JoJo's Bizarre Adventure vs. Persona! Two young men with the power to fight with the very manifestations of their inner selves will finally clash. Who will win? Who will die?
*~*~*~*~*~*
Wiz: The self. A very interesting topic in the vast field of psychology, many have sought to unravel the many secrets of the inner self...and today, in this Season Finale, we bring you two young men who have given their very inner selves life, shape, and physical form.
Boomstick: How do they fight with their inner selves, you ask? They summon them as badass fighting specter guardian angels, that's how! We bring you Jotaro Kujo, the Heritage of the Future...
Wiz: And Yu Narukami, the Wild Card. We are aware that as a Wild Card, Yu can potentially summon well over a hundred Personas, so for this Season Finale, we will only be giving Yu the Personas he most commonly uses.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick!
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor and skills to find out who would win a Death Battle.
*~*~*~*~*~*
JOTARO KUJO
Wiz: The uncanny and powerful Joestar family is, well...bizarre. For generations, they'd been fighting the forces of the supernatural, including vampires, zombies, and ancient, immortal beings.
Boomstick: Wow. Talk about a badass family tradition.
Wiz: Fast forward to the year 1987, the youth known as Jotaro Kujo would find himself in jail for beating up a band of thugs. This was because he turned himself over, fearing that he'd been possessed by an evil spirit.
Boomstick: Turns out that this evil spirit wasn't your run-of-the-mill ghost or evil messenger or invisible vampire or Slenderman. Oh, no. Hell, this thing ain't even an evil spirit!
Wiz: After a visit from his grandfather Joseph Joestar, who happens to have been the one to defeat an ultimate lifeform or something, Jotaro learned of the nature of the "evil spirit" who'd seemingly possessed him. This was a Stand, an entity representative of its user's life force, and could be summoned to fight alongside its user.
Boomstick: After learning about the crazy nature of his Stand, Jotaro decided to join ol' Joseph and some friends they picked up, to hunt for some century-old vampire guy named DIO, who happens to be the king of JoJo memes.
Wiz: The group that Jotaro and Joseph eventually formed was called the Stardust Crusaders, a ragtag band of Stand users whose quest was to hunt down and kill DIO, and finally put to rest the legacy of the first JoJo, Jonathan Joestar.
Boomstick: Their adventures involved facing a sh*tton of other Stand users, playing a poker game where souls were being bet on, getting stuck in a dream-like world thanks to a stand called Death 13, and lots more weird sh*t. A truly bizarre adventure indeed.
Wiz: And Jotaro was able to pull through to the end, largely thanks to his own abilities. On his own, Jotaro possesses superhuman strength, durability, and reflexes, and even as a child, he was able to take down a grown man, who could use a Stand.
Boomstick: He once got stabbed through the gut by an evil Stand and survived, no problem! He's also tanked thousands-no, scrap that-MILLIONS of supernatural punches! From DIO himself!
Wiz: He is also fast enough to react to the Stand Hierophant Green, whose tentacles can extend to a range of 40 meters, and can move at incredible speeds itself.
Boomstick: But that ain't Jotaro's main thing. His main power is his very own Stand, Star Platinum! Who's basically purple Tarzan in lots and LOTS of steroids.
Wiz: Star Platinum is one of the most powerful Stands in the JoJo universe. It is incredibly strong, capable of breaking rows of teeth made out of diamonds, and that's not even its full power.
Boomstick: If Jotaro wasn't already tough enough on his own, Star Platinum is tougher, tanking some of DIO's stronger punches, and EVEN AN EXPLODING ROAD ROLLER AT ITS FACE!
Wiz: Its eyesight is also incredibly precise, capable of catching point-blank bullets out of the air, see things from a blurry perspective, and remove things brom bodies with great accuracy.
Boomstick: Star Platinum is also fast enough to deliver millions of punches in a matter of seconds, kinda like...this:
Star Platinum: ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!
*Star Platinum unleashes a solid beatdown upon Steely Dan*
Boomstick: And let's not forget Star Platinum's greatest technique...
Jotaro: Star Platinum: The World!
*Everything around Jotaro takes on a grey tinge, and everything stops moving, bar Jotaro and SP*
Wiz: Star Platinum possesses the ability to stop time, and this time stop can even go so far as to reach outer space. The only drawbacks are that the time stop only lasts for a maximum of five seconds and that it places a heavy strain on Jotaro's heart, but five seconds is long enough a time for Jotaro to either escape or unleash his signature beatdown.
Boomstick: Really f*cking long, considering that NINE SECONDS OF STOPPED TIME LITERALLY LASTS A MINUTE IN JOJO!
Wiz: With his incredible powers and Stand, Jotaro isn't short of having accomplished impressive feats. He defeated a full-grown Stand user when he was reverted back into a child; defeated numerous Stand users across Asia; outwitted the D'Arby brothers, who are master gamblers; punched an artificial diamond to pieces; survived multiple attacks that could have done him in, like rapid-fire punches, stabs to the gut, and exploding road rollers; and later battled and killed both DIO and Yoshikage Kira, who wield two of the most powerful Stands in the JoJo universe.
Boomstick: Strong as he is, Jotaro has his own weaknesses. While he's a very smart dude, Jotaro's fighting style is, well..."F*ck technique, let's just beat 'em to death in a brawler style!" He also shares any pain that Star Platinum receives...insert edgy joke here.
Wiz: While a force of nature in close range, Star Platinum can only move 2 meters away from Jotaro, and if it steps beyond 2 meters, it weakens. What's more, using the time stop places a heavy strain on Jotaro's heart, and while this was remedied by mastering the time stop, this came with a horrible price: the drastic reduction of Star Platinum's durability.
Boomstick: But toss all those weaknesses aside and we've got an extremely powerful dude who's got an extremely powerful dude to fight by his side. Piss him off, and he'll give you your receipt...well, after beating the ever-living sh*t out of you.
Jotaro: The reason you lost...you pissed me off.
****
JOTARO:
Age: 17 (in Stardust Crusaders), 28 (in Diamond is Unbreakable), 40 (in Stone Ocean)
Height: 6'4''
Weight: 180lbs
Stand: Star Platinum
Abilities and Powers:
· Superhuman Strength
· Superhuman Durability
· Superhuman Reflexes
· Intelligent Fighter
Star Platinum:
· Jotaro's Stand; a manifestation of his psyche
· Strength: Level A - Excellent
o Strong enough to lift up a fully-loaded jeep and an 18-wheeler truck with one arm
o Can rip and throw a large stone building
o Can rip off iron bars with ease
o Can punch a giant diamond to pieces
o Can shatter the teeth of a Stand, teeth that are hard as diamonds
· Speed: Level A - Excellent
o Can punch millions of times per second
o Star Platinum is stated to be faster than light
o Matched a possessed Silver Chariot
o Easily caught a point-blank bullet that Jotaro shot at himself
· Range: Level C
o Can move at a maximum of 2 meters away from Jotaro
· Durability: Level A - Excellent (later plummeted to Level E - Poor as SP:TW)
o Can tank numerous projectile attacks and powerful Stand attacks
o Withstood a beating from The World, DIO's Stand
o Took a punch from Crazy Diamond
· Precision: Level A - Excellent (later decreased to Level C)
o Can see greater details in a blurry image
o Can catch point-blank bullets out of the air
o Can remove things from bodies with exquisite accuracy
· Developmental Potential: Level A - Excellent
· Star Finger: extends its fingers for a devastating long range attack
· Wields the ability to stop time
Feats:
· Knocked out a full-grown man when he was converted back into a child
· Defeated numerous Stand users across Asia
· Outwitted the D'Arby brothers
· Shattered a Stand's teeth, which were hard as diamonds
· Later broke an artificial diamond
· Killed DIO and Yoshikage Kira, who wield two of the most powerful Stands in the JoJo universe
Weaknesses:
· Still perfectly mortal and capable of dying...despite all the sh*t he's been through
· Time stop places a strain on his heart, and thus cannot be used consecutively
· While a very intelligent fighter, only ever uses a brawler style in combat
· Star Platinum must always be near him
· Any damage done on Star Platinum is also done on Jotaro
*~*~*~*~*~*
YU NARUKAMI
Wiz: Take a look down the peaceful town of Inaba, and all you'll see at first glance is a regular sleepy town. When you take a second look, however...things may not be as they at first seemed.
Boomstick: Turns out that Inaba's home to some gruesome murder mystery, some otherworldly creatures, and a TV dimension...or something.
Wiz: Moving to the rural town of Inaba with his uncle and cousin, and enrolling in Yasogami High, a boy named Yu Narukami would soon find himself embroiled in the bizarre mysteries happening in Inaba.
Boomstick: With his new friends, Yu created a group called the Investigation Team, in which he was unanimously voted leader. 'Cause he's just the literal King of Swag. Oh, did we mention that Yu would eventually form his own harem? Man, do I wish I was him.
Wiz: ...Given your redneck habits and alcoholism, that's very unlikely to happen.
Boomstick: Oh yeah? Have YOU managed to get a SINGLE date that HASN'T rejected you?
*mocking oohs and laughs ensue out of nowhere*
Wiz: ...Aaanyway, Yu turned out to be the best choice for the Team's de facto leader, for his skills, intelligence, and knowing how to combat otherworldly creatures. Yu and his friends would soon stumble upon another dimension inside a TV, which they called...the TV world.
Boomstick: ...whoa. Creativity at its very finest. Anyway, Yu and his buds would soon encounter a Teddie named...Teddie, encounter evil versions of themselves, and then they'd discover a latent power hidden within them. The ability to summon POKEMON!
Wiz: That's an...odd analogy, but you are correct! Yu and his friends gained the power to summon Personas, beings who are manifestations of one's personality and fashioned after various well-known and powerful beings in mythology.
