone who has only just inserted herself into the plot, you're faring pretty well!"
He bashed Kyoka with a backhand, causing her to spit out blood.
"However, even over 100 years ago, when I was human...I was scrapping on the streets of London! Ever since I was a child!"
He grabbed her by the face and threw her to the ground.
"Do you realize just how out of place you are?! Fighting me?! ME?! You're better off fighting Y2K than me!"
"I know that...I'm not a Joestar, I'm not someone you'd ever think about. I have no prior history with you. I also don't fucking care." Kyoka responded, and ducked under DIO's fist...and proceeded to Judo flip him over her shoulder.
DIO proceeded to land on his feet, and flipped her in response.
Kyoka did not land on her feet.
"Ow! Mamma Mia..."
"I don't even need my Stand to finish you!" DIO yelled, and he proceeded to kick her square in the ribs with his pointy elf shoe. Kyoka rolled to the side, and proceed to pluck a flower out of the ground, wincing in pain.
"Yeah? Well I hope you mean that...cause I'M BRINGIN' THE HEAT!"
Kyoka proceeded to chuck a fireball directly into DIO's face.
"WRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! WHAAAAAAAT?!"
The Poltergeist stumbled back, batting at his face to put out the fire, as Kyoka began chucking more at him, screaming at the top of her lungs as she lit up the surrounding area. DIO brought up his arms, sweating as more fireballs slammed into him, and next thing he knew...
He was in a blazing inferno.
"Wait...this is..."
They were inside the burning Joestar Mansion. DIO could only stare, his eyes wide with shock, as he came to realize that they were at the site of his first defeat.
First, he was chasing Kyoka through her memories...now they were battling in his. The fire triggered his memory of his fateful clash with Jonathan Joestar, the night he had first become a vampire...and he had killed George.
In fact, George Joestar's body was burning away, not too far from where DIO was standing.
"So it goes both ways..."
"I'm not done, DIO!" Kyoka yelled, hurling another fireball.
DIO punched it clean out of the air...and he turned to her with a disgusted look on his face. There was a new air about him now...one that made Kyoka take a step back.
He's different.
"To think...I've spent years battling the Joestars, years trying to ascend to greatness...and now here I am, battling an ordinary teenaged girl!" DIO spat out. "How could I fall so low, to be challenged by you?!"
He suddenly dashed forward, punching the Fire Flower clean out of Kyoka, and sent her crashing through the burning wall.
From one of the bricks...a star popped out, but it had bounced out of Kyoka's reach, and into the flames.
Shit! That star could've been a win for me!
"I WON'T BE HUMILIATED BY AN ANT LIKE YOU!"
"I'm...not an ant..." Kyoka wheezed out, blood running down the side of her face as she stood up again. "I'm...a fucking fire ant. I may not be one of the big guys like you...but I'll crawl up your asshole and make it itch for days!"
"Then...LET'S ADD THE FIRE PART!"
DIO had figured out how to breathe fire, just like Bowser.
Fireballs crashed into the walls, and Kyoka lept towards a ledge to avoid getting incinerated. Her hand missed it by a hair, and she gasped as she began falling back towards the inferno...
Only for a hand to grasp hers, tightly.
Up above her...was her mother, Mika Jiro. Kyoka's eyes widened as her mother smiled down upon her, confused beyond measure.
"Mom?"
"Yes Kyoka?"
Suddenly...Kyoka was five again, looking up at the woman who raised her.
"What was the bestest song you ever made?" The toddler asked, her eyes shining with curiousity. Mika took her daughter in her arms, lifting her so that they were eye level.
"My best song?"
"Yes!
"Well, it's a song that writes itself, really...your father and I are working on it together." Mika responded, smiling at her daughter. "It's a song that we put our everything into, one that we see a bright future in."
"Oooh! Is it cool?!"
"Oh yes, VERY cool, the coolest!" Mika responded. "Kyoka...that song is you. You're our greatest symphony."
