Capítulo 40: Chapter 8 - Meet The Joestars: 2
Jonathon Kujo, better known as Johnny Kujo, just got off the phone with one of the bodyguards aboard the private jet he sent to pick up Joseph and his long-lost niece, Yoshihara; and he was none too happy about what the conversation had been about.
According to Satoshi Jennings, a long-time friend and employee of the Speedwagon Foundation, someone had killed Ayuma Fukazawa, assumed his identity so well that no one noticed, and attempted to kill his son and niece. They were a Stand user, obviously, and they had an ability that locked those affected by it in their own minds. Of course, Joseph and Yoshihara came out on top, but that still didn't change the fact that someone ordered a hit on HIS family.
Unfortunatly, the assassin had killed himself before he could answer any questions, nor did he leave behind any evidence suggesting who it could be who hired him in the first place, or if it had been from some Yakuza who wanted them dead.
However, according to Joseph, he thought there to be a chance for it to be related to the Stand Bullets that they had been looking into. And now that someone had tried to kill them for going too deep into it, Johnny found it to be too suspicious to back out of it. That, and they were in too deep. Too invested in this enhanced version of the Stand Arrow to back out now.
Plus, he wanted to kill the person who DARED to try and kill HIS family. But then again, all fathers have that mentality, so it was a no-brainer. The fact they were a villain was just a bonus at this point.
Right now, Johnny was standing in the living quarters of the Speedwagon Foundation building, that being the first floor of the building. It was for those who Johnny knew personally, or family could live without having to worry about rent, so long as they bought their own food and what-have-you. That didn't apply for internships, seeing as all costs were covered for those. It was a learning experience after all.
Right now, it was 11:45 AM, and considering the plane had left for Japan the day prior and was now heading back, that meant that TECHNICALLY speaking, due to how crazy timezones were, both Yoshihara and Joseph should've been arriving in around ten minutes or less. So, in an act of goodwill, Johnny was setting up the coffee pot for them so that they could get a nice jolt of caffeine into them.
He didn't plan on working them to the bone JUST yet. They still had a day till their internships started. So in other words, this was a "get to know the family day" for Yoshihara, and for Joseph to do whatever the hell he wanted, considering he was finally coming back home after nearly 1 and a half years of not being back in America.
Well, maybe not whatever he wanted. But pretty much anything he said he wanted to do, within reason, would be allowed for him to do. Johnny was a very simple man in that regard. He did anything to keep his son happy, but also keep him humble enough to where he wasn't a spoiled rich brat. The Joestars maybe be rich, and a bit out of touch with society, but at least they weren't rotten pieces of shit like some other rich families were.
Earlier in the morning, he had gotten an email from Eraserhead, aka Shota Aizawa, Joseph's and Yoshihara's teacher. The email had been about Kira, and how he wanted Johnny to remind Yoshihara to take a pregnancy test four days from now. Johnny didn't know why she had to do that, but the email went on to explain that she had been showing symptoms of early-stage pregnancy and that he wanted to be sure that it either was or wasn't the case.
Johnny wasn't one to pry into someone's personal life. However, that tidbit of information was important for him to know. Both he and Aizawa would need to know what was up in the coming days, especially Johnny because he planned to train them both extremely hard throughout their internship.
If Yoshihara was indeed pregnant with someone's kid, then that meant that he couldn't train her nearly as hard, what with thinking about all the potential dangers that could cause a growing fetus. Of course, that was IF she was. Johnny wasn't going to assume anything. He wouldn't have to.
"Oi, Gyro, come 'ere for a second," Johnny said, his southern accent more apparent as a taller, lean but muscular man wearing a green shirt and brown shorts walked over to the Kujo patriarch. The man had long grey hair, wrinkles on his face, and a tired expression. He looked to be in his mid 60's, but that couldn't have been further from the truth.
In fact, Julius Caeser "Gyro" Zeppelli was 85 years old. But, thanks to his intense training in Hamon, as well as his intense training with The Spin, he was healthier than most people in the world. He was in above excellent physical condition, his medical record was cleaner than the most germaphobic person on the planet, and he was energetic to boot.
And that was all not to mention that Gyro was a doctor and the leading example in the world's health. And, he was Quirkless. The man had no Quirk to speak of, yet through sheer dedication to his family's sacred techniques that only his family and Joestars widely know about, Gyro was able to say "screw you, old age, you don't control me" and make his life wholly his own.
That being said, he was still old, and still had to deal with old people things, like shrinking height. The man used to be 6 foot 4 inches, and now he was 6 foot 1. Now, that wasn't HORRIBLE, but Gyro did miss the height he used to have.