Boomstick: While most people get only a few Personas, Yu is a special case. His Arcana is the Fool, making him a Wild Card, a guy with the ability to wield as many Personas as he likes.
Wiz: In this battle, we will only be giving Yu the Personas he most commonly uses. His default Persona is Izanagi, who is literally fashioned after a Japanese creation deity. True to its heritage, Izanagi specializes in electrical attacks and strikes with its spear.
Boomstick: He's also got Norn, a clockwork Persona that...doesn't stop time. But it comes with WIND POWERS!
Wiz: Yu also wields Isis, a deity Persona that...wields ice. He also wields Alice, who attacks with both darkness and light; Beelzebub, a bug Persona that attacks with ice; Asura, a Hindu deity Persona that attacks with fire and strong physical attacks; and Kohryu, an electric dragon Persona.
Boomstick: When he wants to bring out the big guns, Yu busts out Lucifer, who is LITERALLY THE DEVIL...but somehow he doesn't use fire attacks. He attacks with ICE, and some strong physical attacks!
Wiz: That's not everything that Yu is capable of doing. If need be, he can fight on his own, displaying very impressive finesse in swordfighting, and incredible strength, speed, and superhuman durability, allowing him to tank attacks from beings that can be considered deities.
Boomstick: And that's not ALL of Yu's abilities. When you manage to bring him to the brink of death...you've seen some anime, right? Well, when he's on the brink of death, Yu takes the Nakama Power of Fairy Tail and One Piece combined...and cranks it up to eleven.
Wiz: This willpower and resolve is so great that it is its own superpower. With the voices of his friends and family calling out to him and telling him to never give up, Yu is brought back to perfect health and regains his consciousness, and while he is reviving, Yu will be completely immune to any damage...
Boomstick: ...and once he's done getting back up, he'll bust out his Persona: Izanagi-no-Okami!
Wiz: The evolved state of Izanagi, Izanagi-no-Okami is easily Yu's most powerful Persona, resistant to everything except Almighty attacks, capable of busting out very powerful blasts of fire, ice, electricity, and holy power...
Boomstick: And Yu gains access to his ultimate move: the Myriad Truths! When it hits, it's a guaranteed one-hit kill!
Wiz: Of course, there isn't a shortage of incredible feats that Yu has accomplished. He managed to solve the murder mystery in Inaba; defeated the Reaper, one of the franchise's most powerful Shadows; defeated the superpowered serial killer Tohru Adachi; and he's even posed a threat to the denizens of the Velvet Room.
Boomstick: He also defeated Izanami-no-Okami, who was gonna merge the TV and real worlds together; took down his own Shadow in Persona 4 Arena; took down Labrys and her Shadow; obliterated an entire dungeon in a single blow; and he's tanked a sh*tton of things, like blasts of fire, ice, and lightning, and he's even tanked ONE-HIT KILL attacks without any signs of them even hurting him!
Wiz: Powerful as he may seem to be, Yu is not without fault. First off, he shares the pain of his Personas, meaning any damage done on his Personas will also be done on Yu.
Boomstick: Why does that sound familiar...?
Wiz: His Persona summoning also runs on SP, and running out means he's in serious trouble...although, to give Yu credit, he's smart enough not to waste all of them, and he does have a rather large SP pool.
Boomstick: Last but not least, despite all the sh*t he's been through, Yu's still mortal, and when you wear him down, you can do him in for good.
Wiz: Weaknesses aside, Yu is without a doubt a very powerful individual. With his intellect, skill, tactics, willpower, bravery, and resolve, it's no wonder Yu Narukami has achieved so much.
Boomstick: Know what else he is? He's the g-damned King of Swag!
Yu: I think it's time I showed you...what true potential is!
****
YU:
Age: 17-18
Height: 5'7''
Weight: 180lbs
Arcana: The Fool
Powers and Abilities:
· Skilled Swordsman
· Superhuman Physicality
· Master Detective
· Sick-ass Dancing Skills (as of Persona 4 Dancing All Night)
· Professional Waifu Stealer
· Heroic resolve and Power of Friendship (that puts Fairy Tail's to shame)
· THE KING OF MOTHERF*CKING SWEG
Personas:
Izanagi
· Zio: Fires a ball of electricity
· Rakukaja: Increases Yu's defense
· Rakunda: Decreases foe's defense
· Tarukaja: Increases both Yu's and its own attack strength
· Raging Lion: Izanagi and Yu perform a sliding attack simultaneously
· Ziodyne: Fires off a powerful electrical blast
· Cross Slash: Yu charges up his sword with electricity, and then slashes his opponent horizontally; upon hit, Izanagi flies down from the sky and delivers a diving sword plunge.
· Thunder God Dance: A long combo sequence that ignites Yu's sword with divine lightning
· Resists Electricity, Nullifies Darkness, Weak to Wind
Norn
· Garudyne: Inflicts heavy Wind damage
· Magarudyne: Deals heavy Wind damage, spans party
· Diarahan: Regenerates all HP
· Auto-Masuku: Automatically casts Masukukaja (speed boost) for 3 turns
· Invigorate: Restores 7 SP at the beginning of each turn
· Wind Amp: Increases the power of Wind attacks by 50%
· Insta-Heal: Status ailments wear off after one turn
· Debilitate: Lowers an enemy's attack, defense and agility for 3 turns
· Resists Ice, Absorbs Wind, Blocks Dark, Weak to Electricity
Isis
· Mediarahan: Heals party
· Bufudyne: Deals heavy Ice damage
· Tetrakarn: Repels a singular physical attack
· Cool Breeze: Regain 8% of HP and SP after the battle
· Absorb Ice: Absorb ice damage into HP
· Mabufudyne: Deals Ice damage, spans party
· Salvation: Fully restores party's HP, cures status ailments
· Reflects Ice, Weak to Electricity
Alice
· Mamudoon: 40% of Instant Death by Dark to all foes
· Mudo Boost: Dark-based attacks become 50% more effective
· Dekunda: Cancels debuffs
· Endure Light: Survive instant death by Light once with 1 HP
· Megidola: Deals large Almighty damage to all foes
· Mind Charge: Next elemental or Almighty magical attack is 250% more powerful
· Die For Me!: 100% chance of Instant Death to anyone without Dark resistance
· Reflects Dark, Weak to Light
Beelzebub
· Mabufudyne: Deals heavy Ice damage to all foes
· Mamudoon: Darkness: 40% chance of instant kill
· Old One: Enervates all foes (30% chance)
· Maziodyne: Deals heavy Electric damage to all foes
· Mudo Boost: Dark attacks are 150% more effective
· Stagnant Air: Increase all foes' susceptibility to ailments and Light/Dark skills
· Absorbs Ice, Blocks Dark, Weak to Fire
Kohryu
· Ziodyne: Deals heavy Electric damage
· Mediarahan: Fully restores party's HP
· Samarecarm: Revives one ally with full HP (though he won't be using this in the battle, like at all)
· Maziodyne: Deals heavy Electric damage to multiple foes
· Mind Charge: Next magical attack will be 250% more powerful
· Elec Amp: Strengthens Electric attacks by 50%
· Spell Master: Halves SP cost for magical skills
· Salvation: Fully restores party's HP, cures status ailments
· Reflects Electricity, Blocks Light
Asura
· Maragidyne: Deals heavy Fire damage to all foes
· Primal Force: Deals severe Phys damage
· Marakukaja: Increases defense for 3 Turns
· Mahamaon: 40% chance of Instant Death by Light to all foes
· High Counter: 20% chance of repelling physical attacks
· Spell Master: Halves SP cost for Magic Skills
· Unshaken Will: Prevents Rage, Fear, Confusion, Silence and Enervation
· Resists Ice, Blocks Fire and Light, Weak to Wind
Lucifer
· Bufudyne: Inflicts heavy Ice damage
· Brave Blade: Severe Phys damage
· Mind Charge: Charges potential damage of offensive spells
· Ice Amp: Increases damage of Ice attacks by 50%
· Spellmaster: Halves SP cost for all magic skills
· Repel Light: Reflects Light attacks
· Absorb Elec: Converts electric attacks to HP
· Victory Cry: Fully recovers HP and SP after battle is over
· Resists Physical, Nullifies Dark, Weak to Light
Izanagi-no-Okami
· Megidolaon: A blast of Almighty power; deals heavy Almighty damage
· Victory Cry: Fully recovers HP and SP after battle ends
· Angelic Grace: Spell that doubles evasion to magic attacks, excluding Light, Dark, and Almighty
· Mind Charge: Next magic attack does 250% more damage
· Agidyne: A powerful blast of fire
· Bufudyne: A powerful blast of ice
· Ziodyne: A powerful blast of electricity
· Garudyne: A powerful wind attack
· Fire/Ice/Elec/Wind Amp: All have the same function for their respective types; increases the power of the spells in those groups by 50%
· Myriad Truths: Yu's ultimate attack; instantly kills when it hits
· Resists Physical, Fire, Ice, Electricity, and Wind, No Weaknesses
Feats:
· Solved the murder mystery in Inaba
· Defeated the Reaper, one of the series' most powerful Shadows
· Defeated Tohru Adachi
· Obliterated Naoto's dungeon in a single blow
· Has tanked a fair amount of elemental and almighty hits; each could kill a normal man plenty of times over
· At full power, posed a threat to the denizens of the Velvet Room
· Defeated Labrys and her Shadow
· Defeated Izanami-no-Okami and her avatars, though he needed Izanagi-no-Okami to kill Izanami-no-Okami
· Defeated his Shadow in Persona 4 Arena
Weaknesses:
· When he runs out of SP, he's in for a bad time
· Despite going through a lot of sh*t, still perfectly mortal
· Any damage inflicted on his Personas is also inflicted on Yu
(A/N: Yeeaaaahhhhhh, I realize Yu's section is far longer than Jotaro's. This isn't out of bias, but because Yu's Personas have a lot of skills, and it would be unfair if I left them out. Still, if it is longer than Jotaro's, I'm sorry, but I have to list down the skills of Yu's Personas.)
