JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part [BET]: Colors Must Go On.
Chapter 4. Make a Wish and Couch Potato Part 2.1
A hand withdrew from the thin curtains, letting them fall back into place and once again throwing the shabby room into darkness.
"Don't bother unpacking." Came the voice of the hand's owner. "Half of them suspect something."
The declaration brought a round of groans and mutters, but the others quickly got to work to relocate to the secondary hideout.
As for the leader, they had something to do before they followed…
*********
This really isn't my day.
All right, first Johan collapses, then we have to bust our asses off making sure that we all have put our masks on without Century Color helping is, then those fucking ambulance people wouldn't let us ride in the car with them so we had to walk, and now Arthur is missing! How is this supposed to get any worse?
I mean, at least they let us see him now that we're here. Wilhelm rushed in before me once we got to the room they put him in, half-running over to Johan's side. I follow after him, gingerly walking around the bed until I stand on the side opposite of my one conscious (and present what the fuck Arthur) teammate. He has Blumenkranz manifested around his hands, sliding the bone-plated gauntlets across Johan's skin.
Why?
Oh right…Wilhelm can sense life. "Is he…"
I trail off, not sure why. Maybe I am just too scared to say it out loud.
Wilhelm bails me out. "He's alive, don't worry about that." He lets go of Johan's arm where he slid up the sleeve. "But…it is as if his higher brain functions just…"
He lifts his gaze to look at me. "They haven't shut down, it is as if…"
The door opens behind us, and a pair of doctors and a nurse come in.
"Right," One of them begins. "You were the capes coming along with the patient, correct?" He glances around. "Weren't there supposed to be three of you?"
"Stand Users." I reflexively correct, something that has been getting easier the past few weeks since I met Johan. "But yes, to both questions. We don't know where the third one went." I point at Wilhelm. "He is Blumenkranz, and I am Isolated."
The doctor studies his clipboard, or so he wants us to think. I can see that his eyes aren't moving from here. What is this asshole trying to pull? He looks up before I can call him on it though.
"Please come with me, in there sorts of cases there are certain formalities to address."
I look over at Wilhelm, who shrugs in the manner of one who just doesn't see any other way. He does take the time to tell the doctor who will remain with Johan what he figured out with Blumenkranz, so they might jump to it faster now that they know. Maybe. I don't know how these things are done!
Where the fuck are you Arthur?!
*********
After the two young capes had left the room the second doctor quickly went over the patient's body with practiced hands. Once he was finished the chill of a doctor handling a child with slim chances of survival had settled in his gut. The boy's eyes did not react to the flashlight, he was barely breathing, his heart was beating at the bare minimum, the list went on.
If nothing happened in a few minutes then-didhiseyesjustopen?!
The boy sat up with a suddenness that defied the deathly state he had been in seconds before. His eyes held a mad gleam as he looked the doctor and the nurse over, and even through the fabric of the mask he wore they could see hints of the manic grin on his face.
"Good afternoon colleague, nurse! I am Home! Doctor Home! I have just recently been transferred to this hospital!"
"Y-young man." The doctor stammered. "You must be confused. You were just brought in here by your friends after you collapsed, and-"
The boy's arm swung through the air like a guillotine, killing the doctor's words in his throat. "Fool! I think you will find that you are the one who is confused!" He jumped off the hospital bed with a short, insufferably smug laugh. "After all, how dare you, a common baker, attempt to diagnose me?!"
"I am not a baker!" The unfortunate man tried to argue. "I am a doctor at this hospital and you are-"
The boy's eyes widened behind his mask. "Could it be?" They narrowed. "Of course! There is no other explanation!" He pointed towards them in a manner that could only be describes as condemning. "You are minions of Lessiarty!"
Before the beleaguered doctor and nurse could voice any sort of objection a ghostly figure in a colorful jumpsuit appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the sheets of the beds before it flew at them. A quick series of knots and the slamming of a closet door later, and the boy and the ghost walked out of the door and into the hospital corridor. The boy was buttoning up a doctor's uniform.
