Rosario and Joestar

[EvaUnit01]

There are monsters that need smashed, civilians in need of being saved, and with gramps nowhere around, your available resources amount to Tsukune, Mizore, Kurumu, and Moka. ...and Ruby, if you feel you can trust her. ....although, someone should probably hang back and stay with Yukari...

No time for hesitation or indecision - there are lives at stake!

"Hold on a second." You turn to stare down Ruby. "You said that you can control those things?"

"In the sense of being able to control your pets, or perhaps a very small child... yes."

That's... unhelpful. Tsukune notices, and takes over the small talk for you. "So... are you able to make them stop, Ruby?"

Ruby closes her eyes, and mutters an incantation under her breath. A dramatic wind blows throughout the room, despite there being no visible means to facilitate air movement. After a moment or two, it stops, and Ruby shakes her head. "I'm sorry. Under normal circumstances I would be able to call them off, even if they had been automatically unleashed by one of the Knoll's alarms, but.... they appear to be under the control of another Witch -- someone more powerful than I am."

Tch. Sincere she may sound, but that doesn't make the situation any better for the people outside.

"So after Kurumu laid you out with one hit," Mizore drawls, "someone else took control over the monsters from you? That's what you're saying?"

Ruby twitches in annoyance at Mizore's choice of words, but nods.

"What a pain," the two of you mutter at once.

Everyone blinks, before Tsukune lets out a chuckle. "Okay," he says, "I guess we're all on the same page now.... so, what do you think we should do, senpai?"

"If Ruby can't stop them via command, then we're going to have to take them out by force. Mizore..."

Your girl nods. "Got it. One cold snap coming up. See ya on the street."

Without further ado, Mizore forces the window open and then... blows you a kiss before jumping. ...huh. She's all fired up, for once.

Tsukune and Ruby just watch, silently.

You cough in irritation. Time to get things back on track. "Aono, think you can get Moka's other personality to help out?"

Surprised by the question, Tsukune takes half a step back. "...maybe?" he hedges. "I-I really don't know. It seems kind of inconsistent from one moment to the next on whether Moka's rosary seal is going to come off, even in an emergency..."

Tch. Well, that can't be helped. "If the other Moka will help, great. If not, then the two of you can just stay here and keep an eye on Yukari. ...and have Kurumu come out and help us too. Someone needs to get those innocent people to safety while Mizore and I are kicking ass, so she can do it."

Not having come up with any further strategy, you follow Mizore out the door.

________

Change perspectives?

[]YES! YES! YES!
-[]Mizore
-[]Joseph
[]Like hell I will!

 

[EvaUnit01]

You've made it to street level, and are doing your damnedest to try and save innocent lives from the rampaging Garigarius plant-monsters. Ruby's pretty much useless right now, so you and Mizore are stuck busting your asses to fight them off.

Fortunately, Mizore's cold powers work wonders at slowing them down and killing them, and you quickly discovered that it's really easy to use Hamon to overpressurize the fluid in their bodies and make them explode into little chunks of green salsa. Before long, you were able to manage it in one punch.

...it gets the job done, but damn if it isn't one messy pain in the ass....

Mizore smirks, suddenly. You gonna be mad if I say it?

You immediately realize what she's thinking, and scowl at her for it. Not the time for that, Mizore.

"Oookay~" she sighs, before her expression shifts to one of annoyance. "Still no luck finding the bad guy, though...."

Yeah, that's another little headache. ...wait, commands have to be conveyed somehow, even if it's by magic. To use the analogy of radio (or a telephone signal), Ruby might have been able to trace the signal back to its source. ....aaaand you completely left her to her own devices back at the hotel, without so much as an instruction to stay put. Great. Lovely. Wonderful. That can only end well.

Judging by the lack of region-spanning special effects, you're assuming that Moka's rosary hasn't been taken off, so you can't count on her to do much right now, either-

"Jotaro-senpai! Heeeey!"

...Kurumu? Is she already done getting people out of harm's way?

After putting your fist through another exploding plant, you turn and tip your hat to the buxom bluenette as she touches down on the ground.

"Mr. Joestar called in on your cell phone," she quickly explains. "He went back to investigate Witch Knoll again, and he said, quote..."

