Accademia Magistrale
Makeshift Prison
Venice

"So… what are we still doing here?" Grace asked. It was a valid question. According to Polnareff's information from his numerous visits, Mercurio had nearly everything he wanted. He had Giorno's arrow, the only remaining Stone Mask in the world, and almost zero competition now that the whole world knew just how powerful and untouchable he was. The only 'issue' Polnareff saw was his and Giorno's existence. Hence, why were they still there? Esposito, Grace, and Luigi Teripio had been in this murky basement for what felt like weeks.

"He's not going to let us leave until he gets what he wants."

"Then, why don't we leave?" Grace asked.

"Please. Like he'd let us leave."

Grace huffed as she stood up. "From what I understand, your Stand can go toe-to-toe with his."

"Sure, but he'll have backup."

Grace poked him in the chest and gave a sly smirk. "So will you. Right, Luigi?"

"Of course." Luigi staggered up. "You have been good to me in the past – good to everyone in this school. About time we repay the favour."

"Hey," Grace piped up, "Does anyone know what day it is today?"

Florence Countryside

They were to go directly to Venice. Previously they would take a long route or get sidetracked to avoid Stand users, but this had been thus far ineffective. The route they were taking would skirt around Bologna and continue on to Venezia.

Beneficci, Giorno and Shizuka would all alternate driving every half-hour, with Giorno and Beneficci's abilities to detect people coming in particularly useful.

Meanwhile Viale, Sana and Vuoto would brainstorm ideas as to how to handle Mercurio, now that they knew what his Stand could do.

"What if we just shot him?" Vuoto asked.

"No, he would be able to catch a bullet," Viale replied.

"What about, like, a bunch of bullets…?" Sana continued.

"From what I understand, his only 'ability' – and I use that term lightly – is that he is faster, stronger, more durable, and more precise than any Stand we've seen. In that video, he threw that car into the canals without breaking a sweat. Even with ｢Mr. Blue Sky｣, that would be a struggle for me."

"Did you ever get Mr. Blue Sky evaluated?" Vuoto asked.

"Yeah, Polnareff did mine. I was an 'A' in power, precision and speed. ｢ELO｣ batted me away without a second thought, back in Esposito's office."

Giorno chimed in from the front of the car. "You should assume he can kill you in one hit, and in less than a second."

Viale nodded. "Hey, padre, what was that thing that happened back at Florence? When you punched me?"

"That was called Life Shot. I filled your body with 'life energy' which overloads your senses. So I've heard. I can't really do it on myself. ｢Gold Experience｣ stops before hitting me every time."

"So… let's say that Mercurio has had his Stand for a while. The Speedwagon Foundation keeps track of all of the Stand arrows, right?" Viale asked both Shizuka and Beneficci, "Could there have been an opportunity for him to get his hands on one in the past… ten or so years?"

"Well there's always the chance that there are yet undiscovered methods of obtaining Stands… where are you going with this?" Beneficci asked from the driver's seat.

"Most of the arrows are under the Speedwagon Foundation's watch. There's one in Tokyo in a massive vault, for example. No, he'd have to have had his Stand for a while, I think. Sana?"

Sana blinked. "Oh, well, I never saw him use his Stand before… well I just haven't."

"And you've never fought him?" Viale asked his father, who shook his head. "Well if his senses were overloaded, and he saw the world in slow motion, he would still be able to use his Stand, correct? Because of its speed."

This gave Giorno pause. "This requires further experimentation."

"Let's do it. Who has the fastest Stand here?"

"I think it's… Giorno or me?" Shizuka postured, "We haven't really tested it."

"How would you test it?" asked Vuoto. Being the only one with an integrated-type Stand, he never felt the need to get his Stand's physical capabilities evaluated.

"It would be quite simple," Giorno explained, "We would put a coin on the dashboard, or some other small object, and 'race' to pick it up with our Stands."

"We don't even need to. You can't use your Life Shot on yourself, so I'm the only option, really."

"Well, let's try it out." Gold Experience slowly emerged from Giorno, and placed a hand on Shizuka's shoulder. "Ready?"

