Bearticguy7: I like that idea!
cjreeve404: I really needed Anasui to be a bit murdery, it's been a while.
Kosaku Valentine: I really try to keep it from being all doom and gloom, you know? A few lighthearted chapters here and there to keep the story fun.
Euphoria: Setsuna is canonically a pretty good tactician, unfortunately, her brain is sort of working against her thanks to jealousy. People often aren't entirely rational in these scenarios, especially in high school.
That being said, she will be getting an ass kicking.
Kyeo307: I always try to do lighthearted chapters after concluding a serious arc, although there will be threats in the future.
Jpx0999: I'm leaning into the bizzare even more than before! Although some of those events have already happened...at least until I get to the holiday again.
Guest: I'm keeping up with the manga, yes. I don't want to spoil anything for anime-onlies though. Besides, my story is already starting to deviate from MHA canon. Anyway, Jotaro's "girlfriend" has been hinted at a few times, but I can't just reveal it right off the bat.
Also, she doesn't actually appear in Stardust Crusaders, but in the realm of this story she attended the same school. That much I will reveal. As for Eyes of Heaven...I don't think it would work for this story, it seems more like a JoJo exclusive thing.
boy: I'm happy someone got it.
Dumpstertrashfire123: I'm glad you liked it! I wanted to make it both wholesome and entertaining.
FinchFlyingAce: Ulric will have a lasting impact on the rest of the story. Any further growth the heroes, particularly Momo, have, will be a result of his actions. As for Setsuna...misunderstandings after misunderstandings will lead to the rivalry between the two girls becoming a bit...spicier. Perhaps the exposure of a certain long-running relationship...
"JoJo...why are you always covered in blood?" Momo asked, pinching the bridge of her nose as the Joestar in question entered the common room, soaked.
Johnny raised a finger, and put it back down, unable to come up with a reasonable response.
The ravenette sighed, motioning with her finger, and led Johnny over to the kitchen sink. "You're lucky you ran into me instead of Kyoka, she would have dragged you over here and sprayed you down herself. What happened?"
Johnny finished spraying the blood off of his face, and sighed. "Believe it or not, I didn't get into a fight to the death this time."
"Shocking."
"I know...well, I was still attacked, but it was done with the intent to humiliate me. This guy from general studies was pissed because his crush liked me, so he decided to dump a bucket of pig's blood on me."
"...Isn't that the plot of Stephen King's Carrie?"
"Yeah, except I didn't go on a telekinetic rampage. I'm just...annoyed more than anything." Johnny muttered, wiping his face with a paper towel. "Still, I bet he was put off by how nonchalant I am about the whole thing."
"Did you catch the culprit?"
"Not yet, I only have the gender and a motive. Honestly, not even worth my time."
"Unless he tries again." Momo commented, and chuckled to herself. "At least it was pig's blood, and not yours, like I said earlier, Kyoka would've been all over you."
"Kyoka would hunt the guy down and give him a verbal assault so bad, his poor feelings would never recover." Johnny said with a smirk. "So...how are you holding up?"
Momo winced, not expecting the question, something that Johnny noticed.
"Hey...if you don't want to talk about it-"
"No...no that's not it. Sorry...I guess I'm...still recovering from the whole ordeal. I mean...we unraveled a mystery, I went through significant personal growth, I was tortured...and then I had to say goodbye to the man I looked up to." Momo said, rubbing her arms as she sat next to her bloody friend on the couch. "I...I've come to terms with a few things too..."
"...what the Curator did to you was horrible, YaoMomo. I don't think I would've spared her if I was in your position."
"I almost didn't."
The two sat in silence for a while. There was a question that Momo needed to ask, one that only Johnny could answer. She remembered when he consoled her after Ulric exposed her apparent lack of ideals at the Gala...he understood what it was like, to go through a crisis like she did. The others could only offer sympathy, but Johnny offered more than that, he offered legitimate advice.
"Did you...ever feel anxious when you aren't around our friends?"
Johnny's green eyes shifted over to meet hers, and she saw a little more than just concern within them. They looked sad, haunted...
"Absolutely."
