Augustus Zeppeli's Office

Master's Academy

Afternoon

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - Esperienza D'oro

'Shitshitshitshit–'

Zeppeli had flipped what confidence Viale had in his Stand in a matter of seconds, and he was panicking. 'I should really practice more…'

Viale lunged at the bookcase propped up against the wall of Zeppeli's office, gunning to confuse Zeppeli as to where he was hiding. He knew full well that Zeppeli had eyes on him somewhere.

Zeppeli used his ｢Broken Strings｣ to attack Viale, but he persisted, just managing to knick a book that was obscured from Zeppeli's view. Viale summoned ｢Mr. Blue Sky｣ to distract Zeppeli, so Zeppeli began to just go for every book on the shelf to hit Viale's hiding spot. Acting quickly, Mr. Blue Sky started punching air, Viale hoping to somehow hit Zeppeli's nigh-intangible form.

While Mr. Blue Sky was keeping what was supposed to be his teacher busy, Viale had a second to think. 'I don't care about what happened in the past, I'm being attacked now. I need to figure out where he is.' Through the corner of his Stand's eyes, he saw a red switch. 'The fire alarm!'

Viale instantly ejected himself from the book he was hiding in and sprinted across the room, ignoring the needle-like wounds he was receiving. In a stroke of genius, he overlaid Mr. Blue Sky over himself to use its superior defence when compared to human skin.

For Viale, the Stand-suit (as he'd later call it) was not enough to prevent Zeppeli from taking advantage of his compromised position. He went for the head. Viale felt something in the air, and dodged last-second, resulting in a rather fashionable ear piercing.

Despite the pain and tinnitus that was settling in, Viale made a last-ditch effort and used Mr. Blue Sky to pull the lever of the saving grace one might call a fire alarm.

"THERE IS A FIRE. THERE IS A FIRE. PLEASE EVACUATE TO THE ERBA OVAL."

He let out a sigh of relief as he heard footsteps in the corridor.

"That was a mistake, Giovanna." Zeppeli had reformed into his regular size and shape. "You're already bleeding out. If you had just stayed–"

"MORA!"

One clean shot. He had managed to land one clean shot. Zeppeli stumbled back, exiting Mr. Blue Sky's two metre range.

"So that's the real power of Mr. Blue Sky… very interesting," Zeppeli chuckled as he swiftly recovered. "Let's see how it fares against my full strength."

He once again disappeared, but Viale knew it was only a matter of time. A matter of time before the firefighters arrived and found a damaged office. Viale also knew that he had to survive in order for this plan to be successful, and he was currently working on that part. So he quickly devised another half-formed plan. It was quite simple.

Mr. Blue Sky reached up to the roof and punched the sprinkler.

As soon as the fire alarm went off, Vuoto bolted out of the door. Fortunately for Vuoto, he had been to Zeppeli's office before, and knew exactly where to go. He rounded many corners, weaving between people who had just started to evacuate. In his head, it was just as chaotic.

'This is all my fault this is all my fault if I had just kept my mouth shut no one would've gotten hurt this is exactly what led to Fragi being stabbed this is all my f– there it is!'

Just as he reached the door, he felt water drop onto his shoulder. "Huh?" was all he could say before he was absolutely soaked. He dismissed the setting water and pressed his ear against the door.

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - Il Vento D'oro

"I get how you're attacking me. You're so thin that any movement in the air, you can feel. But what happens if, oh I don't know, a dashingly handsome and debonair gentleman such as myself were to make the air unreadable?" It was, of course, a rhetorical question. The sprinkler, constantly spewing water, reduced the volume Zeppeli had to work with when shrunk. To top that off, he'd have to read where the water was in order to dodge, as if he was hit when unprepared and thinned, that small droplet could sever his body. By the time Zeppeli had figured this out, Viale had regained his confidence, "It means you'll have to see me to attack me."

"Damn you, Joestar!" Zeppeli roared, "you're going to have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Behold: the Ripple!"

