Childiskill: Thank you! As for your questions, this continuity is different from both the Phantom Blood and Steel Ball Run universes respectively. While yes, Johnny is an alternate version of Johnathan, the Johnny in this story isn't necessarily Johnny Joestar. He is a character who just happens to go through the same things the original Johnny did. The plot of this universe never stopped after Stone Ocean, it's continuing on, Steel Ball Run takes place almost a year after Stone Ocean in this continuity. Think of it as a way to bring the two universes together.
As for how Johnny knows about Pucci, Jolyne told him about what happened in the prison, and the reason Jolyne isn't called Irene is because Stone Ocean had a slightly different ending, one in which Giorno Giovanna intervened, and Jolyne and Jotaro never died.
Mathew Mercer: ...good grief.
PhantomKnightPercival: I'm afraid they are not. The race is in America, while class 1A is in Japan. The only way they could watch the race is online, and unfortunately they don't know he is racing. They will eventually, though, after the race reaches a certain island...
Gyro: It was really only a matter of time. You are my favorite JoBro after all...
The Incomparable Tim Curry: Maybe he will, maybe he won't... Also that is a kickass username, I love it.
Joseph Joestar paced back and forth, his mind racing through many possible theories as his face adopted a nervous expression. Gyro had offered to help Johnny, and the way he walked...it was just like Ceasar. Gyro was a Zeppeli, that was for certain, he took Johnny under his wing. The question is...how? Ceasar died young, there was no way he had any kids.
Then again...he was quite the ladies man. Nah, Ceasar wasn't the type to be irresponsible like that. Joseph wracked his brain, recalling Caesar's backstory. He was living with his father and his siblings...
Siblings.
Joseph completely forgot that Ceasar had siblings. Now he felt stupid, the Zeppeli line was far from over. Waves of guilt washed over Joseph. He should've tried to find them, console them, let them know how much Ceasar meant to him. And now, Gyro was helping his great-grandson...and DIO's son was involved...
Why did Joseph feel as though Johnny was about to go on his own bizarre adventure?
Joseph scratched his beard, and then he briskly walked over to his coat rack and grabbed his hat and coat, putting them on. He snatched his clackers from the fireplace, and ripped his old Tommy gun off the wall. He brought his hand up, watching as Hermit Purple wrapped around his non-mechanical hand. If Johnny is in trouble, then I'm going to be there to help! I'll be there to protect him, no matter what! Joseph made a fist.
Joseph threw open the door, ignoring the fact that he ripped it clean off it's hinges, and marched to his car.
...
Izuku was stressed.
He wasn't the only one, the whole class was uncharacteristically quiet, even Kaachan wasn't yelling nearly as much. Kirishima wasn't nearly as sunny, and Ashido wasn't gossiping. Izuku turned his attention to Jiro, and saw that she was staring at her phone with a sad, almost longing look. Upon closer inspection, he saw that she was listening to "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac. Izuku felt a stab of pain in his heart, as he knew why everyone was acting differently.
This was their first class without JoJo.
Aizawa cleared his throat. "I'm sure you are all still recovering from Kujo's departure. To be honest, out of all the students I thought I would have to remove from the hero course, he wasn't one of them. And as you probably already know, Dr. Kujo has taken an extended leave of absence. We don't know when he'll be back. So for now, I'd like to introduce you to his substitite."
Giorno Giovanna entered the room. "JoJo's uncle! Are you our sub? " Mina asked, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. "I'm afraid not, I'm not suited for teaching. But he is." Giorno motioned to the desk, where a turtle was sat. Suddenly, a tiny man with a hairdo resembling a chef's hat popped out of the turtle's back, startling the class. "Hello! I am Jean Pierre Polnareff! I am an old friend of Jotaro's, and I will be taking over for him while he recovers. I was with him when he defeated DIO, so I can be a primary source for this stuff. "
"Who's DIO?" Kaminari asked.