"Then you know what my problem is...when I was alone inside the Curator's mansion, starving...all I could think about was you guys. I didn't care about the starvation, it was the isolation that almost broke me. Just thinking about it makes me..." Momo put her head in her hands, while Johnny remained silent beside her.
"I get it." The former jockey said after a while.
"I know you do...that's why I'm telling you. I'm not too familiar with the details of your past like Kyoka is...but I do know that you would be the best person to come to for this. You'd understand better than anybody else...so I have to ask, how do you recover from something like this?"
"You don't...not really. You can only...move on." Johnny said, honestly. "Try to mend the wounds in any way you can...talk to friends and family, vent about your problems to those who will listen...just continue to surround yourself with the people who love you...that's what works for me."
Momo nodded, and her gaze turned to the window. "I wanted to patch things up with my parents...after they withdrew their request. I...I wanted to tell them how I felt, about my separation anxiety..."
"I hear a 'but' coming."
"They left."
The ravenette's voice cracked as soon as she came clean. Two words were all she needed to say for Johnny to get the message. Her parents had left before she could tell them how she felt, about her abandonment issues.
The irony was not lost on Johnny, but it was far from amusing.
"They raised the smartest member of our group...and yet...they are denser than the Angelo Stone. I'm sorry, YaoMomo."
"It's...fine. I can only hope that they will see the mistakes they've made one day, and rectify them." Momo said, still staring at the window. "It's not like they would understand the ordeal I just went through. Still, I've come to terms with how I really feel about the whole situation...and ironically...it was thanks to the torture."
"My only friend outside of school was a mouse, you know. Back when I was living with Cummings."
Momo turned her head to see Johnny was looking right at her, his expression one of understanding. "A...a mouse?"
"I had Izuku and Katsuki at school, and Jolyne at home whenever that bitch would let us play together...but most of the time it was me and my pet mouse, Danny." Johnny said. "Then...Cummings set a mouse trap under my bed...and I...well...I know how you feel."
"...disgusting woman..." Momo said after processing what Johnny had just told her. "Murdering your own child's pet, when he had little else...I'm beginning to understand why Kyoka is so bitter whenever she is brought up."
"Well, their fight was...pretty bloody too. You aren't the only member of the group that has been tortured either...we should make little badges."
"That's a little too morbid for my tastes...what that woman did to you shouldn't be compared to my feelings. I had a lonely childhood, yes, but it was comfortable. I wasn't abused like you, my parents loved me...I was just...expected to learn how to be independent."
"I'm just saying that I understand what isolation can do to somebody. We, as humans, are social animals...even introverts like me. We all need companionship in one way or another...during the Steel Ball Run, I lied to my friends back home, pushed them away...I tried my hardest to isolate myself, and I almost lost who I was." Johnny said, wincing.
"Well, you had your dreams crushed, and Valentine was trying to kill you. Not to mention all of the trouble your mother was stirring up at home. The world was refusing to give you a break." Momo replied, expressing her sympathy.
"...Kyoka screamed at me, after the duel with Ringo Roadagain...and I mean she really screamed at me. I think that was the only time she has ever been truly angry with me...because I was scaring her. I'm...still ashamed, of the way I treated her and Izuku back then..."
"She never mentioned that."
"She's...ashamed too. She said some things she didn't mean...we hurt each other. It...it was my fault though, not hers. Isolation does terrible things to people, did terrible things to me. The Steel Ball Run was both my greatest adventure...and my darkest days. If Gyro hadn't been there, if he hadn't stuck by me...I'd be dead, inside and out."
"I guess I should be grateful...I could've had it much worse." Momo said, and turned to Johnny. "Thank you...both for sharing and for listening to my troubles. You're a good friend, Johnny Kujo...we're always hanging out with Gyro and Kyoka, because they are our respective best friends/ partners...but not each other. I think we should fix that."
"We should...do you want to hear a more entertaining story?" Johnny asked, a soft smile on his face. "I'd hate to leave you with a downer."
"I'll brew some tea and make myself comfortable...and I'm sure you'd like some coffee." Momo replied with a smirk."