Zeppeli breathed in deep, suddenly glowing golden with power. From where Viale was standing, it looked as if the water droplets that were spewing out of the sprinkler were freezing midair, but Viale noticed a slight electrical shimmer that was running through them.

'Uh oh.'

As this string of water became more defined and lengthened, Viale saw that it was actually Zeppeli's thinned body running through the water. It was nearly imperceptible, but it was there. Summoning Mr. Blue Sky yet again, Viale attempted to punch the frozen-in-mid-air water, only to find that it was as tough as steel.

"This, young Giovanna, is the power of the Ripple!" yelled Zeppeli as he swung his new water whip at Viale. It wrapped around his neck, choking him out. He tried to summon Mr. Blue Sky, but it appeared with half-opacity, and noticeably more sluggish than usual. He noticed Zeppeli's forearm thinning and knew that an attack was coming. He threw his hands up just in time to block. "Zoom Punch: Broken Strings!"

The force of the new-and-improved ancestral Zeppeli move hit Viale's arms so hard it broke the water whips apart around his neck. After he caught his breath, Viale noticed that Zeppeli was almost done preparing another water whip. Viale yelped and dove into the floor, leaving Mr. Blue Sky to attempt to fend off the crazed teacher.

The Stand unsuccessfully ducked and weaved, sustaining numerous wounds that reflected on Viale. 'Shit! With that whip of his, he won't be damaged even if I break them again! And that Zoom Punch was nuts!'

There was another problem: Viale couldn't breathe whilst inside a surface. He was already winded from the minor choking he'd sustained, so he knew he couldn't stay hidden for long. Viale brought Mr. Blue Sky into the floor with him, and pushed its hand out just where Viale could feel Zeppeli's weight pressing into the ceramic. Mr. Blue Sky's hand latched onto Zeppeli's ankle, tripping him over, and allowing Viale to pop up for a second and catch his breath.

Zeppeli, finding the Stand a mere nuisance, simply thinned his ankle, shifting onto his left. "There's no use, Viale, come face me. What, are you too chicken?" he said after returning his right ankle.

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - Il Vento D'oro, but the good part

Now, Viale fancied himself a reasonable man. Sure, he got into a fight here and there, but they usually deserved it. And he wasn't typically one to start them. That is, unless someone called him "chicken". He didn't know why that got to him, no one knew. What they did know, however, is that you shall never, ever, call Gioviale Giovanna a chicken.

Zeppeli, unfortunately, didn't know this. It is again unfortunate that he did not see nor hear Mr. Blue Sky rise up from behind him and crack its knuckles. In the artificial rain, he was too focused on Viale rising up in front of him, cracking his knuckles in sync with his Stand.

"Really?" Zeppeli deadpanned, "That's what gets you?"

"What. Did you call me?"

"What are you, Marty McFly?"

"What. Did you call me?"

"Chic–"

He was cut off by a knock to the back of the skull. No tricks, no plans. Just punches.

Viale inhaled, Stand aura flaring up a golden yellow.

"MORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORA–"

Mr. Blue Sky punched and punched and threw in a few kicks here and there for good measure. Viale had never done anything like this. Amicio's fight was ended through creative use of his Stand's ability, but not this one. This one was barbaric, merciless, and downright vindictive.

"–MORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORAMORA!"

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - Il Vento D'oro

Mr. Blue Sky grabbed the now bloodied and bruised Zeppeli by the ankle and SLAMMED him into the desk, smashing it in half. He wasn't going to wake up for a while.

"Nobody calls me chicken."

｢Broken Strings｣

Stats:

Power: D

Speed: A

Range: B

Stamina: C

Precision: A

Potential: A

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - A Fate that Still Remains

Outside, Vuoto was peeking through the door he'd cracked open. He'd wanted to see the fight – sue him. What he saw, however, wasn't a fight. It was a one-sided beatdown Viale had given Zeppeli. He had to admit: he was now more scared of Viale than Zeppeli. 'Then again,' he thought to himself, 'I never really knew what his Stand could do. It could be weak for all I know.'

Vuoto decided to make himself known. "Hey Viale, are you good in there?"