Polnareff looked confused, before Aizawa leaned over and explained. "They only got to the Pillar Men so far, they haven't learned about famous vampires yet."
"Ah...well you will learn who he is eventually. Let's just say...he was a pretty big villain. Like, taking over the world big. "
"Okay!"
Momo's hand shot up. "Yes?"
"I'm sorry if this is a bit off topic, but why are you inside a turtle?"
Polnareff grinned nervously. "Well, that's an interesting story..."
...
Izuku was walking by himself, muttering as he always did. He wanted to be alone. Mr. Polnareff was cool and all, but he couldn't distract Izuku from that feeling of loneliness that he had ever since Johnny left. Sure, Uraraka and Iida were his friends too, but Johnny had left a void in his life, one that couldn't be filled by his two friends.
"Midoryia."
Izuku glanced to the right and saw, to his suprise, that Jiro was walking next to him. "J-Jiro! W-what's up?" Izuku asked. Despite the fact that he and Uraraka had gotten close, he still had trouble talking to girls. "Nothing really, just noticed that you were walking alone, so I decided to join you."
"Y-yeah, b-but we haven't t-talked much, s-so-"
Jiro sighed. May as well get straight to the point... "Look, I'm feeling it too, okay? It isn't the same without JoJo. I'm...I'm dealing with it as much as you are, and...I don't think he would like his childhood friend walking around by himself."
Izuku looked down. "Thank you." Izuku looked like he wanted to say more, so Jiro nodded to indicate that he could continue. "When he moved away...the first time...I was so sad. He was one of the few people who didn't look down on me. He supported me when no one else would, a-and then he was gone. I felt vunerable, afraid, an easy target. When I saw him at U.A, it was like a breath of fresh air after years of drowning, and now... "
Izuku blinked back tears, and Jiro put a hand on his shoulder. "JoJo is still looking out for you, Midoryia, even now. I know that to be a fact."
Izuku paused as he remembered his conversation with Giorno in the hospital. He turned to Jiro. "You're the person JoJo told, aren't you?" Jiro nodded. "I'm going to be there in his stead, it's the least I could do, after everything that he did to help me. He put his faith in me...so I'm going to help you Midoryia, no matter what!"
Izuku teared up. "Thank you, Jiro...I can already tell that JoJo made the right choice." Jiro smiled as she and Izuku walked together, a friendship blossoming due to their shared bond with a certain Joestar.
...
Gyro brought out his map, glancing at it as he furrowed his brow in concentration. "Alright Johnny, we have two options, and I might need your input." Johnny was taking a swig from his flask, so he guided Slow Dancer over to the Italian. Gyro pointed at the map. "We have the longer route, which has more spots to get water for our horses, or we have the shorter route, which will give us a leg up in the race, but it only has a single water source. Which one do you think we should take?"
Johnny scratched underneath his hat as he searched his brain, before coming to a decision. "I think we should take the shorter route, but we take the first half of it slowly, that way our horses don't run out of gas before we get to the water, then we take the rest a bit faster. The path is short enough to get a substantial lead either way." Gyro nodded. "That's a pretty good idea, Johnny, you're a smart guy. Speaking of which, have you been practicing with that cork? "
Johnny nodded, and opened his hand to reveal that he could now spin the cork at will. Gyro smirked. "Good, you're a fast learner. The trick is, you can't think of it like Hamon. You're still transitioning from Hamon to Spin, eventually, you should be able to go right to Spin."
Johnny nodded as the two jockeys took the shorter path. Gyro glanced at Johnny. "So...should we tell each other a little bit about ourselves? If we're going to be traveling together, we should know stuff so we can coordinate, y'know?"
Johnny scratched his chin. "Not a bad idea, mind if I start with a question?"
"You just did. "
"Very funny, anyway...what has the Zeppeli family been up to? I mean, the last we heard of you guys was 1939..."
Gyro frowned. "We became employed by the Italian government. Caesar's brother, Mario Zeppeli the II, invented the Spin from Hamon, and the government wanted to use it for...humane executions. "
"Huh?!"
