Standstill Bonds

Chapter 25 ~ An Ace up the Sleeve

Soon enough, dinner was served and Holly's cooking was as delicious as ever, the flavours and warmth bringing everyone around a brief sense of comfort before the conversation took its inevitable turn into seriousness.

Jotaro began to recount the powers of Pucci's Stand, White Snake. "White Snake's ability allows it to steal someone's Stand and their consciousness. It leaves them completely helpless." His voice was steady, but the memories flickered behind his eyes, momentarily pulling him back before he forced himself to focus.

He continued, "Then there's C-Moon. It can manipulate gravity, dangerous enough, but Pucci's endgame is Made in Heaven. It accelerates time until it reaches the point where everything resets. His old abilities are stirring, resurfacing as his body becomes ready for battle. We need to take Pucci down before he reaches that stage. I stopped him once but couldn't kill him, but this time... we just can't let him get away, we have to stop him for real."

Josephine listened intently, her palms growing sweaty as she began to understand even more about just how serious the situation was, Pucci's powers seemed completely unfathomable. Polnareff, ever practical, chimed in as he offered his view. 

"We need more intel on Pucci's current whereabouts and his next move. Finding his weakness is key," Polnareff said, leaning foward with a sharp eye.

Holly nodded in agreement, her worry evident on her face. The stakes were high, and the task ahead was quite daunting, she couldn't help the inner fear she felt for them all. The small group in the room now held the responsibility of preventing a cataclysmic event from happening a second time. Then, as though struck by a sudden thought, Polnareff's face lit up. He turned to Jotaro with a spark of excitement. "You know, Jotaro, we might just have an ace up our sleeves," he began, leaning in closer.

Jotaro raised an eyebrow, silently signaling Polnareff to continue.

"There's this guy I know; Giorno Giovanna. He has a Stand called Golden Experience Requiem. Trust me, it's powerful enough to counter even Pucci's Made in Heaven."

Wait...did you say Giorno Giovanna?" Jotaro sputtered.

Polnareff raised an eyebrow "Yeah-wait, do you know him too?"

Jotaro shook his head. "Not personally no, but I had sent a friend of mine to look for him what must have been fifteen years ago now. I was investigating if he was Dio's son at the time and if so, if he was a threat. If you know him personally I'm assuming he isn't on the wrong side?"

Polnareff smiled, shaking his head. "Far from it. Giorno's not on the wrong side. He's got his own moral code; a just one, and one we can trust, he's my friend and I trust him with my life."

Jotaro leaned forward, with Giorno's soudness confirmed, he was all the more intrigued now. "That's good... tell me more about his Stand."

"Golden Experience Requiem can manipulate reality itself. It nullifies any action or effect, resetting it to zero. That means no matter what Pucci throws at us, Giorno could potentially counter it if he can time himself right. If there's one Stand that can handle Made in Heaven, it's his."

Jotaro considered this carefully. Having Giorno on their side could indeed shift the balance in their favor, significantly so. "We should contact him immediately, if Giorno's willing to help, we can't waste any time."

Polnareff beamed. "Parfait, I'll phone him tonight. He's in Italy, so it might take a bit for him to get here, but I'm certain he'll agree to join us."

Dinner wound down, and as Holly gathered the plates, Polnareff wheeled himself over to Josephine. With a cheeky grin, he took her hand, kissing her knuckles lightly just as he had done earlier that evening when they met. "Bonne nuit, doux enfant," he said, his eye twinkling with his usual playfulness. "Remember to take care of that old grump, before and after this fight, okay?"

Josephine laughed, watching him wheel down the hallway where Holly had prepared another spare room for him. Her joy was unfortunately short lived when she glanced at her phone, she found there was no messages from her parents, not a single one to see if she was okay. She scoffed softly, muttering and grumbling under her breath. She was broken out of her agitated stupor by Jotaro's hand on her shoulder. 

 "Something wrong?"

Josephine sighed, glancing back down at her phone. "Just... my parents. They haven't even bothered to check in since yesterday. Not that I'm surprised mind you."

They walked down the corridor together, both ready to rest after what was a busy and quite emotionally draining day. After a moment, Jotaro paused his steps to speak, his tone unusually candid. "You've been through a lot kid, but despite that; you're tough, smart, and kind. It's a real shame your family doesn't see or appreciate that."

Josephine blinked, his words once again surprising her. "Do you mean that?" she asked, cautious but hopeful.

Jotaro nodded, "...You're still a pain, though," he added in his own gruff twist, smirking slightly.

Before she could think better of it, she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Jotaro stiffened at first, but eventually, his arms came around her in return, a little less awkwardly than before.

Josephine teased him through her teary eyes as she sensed his reluctance, "I'll make a hugger out of you yet, Mr. Jotaro."

He grunted quietly in mild protest, but a subtle smirk hinted at his acceptance, at least of her sentiment.

"Yeah well, don't get carried away, kid."