The memory of Mika faded away, leaving the current Kyoka standing in it's place.
I completely forgot about that. I mean, I was a toddler, so it's not something I would just remember out of the blue...
Yet...that one memory saved me...almost as if my memories are telling me to keep fighting!
"JIRO!"
*CRUNCH!...CRUNCH!...CRUNCH!*
Kyoka turned around, and to her horror, DIO was still giving chase. He was walking up the wall, his feet punching holes through solid brick. His hair was no longer spiked, but was loose and unkempt, falling to his shoulders.
"Quit daydreaming about Mommy, and fight me already!" DIO yelled, his eyes gleaming with murderous intentions. "The sooner I can put an end to you and this farce, the sooner I can watch Japan erupt into chaos, ripe for dominance!"
Kyoka beckoned him with her finger, and turned to run down the burning halls.
All the more reason to find a way to live through this...I can't let my parents down.
Their symphony...
"Evacuation efforts following the massacre in downtown Mustafu yesterday have been successful, thanks to Emergency Services and Rescue Heroes."
"In other news...the Barge now not only has tentacles of sorts...it appears to be floating above the water, and heading towards Port Morioh. Upon...wait...
It appears as though the tentacles have been identified as giant USB cords."
The TV in Exodus continued blasting the news report, but as of right now...Momo didn't really care, other than information on how Kyoka and co. were doing.
Tiredly gazing at the monitor...she was researching the phenomenon that was slowly reading g throughout the nation.
*Minor car accidents.
*An old woman suddenly having a heart attack in the middle of the street.
*An immortal, nigh unstoppable Ultimate Lifeform brutalizing everyone in his path, sending two of her friends, and the number one hero, to the hospital.
*The Gunga Mountains spawning all sorts of weird creatures.
*The plant-life surrounding the Gunga Mountains slowly creeping towards civilization.
*AFO escaping prison, then getting his ass kicked, and being sent back to prison...with Santana strangely following him without any attempt at arrest.
*Shigaraki's apparent death.
*Household accidents.
*Whatever was going on at The Barge.
It was as though there was some kind of giant wave of bad luck, heroes and villains alike being caught in it. It was minor, aside from the massive villain war, but nonetheless these were situations that could be turned around.
Izuku's arms, according to one of the doctors, could have been worse. Joseph's Hamon had saved him from having to retire.
Katsuki's wound was manageable.
"KAAAACCHAAAAAAAAAN!"
Momo grimaced and put her head to her desk, the haunting image of Katsuki spitting blood all over her causing her to tighten her fists. His eyes rolled all the way back into his head, trying desperately to breathe.
The smell of burning flesh.
If there was something worse than holding a friend in that condition, she needed to stop it from happening at all costs.
"You look tired."
Momo lifted her head to find Todoroki had descended into Exodus, and was giving her a slightly worried expression. "...your father is in the hospital too, shouldn't you go to see him?"
"He can wait. Kars...really did a number on almost everyone involved yesterday."
"...I'm scared, Todoroki." Momo admitted, glancing at the screen. "Something is happening...something BIG is happening, Kars was only a side effect of it. Obviously his actions were his own...but his attack happening at the same time as everything else?"
"It does seem fishy." Todoroki agreed, sitting next to her. "You...work really hard, you know that? First the situation with your mentor...and now that Midoriya and Bakugo have gotten hurt...you should rest."
"...look at the Barge. Kyoka and Tokoyami are in that thing...they might be hurt too, or..."
"You're only one person, you can't solve everything."
"...I know...I know that very well."
The heterochromatic teen huffed, and looked to the side. "Everyone is shaken up. Kaminari and Ashido came face to face with Kars, and Santana barely managed to save them. Everyone is also worried about those two of course...and they're beginning to wonder where the other members of your team are."
Momo blinked, and then shuddered. "If the secret gets out...about our operation...our classmates will inevitably want to help. We...need to come up with some sort of lie..."
