TeraBaapBSDK: Well...that comment came at the perfect time, didn't it. I swear this is a coincidence.
America is the best.
The blonde took a deep breath, taking in the view. The vast desert was beautiful in a sense, the way the tumbleweeds rolled around on the ground had a sort of perfection to it. He shook his head, it was beautiful, sure, but there was no way it could compare to the serene waters of Venezia. The Italian grabbed his hat and brushed off some sand. He took a seat on a boulder as he stared at the rocks he had been practicing on. He had made several dents in the cliffside, and now it looked like Swiss cheese. Mmm...cheese. The Italian's stomach growled, and he reluctantly got up, wincing from the pain his training caused him. But it was necessary, for that little boy's sake. The Italian made his way into town and saw a restaurant that had Chicken Parmesan for it's specials. The thought of the warm, creamy melted Parmesan covering the tender chicken made him even hungrier. The Italian chuckled to himself. "Nyo ho!"
...
Jotaro watched his son as he waved goodbye to Jiro and Midoryia. Johnny was starting to build his own little inner circle, just as every JoJo has done before him. It was comforting to see his son with friends like those two, the kid usually hid in his room and only socialized with family. Johnny seemed like a sociable kid on the outside, but Jotaro knew Johnny had trouble making friends.
Not to mention that girls were constantly chasing him over his looks, as they had with Jotaro. The reason both Jotaro and Johnny hate that so much, is because they have no idea whether people are being genuine or not. But Johnny seemed to have made some good friends. His son walked up to him with one of the biggest smiles he has had in a long time. "You're in a good mood." Jotaro noted. Johnny raised an eyebrow. "You're one to talk, I'm starting to see the beginnings of one of your rare smiles." Jotaro tried his best to remain aloof, but he had to give in, a soft grin coming across his face. "I guess that's just pride. I'm just glad you turned out to be a good kid." Johnny beamed with pride at his father's words. While they were brief, as Jotaro typically was, he had made his father proud. Jotaro tilted his head, indicating that he wanted Johnny to walk with him. Johnny obliged, taking his place by his father's side. "You know, I couldn't help but notice you were fighting a bit like Gramps during your match with Midoryia." Jotaro said. "Yeah, but he taught me, why wasn't I going to use his moves?" Johnny questioned.
Jotaro sighed. "I'm not saying you can't Johnny, I'm saying you should take what he taught you and make it your own. You're not Gramps, and he doesn't want you to be. That goes for me too."
"I don't really understand."
"Be you Johnny. Trying to be like someone else isn't healthy, trust me. Take Midoryia for example: he's trying to fight like All Might, and it's hurting him. And while using Hamon isn't going to hurt you, you're going to inevitably make comparisons that could hurt your self esteem, unless you make it your own, come up with your own moves, your own tactics, got it? "
Johnny stared at the ground. His father wasn't wrong, except he had already begun making those comparisons. How could he ever measure up to the Joestars before him, with his weak ass stand and mediocre Hamon? He had trained hard, desperately trying to make Tusk stronger, but to no avail. And his Hamon, while passable, was no where near the power of Joseph's. Izuku overpowered him, almost instantly, and then he outsmarted him on top of that.
Johnny didn't want to admit it...but he was jealous of his formerly quirkless friend. He wasn't jealous to the point that he wasn't proud of Izuku, but some small part of him wished that he had One For All. Johnny blinked. I really shouldn't think things like that. Izuku deserves that quirk, more than anyone. Still, he has a lot more luck on his side than I do...
Right then, a small pfft noise was heard, and Jotaro swiveled his head in concern. "Johnny, be careful, I just heard something strange... "
Johnny 's eyebrows raised as he too began to look around. "What's wrong, are we under attack or something?" Jotaro squinted, and Star Platinum materialized beside him, it's eyes pupils were dilating as it tried to spot the source of the noise. And then stand and user saw something that made their blood run cold.
On one of the rooftops, a man stood with a sniper rifle aimed at the father and son, it's barrel already smoking. His pinkish hair and lack of pupils was a dead giveaway, as well as his choice of weaponry. "Johngalli A." Jotaro muttered darkly. "WHAT?! Isn't that the guy who got Jolyne framed for murder?! " Johnny stammered out. "Yeah, but he's supposed to be dead...it doesn't matter, he already fired off a shot. He appears to have a silencer, that was the noise I heard. We need to find cover, and fast."