Johnny snorted, at this point it was obvious to everyone who knew him that he was a caffeine addict. "Thank you. So...while we were investigating the Doctor and Paradise City...before Uraraka was taken...I may have had a...side op of sorts."
"Side op? Why do I have a feeling you're about to tell me something that would make Kyoka frustrated?" Momo asked with a knowing look.
The Joestar played her a very Joseph-esque grin. "Oh, she'd kill me."
"JOOOOHNNNNY!"
"GRANDMA, HOLY SHIT!"
Holly Joestar Kujo crushed her grandson in a hug, almost choking him out on the spot.
"Grandma...choking...can't breathe...Grandma..."
Holly let go, putting her hand to her mouth. "Oh dear...I'm sorry, I guess I got a little carried away! It's been so long since I've seen you! Look at you, you look just like your father!"
Holly pinched Johnny's cheek, annoying the the former jockey, but he knew better than to take it out on her. His grandmother was pure of heart, so much so that she couldn't even handle owning a Stand.
She was no fighter, only a hugger. Something that Johnny couldn't help but appreciate.
Holly was the embodiment of the kindness that was a staple of being a Joestar, she upheld the family legacy without ever lifting a finger towards an enemy. For that, his grandmother had nothing but his utmost respect.
"That is so sweet!" Momo exclaimed, taking a sip of her tea.
"It's the truth. Violence isn't really the Joestar legacy, but rather our effect on the people around us." Johnny said, shrugging. "We inspire people, although we each have our reasons for doing so. It's the one thing that every Joestar has in common. My grandmother is no exception to that rule."
"It almost sounds like the red string of fate."
"You have no idea how accurate that statement is."
"So...I heard a rumor..." Holly began.
"Yes Grandma, I have a girlfriend."
Holly made a noise that Johnny could only describe as 'proud grandma screech', and clapped her hands together. "Papa was telling me all about her! He even showed me a video of her song during your Cultural Festival! She is so pretty!"
"Yeah...she is. She is also quite efficient at teasing me." Johnny responded.
"That means she likes you."
"Oh, I know, that's something you don't need to assure me of. So...what about you?"
Holly sighed. "I'm afraid I'm running low on cash at the moment, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get Jolyne a wedding present."
Johnny stopped. "Why? You've always been in a pretty good spot. Did you ask the Speedwagon Foundation for some? Their whole job is to support our family, so it shouldn't be much of a hassle for them to send some cash your way."
"No...I don't really want to burden them."
"Dad?"
"Oh no. If your father was alerted to this, he might go overboard. He did travel all the way to Egypt just to save me, and he would do it again in a heartbeat."
"Grandma...what happened?" Johnny asked, his expression turning serious. "Because it sounds like someone took your money."
Holly grimaced. "I...may have been..tricked...into giving someone money."
"...who do I have to beat up?"
"Johnny...please don't. I'd feel guilty if someone got hurt for me." Holly pleaded with her grandson. "I'm willing to let bygones be bygones...I'll just be more careful next time."
"Okay, let me rephrase that. Who do I have to respectfully ask to return your money?" Johnny asked.
"Johnny-"
"I promise, I won't hurt anybody unless the situation calls for it. Who do I have to ask?"
"Someone scammed your grandmother...and this was in the middle of our investigation?" Momo asked, raising an eyebrow. "JoJo...did you track down this scammer on top of helping us with the main crisis?"
"That's...why Kyoka would be mad. If she knew that I essentially doubled my own workload without asking for help...well..."
"You'd be getting a very stern talking to." Momo finished with a smile. "JoJo...you really should have asked someone to do it with you."
"I would've...but honestly? It just seemed like a task I could do by myself. I simply didn't need help." Johnny responded. "Just a...neat little side mission, and it didn't really take too long."
"And...I trust that you kept your promise to your grandmother, right?" Momo said, an amused smirk on her face, already knowing the answer.
"...to the best of my ability."
"You didn't keep it at all, did you?"
"...I intended to, but he drew first blood!" Johnny protested. "He started it!"
Momo giggled. "You sound like a child after a fight on the playground."
Johnny took a sip of his coffee, a grumpy expression on his face, amusing Momo further. Now she understood why Kyoka enjoyed 'moody JoJo', it was pretty entertaining to watch.