"...that would be for the best, yes."
He reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Momo gave him an appreciative, half-hearted smile. "Thank you for checking on me, Todoroki. I have a feeling we're going to have some rough times ahead."
"I suppose I should visit my father...it would probably be a bad look if I didn't show up." Todoroki replied, and walked back towards the ladder, before pausing. He turned towards the TV, looking at the Barge with a worried expression.
"Many are calling for an official statement on these events. Families of the victims desperately seeking answers in their time of grief."
The television switched to an old man, who was waving a sign in the air.
"IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! GODS SMITING THE WICKED, BOATS FLYING THROUGH THE AIR! EH-"
"HOLD IT!"
Momo suddenly shot up, her eyes wide.
"What is it?!" Todoroki asked as the Musketeers' resident detective began fumbling for her remote. There was an air of: 'Holy shit, I just found something!' in her eyes.
She rewound the footage until it came to a specific point. "There! You see it?!"
"Is...that?"
In the corner of the footage, there was a distinct figure in the alleyway behind the old conspiracy theorist. A figure wearing a cowboy hat, wrapped in black bandages, and had a grey ponytail sticking out of them.
"Tombstone...heading in the direction of the Gunga Mountains. It appears our vigilante ally may be onto something..."
Y2K was standing on one of the control towers, using his magnetism Quirk to pilot the boat towards the mainland.
It had been a long time since he had seen any semblance of civilization...even longer since he had seen the sun. The sheer amount of paranormal activity ensured that the weather was cold and foggy at all times around the Barge...thus he had never seen it since he was incarcerated.
He had gotten used to the cold.
"Drop point is in Mustafu. DIO has yet to respond to me, so I can only assume something has gone awry. Ungalo is unresponsive as well."
DIO's plan was to drop the boat right in the middle of the city, not only causing mass casualties, but releasing the damned spirits within. Then Y2K would trigger his EMP, frying electronics all across the country, and causing an economic crash.
Mass hysteria, anarchy, The Forest taking civilization into itself...it would all be complete chaos.
Then...a certain vampire would swoop in through proxies, and would restabilize the nation. With complete control over Japan, he would recollect the Necronomicon page, and he would spread the calamity to the surrounding countries.
Until all bowed to him.
It was brilliant, filled with little intricacies and details. If DIO couldn't achieve his ambition by attaining Heaven and rewriting the universe, he would have to at the very least conquer the world.
Through it...he might just find another loyal friend, and 36 sinners. An expendable friend...unlike Pucci.
All in all, even dead, DIO could bounce back. There was something to be admired about the man's dogged persistence, and his desire to bring about a perfect world in his image. The idea of a world in which everyone knew their fate was...interesting.
Perhaps a young Thomas Praxton could have lived his life in happiness, if he knew what was going to happen to him. Or perhaps it would've been in constant dread.
Either way, truthfully...Y2K didn't care.
He wasn't as robotic as people tended to think he was...he simply lost his ability to give a shit.
Was DIO evil? Was what he was doing wrong? Absolutely.
Did it go against Y2K's better judgement? You better believe it.
Did he feel bad? In a sense, specifically for Kyoka. She had the same wide-eyed innocence that he used to have, and he basically helped DIO cruelly tear it from her. A budding hero student, just as he was.
However, it wasn't his place to intervene. He had a mission, and that was all that mattered. It went against his programming...to care for such trivial things.
"This is Y2K, calling anyone."
No one answered. Of course.
Y2K was not just a machine, deep down. He did have goals, he did have desires just like everyone else.
His gaze turned to the speck that was Morioh, and for the briefest of moments, something more than apathy was shining in the former hero student's eye.
"The Icarus Protocol is working, onto Phase 2: PURGE. There is a virus in our operation...whatever resistance they have amounted will be crushed..."
His shimmering green eyes narrowed, looking at civilization with the years of bitterness his treatment and isolation in The Barge had given him.
