Koichi was doing some research in school a few days later. 'This town has a long history. Some of the buildings go as far back as the Jomon Era, when the samurai first appeared. And even today, some samurai families still live here. The population was last calculated to be at 58,713, as totaled in the 1994 census. And in this year, 1999, the number of missing people is eighty-one, seven to eight times higher than the average for towns of similar size. Of them, forty-five have been children. Most think they were just runaways. But given that Josuke, Pinkie, Jotaro, and Fluttershy seem to live in an invisible world... I'm not so sure that's the real truth anymore.'

"Hey, Koichi," Josuke said, Pinkie right behind him, "You still studying?" "Kind of," Koichi said, "Hey, the rumors are going around that you finally started dating." "Yeah," Pinkie said, "After surviving that freak from the other day, our emotions kinda ran high. If they ran any higher, they'd need a separate story with a different rating." Koichi blinked. "If you say so." "Anyway, we were just about to head home," Josuke said, "Care to join us?" "Sure," Koichi said as he gathered his papers and books in his bag.

The trio soon passed by the Angelo Stone. "Yo, Angelo," Josuke said. "Yo, Angelo," Pinkie parroted. "Hey, Josuke," Koichi said as he stopped, "Was this stone always here?" "Yeah," Josuke replied, "But it didn't always look like that." Koichi shrugged. "Yo, Angelo." He quickly caught up with the others. "So, where's Jotaro? I haven't seen him for a while." "He's staying at the Morioh Grand Hotel with his family," Josuke said, "Turns out they aren't done here yet. There's still a bit of investigating. That Angelo guy was just the tip of the iceberg."

"Now they're looking for the same arrow that hit me," Pinkie said, "Before it can be used to create a dangerous new Stand." "Yeah, Stands sound scary enough knowing I can't see them," Koichi noted, "But if there's a power out there that could wipe out everything we know..." He then looked at the abandoned house they were passing and thought he saw someone in the window. "Hey, wasn't this house supposed to be vacant for the last three or four years?"

Josuke nodded. "Yeah, nobody could sell it in its current state. They'd have to demolish and rebuild it." "The family that lived here was named Nijimura," Pinkie said, "But for some reason the family just disappeared one day. No one knows what happened. That family's had bad luck for a while. The family patriarch died, leaving the family in poverty due to Japan's economic crisis. Not to mention the death of the current family head's wife. They seemed to be having some luck at the tail end of the 1980s, but then a few years later they disappeared. Last I heard, there was just the father and two sons."

"Well, I saw someone in the window just now," Koichi said, "Holding a candle." "Impossible," Josuke assured him, "I live right over there, see. And Pinkie lives right next door. We'd know if there was anyone new in the neighborhood, Pinkie especially. Plus, the real estate agent comes by every so often to check for squatters." Koichi looked at the front door and gate. "Well, the gate's open, and there's a padlock on the front door. You don't think I saw a ghost, do you?"

"Don't talk about ghosts," Josuke said, "They're scary. Besides, it's not like ghosts are real. Next you'll say I'm a gay sailor in another dimension." "No," Pinkie said, "Just a hetero sailor with four balls." "Now that I'll believe," Josuke quipped. They had their backs to the house as Koichi peeked through the gate, only for someone to kick it closed right on his neck. His pained cries caused Josuke and Pinkie to whirl around and see what was up. A young man their age with a punk haircut and the Japanese kanji for billion on his jacket had his foot on the gate, pressing it against Koichi's neck.

"You shouldn't go sniffing around other people's houses like that, kid," the punk sneered, "That's rude." "Hey!," Pinkie called out, "You let that Koichi alone!" She conjured her Stand and pulled out a cream pie from nowhere, which she promptly threw into the punk's face. Coughing and wiping away the cream, he muttered, "Did you just hit me with a pie like some Tex Avery character? And more importantly, is that a Stand you just summoned?" "You know about Stands then," Josuke said, "That must mean you have one too. Regardless, you don't go slamming people's heads in your gate just because they're snooping around. That's even more rude than the snooping."

"What are you even doing here?," Pinkie said, "You don't look familiar. And the realtors should have evicted you." "Not really," the punk said, "This house was bought by my dad. They come to check in on us every once in a while, since we can't afford to renovate." During this time, the pie that Pinkie threw caused the punk to release Koichi. As he got up on his fours, something whizzed through the air and hit him square in the neck. Pinkie's eyes widened when she saw it was an arrow sticking out of his neck.

"Bro, what was that about?," the punk said as he looked up to the window where the arrow had come from, "We were having a civilized discussion." "I shot that kid for a reason," a man's voice replied, "That man there is Josuke Higashikata, and the girl is Diane Hanasakura." "Pinkie Pie, if you please," Pinkie said, "And I recognize that voice. You're the one who shot me with that arrow the other day." "And it looks like I'll finally get a chance to see your new Stand in action," the man replied, "Okuyasu, these two are the ones who took out Angelo. Josuke is also a Stand user. We need to deal with them before they become a problem. Be sure to only knock out the girl so I can study her Stand later."