｢Houdini｣ was ready already. The car was getting cramped for six people and two Stands. Shizuka signalled that she was ready.

Giorno pushed life force into Shizuka, as much as he would in a battle. Viale watched her closely for any sign of oddities. After a few seconds, Giorno took his hand off, and Shizuka blinked.

"…wow. That was so weird. I've had trips better than that."

"What was it like?" Vuoto asked expectantly.

"It was like being in a third person video game but you couldn't control your character…"

Giorno and Viale didn't understand what that meant. Seeing the confusion on their faces, Shizuka elaborated, "Like you're watching a movie in slow motion, starring yourself from a few seconds ago."

"What about Houdini? Could you move your Stand? Change its direction?" Beneficci asked.

Shizuka turned to Giorno. "No."

"What is it now…" Mercurio climbed down the ladder to the basement after getting reports on loud clanging coming from the dungeon. He hated coming down here, always rife with rats and mice and spiders–and goddamn rats. He shivered. As he set his last foot down, the noises stopped. "Esposito, what are you doing?" he called out.

Silence. He sighed and proceeded onwards.

The room was built in a way where all of the prisoners would be able to be seen at the same time, should the 'warden' be in the centre of the room, however, as Mercurio exited the short hallway from the ladder to the holding, he didn't see any of his captives. Only empty beds and discarded junk food wrappers.

"Sir? Are you okay?" Mario called from the top of the room.

"I'm fine, for now." He stalked around the back of the damp room, trying to find another angle without getting too close to the bars in fear of being ambushed. "There's no one here," he said to himself, "But the noise… they couldn't have escaped in the time it took for me to get down the ladder…"

He cautiously approached the front of the room, hands on hips with a puzzled expression. "How could they have… gotten out…?"

As if to answer his question, the area around his feet shimmered in a wide circle. He raised an eyebrow as the circle moved behind him, and the three former prisoners rose from the ground.

"｢Cherry Moon｣. Depending on the phase of the moon, I get different abilities. Today, I can make solid objects intangible."

Mercurio chuckled. "And you're in on this, Espie? I can just scoop you up and keep watch of you until the next moon phase, you must know this."

"Our freedom is more important than whatever childish plan you have. And I won't stand for it anymore, pun intended."

Faster than any of them could blink, Electric Light Orchestra closed the distance and swung. A loud bang was heard, and a hand identical to ELO's revealed itself, slowly manifesting from Esposito's form. Mercurio's eyes widened as he casually tilted his head up.

"｢Electric Boogaloo｣. I told you, I'm done. You understand what mutually assured destruction is." He gestured above him to the building they were underneath. "We are standing under both of our life's work. You know that a clash between us would result in its destruction. So let us go, and I won't use your own Stand to slaughter your entire gang."

"Pfft. Please. You, slaughter? You would never – you were always the angel on my shoulder, and me the devil on yours–"

Electric Boogaloo threw ELO back, and with a quick woosh, disappeared and reappeared holding a freshly decapitated head. The blood drained out of the man's head at once and splashed on the floor, coating both of their pants in red.

"Try me."

Venice
1999

"Ow… sorry ma'am," Mercurio said bashfully.

The older woman, wearing fashionable sunglasses and a scarf that looked like it belonged in Winter, looked to be in her sixties. "Don't you worry, young man. I barely felt a thing."

"Ah, I am still sorry, though." She nodded and turned away, continuing onward.

Mercurio slowly felt a smile creep onto his face as his leg pressed into the wallet in his pocket. He too turned around and began to slink off, when another man walked past him and called out, "Ma'am, you dropped your wallet!"

Mercurio felt his heart drop as he checked his pocket, only to realise the only reason the wallet had felt like a rock was because it was one.

"Yes, I know. I was only waiting for the boy to give it back to me."

The thin, wobbly young man that had passed Mercurio handed the lady her wallet and she went on her way.

"You fumbled that, big time, Mercurio."

"Shut up, Espie. You could've had that for yourself if it weren't for your heart."

Esposito chuckled. "And you could make a real living if it weren't for your mindset. You don't have to steal stuff. There are plenty of ways of making money."

"Like what?"