"He did though..."
"I believe you...by the way, you're getting pig blood on the couch."
"This is far from the first time this couch has had blood on it." Johnny retorted, setting his mug down. "Anyway...you weren't the only person doing some detective work. I borrowed my grandmother's phone and found the number that had swindled her, and after a while I managed to trace it back to a construction site in East Mustafu, near Ken-Obi street."
"Ah, I've heard of it...it's supposed to be a commercial building...why is it that everything in our city sounds like names from Star Wars?" Momo asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I can't be the only person who's noticed that."
"Maybe someone is a fan?"
"Alright buddy, where are you?" Johnny muttered to himself. He was wearing a black variant of his normal hero costume, with a horseshoe that was painted a dull silver.
This was his Night Suit. While he really didn't need to do anything other than retreat into his wormholes to remain mostly unseen, he couldn't stay in them forever. Considering that he normally wore white...
It was best to just swap it with black whenever night time came around. An idea that Kyoka proposed to him, but didn't know he had actually implemented. He planned to surprise her with it...
"Why a black suit? I think the white and blue is pretty good for me."
"It's practical."
"And?"
"Well...it'd be kinda hot..."
Johnny snorted upon recalling Kyoka's true reasoning behind the idea, but he also couldn't deny that it was useful. Besides, he wanted to see the look on her face when he actually used it.
May as well take it for a test run.
Ken-Obi street...heh...I have the high ground. Johnny thought to himself with a smirk. He was currently perched on top of one of the stores. Gyro would appreciate that.
"Yes...you see, my wife has a tumor in her brain...she only has so much time left. Please...if you can find it in your heart to help me pay for her hospital bills...all it would be is ¥2,676,800."
That's an equivalent of $20,000. Johnny thought with a scowl. Such an unreasonable price...and he's using a sob story to earn sympathy points. No wonder Grandma fell for his shit...she's too kind. Even if she expected it to be a scam...she donated the money based on the chance that it wasn't, purely out of the kindness of her heart.
He'll pay for taking advantage of that kindness.
Johnny jumped from the roof, landing on his feet as silently as possible. He walked over to where the scammer was talking, and positioned himself behind a corner.
"Thank you...thank you! You're making my wife very happy!" The seedy man said, bowing frantically despite there being no-one visible to bow to. "I'll be looking for your donation!"
The man put his phone away, and turned around...
Only to find Johnny standing right behind him.
"GYAAH! Wait...I know you! You're Johnny Kujo, 4th place winner of the Steel Ball Run! You're in the same hero agency as that Earphone Jack girl that got on the news!" The man began shaking Johnny's hand. "I'm a huge fan, I...man...you...have a really strong grip...it kind of hurts."
"Sorry...my bad. Say...you mind if I make a donation? For your real, and definitely sick wife?"
The man sighed. "Look man, I get it. A guy has to make money somehow these days. I'm not one of the big guys, alright? I'm sure there are plenty of villains you can take down that are much worse than me..."
"You scammed my grandmother. I want you to return her money...do that, and I'll see to it that you get a lighter sentence." Johnny said, crossing his arms. "Fraud can be a pretty serious charge, and considering the amount of money you're charging..."
"Well...my grandma has my back!" The man said, backing up. "I'm not going to jail!"
"I'm not looking the other way, your business here is frankly...wait, your grandma?"
"Yes...behold, my ultimate ability!" The scammer held out an urn.
"...what the fuck?"
Johnny watched in horror as the man dumped out ash on one of the support beams, took out his credit card and fashioned it into a line...and snorted it like a drug.
Momo was staring at Johnny with her jaw hanging open.
"Yes, he snorted it. He had a little straw and everything."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"WHY?!"
"It was his...Quirk." Johnny said. "His grandmother had the same one, so..."
Momo's face was frozen in a mixture of horror, disgust, and disbelief. "There is...so many things wrong with what I just heard."
"Hey, I couldn't make this up if I tried."
All the ravenette could do was sit in stunned silence.
"If it makes you feel any better...I was probably wearing the exact same expression that you are now. It just goes to show how my life just keeps on getting stranger and stranger."
