While a lot of the others went off to search for their friends, Miles considered it in his best interest to stay behind at the shrine—for now. However, the only other person who had stayed behind was listening to the radio not too far away from him.
It felt weird, sitting here, not talking. But what in the hell was he supposed to say to someone like Giorno Giovanna?
The static of the old timey radio announcer came through in strange bursts. Giorno sighed as music began to play.
For some reason, Miles decided to try and talk to him. "That guy doesn't make much sense. All the stuff he says is outdated."
"Could be from a different time period," Giorno suggested. "You're from 2023, correct? You weren't even born in the year I'm from."
"Oh real?" Miles asked more out of filling the void.
There was a minute of silence, "You weren't Spiderman in 2001, were you?"
"W-what?"
Giorno was quiet for a minute. "It comes with the territory—knowing everyone's secrets. Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me, unless you betray me. That would be unwise, Miles Morales."
His glare was almost as paralyzing as Miles' own electric abilities. Almost. If he hadn't beaten an entire spider society, it might've shaken him. But Miles knew his worth.
"So, you're not going to tell me what you're after," Miles said casually.
"Depends," Giorno shrugged. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. The question is: can I trust you?"
"I was about to ask you the same question," Miles said, staring back at him.
It was quiet again. A kind of quiet Miles was getting tired and frustrated with.
"I've never been one for trusting people with too much power. It leads to a lot of corruption. I had a dream, and I accomplished it. But I didn't do it alone. You remind me of someone I met a long time ago. Someone I believe Josuke Higashikata is looking for now. Honest and reliable. You've helped Miss Hino around the shrine the most, tried to play the mediator without bullshitting anyone, and you've kept neutral on everything."
"If I'm going to trust you," Miles said, crossing his arms. "How'd you find out I'm Spiderman?"
"I'm trying to tell you; I'm not in league with Miguel O'Hara, if that's what you're worried about," Giorno said with a sigh. "I have no reason to lie to you, Miles. I gain nothing that way. Think about it."
And he did. However, should he just trust this guy who gave off serious sketchy vibes?
"What do you want, Giorno?"
"Help. I need help in finding the monster who almost killed me. That should not have happened. Ever. I can't die. Not when I've just made everything right. I can't let all that work; all of that damage be for nothing."
"What attacked you?" Miles asked, softening a little. I mean, he wasn't a sociopath. Maybe Giorno had been through more than he was letting on. Miles would keep a healthy guard but not a hard heart—or too hard of a heart.
"It was a sort of demon. Tore right through my chest—all surface wounds. Even so, I still couldn't summon Golden Experience."
"Which is?" Miles asked expectantly.
"A stand. You wouldn't be able to see them. You're not a stand user," Giorno explained. "I'm not weak, Miles. Not one bit. And if that thing managed to incapacitate me, then it can easily do the same, if not worse, to anyone here. The only reason I survived is due to my…resource. He's told me what I need to know, nothing more. And I'm sure he's not interested in helping out."
"You can't tell me who it is, can you?" Miles asked.
Giorno smirked, slightly, "You catch on better than a lot of people I've worked with before. Well except B—."
He cut himself off and shook his head, "No need in dwelling in the past. How'd you know I couldn't tell you."
"I just figured it was a 'Blade of the Frontiers' situation. Some mystic force helps out and you're obligated to say nothing. Unless you wanna grow horns like Wyll."
Giorno paused and chuckled. "Didn't even think of that. When you're, unsuspectingly, on death's door, you'll make a deal with anyone."
"You didn't trade your soul away, did you?"
"Who doesn't?" Giorno remarked, waving his hand dismissively. He shook his head. "No. I just owe someone a favor. Dunno what it is. Could be anything. But I'll do anything to make sure I live and ensure my dream's success. Do you have that kind of dream, Miles?"
His Dad being alive.
"Yeah. Yeah, I got that."
"Then you understand. I need help. Help me find and beat that monster, and I'll help you. I swear."
