Butterfly Effect
Time for the new chapter. This is one I've really been looking forward to write ever since having the idea to write this fanfic in the first place. In a more or less "ideal" JoJo, this should fit perfectly.
I do not own JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Chapter 10: Substitute
India, Calcutta
Seing this place for the first time was kind of a shock. Lots of people surrounded the crusaders, attempting to either offer something in exchange for money, or to outright beg for spare change.
People and animals slept on the streets, cows shat wherever they pleased. The city's stench in general was awful. A lot of people didn't have access to showers.
"I wonder if this place was better in grandpa's time." Caesar mused, remembering Will's tales of his journey to India. The old Zeppeli wasn't impressed.
Luckily for them, there was a taxi nearby. Getting out of that immediate place had to wait though, a cow slept in front of the taxi. Cows were holy in India, it was illegal to even lightly touch them with a moving car. It took some time, but eventually the taxi was ready to drive away.
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Some time later, the crusaders sat at a restaurant table. Polnareff briefly left the table and went inside the restroom.
Suddenly, an unpleasant sound indicated a window breaking. The frenchman rushed back to the table, he bore an expression full of hatred which also displayed his stress.
"What is it, Polnareff?" Joseph asked, standing up from the table like his allies.
"Finally, he's here! The Stand user who attacks using mirrors is here!" Polnareff told in a low and venomous tone. "The man who killed my sister… I've finally found him!"
Turning around, the frenchman began walking away. "Sorry Joestar-san, everyone. I'm going to hunt him myself."
The crusaders knew that this was a sensible and important topic. Though they couldn't help but worry, he was about to act alone without proper knowledge of the enemy Stand.
"The man who killed my sister… I know he's close by now, so there's no way I can just sit back and wait for him to ambush us. First off, it's better to act than to counteract. Second, it's not just my style to hang around waiting. I'm going to find that bastard and kill him!"
"Are you sure about going alone even though you don't know what he looks like or how his Stand works?" the old Joestar maturely asked, a firm look in his eyes.
"All I need to know is that he has 2 right hands. Besides, he knows I'm after him, too. He should be worrying about my ambush!" Polnareff stubbornly insisted, disagreeing with said advice.
"Then you are merely walking into the enemy's trap!"
Having enough of the frenchman's hardheadedness, Avdol decided to raise his voice. Him, Joseph and the Zeppelis were senior members of the group, 3 had more knowledge about Stands than him.
"Polnareff, you're forbidden from leaving the group!" the egyptian sternly yelled.
Polnareff turned around again, facing him. "Huh, what did you say?!" he snarled, his eyes dead-set on revenge. "You think I'm gonna lose?"
"Yes! The enemy is trying to isolate you, that's why they only attacked you! Don't you understand?!" Avdol raised his fist and narrowed his eyes.
"Listen, I'm only going to say this once!" the frenchman hissed, clenching his teeth in anger. He wasn't going to accept disagreements. "I already told you guys in Hong Kong, the only reason why I'm traveling with you is to take revenge. Joestar-san and Jotaro should understand. I've always worked alone, and I always will! I don't give a shit about DIO"
"Huh? Do you really work alone?" Marco asked, raising his brow. "What about the Hamon training? You're not alone there."
"Oh, that? That's just a means to an end, a way for me to become stronger." Polnareff explained. "I would've stayed longer, but I can't ignore my own problem anymore."
"It doesn't mean much then, you only recently restarted your training." Caesar said. "Hamon doesn't become a meaningful weapon after only 2 days of training, even if you progress very quickly."
"Besides, even if you had the strongest Hamon in the world, it's completely useless against some Stands." the Zeppeli spoke, unknowingly right about this in the context of the frenchman's enemy.
"So? You might be correct, but this alone won't stop me." Polnareff insisted, further infuriating Avdol.
"You selfish coward!" the egyptian called, really blowing Polnareff's fuse. They were face to face now, grabbing each other's clothes.
"Have you forgotten that you were brainwashed by DIO?! That DIO is the one who started all of this?!"
"What the hell do you know about what I've been through?! Do you know what it's like to lose your sister?! I heard that back when you saw DIO, you ran like a dog! If anyone's a coward here, it's YOU!"
Avdol's eyes were twitching, the frenchman struck a nerve there. "W-what?!"
"And get your hands off me! Just because you got lucky and beat me in Hong Kong doesn't mean you can boss me around!"
"You…" The egyptian was sweating, Polnareff's words made him angrier with each syllable.