"Umm...about the whole 'he already fired off a shot' thing? "
"Yeah?"
"I-I th-think I know wh-what he hit." Johnny sounded like he was on the verge of panic. Jotaro glanced at his son, and froze.
Johnny was on his knees, clutching at his back. He shakily brought up his hand, revealing that it was covered in blood. Jotaro's pupils shrank to the size of pins as he could only stare at his wounded son. "D-dad? I-I'm s-sorry. " Johnny managed to get out, before collapsing to the ground.
His father still couldn't process what had happened, until it finally hit Jotaro like a truck.
"JOHNNNYYYYYYY!" Jotaro screamed as he ran toward his son, scooping him up in a protective embrace as Star Platinum deflected another shot from the blind sniper. Tears were streaming down the elder Kujo's face as he tried to formulate a plan. I'm going to murder that bastard, but saving Johnny is more important right now. "STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD!" Jotaro shouted as his stand brought time to a halt. Jotaro carried his son around a corner into an alleyway, jumping into a dumpster for cover. Time resumed, and Johngalli A. shook his head. Running from me? Is this really the same man who defeated Lord DIO?
Jotaro's breathing became labored as he pulled out his phone. He needed backup. While he was powerful enough to handle the sniper on his own, that would mean leaving Johnny behind, and that was not happening. Plus, the sniper was making a point to stay out of Jotaro's range, so even if he stopped time, he wouldn't be able to make it, and Johnny would be a sitting duck. The big question is, who to call? Jolyne? Jotaro shook his head. There was no way he was putting both of his kids in danger. Gramps? No, while the old man is certainly capable of fighting, mobility wasn't his strongsuit. Josuke? He was already on the train back to Morioh.
That left one option. Jotaro quickly pulled up Giorno's contact information and sent him their location, just as a bullet slammed into the dumpster beside Jotaro's head. Jotaro felt a burning sensation on the left side of his head, and brought his hand up, only to feel what was undoubtedly blood. That bastard just shot part of his ear off. Giorno...please understand the message, Johnny is counting on you. Jotaro thought as he brought his stand out to defend.
...
Giorno Giovanna was approaching his private jet. Ever since he had become the boss of Passione, he had some very handy tools at his disposal. The door opened up to reveal a man with a black and purple hat that had an arrow pointing down to his forehead. He was carrying a turtle, and said turtle was gazing at Giorno with a pleased expression. These two men, Guido Mista and Jean Pierre Polnareff, where the people that he trusted the most. "Mista, Polnareff! Good to see you two!"
Mista grinned at the sight of his best friend. "Giorno! How was the Sports Festival?"
"Yes! More importantly, how did my godson do? " Polnareff chimed in, sunny as usual. "He did fantastic, I'd say he'd even give Mr. Joestar a run for his money." Giorno replied. The turtle/ ghost let out a hearty laugh. "That's good to hear!"
Mista put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Well I hope you enjoyed your vacation, because it's about time to get back to work. The Yakuza have been selling quirk enhancing drugs in Venezia, and it's been pretty hard trying to bust them. Just the other day, Fugo and I tried to take one of their warehouses, it was pretty easy to take the had guys out with Purple Haze, but the crates were just full of cannolis! "
"Let me guess...you ate them?"
"Of course we did! Why wouldn't we?"
Giorno chuckled at his friend's antics, before getting a buzz from his phone. Giorno frowned as he stared at the screen. "Jotaro just sent me a location with no context."
Polnareff shared Giorno's frown. "That isn't like Jotaro to do that. Usually he gives you an explanation...He could be in trouble!"
But Giorno apparently already figured that out, because he was gone.
...