"Thank you for your quick thinking, Nurse Thatson." The boy said to the ghost, who remained silent. Undeterred by his companion's silence, the boy sped up.
"Now onward, my patients await!"
If any among the hospital staff thought something was amiss with the bizarrely young doctor and the heavy makeup of the nurse accompanying him they did not voice it. And why would they? Anyone who looked would say that the young man exuded a special aura, as if the world has proclaiming him to be a 「Doctor」.
The young man stopped as if he had walked into a wall. Then the surgical mask crinkled as a smile appeared on his face.
"Nurse Thatson, I believe things are looking up."
*********
"I didn't know you could do that." The Mexican boy said to his Stand as he watched the mayhem on its screen. To think that his Stand's ability when used on another Stand User would allow them to retain the use of their Stands, and simply rewrite the show to make the new 'character' fit the plot…
The sound of feet crunching the snow behind him took his attention away from his entertainment. "Boss Lady-?"
A ghostly fist slammed into his left cheek, throwing him out of his chair and face first into the snow. Intellectually he knew that it was a light blow, considering the nature of his boss' Stand, but on the other hand: "The fuck, bitch?!"
"You idiot!" She hissed, her accent clear through her obvious rage. "You tagged Century Color right in front of our hideout. This is the first place they will come looking!"
The boy swallowed, his hand falling from his face as her words sunk in. "Er…I-"
A Look silenced him. "Get out of here. They will come here and if they find you I believe you will find it very unpleasant." She turned on a heel and stalked off towards the roof entrance.
"Do not follow us to the secondary hideout."
Once he was certain she had left he quickly shrunk his Stand until he could carry the old fashioned television under his arm before speeding towards the fire escape. If the Boss Lady wanted him gone, he thought as he ran down the metal steps, then he was not going to stick around.
He leapt over the last few steps, almost slipping on the snow-slick asphalt of the alley. After a few seconds to catch his breath he ran out into the street. He knew of a few places where he could sit down and watch the fireworks in peace, but it was going to be a long walk and in the distance he could see the last bus-
A ramshackle 「Wooden Booth」 caught his eye.
That'd do.
After he had massaged the headache away of course. What was that all about?
*********
Oh what fresh level of hell is this?
'Language, Taylor' I think to myself as Wilhelm and I start going through the empty room. Johan always says that when somebody says something blasphemous.
We don't have to search for long, the muffled shouts from the closet quickly lead us to the doctor and the nurse we left with Johan. Both of them have been stripped down to their underwear and tied up with bedsheets. I can't wait to hear this.
"It was the patient!" Screams the doctor without me asking him what the hell happened. 'Language, Taylor'. Shut up. "He suddenly woke up and called himself 'Doctor Home' before he used his cape power to subdue us!"
"Doctor Home?" Asks Wilhelm. I shrug when he looks at me. The name sounds familiar, but I can't remember where I heard it.
"I dunno. Anyway!"
We end up taking the two of them with us. We make for a weird ensemble, I'm sure, Wilhelm and I with our costumes and the two hospital staff members all up in bedsheet togas.
"Excuse me!" I yell at pair of nurses. "Have you seen anyone strange coming out of this room?"
"Strange?" The closest one responds. "No, just a 「Doctor」 and nurse."
Both Wilhelm and I suddenly clutch our heads. What the fuck was that?! It doesn't hurt per se, it's just some kind of…weight, I guess? Whatever it was it fades quickly.
After we assure the nurses that we're alright I tell Wilhelm we should split up.
"And I should agree to this why?" He huffs. "If you haven't noticed, there's-"
"Because Johan is being controlled by some kind of ability, right?" I interrupt.
"As far as we can tell, yes, but-"
"And my ability isn't really suited for precision, while yours can neutralize any organic opponent by touching them." I explain before gesturing at the nurses and the doctor. "Besides, somebody needs to get the hospital management to call the PRT, right."