Kurumu takes a deep breath, and then - " 'HOLY SHIT!!!! THAT DEAD BITCH WE SAW IN THE CHAIR EARLIER IS MOVING AROUND AND COMMANDING THE PLANT MONSTERS BY HERSELF!!!!' ....yeah," Kurumu concludes after checking her memory again, "those were his exact words."

Bullshit! The dead can't come back to life! Even the idea of a Stand being able to do such a thing is preposterous! ....but then, from little you understand of the scenario, a Stand might be the only explanation for it...

Kurumu notices your unease, and looks fairly anxious now. "...senpai? It's impossible for dead people to come back to life, right?"

[]Reassure Kurumu.
[]You really have no idea.

From what you can tell, the monster situation appears to have been mopped up rather nicely, if messily.

[]Go to Witch Knoll and back up your gramps.
-[]Alone.
-[]With Mizore.
-[]With Mizore and Kurumu.
-[]With everyone.

 

[EvaUnit01]

Kurumu notices your unease with regard to Joseph's message, and is starting to grow visibly anxious about it as well. "...senpai? It's impossible for dead people to come back to life, right?"

"...Gramps may be silly," you admit while touching your hat, "but he's not stupid. Grab the rest of the gang, and we'll go investigate."

Kurumu nods, and goes off to collect the rest of the group while you arrange for transportation.

....hmm. That city bus seems like a potential solution...

_____________

Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, and the still-wounded-but-now-in-stable-condition Yukari are now occupying bus seats behind you. Nobody has any idea of where the hell Ruby went.

"I didn't realize that senpai had a driver's license," says a very impressed-sounding Moka.

"I don't," you correct her.

And on that note, you have now successfully hotwired the bus.

"...Jotaro-senpai," Tsukune nervously asks, "how do you know how to do that?"

"Learned it in mech-club," Mizore coolly explains.

And while Kurumu turns to look out the window while muttering about that one guy who was in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, you put the transmission in drive and apply pressure to the gas...

________
A few minutes later....

After a truly spectacular entrance, not unlike a scene from that one movie starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, you and your friends have now arrived at the homestead on Witch Hill.

"Please," Kurumu suddenly says while looking out at the field, "ignore the blatant and utterly shameless anachronism."

More important than commenting on your underclassman's bizarre and out-of-place statement, you instead focus on the scene in front of you: that dead granny you saw in the rocking chair earlier appears to be hovering in the air and choking Joseph to death with her bare han- no, wait, now she's thrown him to the ground and is going into convulsions.

"Yes," Her Ladyship declares in ecstasy, "I understand it now! This is why I came to be again!"

Her body appears to grotesquely bulge and bulk out, her proportions changing until she's become a well-built male. Her Ladyship's hair extends and turns purple, and her tattered robe gradually morphs into a loincloth.

You're pretty sure that you're now looking at a completely different person, and you really hope nobody can see how freaked out you are by what you just saw.
Your face, as is usual, fails to express any kind of emotion on your behalf.
The bizarre figure says something in a language you don't understand, though it sounds very eloquent in his soft, masculine baritone.

A moment later, he appears to notice your group, and switches to Japanese. "Interesting. It would appear that my hated foe has created offspring in the decades since our last meeting."

A cruel and sadistic smile begins to etch itself on the man's face.



"Perhaps I'll begin my campaign of revenge against Joseph," he declares, "by making him helplessly watch the death of his grandson!"

[]Attack! Take him down before he can take down you or your friends!
[]Retreat! You have no idea what the hell you're dealing with!
[]Get gramps!

 

[EvaUnit01]

You know instinctively that this opponent far outclasses you. And based on his appearance and attitude, you suspect that this is that.... Kars.... jackass the old man told you about on the way into this town. For lack of any better ideas, you'd best stall for time in the hopes that you or Gramps can come up with a plan.
Mizore's just about to lunge and attack in response to the threat against you, but you manage to get her attention and stop her.
You lightly tug at your hat, catching the enemy's attention. "Hey. I've got some「questions」for you."

You slightly spread out your feet in such a way that allows you to cut a slightly more intimidating figure, while also allowing you to immediately brace yourself in the event that you need to. You then give the enemy figure your pointer finger.

Kars, if that's indeed who this is, appears to be mildly amused. "Oh?"

"First. Are you「the one who sent those plant monsters to attack」? Second. What did you do to「the Witch that was living on this Ranch」?"