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Star Platinum bellowed as it deflected a hailstorm of bullets away from the father and son. Johnny was still out cold, and he was losing blood fast. Jotaro grunted as a bullet found a way past his defences and hit him in the shoulder. Giorno, where are you?! Jotaro thought as he struggled to deflect the bullets. Johngalli A. had switched to a submachine gun, and was pelting them with heavy fire. While Star Platinum usually had no problem handling weapons of this caliber, Jotaro wasn't only protecting himself. "Your son seems to be holding you back, Jotaro! Why don't you forget about him and face me! He's better off dead anyway! " Jotaro gritted his teeth. There was no way this asshole was going to tempt him into leaving his son. "Fuck you!" Jotaro replied swiftly , before something landed in the dumpster.
It was a live grenade.
"STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD!"
Jotaro stopped time just as the grenade was going off. He scooped up his son as he tried to escape the range of the explosion, but when time resumed, the shockwave was enough to knock Jotaro over, since he was carrying extra weight. Johnny flew away, landing about five meters from Jotaro. The sniper readied his gun and fired at the unconscious Joestar.
"NO!" Jotaro bellowed as he jumped in front of it, the bullet heading straight for his face. I'm sorry Johnny...Let me be a good father to you, just this once. Jotaro was prepared for death, but then the bullet stopped right in front of his face, before going backwards. "WHAT?!" Johngalli A. said in disbelief as the bullet went back into his gun. Jotaro's body began to rewind itself back to before he jumped, and the sniper realized what was happening.
But he realized it too late.
The sniper swiveled around, only to some face to face with a gold-plated fist.
"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!" Gold Experience Requiem cried as it pummeled the sniper to the ground.
Giorno punched Johngalli A. right off the building, watching DIO's servant plummet to the ground and land on a parked car, crushing the roof. The Italian mafia boss then ran over to his wounded nephew and quickly began to heal his wounds. Jotaro limped over. "Thank you...I was afraid you wouldn't have understood." Giorno nodded. "You aren't the type to provide no context, so I knew something was wrong." Giorno brought a hand up to his nephew's face. "He'll be all right, I replenished his blood and closed the wound. " Jotaro sighed in relief, before the requiem stand spoke up. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I was unable to heal the spine." Both Giorno and Jotaro stared at the sentient stand. "Why not?!" They both asked at the same time. "Something was blocking my power, I'm just as confused as you are. " It responded. Then chuckling was heard from the wreckage of the car as Johngalli A. sat himself up. "Manhattan Transfer, Act 2!" The blob like stand appeared next to it's wounded user. "It does the same thing as the original, but with an added twist. The first shot that I fire in battle will cancel out healing abilities! That's why I aimed for the back, just in case I lost. I wanted you to feel the pain I felt when you murdered Lord DIO, and now your son can kiss his hero career goodbye!" The sniper began cackling. "I don't care if you kill me, because I still won! I hope you plunge into the depths of despair, as I did!"
If something ever happened to you, or any of our family members for that matter, I don't know what I would do...
Now Giorno knew.
"WRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAH!" Giorno screamed as GER began beating the sniper into the ground. Johngalli A. attempted to roll out of the way, only to stop at an enraged Star Platinum. "ORA ORA ORA ORA!" The two stands just beat on the sniper, no mercy, only rage. Fists came up and down, over and over again, and they only stopped when DIO's servant was a pile of flesh and bone. Giorno fell to his knees, physically and emotionally drained, and watched as the corpse faded away. "Say hi to Diavolo for me, you piece of shit." Giorno spat on the ground where Johngalli A. was before turning towards his nephew, and he froze. Jotaro was holding on to Johnny tighter than Joseph's pants, and he was sobbing. Jotaro Kujo, the kickass delinquent who beat the ultimate evil, the guide and inspiration to future Joestars, the man who stared death in the face countless times without blinking, was sobbing. They were quiet, even in his grief Jotaro is still reserved, but the strongest man he had ever known was crying
At that moment, Giorno knew, Jotaro wasn't the hero who beat DIO anymore. He was a father who was going through every parent's worst nightmare. After years and years of being the strong central pillar that everyone could rely on...
Jotaro Kujo had finally broke.
...
Johnny opened his eyes.
He was in a hospital room by the looks of it, and the first thing he noticed was that his sister was sitting next to him. "Jolyne?" She whipped around at the sound of her name. "Johnny, you're awake!" Jolyne wrapped her brother in a hug, surprising him. "Jeez Jolyne, knock it off. What happened?"
"You were shot, dumbass."