*~*~*~*~*~*
Wiz: All right, the combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all!
Boomstick: It's time for a DEATH BATTLE...SEASON FINALE STYLE YEAH!!!
*~*~*~*~*~*
BATTLE
Inaba, during the events of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax...
"What the hell...? Where am I?"
Jotaro Kujo, confused as to why he'd even gotten here, squinted at the first sight he'd seen in this strange place: a strange, red fog, crisscrossing all over the town like a network of veins. The well-built youth pressed on, cutting through the dark fog, and confusion and determination showing in his face.
There was something happening in this strange town, Jotaro knew in his gut. Far as he knew, red fog in a sleepy town didn't really amount to anything good-let alone anything normal. Then again, he'd seen and experienced many bizarre things in his adventure, so this shouldn't amount as anything new to him...even if it was.
Must be the work of an enemy Stand, thought the Joestar. With that thought in mind, Jotaro pressed into the unknown, fighting through the fog and for a way out of this mess.
Eventually, after hours upon hours of walking-and fending off dark monsters that had jumped him out of nowhere-Jotaro could see that the fog had cleared up, if only faintly. He was in the main street of Inaba, where abandoned cars lay strewn across the road, and the mall's lights were flickering, some blinking out of existence. The street lamps were also dead, light no longer shining from them.
It was then that Jotaro saw that he wasn't alone.
He had spotted a white-haired, bespectacled boy, clothed in a black and white high school uniform of sorts, and holding a sheathed sword in his hand.
This boy also seemed as if he were in a hurry, trying to find someone, or something. Jotaro sighed in relief, as this boy was the only human being he'd ever seen in this crazy town. The whole time, he'd been fighting dark monsters, and it was nice to see a fellow human for a change.
Yu Narukami, on his part, had almost thought he'd stumbled across Naoto Shirogane, a friend of his, when he spotted the person in front of him, dressed in a long, dark blue trenchcoat, a dark blue visored cap, and a sleeveless shirt underneath. It was then that he realized that he hadn't stumbled upon the Shirogane detective, as the person in front of him was a young man (many had mistaken Naoto to be a man due to her appearance), and was...surprisingly over-muscled.
But wait, who was this guy? The leader of the Investigation Team knew that no one without a Persona couldn't walk around in this fog. So that could only mean...
The young man walked over to Yu. "Who are you? What the hell's going on and what the hell am I doing here?"
"Yu Narukami," the Investigation Team leader responded. "And you?"
"The name's Jotaro Kujo," responded the young man. "So, you got any idea what's going on?"
"As a matter of fact, yeah, I do," replied Narukami. "Oh yeah, you aren't a Shadow Operative, are ya?"
"What the hell's that?! No."
"Can you summon a spectral being to fight by your side?"
Jotaro looked perplexed. Was this young man a Stand user? "...if you put it that way, yes, I can."
A brief silence. Then Jotaro spoke up. "My turn to ask questions. What the hell is this place?"
"This is the town of Inaba," replied Yu. "Apparently, we've been thrust into some tournament."
Tournament? Was it remniscient of the tournament he remembered he was thrust in? Where he fought all manner of people, including his ancestors and supposed descendants? That was all Jotaro could remember of the tournament, but it furthered his curiosity towards how the one in front of him, Yu Narukami, was a Stand user or not. Or one of his supposed descendants.
With all of the questions racing in his head, Jotaro only had the time to ask one question. "What do you mean, tournament?"
"Didja notice how the fog cleared once we met each other?" asked Yu, a bit of sadness and resignation creeping into his voice. "We've been matched together. Right now, we've no choice but to fight to the death to advance."
"WHAT?!"
Just then, as if the gods of fate had decided to pull something out of hammerspace, a flatscreen TV descended from the heavens. Jotaro stood there, his mouth agape as the TV flickered to life and showed...a cartoonish-looking bear wearing a military hat and sporting a malicious grin.
"That's right, new guy! You're at the P-1 Grand Prix, and I do hope you enjoy your stay!"
Now, Jotaro had seen all manner of bizarre creatures and machinations in his journey, including a Stand that can stop time, a Stand that can send him and his friends to a dream world, and...you know what? Just about everything in Jotaro's adventure with the Stardust Crusaders was nothing short of bizarre.
One could only figure that someone like Jotaro wouldn't be surprised if he'd encountered another bizarre thing in his life, but this was entirely new to him, and he'd been successfully flabbergasted, if only by a little increment.
In his confusion, Jotaro could only point at the TV screen and utter, "...what in the actual hell is that thing?"
"It's a...long story," Yu replied, scratching the back of his head.
Jotaro turned towards the Fake Teddie in the TV screen. "You. What the hell is with this place? What am I doing here?!"
The Fake Teddie simply grinned and tsked. "Obey before you complain, newbie! And Senpai over there is right. We've got it set up so that only the winners can advance to the next stage. When ya get to THAT stage, you'll have to fight another guy, and when you win, the process repeats and repeats and repeats till the tournament ends!"
Jotaro opened his mouth to snap back, but Fake Teddie cut him off. "Oh, and before you ask, there's two ways outta this. ONLY two. One, win and advance. Second, lose, and well...say goodbye to yer life!"
Jotaro clenched a fist. "You smug little bastard...!"
Then the TV moved over to Yu. "Senpai, you've been fighting for a fair amount of time here, you know the rules! Lose, and well...say goodbye to yer friends! Remember, they're counting on ya to make it out of this one alive~"
Yu scowled, but before he or Jotaro could say anything, the TV shut off into a black screen, and then blinked out of existence.
And just then, the two young men gave each other unblinking stares.
"So...Jotaro Kujo, huh?" said Yu.
Jotaro could only nod.
Then, the Joestar looked up. "...There's really no way out of this, is there?" he asked. Just hours into his stay here in this town, he'd been forced to fight someone whom he never knew, let alone possess any recollection of. This Yu Narukami seemed like a nice guy to him...but then again, he never knew if Narukami could wield a Stand. Besides, he had to put that theory to the test.
"Unfortunately, no," said Yu, shaking his head in sadness. "Believe me, we've tried finding another way, but here, the bad guys play all the cards. One wrong move, and it could mean everything."
A sad pause. Jotaro wished things had never come to this, as he could see that Yu was bound by this strange place's rules. He knew that deep down, Yu was only fighting for something...for someone.
But then again, Jotaro himself was fighting for something. He needed to get the hell out of here. His own friends and family needed him.
With that established...
Jotaro held onto the visor of his cap, and pulled it down. "Yare yare daze...I wish things have never come to this, but I'm not letting anyone stop me from getting back to my world, my friends."
Yu replied with a sad smile, then he gripped onto the hilt of his katana. In a flash, Narukami drew the sword, tossing the scabbard aside in his own flashy gesture. "Yeah...same here."
The two young men had finally come to an agreement. They both wished things have never come to this, but they both knew they had something to fight for.
One of them would fall today. The other would live to see his friends again.
The battle between Stand and Persona was on.
FIGHT!
(cue Reach Out to the Truth - Persona 4 OST)
For one, Yu hadn't expected Jotaro Kujo to be so agile.
Jotaro immediately rushed forward and unloaded a swift right hook. Yu, of course, nimbly weaved to evade, retaliating with a swift roundhouse kick aimed at Jotaro's head. Jotaro pulled an evasion of his own, and struck out with an uppercut which Yu was barely able to dodge. Swiftly, Yu swung his sword, Jotaro narrowly avoiding the blade whizzing at his face. Yu swung again with controlled precision, managing to deliver a small cut across Jotaro's trenchcoat as the Joestar narrowly evaded. In retaliation, Jotaro unloaded a smart right hook, striking Yu across the face before he could even react!
Never missing a beat, Yu responded accordingly, kneeing Jotaro in the gut, and then unloading a punch of his own, sending Jotaro crouching. Jotaro got up and swung his fist at Yu, and the Wild Card nimbly dodged back.
For a while, the two dueled. Fist on sword. Neither gaining an advantage over the other as fists and blade swung to meet their targets.
That was, until Yu spotted the slightest opening in Jotaro's assault and delivered a sharp roundhouse kick to the Joestar's ribs! The Wild Card then swung his sword at Jotaro thrice, and while the first two missed their mark courtesy of swift evasions on Jotaro's part, the third gashed the Joestar lightly in the face and causing him to flinch in pain and stagger back.
Having drawn first blood, Yu then reared his sword, and then swung down at the open Jotaro, prepared to strike Jotaro's head with its blade.
Jotaro, unable to evade the blade whizzing at his head in time, decided to cry out...
"Star Platinum!"
Two things happened then. First, Yu felt the wind knocked out of him as a sudden something struck him right in the gut.
Second...when Yu landed on his feet a few feet away from Jotaro, he saw that something had materialized beside Jotaro...a living being. This being was about as tall as Jotaro himself, and it was more muscle-bound than its master. It was purple-skinned, and dressed in a loincloth, and it had long, flowing hair on its head. Its hands were gauntleted as well, and in a show of intimidation, it slammed its fists together, crying out a single word:
"ORA!"
Jotaro Kujo had summoned his Stand, Star Platinum, into battle.
Seeing this, Yu...decided to respond accordingly. A bright blue light surrounded the Wild Card, and out of thin air, a card took shape and form, floating just above Yu's open palm.
Yu then crushed the card like glass, causing the light surrounding him to shine even more brightly. Yu, witnessing Jotaro and Star Platinum charge at him with the latter's fist cocked back, then cried out:
"Izanagi!"
CLANG!
Just then, as Star Platinum's fist zoomed towards Yu...it was stopped.
