[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure] Standstill Bonds

Chapter 49 ~ Fight for the Finish

As they emerged from the woods, Josephine and Polnareff called out to Giorno and Hiroshi, their voices echoing through the night air. Then, as if on cue, the two figures approached over a small hill, their faces wide and red with addrenaline, sweat dripping along the crevaces of their foreheads.

"Hey! Are you both alright?" Giorno called out.

"We're fine, what about you two?" Josephome shouted back as the four of them reached each other.

Hiroshi nodded his head, breathless from running. "Our guy told us his name was Ankoku, he didn't stand a chance against Giorno's stand, dude really learned nothing from last time." he said with a smirk, gesturing toward Giorno with a side jerk of his head.

"And Josephine handled our foe Aoi fantastically." Polnareff added, equally proud.

A feeling of relief settled over them all, but it was short lived as a realisation fell on Josephine.

"Jotaro," she said shakily, "If we've all faced Ankoku and Aoi, then Jotaro must be facing Pucci... and he hasn't returned yet."

Before they were able to dwell on it further, Hiroshi pointed to the sky in confusion, "When did it suddenly become daytime?"

They all looked up, shielding their eyes from the sudden brightness as the sun appeared to rise in the blink of an eye. But just as quickly as it appeared, the sun set again, replaced by the moon. The cycle repeated, each transition more disorienting than the last.

Giorno's eyes widened in realization, a chill running down his spine. "It's happening again..." he murmured with dread.

"This must be Pucci's doing... Made in Heaven," Josephine gasped, trembling with horror. "We have to move now! We need to find Mr. Jotaro!"

As they raced northward, the world around them seemed to blur, the rapid transition between day and night matching the frantic rhythm of their pounding hearts. Josephine's fear propelled her ahead of the others, her legs moving faster than she ever thought possible. When she finally found him, she saw Jotaro lying on the ground, battered, bleeding and unmoving. She rushed to him and she called out his name.

"Mr. Jotaro! Wake up, please!"

Dropping to her knees beside him, she struggled to lift his heavy form into her arms, desperation lending her strength as she shook him. "Mr. Jotaro! Please get up! Come on!"

Jotaro's eyes flickered open, his body and voice weak as spoke to her. "Kid... Run. T-take the others, get out of here."

But Josephine shook her head defiantly, her grip tightening on him as she refused to leave his side, "No way Mr. Jotaro! I'm not leaving you!"

A menacing laugh in the air froze Josephine's blood as she looked up to see Pucci standing a few feet away, his dark silhouette outlined against the shifting sky with Made in Heaven hovering ominously behind him.

"It seems you've arrived just in time to witness your defeat. You poor fool Josephine, look around you, Heaven's Acceleration has begun, Jotaro has again proven himself too weak to defeat me."

Jotaro gave Josephine a firm command, "Kid, get the others and get out of here! That's an order!"

But Josephine refused to back down, she may have been scared, but she knew she couldn't let fear paralyze her. Not when Jotaro's life hung in the balance, and not when the fate of the world was at stake.

Pucci's voice was cold and determined as he prepared to deliver the final blow. "Now, I will finish what I should have five years ago, and take you along with him!"

As Pucci readied Made in Heaven for an attack, Jotaro attempted to push her out of harm's way, but something strange seemed to take over Josephine as she shoved him behind her, her own body moving of its own accord. She thrust her hand forward, her stand flashing outward and creating a shadowy barrier. Gravity seemed to twist and bend around her, her stand's power pushing against Pucci's with a strength she'd never felt before. It was a power born out of love and determination, a fierce determination to protect her mentor, her best friend. Slowly, Josephine's head turned to see what she had just conjured, her eyes wide with disbelief. It was an ability, unlike with the moonlight, she had never known her stand possessed, if it even did before now. Her feet dug into the ground as she continued to hold herself, her entire being focused on maintaining the barrier.