But to top ALL of that off, he was a doctor AND a Pro Hero, with a worldwide practitioner's license. That meant Gyro could do any sort of medical operation in any country, state, province, prefecture—you name it, and so long as it was legal, he could perform it. Gyro was a med-students dream. What those people who go to medical colleagues and universities dreamed to be, Gyro was, and it was all thanks to his family's bloodline.
Not only that, but he could perform hero work all around the world, too. Similar to All Might, who had a national hero license. In fact, most pro heroes did. It also didn't help that Gyro was the Number 1 Hero of Italy. But seeing as villainy wasn't exactly a big deal in Italy, that meant that Gyro didn't have to worry too much about his home country. Of course, if a threat as big as the previous one had shown up again, then he would take it seriously and be back in Italy the moment it happened. But, seeing as everything was pretty calm right now in his home country, he was here at the Speedwagon Foundation.
But right now, Johnny didn't need him for his heroic skills. No. Johnny needed him for his doctoral skills. That was normal and seeing as Gyro practically lived on at the Speedwagon Foundation, only going back to Italy when he needed to or when he wanted to be with his Grandson, Gyro would always answer Johnny's questions about the medical world.
Johnny knew basic first aid, but he knew jack squat about advanced medical procedures. Henceforth why he had Gyro around.
"Hm? What is Johnny?" Gyro asked, looking at what Johnny was reading, that being the email from Aizawa. His eyes quickly scanned the contents of the email, earning a frown from the Italian. "Mio dio, I see… I'll keep an eye on her when she arrives."
"Yeah… but don't overwhelm her or anything like that. I know how you can get sometimes with patients. Need I remind you of the last patient you treated here? You scared them off because you kept asking questions that scared them," Johnny said as Gyro shrugged.
"No offence to you, Johnny. But Americans are soft. Japanese folk, and anyone outside of America? Not so much. They can take a mental beating when it comes to important questions. I'm sure she'll be fine with a few questions here or there," Gyro replied as he crossed his arms. Johnny shook his head, muttering a curse under his breath as he smirked. Gyro returned the favour, smirking as he walked back over to the couch, reaching for the T.V. remote.
There were some days when Gyro could be the best person to talk to, and a good drinking buddy or he could be the most obnoxious person in the known universe. There was just no in-between. However, they were still best friends.
It was strange. A 40-year-old man being friends with an 85-year-old geezer, and yet they still have the same close-knit bond someone knowing the other for decades would have, despite only knowing each other for only 6-and-a-half years. Johnny chalked it up to the fact that perhaps it was because Gyro had been his father's friend and seeing as Johnny and Jouta had similar interests and both had been masters of The Spin, also thanks to Gyro, perhaps the Italian saw a bit of Jouta in Johnny, henceforth why they were close friends.
It also didn't help that they had saved one another on numerous occasions. Hearing tales of The Steel Ball Run didn't help any. Gyro had actually been in the race and was supposedly referenced in the book about The Steel Ball Run.
Now that Johnny thought more about it… The book mentioned abilities that were quite similar to Stands called Soul Reflections. In fact, if Johnny hadn't known better, he would've assumed that they were Stands with just a fresh coat of paint. And that was when that book he read finally started to make sense.
"Hey, Gyro. Quick question?" Johnny spoke up, the Italian doctor looking over his shoulder.
"Yeah, what is it, Johnny?"
"Did you kill the president of the United States 42 years back?" Johnny asked, causing the Italian to spit up whatever it was that he was drinking.
"HUH?! Where on Earth did you get THAT from!?" Gryo asked indignantly as Johnny put his hands up in defence.
"Whoa! Chill, dude! I was only asking because the book about The Steel Ball Run is a character that is eerily similar to you and my father Jouta. Both killed the American President to save the country from becoming a totalitarian superstate. It mentioned that the Italian man was able to Spin things using an ability called The Rotation. So I kinda put two and two together and thought I'd ask if you're supposed to be Eryo Zeppelin from that book."
Gyro deadpanned at Johnny. "Uh… okay, first of all, that name is retarded and whoever came up with it needs to be hung. And second…. Well, yes…? I mean look, it was either us or him, and I'm pretty sure if we didn't you wouldn't be born, so… can you really blame me?" Gyro responded, his expression softening to an almost comical "oops" face.
Johnny laughed, Gyro smiling as he did so. "Jesus, dude! I never would've thought that of all people would've been able to do that!" Johnny said, sighing. "Wait, doesn't that make you a terrorist?" Johnny questioned as Gryo shrugged.