He nods uncomfortably.
"I'll come join you afterwards!" I shout over my shoulder as I drag the former captives towards where the signs say that the management is at. If all goes well, Wilhelm will find Johan and we'll all be laughing at this over some fries.
That Arthur will be paying for because seriously what the fuck Arthur?!
*********
"We're losing him!"
The cry echoed through the operating room, almost lost in the din of the frenzied work of the surgeons surrounding the man at the operating table.
"What about Panacea?" Demanded a surgeon as he desperately fought to save his patient's life.
"She is busy with several cases on the other side of the city, she won't make it!"
The surgeon in charge of the operation could feel himself losing the will to struggle any further. For hours they had fought to save this man, through complication after complication, buying time for Panacea. For naught.
They would need a miracle to-
The doors to the operating room opened, drawing all eyes to the light pouring in as they admitted two people into the room. A 「Doctor」 and a nurse.
"Colleagues." The surprisingly young doctor began as he drew closer to the operating table, his grave (yet confident) expression clear through his surgical mask. "I know that the situation is dire, but do not lose hope!"
The surgeons parted for the new arrivals, too shocked to speak against the 「Doctor」.
The young man grabbed a clean scalpel, holding it in a manner reminiscent of one who has watched medical dramas on television, but had no idea of how to properly hold one.
"I know just how to treat cases…like these!"
He brought the scalpel down.
*********
Arthur bit back a curse. His body jarred as be forced it to a stop on the snow-covered streets of Brockton Bay, spinning on a heel before storming forth in another direction.
*********
Well…we found Johan.
Sitting on top of the shoulders of a small crowd of haggard-locking doctors as they carry him reverently through the Break Room. Even with the doctor getup I can see his generic Open Mic mask, and Century Color in a nurse's outfit is right there walking beside the doctors.
"How did you know?" Asks the doctor he is sitting on. "Your methods…they seem insane, but-"
Another doctor interrupts. "You are amazing doctor Home!"
"Please," Johan answers indulgently, a slight echo to his voice. "It was the least of my arts."
He jumps down from his perch to land on the smooth hospital floor. "After all,"
Seriously, there is that echo again. What's causing-
I glance upon the Break Room TV. Oh hey, Doctor Home is on.
…
Wait.
On the screen a doctor is speaking to a crowd of his adoring colleagues.
"After all, it is a doctor's duty to place their art at the disposal of the people!"
"It is a doctor's duty to place their art at the disposal of the people!" Echoes Johan.
I poke Wilhelm, and after a second of staring at the screen he puts two and two together. We share a glance between us before we wordlessly agree to subdue Johan before whoever is doing this to him puts on some like…I dunno, New Jackass or something.
Our job seems easy at first, when the Doctor Home episode goes to credits he collapses like a puppet with its strings cut. Or as if someone flicked an off switch (a glance confirms that Century Color is still manifested). Wilhelm hurries towards him, Blumenkranz in place on his outstretched hand. Johan can't cause any trouble if he is a bulletproof vest or something.
Which is of course when things start going wrong.
Apropos of nothing, Johan leaps into the air, giving off an awful shriek as he lands on all fours. What is it now? He's acting like some sort of monster-
Of course!
"Hold him off!" I tell Wilhelm before running up to the TV and changing the channel.
Sports, news, nature show, cartoon, there!
On the screen a twisted wolf monster, shrieking just like Johan, has just subdued a woman in revealing clothing and has started to climb the building. Hey, I've seen this movie! Emma showed it to me once while we were friends.
The memory does get me in bit of a good mood, which quickly vanishes when I see Werewolf Johan through the transparent wall, carrying a beaten Wilhelm up the stairs. How the fuck did that happen?!-
A multicolored hand slams into the doorframe beside me, Century Color's head following right after. The Stand is hunched over like Johan is, its mouth twisted into a bestial snarl.
Oh. So that's how.