You narrow your eyes. "Third. Precisely「who are you?」"

The man seems to be surprised that you're asking that question, and you take advantage of the opening to quickly and very subtly point Mizore in Joseph's direction.
....got it.
The enemy smirks. "Your 「attempt」 at subterfuge is so 「transparent」 that it's「painful」," he declares.

His nose twitches, just enough for you to notice, and then Mizore shrieks in agony as a plume of intense flame erupts from beneath her, sending her flying backwards while covered with severe burns.

"I am the「Ultimate Life Form」," your foe gloats. "「Kars」! And I will not permit the「Joestar line」 or「its associates」 to humiliate me a second time!"

You attempt to prepare your Hamon breathing, only for a very furry Kars to seemingly teleport in front of you, before casually backhanding you across the chest with an arm that is encased in very jagged ice.

A gaping wound opens up on your torso, from which a myriad of ice crystals begin to rapidly form and expand over your body. After a moment, however, their sudden growth is arrested.

As you hit the ground some fair distance away, you can see Kurumu shaking badly. A split-second later, she extends her nails into talons while extending her wings. "YOU BAST-"

Abruptly, Kurumu jerks her head to one side, covers her face with an arm, and leaps away. "As if I'd let you use Charm on me!"

Kars raises an eyebrow in amusement, before his body begins to emit a tremendously powerful yellow glow, a mocking grin etched on his face. "As if I would require something so graceless as「mind control」 in order to「force your actions」!"

Kars leaps, then, in an impossibly graceful movement. Very lightly, teasingly almost, he pokes Kurumu's throat with a single shining finger.

The delicate flesh immediately begins to visibly melt under Kars's touch, and Kurumu recoils in unfathomable pain as she fights not to clutch at her wound. Unable to scream, tears are streaming down her face.

Damn it all! You can barely even move in the state you're in!

A burst of energy suffuses the area, and the sky turns a bloody red. Looks like Badass Moka's coming out to play.

"Do you think yourself a match for me,「lowly vampire」?!"

After the moment or two it takes for her body to transform in accomodation to the new dominant personality, Moka twitches in annoyance. "To think that an「utter fossil 」would come out「where he wasn't wanted」, and then presume to「look down on me」 while 「shamelessly」 「prancing around」 like a 「half-naked」 「child」...."

You can see one blood-red iris shining with malevolent intent from beneath Moka's now-silver bangs.

「KNOW YOUR PLACE!」

Moka's lower leg races toward the side of Kars's head at a seemingly impossible speed, the resultant pressure wave causing a sonic boom and creating a tremendous dust cloud!

"YES!" Yukari cheers. "Even the fastest monsters in the world, werewolves, would've found it「nearly impossible」 to dodge a「supersonic kick」 like that except under the「full moon」, and our sky's as dark as can be!"

And yet, as the dust cloud fades, the sight greeting you is not what Yukari's analysis predicted.

Instead, you can see Kars blocking Moka's leg using three Hamon-covered fingers. Moka, by contrast, is grimacing from the effort of maintaining a protective aura of monster energy against Kars's powerful Hamon. Beads of sweat are visibly rolling down her face.

....and then she smirks. "Some ultimate life-form you must be, if you're「too coward」 to even「look me in the eye」."

Despite himself, Kars' face contorts in fury, and he makes eye contact with Moka -- before immediately howling in pain as he starts going into convulsions again. Kars's hamon dissipates, and in an impossible feat of acrobatics you'd swear was only possible in manga, Moka flips around and nails him in the side of the head with her other foot, sending the Ultimate Life-Form into the hillside and carving out a trench with his momentum!

Taking a moment to regain her composure, Moka elegantly flips a strand of her hair. "Hmph. My other personality was oblivious," she begins, "but if I understood your 「sign language」, Joseph Joestar.... we're dealing with an 「enemy Stand」 that 「takes form based on people's memories」, with its transformations being 「triggered by eye contact」. Is that correct?"

Joseph has gotten to his feet, and is taking a moment to brush some dirt off of his hat while lightly massaging his throat. "That was my 「informed guess」," he admits. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough information yet to guess the 「criteria」 by which it determines 「which memory」 it will 「adopt as its next form」."

While he's speaking, Joseph quickly checks up on you and your friends. "Fortunately, that bastard Kars apparently saw fit to play games with us just now -- it seems very likely that Kurumu and Mizore will survive their injuries if they can get the appropriate medical attention in time."