"Well, as I said, it was either him or us. I value my life, and I valued Jouta's, too. The president? He didn't. It's even more strange when I talk to Craig, who is quite literally a descendant of Funny Valentine, with the exact same Stand," Gyro explained, turning around and fully facing Johnny, his arms crossed overtop the back couch cushions.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Just don't let that get out. If the current government finds out, you'd be killed faster than you could say "Pizza!" And I do quite mean that literally," Johnny quipped as Gyro snorted.
Just before Gyro could say anything else, a series of knocks came from the door. "It's open!" Johnny shouted as the door opened, and in walked Joseph, his hair still shaven but slowly growing back. He was wearing a U.A. uniform, and he looked refreshed and well-rested. Next to him was someone that Johnny recognized, if only because he had watched The Sports Festival. The blonde took off her shoes at the door first and foremost, while Joseph didn't. Seeing that already showed that the two grew up in a different world, and that showed Johnny that this was going to be… far more different than he had expected.
"Ah, Joseph! Yoshihara! You're finally here! Good afternoon!" Johnny greeted them as he approached them, placing a hand each on their shoulders. "Welcome to The Speedwagon Foundation. It's great to have you two here. Now, I'm sure Joseph can show you around, uh… do you want to be called Kira, or just Yoshihara?" Johnny asked as the blonde shrugged, Johnny letting go of her shoulder.
"We're in America. From what Fumi-kun told me, people from America address others by their first names. If it makes you more comfortable, then call me Yoshihara. But I will refer to you as Kujo-sensei. That is how I was raised," Yoshihara said, her tone matter-of-fact. Johnny nodded in acknowledgement, then looked over to Joseph.
"Go show her to her guest room. You remember where those are, yes?" Johnny asked as Joseph hummed in affirmation.
"Yup! C'mon, Kira. Oh, and while we're in America, I'm Joseph. Don't want to confuse anyone, right?" Joseph said as Yoshihara nodded, dragging along her suitcase behind her as she followed him down the hall and to Johnny's right.
Gyro raised an eyebrow as he stood up from the couch. "So, that's Kira, eh? She looks pretty healthy to me, no?" Gyro said, earning a frown from the older Joestar. "Hey! Don't look at me like that, I'm just giving my honest opinion. Though, if I had to guess she's taking some sort of pain meds. That topic aside, I wanted to ask…. Do you really think that this, all of this, is a good idea? I know the stories, you know that, right? Do you really think it was a good idea to fly him out here as well?"
Johnny sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against a wall. The blond-haired man looked down at the floor, a contemplative look on his face as he narrowed his eyes. "I didn't tell him anything, he doesn't know about Kira yet. I get your concerns, though, what with him being in his late 80s. That aside, he can thankfully walk upright without any issues. Unlike his father when he was growing old, he's far healthier, and quite the capable Stand User to boot. While he's gotten weaker with age, he could still put up a fight. However… I invited him over not to antagonize him, but rather to show him the future. When I told him about Yoshikawa, when she joined The Speedwagon Foundation, he was thoroughly against it. He was younger back then. About 10 years younger. But that still doesn't change the fact that he's incredibly bigoted against the Kira family. I don't blame him for it, either. Especially after what their ancestor did."
Johnny sighed, shaking his head as he looked up at Gyro. "However, I've seen Yoshihara in action. Despite her willingness to kill her enemies, I can see the heart of gold in her. While her eyes may be hollow, and while she may not have the heroic spark most of us do, she's still a Joestar. Deep down, in her blood, in her very soul, she's a good person. I want him to see that, to see that our ancestors don't define who the future generation is. Hell, if we all did that, then we would've assumed that he would've cheated on his wife because his father did."
Johnny paused, now looking up toward the ceiling. "I just hope I'm doing the right thing. I don't want to open any old wounds, but I feel like this is necessary."
Gyro smirked, putting a hand in his pocket as he turned off the T.V. He walked up to Johnny, nudging him on the shoulder as he walked past him, the two making eye contact. "I get it, but right now we need to focus on said future generation. After Kira's tour, we'll need to tell them what's going on, and what the schedule will be like. I'll go get my hero gear on. You should do the same."
And with that, the two Pro heroes walked down the hallway, both prepared to help open up the world of heroism to the two bright-eyed teenagers that foolishly walked into what they would turn into a hellscape.
What could they say? Being a Joestar was never easy, and if they hadn't learnt that already… well, they were damn well about to.
xxXXxxXXxx
"…And that's about it! This is where you'll be sleeping for the next two weeks, so get used to it. Trust me, it's not that bad," Joseph said, smiling at Yoshihara, who gave him a blank expression. The tour had been… interesting, to say the least. The Speedwagon Foundation location they were in had three recreational floors, aka the floors they had access to.