I react as quickly as I can, teleporting over to a doctor and throwing him at the Stand. The poor guy quickly gets pounced on and beaten senseless before Century Color hefts him over its shoulder and flees towards the stairs, completely ignoring me in the process.
…Okay, if they follow the movie then I have until they get to the roof before they'll start eating Wilhelm and the other guy. But how to subdue Johan…
A solution hits me, and I rush the nearest doctor.
***
I am almost too late to save them. When I get there Werewolf Johan is busily slamming his masked face into Wilhelm's neck, making frustrated animal noises as he fails to get his jaws around it. Werewolf Century Color is just looking at his captive, maybe because the movie only had one werewolf.
A snowball gets Werewolf Johan's attention. Once I'm certain that I've gotten his and Werewolf Century Color's attention I reveal my weapon:
The biggest fucking syringe I could find, filled with what the doctor assured me was a near-lethal dose of tranquilizer. Can't remember the proper name for it right now.
"You know something funny?" I tell werewolf-Johan as I ready the syringe for a stab. "The epicenter on Isolated's main power isn't me, but the top of her head."
He snarls at me, which, while consistent with the movie he is acting out, is rather annoying. Then they charge me, leaving Wilhelm and the doctor forgotten in the snow behind them.
"What does that how to do with anything?" I mumble as he draws closer. "You'll see."
I may not have figured out how I made that coin explode, but I do know how I teleported!
Isolated moves so that she is emerging from my right side, and with a quick thought, I am no longer there, but several meters to the left of where I once stood.
Werewolf Johan's charge turns into a belly flop when his target disappears.
My teleportation is simple: I just target the whole area that Isolated's power can affect and pick myself as the element to be segregated. I will then proceed to be shunted out of the area of effect in the most direct manner, and since the center of Isolated's range is the top of her head, I can control which direction is the most direct.
It is way more tiring to use than a standard segregation, though, I recall as I teleport away from another attack. Fuck, I'm already breathing hard.
My hands clench around the syringe. Time to wait for an opening. I glance at Wilhelm's prone form. And to keep Johan focused on me, that's important too.
My chance comes quickly. Johan just cannot keep up with my teleports, even with Century Color acting as a second werewolf, and when he slips on the rooftop slush I 'port in right beside him and drive the fuckhuge needle into his shoulder. The auto-injection mechanism gets to work, pumping the whole dose right into Johan's body.
Teleporting back out of reach, I settle in to wait.
It doesn't take long, first Johan begins to stumble, then Century Color vanishes, and after a minute or so he can't move anymore. He has been reduced to weakly working his mouth at me while glaring in my general direction with cloudy unfocused eyes.
I kick him over so that I can take the empty syringe out of his shoulder. Hard.
With how pissed I am I probably would have stomped his face a couple times. He's lucky he's hot…And that we're friends of course.
Yeah.
*********
"You know…" Declared a voice behind the furious Mexican Stand User, Median Alfonso. "I am starting to think that you are not actually with Century Color's group at all!"
Median almost snarled as he turned away from the screen showing the defeat of the Stand User he had tagged with his ability. "Well what the fuck tipped you off?!" He demanded of the weird Stand whose services he had hired.
"Well, to begin with-"
It couldn't be serious. "Oh just fuck off!"
The weird Stand straightened with a huff. "Well, if you are going to be like that." It snapped in an offended tone before it vanished with a pop of displaced air.
Median then realized that he had paid Make a Wish in advance. Fu-
A coin sliced straight through his hand, making him drop the remote onto the snow. He wailed and fell to his knees, clutching his crippled hand to his chest. "W-whaaaa!!!!!!"
"Oi, Suzy!"
The Hispanic Stand User haltingly turned his head towards the British-sounding voice. Its owner, coins spinning at his fingertips, stepped off the top of the fire escape and marched towards him.
"H-how did you-?"
The other Stand User interrupted him by kicking him in the jaw.