And then...both Stand and Stand Master were sent flying back. They regained their balance and landed on the ground...and Jotaro, having a clear view of just what the hell materialized in front of him, had to blink twice.
The figure that stood beside Yu stood at a height taller than its master. It was a lean, armored figure dressed in a black overcoat, twin tassels sticking out of its back. It also wielded a rather large lance, and it looked as if the world's largest cleaver and a random lance had a baby.
This was Yu Narukami's Persona, Izanagi.
If Jotaro could feel any sort of fascination or bewilderment at this display, he wouldn't let it show. Still...so Yu Narukami was a Stand user after all.
Yu, on his part, looked on at Jotaro and the purple specter floating behind him. Was this Jotaro Kujo's Persona? Also, what the hell kind of a name was Star Platinum?!
Jotaro, unnerved by the sight before him, made the first move. Alongside Star Platinum, he charged forward. Izanagi moved forward to protect its master, and raised its spear just as Star Platinum cocked its fist back-!
In the nick of time, Izanagi had brought its spear forth so that its shaft was facing Star Platinum. While Star Platinum's fist connected with the shaft of Izanagi's weapon, the very force of the blow sent the deity Persona stumbling back. In retaliation, Izanagi raised its spear once more, ready to lop off the Stand's head-!
Except Star Platinum was faster. As the blade of the spear thundered down its head, Star Platinum had landed a solid uppercut at Izanagi's chin! A new opening created, Star Platinum cocked its fists back, and set to work.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
A rapid-fire barrage of fists rained down upon Izanagi. The Persona had defended against the first few, but was unable to defend itself against the rapid-fire barrage that Star Platinum was unleashing.
And the deity Persona wasn't the only one on the receiving end of the assault. Yu himself was ragdolling in the air, feeling each and every blow of Jotaro's Stand as they peppered his Persona.
To end its barrage, Star Platinum cocked its fists back.
"ORA!!!"
The twin fists smashed against the helmet of Izanagi-and boy, Yu was sure as hell he'd feel this headache in the morning. The final blow sent both Izanagi and Yu flying backwards, only narrowly missing an abandoned semi-truck.
Shaking the cobwebs off of his head, Yu refixed his gaze upon Jotaro and Star Platinum as Izanagi simultaneously cast two spells, Rakukaja and Tarukaja, on Yu, buffing up his defense and strength respectively. So this guy was good at close-range, huh? Time to shake things up a bit, then.
As Jotaro and Star Platinum approached once more, Izanagi raised its free hand, electricity gathering around it...
...and before the JoJo or his Stand could move out of the way, Izanagi threw its hand forward and unleashed Zio!
The ball of electricity that Izanagi had thrown molded itself into a spear of lightning that raced towards Jotaro. Of course, with little time for both of them to dodge out of the way, Star Platinum materialized in front of its master to defend it...
...and as the Zio struck Star Platinum full in the chest, Jotaro reeled back in synch, gnashing his teeth as he felt the electric pain that Star Platinum was experiencing.
Through the haze of electric pain that rocked his body, Jotaro set his gaze at Yu's direction...and saw another Zio barreling at him. His eyes widening, the JoJo very, very narrowly dodged the electrical attack, and as the pain fully cleared, Jotaro rolled to the side, the third bolt of Zio striking the ground and conjuring a small explosion of sparks.
Jotaro summoned Star Platinum to his side. Okay, now this wasn't going to lead to anything good. He hadn't anything to counter Yu's newly-acquired range advantage, and despite the fact that he'd taken far worse, those electric balls packed a punch.
Now he had no other choice but to close the distance. He'd kept up with the punches of The World; why should the speed of Yu's projectiles be anything new to him?
Jotaro surged forward, Star Platinum by his side. Yu called forth Izanagi, who was in the midst of charging up another Zio, and then charged forward as well, the Persona replicating his move. Then, just as the JoJo and his Stand cocked their fists back to deliver a right hook, Yu suddenly leaned backwards, his body angled to strike Jotaro with a sliding kick. Seeing this, Jotaro attempted to redirect his punch...
Too late.
Izanagi, in perfect sync, slid down as well, the head of its spear striking Jotaro in the leg! This knocked Jotaro into the air, giving Yu the opening he needed for his next strike.
Izanagi disappearing from Jotaro's sights, Narukami drew his sword and then laced it with electricity, and swung, a profuse amount of sparks trailing after the blade. The forcible attack, enhanced by Tarukaja, struck Jotaro right in the chest as the JoJo plummeted back into the earth, forcing a gasp from the JoJo, and before he could even react...
...Izanagi descended from the heavens, swinging a lightning-coated spear at Jotaro! At the very last second, Star Platinum had materialized in front of Jotaro, protecting its master from the full brunt of the Cross Slash attack, at the cost of them being forced to the ground, albeit on their feet. Despite feeling the weight of Izanagi's spear on Star Platinum's arms, Jotaro held firm...until an idea flashed into his head.
Just as Izanagi's naginata was inches from its face, Star Platinum unloaded a swiping kick at the Persona's hip! As a result, the thunder-coated spear was wrenched from the Stand's arms, and not one to let up in the slightest, Jotaro and Star Platinum struck out!
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
Star Platinum did its work yet again, peppering Izanagi-and in effect, Yu-with a barrage of punches faster than any trained eye could ever perceive.
In the midst of getting pummeled, Yu managed to croak out, "...Iza...nagi...!"
Just as Star Platinum made to drive its fists into Izanagi's helm, the Persona suddenly disappeared, causing the Stand to stumble forwards. Jotaro looked up...and saw that Izanagi had rematerialized beside its master. As the Wild Card pointed forward, Izanagi twirled its spear...and unleased Ziodyne!
The mighty blast of electricity struck Star Platinum full in the chest, and Jotaro could feel its pain as well. Still, had it not taken worse, the Stand and its master would have dropped dead on the spot.
As the light of Ziodyne dissipated, Jotaro saw that Yu...was just standing there, Izanagi hovering behind it. The Persona had taken a fair amount of damage, and should it take a few more hits from the diamond-busting Star Platinum, it would certainly be taken out of the picture.
With this thought in mind...Narukami quickly materialized another card out of thin air and made to crush it in his hand.
Meanwhile, Jotaro wasn't one to let this opening slide from his fingers. He charged forward, and Star Platinum, at an immense burst of speed, raced towards Izanagi, its fist cocked back...!
"Isis!"
...And the moment Jotaro's fist made contact with where Izanagi was...it stopped cold.
This was enough to make Jotaro's eyes widen in shock.
In the place of Izanagi was a beautiful, masked, winged woman figure. Its hand was raised, and it had put up the barrier of Tetrakarn in time to completely nullify Star Platinum's punch.
The Isis Persona glided back to Yu's side. Then, upon Yu's command, the Persona thrust its hand forward once more...and unleashed a mighty blast of ice! Of course, Jotaro and Star Platinum had moved, but before they could reach Yu or Isis, the ice blast that was Bufudyne had struck them full-on and tossed them towards an abandoned news van! Of course, Star Platinum had reacted fast enough before they could crash into the van, and angled its body so that it would be able to grab on to the vehicle. Jotaro landed and skidded on his feet, and with a grunt, Star Platinum hurled the van towards Yu and Isis!
Yu blinked once. Was the Persona of his foe's this strong?
Still, without a second's hesitation, the Wild Card commanded, "Isis!" The Persona complied, thrusting its hand forward and ripping the van into no more than a few measly pieces of scrap metal.
Of course, this had given the stronger and faster Star Platinum the opening it needed.
With a cry of "ORA!" the Stand surged forward and unloaded a mighty uppercut at the gut of the Egyptian goddess Persona! Of course, this warranted that Yu felt the wind knocked out of his own body as he and Isis were sent rocketing up into the air!
One punch, then two, then three. Star Platinum was already pummeling Isis senseless, and Yu could feel the force of each blow to the very core. Then, just as Star Platinum prepared to slam its fists into the Persona's head, Narukami cried out, "Isis!"
To Star Platinum's and Jotaro's bewilderment, the Persona vanished just as the fists of Star Platinum thundered down its head. In response, the Persona thrust its hands forward and unleashed Mabufudyne!
Right there and then, a massive, howling blizzard materialized, ripping weakened street lamps from their posts and gashing some of the abandoned vehicles strewn across the road. The ice shards that came with the blizzard also peppered Star Platinum's skin, and Jotaro himself could feel the pain of getting cut up all over his body, in perfect synch with Star Platinum.
Still, Jotaro had taken worse, hadn't he? If he could survive a beating from The World, he could power through this blizzard.
With a grunt, Jotaro willed his Stand to return to his side, and against all odds, dashed towards Isis, both his and his Stand's fists cocked back. And before Isis could raise its hand to cast Tetrakarn...
WHAM!
A straight jab sent the Persona-and Yu-sprawling! With acrobatic grace, Narukami twisted himself in midair, his feet touching the hood of a car on the street. With controlled precision, he sprang from the car, and then landed on his two feet. Then, just as he saw Jotaro and Star Platinum preparing to charge at him, Yu quickly materialized another card out of the air and crushed it, declaring,
"Norn!"
And just like that, Isis was immediately replaced by...a golden clock thing, adorned with angelic figures. This was the Persona, Norn.
True to its nature, Norn, upon entering the fray, cast the spell Auto-Masuku on Yu, and before Jotaro could fully comprehend what this meant, the Persona let loose a powerful blast of wind, the Garudyne!
The blast struck Jotaro full in the chest, sending him flying towards the roof of a two-story house. The JoJo was able to angle his body to land on his two feet, and in a flash, Star Platinum had materialized beside him.
A moment, then Yu had reached the roof also, the Norn Persona floating beside him. For a while, the two stood there, before Jotaro decided to compliment his foe. "That's a pretty nice Stand you've got there, given how it can change how it looks and attacks like that."
"Thanks," was all Yu could say. Until...