"There are plenty of jobs — plenty of professions. Everyone is doing something, and you could do any number of them." A flyer on a pinboard caught Esposito's eye. "Like this, a 'clinical trial'... interesting. Says it will give you 'wondrous powers' and money. I'd do that."

"Give me that!" He snatched the flyer out of Esposito's hands. "'Requires rigorous testing of the spirit.' What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know, man, but that's a lot of money. I'd be able to see Toy Story 2 at least twenty times with that."

Present Day

Teripio relinquished his Stand. 'That should be enough.'

Mercurio looked between his childhood friend and the dead head of his subordinate in silent horror. His Stand hovered before him, in a staredown with its doppelganger, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Electric Boogaloo dropped the head, and it rolled down to nudge Mercurio's feet.

"What… was that vision…?" he heaved.

"It was my Stand, ｢What a Wonderful World｣," Luigi explained. "I showed you what you'll be losing if you continue down this dangerous path."

"Ha, you think a little memory is going to stop this?" He gestured around him. "I remember that day. That was the first time we ever heard about Stands."

Esposito, who had not seen the memory, realised what Luigi had shown him. "The trial."

"It was so sketchy-looking, wasn't it?" He chuckled and pushed his hair back. "Haha… we should've known." He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. "Anyway, if you would step back into the cell, please. I will personally wait until the next phase of the moon."

Electric Boogaloo dropped the decapitated head and moved in front of the escapees. "There is no world where we stay in that dungeon. Let us leave, and I won't bring this building down on top of us."

ELO took a step towards its clone. "Sorry Espie. You still have the final piece to my puzzle. And I need it before the Giovannas and their merry crew get here." He turned to the other two escapees. "You two should leave before you get hurt. Believe it or not, I like to avoid any unnecessary casualties."

Grace prepped her Stand while Luigi caught Esposito's eye.

"Come on, Teripio." They disappeared through the moon-shaped projection on the wall, knowing they may never see the beloved principal again.

"Are we really doing this, Scuderio?" Mercurio did not respond. Instead, ELO initiated its copy with a blinding right hook, which was intercepted with a loud bang.

The cave rumbled and groaned in protest with the force of the interaction, dust being displaced and pebbles falling from the ceiling. Upstairs, Tizio felt the blow and instantly made for the exit.

With ELO's excellent hearing, Mercurio heard his ally make it to safety, as the warning attack was meant to communicate. Electric Boogaloo held ELO in place as Mercurio waited, but Tizio escaping allowed him to throw another supersonic attack, the rat aiming for the other's gut.

Boogaloo caught it too, and threw his other fist at the Stand. This exchange happened over again, both users equally familiar with how ELO worked, and both men equally determined to keep the other there.

"Why throw yourself away for these people, Espie? Can't you see I'm making a better world? Can't you see I'm following your philosophy?"

"How's that?" Esposito asked, feeling a sting in his hands.

"I'm not stealing anymore! You told me not to!"

"What does that have to do with this situation?!"

"After the trial— after we got our Stands, I mean, we vowed to not use it for our own gain. Does this look like gain to you? This is years, decades of my life, culminating to give the world a gift! The gift to see! To open their eyes as to what has been going on around them! Stands users everywhere, acting in self-interest! Politicians lying, the government turning the other cheek to abuse and—and experimentation. And you, you partner with one of the largest private corporations in the world, and the very mob that hurt us!"

"Now— the Joestar family and Robert E. O. Speedwagon mean a lot to my family, and the Speedwagon Foundation is a benevolent—"

"LIES!" Mercurio roared, "Speedwagon is just like the rest of them. Seemingly honourable intentions; painfully horrible execution. A so-called fight against the paranormal whilst profiting off every incident." Esposito gave him a puzzled look. "Really? You don't see it? The DIO incident? They turned his mansion in Cairo into their own base of operations. Morioh, an excuse to expand their reach to small towns and cities. It's all a vie for power! You just watch, it will only take a few years for the Foundation to reach critical mass."

"And you aren't doing the same thing? 'Hey world, I've given you the gift of being able to see Stands! Praise me!' That's you."