Koichi was lying on the ground, coughing up blood. "Looks like the kid doesn't have the potential," the man said, "A shame. I was hoping he'd be able to develop a Stand as well, hence why I chose him for the target." Josuke approached Koichi, but Okuyasu stepped in his way. "Move aside," Josuke said, "I can still heal him." "You'll need to get close first," Okuyasu said, "And to do that you'll need to get by me, and my Stand, The Hand." A silver humanoid with a high collar and the same symbols on its chest appeared. It displayed its hands palm forward, the right one having some odd hemispheres on it.

As Okuyasu moved to attack, Josuke had Crazy Diamond strike. Crazy Diamond proved faster, easily decking The Hand. Okuyasu spit out a bit of blood from the hit. "Damn it Okuyasu!," the man in the window said, "Do you remember what I said? Using a Stand is like riding a bicycle or driving a car. No matter how fast it is, if an idiot is behind the wheel, they won't be able to push it to its full potential." "Cut me some slack!," Okuyasu argued, "He's faster than I thought!"

The man scoffed. "I'll be honest, Brother. Your Stand is my finest work, but it terrifies me more than any other power I've seen. But if you can't get your act together and use it to its fullest potential, you will lose easily." "Like this?," Pinkie said as she suddenly appeared from literally behind Okuyasu's back, Smile smashing him in the face with an oversized boxing glove that left his head doing a very good impression of a speed bag. The man sighed. "Yeah... Like that... So your Stand can create cartoon physics. I take it back, that scares me even more than my brother's power."

"You're a bit of an idiot," Josuke said, also right behind Okuyasu, causing him to be shocked, "You didn't even keep an eye on us. Crazy Diamond!" Pinkie literally hopped out of way as Crazy Diamond knocked Okuyasu across the street. Josuke then checked on Koichi. "He's still alive, and he hasn't lost much blood. Somehow his major arteries were missed. If I act quickly I can... He's running right after us, isn't he." "Yep," Pinkie said as Smile grabbed The Hand's right arm. "You always seem to start your attacks with your right hand," Pinkie noted, "Makes me think that has something to do with your power. But let's see if you can get out of Smile's literal iron grip."

Sure enough, Smile had changed its hand into a vice, trapping The Hand's hand. "Damn it, let go!," Okuyasu said. Pinkie winced as The Hand started to tug against Smile. "He's stronger than he looks." As The Hand finally wrenched free, Pinkie got out of the way as the glowing right hand hit the gate. "Pinkie!," Josuke said, running over. "I'm fine," Pinkie said, "I slipped out easily when his hand got free. But Josuke... Why did you leave Koichi over there?" Josuke realized he had accidentally left Koichi inside the gate and facepalmed.

"Don't go running now," Okuyasu said, "My right hand hasn't gotten excited yet." "Phrasing!," Pinkie retorted. Josuke then noticed something about the sign on the gate where The Hand has scrapped against it. It had originally said "No Trespassing" in Japanese kanji. But now it merely said "No Passing". "Holy shit," Josuke said, "That sign got changed after Okuyasu touched it. That means his hand can cut through space!" Okuyasu smirked. "Bingo. Whatever my right hand touches disappears. Not even I know where it ends up. What I do know is that when its erased, the edges of the space join back together to bridge the gap."

The Hand's hand started glowing again. "And guess what... It doesn't just work on solid matter!" The Hand swiped at the air between him and the couple. To their shock, they wound up getting drawn toward Okuyasu. He then punched them both away. "I can also scrape away empty space," Okuyasu bragged, "And then something in front of me can be drawn in closer, or I can go to it. Kinda like teleportation." Josuke and Pinkie moved over a little. Okuyasu chuckled. "It's no use, no matter where you move!"

The Hand scrapped the air again, getting the two in close. "And back!," Pinkie said, as she and Josuke bent over backwards with Smile's power, confusing Okuyasu. He then got a surprise when a flowerpot smacked him in the face, another hitting him in the neck as his head reeled back. As the couple got back up, a third shot past them and slammed into Okuyasu's crotch as he went flying. "Flowers in your nuts!," Pinkie quipped. "It's a good thing he's such an idiot," Josuke said, "That power of his is no joke."

Meanwhile, Jotaro and Fluttershy were visiting the Higashikata household. As Jotaro rang the bell, Tomoko called out from inside. "If that's the newspaper guy, we already got ours!" "We're not with the newspaper," Fluttershy said. Tomoko opened the door. "Oh, it's you Fluttershy. Sorry, but my father just died from a brain tumor, so I'm really not eager for... Company..." She just got a look at Jotaro. "It's... It's you..."

To both Jotaro and Fluttershy's shock, Tomoko went and glomped Jotaro. "Joseph!," she called out, causing Fluttershy to stumble in shock. "You finally came back!," Tomoko said, "I've been so lonely since my father died! I never thought you'd come back at a time like this!" As she started repeating "I love you" at rapid speed, Jotaro cut her off, "I'm not Joseph Joestar." "Huh?," Tomoko said in shock. "Will you get off my husband!?," Fluttershy demanded. Tomoko took a second look. "Oh... Yeah, you're too young to be Joseph. Sorry about that."