"The Zeppeli family became executioners, because the Spin can numb the body to pain, hence we could give criminals a painless death. Personally, I think execution is a waste of the Spin's potential, but I'm not in charge, so... "
Johnny hummed thoughtfully. "I mean, I get where you're coming from. You were already doing some incredible things with it during the first stage. It could definitely benefit society in more ways than just killing people."
"Right?! It's so fucking stupid! Hell, maybe I could have been in U.A with you if my father wasn't holding me back! He's always like, 'heroes aren't worth it, Gyro. Our work is more important.' HOW?! I mean, I get that we're keeping the villains off the streets but, executioners are useless unless someone is sending the villains there! "
"Yeah, I completely understand. Your old man is a hypocrite."
"THANK YOU!" Gyro looked relieved.
"Actually, I have the opposite problem. I am trying too hard to follow in my father's footsteps. That's why I was trying to become a hero...well, if you couldn't tell from looking at my legs, I could never really compare to him, could I? "
Gyro glanced at his new friend, a sad, forlorn look on his face as he looked off into the setting sun. He had already taken a liking to the paraplegic Joestar, and since they were going to be traveling together...
Gyro was going to help Johnny believe in himself.
"Look, I know I just met you and all...but I can already tell you're a good guy. I saw what you did during the first stage, when Diego threw a knife at Valkyrie. You didn't even hesitate to save me from what would have been a nasty tumble. That's something a real hero would do..."
If he is going to be my ally...I may as well tell him why I'm here...
"I'm actually here to save someone."
Johnny looked at Gyro in surprise as the Italian continued. "You see, there's this kid, and he has a really dangerous quirk. He has to release a poison gas from his body in order to survive, and he accidentally hurt a few people. It wasn't his fault, it's out of his control, but he was still arrested. They treated him like a villain...but he is such a nice kid. He...he is supposed to be my first execution. But I can't kill someone, especially a little kid, for something that isn't his fault. So I entered in this race, the 10 million should be more than enough to pay his bail. Then I would use the rest to try and find a way to control his quirk, so he wouldn't hurt people anymore. That's why I need to win this race... "
"Gyro...that's one of the most heroic things I have ever heard." Gyro looked up at his friend. "Really?" Johnny nodded. "Your intentions...they are admirable as hell. A hero's job is to save people, and that's exactly what you are doing. To be honest, I don't think you're cut out to be an executioner, not with a noble heart like that."
Gyro blinked. Johnny had basically just told him something he wanted to hear for all his life. He could be a hero. His father had always rejected the idea, and heavily pushed Gyro into following in his footsteps. And then there was this paraplegic guy that he only met a few hours ago, telling him that he had the heart of a hero.
"Gyro..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm going to help you win this race. It's the least I could do, after you decided to teach me the Spin and all..."
Gyro grinned. This guy was really starting to grow on him. "Nyo ho! Alright then, a partnership it is! We will get first and second place, you and me!"
Johnny returned the smile. "Yeah, let's do this."
...
Jotaro was sitting at a bar, feeling like shit. He could only stare at the news article headline on his phone, silently dying on the inside.
Ex-Wife of Dr. Jotaro Kujo speaks out! Jotaro Kujo: U.A teacher, or CHILD ABUSER?
Jotaro angrily slammed his phone on the bar, earning a few looks from some of the patrons. He already had to deal with Johnny getting hurt, and now Susan had crawled out of her hole at the worst time, accusing him of a crime that she committed. His life was crashing down all around him, and now that he was vulnerable, he could only take so much. Jotaro reluctantly picked up his now cracked phone and continued reading the article.