Viale snapped his head around, but when he saw it was only Vuoto, he relaxed. "Oh, hi Vuoto," he said, "I've just finished taking care of our problem, here." Viale gestured to the unconscious teacher on the floor, surrounded by the remains of the shattered desk.

"Uh yeah, I saw that."

"Damn," he sighed, dropping to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Vuoto noticed that all over Viale was bleeding from his legs and arms, which had miniscule puncture wounds littered throughout, and his neck was bruised, as if something had choked him out.

"Everyone's evacuating, so we should probably get out."

"Yeah, hey, can you help me move Sir Rage-A-Lot here?"

Vuoto nodded and approached him. Just after Vuoto grabbed Zeppeli's wrist, Viale heard something with Mr. Blue Sky's microphone-like hearing. Fast footsteps.

"Shit–!"

"Hey, Giovanna!" It was a classmate. "Everyone's evacuating– woah, what happened here?"

Viale staggered up. "I'm wondering the same thing." he looked back silently to Vuoto, who had frozen like a deer in headlights. 'He can't see Vuoto or Zeppeli. Is this an extension of Vuoto's Stand?'

"Looks like a fight broke out…" He put his hand on his chin. "Are you alright, by the way? Let's get outta here."

Viale spared Vuoto one last glance before agreeing and limping off with the classmate.

Vuoto would be stuck here until the firefighters were done searching for the fire that had already burned out.

Outside, on the oval

"Oh my gosh, Viale, are you alright?" Sana ran up to Viale, who had resorted to being supported by his classmate, who passed him off to Sana. "I heard the announcement. Was it bullies who used the intercom? What did they do to you?"

Viale said thanks to the nice guy who he'd bled all over. Viale's homeroom teacher noticed him and ticked him off, saying something about not being paid enough for this. Almost everyone in the school – dorms and all – were here lining up to be checked off.

"Uh– yeah, bullies. Don't worry, I fended them off." Viale didn't feel like telling Sana about his deathmatch with her Maths teacher.

"Obviously not very well. Look at you!" She took out her phone (Viale left his phone in his dorm room, as per school rules) and gave him the mirrored camera. His neck was bruised, Viale had already noticed that his arms had bruises on them too from when Zeppeli used that weird extend-o-punch move, blood was running down his neck from when that teacher asked kindly if he could give him an ear piercing, and worst of all…

"Yeah my hair looks like shit, sorry."

"Ugh, not the time." She took her phone back. "We should get you to the school nurse to get you cleaned–"

? ﾝﾅﾥ? - No Music

All of a sudden, silence. Viale looked around, and noticed everyone in the crowd went silent and statue-still, including Sana. Viale took a nervous step back. Seeing that nothing was happening, he got closer to Sana, seeing something glowing in her eye.

"I see you, Giovanna, and I'm coming for you."

And just like that, as if nothing happened, everyone returned to normal. Sana noticed Viale's stare, and said "What? Have I got something on my face?"

Viale was still startled, but responded, "No, no, it's just as pretty as ever."

Later that night

Sana had not been impressed, but – god bless her – had still escorted him to the sick bay after everyone was returned inside. He'd fallen asleep in the bed he was given to recover in after explaining to the nurse how the bullies had used the intercom to jump him for some reason.

He woke up groggily and found his phone on the bedside table.

Vuoto

Hey. I got Zeppeli to the hospital.

Didn't have to pay as they couldn't see me. I guess they could hear me over the phone though?

Anyway apparently he'll be there a while, maybe a week – Fragi is in the bed next to him, and the nurse was more than willing to tell him about his teacher.

Oh yeah I brought you your phone from your dorm room. Enjoy.

Viale smiled. Vuoto really was pretty reliable. He looked back at his phone and found another notification.

Father

Missed calls: (22)

'Shit.' The school had probably contacted him about Viale's acquittal to the nurse's office. He went to put his phone back down, but hesitated.

Beep beep beep.

…

…

"Hello?"

"Hey, dad, it's me."

To Be Continued ===