Fluttershy sighed. 'She's lucky I'm not Suzi Q.' "Gimme a break...," Jotaro muttered, "I'm Joseph's grandson, Jotaro Kujo. I'm sure your son Josuke can tell you more about me. Speaking of which, I came over to check up on him. Is he in?" Tomoko seemed to have a spaced out look on her face. "Stop staring!," Fluttershy called out. "Sorry!," Tomoko said as she snapped out of it, "Anyway, Josuke hasn't come back from school yet." "Alright," Jotaro said, "We'll come back later this evening."

As he and Fluttershy got to their rental, he turned back. "Listen, for what it's worth, I doubt your father would have died if Joseph was here. He'd do whatever it took to protect you and your family. But he's grown too old to fight, so I couldn't let him come. That's why me and Fluttershy are here instead." Tomoko looked confused by that as the couple drove off. "This is the picture of Enya with the bow and arrow," Fluttershy said, "The one the Speedwagon Foundation got for us."

"It was because of Polnareff that we have a lead on the others," Jotaro noted, "Granddad's Aunt Twilight got the one her birth father had back from the Nazis. We also got one from DIO's mansion. However, it turns out Enya bought it and four others from an Italian man who stole them from their Egyptian tomb. Enya must have eventually learned where Twilight got her Stand from. Polnareff tracked the purchase, which was how he ran into DIO in the first place. He apparently caught wind of the strange arrows that could grant Stand power and thought it might be a lead to J Geil's location."

"The real issue is that there were supposed to be six arrows at the tomb, other than the one that was given to Twilight," Fluttershy noted, "Which means the Italian man still has at least one, most likely." "Which leaves the other four that we have to find," Jotaro said, "Enya disappeared after DIO's death, and she may at one point have visited Morioh and given someone here another of the arrows. The question is, who? And how many Stand users have they made since they got it? We need to find out, before another Stand like The World can be made."

"Looks like he's out cold," Pinkie said as she and Josuke knelt over Okuyasu. "He's still dangerous," Josuke pointed, "I'll choke him out enough to keep him down." "Uh... Before you do that," Pinkie said, "That other guy dragged Koichi into the house." "Shit," Josuke said, then turned to Okuyasu. "Don't move. I'm watching you." The couple carefully moved to the front door, where they saw the older brother standing over Koichi. "This arrow," he said, "It's precious, it's unique." "It's one of a set of seven," Pinkie pointed out.

"Well it's the only one I have!," the man said, "The point is, I must take it back." He grabbed the arrow. "Hey, don't pull that out," Josuke warned, "You'll risk further injury." The man scoffed and swiftly pulled the arrow out straight. "My brother was too incompetent. I'll have to take care of you myself. But it would be careless of me to not take care of this body before I moved on to the next. It's like when you finish a CD. You have to put it back, before you put in a new one. Cleaning up after yourself it something everyone does, including me."

Pinkie burst into laughter. "Tell that to every little kid I've ever known! And my mom! I'm the one doing all the chores at home! Besides, didn't you hear Josuke outside? His Stand can heal Koichi! Hello! Open your ears! You don't have to worry about a body if there is no body." "I still have to deal with the two of you," the man pointed out, "That's why I had to drag him inside." "Uh, no you didn't," Pinkie retorted, "You don't think we wouldn't go for the arrow after the information Angelo gave us? You could have pulled the arrow out of Koichi outside, let us heal him, then let the arrow itself lure us into your obvious trap. For a guy who screams 'military nut', you lack some serious flexibility in your thinking."

The man just narrowed his eyes, but before he could argue further Okuyasu showed up behind them. "Hey, Keicho! I haven't lost yet, I'm not finished with them!" "Time to duck!," Pinkie said, spotting some glowing light in the shadows behind Keicho. She and Josuke dodged aside, as Okuyasu suddenly got covered in small holes that were bleeding profusely. "Damn it Okuyasu!," Keicho said, "You just had but in like a dunce! If you had stayed outside, I could have caught them off-guard with my Bad Company! You were even stupid enough to stand right in the line of fire!"

"These wounds...," Josuke noted, "What could have caused these?" "They look like pinpricks," Pinkie noted. Keicho scoffed. "I told you time and again. If you don't train your mind, your life will be worthless." "I dunno," Pinkie said, "Some of the happiest people in the world are idiots. And... Keicho, was it...? If I may, you have a very archaic way of thinking that can only work in the military. And even then..." Keicho narrowed his eyes. "Like I'll take advice on living from a girl with cotton candy hair." "Oh dick move," Pinkie said, "I may not fly off the handle like Josuke, but that does not mean I like getting my hair insulted, you meanie."

She then flattened herself against the wall as a silhouette of bullet holes appeared around her. Keicho looked surprised. "That was a dead-on attack. How did it miss?" "I still had my Stand active," Pinkie explained, "Where do you think the perfect silhouette came from?" "We need to get out of here!," Josuke said, "Crazy Diamond!" Crazy Diamond smashed the wall, and Josuke and Pinkie fled through it while Smile grabbed Okuyasu with a vaudeville hook to pull him out as well. Crazy Diamond then repaired the wall as another barrage of whatever was attacking hit impacted against it.

