"The penthouse suite as you requested," said the bellhop to the man carrying a leopard pelt over his shoulder. "Finest view of the city." He held out his hand for a tip and the man paid him. "A shilling? Hey, they don't accept this kind of currency in America!"
"Take it or leave it," the man said. "You can exchange it for how much it's worth in the United States."
The bellhop snorted and muttered to himself, "Prick."
"I heard that."
The bellhop spluttered and apologized before asking, "Uh, do you want anything else?"
"Privacy."
"Yes, sir."
The bellhop left, allowing the man to go out to the balcony to prepare. He stripped himself naked, covered himself in camouflage paint, put on a loincloth, placed the leopard pelt on his head like a hat, and reached into his suitcase, taking out a telescopic spear. Then he looked out at the sight of the city. A mosquito flew by and drank his blood. When she (female mosquitoes are the ones that suck blood, you know) had her fill, she flew away. The man took out a blow dart and shot her with perfect aim. He still got it.
Then he grabbed the spear, and jumped off the balcony and into the city.
The hunt had begun.
Giorgio was doing his late night exercises again when he heard the sound of glass breaking down below. He looked down to see three mugs robbing a jewelry store. "Honestly, don't these people have anything better to do?" He crept into the jewelry store to see the robbers had already destroyed the security cameras and were helping themselves to whatever they could get their hands on. Giorgio cleared his throat loudly, making the robbers turn around and point their guns at him.
"Don't take another step," one of them shouted. "I don't want to shoot a kid!" Giorgio smirked and walked in. "Okay, we warned you!" BANG! BANG! BANG! Three shots entered Giorgio's body, but to the burglars' shock, he was still standing. So, they emptied their chambers on him, but he still did not go down. Then he placed his hand up to his mouth and coughed up the bullets.
Terrified the burglars tried to flee, but Giorgio used his blood vein tendrils to grab them. "Wh-What are you?!" the second one cried, his pants wet from fear and pee.
Giorgio's eyes flashed red, hypnotizing them all. "Slap each other in the face until the police show up."
"Okay," said the third and all three burglars started slapping each other.
Giorgio let them go and the tendrils shot back into his hand. "Hmph," he snorted. "Even if they'd gotten away, it would have been pointless. What these idiots were robbing were the phony display models." His phone vibrated. "Hello? Dr. Jan? Nice to hear from you! ... You say you found another clue regarding the pot? I'll call Anne and- ... No, come alone?" Something was wrong, but Giorgio played along. "Okay, I'll come."
In her office, Dr. Jan hung up the phone and said with fear, "I did what you asked. You'll let me go, right?"
In response, the man wearing the leopard pelt shot a dart into her neck. "You will sleep for a few hours. The spawn of DIO has taken the bait. Now, I play the waiting game."
Giorgio entered the museum with ease. "Weird. She left the door unlocked." He walked past the exhibits and toward Dr. Jan's office...only to stop and sniff the air. This scent did not belong to Dr. Jan. Someone was watching him, but he couldn't pinpoint where. So, he summoned DARE to enhance his hearing and smelling, but before he could have a chance to locate the intruder, they attacked first.
Giorgio ducked just in time to avoid being hit by three darts. "The natives are restless," he said. "Come on out!" His hearing picked up someone running toward him and he grabbed them only to be punched and kicked and sent flying into a wall. Groaning, he looked up to see a semi-naked man carrying a spear and wearing a leopard pelt looming over him.
"Is that all the fight you have left in you?" the man asked. Giorgio rolled out of the way to avoid his spear, then jumped up and grabbed it, yanking it out of his hands, then kicked the man in the chin, drawing blood.
"Ready to call it quits," Giorgio asked as he tried to punch the man, only to have his fist caught by the man. "Never," he growled. Giorgio used his other hand to try and punch him, but it got caught as well. So, he summoned DARE, who then slugged the man in the face, knocking him away. Then he got back up and tried to attack again, only for Giorgio to pull out his phone and snap a photo of him, the flash of the phone's camera blinding him thanks to DARE enhancing his eyes.