Through determined use of the special hamon breathing, you've managed to recover some of the damage you suffered. Not enough that you can truly fight properly, but you can at least stand on your own feet and use your phone.

Just before you can start trying to decide what to do next, a figure emerges from the dust cloud that got kicked up when Moka kicked Kars through part of the hill.

The dust begins to settle, and you see....... Outer Moka? ....except, she's taller. ....and wearing a skimpy, skintight leather outfit that actually looks really good on her.
Inner Moka appears to be extremely freaked out. And confused. At the same time.
[]Attempt to inquire the new figure's identity.
[]Trust Moka and Joseph to hold off the Stand while you use your cell phone to try and get in contact with Ms. Nekonome, so that Mizore and Kurumu can be evacuated from the combat zone.
[]Instruct Tsukune to try and contact Ms. Nekonome with the cell phone, while Yukari attempts to apply some first aid to the wounded. You intend to fight, together with Moka and Joseph.
[](write-in)

 

[Strypgia]

don't @Nilay, STAY ON TOPIC OR MAKE A NEW THREAD. THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO RANDOMLY START DISCUSSING YOUR FAVORITE WIZARD.

 

[EvaUnit01]

As Adult Outer Moka begins heading toward your group, a strained expression on her face, you grunt to catch your underclassmen's attention. "Yukari, get the wounded some first aid. Tsukune, you take my phone and try to contact your teacher."

Yukari nods, apparently shocked speechless by the possibility of having Moka for an enemy, while Tsukune narrows his brow in worried confusion. "What about you, senpai?"

....your hat's crooked, so you take a moment to put it back in its proper place, just how you like it. "I'll work with Moka and the old man to keep fighting the enemy. Now stop 「bullshitting」 and get to work."

Even as the hamon energy coursing through you continues to steadily heal your wounds and reinvigorate your body, you can't help but recall what happened last time you wound up on the wrong end of a vampire's phenomenal strength. And if this is someone Moka remembers, older than she is... then it's very possible that this new enemy could be 「several orders of magnitude stronger」 than Moka was.

"Jotaro." You glance over at the sound of your name, to see Joseph's eyeing you critically. "Are you sure you're able to fight?"

Just by looking at you, it should be more than obvious that you're prepared to continue fighting. Not deigning to point this out to the old man, you reach into your pockets, and pull out a cigarette and a lighter. Damn, but you need a smoke right now....

"W-who the hell are you?!"

Wait, what? That was... Inner Moka?!

Actually taking a look at her, you can that see that Inner Moka's entire body is quivering with shock. It looks like she's on the verge of a total freak-out. The level-headed, stone cold badass you've known for so long is absolutely nowhere to be found.
The alarm shows on your face enough for everyone to be able to see it.
"ANSWER ME!"

Adult Outer Moka looks like she's trying not to cry, and... then suddenly is right in front of Moka, knocking her out with a gentle-looking tap on the forehead. Adult Outer Moka then catches Inner Moka in a gentle embrace, tender tears rolling down her face. "In spite of everything I wanted," she murmurs, "here I am causing you pain again..."

Seems like your old man is the first to recover; it actually looks as if he has some idea of what's going on. He grabs his fedora from the ground, brushes the dirt from it, and then tips it to the mysterious woman as he's putting it on. "I hope you'll forgive me if the present circumstances hinder me from being cordial.... Akasha."

The woman reacts, slowly turning in the old man's direction. Her tears start to let up, and a small smile starts to bloom on her face. Even as a vein pops on her forehead. "I almost didn't recognize you, Joseph. I have to admit, you've aged rather well."

After taking a moment to quickly wipe away her tears, Akasha kneels down and softly places Moka on the ground. "As much as I don't want to have to hurt any of you," she says, "the roiling hatred at the core of this Stand isn't something I'm going to be able to suppress for long. I'm afraid that this reunion will have to be a short one."

She sounds.... almost heartbroken. Reminds you a lot of Outer Moka, honestly. It's as if there's... just some aura of kindness around this woman.

You're still confused, though, and that annoys you. "Hey. Woman. Mind telling us what the hell's going on?"

Akasha turns in your direction, but doesn't look at you. Understandable, if she could change into a different person on making eye contact. "And you must be his grandson, Jotaro? It's a pleasure to meet you."