To say that Johnny was disturbed would be an understatement.
"...why?" The Joestar asked quietly, his face one of confused horror.
"My grandmother and I shared the same Quirk. It's called Miracle Dust. When we die, our ashes empower our descendants!" The Grandma Sniffer declared. "My ashes will be used to do the same for my children, and their children!"
"Y...you...you...wha?"
"You won't be taking me to jail Johnny Kujo! I'll be leaving now...with all of your grandma's cash! Don't even try to stop me, or you'll be the one in an urn next!"
Johnny got over his bewilderment, and a dark look came onto his face. Sorry Grandma...I tried...
But this guy is asking for it.
"ORA!" Tusk emerged and punched the Grandma Sniffer across the face, going for the knockout blow...
He didn't even flinch.
"...what the hell?"
"Miracle Dust makes me invincible until I shit the ashes out of my system! You won't be hurting me any time soon...but I can hurt you!"
The Grandma Sniffer threw a punch, hitting Tusk across the face. Johnny simply spat out a bit of blood as Tusk began defending itself, easily batting the oncoming flurry of punches aside.
His whole body has been empowered...he's invunerable, right?
No, he can still feel the impacts, he can still be thrown and battered, he just doesn't take any damage from it...his durability merely increased. My Stand can easily defend me from this guy...but something tells me he won't let up until he beats me.
This was supposed to be an easy interrogation...and now it's one of the...weirdest fights I have ever been in. If I were born with a Quirk like that, I'd just register myself as Quirkless...
Johnny narrowed his eyes as the weasely little scammer continued to pound away at his Stand, just perplexed by the whole situation. Seriously...what the actual fuck?
The scammer, realizing that his attacks weren't going to do anything anytime soon, opted to start running, throwing some cash at Johnny to distract him from his escape.
"Er...okay..."
"So...the black suit...I have to admit it would come in pretty handy. You and Kyoka are our default stealth team after all...although it is quite amusing that it came from her...personal preferences." The ravenette said, trying to change the subject.
"Eh...I indulge her once and a while."
"Yes, once in a while." Momo said, sipping her tea. "Definitely not a common occurrence."
"Am I detecting sarcasm, YaoMomo?"
"Perhaps..."
Johnny snorted, and leaned back into the couch. "It was just another extremely bizzare...and morbid...encounter that unfortunately comes with being a Joestar. Obviously, the guy wasn't much of a threat. He just made himself insanely durable until he...you know. Honestly...it's...a strangely powerful Quirk...but..."
"It's weird and disgusting." Momo finished.
"Yes...well, I suppose it's not the most disturbing thing I've seen. He just did it so...suddenly, and without warning."
"Yes...you know, I think out of all of us, Gyro is the only one that hasn't made any changes to his costume...why is that?" Momo wondered. "Going back to the topic of costumes. You've had...four now, right? Including the Night Suit?"
"Yep."
"Bakugo is still working on his, Izuku has his new Thriller Suit, Kyoka repurposed Magenta Magenta's jacket as a testament to how far she's come, and I based mine off of Dr. Stewart's. Gyro hasn't made a single change..."
"...I've had to talk him out of a few things."
"Like what?"
"Like...a florescent green version of his hat, painting his steel balls blue so he could make a joke about 'blue balls', going shirtless, getting a backpack that only carries pizza boxes...it's a whole list."
"He's just so eccentric." Momo said with a smile. "It never gets boring when Gyro is around, that's for sure."
"Agreed."
The scammer grinned as he raced through the underbelly of Mustafu, only for his smile to fade upon seeing a dark shape soaring overhead, leaping from building to building...tailing him.
Damn him...why is he doing this for some wrinkly old bitch? She's gonna die soon anyway.
The scammer pulled out his urn, stroking the side.
I'm sorry Grandma, I know I only have a limited supply, and that you said that I should only use my Quirk in emergencies. Kujo is rumored to be extremely powerful...I needed to use Miracle Dust!
Johnny, meanwhile, was simply tailing the guy for the sole purpose of intimidation. He could easily shoot the motorcycle out from underneath the guy from this distance, but he really wanted to make his quarry sweat.