By the time the man recovered, Giorgio was gone. But this did not disgruntle him. No. He had other forms of bait he could use. He reached into his loincloth's pocket and pulled out two photographs: one of Anne Boonchuy and the other of the Plantars in their human disguises. Then he summoned his Stand, which took the form of an insect in the shape of a compass.
"Now, Every Breath You Take, here's your targets," he said as he showed it the photos. "Find them." The Stand took off and flew away with the man chasing after it.
Giorgio returned to the hotel with Dr. Jan in tow and he showed Giorno the picture he took with his phone. "And you're absolutely sure this man is a Stand user?"
"Oh, yeah. He definitely saw DARE," said Giorgio. "Why he didn't use his own Stand, I don't know."
Giorno looked at him suspiciously. "Maybe he already did." He summoned Gold Experience Requiem who then placed his hands on Giorgio, letting energy flow into him. Giorno then said, "I've found nothing. He didn't place anything on you. I can't even detect a trace of Stand energy."
"What about her," said Giorgio, gesturing to Dr. Jan. "He could have put something on her."
Giorno and Gold Experience Requiem inspected her next. "There is a trace of tetrodotoxin in her body. Definitely what caused her to go unconscious."
"Tetrodotoxin? You mean, that paralyzing venom found in pufferfish meat?"
"Exactly. Luckily for her, Gold Experience Requiem can fill her body with life energy, sending her immune system into overload and remove the poison."
Giorgio asked worriedly, "This is going to hurt her, isn't it?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I'll hold her legs, you hold her arms; we don't want her thrashing around."
"Dad, what if I just use DARE to dull her sense of touch and her pain receptors? She won't feel a thing."
Giorno smiled. "I didn't think of that. That's a smart move, Giorgio."
Giorgio scratched the back of his head. "Thanks, Dad." DARE appeared and placed its hands on Dr. Jan's shoulders and began its sensory effects on her, allowing Gold Experience Requiem to flow life energy into Dr. Jan's body, causing her to convulse and eventually cough up a black ball of slime. "Ew," said Giorgio. "That was in her?"
Dr. Jan slowly opened her eyes and looked around. "Where am I?" Then she saw Giorgio and gasped. "JoJo! I'm sorry! A guy with a spear kidnapped me, he said he would kill Dinah if I didn't do as he said!"
"It's alright," said Giorno. "You're safe."
Dr. Jan took one look at him and blushed. "Oh, th-thank you, sir. And, may I ask who my hero is?"
"That's my dad," said Giorgio.
Dr. Jan blushed even more, this time in embarrassment. "Awkward."
"Ma'am, we'll take you home," said Giorno. "I just need the directions of your house."
"I'll call Anne," said Giorgio as he grabbed his phone. "Let her know about our new friend with the spear."
"And I'll look up the criminal database, see if there's any information about him," said Giorno.
"So," said Dr. Jan, still trying to flirt with Giorno. "Are you a single father, or..." He showed his gold wedding ring. "Darn."
At the Boonchuy residence, the Boonchuys, Plantars, and Frobo were sitting in front of the TV, watching a monster truck/kaiju movie. The announcer said in a gravely voice, "A bloodthirsty predator meets all-American engineering in 'Fumigator 4'." An omen that's to come, maybe? But that didn't matter to Anne as she carried a pile of clothes and folded all of them, got a full trash bag and tossed it inside the trash can outside the house, washed all of the dishes and placed a coaster under Hop Pop's coffee. The family was amazed and applauded her. Well, except for Frobo, being a living decapitated head and all.
"You know, Anne, it is really remarkable how much you have grown," praised Mrs. Boonchuy.
Anne blushed. "Aww. Thanks, Mom"
"I mean, you used to be so irresponsible like 'change the grade on your report card' irresponsible," said Mr. Boonchuy.
"Didn't think you guys knew about that," Anne said nervously. Looking back, they weren't convincing changes.
"But you've really changed," said Mrs. Boonchuy. "And you have been so upfront and honest with us this whole time."
Boy, did Anne feel a pang of guilt when she said that. "Right. Upfront and honest."
"We're just so proud of you. Come here, sweetie."
"Bring it!" Mr. Boonchuy said as he and the Mrs. pulled Anne into a group hug, but she freed herself from it and said, "Hey! I'm– uh, gonna go and get some coffee ice cream! Anyone want any? Sprig?"