She already knows your name, and she's not being sarcastic. This is very unsettling.
Nobody realizes how uncomfortable you are.
Akasha stands back up, then, taking a moment to languidly stretch out. .....you're pretty sure Mizore won't take issue with a curt acknowledgement that Akasha is a lovely woman. By the look of things, however, definitely not your type. Good fit for Aono, though, and if your budding suspicions about the relationship between this woman and Moka have any merit to them....

Just as you're in the process of wrapping up that train of thought, Akasha makes her way over to Tsukune and -- "Tsukune Aono... and to the rest of you as well... I want to thank you all for taking such good care of my daughters, and I humbly ask that you continue to do so."

Tsukune's eyes bug out. "N-no, ma'am, it's, ah, w-we really didn't do anything special at all, so you don't need to thank us or anything!"

Poor kid's completely tripping over himself. Borders on shameful. At least he finished making the phone cal- wait, daughters? Plural?

Tsukune seems to be on the same page as you are, and Akasha nods. "Yes, my daughters. Moka Akashiya. You know them as Inner and Outer, don't you?"

Before anyone can attempt to react to that, Akasha doubles over in pain, as another several blood vessels pop out and become visible on her skin. "It looks like my time is running out."

Attempting to stand on her own again, Akasha apparently decides that it's time for a goddamned explanation. "The Stand you're fighting against, which is currently using my form and mind as an external shell, is called 「The Memory Remains」. On making eye contact with a potential user, it assumes the form of someone carved into their memories, but who can no longer be met except in the person's memories -- a person who's gone away to a distant place, never to return, or who may have die-"

"SHUT! UP!"

Oh, hey. Ruby's back. And now she's attacking everyone with a storm of bladed feathers. You and gramps quickly grab the unconscious/wounded members of the party and get the hell out of the way, but Akasha simply deflects the flechette storm with a sweeping high-speed kick. Damn, that's cool. Can Moka do that?

"HER LADYSHIP ISN'T DEAD! SHE'S NOT!"

Well, looks like Ruby's gone back into denial about that corpse in the ranch house again... What a pain in the ass.

[]It's time that someone beat the bullshit out of Ruby. Might as well be you.
-[]Enlist the old man's help; he can use his Stand to drag her down into range, right?
[]Actually, Akasha looks like she's about to do something. Let her do it before The Memory Remains manages to override her free will and turn her against you.
[](write-in)

 

[EvaUnit01]

Akasha stands tall, with her back to you. "The fuel used by「The Memory Remains」 is the girl's hatred and loneliness. In order to truly defeat the Stand, your only choices are to either kill her, or to break through her psychological barriers and convince her to stand down."

So, the easiest way to get this over with is to just kill Ruby. Sounds like a plan.

...............except that you can feel Tsukune's and Yukari's hopeful and optimistic stares on your back. You've heard about how apparently Kurumu was a bit of a bitch before Tsukune risked his life protecting her from Inner Moka, and you can also vividly remember Yukari's even-worse-than-now attitude back when you first met her. And yet now, they're your underclassmen who greatly look up to you.

....

"........fucking hell," you mutter with a sigh. "You twigs are more trouble than you're worth."
You very pointedly ignore the beaming smiles that your underclassmen are no-doubt sending your way.
Turning your attention back to Akasha, you take a moment to re-affirm that your hat is positioned just the way you like it. "And because 「The Memory Remains」 is about to take you over, you can't help us fight it."

The woman nods as yet more of her blood vessels visibly pop out under her skin, her expression one of sad resolution. "....Joseph," she says to catch his attention. "If we could meet again under better circumstances, I'd like it if we could stop and catch up sometime."

The old man lowers his hat over his eyes, but not quickly enough that you couldn't see something glistening under there. "Of course. It's always a pleasure to speak with you, Akasha."

In a blur of motion, Akasha suddenly disappears from sight, before reappearing in front of Ruby - before firmly planting her knee into the latter's gut. "I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love, but you can't let that drive you away from reality."

Ruby, wild-eyed and gasping for air, blindly tries to claw at Akasha's face, but the more experienced combatant easily twists out of the way.

"Everyone in this world," Akasha continues with another dazzling aerial maneuver, "has 「somewhere they belong」. And for the sake of everyone who ever loved you or cared for you - your parents, Her Ladyship, and everyone you've still yet to meet - you 「owe」 it to them to find it!"