Giorno held out a hand. Miles hesitated for a moment. Giorno seemed as sincere as he could be, but just how sincere was that? Was he just jaded because of Gwen and Peter? Going beyond the Spiderverse was giving him a headache. Still, if Giorno was as powerful as he said, and if he stuck to his word, he might actually be able to help keep his dad alive. And that meant more than some petty trust issues right now.
"Fine."
Miles shook Giorno's hand.
"Don't try and trick me," Miles warned. "I've had about the right amount of that for one lifetime."
Giorno smirked, "Yeah. I was about to say the same thing."
…
"So, there are multiple romance options in this game. I really like Karlach, but you can choose whoever you want," Miles explained.
Luz had lent Miles a copy of her games. Miles figured it would be a good opportunity to explain to Giorno just how badly deals with devils could go down. He probably already knew, but Wyll was an excellent example…and well a badass.
"I didn't play many video games growing up," Giorno admitted. "I can't believe how real this one looks."
He paused. "Do you have to romance someone?"
"Don't have to if you don't want to," Miles said. "But the characters flirt, like, a lot."
"Figured you could escape that in fantasy," Giorno mused.
Footsteps on the wooden floor thudded behind them. "Whoa! Is that what video games look like in the future?"
Miles looked up to see Josuke grinning from ear to ear, absolute delight in his eyes. He sat right beside Miles, pointing to the screen. "The graphics are amazing! You get to make your OWN character? I-I don't know if I can ever go back to playing Sonic."
"That's probably a good thing. Sonic gets a little crazy over the years."
"How much Sonic is in your time, Miles? Oh, you gotta tell me! Come on! What happens! Do we ever get a new villain besides Robotnik?"
Would making a Snapcube joke even be funny to someone who wouldn't understand it? Miles shook his head. "There's a lot you probably don't know. And there's too much for me to go over."
"Okay…can I play this game?"
"Well, I was going to show Giorno Wyll Ravengard, actually."
"That's such a badass name! What's he? A knight or something?"
"Or something," Miles chuckled. I mean, yeah, he was. But he's also a warlock. "Did you have any luck finding any of your friends?"
Josuke slumped his shoulders. "No. But I'm sure they got dragged into this crap, too."
"What makes you think that?" Miles asked.
"Seems like it would happen," Josuke said. "Don't worry. I'm sure they're okay, but it'd be nice to know where they are. You know?"
"I'm sure."
The small radio in the room started to crackle. "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" became a distorted jumble of sound and static. A voice sort of rang through the air. Certain key words like: Operative, O'Hara, Invasion, and Redfield came through. Miles could have sworn he'd heard the name Redfield before, but where? He couldn't exactly remember.
The other radio announcer came back, and the radio sounded clearer and crisper than ever. "I hate pesky, nosy hijackers. Pardon folks, for the interruption. We'll now resume our fine broadcast!"
With that, the music came back on. But Miles wasn't at ease. Miguel had even more help now. Apparently, someone named Redfield. And why was that name so familiar?
"Hey," Giorno spoke up suddenly. "Why don't we watch the news? The radio is giving me a headache. And this game is cool and all, but I'd really like an update on current events."
Miles tossed the remote to Giorno, who turned it back onto the show the chrome-man hosted while Josuke shut off the radio. The chrome-man, Meta, Miles remembered, looked a bit agitated.
"Thank you for tuning in to Meta-Musings. We know you could watch that V drabble, but of course, only the truly intelligent and best watch our programming."
"This guy's got an ego," Miles snorted.
"He must be doing something right. I mean, we're watching him," Josuke shrugged.
"There have been reports of a couple of attacks across Tokyo. Luckily, bystanders were able to ward off any danger that may be present to civilian life. They call themselves heart snatchers, in search of hearts. Isn't that strange? Well, according to some, these things won't stop until they attack their target. That's what news we have on this subject. In other news famous record producer Gideon Graves is being sued by Kaiba Corp for abscondment of company property. Defense attorney Phoenix Wright has yet to issue a statement, but Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth is sure of Graves' guilt!"
"Hey, didn't you and Hunter fight one of those things?" Miles asked Josuke.
"We did, and I kicked it's ass," Josuke said with a slight grin.