"Eh. I'm good–" But she grabbed him and dragged him into the kitchen. "Hey, what gives?"
"I can't do this anymore," exclaimed Anne.
"What? Eat coffee ice cream? I agree," said Sprig as he opened the fridge. "It's pretty risky after 5:00."
Anne slammed the door and said, "No! My folks! I never told them about Andrias or Stands OR the honking invasion. I didn't even tell them that JoJo's a vampire and the son of the most powerful Mafia boss in all of Italy!" She groaned in frustration. "They think I'm being up-front and honest, but I'm not."
"But you said this was the only way they'd be OK with any of this," pointed out Sprig.
"I know, but it's not right. I'm going to tell them everything, right now."
But Anne didn't get the chance. Her phone, which was sitting on the couch-side table, began to ring. Mrs. Boonchuy grabbed it first and before she had a chance to answer, Giorgio's voice on the other end said, "Oh, thank God. I was worried I was too late. Anne, listen to me. A Stand user with a spear attacked me at the museum using Dr. Jan as bait! I have a feeling he's going to use you to get to me, too. Dad and I are dropping off Dr. Jan at her house. I want you to lock and barricade all the doors and windows until we get there. I don't know how we're going to explain this to your mom and dad, but-"
"This is Anne's mom," she said sternly. There was silence on the other end.
Anne entered the living room and said, "Mom, Dad, there's something I have to tell you."
"Yes, you do," Mrs. Boonchuy angrily.
When Anne saw her holding the phone, her heart skipped a beat. "Uh...who is that on the phone?"
"JoJo. Something about a Stand user with a spear?"
"I'm sorry, what's a Stand user," asked Mr. Boonchuy.
"That's what I want to know," said the Mrs. "Anne, what is going on?"
"Uh...well..."
Before Anne could answer, someone pounded on the front door. The pounding gave way to a crash and everyone screamed as the man with the spear walked in. "Get out of here before I call the police," Mr. Boonchuy said. He meant it to sound more bravely, but his voice was cracked and squeaky with fear. In response, the man swung his spear at him, but Mrs. Boonchuy grabbed him before he ended up losing his head, dropping the phone in the process.
"Mrs. Boonchuy, Mrs. Boonchuy!" shouted Giorgio. When he heard the sound of crashes on the other end of the phone, he hung up and shouted, "Go faster, Dad! That nut is already there!"
"I'm going as fast as I can," shouted Giorno. "I don't even care how many speeding tickets I could get at this point! Damn it, I'm starting to sound like Mista."
"Everyone upstairs! Move!" Anne shouted.
Mrs. Boonchuy opened the door to a room. "Quick! Into my workout room!"
Everyone entered the workout room and Anne quickly locked the door. "OK. We can hide out here while we...um..." Anne's voice trailed off when she saw what was in the room. Not workout equipment, but dozens upon dozens of dolls, mannequins, and drawings made in her image. Obviously, she became very uncomfortable. "Mom, this is NOT a workout room!"
"Yes it is. When I thought you ran away, it's where I work out all my stress."
Anne pointed to one of the dolls. "Wait, why is this one dressed like a doctor?"
"A mom can dream, can't she?"
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not living up to your expectations?"
Suddenly, the man with the spear burst through the door. He glared at Anne and grabbed her by the throat. "You and your frogs coming with me."
"Wh-why are you after me," she choked.
"Let go of my daughter!" Mrs. Boonchuy grabbed a hair spray can and sprayed it in the man's face, blinding him.
"In the car, now," Mr. Boonchuy shouted as they ran into the garage and drove away from the house in the family van. But the man pursued them. When she felt they were far enough away, Mrs. Boonchuy asked her daughter, "Honey, why is that man chasing us? Does it have to do with these 'Stands' JoJo talked about?"
Anne cursed herself for not leaving the phone in her pocket and confessed, "Okay, one: I don't know who that guy is or why he's after us. And two...about Stands...uh..."
"Stands are manifestations of your soul," explained Hop Pop. "They are what you'd call literal fighting spirits that come in all shapes and sizes and abilities. But they are invisible to normal people like us, so we see them as magic. We amphibians always thought Stands exist only in Amphibia, but it turns out you humans have Stands as well since ancient times."