"I slipped one of my coins into your pocket when we first met."
At the sight of his bleeding opponent he continued. "Now, I wasn't sure it was you at first, but you were my only lead." He admitted before his eyes gained a lethal glint to them. "Imagine my surprise when you started to teleport around."
He walked up to Median, passing the spinning coins over to his Stand before he hauled the Mexican boy up by the front of his jacket.
"Now you gonna tell me everthin', and if I think you're tellin' me porkies then-"
Median's face combusted.
While the shock made Arthur release him, it did not take him more than an instant to realize that the fire on Median's face was in the shape of a heart, and that the fire did not seem to burn him. The Hispanic boy was screaming, make no mistake, but the screams were screams of 「Fear」, not 「Pain」.
Trying to quench the fire assailing Median was pointless, the fire and the snowbank that Arthur had forced his face into not seeming to interact at all. The only thing that Arthur was able to do was to keep Median from hurting himself in his frenzied panic.
He was catatonic by the time the fire went out.
Well, shit.
Median Alfonso
Stand: Couch Potato
RETIRES
*********
"The Director..." Johan begins after he steps out of Director Piggot's office. "Is not happy."
The four of us were taken in by the PRT about ten minutes after I managed to subdue Johan. Armsmaster injected him with something to wake him up after Arthur showed up with a guy he claims is the enemy Stand User. At least we're getting out of here.
"Which means," Johan continues. "That we'll have to check in with Make a Wish. It will be better if we let the Director cool off a bit before we ask her to give a sapient, unsupervised projection a business permit."
That makes sense, I guess. "Did she tell you anything about the guy who attacked us?"
"Still unconscious, Isolated. We're not getting' anything out of him."
Fuck.
*********
I kinda feel a bit guilty when Johan tells Make a Wish that he has to wait a bit for the permit, poor thing sounded really disappointed.
Still…
"Hey, C2, why are we here?" Asks Wilhelm, taking the words out of my mouth.
"Remember when I helped that guy with the TV? That was the enemy Stand User." Johan turns towards Arthur. "Remember?"
Arthur/Loadsamoney nods at him.
"I…" Johan trails off before he continues. "I also felt something while we were here. Something 「Familiar」."
All four of us flinch a bit when Johan utters that last word. Seriously what is that?
…And why the hell is he laughing?
"Johan?" I ask, quietly chiding myself for forgetting that we are in costume. "What-what was that?"
He doesn't answer at first, too busy laughing. It is a happy laugh, I can see tension pretty much rolling off his shoulders, but eventually it comes to an end.
"I suppose you wouldn't know, you've lived your whole life like this after all. Even us who haven't-" Johan gestures towards the other Europeans. "-get used to the「Monochrome」 far too easily."
There is was again!
"But to answer your question:" He says before throwing out his arms. "This, Taylor,"
"Is 「Colours」."
To be continued
**********************************************************************************
AN
Sorry for the delay everyone, bunch of things came up, both serious and not. The rest of this chapter should come out sometime.
Stand Name: Couch Potato
Master: Median Alfonso
Stats
Destructive Power E
Speed E
Range D
Durability A
Precision E
Developmental Potential C
Abilities:
HD-Ready: The first half of Couch Potato, an old-time television set. Despite its apparent age it can get channels from all around the world and display them in perfect HD. People who are touching this part of the Stand may be tagged with a small burst of electricity.
Remote is Ready: The Second half of Couch Potato, a 90's style TV remote. While it can be used to switch the channels displayed on Couch Potato's TV screen, its main purpose is to control the tagged individual. Controlled individuals will act and think as if they were the central person displayed on the screen, from weather reporters to action heroes, within their physical capabilities. Stands will still serve a controlled User.
Physical Stand: Couch Potato may be seen and interacted with by non-Stand Users while it is manifested.
Object Stand: Couch Potato is an object with no will or sapience of its own.
Couch Potato is named for the song of the same name by Weird Al Yankovic.