"Hmm," Keicho thought, "Her Stand is more effective than I thought. I assumed she'd be an idiot like my brother from her hair. But as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. Still, why didn't they grab the boy? Oh well, they'll come back in for him soon. I'll kill everyone who gets in my way..." He grabbed Koichi and dragged him through the house. "No matter the cost." Outside, Josuke asked. "Pinkie, why didn't you grab Koichi?" Pinkie sighed. "I wasn't sure I could get at him without getting shot at again. Our options are limited while we don't know Keicho's Stand power... Damn you plot!"

Josuke sighed, then grabbed Okuyasu by the collar. "You must know how your brother's Stand works. Tell us now, and I'll heal all your wounds." Okuyasu coughed and muttered, "Why would I tell... Someone like you that...? Idiot..." Pinkie scoffed. "You mean the guy trying to save his best friend compared to the guy who would kill his own brother just because he got in the way? Who's the idiot? Josuke, just heal this guy already and let's get on with the plot." "Yeah, you're right," Josuke said as he called out Crazy Diamond, "I wasn't expecting him to talk anyway."

Okuyasu was surprised as he felt his wounds disappear and the pain subside. "Now then," Josuke said as he got up, "We gotta get after Koichi. You try and stop us, and I won't hesitate to stick you in the ground." As they snuck over to the door, Okuyasu approached them, but there was no more violent intent in his eyes. "Hey, Josuke was it? Why'd you heal me? I mean, we're still enemies, so I could still attack you at any time." Pinkie raised an eyebrow at him. "You really think you could take the both of us on? After your pathetic display earlier? Don't get me wrong, you've developed some creative uses for The Hand, but we've gotten just as experienced with our own Stands."

"Okay yeah, you could probably kick my ass easily," Okuyasu admitted, "But that still doesn't answer my question! You even went out of your way to help me! I'm not smart so you need to explain it!" Josuke shrugged. "We just don't like seeing people die, even by our hands. That said, if your brother's actions cause Koichi to die, expect to see him merged with the local architecture." "Now if you'll excuse us," Pinkie said, "Smile!" Her Stand emerged, and she and Josuke started slipping through the house, disappearing behind objects way too small to hide behind. They soon peeked out from behind a small jar facing the stairs.

"I can see a blood trail," Josuke said, "Keicho must have dragged Koichi up to the second floor." Pinkie pulled out a large hearing horn and put it to her ear. "I'm hearing two... Wait, three breaths? I guess their father's home. Anyway, looks like Koichi's still alive for now." Okuyasu then popped his head out of the jar. "Hey, I have a question?" "Okuyasu?," Josuke said, "How are you doing that?" "Well, you seem to be able to utilize Pinkie's Stand effect while it's active," Okuyasu pointed out, "I don't really get how it works, but it's a cartoon, right? Even someone as stupid as me can understand that much."

Josuke sighed. "So, what did you wanna ask? And make it quick." Okuyasu stuck his hand out of the jar and pointed at a bruise on Josuke's cheek. "That's where I punched you earlier. But you haven't healed it yet. Why not?" "I can't use my power on myself," Josuke explained. "Luckily, he doesn't have to," Pinkie said, getting out the "Bye bye ouchies" band-aid. "Save 'em for the fight with Keicho," Josuke said, "It's just a bruise." Pinkie nodded. They left Okuyasu behind and carefully went up the stairs following the blood, spotting Koichi in the middle of a large room.

"Uh oh...," Pinkie said, "He's too far away to sneak towards." "And we lost the advantage of your hook when you used it earlier," Josuke noted, "We make even one move in that room and it's Duck Season for us. Still, we gotta get in there. Koichi's life is on the line." Just then, Okuyasu placed his left hand on Josuke's shoulder, while using The Hand to draw Koichi toward them. Koichi flew at the group, Pinkie getting out a large catcher's mitt to grab him. "Consider us even," Okuyasu said, "I may be just an idiot, but I do follow my heart. And my heart is telling me this fight is between you and Keicho. I won't interfere any longer."

Pinkie gave him a playful jab in the ribs. "You're a big softy in the end, aren't you?" Okuyasu blushed. "Thanks Okuyasu," Josuke said, "I mean it." Okuyasu went downstairs as Josuke checked Koichi's pulse. "He's still alive... Good." He applied Crazy Diamond's power and Koichi started to open his eyes. "Huh...?," he muttered, and looked around. He then shot up in surprise. "What's going on!? Where are we!?" "Good, you're awake," Pinkie said, "How many fingers am I holding up?" Koichi blinked. "Uh... Eleven? Somehow..."

Sure enough, Pinkie used Smile to add a sixth finger to her right hand. "Just making sure you're paying attention," she said as she shook her hand to remove the effect, "What's the last thing you remember? Cuz I have the 'Instant Trauma Amnesia' mallet on stand-by just in case." Koichi rubbed his head. "Just getting my head stuck in the gate. My head's too woozy for anything else. Also, 'Instant Trauma Amnesia'?" "Hey, it worked for my mom," Josuke argued, "And apparently it doesn't hurt."