"Wait, I'm confused. So there are people walking around with invisible spirits," said Mr. Boonchuy.
Mrs. Boonchuy asked, "And you know this because...?"
"I have girlfriend who's a Stand user," said Sprig. "Well, she's kinda my girlfriend."
Anne said nervously, "Sasha's a Stand user, too."
"WHAT?!" exclaimed both parents.
Suddenly, something crashed onto the van's hood. It was the man with the spear. Everyone screamed as he smashed his hand through the windshield and pulled out Mr. Boonchuy.
"Damn it!" Giorgio cursed as he and Giorno entered the Boonchuy residence. "We're too late!"
Giorno looked at his phone. "I just found out who we're dealing with. According to Interpol files, he is known as Mal the Predator, a big game hunter who's wanted in over fifty countries for illegal poaching. He only goes after the most dangerous and elusive of animals."
Giorgio exhaled. "Does it say what kind of Stand he has." Giorno shook his head. "But why would he go after me and Anne?"
Giorno replied, "Why he's after you, I don't know. Nobody except for those in Passione's inner circle, Anne, and the Plantars know you're a vampire. As for why he's after Anne, I don't think he's after her specifically."
Giorgio's eyes widened. "You think he's after the Plantars? But how would he know they're alien frogs?"
Giorno picked up a knife with a wooden skull on the handle. "Why don't we ask him ourselves? Looks like our hunter friend left us a clue." He summoned Gold Experience Requiem who turned the knife into a Hercules beetle and it flew out of Giorno's hand and out the window. "Now that the knife has been changed, it'll lead us to its owner."
"This is a trap," Giorgio said the obvious.
"I know. But we don't have a choice."
Stand: Every Breath You Take
User: Mal
Power: E
Speed: E
Range: A
Durability: E
Precision: A
Potential: D
Ability: When shown a photo of the user's target, the Stand will locate it no matter where it is in the world. Perfect for hunting prey no matter how big or small.
The next time Anne awoke, she found herself and her human and frog families tied to metal poles. "Where are we," she asked.
"Anne are you okay," exclaimed Sprig. "That nutjob hit you very hard when you tried to fight back."
"Other than this huge bump on my head, I'm fine. I'll ask again, where are we."
"I think we're in a greenhouse," said Mr. Boonchuy, taking note of all the plants in the area.
"Don't worry," said Anne as she struggled to get out. "I'll get us out of here and-"
"Shh," hushed Sprig. "He's coming back!"
Mal approached his captives, spear in hand. "What are you going to do," asked Mr. Boonchuy. "Cut our hearts out? Eat our livers?"
"Don't be dramatic," said Mal. "You and the frogs are merely bait."
Hop Pop said nervously, "Uh, frogs? What frogs? I don't see any talking frogs walking on two legs."
"Bait? Bait for who," asked Mrs. Boonchuy.
"For the vampire," replied Mal. "Giorgio Giovanna. Dio Brando's grandson."
Anne and the Plantar's eyes widened. "You know about DIO," she asked.
Mr. Boonchuy laughed. "A vampire? You're crazy."
"Did you never wonder why he has an aversion to sunlight, why he always seems hungry no matter how much he eats, or why he has a preference to raw bloody meat?"
The Boonchuys glanced at each other, then at Anne. "Okay, so, there's more to JoJo than meets the eye, but..."
"Dude," said Polly, looking at the huge scar running down the predator's spine. "What happened to your back?"
"A hunting accident. The leopard was wounded, but I was careless. My spine was broken in five places. I had to recover for years. It was from that recovery that I required Every Step You Take, the perfect tracking Stand. The doctors thought it to be a miracle, the sight of me walking and then running out of the hospital. As soon as I did, I went back to the jungle and with my bare hands, got my revenge." Mal gestured to the leopard pelt on his head. "It was easy. Too easy. I had become so powerful, no prey could challenge me. To one who lives for the thrill of the hunt, this was a tragedy. My life was over, until in 1988 when I learned of Dio Brando."
"Why JoJo's grandpa," asked Sprig.