Johnny shook his head. "I know that, but what about Dad? Is he okay, did we win?"
Jolyne shook her head. "He's a mess. He isn't hurt, but he isn't taking this very well. I think this is the first time I have ever seen him cry. "
"Wait, Dad was crying?!"
"Yeah...he isn't doing very well."
"I'm going to see him." Johnny attempted to get up.
" Johnny, wai-"
Johnny toppled to the floor. "What?!" He tried to get up, but found that he could only support his torso. Then it dawned on him, and he glanced back at his useless legs in horror. "I-I can't move my legs!" Jolyne picked him up and put him back on the bed, but her brother appeared to be in shock. "Wh-why can't I move my legs?! Jolyne?!" Tears formed in the corners of Jolyne's eyes as she embraced her brother again. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She kept repeating over and over again as she squeezed him, desperately trying to console him. But for Johnny, everything had come crashing down. He stayed silent, tears streaming down his face as his sister sobbed into his shoulder. Everything he had ever worked for...
It was all for nothing.
...
Johnny was half asleep when a presence in the room woke him from his stupor. Jolyne had left to get a snack for him, so he had assumed she had returned. It wasn't until he actually looked that he saw who it was.
Tenya Iida stood in the doorway, and to say the engine quirk user was shocked would be an understatement. "JoJo?" Iida asked, quietly. "Oh hi Iida, I'm not surprised you're here first, considering now dedicated you are. "
Iida continued to stare. "JoJo, I had no idea you were here. I was just walking past when I saw you."
Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you here?"
"My brother...was attacked by a villain. I'm here for him..."
"Oh...well me and your brother are in the same boat I guess..."
"WHAT?!"
Johnny put a hand to his head. "Yare yare...I was attacked on the way home. One of my Dad's old enemies decided to target me."
"I'm so sorry, when are you going to be back in class?" Iida asked hopefully.
Johnny looked down, biting his lip to try and hold back tears. "I'm...not coming back Iida..."
"Wh-what?"
"My legs don't...work anymore. I-I can't be a h-hero in my condition. "
Iida stood frozen in the doorway, judging from his face, he looked utterly devastated. Then it contorted into anger, and Johnny watched as Iida punched the wall with astounding force.
"This is BULLSHIT!" Johnny was even further taken aback by Iida's choice of language. "WHAT IS MY LIFE?! MY BROTHER AND MY FRIEND BOTH CRIPPLED ON THE SAME DAY?!" Iida realized that he was making a scene, and tried his best to compose himself. "Sorry JoJo, it's just-"
"No need. You must be going through a lot right now, I'm sorry I added on to that."
"No no no no no, it's not your fault! I'm just...having a really bad day today. I-I just can't believe I'm not going to see you in class."
"Me too...I'm really going to miss you guys."
"Well, you're still going to be in town, right?"
Johnny remained silent, and that was all the answer Iida needed to know what was going on.
"Your father is sending you back to America, isn't he?"
Johnny nodded. "He said it was for my safety...I don't know when I'm coming back. I m-might never see you guys again..." Johnny was tearing up again. Iida shook his head. "I don't accept that. I'm contacting all of our classmates, and we are each going to take a turn giving you our contact information. Friends stick together, even if they are a continent away. I will go first."
Iida snatched Johnny's phone and entered his number, before handing it back to the paraplegic. Johnny looked at the phone, and then at Iida, and managed to let out a weak smile. "Thank you..."
Iida bowed his head, and walked out of the room briskly, almost bumping into Jolyne on his way out. His sister reentered the room carrying a good tray, a puzzled expression on her face. "Was that the kid that was used as an advertisement during the Sports Festival?" She asked, pointing her thumb in his direction. "Iida? Yeah. His brother was hurt, and he happened to see me in here." Jolyne hummed thoughtfully. "That's nice of him."
"Yeah...I'm going to have a lot of visitors."
...
That was exhausting.
Every single one of his classmates said something like "I'm sorry" or "I'll miss you" or "Crippled Bitch." ...Okay the last one was just Katsuki, but he actually showed up, so Johnny had admit it was progress. Then came Izuku. Never before had he seen Izuku so upset. Sure, he was a bit of a crybaby, but this was a whole new level of despair.