(pause music)
"...wait. What's a Stand?"
Beat.
"...Never mind," replied Jotaro. Hm. It seemed as if he wasn't facing a Stand user, after all. Then again, there was the possibility that Narukami didn't know that he wielded a Stand.
Or not.
Still, the JoJo remained cautious. Whoever he was facing...damn, was he versatile. It was like fighting DIO and a corrupted Kakyoin all over again.
Yu, on his part, was curious as well. What did this guy call his Personas again? ...A Stand? Was that the name Jotaro called his Personas, wherever he lived? Better yet, was the guy even wielding a Persona?
None of that mattered for now. The two young men faced each other once more, prepared to do battle yet again.
(cue Stardust Crusaders - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST)
Jotaro and Yu charged forward, determination in their faces, their summons gliding alongside them. Yu raised his sword and swung, and Jotaro prepared to duck-
Jotaro felt the pain of a sword slicing his wrists as his Stand appeared in front of him to protect him from Yu's swing. Damn! How'd Yu get this fast all of a sudden?!
The Wild Card, on this part, felt thankful that Norn had cast Auto-Masuku on him, and it had granted him a good boost in speed.
With this, Yu swung and swung, the speed of his strikes actually catching the faster Star Platinum off-guard for once. Each sword swing was narrowly dodged by Jotaro, who was getting surprised and frustrated at Yu's sudden speed boost.
Still, the fact remained that his Stand was still the faster one. Star Platinum swung its fist at Yu, and the Persona user felt a sharp pain to its head as the Stand's gauntleted fist collided against the clock face on Norn, which had materialized in front of its master. Not letting up, Star Platinum let loose two, three more fists, Yu feeling the force of each punch smashing into him.
So Jotaro was still faster, even with Masukukaja in effect on Yu. The Wild Card had been keeping an eye on Jotaro, and he'd noticed that JoJo and his Persona...no, Stand were fast enough to dodge, or react to, his Personas' strikes.
But now, with Norn by his side, Yu had hatched a plan.
"Norn!"
The clockwork Persona disappeared just as Star Platinum thrust its fist at it, and before either Stand or master could react...
...Norn cast Debilitate on Star Platinum!
Confused and perplexed, Star Platinum reared its fist and prepared to give Norn a good slugging at its clock face...
...and the Stand felt its fist was a good bit heavier.
The slug intended for Norn missed entirely as the Persona moved out of the way, and in response, it let loose yet another blast of hard wind!
Star Platinum, weighed down and its defenses lowered by Debilitate, could not move away in time.
Garudyne struck the Stand straight in the chest, and Jotaro reeled back in pain as he felt the force of a wind blast collide against his own chest and threatened to crack a few ribs. Still, even with weakened defenses, Star Platinum held its ground.
Damn! This guy was real clever. Jotaro knew his Stand was the faster one, sure, but to his chagrin, Narukami had caught on, and he had a great counter to that.
But it wasn't perfect. Jotaro had been in a situation like this before. Well, not really, but something similar. If he could break out of the tentacles of Hierophant Green, he could sure as hell find a way around this debuff.
With a cry of "ORA!" and sheer force of will, Star Platinum and Jotaro surged forward, still weighed down by Debilitate, and before Yu or his Persona could react, Star Platinum had slugged Norn across its clockwork face!
Despite Debilitate weakening its strength, Star Platinum's punch still hurt like high hell! Yu staggered back, pain flashing through his head, and before he could call his Persona back, the Stand had buried its fist into its clockwork face.
Jotaro didn't see it, but Yu had reeled back, monstrous agony swirling through his head as the Norn Persona dissipated. With this opening exploited, Jotaro willed his Stand to strike...
And strike it did. Star Platinum's gauntleted fist slammed into Yu's gut, forcing the Wild Card into the air! Debilitate still weighing it down, if only by a bit, Star Platinum reared its fists and set to work.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
Star Platinum began hammering away at Yu, each of its punches much, much faster than sound. The combo sent Yu flying back to the street, towards an abandoned convertible. Narukami crashed into the car's hood with such force to dent it in.
Yu was thankful that Rakukaja was still up when he experienced that beatdown, and only now had it worn off. Otherwise, he would have been reduced to a bloody pulp.
As Jotaro leapt down onto the street, Star Platinum by his side, Yu looked on at the JoJo, a small crack lining the edge of the left lens on his glasses. So Jotaro wanted to play punch-out? Well, two could play that game.
A card materialized in midair, and Yu crushed it in his hand.
"Asura!"
At that moment, a new figure had materialized beside Yu. It was a six-armed humanoid, and it was tall and overmuscled.
The Hindu deity Persona, Asura, slammed its six fists together, and as Jotaro and Star Platinum approached, Asura pulled back three fists and threw them forth! The fists collided with Star Platinum's, and a soft crack and a spurt of blood ensued from Jotaro's own knuckle. The JoJo bit his lips to fight the pain as Star Platinum reeled back behind its master...
...and witnessed Asura pull back all of its fists as they glowed bright red. Thrusting its hands forward, the Hindu deity Persona unleashed Maragidyne!
A pure, immense wall of flame burst forth from Asura's hands, and were it not for Star Platinum's timely intervention, Jotaro knew he would have been burned to a crisp right then and there. Still, while the Stand, its arms crossed, protected its master from the full brunt of Maragidyne, Jotaro could still feel the immense heat that was afflicting his Stand!
Finally, the fire exploded outwards, launching both Stand and Master towards a street lamp and bending it in with great force. Blood trickling down his lips, Jotaro, despite the swirl of pain in his back, willed his Stand to pick up a nearby sixteen-wheeler truck and hurl it at Yu! The Persona user, surprised at this, called out, "Asura!"
The Persona complied, pulled all its fists back...and began to Kenshiro the ever-living hell out of the truck, unleashing thousands upon thousands of punches on it and shredding it like wet paper in little time at all.
Through the dust, Jotaro and Star Platinum dashed towards Asura, and the Stand pulled back a fist, prepared to strike the Hindu deity in the gut...
...and then despite the power behind the punch, Star Platinum's fist bounced back.
Luck had been on Yu's side then. As low a chance it might have been, High Counter had taken effect, allowing Asura to counter and reflect the blow. Seizing this chance, Yu willed his Persona to strike. Asura complied, rearing its fists. Star Platinum, having recovered from the block-and Debilitate, was quick to react, and pulled its own two fists back.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
Both Asura and Star Platinum unleashed a flurry of thousands upon thousands of punches at each other! Their fists were far, far faster than the eye could track, and to the regular bystander, only the impacts of the punches colliding against each other were visible.
As Yu and Jotaro stood behind their spectral companions doing battle, the latter couldn't help but feel a little déjà vu. He'd been in a clash like this before, when he'd faced off against the vampiric menace, DIO, and his Stand, The World. In that clash, The World had proven itself quite the formidable foe, nearly overwhelimg Star Platinum with its sheer speed and strength.
It was a good thing, then, that Asura wasn't as fast or strong as The World. Jotaro's Stand was steadily gaining an advantage over the deity Persona, and Yu could start to feel the pain of the impacts of the fists.
Finally, the clash starting to wear it down, Asura staggered back and stopped punching. Star Platinum reared its fists, prepared to strike the Persona where it stood...
...until Asura looked up and unleashed Primal Force!
The sheer force of the physical blast sent Jotaro and Star Platinum sailing towards a nearby ramen bar, shattering the wooden counter into splinters as they did and leaving a Stand-sized crater on the wooden floor.
The damage wasn't too much for both Stand and master, but it still hurt like hell. Groggily, Jotaro shuffled back up his feet, his Stand rematerializing beside him. But when he cast his gaze forward...the Persona that was Asura wasn't there anymore.
Damn. Did Yu switch his Stand-or whatever the hell he called it-again?
At that very moment, his instincts screaming at him to look out, Jotaro rolled aside to evade a massive bolt of Ziodyne that descended from the sky!
Jotaro stood back up to his feet...to see a bright golden dragon floating a good ten feet above Yu. The dragon Persona, Kohryu, had been brought forth into battle.
As it entered the fray, Kohryu immediately cast the spell known as Mediarahan on Yu. This spell removed some of the exhaustion and injuries on Yu, but the Wild Card did not feel fully reinvigorated yet.
Jotaro summoned Star Platinum to his side. If his foe was ready to bring out the big guns, he'd best be prepared.
Opening its maw, Kohryu let loose another Ziodyne. While Jotaro dodged the lightning bolt, it had struck and obliterated whatever remained of the ramen bar behind him.
The dragon Persona then twirled its body and unleashed yet another Ziodyne. Jotaro dodged, but as soon as Kohryu charged up another Ziodyne...
"Kohryu!"
The Persona instantly stopped. Agile as his opponent was, he didn't want to needlessly waste any SP just blindly wasting his spells on one person who just wouldn't stay put. But then again, getting within range of his foe would spell serious trouble, given what he saw the Stand was capable of doing.
Jotaro, meanwhile, stood there as well, Star Platinum by his side, and witnessed Kohryu afloat, awaiting its master's orders. What the hell was it going to do now? Was it trying to lure him to attack? Was it going to do something? Well, given that he'd fought four strange creatures that attacked him with various unorthodox methods, he was a little worried that that dragon might have a trick up its sleeve.
Jotaro Kujo wasn't going to have any of that.
With a grunt, Star Platinum grabbed the nearest lamppost and ripped it out of the sidewalk. And then, with a cry of "ORA!" it hurled the lamppost like a javelin at Kohryu! The dragon Persona, having just finished up Mind Charge, could only watch it approach.
Yu reeled back, feeling the pain of something blunt hit him square in the face. Kohryu thrashed once...and thus was unable to see Jotaro and Star Platinum climbing onto its tail.