"He would have provided me a great challenge: to fight and kill an immortal creature. Alas, Jotaro Kujo robbed me of that challenge before I could get to him. I thought I was lost until I learned Dio had a child, and then later, a grandchild. Descendants with not only his lineage, but also that of his enemy, Jonathan Joestar." Mal looked up at the sky with wonder. "I always imagined that Jonathan and Dio were the reincarnating spirits of two rival gods locked in eternal combat." He picked up his spear and said, "Their descendants would provide the ultimate challenge."
He heard the sound of footsteps coming and turned around to see Giorgio with a grim look on his face. "If that's all you wanted," he said. "You could have just asked instead of dragging an innocent family into the mix."
Mal got into a battle position and asked, "How did you find me?"
Giorgio held up the Hercules beetle as it changed back into the knife. "You dropped something. Dad and I thought it would be a good idea to give it back to you."
"Giorno is here," Mal asked. He grinned. "Father and son will die together. Starting with you!" He lunged at Giorgio, who blocked and dodged the spear, and summoned DARE to punch Mal in the face, causing his pain receptors to go into overdrive with each swing of its fists. But surprisingly, Mal got back up and grinned again. "You've drawn first blood. Now it's my turn!"
Mal grabbed Giorgio and threw him into a section of the greenhouse. The instant his back touched the ground, flashlights popped out of the ground and pointed at him. But then confusion gave way to horror when he realized they weren't flashlights, but UV lamps. Quickly, he jumped out of the way before they could shine their lights on him. Unfortunately, he triggered another trap. Metal coils burst out of the ground and wrapped him in place as another UV lamp popped out of the ground.
Mal jumped in front of him and smirked. "You're the grandson of Dio Brando and Jonathan Joester?"
"Wrrryyy!" screeched Giorgio as he ripped the coils free and jumped out of the UV lamp's way. "Pathetic," said Mal as he slammed the spear into his gut, then cut his chest with it. Then he kicked Giorgio into the path of another UV lamp, and it turned on, vaporizing his left arm before he could get a chance to get away in time. He screamed, giving Mal the distraction he needed to kick him into a nearby pond. Giorgio climbed out and made it back to shore, only to step into a bear trap that snapped onto his leg.
Mal appeared and pulled Giorgio into an armlock as he said, "I've fought puppies with more tooth than you!"
"Woof," said Giorgio as he grabbed Mal by the throat and threw him aside.
"For that, I'll eat your heart," shouted Mal, only to see Giorgio had disappeared, but his foot was still in the trap. Then he saw the blood trail go off into another section of the green house and he smiled. He followed the trail only to get surprised when his spear turned into a snake and bit him. He threw it away and it changed back into its previous form. "This is the power of Gold Experience Requiem. Giorno is here! No. Focus on the wounded animal," he said as he continued to follow the blood trail.
High up in a tree, Giorio panted as he recovered from his injuries and slowly regenerated his missing parts. "Maybe I can help you heal faster?" said Giorno, appearing next to him some bits of metal. "I can use this to turn into flesh and blood to replace what you lost, but the process will hurt as you know."
Giorgio shook his head. "No time. When he follows the blood trail, he's bound to catch up with me."
Giorno thought it over, then had an idea. "How about a team up then?" Giorgio looked at him, confused. "This guy's Stand is clearly not meant for combat. I think I may know how to stop him." He whispered his plan to Giorgio's ear and the boy smiled.
Back with the Boonchuys and the Plantars, Anne was struggling to get out of her binds. "Hold on, I'll get everyone out of here and..."
"ANNE SAVISA BOONCHUY!" Mrs. Boonchuy shouted angrily, startling everyone. "What is going on?!"
"What do you mean? A guy with a spear captured us for some crazy reason. I thought that was clear."
"YES! But why Anne? Why? Is there something else you want to tell us?"
"Mom! Take it easy!"
"Honey, maybe we should hear her out," said Mr. Boonchuy softly.
But Mrs. Boonchuy was not having it. "NO! She's lying to us! She's lied to us about these 'Stands' and that JoJo is a vampire! What more has she been hiding from us?" She said to Anne, "You've done something, haven't you?! That's why that man is after us!"
"It's complicated," Anne said.