"Hmph! Did I just strike a nerve? Keep in mind, my mood is far worse than yours right now. You're in no position to boss me around like you always do, Avdol!" Having voiced out his state of mind, the frenchman once again turned away, preparing to leave.
"Why you…" Avdol was about to punch Polnareff.
It doesn't take one to be a communication genius to notice that those two were about to fight. Marco shot a quick glance at Joseph, who understood. Together, they seperated the arguing men, preventing escalation.
"Come on, don't resort to violence!" the Zeppeli pleaded for reason.
"Just forget about it, leave him be. It's his own decision to make, we can't stop him. Don't be angry." the old Joestar decided to talk sense into his friend.
Jotaro silently stared at the frenchman's back, becoming smaller and smaller in his sight.
"No… I'm not angry, I'm disappointed in him…" Avdol told, continuing to sweat. He was actually more sad than angry. "I thought him a better man than that…"
Thus, Polnareff went his way and the crusaders stayed behind.
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About 1 hour passed. The frenchman was still in their minds, in the minds of both crusader groups. For the time being, the Joestars and Caesar decided to go elsewhere in the town.
"Still feeling down?" Marco spoke up, looking at his slightly sulky friend. "Let it go, that's just how Polnareff is. He just is very prideful and naive, I don't think there's any changing that."
"…No, I won't." the egyptian refused. "Why are you so supportive of his foolishness anyway? Shouldn't you be looking out for him, as he's your and your father's student?"
"Supportive?" the Zeppeli repeated, softly shaking his head. "Not really, I do think he's acting too rashly. Though I will condone it. Call it a cultural difference, but as an italian I can't bring myself to mess with his own family's affairs. It's a personal vendetta, I won't involve myself in it. Let's be honest, he wouldn't listen to us anyway unless he's beaten within an inch of his life."
Avdol shot a glance at Marco. "Are you saying that you'll leave Polnareff to die just because of your ideals?"
"Whoa, whoa, you're putting this way too harshly." the Zeppeli complained, dismissing the accusation. "I do want to assist Polnareff in a way he can still get vengeance on his own terms, but Polnareff must request that himself. He has to understand what allies and friends are there for."
"You just said yourself how Polnareff is too prideful and naive for his own good, it'll be too late when he finally realizes it. He might already be dying now." the egyptian pointed out.
"Alright, you have a point." Marco conceded, turning his palms. "But be aware that he'll get angry with us when we interfere."
"Oh, that's fine with me." Avdol said, a very stern look in his eyes. "If he raises his voice at me, I'll be even louder and lecture him on his irresponsibility."
"Geez, you're way too strict." the Zeppeli chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"And you're far too lax." the egyptian spoke, then turning to Kakyoin. "Kakyoin, are you willing to come and lend Polnareff a hand?"
Shrugging, the redhead stood up from the bench he was sitting on. "Yes."
"Good to hear." Avdol smirked, encouraged to help out Polnareff by making him see reality. "This way!"
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After some minutes of walking, the three found Polnareff. He was having a Stand battle with a cowboy-like man. That cowboy-like man wielded a gun and shot bullets at the frenchman. The egyptian had just saved Polnareff by slamming him out of a bullet's path.
Marco and Noriaki were watching from the side. They then suddenly noticed something odd. "Ah!"
There was a puddle of water on the floor. The surface of the water reflected the egyptian and a mummy-like humanoid figure. It stabbed his back with a dagger.
Upon getting stabbed, Avdol took note of the puddle. But too late, another bullet had already been shot from the cowboy's gun, hitting the egyptian in the forehead when took a glance at the puddle.
"What?!" the frenchman, the cherry boy and the Zeppeli all uttered in disbelief, greatly taken by surprise. It was beyond their expectations to see their friend getting shot and subsequently falling down like a ragdoll.
"Phew! Talk about dumb luck!" the cowboy, Hol Horse, snickered. "The biggest threat here was Avdol's flames. We figured it'd be a tough fight against him, but there he is, dead on the ground! Man, we really are lucky!"
Rushing over to the fallen egyptian, Marco took him into his arms. "Avdol!"
"How could this happen?" Kakyoin uttered, shocked about this development.
Some meters away, the Polnareff spat on the floor and turned his face away. "Hmph! That's what he gets for bossing people around… I can't even look at him…"
Hearing those words, Noriaki's expression considerably darkned. "Wh- what did you say?! Polnareff!"