Stand and master maintained a firm grip on the dragon Persona's tail, even as it began thrashing, to drive these pesky humans off its back. Finally, Kohryu flicked its tail upwards, its move so sudden and forceful that the grip of Jotaro and Star Platinum on its tail was released.
Seeing Jotaro and Star Platinum flying into the air as a result of Kohryu's move, Yu shouted, "Now! Kohryu!"
The Persona obeyed, opening its maw and...not charging up Ziodyne. Instead, it raced towards the falling forms of Jotaro and Star Platinum, and clamped its jaws shut!
...for but a second, and then both Stand and master wrenched the dragon's jaw open. In desperation, Kohryu thrashed once more, all the while attempting to seal its jaws shut. And in one desperate move, Kohryu hurled Jotaro upwards, Star Platinum dissipating as he went.
Quick-thinking, Jotaro angled his body so that he'd strike at Yu's dragon with a nosedive. As he reached the peak of his climb, Jotaro summoned Star Platinum once more, and dove towards the back of Kohryu's neck. And just then, without hesitation, Star Platinum rammed its fist at Kohryu, and the dragon nearly lost its balance in midair.
At the same time, Yu winced as he felt a sharp pain at the back of his own neck. The Wild Card looked up to see Jotaro and his Stand mounted upon Kohryu!
Now, that right there was a cheap trick...
"Agck!" Yu suddenly lurched forward in pain as Jotaro, Star Platinum lending him strength, slammed his fists repeatedly upon Kohryu's neck. In an attempt to get the Stand user off its back, Kohryu bucked and thrashed in midair, slamming into buildings and shattering windows.
When it stopped, though, Jotaro repeated the process once more, slamming his fists again and again at the dragon's neck. He then summoned Star Platinum...and let it do the dirty work for him.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
In agony, Yu nearly dropped to his knees, every nerve in his neck and the surrounding body parts flaring. In the midst of Star Platinum's savage beatdown, Yu managed to croak out, "Koh...ryu...!"
The dragon's eyes snapped wide open, and at Yu's command, it managed to throw Jotaro off its back. Quickly, Kohryu flew above the falling form and Jotaro Kujo...and unleashed Ziodyne! However, this one was different. It was charged with the power of Mind Charge and Elec Amp!
Unable to swerve out of the way, Jotaro watched as the beefed up lightning bolt thundered (forgive me for the bad pun) down on him. Of course, Star Platinum had raced to protect its master from the blast...but this one Ziodyne packed a hell of a punch.
As the bolt struck Star Platinum in the front...Jotaro could feel electric agony flare through his body. The JoJo gritted his teeth, his eyes in all-too-visible pain, and crashed down on the ground, but not before angling his body in time so he would land in a crouching position.
The Stand user, taking heavy breaths, carefully stood back up, Star Platinum appearing behind him. The Stand was singed by the powered-up Ziodyne, and boy did it leave a number on it. Groggily, Jotaro staggered forward as little by little, the pain from the Ziodyne left his system, and looked left and right for signs of his white-haired foe and his golden dragon...
"Alice!"
Jotaro's ears perked up, and he instantly sought out the source of the voice. When he found it, and his adversary, he saw...that a little girl, about twelve and clothed in a blue dress, was right beside Yu. The Alice Persona curtsied as it looked up at Jotaro, an innocent smile lacing its lips.
Okay...now this was bizarre, even by his own standards. Jotaro looked on in utter confusion as he surveyed Alice from head to toe. Just what the hell was up with this guy? First a spear-wielding man in a trenchcoat, then a golden masked woman, then a clockwork creature, then a six-armed deity, and then a golden dragon...now this?!
Yu, on his part, let out a silent, small smirk, knowing that this was the opening he needed to exploit in order to strike. Of course, he only had a few seconds to decide what to do, but he'd make the most out of it.
Jotaro adjusted his cap. "Yare yare daze..." he sighed. Now, hitting a defenseless little girl would leave a very, very bitter taste in his mouth, but considering that the man who had summoned her wielded an interesting array of creatures at his very beck and call. Besides, he didn't have many choices now, did he?
Jotaro and Star Platinum rushed at Alice-
-only for them to get sent flying back towards the wall of a building! In the nick of time, Alice had unleashed a powerful blast of Megidola, the explosion of almighty light obliterating any and all vehicles that just happened to be there.
Recovering from one hell of a spell, Jotaro spit out a small wad of blood. Gnashing his teeth, the JoJo looked on at Alice. Damn. Looks could be very deceiving, it turned out. For the briefest of moments, he'd underestimated what Alice could do, but now he saw that the Persona packed a way meaner punch than the Personas that came before it.
Jotaro willed Star Platinum to materialize by his side. Striking out at a little girl was going to leave a really bitter taste on his mouth once this was over...
The Alice Persona only curtsied and smiled...menacingly, as she lifted a finger, almighty power gathering around it. Eyes widening, Jotaro immediately rushed for Alice. The Persona was preparing another Megidola! When they were in range, Star Platinum cocked a fist back, prepared to slug Alice across the face...
BOOM!
As Star Platinum's fist made contact, the blast of Megidola was promptly misdirected, completely leveling the abandoned small building behind Jotaro. Still, while the spell never struck Jotaro or Star Platinum directly, the blast wave knocked them towards the waiting and grinning Alice!
As Jotaro flew towards Yu, Alice put a palm forward...and unleashed Mamudoon!
Dark energy, charged by Mudo Boost, swirled around the Stand user, and then converged, slamming into him at all directions. Jotaro opened his mouth in a silent scream of pain as he was sent flying back towards the concrete, face-first. As Jotaro groggily rose back to his feet, panting heavily...he saw that Alice had just clasped her hands together. Unbeknownst to Jotaro, the Persona had cast Mind Charge.
Another card floated down on Yu's palm, and the Wild Card crushed it in his hand. Jotaro, having had enough of this kid's constant switching of companions, rushed forward to slug the Persona user across the face...
...and then his punch met something else entirely.
Jotaro looked up...and saw that his fist had now crashed against a bony staff. Said staff was held by something new...something horrifying, as if someone decided to take the Lord of the Flies and dip it in ten-foot-deep radioactive sludge.
The Beelzebub Persona stared down at Jotaro...and at Yu's behest, cast Mabufudyne! The roaring blizzard connected with Star Platinum. The Stand, of course, crossed its arms to defend itself, but the full force of Bufudyne, amped up by Mind Charge threatened to shred its arms apart...had they not taken worse-namely, the Emerald Splash of a certain friend's Stand.
Still, it hurt like hell, and Jotaro could sure as hell feel it. Especially this one...it was stronger than before.
The Mabufudyne forced both Jotaro and Star Platinum back, giving Beelzebub the opening it needed to perform its next move. Yu gave a small smirk, and commanded, "Beelzebub!"
The devil Persona complied. It seemed to raise its cane into the air...and cast Old One on Jotaro and his Stand! Before the JoJo could fully comprehend what this meant...
...a blast of Bufudyne collided against both Stand and master's chests.
Jotaro willed Star Platinum to dig its fingers into the concrete, slowing their path until they stopped. Jotaro spit out a wad of blood. That ice blast...if it hurt before, now it hurt even more. Just what had Yu and that damn bug done to him?
Yu adjusted his glasses, smirking a bit. That was enervation for ya. Though Old One only had, at best, a thirty percent chance of working...it had worked, luckily.
Just then, Beelzebub raised its cane into the air once more, a wave of almighty power gathering around it. Eyes widening, Jotaro immediately made to rush for the Persona...but found himself a tad bit slower than before.
Damn it. Had that bug performed the trick that the clock thing used to slow him down?
Now, with his movement speed slowed, Jotaro's objective shifted from getting to Beelzebub to getting the hell out of there before the bug could unleash whatever it had in store.
And just then, Beelzebub unleashed the almighty power as Megidolaon!
The power manifested itself as a massive blast of almighty light. It raced down from the heavens like the Hand of God, ready to smite Jotaro and Star Platinum from this world.
It seemed that the attack was too big to avoid. As the Megidolaon thundered closer and closer, Jotaro breathed in and prepared to perform...that technique. It was the technique that his mortal enemy, DIO, had used to kill his friends and nearly kill his grandfather. Now, faced with Yu's power, Jotaro had no other option but to use it.
"Star Platinum: The World!"
As soon as the light of Megidolaon was a mere inch from the top of Jotaro's cap...the air rippled, and everything in the surrounding area took on a grey tinge as they-and time-screeched into an immediate and complete stop.
Everything stopped moving. Yu, Beelzebub, the Megidolaon, the wind...everything. The only one who could move in this frozen time was Jotaro and his Stand.
He only had five seconds of stopped time...but he'd make the most of it.
As fast as his legs could carry him, and weighed down by enervation, Jotaro ran away from the Megidolaon and towards Beelzebub.
Three seconds.
As the pair approached the Persona, they immediately cocked their fists back and threw an uppercut...
...and time resumed its natural course.
There were two things that happened then. First, Yu's smirking face had contorted into one of pain as all of a sudden, something inexplicably slammed into his chin-well, technically, as Beelzebub was the one on the receiving end of the strike.
Second, the Megidolaon had reached the ground, completely leveling any building or vehicle that happened to be within its radius.
Beelzebub and Yu were sent flying back, the Persona User slamming back-first onto a wall. The Persona regained its bearings in midair, flew downwards, and raised its cane, preparing to cast Mamudoon and be done with it.
Jotaro, on his part, wasn't going to have any of it. Slowed down by enervation, Jotaro willed his Stand...to point its hand forward and aim it at Beelzebub.
Yu looked on in slight confusion. Now what was Jotaro going to-
"Star Finger!"
In a burst of speed, Star Platinum's index and middle fingers extended and rocketed towards Beelzebub! Yu, surprised and bewildered, could not summon his Persona back to his side in time.
SQUELCH!