"Of course not," Pinkie said, "It's meant to make you forget pain instantly, like how cartoon characters can forget things when they get hit on the head. I just specialized the effect via ACME marketing." She showed the other side of the mallet to reveal an ACME logo on the back. "Patent pending..." "So where are we?," Koichi said. "Inside the house," Josuke said, "And still behind enemy lines as it were. Okuyasu bowed out but there's still his older brother."

Pinkie then heard something. "What are those voices..?" Sure enough, there was a sound coming from the rafters. "Move! Move! Move!" There was also the sound of tiny footsteps. Smile quickly gave a thought, creating an idea bulb that lit up the area. "Good thinking, Pinkie!," Josuke said, "Literally." With the light around the area, it was easy to see in the rafters, were what looked like tiny soldiers were moving across them beams. "Are those... Keicho's Stand?," Josuke asked.

"If they are," Pinkie said, "Then Keicho is a fan of both GI Joe and Toy Story. Maybe even Small Soldiers." Several miniature Green Berets popped their heads out from the rafters, M16s drawn. "Holy shit, it's the American infantry!," Josuke called out. The toy soldiers fired, as Pinkie called out, "Smile!" The three friends were pinned against the wall as the M16s drew an outline of their bodies against the wall around them. The soldiers leapt down as they deployed parachutes. "Hey Josuke?," Pinkie said, "Didn't Keicho call his Stand Bad Company earlier?"

"Uh-huh," Josuke said, "And now I think I know why." Koichi was just staring in disbelief. The tiny soldiers fired off their guns, managing to hit Josuke in the cheek. "Damn! They're smaller than regulation M16s, but no less damaging! Pinkie, I think I could use that bandage now!" "One sec," Pinkie said, as Smile grabbed the floor the soldiers landed on, then flipped it like it was a carpet, creating a piano sound from the planks as the Berets were tossed everywhere with a sound like a bowling ball hitting the pins. "That should give us some breathing room. Let's move!"

As they ran, the soldiers picked themselves up. "The sergeant said the girl had powers beyond belief, but that just caught us off guard." "Looks like the boy is awake too. We need to change tactics. Send word back to the sergeant, we'll need air support for this." "Copy that. Permission to set up mine fields ahead, sir?" "Granted. Just don't let them get away. Bad Company! Move out!" The tiny army marched ahead to the room the trio had fled to. They immediately shot down the door that had closed, causing it to implode. "It's like if Hogan's Heroes had weapons at all times," Pinkie noted.

"And they're powerful," Josuke said, "All of them firing at once was enough to destroy the door. Imagine if they hit us." He looked around. "Plenty of windows to try leaping out of. You ready, Koichi?" "Uh, hold that thought," Koichi said, "I think I hear something." Pinkie and Josuke listened, and quickly realize it was the sound of helicopters. They gasped when they saw four model Apache attack choppers, fully functional and fully armed. "Great, so it's not just toy soldiers," Josuke muttered, "Keicho has assault helicopters too."

"Josuke, Pinkie, look out!," Koichi called out, "There's some tanks too!" Josuke whirled his head around and dodged as a model Abrams tank fired off a shell, impacting the wall behind him. "Uh, Koichi?," Pinkie said, "Did you... Actually see that?" Josuke gasped and looked at Koichi. Somehow, he was glowing with Stand energy. "Uh... Yeah...," Koichi said, "Somehow... I can see them... The Stands you guys have." "I see," came Keicho's voice as he stepped into view, his Stand moving in formation around him. A total of sixty Green Berets, four Apache helicopters, and seven Abrams tanks.

"I thought the kid didn't have the potential," Keicho noted, "I guess when you healed him, it allowed him to gain that potential. If I'd known that was possible, I would have let you heal him earlier. But now the only question is... What kind of Stand has he gained?" "Keicho," Josuke said, "Kinda daring coming out and facing us." He tossed Crazy Diamond a pair of nails from the wall, which it threw to attack Keicho. Keicho just smirked as the soldiers blasted the nails right out of the sky.

"My Stand acts a perfect defense, destroying whatever tries to attack me," Keicho noted, "There's no way you can beat it. Even Smile can only defend against its power, but it could never manage to attack me, no matter what wacky physics it comes up with. And right now my army is in formation, ready to attack at the my signal. Company! Take aim!" The Stand aimed right at Pinkie and Josuke, but not Koichi. "Your name was Koichi, right?," Keicho said, "Before I make my attack, I need to know what sort of power is it you gained. It might just be the power I'm looking for."

"What are you talking about?," Josuke asked. "There's no need for you to know," Keicho replied. "Why not?," Pinkie said, "We happen to be Stand users too, after all. How do you know we can't help you?" Keicho scoffed. "It's not question of 'can you' but rather 'will you'. And I doubt you would." "Then you have the opposite problem in that case," Pinkie retorted, "What makes you think Koichi would help you when you're trying to kill us?" Keicho gave a reserved shrug. "Well, you have me there. But it's still in your best interest to help him realize what his power is. After all, it might just help you beat me."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Pinkie said, and Smile produced a joy buzzer, "Koichi, this may sting a little. But it's important to find the will necessary to manifest your Stand." Smile shook Koichi's hand, jolting him like it was a taser. That seemed to be the trigger Koichi needed, and his Stand energy flared up. However, it only produced an egg. "That's it?," Keicho said, "That's his Stand?" "Well, give it a minute," Pinkie said, "It probably needs to hatch first. Don't forget Koichi didn't have any Stand potential before Josuke healed him."