"Wh-what about our dream, JoJo? We w-were going to be heroes t-together!" Izuku said through his sobs. "I'm...afraid it's just your dream now. I can't be a part of it anymore. But I said it before, and I'll say it again: I believe in you. I always knew you were going to be a hero Izuku, but now...I know that you're going to be the best."
" J...JOJO! " Izuku cried out as he embraced his childhood friend. Johnny held him tight, feeling no shortage of pain at the prospect of saying goodbye to Izuku once more. Inko Midoryia stood in the doorway, and she was crying herself, having to witness her son say goodbye to his closest friend for what may be the final time. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and saw a blonde man with a face remarkably similar to Johnny's smiling at her. "Mrs. Midoryia, I'm Giorno Giovanna, Johnny's uncle. I don't mean to be rude, but after this can I talk with your son?"
"Oh, pleased to meet you. And yes, you can."
Giorno offered a quick nod as thanks, and turned his attention to the scene unfolding in front of him. "They really are pretty close, aren't they?"
Inko nodded. "Izuku was so happy that Johnny was back in his life...I don't know how he's going to handle it."
Giorno furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the two friends separate, and Izuku reluctantly made his way over. To be honest, I don't know how I'm going to handle it either...
...
"What is it, Mr. Giovanna?"
"No need for pleasantries, call me Giorno."
Izuku nodded. "Sure, Mr- Giorno. "
Giorno chuckled at the boy's dorkiness. "I'm here to discuss One For All."
Izuku's eyebrows raised. "You know about it too?" Giorno nodded. "Every member of the Joestar family knows, Midoryia. So if you ever need help and there is a Joestar around, you know what to do."
"Thanks sir!"
"Anyway, since Johnny is no longer going to be around to help you hide OFA, he is going to appoint someone else. Someone he trusts. I don't know who it is going to be, but they will reveal themselves to you in time."
"So someone still has my back?"
"Yep. I would keep an eye out for anybody that seems to be covering for you, just to know who your friends are."
"I will!"
The Italian nodded, and walked back to the waiting rooms. The next step on his list: try and get Jotaro out of the rut he was stuck in.
...
Johnny didn't even need to look to know who was visiting him now. "Hey Jiro..."
The purplette was speechless. She honestly didn't know what to say. One minute you're saying goodbye to your closest friend, and the next he's in the hospital with a dehabilitating back injury, and you're rushing as fast as you can to go see him, and when you finally do...he looks awful.
Jiro cleared her throat. "H-how are you?" How are you, really Kyoka?! It's obvious he isn't doing well. Johnny let out a weak laugh. "You aren't used to seeing me like this, huh?" Jiro shook her head. "Of course I'm not! I-I don't like seeing you like this."
"Crippled?"
"Defeated. You look like you've given up..."
"Well...I have."
Jiro was taken aback. He said that as if it wasn't a big deal! I can't believe this!
"Why?"
Johnny motioned to his legs. "Do you have eyes? What's the fucking point? I'm done, finished! There is absolutely no way I could ever hope to be worth anything now!"
"No JoJo...don't say stuff like that."
"Why not? It's true isn't it?! I'm useless, this injury that I've got, it's just karma for being stupid enough to believe I had a chance."
"You aren't useless!"
"Yes I am! Mother knows best right?!"
Johnny paused, he shouldn't have said that. Jiro's eyes were as wide as saucers. "She-she said that to you?!" Her voice had gone soft, a mix of shock and horror on her face.
Jolyne, who had unraveled her ear using Stone Free and was listening in, gritted her teeth in anger. That bitch...
Johnny looked down. "I spent my whole life trying to prove her wrong, but I ended up doing the opposite. I was an idiot, thinking I could be like my dad."
"JoJo, please stop."
"I mean, just look at Tusk! It couldn't even take a single jab from an earphone jack! You were already so much better than me! "
"JoJo, please. "
"My luck is shit! It's always been shit! Just when everything started looking up for me, it all come crashing down all around me. This always happens to me, I get my hopes up and they're always crushed. Maybe I would've been better off if Johngalli A. aimed for the hea-"
Johnny was cut off by a fist colliding with his jaw. He fell back, clutching at his jaw, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at Jiro.