The Star Finger nailed Beelzebub right between the eyes and buried themselves in the Persona's head, exiting out the back of its head. Yu, on his part, fell to his knees, his mouth hung open in a silent scream of pain as the mother of all headaches burned through his head. Just then, Beelzebub dissipated, leaving only Yu and Jotaro.
As the swirl of agony stopped, Yu cast his gaze on Jotaro, the curse of enervation having been lifted on the latter, and the JoJo charging at him. Yu charged as well, his blade charged with electricity...then unleashed Thunder God Dance.
Jotaro gnashed his teeth as Star Platinum countered the combo with a flurry of punches, the slices digging into the Stand's knuckles and cutting into them. Still, just as Yu prepared to deliver the endblow, Star Platinumm, faster than the Wild Card could perceived, jabbed Yu right in the chest, sending Narukami flying back-first towards a car.
His head swimming, Yu groggily got himself up, and witnessed Star Platinum gliding back to Jotaro's side. Damn, this guy was pretty powerful. His Persona...Stand was capable of tanking through and overwhelming some of his strongest Personas, and its master was still persevering like a goddamned champ. And that sudden attack that Jotaro had done on Beelzebub...it was like the JoJo had disappeared and reappeared in an instant before Beelzebub. Whatever it was, it was effective, and it was not good.
Jotaro, on his part, was frustrated and amazed as well. His opponent was very versatile, having a "Persona" for every situation, and he had great counters to everything the JoJo could throw at him. Speed? Yu could order his Personas to curse Jotaro and slow him down. Strength? Well, Jotaro's Stand had this one in the bag, but Yu had more than enough tricks to keep his foe hopping.
Both now had a grasp of what the other was capable of doing.
With that established...
(cue Collective Consciousness - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance OST)
A card floated down on Yu's hand, and without hesitation, Narukami crushed it. He was prepared to unleash one of his strongest Personas yet.
"Lucifer!"
Jotaro, not wanting any of that, immediately charged for Yu, his and Star Platinum's fists cocked back and prepared to strike the Wild Card where he stood...
...and then his punch, and all the momentum that came with it, stopped cold.
Jotaro looked up...and saw that the fist of Star Platinum had stopped short of a figure. It unfurled its three-pronged bat-like wings and glowered down on Jotaro and Star Platinum with dispassion. It seemed like Yu was ready to bring out the big guns-no. It was as if Yu had brought the Devil himself into battle.
The Lucifer Persona, not fazed in the slightest by that punch, swiped its arm to the side in a backhand, bitch-slapping both Jotaro and Star Platinum into the entrance of the mall beside it. Lucifer then turned towards Jotaro and Star Platinum, brought a hand forward...
...and in a complete antithesis of the role of a devil from the fires of Hell, Lucifer unleashed Bufudyne!
The gigantic slab of unholy ice barreled towards Jotaro and Star Platinum, who dodged the attack, albeit very, very narrowly. The process repeated three more times, the blasts of Bufudyne shattering the windows of the mall and any nearby vehicle that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Jotaro stood himself back up, dusting off his slightly tattered trenchcoat as he saw Lucifer floating back down on Yu's side, its gaze bored and dispassionate. However...if the JoJo was in any bit intimidated by this new foe, he wouldn't let it show. After all, he'd been in one too many bizarre adventures, and he'd faced down multitudes of powerful Stands, including one that could manipulate time. This wasn't going to be anything really new.
The unenlightened masses, they cannot make the judgment call
"Yare yare...so you've finally brought out the big guns?" sighed Jotaro.
Yu said nothing. In fact, his stance remained resolute as his Persona hovered beside him.
"Hmph. Guess I'll stop holding back as well," said Jotaro. "I have to get back to my world...and as I said before, I'm not gonna let anyone stop me."
Give up free will forever, their voices won't be heard at all
As Lucifer put a palm forward, Yu replied, "Till now, I really wish things hadn't come to this...but I can't fall here, either."
With Yu's last word, Lucifer unleashed Bufudyne once more, a blast of ice barreling towards Jotaro Kujo.
Display obedience while never stepping out of line
His instincts screaming at him to get the hell out of the way, Jotaro rolled aside, the massive blast of ice slamming hard on the concrete road that was Inaba's main street. In kind response, Star Platinum hefted a car into the air and hurled it at Lucifer, who easily tore it in two with a single swipe of its clawed hand. The Persona retaliated with another Bufudyne, which struck and shredded a car as Jotaro dodged it.
And blindly swear allegiance
Let your country control your mind
Jotaro surged forward, Star Platinum by his side, weaving to the side to evade another Bufudyne barreling at him. Before the devil Persona could react, Star Platinum nailed it in the chin with an uppercut, and then a jab, and then a right hook, and then a few more punches. It reared both of its fists back...
Let your country control your soul
...and then it immediately set to work. Star Platinum was going to pummel this demon into next week!
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
With an air of finality, Star Platinum reared its fists, prepared to strike at the devil Persona's head-!
Only to stop short once Lucifer caught the Stand's fists, though with great effort on the Persona's part.
Live in ignorance and purchase your happiness
And then...
Jotaro himself, suddenly feeling intense agony in his gut, was promptly sent soaring towards the skeleton of a building that had been decimated by Beelzebub's earlier Megidolaon, as Lucifer struck at Star Platinum with Brave Blade!
The sheer force of the physical attack sent capital P pain swirling through Jotaro...and that was before he crashed, back-first on a wall that still stood in the building.
Still, Yu was not to let time pass. "Lucifer!"
At this, the Persona launched yet another Bufudyne, and if Jotaro hadn't gotten the hell out of the way, the ice blast might have blown him apart. Still, powered by Ice Amp, the Bufudyne completely obliterated the wall behind Jotaro.
When blood and sweat is the real cost
Thinking ceases, the truth is lost
Gritting his teeth, Jotaro summoned Star Platinum back to his side, and prepared to jump down...
...and then the skeleton of the building crumbled.
In a bid to force Jotaro to the ground, Yu had commanded Lucifer to collapse what remained of the abandoned tower with Brave Blade. Jotaro snarled in frustration, him and Star Platinum punching into the floor and gripping tight as the building began to collapse. This proved futile, as the weakened floor began to give way as well-not to Lucifer's attack, but to the Stand and Stand user desperately grabbing onto it.
As the building fully collapsed, it kicked up a massive dust cloud and sent rubble flying everywhere. Jotaro and Star Platinum, of course, had survived intact, but the dust cloud had obscured their vision. Still, though, Star Platinum excelled at precision, and it immediately spotted a flying blast of ice through the thick cloud of dust.
Don't you worry, you'll be told exactly what to do
Unable to dodge in time, Star Platinum, with its sheer reaction speed, defended against the Bufudyne at the last second...but the sheer force of the ice attack sent the both of them flying back-first towards the floor they had stood upon, now a makeshift wall.
Jotaro had felt the sheer force as well, as the Bufudyne slammed into Star Platinum at a high velocity. While the Joestar's and his Stand's sheer durability warranted that this was not enough to take them out of the picture, this had left a rather wide opening.
Which Yu exploited. He had known that a singular Bufudyne was insufficient to take down Jotaro, but it was enough to give the Wild Card the opening he needed. Of course, trying to get within range of Jotaro was very risky, so...
"Lucifer!"
The Persona swiftly paid heed, rushing at Star Platinum and readying another Brave Blade. Jotaro willed his Stand to counter...
...and a massive shockwave ensued as Star Platinum's fist connected with Lucifer's Brave Blade attack. For a moment, Stand and Persona were locked in a power struggle...
...until the force of the Brave Blade made Star Platinum give way, and Lucifer's attack, its direction translated into an uppercut, slammed the Stand into the air!
I give my people the lives they need
Jotaro hissed in pain as he felt the wind knocked out of him with massive force! Lucifer immediately grabbed onto Star Platinum, applying a number of swift punches at the Stand's face. Of course, Star Platinum attempted to struggle free, but since it was well above two meters from Jotaro, this warranted that the Stand's strength had diminished. Lucifer then threw Star Platinum back down to the earth like a baseball!
The righteous will succeed
Before it could crash back down, Star Platinum swiftly angled itself so that it would land on its feet, landing next to Jotaro so that it would regain its strength. That last attack had hurt, but it still wasn't enough to take Star Platinum or Jotaro down. Stand and Stand user looked up to see Lucifer glowering down at them, its arms crossed.
Quick-thinking, Jotaro willed his Stand to rip a portion of the metal skeleton off of the building, and then had Star Platinum hurl it like a javelin at Lucifer. The Persona caught the metal in its hands, and tossed it aside with nonchalance. The Persona responded accordingly, letting loose a blast of Bufudyne.
Jotaro, however, was having none of that. Nimbly he dodged, and nimbly he countered. Star Platinum hurled the abandoned front of a car at Lucifer, who intercepted the projectile by slashing it apart with a swipe of its claw.
Now, Yu didn't want to needlessly waste SP by hurling Bufudyne after Bufudyne to hit a single target, even with Spell Master in effect, so he decided to call out, "Lucifer!"
The Persona glided back to Yu's side, its arms crossed. Jotaro, seizing this chance, charged towards Yu and Lucifer, and threw a punch. Lucifer, of course, stood its ground...
The fires of greed will burn the weak
So we'll make freedom obsolete
...and thanks to the effects of Null Physical, the attack stopped cold! Any and all momentum stopped dead, as Jotaro's fist remained still. Quickly realizing that he'd been left wide open, Jotaro hastily pulled his fist back, just as Lucifer prepared to unleash a point-blank Brave Blade. Star Platinum, of course, materialized in front of its master at the last millisecond, and as a result, it took the full brunt of the attack! Jotaro stumbled back in agony as a few of his own ribs were cracked.
The fate of a Stand and its user sharing the same pain...