Not only the redhead's. "Watch your words, Polnareff. This is your fault." the Zeppeli lowly warned, his eyes shadowed.
"Who told him to come and save me? He stuck his nose where it didn't belong. He tried to fight but couldn't do anything… That's why he died." Polnareff went on. "A guy like him is just a burden on me! That's why I came alone!"
"He saved your life!" the cherry boy shouted, absolutely furious, sweating in anger. "And yet, you-"
The frenchman interrupted Kakyoin and made Marco hold back his voice as he cried tears, bitterly stretching his thumb upwards. "It's so damn annoying… For him to die right in front of my eyes, THIS IS SO GODDAMN ANNOYING…!"
'Polnareff…'
Though they understood his guilt, forgiveness was a step too early. The egyptian seemed lifeless in the italian's arms, a consequence of what he did fort he frenchman's sake.
'Okay Marco, calm down…' the Zeppeli monologued in his mind, under stress. 'Avdol should get up soon, open his eyes and speak again soon, right? There's no proof that he's dead, so he should be fine, right? Please, Avdol…'
Back with Polnareff, he tearfully reapproached the man who shot Avdol, intending to inflict death upon the shooter.
"Heh… and just like that, life comes to a sudden end." Hol Horse casually mocked. "Usually, you don't get to say goodbye, heh heh… Though, everyone should know that."
Watching the frenchman just not learn from that painful lesson made Noriaki irate. "POLNAREFF!" he exclaimed, tightly clenching his fist. "Don't fall for it again! Don't you understand? He kept saying you shouldn't fight them alone, but you didn't listen!"
"Then what should I do?!" Polnareff hissed, sweat of stress covering his entire face.
Marco raised his head, glaring at him in a furious yet calm way. "Work together with us? Like, the only thing we wanted from you?" the Zeppeli spat in disappointment, unforgivingly staring down his apprentice. "Listen closely, I don't want to repeat myself. We're all worried about you, Polnareff, worried because your enemy isn't alone and you don't know how his Stand works. You'll end up like Avdol if we don't retreat now!"
Polnareff wasn't done protesting yet. "Retreat?! Avdol was attacked from behind! And my sister… she was killed because she was defenseless! My burning anger, do you want me to just repress it and run?!"
"Boy, my patience has its limits too." Marco gave his final warning, staring at the frenchman so menacingly that the latter might actually receive a dose of friendly fire. "What happened to Avdol is your fault, don't forget that. The least you owe him is to make sure his sacrifice won't be in vain and retreat!"
"If you know that you're going to die, don't fight! That's what Avdol was telling you the entire time!" the redhead called, sweating in regret and frustration.
Meanwhile, the cowboy on the other side of the road proceeded to provoke the frenchman. "Hey! Come on, lil' Pol Pol!"
"Come here so we can get away using that truck over there." the cherry boy commanded, pointing at an old truck parked on the roadside.
"Son of a bitch.. Grr…" Polnareff furiously let out for the final time before giving in. "Fine!"
Another participant of the battle however, planned on keeping him there. "Kukuku… Hey, Polnareff…"
The sound came from a window. [Hanged Man] was in there, in the reflection. "Avdol… He died because of you…" the Stand taunted. "It means you owe him a great debt… He would still be alive if it wasn't for you! Kukuku!"
[Hanged Man] appeared to be behind him. The frenchman checked, quickly turning his head backwards. No one was immediately behind him.
"Kukuku!" the Stand laughed inside the reflection.
"Why you…" Polnareff switched his gaze over to his other enemy, the cowboy. "WHERE IS ITS USER?!"
"Heh heh…" Hol Horse chuckled, not going to tell.
Inside the reflection, the mummy-like figure drew out its dagger. "But you don't have to worry, you should be happy. You'll be seeing him very soon. You will die, and in the next life, you can be with him again." [Hanged Man] added salt into the wound. "Your little sister was an absolute darling, Polnareff… Once you see her again, be sure to ask her how exactly I killed her!"
That was the worst thing one could've said. The italian, knowing the frenchman would go berserk any moment, decided it'd be best to no longer allow the enemy Stand to speak. Another warning would be useless, Polnareff would never listen after the most heinous provocation. "[Mental Overdrive]!"
Out of the very puddle Avdol was attacked from, the Zeppeli formed 2 water spears. His Stand hurled both of them at the same time, striking the window so perfectly that all the glass fell off the window frame. Though it wasn't over yet, the shards were still shiny enough to cast reflections.