The first floor was pretty much the "hang-out" section. What she saw of it was the main room where she had met Jonathon Kujo in, alongside that old man she caught a glimpse of. There was also a kitchen somewhere in the back of the "hang-out" section of the floor, but she wasn't too concerned about it. Once again, she had brought her own food. The most she was going to use was the microwave.
The second floor was where things got… interesting. It was an entire workout room. Weights, treadmills, punching bags, gloves, pads, mats, sparring sections, bathrooms, water fountains, and different machines for different things. It was a workout fanatic's wet dream. Josefumi, or Joseph as he wanted to be called in America, said that would be predominately where Johnny would keep them, as well as go on patrols in the state of Florida. It was something she was going to keep in mind when it came to this current internship.
And then there was the third floor. The third floor was the sleeping quarters. There were ten rooms for ten guests, as well as another rec room, though far smaller than the other one. It had a small library to choose books from, as well as a few desks for studying. Aside from that, it was your standard agency building…. Not that she had any experience being IN an agency, but it was what she had expected an agency to look like.
"Well, I'll be the judge as to whether or not the room is good, Fumi—I mean, Joseph…" Yoshihara said, glancing over to the door as Joseph smirked at the blonde stumbling on his name. When Yoshihara opened the door, she was greeted with a rather simple bedroom. There was a single bed, a dresser, a window, and a tv. Aside from that, it was pretty basic.
"Trust me, it may not look like much, but I can assure you the beds are comfortable. Hell, I slept in these constantly. They were like my home away from home, Kira." Joseph stated, earning a raised eyebrow from Yoshihara.
"Sure…."
Joseph frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, if you don't believe me, just lay in it for a while. You wouldn't want to get up even if you were forced to!"
Yoshihara rolled her eyes, walking into the bedroom and setting her suitcase down. Joseph closed the door for her as she sighed. The blonde walked over to the bed and sat down on it. She was tired, miserable, and exhausted from the flight. Jet lag was, for a lack of a better word, a bitch. She hadn't realized that the drastic shift in time zones would've caused her this strife, yet here she was.
And she had to admit, the bed was comfortable. Joseph wasn't lying about that. A part of her just wanted to lie down and fall asleep. She was already tired from waking up earlier in the morning, so the Jet lag didn't help things any. As her head plopped against the pillow, almost as if she was given some sort of sleeping medication, Yoshihara fell asleep.
On the outside of the dorm room, Joseph sighed as a pair of footsteps approached behind him. "So, Joseph, I take it Yoshihara is getting changed into something other than the uniform?" The voice of his father said, causing Joseph to turn around and shake his head.
"She probably fell asleep. Kira's been sleep deprived for the last two days. Waking up at 4:00 AM and experiencing Jet Lag for the first time won't help things. I think it's for the best to leave her be, at least until supper time," Joseph replied as Johnny hummed, putting his hands into his pockets.
"Well, I had a few plans set up for today. But… considering the email I got from Nedzu and Eraserhead, I think I'll let it slide for today," Johnny said, earning a raised eyebrow from Joseph.
"Email? What kind of email?" Joseph questioned as Johnny waved his question away.
"It's no big deal, and none of your business, Jojo. Now, I want you to get unpacked and set up. Then, I want to see how far you've come with The Spin. Don't keep me waiting," Johnny stated, his tone of voice serious. Joseph nodded, which earned a similar gesture from Johnny as he walked away.
Joseph wasn't going to lie. There were times when his father could be scary. Him being serious was one of those times. While his dad was usually nonchalant about most things, when he got serious, it was expected that you didn't try and mess with him, or back-talk to him. Otherwise, you'd get a punch in the mouth.
Now, was that a good thing? No, being punched in the mouth was downright disrespectful and unnecessary. However, it allowed Joseph to be the person he was. Otherwise, Johnny never laid a hand on him. That, and 99.9% of the time when Johnny did bop him in the mouth, was usually deserved. The last time he did it was when he was 13, and when badmouthed the late Joesph Joestar, the man he was named after.
And it was in the presence of Josuke Higashikata, no less. So, yeah. To say he deserved it was an understatement.
Ever since then he hadn't once disrespected anyone, nor had he been bopped in the mouth. So, that was good. "Well, better not keep him waiting…." Joseph murmured, walking down the hallway, and toward the elevator.
xxXXxxXXxx
Taisuke sat in his office, right hand balled up into a fist and resting against his cheek. He had a small sneer decorating his face as he looked down at a photo of The Man Without a Name; one of his better assassins.