Susan Cujoh, Dr. Kujo's ex-wife and the mother of his two children, made interesting claims following the unfortunate attack on her son. "Jotaro was always putting the children in danger, when she was younger, my daughter went to jail for stealing a car, and he didn't even think about paying her bail! Then she was locked in prison again! She got hurt in there! But since he helped her clear her name, she thinks that he loves her. And then there's Johnny, my youngest. He kept me away from my baby for years..." At this point, Ms. Cujoh began to cry. "And then I heard that he was suddenly crippled for life! Jotaro is not taking care of my children...I just want to see them again."
Dr. Kujo has taken a break from teaching at U.A, presumably to grieve, although now it could be that he is once again hiding from his responsibility. Many are saying that Dr. Kujo shouldn't return-
Jotaro buried his head in his arms, his grief and anger were overwhelming him. That bitch has no right to call Johnny her baby...NO RIGHT!
...
"Yare yare daze..." Johnny muttered as he adjusted his binoculars. "Gyro...I think someone is following us." His Italian friend snatched the binoculars from Johnny, and gritted his teeth in annoyance. "I think you're right Johnny, that guy has been tailing us for a while now." The mysterious man suddenly picked up speed, charging at them across the desert on his horse. "Yep, that's a bad guy, definitely a bad guy!" Gyro exclaimed as he and Johnny prodded their horses to go faster.
"What the hell does he want?! Why is he chasing us?! " Johnny yelled. "I wish I could tell you, Johnny, but I'm just as clueless as you." Gyro said, when suddenly a buzzing sound was heard, followed by the sound of projectiles hitting flesh as Gyro clutched at his ear, revealing several tiny little holes had been pierced through it.
"Merda! If I wanted my ears pierced, I would have gone to the mall!"
"You're making jokes?!"
Suddenly, more projectiles shot out, and Johnny quickly raised his arms in a protective position, wincing in pain as several of them stabbed into his arms. Johnny glanced at his bloodied up forearm, and saw what they were being attacked by. "Cactus needles?! He's shooting cactus needles at us!"
Gyro observed the area. "There! Those cacti over there! They're called Cholla, and they shoot their needles out when someone gets close!"
"But how? No one's over there."
"Oh, but someone is!"
Johnny and Gyro whipped around, the mysterious man had caught up with them, a wicked smile on his face. "The name is Mrs. Robinson, I'm the man who's going to kill you."
"Where's Mr. Robinson? "
"Shut up! Someone really wants you dead, Zeppeli, and they are gonna pay me a while lot to turn you into a pincushion!"
"Aww, you hear that Johnny, I got a secret admirer." Gyro taunted.
More cactus needles hammered into Gyro's back, causing him to almost topple off his horse. Johnny returned fire with Tusk, but Robinson ducked out of the way as cactus needle shot from Johnny's left. "How the hell?!" Johnny yelled, ducking his head and protecting his face as the needles pierced through his clothing. The impact sent Johnny tumbling off of Slow Dancer and onto the ground. He quickly searched the area for an explanation, he was causing the cholla to fire needles from multiple directions, but how was he doing it? Then he saw it. It was a beetle, no...lots of beetles, they were deliberately flying towards the cactus at just the right angles, causing the cacti to fire at the two jockeys. "Gyro! He's using bugs!"
Mrs. Robinson laughed. "So you figured it out! You wanna see my quirk?" The assassin pulled on his top eyelid, and beetles flew out of his eye socket, much to Johnny's disgust. "Eye pockets! I keep my beetle's in there, and I have trained them to kill! You two are surrounded, so I would suggest offing yourselves now, instead of getting slowly pricked to death! "
Gyro grinned. "Well...the three of us are certainly in a pickle, aren't we?"
Robinson frowned. "Three?"
That's when a volley of needles pierced Robinson square in the face, the assassin falling to the ground screaming in pain. A steel ball returned to Gyro's hand, he must have sneakily thrown it earlier when he was hit. "You were standing near the cholla too, dumbass. All I had to do was throw a steel ball near a few. Beaten by your own battle strategy...must be humiliating."
Johnny spun onto his horse, brushing himself off, when he felt an odd sensation in his left arm. He looked down, and his knuckles were slightly larger. It almost felt as though something went inside my arm...