"They thought I was a monster? Very well...I'll be a monster."
A few things emerged from Y2K's back, and they flew into the boat.
"Where the fuck am I now?!"
It appeared to be Cairo, Egypt. Where DIO met his demise at Jotaro's hands, after he and his goons wiped out half of the Crusaders. A rooftop more specifically, where the corpse of a red-head was laying in a bent water tower.
Noriaki Kakyoin, one of Johnny's namesakes, and arguably Jotaro's best friend.
That's terrible...he was only a year older than me. A kid...
As if she needed a reminder of how utterly despicable her current opponent was.
DIO emerged from a rooftop nearby, his face curled into a snarl. He was taking her seriously now, enraged by the thought of someone like her even coming close to beating him. The fire had burned away his cape, and part of his jacket, so DIO had shed the remains, opting to go shirtless.
"You're joining him soon, Jiro. Just as all others who tried to oppose me...you're only delaying your inevitable demise. What makes you so special? What is giving you the ability to resist me for this long?"
"Who knows? Why don't you quit bitching about it already?" Kyoka retorted.
"IT DOESN'T. MAKE. SENSE!"
DIO rushed forward and punched her as hard as he possibly could. Kyoka went flying straight past the memory of Kakiyoin, crashing through a billboard, and DIO went flying after her.
"YOU'RE NOTHING!"
*CRACK!*
Another punch kept Kyoka in the air, flying like a ragdoll.
"YOU'RE JUST AN ORDINARY GIRL! YOU AREN'T EVEN WORTH MY SPIT!"
A kick, and the purplette skipped across the pavement, crying out in pain as DIO began taking out his anger.
"You're just more dog shit in my path to greatness, nothing more than a brief hiccup! Enough of your parlor tricks, enough of your mockery, ENOUGH. OF. YOU!" DIO yelled, laying into her with every word. "It's USELESS to keep up this charade! USELESS USELESS USELESS USELESS USELEEEESSSS!"
Kyoka smacked into the ground, and coughed, propping her body up with her elbows, when DIO's pointy elf shoe slammed into the back of her neck, pinning her back down. "GAH!"
"Did you honestly think a few nice words from Higashikata would be enough?! Did you really think you could honestly compare to me, DIO?! Know your fucking place!"
"...your shoes...are...really fucking weird-"
"SILENCE!" DIO's eyes were wide with fury. The calm and composed demeanor he had at the start of this disaster was gone, the concept of a non-Joestar even lasting this long, and proving to be somewhat of a challenge, was clearly insulting his pride. "You're NOTHING, you hear me?! Nothing! I'm not even the slightest bit afraid of you!"
Jotaro...he said DIO was afraid of me...was he right? Do I actually have power over someone like him?
"I think you are. Just like Jotaro said..."
"Do you even hear yourself?! What makes you worthy to be feared?! What, pray tell, gives me any reason to be concerned about you?! You're just fodder, you're just another Kakyoin!" DIO put more pressure on the back of her neck, causing her to gag.
"Hope...dumbass..."
"..."
"..."
"Heheheheh...ha ha ha...HAHAHAHAHAAA!" DIO cackled, wiping a tear from his eye. "Hope! Oh my goodness, is that really what you believe?! Hope is the reason you believe I fear you? I've killed people with more hope than you!"
"Maybe so...maybe not. I...don't...care." Kyoka opened her palm, revealing a small leaf, and grew a racoon tail, swatting DIO off of her. "A world without hope...is one that ain't worth living in!"
"This is a world bound by fate, and gravity. Your fate is preordained, Jiro." DIO said, wrinkling his nose. "My initial fate was to die at Jotaro's hands...at first. My ultimate fate lies with the Joestars, of that I am painfully sure! If you somehow manage to defeat me here, it would go against my fate...which is why it's more likely that you will meet yours!"
"Or maybe fate is already done with you, so it doesn't really matter who fights you now."