"Wah wah wah," Mercurio's hand opened and closed with each word in a talking hand gesture. "You don't see the bigger picture. What I'm doing… is not an attempt at—at power, or validation, it's solely for the human race."

"Call it what you want. Intent doesn't matter if the outcome isn't what you expected. You haven't grown up at all."

Mercurio grit his teeth. "Big talk for someone whose power isn't even his."

As the tension between Mercurio and Esposito reached its peak, the cave continued to tremble under the force of their Stands' clashes. Dust and debris filled the air, making it difficult to see. Mercurio's frustration grew, his resolve hardening with each passing second.

ELO and Electric Boogaloo exchanged a series of rapid blows, each one more powerful than the last. The sound of their impacts echoed through the cavern, a show of the sheer strength of their Stands. Despite the intensity of the battle, Mercurio's mind raced with thoughts of his mission and the sacrifices he'd made to get this far.

Esposito, on the other hand, was torn between his loyalty to his friend and his duty to stop him. He knows that Mercurio's vision, while noble in intent, was flawed and dangerous. The memory of the trial and the promises they made to each other weighed heavily on his conscience.

Suddenly, a loud crack reverberated through the cave as a large section of the ceiling began to collapse. Both Stands reacted instinctively, shielding their users from the falling debris. In the chaos, Mercurio saw an opportunity and lunges forward, aiming a decisive blow at Esposito.

But Esposito was ready. With a swift movement, he deflected the attack and countered with a powerful strike of his own. The force of the blow sent Mercurio sprawling to the ground, his Stand momentarily stunned.

Breathing heavily, Esposito stepped forward, his eyes filled with determination. "This ends now, Mercurio. We can't keep fighting like this. There has to be another way."

Mercurio, struggling to his feet, glared at his friend. "You don't understand, Espie. This is the only way. I have to show the world the truth. I'm sorry."

In an instant, Mercurio withdrew his Stand, making Electric Boogaloo revert back to its base form. This caught the already exhausted and battered Esposito by surprise. He didn't even have time to process before Mercurio ran up to him and punched him right in the face, knocking him out cold.

He reeled his fist back from the punch and took a moment to catch his breath."I really am sorry, but this is the only way to secure the future of humanity."

He delicately reached down to the ground next to Esposito's prone form, and picked up the small golf ball that was what remained of Electric Boogaloo.

Mercurio sighed and shook his head. "All of that for a backup plan."

Mercurio dropped his unconscious friend's body onto the grass and brushed off the dust on his shoulder. He looked at the poor old building they'd left in shambles from their fight. "I might as well do the demolitioner's jobs for them… plus, it'll be nice to let loose for a minute."

ELO emerged from his body, and with a thought, dug its toes into the ground, and–

–moved to the very corner of the building. It casually flicked the marble pillar. The air around its fingers contorted, as a vacuum was created behind its index finger. The moment the digit touched the marble, the entire direction of the flick was eviscerated.

The impact was instantaneous and catastrophic. The marble pillar shattered into countless fragments, each piece propelled outward with explosive force. The shockwave from ELO's flick rippled through the entire structure, causing walls to buckle and windows to shatter in a deafening symphony of destruction.

The building groaned under the sudden assault, its foundations trembling as cracks spiderwebbed across every surface. Dust billowed out in thick clouds, obscuring the view as chunks of concrete and steel rained down. ELO moved with precision, targeting key structural points with effortless flicks that sent shockwaves through the building.

Each touch was a calculated strike, designed to maximize damage with minimal effort. Support beams snapped like twigs, floors collapsed in on themselves, and entire sections of the building crumbled into rubble. The once formidable structure was reduced to a chaotic mess of debris and twisted metal.

Mercurio watched with a mix of satisfaction and awe as ELO continued its methodical demolition. The Stand's power was immense, each flick a testament to its destructive capability. Within moments, what had once been a sturdy building was nothing more than a pile of ruins.

As the dust began to settle, Mercurio took a deep breath, feeling a sense of release wash over him. The destruction was complete, and with it, any remnants of their battle were buried beneath the rubble. He turned away from the wreckage, ready to move forward with his mission, leaving behind nothing but devastation in his wake.

To Be Continued =