madimpossibledreamer

( Chapter 354: Holding On So Long )

I forgot what pyramid this was set at. It’s Ixtepete, since it’s a tourist location but not one that gets a lot of action, since it doesn’t look like too much at the moment, and the caveat that there’s probably not secretly most of the pyramid buried unlike another Mexican tourist spot.

Of the Stands I’ve heard of…actually, that’s wrong.

See, it’s a lot like my weapon collection.  Sure, Mr. Pointy isn’t good for every situation.  Many demons don’t care much about a bit of wood.  But even then it’s got its uses.  You just have to think creative.  So, there are places that some Stands are better for than others, just like sometimes it’s better to use a stake and sometimes I need my axe.

So, some Stands are better in some situations, but a lot of it depends on how flexible you can be.  The Hand is powerful.  I mean, erasing part of…whatever it wants in front of its hand is the kind of power I wouldn’t want to fight because it’d probably take me longer than I could lose a limb or something to figure out how to beat it, and for a Slayer I’ve kept myself in pretty good shape for a lot longer than most Slayers.  Maybe Josuke could undo it with Crazy Diamond, or Giorno could use his growth powers, or something, but I’d still not enjoy the experience.

I’m glad this guy isn’t an enemy.  But if he had an imagination, he’d be truly terrifying.  That being said, I’ll be careful just in case there’s a friendly fire accident in the middle of a fight.

Stand User: Okuyasu Nijimura

The Hand can scrape away bits of reality.  If I’d written up some sort of description I bet I would’ve gotten first place in the Science Fair.  Dr. Clark couldn’t figure out how it’d work with the ‘matter is not destroyed’ physics thing, either, I’m pretty sure.  Fortunately, I’m a Slayer, not a scientist, so I can do the thing where I just ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist because the science will otherwise break my brain. Koichi looked apologetic but didn’t try to guess, either.

( Chapter 172: Night Expires )

          Josuke can’t help the pleased grin as hands cover his eyes playfully.  He doesn’t even have to look to guess who it is.  After all, it brings back memories of barefoot breakfasts in the kitchen.
          “Next time you flee into another dimension, could you warn me first?” he asks, and his daughter shakes her head gently.
          “Hey Jojo-chan!  You’re okay!” Okuyasu exclaims, grinning widely.
          Jojo spares a smile for her uncle.  “So are you,” she responds softly before putting a little more of her usual energy in her tone—even if it’s rare for her to show her anger like this.  “I didn’t have enough time.  I don’t remember what was chasing us, and it wasn’t just Sarde.”  She spits the name out like it’s poison, and Josuke retrieves the comb from his jacket to ensure his hair remains presentable.  True, he’d barely met the man, as he wasn’t as involved in Speedwagon Foundation affairs as his daughter or Koichi, but Josephine had, on multiple occasions, indicated how creepy she’d found the guy, which always has his hackles up.
          “And you don’t remember after I undid Enigma,” Josuke clarifies hopefully and gets a shake of the head in return.  Of course not; that would be too easy.
          “I went to look for food and my son and only found one of those things, but I’ve been thinking,” Josephine explains.  “Johan in the hands of a Speedwagon should be okay, and while I’d really like to have our little reunion sooner rather than later, I really want to deal with the ‘Sarde is a bastard’ problem sooner rather than later.”  She sighs and plops herself down on the bench next to them.  “We have a few big problems.  The first is that several of the Standsassins Sarde was supposed to have dealt with are still alive.  I got attacked by that fractal guy with all the eyes…”
          “The User of Lateralus?” Josuke frowns.
          “That’s the one.”  She perks up before simmering back down again.  “If that guy’s still around then Sarde didn’t betray us recently.  He’d been planning that for a while.”
          “I’m not sure how he could have managed fooling them all, unless…”  There’s a thought.  An unwelcome one, to be sure, but it’s better to know than be in the ignorant dark.  “Enigma probably has powers we don’t know.”
          “If he was planning on betraying us all, why should he tell us everything he was capable of?” Josephine grumbles.  She kicks her feet childishly, ignoring the stares from passersby.  “Second, with guys of that caliber around I really don’t want our little hunt to include Johan, a guy not born with a Stand.  According to that story Uncle Kakyoin tells, it took Cous fifty days for him to even figure out he could stop time.  I’m not waiting that long, and I’m not possibly putting my little boy against assassins who’ve been doing this fifty years, even if he is strong and a Joestar.  That being said, Cous needs to hurry up and find them because I don’t like the sound of this Stand User murderer either.”
          Josuke sighs.  “I get your point, but Stand Users attract other Stand Users.  I’m not sure we’ll be that lucky.”
          “Well, we gotta hope that attraction includes my nephew.”  No matter how often he says that he’ll still feel weird saying it.  “And probably Hol Horse and Koichi.”
          Okuyasu finally speaks up again.  He’s been thinking.  “Sarde was also following you, right?”  He doesn’t wait for a response but keeps talking slowly.  “That means that he shoulda seen whatever else was following you, so all we gotta do is find and beat the shit outta Sarde until he talks.”
          “That’s the plan,” Josephine agrees cheerfully.