"And how'd you do that?" Giorno asked, with a small, almost knowing smirk.
"I just beat it up," Josuke said, a bit unnerved. He fidgeted in his own shoes; everyone in the room knew he was lying. But Miles wouldn't be the person to call him out on it.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall. "Someone! Please help me!"
Hunter. Miles sprang up and ran to the front door; he saw Hunter carrying Luz—or at least trying to. She was completely unconscious and bleeding from the top of her head. She had a couple of bruises on her face and arms, and Hunter looked roughly the same (minus the head injury).
"What happened?" Miles asked.
"There was another monster. It tried to do that thing again, but Luz defended me. It just…hit so hard!"
He was near sobs as he looked around the room, finally spotting Josuke. "Hey! Josuke, do you think you can do that…thing?"
Josuke didn't hesitate. He just nodded and knelt down next to Luz. Within the blink of an eye, Luz's injuries were gone. No trace of them remained. He checked her pulse and took a breath. "She's going to be okay. She'll probably just need some rest."
"Th-thank you," Hunter said, relaxing a little. "I don't know why it came back. I thought we got rid of it."
"According to the news, those monsters don't stop until they get what they want," Giorno said flatly. Miles gave him a small glare. "What? He should know."
Miles could sense something nearby. It wasn't anything good. He peeked out the window, but he couldn't see anything. No pink, clown monsters. Still, the feeling was there. He noticed Rei, out of the corner of his eye. She looked weary and stressed. She held a small slip of paper in her hand and was walking in the direction of the tree that held a lot of wishes tied to its branches. The tree…something was wrong with the tree!
"Rei—wait!" Miles called out, trying to run over before she could touch the tree.
It was too late. As soon as she tried to tie her piece of paper to the tree, a purple light blinded the both of them. Instead of the tree was a freaky, purple monster with gigantic, beaded hair, orange vest, and black star on its chest. Just like Hunter and Josuke had described.
"Who are you?" Rei demanded, backing away.
A voice spoke up behind them. "Mikuji! Take the target's pure heart."
Miles looked up to the tops of the trees where the voice came from, and he then saw a woman in a red dress with long, blood-red hair. Her eyes were like that of a snake. While Miles wasn't usually one to judge, she had the whole 'evil villain' look down.
The monster pounced forward, lunging at Rei. Miles was faster. He used the trees to propel himself forward with webbing, then he kicked the monster in its abdomen, sending it flying backwards.
"Oh? So, you're not just some ordinary human. We've come across quite a few of you lately," the red lady said, raising an eyebrow. "However, you're not our target—today."
Miles barely dodged the swing of the monster's hair. It whooshed by, implying heavy weight. However, it came back, swinging again. And again. Like a jump-rope. That was until Miles got pissed off; he grabbed the rock-like ponytail and tried his best with electricity. It merely laughed and threw him into one of the bushes beside the entrance of the shrine.
"My turn, then," he heard Josuke say. "DORA!"
The monster reeled back, by some unseen force. Meanwhile, someone wrenched a hand through the bush and helped pull Miles up.
"So, that's the monster," Giorno murmured. "It doesn't look like the one I fought at all."
"Yeah, and it's trying to attack Rei, so let's make sure it doesn't do that," Miles said.
Giorno nodded. "Golden Experience!"
"MUDA!"
The monster, who was struggling to get up, fell backwards again.
"Now you three are getting on my nerves. Leave me to do my work in peace!"
The woman in red materialized a staff from thin air and swung it propelling a wave of purple energy towards the trio. Miles felt paralyzed the instant the energy struck him. He tried to turn his head, but his body wouldn't comply.
"W-Why is this happening?" He heard Giorno mutter. "This shouldn't be happening to me!"
The Red Lady, now seemingly satisfied, turned back to Rei. The monster slammed her into the outside wall of the shrine. It grabbed her wrists, sticking them to the wall by replicating its own hands into a sturdy clay that held her in place.
"Stop right there!" a familiar voice spoke up.