He was going to make this guy get on his hands and knees, and apologize to his grandmother in person.
Then...his phone buzzed.
Oh boy...
Johnny answered the call, still chasing the scammer. "What's up?"
"I'm bored." Kyoka answered. "So I decided to call you. Are you busy right now?"
"A little, ran into a criminal while I was out for a walk, I'm trying to bring him in." Johnny responded.
"Ah, I see. I assume this is someone you can easily handle on your own, right?"
"Oh yeah, it's honestly kind of fun, he's running like a chicken with it's head cut off. I should be done soon, what did you have in mind?"
"Well...with all the hard work we've been putting into locating this doctor guy...I was wondering if you'd be up for a movie night? Just the two of us? You know...popcorn, snuggling under a blanket, maybe a little smooch or two..."
"You're really bored."
"...yeah."
"Well, I suppose it would be pretty rude of me to turn you down in your hour of need."
"Jackass."
"Hey, you're one to talk."
Kyoka chuckled over the phone. "Fair. Alright JoJo...hurry up and kick that guy's ass, you know how rude it is to keep a lady waiting."
"Ah yes, it would shame me as a gentleman!"
"Am I talking to the right Jonathan?"
"Am I talking to a sassy punk girl with an affinity for getting on my nerves?"
"Yes, I am...cool."
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
"Oh shit, he's shooting at you now."
"Really? I didn't notice."
Tusk simply batted the bullets aside, continuing the pursuit.
"Sounds like a peashooter, you've definitely got this covered. Movie's your pick tonight, since I got the last one. Love you Johnny! Get home safe."
"I love you too, I'll be there soon."
Johnny hung up, and once again diverted his attention to his quarry.
"I can't tell you how happy I was when you two got together." Momo said as she solved a problem on their latest homework assignment. "It was so obvious that she was in love with you, that's why I got her all dressed up for I-Island, to impress you."
"Well, you succeeded. She made me fall out of my wheelchair."
"Hahahaha! I remember that! You were both so awkward!"
Johnny shared the laugh. Honestly, he was really starting to appreciate Momo's company. She was attentive whenever he spoke, and their conversations always ended up becoming quite interesting. Why they never hung out before that point, he had no idea.
She was a lively person at heart, her gentle and subtle sense of humor gave her a sense of charm.
"Yeah...we were...but it's something I can look back and be fond of. The two of us were just embroiled in uncertainty and teenaged hormones...honestly, I'm surprised neither of us picked up on it."
"Well, I was honored to be one of your cupids, although that title would predominantly belong to Gyro. So...you were chasing the scammer...and Kyoka called you to ask you to a movie night...so far it sounds like it was an easy catch."
"It was. You see...after Kyoka called me, I decided that I should stop toying with the guy, so I shot out the wheels on his bike. He was still in Miracle Dust mode, so the crash barely hurt him..."
The scammer got to his feet, clutching his grandmother's cracked urn as he began to flee on foot, only for Tusk to grab him by the back of his collar.
"You can't hurt me! I have my grandmother's blessing!"
"And I have mine to defend. Give her the money back, now." Johnny said, sending chills down the scammer's spine with his voice alone.
"I-I'm not a-afraid of you! I'm invincible as long as Miracle Dust is in my system!"
"No...you're just really durable, durable enough to put Kirishima to shame. However...even the sturdiest of walls will break in time...I could just pummel you until you start bleeding...but the punishment wouldn't necessarily fit the crime..."
"Uh-"
"Shut up, I'm trying to decide what to do to you."
"Grandmother...lend me your strength!"
The scammer proceeded to try and dump the contents of the urn into his mouth, but Johnny simply grabbed it, not even bothering to use his stand to do so. "I think your poor grandmother has had enough."
"NO!"
The scammer tried to wrestle the urn out of Johnny's hand, but the Joestar punched him in the stomach, digging his fist deep into the criminal's abdomen.
"That doesn't hu-"
*Brrrrraaaaaap*
The scammer doubled over, both in pain and shock, clutching his stomach.