"Kukuku! How futile!" the Stand laughed inside one of the many shards. "I exist only within a mirror and your Stand is incapable of entering a mirror. You can't silence me! Kukuku!"
"Hey Hol Horse!" [Hanged Man] ordered, becoming deadly serious. "Shoot them! Let's kill these idiots!"
"Aye Aye, Sir!" the cowboy coolly replied, shooting another bullet.
Both the bullet and the dagger were focused on Polnareff, he was their primary target. Attacking from both sides, including the unreachable mirror world, there seemed to be no escape for the frenchman. "Die!"
"Emerald Splash!"
Forgotten by the enemy pair, Kakyoin did what he could to let Polnareff survive. The emeralds hit the frenchman with enough force so that he was propelled outside their range.
Using this window of confusion, Marco ran. In the opposite direction, as he had to get his friend away from the enemies and further harm. He trusted Noriaki to take care of the rest. 'Kakyoin… please look after Polnareff for us!'
Hol Horse grabbed for his Stand gun, [Emperor]. He initially wanted to shoot the truck Noriaki 'borrowed' to get Polnareff and himaway from there, but decided against it. His Stand's bullets get weaker with distance, and his partner went after the car anyway.
"Tch! Well, there's still the other guy." the cowboy said, turning his head. To his surprise, the Zeppeli had already left his view. "Oh… he's fast."
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'Shit! Shit! Shit!' Marco thought, running as fast as he could. What happened to the egyptian was bad, very bad. He had to find a doctor to confirm his status of being, as well as the other crusaders to report what transpired.
It took him almost 10 minutes to find them, the Zeppeli ran around half the town, sprinting all the way with a heavy tall and muscular man in his arms. When Marco finally found the 3, he was drenched in sweat, similar to his Hamon students after their extreme training.
"What's wro- AVDOL!" Joseph yelled in grave worry, taking Avdol off the Zeppeli's arms. "Marco, what the hell happened?! Why is Avdol like this?!"
"Haahhh… Haahhh… Polnareff…" the Zeppeli gasped for air, sitting down in a shadowy spot to cool himself. "We went after Polnareff… Hahh… Avdol took a bullet for him."
"He did what?!" the old Zeppeli repeated in shock, shifting his gaze to the egyptian's forehead. "Crap! If the bullet wound is in that place, then I have bad news!"
"Wait, we aren't 100% sure of the worst, are we?" Marco spoke, trying to compose himself. "That's why we have to find a doctor this instant!"
"…I saw a doctor's office a few streets back." Jotaro told. "We can go and let him diagnose whether Avdol is alive or dead."
"Thank god…" the Zeppeli exhaled, a weak smile of hope forming on his face. "Let's go."
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This doctor was quick with his diagnosis. He first stopped the bleeding, allowing him to inspect the wound. Turns out there was no metal inside Avdol's skull. The point of impact was only a deep scratch, deep enough to render him unconscious and leave a scar in the future, but not enough to kill him. Avdol's pulse was also still there.
The other injury on the egyptian's back, a somewhat nasty stab wound, was actually worse of an injury, yet still not life threatening.
"I don't know how this man managed to acquire these wounds, though don't worry, he'll return without permanent damage." the doctor confirmed. "Give him enough sleep for some days and he'll be just fine."
Hearing this, the crusaders looked at each other with relieved expressions, the worst scenario did not happen after all. "I'm glad…"
Though the young Joestar thought it was too early to relax about this revelation. "Now that Avdol's safe, we should look for Polnareff and Kakyoin. It'd be bad too if one of these 2 died instead of Avdol."
"Right." the older crusaders agreed, nodding. "Marco, do you have any idea where those 2 could be?"
"I know the general direction in which they went." Marco said. "Follow me, I know the way."
With that, the four left Avdol in this doctor's care and went out to ensure the safety of their other friends and allies.
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Somewhere further in the city's outskirts, the Joestars and Zeppelis encountered Hol Horse, who was running away from Polnareff and Kakyoin in the background.
"It's him! This man is the one who shot Avdol!" Marco loudly let the others know. Jotaro didn't hesitate punching the cowboy who barely registered him, previously busy monologuing in his head.
"Ah! You all came!" the cherry boy and frenchman reacted at seeing them. A welcome surprise. With 4 more allies, cutting off the gunslinger's escape route would be a piece of cake. The newly arriving company already surrounded Hol Horse from all sides, the gaps only got narrower when the other 2 also joined in.