DIO's eyes widened a bit as Kyoka continued.
"To say that fate is absolute is like saying that the Earth travels around the Sun in a perfect circle." The purplette said. "But nothing is perfect. I've learned that throughout my journey as a hero...perfection is a standard that NOTHING can achieve. I spent so long focusing on my flaws...I never thought highly of myself, and I still don't. Instead, I embrace them."
"I was close to rewriting the entire universe, something that no other has ever come close to!" DIO retorted, "Does that not set me above the rest of you? Even now, I'm still technically winning, even with your surprisingly impressive resistance!"
"You failed though, and Pucci too. You both did, despite holding so much power. Your failures had nothing to do with power either, just with you. Do you know why?"
Kyoka pointed a finger at him, her words coming straight from the heart.
"Fate sides with justice! Fate sides with good! Only actions born of selflessness, and resolve, can truly change it! I believe that with all my heart, I believe that in my soul...which is what is giving me the strength I need to take you on!"
"MUDA!"
*CRUNCH!*
Kyoka fell silent, her eyes reduced to the size of pins...as The World suddenly punched straight through her chest.
"It wasn't enough." DIO said, ripping his fist out of her body with a smirk. "I was conserving my Stand Power for an all out attack...I was just waiting for the perfect moment to put you down. All that talk, and nothing to back it up...just as everyone else who has opposed me without Joestar blood...you've lost."
Kyoka collapsed to the ground, her mouth open, apparently trying to find something to say...
Then it became a smile.
Josuke was just sitting next to Kyoka's prone body, holding her hand. He was keeping her head at the right angle, so she wouldn't choke on her tongue...but other than that he could only pray for her.
"You...remember that time when Okuyasu tried to make it look like he shat out a firework, but it ended up blowing up his pants? We were laughing so hard that day..."
Josuke chuckled to himself.
"You called him New Year Butt, and we've been using it to poke fun at him ever since. You...really have a wonderful sense of humor y'know..."
He saw Kyoka's lip twitch, almost as if it were trying to smile, and he squeezed her hand.
"I tried to fix your ears...but for some reason they just dropped...almost as if you weren't broken. I...have no idea what's going on with you, but...I know you can make it through. I believe in you Kyoka."
*CRASH!*
Tokoyami was flung across the room, followed by Narciso. Josuke immediately threw himself over Kyoka, looking up to assess the field threat.
"Oh...oh shit..."
Jolyne and her father were sprinting from a series of metal orbs, which were shooting bolts of electricity at them. There were at least fifty of them, about as small as a golf ball, with something similar to a tesla coil wrapped around them.
Y2K had sent his seeker drones after them, and they were fast enough to avoid Star Platinum, undoubtedly due to Y2K being able to pilot them himself.
"That's a whole load of bad news..."
There was a 1-UP mushroom beneath her tongue.
*1-UP sound effect*
"WHAT?!" DIO yelled as her body faded away, and reappeared behind him. "WHAT THE ACTUAL SHI-"
"I had an extra life DIO, and you know why? I wanted you to kill me back there." Kyoka said with a smirk, grabbing a certain item from a brick. "When you die in the Mario games, you start over from your latest checkpoint. You see where we are DIO?"
They were back in the Joestar Mansion.
"I-I..."
"I wanted to start from my last checkpoint, SO I COULD GRAB THIS!" Kyoka held the Invincibility Star in the air.
A...star...
A STAR.
DIO was unfamiliar with the Mario games, but nonetheless the significance of a star was clear. The symbol of his worst enemies...usually on the back of their necks, was now resting in the hands of this insignificant piece of garbage.
A symbol of hope.
The sight of that star was the final straw, and DIO lost his cool faster than a Recipro Burst.
"WRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
He and The World both rushed at Kyoka, the fury of a man with his pride on the line propelling them forward with the intensity of a volcano erupting. The look on his face was psychotic, his true deranged nature on full display.