"The Spin is a power that can trigger muscle reflexes...and I just punched you directly in the small intestine with that in mind. You said it yourself...you're incredibly durable when the...ugh...'Miracle Dust' is in your system...so I flushed said system..."
The criminal who had taken advantage of Holly's kindness turned beet red from embarrassment, and fell to his knees as a foul stench filled the air.
Then Johnny punched him in the face, instantly knocking out a few teeth. "Now...RETURN. THE. MONEY."
"I-I...I don't have it." The scammer said, quietly, spitting out blood as he struggled to his feet.
"What was that?" Johnny asked, grabbing the man by the collar and pulling him close. "You don't have it? What the hell did you do with it?!"
"I'm just a worker...I...I'm affiliated with a call center that does scams, over in Venezuela... I sent it to them."
"Vene..." Johnny glared at the man. "You little bitch..."
Venezuela...how the hell am I supposed to get Grandma's money back now?
The Grandma Sniffer slowly reached into the urn, but Johnny's hand quickly closed around his wrist, forcibly yanking it out. The scammer pulled his gun and fired, but Johnny was already one step ahead, tilting his head to the side to avoid the shot, and threw the criminal over his shoulder with a Judo flip, effortlessly catching the urn with Tusk.
"I think you've earned yourself a stay in the time out corner. People like you should stick to sniffing glue, not your...alternative."
The criminal fired again, and Johnny retaliated with a nail bullet to the knee. However, doing so caused the shot fired by the Grandma Sniffer to go astray...
It broke the urn in Johnny's hand, shattering it to pieces and sending ashes everywhere. Johnny let put a brief gasp, not expecting this outcome in the slightest. The ashes blew into the wind, scattering across the streets.
The Grandma Sniffer gasped, holding his bloodied knee as he waddled in his crappy jeans, desperately trying to catch any remnants of the 'Miracle Dust.'
"GRANDMA, NOOOOOOOOO!" The scammer wailed.
*Braaaaaaaaaap!*
"Ooooooh...Grandma...help...I'm all poopy...oooooh..."
"Forgot to mention...you might have some...issues going forward. Don't worry though, you'll get used to it. I hear prison food has the same effect." Johnny wiped his ashy hand on a wall, disgusted. "I was gonna bury her, you know...I was gonna give her the respect she deserved...oh well."
Johnny reached into his pocket and pulled out a rope, and imbued it with Hamon, tying it into a lasso, and roped the criminal's feet together, and applied the Spin to make the rope coil around the man's entire body, causing the criminal to spin around in midair for a few seconds.
Johnny turned to the scammer one last time before heading back to the school.
"Scammers like you are all the same at the end of the day...full of shit."
"Okay, I have to give you points on the one-liner...but there is one thing I don't quite understand. Why would Kyoka be mad? Besides not asking for help, but you really didn't need it. If anything she'd probably praise you." Momo asked, confused.
"Oh no...it's the aftermath that'd she'd be angry about."
"...oh dear..."
"You see, these people still had Grandma's money, and I wasn't going to let that slide...and the thing is...when people are tied up...they can't really stop you from looting them."
"Okay...you looted the guy, not exactly something Kyoka would be mad about...but please continue."
"So...I...may have stolen his phone, and the cash he had on him. After that...I was posing as him and getting all sorts of juicy information about the company, and I...er...may have been stealing the money back for my grandmother, since he had access to the company's bank account."
"So he was bluffing...he was higher up in the chain than he let on. JoJo...how much did you take from them?"
"The company is filing for bankruptcy as we speak. They aren't happy. Just wait until they get arrested due to the mountain of evidence I have piled up against them from their own dirty dealings. We've got fraud, murder, blackmail...the whole works. The people running it are likely going to be in jail for a long time when I eventually drop this bomb on them."
"You're just holding it over their heads?"
"And they're completely oblivious to it. I can ruin their criminal livelihoods with a text."
"JoJo...something like that would take days to pull off..."
"..."
"Oh...Oh my God, that's why Kyoka would be mad at you! You put in a ton of effort during the Paradise City investigation too! You said this was a side op!" Momo said, pointing at Johnny accusingly.