"I knew it! We were wrong about you. You're still the same irresponsible little girl who used to cut class. When are you going to grow up? When are you going to stop getting in trouble? When, Anne? When?"
"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?!" Anne's response echoed throughout the greenhouse, shocking her parents. "I don't know when I'll be the daughter you want me to be. And I'm sorry. It's true. I did lie. But I did it to protect the people I really care about."
The Boonchuys looked at the Plantars. Hop Pop nervously waved his hand. "Hey."
"I've learned so much from you two in these past few weeks," continued Anne. "I finally appreciate how much you've done for me. Now I'm asking for your help. Please. I can't do this without you. I'd reach for you, but my hands are literally tied at the moment."
Mr. Boonchuy said, "We're with you, Anne. Right, Mom?"
Mrs. Boonchuy said, "I don't know. Isn't it all just too much?"
The sound of fighting made everyone look in the direction of the battle. "We'll discuss this later," said Anne. "We gotta help JoJo!"
"I'll get us out," said Hop Pop as he and his grandchildren used Ripple to make themselves more flexible and contort his way out of the binds.
"Oh, right. I forgot about that," said Anne as she used Ripple to free herself as well.
"Anne, since when were you so flexible," asked Mr. Boonchuy. "And can I learn how to do that?"
"Maybe later," said Sprig as he and Polly untied him and Mrs. Boonchuy.
Meanwhile, Mal was tracking Giorgio's blood trail, until he came across his body, slumped against a tree and unresponsive. Mal chuckled. "Do you honestly believe I'm stupid enough to fall for a trap such as this?" Giorgio's blood vein tendrils, which had buried themselves under the ground, shot out and tried to grab him, but he dodged them and landed on a bug. In an instant, pain shot through his entire body and he collapsed to the ground.
Giorgio smiled. "No. But we figured trapping you with something so small and insignificant would."
Giorno stepped out from behind an agave plant and said, "Do you not recognize it?" The bug turned into a UV lamp. "It's one of the traps you set up for Giorgio. But Gold Experience Requiem gave it a life of its own. And like any creature that has life, it will do anything to defend itself. An attack on it is an attack on yourself, and always fatal."
Giorgio stepped up and retracted the tendrils back into his remaining arm. "I can't believe that actually worked," he said.
At that moment, the Boonchuys and Plantars arrived at the scene. "Oh, darn it," said Polly. "We're too late, he's already dead." She kicked Mal in the head.
Mrs. Boonchuy gasped when she saw Giorgio's missing arm and leg. "Oh, dear God! We have to get you to the hospital!"
"Wait, can't you heal him with your Stand, Mr. Giovanna," asked Anne.
"Ah, that's right," said Mr. Boonchuy. "You're what Anne calls a 'Stand user'?"
Giorno looked at the Boonchuys. "You know about Stands? I thought Anne told you about that already."
"No, she didn't," said Mrs. Boonchuy sternly. "She also didn't tell us that your son is a vampire. And who's Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando?"
Giorno exhaled and said, "There's more to explain. We'll tell you everything when we-"
"RRAAAHHH!" Mal suddenly sprang to life, scaring the daylights out of Polly. He grabbed the spear and lunged at the Giovannas, only for Anne to grab a stone and fling it in his face. He recovered and glared at the girl, blood dripping down his eye. He lunged at her, but Mr. Boonchuy grabbed an agave leaf and slashed him in the back with it.
Then the Plantars charged up their Ripple and slammed their tongues into Mal, sending him into a tree. He spat out blood and took out two large knives. "You have heart. I'll take it too!" He leaped into the air and readied to stab the Giovannas, but Gold Experience requiem appeared and grabbed the knives, turning them into scorpions that stabbed their stingers into him. But he still managed to back up and attack. Quickly, Anne grabbed the discarded spear and impaled Mal in the stomach, shocking the Boonchuys.
"Anne, did you just..."
"I had no choice, Dad!"
"Why won't he die," asked Giorgio. "Those scorpions had enough venom to kill at least five humans."
However, Giorno noticed something as Mal charged after Anne with a bellow. "His behavior is erratic and his movements are sloppy. Maybe the venom is working on him more than he realizes."