Sure enough, cracks were starting to form on the shell. Keicho sighed. "I don't have time to wait for it to hatch. Company! Take aim!" "Koichi, you need to retrieve your Stand!," Josuke called out. "But I don't know how!," Koichi said, "I don't even know how I summoned it to begin with!" "Then let's go to Plan B!," Pinkie called out as Smile kicked the egg, sending it and Koichi flying just as Keicho called out, "Fire!" Pinkie and Josuke got blasted back by the combined firepower, but Smile was still active, so all that happened was they got thrown through the wall and were now covered in ashes.

"Jeez Keicho," Josuke said, "At this rate you're doing more damage to the house than us." "Your Stand is truly strong to be able to withstand that," Keicho admitted, "But while it lets you both run on cartoon logic, neither of you are cartoon characters. Sooner or later you'll wear down, and once Pinkie faints, her power deactivates. That's when I'll finish you off." "You seem to have given this some thought," Josuke said, "But your plan is flawed. If you knew how much energy Pinkie has, you'd know I'm more likely to faint first."

Keicho chuckled. "My plans are on a level beyond your comprehension. Trust me, in the end everything will go according to plan. Company! Fire!" The soldiers made to attack. "DORARARARARA!" "WARAIRAIRAIRAIRAI!" The two Stand user moved forward as their Stands cut through the line of fire. "Impressive!," Keicho said, "But the next step of my plan is already in place!" Suddenly Josuke found himself stepped on a land mine. It turned out the entire floor was littered with them.

Under the effect of Pinkie's Stand, they could only blow up in comical ways, leaving the duo covered in soot, but the shockwave still knocked them off their feet. "Wide open!," Keicho announced as his Apaches launched their missiles, only for Smile to literally bat them away with a baseball bat, causing them to explode a distance away. "Not bad," Keicho admitted, "But that was a mere distraction. Take a look around you." The couple gasped when they realized they were surrounded by Keicho's Stand. Still, they smiled. "Looks like we've set things up," Josuke said. "Yeah," Pinkie said, "He doesn't even realize he's lost."

"What are you talking about?," Keicho said, frowning, "It's plain to see my plan is working. Company! Fire!" As the Stand launched it's full barrage, Josuke said, "Hey, Keicho. Your Stand can't defend you while it's committed to offence, can it?" Keicho gasped and saw the missiles Smile had knocked away reform and launch right at him. With his army too focused on attacking Josuke and Pinkie, there was nothing to stop them. As the missiles exploded in Keicho's face, Bad Company dissipated. "You said earlier that all would go according to plan," Pinkie noted, "Guess you didn't realize we also had a plan in place."

"You were so focused on overpowering Pinkie's Stand," Josuke said, "That you forgot to take mine into account. My Stand doesn't just heal, it repairs objects back to their original form. Be sure to write it down so you don't forget." Koichi approached the duo. "That was amazing." "Yeah, but now there's one thing left to do," Josuke said, "If they still have the arrow, they can make even more Stand users. Or worse, kill more people." "Don't forget their father probably lives here," Pinkie said, "He may be the mastermind of this whole thing."

"Come to think of it," Koichi said, "We never learned their last name." He rummaged through the pockets of the unconscious Keicho and found a student ID. "Keicho... Nijimura... Wait, Nijimura!? That's the family that disappeared from this house!" "Or maybe they just never left," Josuke noted, "But were hidden away for the last few years. If they really came into some serious money during the 80s, then they could have had enough squirreled away to continue to pay off the mortgage."

"This house has three floors," Pinkie noted, "The arrow's probably on the third floor with Nijimura senior." As the trio approached, they heard something scratching inside the a room at the top. The door was open a crack, and Koichi could see the bow and arrow just inside. "Careful, Koichi," Josuke said, "I see a chain that's likely making the scraping noise." "Something inside?," Koichi asked, "What should we do?" "Let's use the element of surprise," Josuke said, "On the count of three, we all kick down the door. Ready?"

On three, they all kicked at the door, but got a surprise when something opened it and Pinkie's leg. "Get off me!," she said as used Smile to twist her leg around and throw the thing off, which went rebounding across the room, making wailing noises as it did. "Ew," Pinkie said, "Part of it's still on me." Koichi looked at it. "It kinda looks like an arm." "Oh wow," Pinkie said, "I only wanted to shake the thing off, not tear off its arm." They hurried into the room to see a strange green humanoid wearing a shirt and shorts, its torn arm regrowing.