"It was...at least...that's what it was supposed to be. Instead, I kind of took down an entire Venezuelan crime syndicate by myself, all thanks to the guy that got high off of his grandmother's ashes. If Kyoka knew about the project she'd kill me."
Momo hit Johnny over the head with her homework assignment.
"Hey!"
"JoJo, that was reckless! Of course Kyoka would be mad at you, I'm mad at you! You shouldn't work so hard...at the very least you could've just transferred the money to your grandmother and focused solely on the main task at hand, you went overboard, just like she said your father would!"
"I'd call it a passion project...if it makes you feel any better I donated the rest of the money to charity."
"I suppose it does a little bit...JoJo, that was a monumental task, you should've shared the workload." Momo scolded him.
"I was able to handle it!"
Momo crossed her arms, giving him the 'disappointed mom' look.
"...okay, maybe I was a little tired. I just can't stand it when people go after those I care about...so I tend to overdo it sometimes." Johnny said, rubbing the back of his head. "I really thought that I could handle all the work though..."
Momo pinched the bridge of her nose, before a soft smile came onto her face. "I suppose I can't fault you for that. Just be more careful, okay?"
"Will do."
"That being said, that story was pretty bizarre...but in an entertaining way. You...definitely helped me today, thank you." The ravenette said earnestly. "It was quite fun...you and I should hang out together more often."
"I agree, and it's no problem at all. It was fun, getting to know each other a little better."
Momo nodded, and turned her gaze to the hallway, smirking. "That being said...you should probably run."
Johnny slowly turned his head to find a certain purplette glaring at him. "A-ah...yes...that would be best."
"Jonathan..." Kyoka growled out.
"How much of that story did you hear?"
"Enough...how about another movie night Johnny? My pick."
"Heheh...uhhhh." Johnny stuttered, knowing full well that Kyoka was going to pick something that would annoy him to no end.
"Also, care to explain why you're covered in dried blood?"
"LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY!" Johnny shouted as he began sprinting in the opposite direction from his girlfriend.
"JONATHAN GET BACK HERE!"
"NIGERUNDAYOOOOOO!"
Momo put a hand to her mouth, suppressing a laugh as Kyoka bolted after the former jockey. Really, it was only a matter of time before he was caught, but it was clear that it would simply be a kiss and make up scenario. Her friends and their antics...
She was lucky to have them. Just talking with Johnny had brought her spirits up, despite her parent's departure. Momo was far from alone now, she had surrounded herself with wonderful...and slightly weird...people.
A family of sorts.
Momo listened in as Kyoka dragged Johnny back to her dorm room, smiling the whole time.
"Look, I went overboard alright? I'm sorry."
"I've already forgiven you, but you won't learn your lesson without a punishment, so I'm going to make you watch the Star Wars Sequels."
"...is there snacks, at least?"
"What do you think I am, a monster? Of course there's snacks."
Momo chuckled. Wonderful, and slightly weird.
Just the way she liked it.
*Fun Facts! Because why the hell not?*
I just thought it would be fun to include some things about the creation of the story, and the characters within!
#1: I had initially considered Tsuyu as a love interest for Gyro, mostly because I wanted to make a joke about William Zeppeli punching the frog...but I didn't want to create a relationship based on a joke alone. I wanted a deeper connection, and that's why I ended up going with Momo.
#2: Santana was supposed to be heavily involved in the Yakuza Raid, in fact, my initial plans were to kill him off in a final bout with Joseph...and then I realized that I had main antagonist material on my hands, so I quickly scrapped that idea. Now he's an anti-hero of sorts...
Kinda.
#3: Back in my edgy phase, I wanted to make a temporary KyoJo breakup, just for drama's sake. However...I realized that it wasn't really what I wanted for the two. These two characters make each other better people, a breakup would be devastating to both of their characters and their progression, so I avoided it.
Now, I really enjoy writing their crass yet wholesome relationship. It's just more enjoyable to show how healthy their bond actually is.
#4: Momo's villain for her arc was actually supposed to be evil in my initial plans, and then I realized that he wouldn't be different than the other antagonists in the story. He would've been the dictator of a false paradise, but as you know, Ulric was developed into a likable and sympathetic character.
I miss him.