Indeed. Mal didn't even see Mrs. Boonchuy coming as she struck him with a pipe. "Hey, Predator ripoff! LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE!" She struck him three more times, bringing him down.
"Wow, mom! Good arm!"
Mrs. Boonchuy smiled at her daughter. "You, too."
"Whoa. That was crazy, you guys," said Sprig.
"I like your style, Mrs. B," said Polly.
"Were you surprised by that display of ferocity, Mr. Boonchuy?" Hop Pop asked him, who just looked utterly terrified. "No," he squeaked.
Mal, whose face looked like tenderized hamburger meat at this point, slowly got back up. "Aw, come on," shouted Sprig. "What's it going to take to beat this guy?"
"Determinazione," said Giorno. "It's the only thing driving him at this point. He won't stop until he completes his hunt."
"Oh, no, he won't," said Anne as her hair and eyes glowed blue. The sight of it amazed her parents and the Plantars. The Giovannas remained stoic. She flew over to Mal, grabbed him by the throat and flew up into the air. Then she reared her fist back and proceeded to pummel him. "KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO, KERO!" With one last "KERO!" she sent Mal flying into the street...into the path of oncoming traffic.
With that, Anne floated back down, and deactivated her powers, yet her hair and eyes remained blue even though the glow was gone. "Hey, I didn't feel drained that time," she said. "I guess that training with Marcy in Amphibia paid off."
"Anne," exclaimed Mrs. Boonchuy.
"What was that?!" exclaimed Mr. Boonchuy. "And why are your hair and eyes blue?!"
Anne said, "I have so much to tell you."
Hop Pop tried to rectify things, "Honestly, Mrs. Boonchuy. Anne has just been trying to-"
Mrs. Boonchuy said to him and his grandkids, "Protect you three. I get it now, And whatever it is you guys need to do, we'll do it together." She pulled everyone into a group hug.
Giorgio smiled at the scene, but then realized something. "Oh merda! I was so caught up in the fight, I forgot to ask Mal who hired him!"
Giorno exhaled. "We'll focus on that later. Right now, we need to get everyone back home. We have a long night of explaining to do."
"Like how you're the boss of the most powerful Mafia gang in all of Italy," asked Sprig.
Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"
Meanwhile, in an FBI office in an undisclosed location, two men were watching satellite footage of the battle with Mal the Predator. One of them said, "Get HQ on the line. This may be the real deal. It's time to call Mr. X. The Speedwagon Foundation aren't going to beat us to the punch this time."
"Nick, those are Giorno and Giorgio Giovanna with those frog creatures. If Passione is involved somehow..."
"I know they have diplomatic immunity, Fred! But not everything can be protected."
In another part of the city, Funny Valentine was watching a news report of the fatal car accident involving a man in a leopard pelt. "Saw it coming," he said.
Upon returning to the Boonchuy residence, after Giorno had finished repairing Giorgio's body, everyone sat at the dining table. There was an awkward silence. "So," said Mr. Boonchuy. "Who wants to go first?"
Anne and Giorgio played a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. "Paper covers rock," said Giorgio. "I win."
"Darn it! Okay, it's like this..." And so, Anne told of how Marcy tricked Sasha into telling her to steal the Calamity Box, the fight on Toad Tower, her Calamity powers, Funny Valentine's attempted coup, and most importantly, Andrias' invasion plan.
Mr. Boonchuy asked, "What would drive Marcy to do this?"
"Because she was afraid of losing her friends," said Giorgio. "When she learned her father found a new job in another state, she was willing to do anything to make sure she stayed with Anne and Sasha. Even tricking them into going to another dimension with her."
"Why didn't she say anything? We could have worked something out."
"That's what JoJo said," said Anne. "She felt like she didn't have a choice."
"It's for that reason we should not tell the Wus and the Waybrights what happened to their daughters," said Giorno. "Not until we get them back so they can explain everything in person. We don't want to cause a panic."
"Okay, now it's your turn," said Mrs. Boonchuy to the Giovannas. "What exactly are Stands, what did Sprig mean when he said you're a Mafia boss, how is JoJo a vampire, and who is Dio Brando and Jonathan Joestar?"