Johnny shrugged, it was probably just post-fight jitters.
...
Johnny's phone rang.
Gyro was busy starting the fire when it went off, and his friend was busy taking a leak in the bushes. "JOHNNY! YOUR PHONE 'S RINGING!"
"Answer it for me, will you? I'll be right there."
Gyro sighed and picked up the phone. "Hello? Johnny's phone, this is his handsome Italian friend speaking. "
"Oh...umm hi." It was a female voice by the sound of it.
Awkward silence passed between both caller and callee as Gyro patiently waited for Johnny to hurry up. "So...where is JoJo?" The girl in the other side of the call finally asked. "Taking a piss, although it sounds like he found a few more cactus needles..." Gyro responded. Johnny had grunted in pain from behind the bushes.
"Cactus needles?" The girl responded, sounding worried. "Oh, well what do you know, there he is! He can explain what happened." Gyro abruptly handed the phone to Johnny. "Hello?"
...
"Okay, so I have a few questions." Kyoka stated as she sat on her bed, twiddling her earphone jack. She had decided to call him first, since he was probably still depressed from the other day. "Where are you right now? That Italian guy said you were covered in cactus needles."
"In the middle of the desert."
"Why?"
She could hear him sigh over the phone. "I entered a horse race, called the Steel Ball Run. It's a cross country race across America. Gyro is traveling with me, don't worry he's someone I can trust."
Kyoka frowned. Johnny had moved onto something new rather fast. "JoJo, I don't want to come across like I'm doubting you, but don't you think you're trying to recover a little too soon? I mean, you were kind of a mess just a few days ago."
"Don't worry Kyoka, I'm not in denial or anything. It'll take time, I know that. It's just that, I felt drawn to this race, like iron to a magnet. I can't really explain it, but I felt like I had to participate, y'know?"
Kyoka snorted. "Are you trying to tell me it was fate or something? Because that's just corny."
"No...okay well maybe. I don't know, I'm just here."
Kyoka suddenly remembered that she had something to tell him. "I picked out my hero name today."
"Really, what was it?"
"Earphone Jack."
She swore she could almost hear Johnny smile. "Finally embracing your quirk, huh?"
Kyoka flushed with embarrassment. "W-well, you told me my quirk was cool, so I decided to just roll with it."
"Kyoka, the name suits you. I'm proud of you."
Kyoka smiled, she really didn't believe the name was all that special, but she trusted Johnny's judgement. "JoJo...I'm sorry if this is painful and all, but I feel like I have to know...what was your hero name going to be?"
"You just said it. "
"Oh."
"It was going to be the Bullseye Hero: JoJo. But, looks like it's just normal old JoJo now..."
Kyoka looked down. She could hear the sadness in her friend's voice, and it wasn't like the devastation she saw at the hospital. It was a sadness that came from acceptance.
"Well, 'normal old JoJo' was already pretty super to me."
There was silence on the other end, until Johnny spoke up. "Thank you, Kyoka...I really needed to hear that. I-I would give you a hug if I was there."
Kyoka nodded. "Well, you'll always have me, JoJo, even if you're a continent away. You have all of us. Even if you're not in the hero course anymore, you will always be a part of class 1A."
"I know."
Kyoka heard her father calling for her. "I've got to go, dinners ready, but I'll catch up with you later."
"Bye Kyoka, and thank you, again."
"You're my best friend JoJo, it's really no problem." Kyoka said as she hung up. She turned around, only to see her mother standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face. "So...who is he?" Mika Jiro asked, her smirk mirroring her daughters. "H-he's just a friend Mom, don't get any funny ideas!" Kyoka retorted, flushing red. Mika laughed, "Relax honey, I'm teasing you. That's the boy that got hurt, right?"
Kyoka nodded. "It's really sweet of you to check up on him. He must be going through a lot." Mika said. That's when she noticed that her daughter looked concerned, almost sad. "Yeah, he really is."