"STOP IT! DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT SHIT IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN, UNDERSTAND?!"
Johnny could only stare as his friend began to break down, tears were now freely flowing down her normally aloof face. "STOP calling yourself useless! Did you forget that you saved my life? Who helped me train for the Sports Festival? Who has been helping me feel better about myself? Who has been encouraging me non-stop ever since we became friends? YOU. And for you to go and call yourself useless, after everything that you have done for me... "
Jiro wiped her face, sniffling.
"I can't stand it..."
Johnny rubbed his face. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't actually mean the head shot thing..."
That's when he felt her arms wrap around him, and Jiro rested her chin on his shoulder. "Don't apologize, just...remember that you are worth a lot more than you think. You're...the closest friend I've had in a long time, don't forget that. It doesn't matter if you lost your legs or not, because you're rockin' either way. You're still JoJo. So don't give up. Don't throw away your shot, JoJo."
Johnny couldn't hold it in anymore. He returned the embrace and sobbed. All the pent up frustration, everything his mother did, his hopes and dreams coming to a grinding halt, but most importantly leaving his friends, came gushing out of his tear ducts as he clung to the teenaged musician. And Jiro just held him, at that moment, she was his shoulder to cry on. "Th-thank you, Jiro..." Johnny said shakily.
"Kyoka...JoJo. Call me Kyoka. I think you've earned that."
"Okay, Kyoka."
Jolyne put her ear back into place. That girl was amazing, arguably one of the best things to happen to her brother in a long time.
And he was probably never going to see her again.
And then there was what Johnny said about their mother. Their mother hurt Johnny, that was a fact, but Johnny had internalized what she said to him. Her brother was not useless...not now, not ever.
Jolyne passed by a trash can, and she caught a glimpse of something blue inside. Jolyne peeked inside, and she saw something that made her feel ten times worse.
It was Johnny's hero costume, he had thrown it out. The blue trench coat was torn to shreds, clearly in a fit of pain and rage. Jolyne reached inside, and felt cool metal brush her fingers. Sleeping her hand around the metal, Jolyne pulled out the horseshoe that was normally attached to Johnny's belt. Jolyne stated at the horseshoe, a flood of memories coming back to her. Just a few months ago, she watched Johnny participate in a horse race, and he did fantastic. Jolyne pocketed the horseshoe and walked off to join her father.
...
"I'm really going to miss you..." Kyoka said. She was sitting on the side of Johnny's hospital bed, hands clasped together.
"Ditto."
Kyoka snorted. "We're in the middle of an emotional farewell, and all you can say is ditto? " Johnny gave her a half-hearted shrug. "I'm not really good with this kind of stuff."
Johnny seemed to be deep in thought, before he finally spoke up. "I was going to have an internship with the Speedwagon Foundation."
Kyoka glanced at him, and he was looking at her with a thoughtful expression. "I...I think I want you to have it." Kyoka's eyes widened. "JoJo...you can't just give-"
"They wanted you too, but they didn't have another spot. Until one opened pretty recently..."
Kyoka glanced down. "I-I don't know, I'll have to think about it."
"Well, if you want to be a good hero, this is an opportunity I wouldn't pass up. The hero I was going to work with is the best of the best, and he said your earphone jacks were really impressive. I wouldn't be surprised if he already had a few ideas on how you could improve. "
"JoJo, sometimes I just don't understand you."
"Hmm?"
"You've done so much for me, and I'm grateful and all, but why me in particular? Why offer me your internship? What did I do to deserve this?"
Johnny scratched the back of his head. "I...well, I realized that you and I had the same problem. Sure, my problems are a bit more complicated than yours but...I knew what it felt like. When you told me about the bullying, I could understand exactly what you were going through, because I've been going through the same thing since I was a little kid. I guess I thought, if I could help you...then maybe there would be some hope for me."
Kyoka shook her head. "This kind of stuff goes both ways, JoJo. You can't do all these nice things for me and expect me not to return your kindness. Now that I know how you feel...I'm going to help you as much as I can. Remember, you have my number, so...I'll take that internship, if you promise that you will call me if you have a problem, got it?"
Johnny nodded. "I'll try my best, but I'm a real piece of work, so you'll have to be patient with me."