Ruby's eyes widen in shock, and suddenly Akasha is spinning in place directly above her. "Ruby Tojo!"

Eye contact.

"「KNOW YOUR PLACE!」"

And Akasha punctuates her little speech with a spinning heel kick to the face, smashing the deranged little witch girl back to the ground with tremendous force. Well, at least you're pretty confident that you won't have to deal with her again for the time being.

Small comfort, as Akasha screams in agony and begins contorting back into the old hag.

[]Try to beat the bitch back to death using your Hamon.
-[]Wait, you have to somehow break through to Ruby psychologically as well, don't you. Hrm... maybe you should attempt a monologue?
--[]Monologue. (write-in)
--[]...Nah, you can just beat TMR until it dies, and then dump Tsukune on top of Ruby. That kid needs to do something to pull his weight around here.
[]The old man said before that only a Stand could damage or affect another Stand. As far as you know, that means he's the only one who can fight against The Memory Remains.
-[]Suggest tearing a strip of cloth from someone else's shirt/pants/whatever and using it as a blindfold, to ensure that gramps can't make eye contact with The Memory Remains and turn it into Kars again.
[](write-in)

 

[EvaUnit01]

Guided by a sudden flash of insight, you grab Tsukune and toss him bodily onto Ruby's semiconscious form. Given his track record for breaking through to unstable women, you're positive that nothing can go wrong.

Of course, The Memory Remains - actually, you could abbreviate that to TMR - surely intends on preventing any chance of a peaceful resolution.

But, hey. That's where you come in. Tsukune does his talking-stuff-out thing, and you'll buy him the time to do so.

The old hag sounds like she needs a hell of a beating, anyway.

The Memory Remains, having now resumed Her Ladyship's personality and form, is scowling down at the lot of you. "Luck might have carried you this far, you damn heathens, but don't expect that to continu-"

ORA!

You plow your Hamon-charged fist into Her Ladyship's face, and you allow a cold smirk to show as you feel the old hag's skull give a little bit.

In fact, you hit her so hard that your hand is stinging. As Her Ladyship goes flying, you briefly take a moment to check your hand - sure enough, you hit hard enough to break open the skin over your knuckles, which are already beginning to heal thanks to your Hamon energy.

Time to put this bitch in her pla-

SHLICK

.....ow. Taking a look around you, your entire body has been skewered repeatedly by the multitude of vines that are sticking out of the ground. Blood is seeping out of your body at a concerning pace, staining everything with red.

Turning back to scowl at Her Ladyship in annoyance, you take a short moment to flip her off. "Thanks for ruining my uniform, you stupid bitch. Now I have to buy another one."

Wasted money is wasted money, and that annoys the shit out of you! To hell with secondary objectives, you intend to beat the fucking shit out of this old dead woman until she dies again!

With a concerted effort, you are able to maintain your breathing, and use a Hamon pulse to explode the monstrous vines sticking through your body, and then you're covered in still more vegetarian salsa. No matter.

You stubbornly march your way back to Her Ladyship, who is now watching you wild-eyed and screeching with terror. "You can 「hurt」 me, even though you don't have a 「Stand」.... 「what the hell are you」?!"

You scoff, readjusting your hat from where one of the vines nudged it aside. "I'm 「Jotaro Kujo」," you reply with a snarl, "AND I AM THAT! DAMN! GOOD!"

You can see Her Ladyship stringing the 'Jo's in your name together, and her shrieks of terror devolve into a whimper.

ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!! OOOOORRAAAAAA!!!!!

You proceed to pummel Her Ladyship with punches, reducing her to a pile of ground-up meat in the shape of a human, before making to stomp on her neck and -

*crunch*

- killing the enemy Stand that made itself such a nuisance tonight.

...you think. You remain alert for the next several seconds, casting your gaze about the area and evaluating anything, no, everything as a possible sign of continued threat. When none become apparent after nearly half a minute, you choose to slightly let your guard down.

[]Check on Tsukune and Ruby.
[]Check on your injured/unconscious underclassmen.
[]Check with the old man and see if there are any other loose ends that need tying up.
[]You can hear the school bus approaching. Help get the wounded loaded up.

 

[EvaUnit01]

The old man's acting like the battle's over, so you'll trust his judgment. Better check and see how everyone's doing.