"We heard about what happened to Avdol." Joseph said, glancing at Polnareff, who obviously felt guilty.
"He'll be resting for some time, a doctor confirmed him still being alive." Those words considerably eased the frenchman's mind.
"Thank god." Polnareff spoke, eyeing the cornered cowboy on the ground. "I would've killed you if Avdol was really dead. Though, I still feel like I should kill you."
"…Actually, I have a better punishment in mind." Marco announced, his powerful glare severely frightening the gunslinger.
"May I ask what's this punishment about?" Kakyoin curiously inquired.
"His punishment will be relatively simple. In order for him to avoid the death penalty, he must fill in as Avdol's substitue until Avdol can return fully fit."
"WHAT?!" his fellow crusaders and Hol Horse yelled out in disbelief at the suggestion.
"Excuse me, are you nuts?!" the frenchman snapped, baffled by the idea. "How are we supposed to trust him? He'll betray us the moment we take our eyes off him and shoot us in the back!"
"Damn right I will!" the cowboy joined in. "I've sworn loyalty to DIO, I can't betray him!"
"Really?" the Zeppeli questioned, observing the gunslinger. "You don't seem like you have a flesh bud implanted into you."
"That's right, I don't. But working for DIO pays very good, so I've sworn my loyalty to him."
The young Joestar looked at the gunslinger in disdain, straightening his hat. "Yare Yare, you mercenaries truly are the lowest of humanity."
"This is the craziest thing I've ever heard you say." the old Joestar said, regarding Marco's idea with skepticism. "Please explain how you think this will work."
"We take him hostage. Simple as that. He doesn't have a say in this matter, it's do or die for him."
How cruel. Hol Horse was actually about to cry. He'd have to say goodbye to DIO's dollars and would be hunted by his former allies. "I'm dreaming… I'm dreaming…"
"Polnareff and Kakyoin, as you two were the ones who fought his partner, I think you should be the ones to make sure this guy doesn't try anything funny." the Zeppeli added. "If he does, feel free to deliver the death sentence, like I assume you did to his partner, since that one isn't here."
Though the idea of slaying the cowboy pleased Polnareff, the prospect of practically babysitting him did not. "I don't really want to work together with this asshole." the frenchman muttered in a complaining tone.
"Well, you have to. It's your actions that led to this anyway." Marco reminded, making stern eye contact. "I hope you've learned your lesson today."
"…I have."
"Say it out loud, the lesson you've learned." the Zeppeli commanded, wanting to confirm this new maturity.
"…I've learned not to fight enemies whose Stand ability I don't know by myself, and I've learned that I can rely on my friends." the frenchman recited his lessons.
"Good." Marco spoke, shifting his gaze to the gunslinger. "As for you, it'd be wise for you to comply. Or else…"
Understanding, Hol Horse nodded twice in quick succession, tears flowing out his eyes. 'End my life…'
Nothing and nobody could save him from that situation, not even Nena, a female Stand user of DIO's faction who absorbed the body of a beautiful lady as a disguise.
She arrived at the scene, appearing innocent. "Mr. Hol Horse, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, my love…" the cowboy lied, feeling the forceful stares of his captors. "My love, we must go seperate ways now. I have to accompany these gentlemen."
"Oh." Nena let out in a fake naive tone. "Look after yourself please, Mr. Hol Horse."
'This idiot managed to get himself caught… What did Lord DIO see in him?' she thought, not pitying her now former ally. Nena was much more cautious than Hol Horse, evident by the fact that she managed to place a parasite on a crusader without the slightest detection. Said parasite would turn out to be quite a troublemaker for the infected.
With that, she left. Her Stand [Empress] could work perfectly from the distance.
Other than this inconvenience, the crusaders were more than ready to leave town and continue. Polnareff especially couldn't stop now, having understood the danger of DIO. His goal of killing J. Geil, the murderer of his sister had been fulfilled, but the time with his friends was far from over.
So that's it for this chapter. Hol Horse joining the crusaders, an official idea Araki sadly scrapped. A shame, he's funny and he could've gotten along with them.
I skipped the fight with J. Geil and [Hanged Man] because it would've been like canon. Polnareff and Kakyoin are still in the beginning phases of their Hamon training, it's going to take some time until they're going to be proficient enough to effectively use it in Stand fights. And against [Hanged Man] Hamon would make no difference at all.
Also, as you've most likely noticed I haven't revealed who got infected with [Empress]. That's a surprise you'll find out next chapter.
Feel free to leave a review if you like to