The thing hobbled over and grabbed the severed arm off Pinkie, then hurried to a corner and started eating it. "What kind of monster is that?," Koichi said, "Is it another Stand?" "No," came Keicho's voice as he hobbled into the room through another door, "That's... Our father... Or rather, what's left of him." He quickly moved to where the bow and arrow was and grabbed it, holding it tight to his chest. "These are my father's most valued treasures," he noted, "I can't let them be damaged, or give them to anyone."

"What happened to your dad?," Josuke said, "Is he sick or something?" "If that was the problem it would have been solved by now," Keicho said, "I've seen plenty of Stand users capable of dealing with strange illnesses. No, my father is in very good health, and still has his appetite. This is something much worse." A tear dropped from his eyes. "You've already seen it. He can regenerate from anything, but this is the price. This mutated form. What I've been looking for this entire time... Is someone who can end his suffering forever. Over the last few years I've made a number of Stand users using this arrow. None were able to kill him, at least not permanently."

"What... What happened to him?," Koichi asked, "How did he become like this?" "It's DIO's fault," Keicho explained, "Eleven years ago, we were living in Tokyo because of father's business. Unfortunately, during that time Japan hit its economic downturn. Mother had died in illness two years prior, and Dad's company was taking out loans because they were facing bankruptcy. He got so frustrated that he would take it out on me and Okuyasu. In hindsight I know he never meant any of his harsh words as he did, but they stung all the same, even worse than the beatings."

"That's terrible," Pinkie noted. "It was about to get worse," Keicho said, "Though at first it didn't seem like that. Someone started sending Dad money in the mail. The packages would sometimes even include metal jewelry or precious gems. Things seemed to be turning around for us. But... It came at a price that we didn't know about at the time. Father had sold his soul to a man named DIO in exchange for money. Well, I say 'man' but DIO was nothing short of a monster. He implanted his cells into my dad. I only found this out years later."

"That's the vampire Jotaro mentioned," Josuke said, "The same one he and his friends hunted down and killed." "Maybe so," Keicho said, "But they cannot be held responsible for Dad's condition. He wouldn't have become like this in the first place if not for DIO. See, at the time DIO was searching for those with Stand potential, which it turned out Dad has. I don't know what sort of Stand Dad got from the arrow DIO left with him for safe-keeping, but it may be the reason he's still alive right now."

"Alive?," Josuke asked, "What do you mean?" "Most people who still had DIO's cells in them died when he did," Keicho explained, "But not Dad. I still remember that day, ten years ago. It was just around two pm, and I was coming home from school. I saw Okuyasu on the floor crying. At first I thought Dad had hit him again, but it was much worse. Father had collapsed on the floor of the kitchen, covered in boils and looking like he was burned. He kept ranting about DIO being dead. I told him to call an ambulance, but he said it was no disease."

He clenched his fists around the arrow. "A year later, this was all that was left of him. We returned to Morioh in hopes of finding seclusion. It was around that time that Okuyasu and I started developing our own Stands, the potential passed onto us because of our father. I eventually learned about the power of Stands, about DIO's role in our father's condition. So I took the arrow and started searching. I knew healing my father was useless, because DIO's cells were already merged with him. So I decided the only thing I could do was find someone who could finally let him die as a human."

Nijimura started rummaging through a large chest, trying to put some paper scraps together. "Look at him," Keicho said, "The same routine for the last ten years. He takes whatever it is in there and then just cries for days on end. He doesn't recognize me or Okuyasu, he probably doesn't even remember us or himself. As much as I love him, I just get angered everytime I see his pathetic existence!" He grabbed his father. "I told you not to make a mess, damn you! Do you even listen when I talk!?"

He then punched his father's jaw off and started stomping on him. Pinkie sighed. "You're pathetic." Keicho looked at her. "So you agree, then." "I mean you, Keicho," Pinkie clarified, surprising him, "Have you even investigated why your father is doing that? Have you never been curious as to why he's doing that routine? Your mind's not disciplined, it's tunnel-visioned! Your Stand is proof of that! It has perfect offense and defense, but can only commit to one or the other! The real American army doesn't have that problem!"

She then pointed to the injuries Keicho got from his own missiles. "And as further proof, you never thought to take advantage of my Stand! Earlier your brother tried taking advantage of Smile's area of effect and pulled it off great! But you never thought to do it yourself! The field that Smile projects to create cartoon physics affects EVERYONE within it, not just me and my friends! A disciplined mind can still be flexible, you know! And you're supposed to be the smart brother!?"

She took a deep breath. "Josuke, that box and its contents must be important to Nijimura senior. Care to work your magic?" "No problem," Josuke said, "I'm a little curious as to what's in there myself. Crazy Diamond!" Crazy Diamond smashed the box and activated its power to repair it. Keicho gasped as the paper scraps formed together to create a family photo, depicting him, his brother, and his parents. It was a scene he remembered quite well, because it was the last time they were truly happy.

Nijimura grabbed the photo and looked at it, starting to tear up from the sight. "You only thought he couldn't remember because he can't speak," Josuke noted, "But his short term memory must have been addled by DIO's cells going berserk inside him, and you don't exactly look the way you did in the photo. But he still remembers the man he once was, and he still remembers his family." "This is what he's been trying to do for the last ten years," Koichi realized, "He was trying to reassemble the photo. The last image he has of his family."