Then, Kyoka was swallowed by a rainbow light, and all she had to do was raise a hand.
DIO was blown back, screeching at the top of his lungs, as he was dealt the most powerful blow he had ever recieved, in both life and death.
Dealt by someone he had never expected to even harm him.
One hit was all it took.
DIO crashed to the ground, flying through many scenes in his long life. Flames, wood, a stone mask, everything was flashing before his eyes.
When Kyoka went to go find DIO, she found the bloodied remains of a small, blond child...sobbing.
"Stay...away..."
Dio Brando, age 12, tearfully pulled out a knife, reduced to his human state. "HOW DARE YOU LAY YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON ME! I'LL MURDER YOU!"
Kyoka stared at the child in front of her, and then lowered her fist.
"...well, this was unexpected."
"You...were nothing!" Dio sobbed out. "You were nothing...how were you able to beat me?! How could I lose so pathetically, to a...a...AN EXTRA! It...it isn't fair! This is all wrong!"
"Well...for starters...I know Mario better than you. Also...your son's Stand has some control over fate, once a someone is part of a story, the story must end like the original. Mario always beats Bowser...that's just how the story goes."
"So Ungalo..."
"No, he's not the only reason. When...we first saw each other...on that stairway...you talked about peace of mind. You...are surprisingly right, about a lot of things. I guess I always thought of you as just this evil bastard...and while you are...I have to respect your philosophy. You're a brilliant man, in some weird and twisted way."
Dio was taken aback by the compliment, stepping backwards.
"However...for someone who talks about peace of mind...I don't think you'll ever find it yourself."
Kyoka was giving him a look of loathing, but it came with a hint of understanding.
"There is no lifetime in where I would ever feel sorry for you. I said it before...but you've done enough to earn nothing but hatred from me. However...it's...a little sad now that I think about it, but you're the type who will never be satisfied."
Dio fell silent, fumbling for words.
"Say you win this battle and you manage to take over Japan. Say you take over the world, or even do that stupid Heaven thing you're obsessed with...will that be all? Or will you want more?"
"I..."
"I mean, when the Joestars took you in, you were living a life of luxury. You had just about everything you lacked...a loving father, wealth...but your greed couldn't let you settle for it. You just want more, and more, and more...because deep down...you're still the little boy living in poverty, raging against the world that put him in that situation."
Dio began fading away, his face slack. What Kyoka had said actually got through to him.
"...you're...right..."
"You're living in the past DIO, and even after your death, you still can't move on. You can't find peace of mind."
Dio was shaking, but he got to his feet, glaring at her.
"I won't forget this...just because you have repelled me from your body...my plan is still working! You hear me?! I WON'T. FORGET. THIS."
"Good, oh...the final reason why I beat you...there's only one..."
Kyoka smirked as she caught Dio's eye one final time, before he was banished from her body for good.
"You pissed me off."
Kyoka's Journal:
So...I actually beat him...in a fight.
Yeah, I did that.
How the fuck did I do that?!
It goes back to my question...what makes someone special? The truth is...nobody is special, and everyone is.
Okay...that's confusing, so hear me out.
Everyone has worth, everyone has meaning. There are so many things that make each of us unique, and to place value on people? It feels wrong.
Why should some people be more important than others? They really aren't.
Don't get me wrong, if we were in our physical bodies, DIO would've killed me in seconds. Power didn't matter here though...it was simply my soul against his. I managed to beat the odds, because of the actions of my mentor, and my own hope for the future.
You don't need to be special to make a difference, or to be part of a badass bloodline...you just need to have a little faith in the people around you.
Nonetheless... I made a vow to DIO, one I intend to keep. My friends and I will defy gravity...and we WILL have a bright future.
Nothing will stop me from fulfilling it.
"WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?!" Narciso yelled, barely dodging a zap from one of the orbs.
"Some kind of drone deployed by Y2K!" Jolyne responded, and her husband turned to look at her.