And so, Giorno explained to them the story of Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando, how Dio became a vampire with the help of the stone mask, and later took Jonathan's body for himself and eventual death (but not before conceiving Giorno first). He then explained what Passione was, and how he became the boss by killing the previous one, Diavolo. He also explained what Stands are, what types of Stands there are, and how the arrows were connected to them. Then he told them about the Stand users living in Los Angeles thus far.
Mr. Boonchuy asked, "Wait, if Dio's head was on Jonathan's body, wouldn't that make you two Jonathan's son and grandson, not Dio's?"
"Technically, we're related to both Jonathan and Dio," said Giorgio.
"So, what can we do about these Stands," asked Mrs. Boonchuy. "And who else do we know who is a user?"
"You have nothing to worry about," said Giorno. "Most Stand users live their normal lives and try not to draw attention to themselves. And like normal people, they can be good or bad."
"But, what if we run into another evil Stand user?"
"We will stick around to deal with them. And maybe find a good Stand user in the neighborhood to help even the odds."
Giorgio said, "Well, guess it's my turn." Then he explained about Amphibia's stone masks and how he turned himself into a vampire with one of them in order to save his life. He also told them about his vow not to drink human blood, hence his need to buy raw bloody meat from the butcher shop.
"Okay, now you know everything," said Anne. "So, what do you think?"
Mrs. Boonchuy said nothing at first, then said, "Truth be told, I'm not comfortable with the idea of you being friends with someone from the Mafia, Anne."
"Here we go," said Giorgio.
"What?! Mom, JoJo's helped me out so many times in Amphibia and helped me find the courage I needed to stand up for myself."
"It's true," said Hop Pop. "Sure, he can be rough around the edges, turned a simple farming community into a mob town, has caused just as much trouble as Anne, started a continent-wide turf war without realizing it, spiked people's food with laxatives..." He paused. "Where was I going with this?"
"But he's not a bad person," said Mr. Boonchuy.
"He's still a gangster," said Mrs. Boonchuy. "That kind of bad influence is not the kind of person you should be hanging around with, Anne."
Anne scoffed. "If that's the case, why did you let me hang out with Sasha all this time? She had me on a leash for years and you did nothing to stop her despite all your lectures about proper behavior, good grades, and perfect attendance!"
"Maybe if you had been more open with me, we could have helped you with your friends!"
"By what? Separating us? That's the whole reason Marcy pulled this stunt in the first place!"
"Let's move on please," said Sprig, not wanting to get this become a full scale argument.
"Rest assured," said Giorno. "Even if Passione welcomes everyone with the right skill and trust, I have no intention of letting Anne join, despite what Giorgio thinks. However, the Plantars do need help to get back home and Anne needs help to control her powers. I promise you, we'll do everything to accomplish this goal. You have my word as the Boss of Passione. And as a father."
Mrs. Boonchuy thought it over. "If Hop Pop and Anne trust you, I'm willing to allow it. However..." She suddenly grabbed Giorgio by the collar and lifted him up. "I don't care if you're a vampire, or if your father is the boss of a Mafia gang! If you cause anything to hurt Anne, not even your father's Golden Wind Requiem will save you!"
"It's Gold Experience Requiem, actually," Giorgio squeaked. Mrs. Boonchuy growled at him and he squeaked again, "But, I promise not to hurt Anne! I promise!"
As the Giovannas returned to the hotel, Giorgio muttered to himself, "I think Mrs. Boonchuy is scarier than Mal ever was."
Giorno smiled and said, "I like her. She reminds me of your mother."
"What?! That's crazy!" Then Giorgio added, "Okay, yeah, she can be just as scary. I remember this one time she caught me trying to sneak my PSP to school; she really ripped me a new one. And by a new one, I mean my hair."
"Still," said Giorno. "I think she'll like you. These things take time."
Giorgio said, "Yeah. I mean, if a town full of paranoid frog people can warm up to me and Anne, I'm sure the Boonchuys will too."
"Husband, the sun's coming up, but I'm not taking any chances," said Mrs. Boonchuy. "Buy as much garlic as you can and hang them above the doors and windows."
Hop Pop leaned in and whispered to Anne, "Should we tell them that doesn't work?"
⬅ To be continued...