The girl with the noodle-hair, Usagi, stood at the entrance to the shrine. The other girls followed quickly behind her. Usagi started to pull something from her pocket but was quickly tackled by the monster. It flung ties around all the girls, trapping them to the trees. Miles tried pushing himself off the ground, absorbing the energy, but it wasn't…right. It wasn't electricity at all!
"Damn it!"
"NO!" The blonde girl screamed. The monster snatched an object from her hand, casing it in whatever concrete it had trapped Rei in.
"Evil monster begone from this holy place where friends and innocent people gather!" a deep voice announced. Some guy in a tuxedo and mask stood on the ledge.
The monster shot another one of those trap things at him, and he toppled over the ledge he was standing on.
"M-much good he was," Josuke muttered, still trying to stand.
"Mikuji! No more distractions! Do it now!"
The monster nodded and shot a ray of dark energy at Rei from a star on its body. She screamed as a bright, pink crystal appeared in front of her body, and then the light in her eyes seemed to dim as she slumped over.
"Excellent work, Mikuji!" the red lady said, "Now, hand me the heart crystal and we'll be on our way."
"No! You can't!" Usagi screamed. "Rei! Wake up! Don't do this! Rei!"
Before the monster could reach the crystal, a flash of gold zipped by, nabbing it instead. Hunter stood defensively in front of Rei. "You want to hurt someone; you'll have to go through me!"
The red witch was taken aback for a moment before chuckling. "See Mikuji? We pick our targets well! Check him, too."
The monster lunged at Hunter; however, two bolts of fire struck the monster, carefully fired from the entrance. The red witch didn't have time to be shocked before a boomerang struck her in the head, ruining her concentration. Two more bursts of fire and the monster was done, reduced to ash. The boomerang flew back to its owner—Zuko and Sokka stood at the entrance. Flame still danced in Zuko's palm.
"Who are you brats?"
"Guests of the shrine," Sokka said.
"It's in your best interest to leave now. Leave and you won't end up like that thing," Zuko warned, a scowl on his face.
"Hmph. Noted." The witch looked at Hunter. "Don't think you're in the clear yet."
Giorno stood up, and without a moment's hesitation, "MUDA!"
The red witch stumbled backwards, a trickle of blood dripping from her nose. She stared at Giorno as if he'd just managed to make pigs fly. "You brat! I'll get you for that! You'll all pay for what's been done today! Every single one of you!"
With that, she disappeared into a wave of flowery rose petals, leaving the group weary, astounded, and most importantly—angry. Miles felt the most frustrated. All of those feats against the spider society meant nothing against her. Why? What was that energy? What was that monster? And the crystal…the crystal!
Miles ran over to Rei. Hunter was already beside her. He placed the crystal above her body, and it sort of just sank down and dematerialized. Hunter looked to Miles. "Do you think that worked?"
The color was already starting to return to Rei's face. Miles nodded. "Yeah, dude. You okay?"
Hunter hesitated and gave a weak nod. "Yeah. I'm good. You? She got you guys pretty good."
Miles shook his head. "That was nothing. Don't worry about it."
He looked up to see Usagi and her friend, now free from their bindings, running over to join them. Usagi held Rei up, carefully. "Rei! Rei! Are you alright? Speak to me!"
Rei slowly opened her eyes, groaning as she did so. "Unnn, I-I'm okay."
Usagi, probably, crushed Rei in a vice-like grip. "Rei! I'm so happy you're okay!"
"Monsters," Sokka said. "Of course there are monsters here."
"The most important thing is making sure we can keep people safe," Miles said. He felt a pair of eyes on him. He glanced up at the trees. Two mysterious figures were standing there! "Hey! Who are you?"
One of the figures spoke. "She didn't have a pure heart. We'll be keeping an eye on those daimon, too."
"Why?" Zuko questioned.
"It's our duty," the other spoke as if shrugging. "You'll see us around more often."
With that, they were gone. They leapt from the trees and away from the shrine.
"And even more mystery," Josuke said, folding his arms.
"Fantastic," Sokka dead-panned agreed.
"Whatever happens," Giorno said. "They won't be able to do that again. I'll make sure of it."