"Ah, Jolyne! There isn't a happier man on this Earth than me, seeing you alright."
"You just had to get cheesy!"
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!" Star Platinum managed to bat quite a few out of the air, but more came to replace them.
"Yare yare daze...I can see what he's doing. He's taking pieces of the boat and using his Quirks to make these things." Jotaro said, gritting his teeth. "This whole thing is one giant metal coffin."
The orbs suddenly formed into a circle, and began spinning, creating a giant wall of lethal electricity, slowly advancing on the heroes.
"Shit! What do we do about that?!"
"Can you stop time and take those things out?" Jolyne asked her father.
"Not all of them...there's too many. I could probably take out at least fifty of them...but now there's hundreds."
Josuke, cradling Kyoka, used Crazy Diamond to punch a hole on the wall. "EVERYONE, IN HERE!"
The group dove into the hole in the wall, and Josuke quickly repaired it to protect the group from getting swarmed. Coincidentally, he also saved Ungalo, who was shivering in fear after what Josuke apparently did to him to force him to use Bohemian Rhapsody.
"Alright...that should...THERE ARE MORE OF THEM!"
More of Y2K's murder drones ripped themselves from the walls, buzzing with evil intent.
"It's no use, we're surrounded by metal!" Jolyne yelled. "All we can do is fight our way to the bastard!"
The drones were closing in...when one of them was snatched by something.
"Huh?"
*CRACK!*
The distinct sound of a whip rang throughout the halls, and another drone shattered.
Josuke blinked. "A whip..."
*CRACK! CRACK!*
More whip cracks, hitting each golf ball-sized drone out of the air. This time, Josuke saw what was happening.
A small silver cord was the culprit.
A hand was placed on his shoulder, as the girl who was previously lying prone in his arms used it to prop herself up. "Josuke...I heard you. I heard you loud and clear..."
Josuke met Kyoka's eyes, and he couldn't really hold back tears, even though he certainly tried.
His student had returned.
The silver cord retreated into her ear, and Kyoka massaged it, letting out a brief. "Huh."
"Kyoka...it's you!" Jolyne said, grinning.
"Yeah...so...that's why my jacks fell off...I grew new ones..." The silver cord popped out of her ear again, and her other ear produced one too. "What's with the lightshow?"
"Y2K...he's turned this whole boat into a death trap."
"I see."
They both popped back into her ears.
*POP!*
"POP!*
*POP!*
*POP!*
"Wow...so they're like...Wolverine claws or something...anybody got my amplifiers?"
Jotaro produced her whole jacket from within his own. "I snagged them when we first encountered DIO...figured you'd need them when we got you back."
Kyoka threw on her tattered jacket, and gave Jotaro a grateful look. She attached her Yaoyorozu-made amps to her wrists, and her new jacks inserted themselves into the plugs.
"Alright...let's see what else is new..."
When I first found out my jacks were evolving...I was scared...but now I'm actually kind of excited. Why get so worked up over my old jacks, when I can simply embrace the new ones?
It's time to push towards the future.
In her body once more, fresh from her mental battle with DIO, Kyoka was no longer afraid. Her fear was replaced by determination, and confidence.
As the drones came towards them, threatening to snuff the heroes out for good, she recalled her mother's words to her.
No dying today.
"Alright Tom...if you can hear me...we'll play your game. Get your metal ass ready...because now I've got Earphone Jack: SECOND SYMPHONY!"
Earphone Jack: Second Symphony:
Appearance: The new jacks are silver, covered in spirals of violet light when active. The tips of the jacks are gold, with barbs on the sides. They appear to still be organic, but much more durable than they were before.
Ability: Retractable, other abilities unknown, but probably similar to the original. Speed and precision similar to Star Platinum. Whip-like in their physical attacks.
I would like to thank my friend DeathlyJazzHands55 for helping me brainstorm some ideas for this Quirk Awakening!