"There's a lot of Stand users out there," Josuke noted, "With enough searching, maybe we can find one who can reverse your father's condition." "And even if we can't," Pinkie said, "You don't need to go shooting people with that arrow to create more. The way Mister Kujo tells it, a little scratch is more than sufficient to see if a person can get a Stand. If they can, great. If not, then at least you don't become a murderer." She opened her blouse just enough to reveal the scar from where she was shot. "I mean, let's face it. Do we really need anymore cases like this?"

"She's right, Keicho," Okuyasu said as he came in, "We don't need to just keep shooting people. And if there's someone out there who make Dad better, even if it's just restoring his memory, isn't that enough?" Keicho closed his eyes and grunted. "Even if I was to consider it... I've come too far now... I've killed too many people with this arrow, just to find one Stand user that could help me. And this is a tangible object, so there's no way I can get away with it." Josuke then happened to look up. "Uh, guys? Do you happen to have any other relatives living here?"

"No," Okuyasu said, "It's just been the two of us and Dad. Why?" Just then, an outlet behind Okuyasu started sparking, and a humanoid reptile crackling with electricity came popping out. "Oh crap, it's Super Saiyan Frieza!," Pinkie called out. Keicho saw the strange thing pull its fist back and realized it was about to attack Okuyasu. "Okuyasu! Move it you idiot!" He punched Okuyasu out of the way, only to get impaled through the chest by the electric being.

"Brother!," Okuyasu called out as he approached. "Stay back!," Keicho warned, "This is a Stand, and its starting to turn me into electricity! If you touch me you'll wind up the same!" The Stand chuckled. "Keicho Nijimura, I'll be taking this arrow with me." Keicho growled. "You mean to take the arrow for yourself?" "Indeed," the Stand said, "You were the one who helped me gain my Stand, but it was weak at the time. You gave me that advice about how Stands can grow stronger through mental training. Well I took that to heart, and as a result my Stand, Red Hot Chili Pepper, has grown. It's too bad you never stuck around to see me develop."

Keicho growled. "Bad Company!" As his Stand started to manifest, Red Hot Chili Pepper flooded him with electricity. "Useless!" He started to drag Keicho through the outlet, prompting Pinkie to action. "Smile!" Smile managed to grab Keicho, but Red Hot Chili Pepper laughed. "I observed your fight earlier, little lady! Cartoon characters may be able to grab electricity without getting shocked, but they can never keep a good grip!" Keicho closed his eyes. "Okuyasu, you've always been a hindrance to me... But never forget that I always believed in your potential. You'd better live up to that, or I'll haunt you from the next life."

And with that, he slipped out of Smile's grip and disappeared into the outlet, along with the bow and arrow. "BROTHER!," Okuyasu called out. Smile tried to plunge its hand into the outlet to retrieve Keicho, but it was no use. "Ah man, he moved too fast for my Stand to catch up. Damn you plot!" Josuke leapt up to the roof through the window, then looked around. His eyes widened when he saw Keicho, tangled up in the utility wires and looking like overdone meat.

The others joined him in short order. "No... Brother...," Okuyasu muttered. "Okuyasu, did you know that guy?," Josuke said, "The Stand user who was looking in on us?" Okuyasu shook his head. "Bro found a lot of Stand users I hadn't heard about, like Pinkie. This guy, Red Hot Chili Pepper's user, he must have been one of them." He stood up, tears streaming from his face. "Keicho was destined to end up like this... There's no way he could've lived a normal life. But still, in the end... He died just to save me..."

Keicho was buried in the Morioh cemetery. Nijimura wasn't sure what had happened, but he felt in his heart that he had lost one of his sons. It was the very next day as Josuke got ready for school when his doorbell rang. He opened the door to see Okuyasu standing there, Pinkie right next to him looking bewildered that he even arrived. "Hey there, Josuke," Okuyasu said, "I came to get you since I'll be going to school with you from now on."

"Are you kidding?," Josuke said, "This isn't grade school. The only reason me and Pinkie still do that is because we live next door to each other." "Speaking of that," Okuyasu said, "I'm a little surprised to see that you live so close to my house." Tomoko then walked up to them. "Josuke, is this a new friend of yours?" "Yes, ma'am," Okuyasu said, "I'm Okuyasu Nijimura." Tomoko smiled. "Well, I was about to prepare some coffee before Josuke headed off to school. Care for some?"

"Sure," Okuyasu said. He playfully jabbed Josuke in the ribs as Tomoko walked off. "Man, Josuke, your mom is really hot." As he walked inside, Josuke slumped against the door. "This is just great... And heavy..." "Sorry about this," Pinkie said, "He kinda insisted. Luckily the fortune his father was paid still counts for a lot, so the mortgage on his house can be paid off until Okuyasu is old enough to get his own job." "Yeah," Josuke said, "But we still have another issue. That Stand user from earlier took the bow and arrow. Who knows what he's going to use it for."

Expect plenty of cartoon references with Pinkie, and more ACME gadgets. And don't worry, she hasn't thrown her last pie by a long shot.