He always saw himself as the best one in the group, simply because he was able to net in more bodies than the rest. But that was simply not the case. While his Stand was quite powerful in the right circumstance, he was nowhere near as powerful as some of the other assassins. That had been proven when he got word that The Man Without a Name had died from a self-inflicted gun wound to the head.
Those were the orders of his assassins. If they ever lost in combat and weren't killed by the person they were up against, they were to kill themselves. If they quit working for him, though, he would simply keep tabs on them. Just like he did with Inko Midoriya.
When she lost against Nicholas, he knew Inko would not be a threat. She had lost her touch. But that didn't apply to her son. Not at all. He had bested Nicholas. Granted, Nicholas's whole shtick was losing and winning, so he never really was an assassin full-time. He was more-or-less the clean-up guy. Of course, now he was the head of the debt-collecting unit, and he was fitting the role quite handsomely.
But, he was getting off-topic. The topic was Izuku Midoriya.
And as much as he wanted that boy dead, with Tooru keeping his eye on him, he couldn't do squat about him. He couldn't even send assassins after the boy, because then Tooru's Wonder Of U would activate, and all but guarantee his death.
What most people don't know about Tooru Tomioka was that Tooru was an Ex-Yakuza. Now, that wouldn't be so bad, but he had ties to One For All, and to make things worse, he cared for all the users, previous, future, and present.
Granted, he never became a user of it, but he was related to one Nana Shimura through the fact that they were distant cousins. He became a fanatic of One For All, much like the current Sir Nighteye. In other words, he was Nana's Sir Nighteye, alongside Gran Torino, whom he was convinced now was her secret lover.
But that was not important.
What was important was what made Tooru as scary as he was. And that was that… well, it was a little-known secret that Tooru wasn't human. He was something else completely. Granted, he didn't know what Tooru was, but he knew that he had been alive just as long as All For One, if not a few years longer. He wasn't a Vampire, nor was he some sort of Pillar Man, because had that been the case he wouldn't be able to move around in the sun as he did.
Whatever Tooru was, he was something that shouldn't be messed with. Taisuke was many things, but stupid was not one of them. While he worked with All For One temporarily, Tooru was going to do everything in his power to keep Taisuke's hands away from Izuku Midoriya.
And with Gran Torino now supposedly training the green-haired brat, and with Tooru watching him like a hawk, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He had to do something. He couldn't just let those who were actively ruining his business and reputation to live!
And then, an idea hit him. It was so obvious that it hurt! He couldn't have believed that he missed it, having been so wrapped up in the idea of trying to eliminate One For All just as he was "ordered" to by All For one. Instead, he had a better idea, and that Idea was that he could target the two Joestars, just as he had intended to do before his partnership with All For One.
And now with Kira in the picture, it made things a hell of a lot more personal. Sure, he had been targeting them since Stroheim, but now it was more than that. It was more than just trying to scare them off from looking deeper into the bullets, and just getting revenge for killing Makoto. This was more for the fact that now they were a legitimate threat to his business.
Of course, he didn't want to get his hands dirty just yet. But if he had to. He would.
As Taisuke stood up from his chair, he walked over to the window of his office and frowned. He was pressured to take in a few interns by the HSPC, and they were running late. It was honestly starting to annoy him. The last time he had interns, he had to silence them for finding out about something that they shouldn't have.
He had barely watched anything from the Sports Festival in person, so he replayed some of the footage. And what he saw there was something that made him smile. There was one person he wanted to join his "agency". And that one person was going to be leverage for him to lure out Kujo. Why? Because he knew she knew nothing about him, or anything really about Stands.
Besides, it was best to hit them where it hurts first before breaking them down psychologically.
There was a knock on his door. He smirked, clearing his throat. "It's open, you can come in," Taisuke said, pocketing the picture of The Man Without a Name as the door opened.
"I'm sorry I'm late, I got lost trying to find the building. My bad, Blackwell-Sensei!" The person in front of him spoke, their deep purple hair and pale complexion more than enough to make it apparent as to who it was. They wore U.A's signature uniform, as per the Internship regulations. Some students were allowed to start their internships early so long as their parents agreed. And seeing as their parents did agree, he saw no reason as to why he shouldn't have allowed them to do so.
After all, who wouldn't want the "11 ranked most powerful, and popular Pro Hero" to teach their child?
"Oh, it's quite alright. You did decide to come early, so I'm not going to berate you about it. We have personal sleeping quarters in the building, so I trust you brought a few changes of clothes?" Taisuke asked they nodded.
"Yes, Blackwell-Sensei! Uh… so, when do we start the training?" The teen asked as Taisuke smirked.
"Right away…. Jirou-san."
Status de energia semanal
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