"That's another thing we have in common."
The two teens laughed. Johnny felt like a bit of weight had been lifted of his shoulders. Kyoka just had that effect on him. It was bizarre, they started off disliking each other, and now...
Johnny just couldn't bring himself to say goodbye.
"Kyoka...I-if I never see you again.."
"Nope, you're not allowed to say that. You are. It doesn't matter how long you are in America, we'll find a way, friends always do. This isn't goodbye, it's...I'll see you after an undetermined amount of time."
Johnny chuckled. "Alright, I can accept that."
Kyoka got up. "Well, I'm sure there are people waiting to see you, and I don't want to hold them up. Stay in touch, alright?"
"You can count on it." Johnny smiled. Kyoka pulled him in for another hug, which he returned, and walked out the door, giving Johnny one last reassuring smile before exiting the room.
"Wait, Kyoka!"
Said girl stuck her head back in. "Yeah?"
"I might need you to do something for me, something important."
Kyoka nodded. "Sure, what is it?"
Johnny looked her dead in the eye, his face had become serious. "What I'm about to say can't leave this room. You see, when I entered U.A, I was given a task to complete. Since I'm leaving, I can't do it anymore, so..."
"You want me to finish it?"
"Yeah...I think I should tell you about One For All..."
...
Johnny wheeled towards his great grandfather, and the first thing he noticed was the old man's somber expression. Joseph looked at Johnny. "I always wanted you to come back and visit me...but not like this." Johnny looked down, his eyebrows connecting at the top. "That makes two of us."
"Johnny!"
Johnny turned to see his father walking towards him. Jotaro's hat was off, revealing his graying hair. Jolyne was walking by his side, carrying a big bag over Stone Free's shoulder. Jotaro walked up and pulled his son in for a hug. "I'm sorry Johnny, I failed you."
"No, you didn't."
Jotaro let out a dry chuckle. "I just wanted to let you know...I'm not pushing you away. I made that mistake once, and I'm not doing that again. You're going to come back Johnny, I promise. Once I'm sure it is safe, I'll pick you up right away." Johnny nodded, he felt a little better. It wasn't permanent, he would come back home. Jolyne tossed something in his lap, and Johnny looked to see his horseshoe. "You really thought you could leave without your lucky horseshoe?" Johnny picked it up. "You know my balls still work thanks to Uncle Giorno, right? If you had thrown it a bit farther."
"It would've been hilarious."
Jolyne proceeded to throw the entire bag at him, knocking his wheelchair over. "GUH! JOLYNE!"
"Presents from your classmates." Jotaro said.
"Oh..."
Johnny opened the bag, and found a lot of assorted items, but one stood out in particular. Johnny reached inside and pulled it out.
It was a light blue beanie, covered in purple stars. There was a note attached to it, which read:
JoJo,
I just wanted to say thanks again, for everything. I'm not going to beat around the bush, you've inspired me to be better. I may not be all that confident in myself, but I can tell that you set me on the right path. You're a hero, JoJo, because you helped save me from myself. So, I thought I'd get you something to say thank you. And don't worry about Midoryia, I'll take good care of him. I think it fits your style, it can go with your pajamas!
Don't forget, you promised to call me, so if you don't I'll kill you.
Thanks for Everything,
Kyoka
Johnny smiled, and slipped the hat on. He then took the horseshoe and clipped it on the front. Jolyne smiled. "Looks good on you."
Joseph opened the door to the Speedwagon Foundation plans they were taking. A ramp descended downwards. "We better get going. " Johnny saved to his father and sister as he wheeled himself into the plane, and they waved back, with Jotaro shedding another tear at his son's departure. I'll make everything better, so you can come back. I promise.
...
Johnny was sitting next to Joseph, browsing on his phone. He was scrolling through the news section, apparently some guy named Funny Valentine was elected president. That's when something caught his eye:
Steel Ball Run:
The Steel Ball Run is an ambitious project that involves a race across America. Jockeys from all over the world are competing for 10 million dollars. There is a 1,250 dollar entrance fee, for all interested.
Johnny didn't understand, but he felt drawn to this race.
"Hey Gramps...Can you sign me up for something?"