Giving yourself a quick once-over... your clothes are shredded, you're covered in slowly-but-visibly-healing wounds, and your fists are coated with as much of your blood as Her Ladyship's. You're still standing for the moment, but there's no telling how long you have until the adrenaline wears off and you collapse.

Glancing over at Tsukune and Ruby.... well, you don't see any blood or carnage in that direction and it seems like they're having a discussion, so it's probably fine.

Mizore appears to have passed out. She's covered in severe-looking burns, but still breathing. As the old man said before, she needs medical attention badly.

Same goes for Kurumu, who's still conscious, but crying ineffectually as she cradles her throat in pain. Getting a brief look between her hands, it looks like her throat's been pretty badly burned, but at least you can't see a gaping hole or anything.

Moka.... is still passed out from when Akasha poked her forehead.

Yukari's anxiously looking up at you as she holds the phone, trying to say something. Her lips are moving, but nothing's coming ou-
Senpai? You really shouldn't be standing, you need to lie down so I can apply some first aid.
Pain starts flooding through your entire body, and you're already falling over as the world starts to spin...
Jotaro?! JOTARO!
[]You have to try and wake up! You can't rest until you know that everyone else is going to be okay!
[]Actually, taking a little nap doesn't sound too bad... You've taken a hell of a beating this time. Help is on the way, so you should take your time and recover.

 

[EvaUnit01]

You fall to your knees, and barely manage to prevent a further descent with your hands. But you know, deep down, that you're still going to pass out in a matter of seconds. "H-hey, kid...."

Your vision is fading in and out, and it's all you can do to see anything clearly. Even drawing breath seems like a monumental task.

"There's... help for the others on the way, right?"

Yukari frantically nods, apparently trying to say a lot... but you're too far gone to be able to hear anything.
Ms. Nekonome is coming, and she said there's a monster hospital in town!
Oh well. Yukari said that help's on the way, so that's about as good as you're going to get.

It's out of your hands, now.
A desperate Yukari shrieks. "SENPAI! PLEASE DON'T DIE!"
His body having been forced to endure stress beyond human limitations, Jotaro collapsed, fully unconscious before his head could even hit the dirt.

____________

For his part, Joseph remained contemplative of the night's events, even as the youngsters cheered with relief on hearing the siren of an approaching ambulance.

To the best of his knowledge, Hamon was ineffective against a Stand unless 「transmitted」 by his own 「Hermit Purple」. For his grandson to have defeated the enemy Stand so easily.... two possible explanations readily sprang to mind. In one case, it may simply have been that 「The Memory Remains」's own unique properties made it more susceptible to a wider variety of attacks. In the other, however...

Joseph scowled, his brow furrowed in concern. If 「Jotaro」 is 「developing a Stand」, then it's very likely that 「Holly」 could also -

"The next words out of your mouth, young lady, will be to the effect of: 'I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore'."

Ruby, the young woman at the core of this whole debacle, opened her mouth for a moment, before immediately snapping it shut. "I... I wasn't able to let go of my feelings," she ashamedly admits. "I couldn't admit that Her Ladyship was gone, and because of that, so many innocent people were seriously hurt tonight. But... even to acknowledge my thoughts that she might have been wrong about some of the humans... felt like it would've been betraying her."

Joseph considered her words for a moment, even as he observed the undisguisedly monstrous paramedics loading up the injured into the ambulance. "If she truly loved you," he began, "then the last thing she would have wanted would have been for you to feel chained to her memory. If she did want you to be her servant even in death, then I doubt she was worthy of such devotion in the first place. In any case, you shouldn't live your life based on what you think Her Ladyship would have wanted, or on what anyone else expects of you. Live the way that you want to."

...but for good, or for ill, Joseph thought with a sigh as he recalled the long-lost faces that he had himself had glimpsed this night, it wouldn't be accurate to say that any of those who appeared before us tonight are truly gone from this world. Even if the flesh has withered and died -- ash to ash, and dust to dust -- the memory remains there, inside of us. Haunting us until we, too, fade to black.

As Joseph stepped in to lend a hand in calming the comparatively-well-off Tsukune and Yukari....

Ruby struggled with herself for several seconds, before taking a step after him.














Special end-of-arc denouement episode?

[]YES! YES! YES!
[]NO! NO! NO!