Still, Star Platinum, despite the pain its master felt, held its ground, deftly countering with a kick that nailed Lucifer right in the gut. A few more punches, then Star Platinum drove both of its fists into Lucifer's chest.
Beside Lucifer, Yu stumbled back, biting his tongue in pain. He was thankful that Lucifer could naturally resist physical attacks, else he'd be faced and crushed by the diamond-breaking strength of Star Platinum.
Star Platinum pulled its fist back, prepared to drive it into Lucifer's face. "Lucifer!" Yu commanded, and the Persona obeyed, flying just out of range of the punch. As a result, Star Platinum stumbled forward...and towards Yu's waiting, lightning-charged blade.
Making whole the fabric of society
Jotaro could feel the pain of getting sliced and diced as Yu let loose the combo that was Thunder God Dance on Star Platinum. With an air of finality, Yu kicked at Star Platinum and sent it stumbling back.
Star Platinum still stood, gashes lining its physique. That attack wasn't enough to do it in...but it was a perfect opening for Lucifer's next attack.
Lucifer raised a finger as almighty energy swirled around it. The devil Persona was about to unleash the deadliest Almighty spell ever to exist...Morning Star.
The light shone brighter...and flicking its finger in absolute nonchalance, Lucifer let loose the almighty nuke, prepared to raze the entire area!
Jotaro cursed internally. Yu had set him up to this?! Oh well, it looked like he had to use it again.
Collective consciousness controlled as you will see
"Star Platinum..."
Yu swung his katana at Jotaro's neck-!
"THE WORLD!"
And then...
Everything screeched to a halt. Everything. Yu, Lucifer, the Morning Star, the wind, even time itself...not a soul moved, except for Jotaro and his Stand.
Jotaro, knowing that he had to make this time stop count, immediately made his move. A golden aura shining around him, the Joestar actually flew upwards, just circling the Morning Star set to raze this part of Inaba...and towards Lucifer. Star Platinum brought its fists back...
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
Star Platinum unleashed a solid beatdown upon the Lucifer Persona, but it remained still as a solid rock. Under the effects of the frozen time, that was.
Time resumed its course...
...and then Lucifer-and Yu-immediately ragdolled from the impacts of Star Platinum's punches! While this happened, Star Platinum immediately grabbed onto Lucifer's neck and began violently shaking it, and of course, Yu felt the effect of something tugging at his own neck at a rapid pace.
To end its attack, Star Platinum pulled its hand back, which slowly clenched into a fist.
Lucifer was powerful, sure. But who was going to be the true judge of its strength?
"Sabaku no wa..."
Star Platinum let the fist fly!
"...ore no Stando da!!!"
SQUELCH.
Star Platinum's forcible punch went through Lucifer's chest, the Stand's hand exiting out of the Persona's back!
Yu suddenly choked, his throat unable to let loose the built-up scream of agony as unimaginable pain flashed throughout the entirety of his physique, flaring up from his chest!
Let your country control your soul
Let your country control your soul
The Wild Card stumbled to his knees in all-too-visible pain as Lucifer dissipated. In desperation, as Jotaro and Star Platinum dove at him, he croaked out, "Iza...na-"
WHAM!
Yu was sent flying upwards, and for the first time in the battle, the Wild Card screamed in pain, a wad of blood flying from his mouth. And then...Star Platinum reared its fists, prepared to unleash one final attack. This was the barrage he'd used against the vampire DIO, and the man had only survived thanks to his immortality and regenerative healing factor.
Yu Narukami, on the other hand? He had absolutely zero chances of surviving.
Let your country control your soul
All hell broke loose.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
To say that Jotaro gave Yu the beating of a lifetime was an understatement...a massive understatement. Jotaro Kujo and Star Platinum never stopped punching, landing thousands upon thousands upon thousands of punches at the body of the Wild Card.
LET YOUR COUNTRY CONTROL YOUR SOUL!
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
Light was failing to keep pace with Star Platinum's punches. Even so, the Stand punched and punched, roaring like an absolute madman.
Then, to conclude its faster-than-light combo, Star Platinum punched at Yu once.
"ORA!"
And again.
"ORA!"
And one, final punch, one that sent Yu's broken and beaten form flying towards Inaba's main street.
"ORA!!!!!!!"
Yu, his body broken and unmoving, landed face-first on the concrete with a dull flop.
Star Platinum dissipating, Jotaro looked on the motionless form of Yu Narukami, then took in a deep breath, then adjusted the visor of his cap.
(stop music)
"Yare yare daze..." he sighed. This kid...he truly was something else. His power was great, and he'd proved himself a formidable obstacle. The weight of his fatigue and injuries starting to settle in, Jotaro sighed in relief, now that the battle was over. With that, he dug out a piece of paper from one of his pockets, and threw it at Yu's general direction.
"Here's your receipt..."
KO!
*~*~*~*~*~*
Boomstick: ...Well, that's one way to end a season finale.
Wiz: That was...rather anticlimactic, but here's why he won. His Stand was simply stronger and faster than all of Yu's Personas.
Boomstick: Not to mention the Time Stop! Yu didn't have any counters to that.
Wiz: Also, his own skill and strength allowed him to take the win handily.
Boomstick: Looks like Yu couldn't stand up to Jotaro.
Wiz: The winner is-
.
.
.
.
.
.
Wiz: -wait.
Boomstick: What?
Wiz: I've got a weird feeling...
Boomstick: What? Isn't the battle already done?!
Wiz: I don't know, Boomstick...Double-check the results screen.
Boomstick: *peeks through the results screen* wait...Did he just twitch...? ...HOLY CRAP HE'S STILL ALIVE! THE MATCH'S STILL ON, THE MATCH'S STILL ON!!!
*~*~*~*~*~*
Yu Narukami lay there, his body unmoving and in immense agony. Was this his fate? Was he truly going to fall here? He'd never expected Jotaro Kujo to be this powerful. He'd underestimated the capabilities of his Persona...Stand. Yu's eyes slowly shut, as the Wild Card solemnly surrendered himself to the cold embrace of death...
.
.
.
(cue Friends in My Heart - Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX OST)
"Yu! Get up, man!" Yu's ears suddenly picked up a voice. "Come on, partner, just get up! You can't just go down like this!"
That voice...
Yu's eyes slowly opened as he heard the familiar voice of his partner. "Yosuke..."
Another voice rang out. "C'mon! Get up!"
It was the energetic, encouraging voice of Chie Satonaka, the kung-fu nut of the Investigation Team. "Hey! All that training we did, and it's all gonna go to waste here? C'mon! We wouldn't want our Leader to go down this way!"
Another voice rang out in Yu's head, this time of the bespectacled daughter of the keepers of the Amagi Inn, and a good friend of his. "You can't go down like this, Yu," said the soft voice of Yukiko Amagi. "I believe in you. Just this once, get up for me, okay?"
"C'mon, dude!! Get the hell back up and kick that guy's ass!" Another voice rang out, this time of the voice of Kanji Tatsumi, the Team's resident delinquent. "You can do it, no probs!" Yu chuckled to himself. Of course. Who else would be this rambunctious?
"Senpai, don't you give up just yet!" said another voice, this time of the fifth generation of the Shirogane detectives. "We're all counting on you, so please get up!" pleaded Naoto Shirogane.
"S-Sensei!" pleaded the voice of a certain stuffed animal-the real Teddie, as in the Teddie that wasn't being used as a disguise by a certain Shadow. "Please get up, Senpai! Y-Ya can't leave me with Yosuke forever! You're beeeary strong, ya can't lose!" Yu's only reply to this was a small, amused chuckle.
Another voice rang out, this time of Yu's own uncle. "Y'know...it's kind of funny. You've saved my life in more ways than one. I was the one who was supposed to be taking care of you...but here I am, being taken care of by you," said Uncle Dojima. "Perhaps that's why we were able to pull it off in the end...being a family."
Yu smiled slightly at this, just as another voice rang out. "Big bro! You'll be alright, won't you? I know you'll come back! So please, get up, big bro! I'll be a good girl, I promise!" This was the voice of Yu's younger cousin, Nanako.
Memories flashed before the Wild Card's eyes. Every single good memory he had with his family, and the Investigation Team...
Yu smiled, hardened determination now visible in his visage. His friends and family...they were right. They were all right! This wasn't going to end here! He'd faced down foes whom he knew were more powerful than Jotaro Kujo, and it was all thanks to his friends! He wasn't going to let them down now. He had to live up to their expectations. He had to live through this... That was the absolute truth.
(stop music)
****
A shining aura enveloped the body of Yu Narukami. The Wild Card, filled to the brim with renewed vigor and determination, shuffled back to his feet, the power of Social Links blazing inside him like a raging wildfire.
Jotaro, meanwhile, was walking away from the street of Inaba...when a sudden flash of light made itself manifest in the very corner of his eye.
Puzzled, the Joestar looked back...and the first thing that he saw filled him with absolute shock.
(cue Stand Proud - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Opening if rooting for Jotaro)
(cue I'll Face Myself - Persona 4 OST if rooting for Yu)
Yu Narukami was standing on his own two feet. He was bruised, and had taken a very massive beating, but he was still very much alive.
Jotaro, too surprised to make a move, could only watch as Yu grabbed onto his severely cracked glasses...and tossed them aside in a dramatic fashion. He no longer had need for them...at least not for what he was about to unleash.
Just then, a card floated down upon Yu's palm. The Wild Card, as he always did, crushed it in his hand...
...and then Izanagi, fully restored, materialized behind Yu. Jotaro narrowed his eyes, ready to summon his Stand into battle once more.
A bright flash of light. Jotaro Kujo squinted, and as the light cleared...and to his surprise and bewilderment, he saw that Izanagi itself had changed. From a dark overcoat, Izanagi now wore a deathly white coat. It was also noticeably taller, and the crude lance that it held in its hands was now sleeker and more elegant, a ring-shaped guard adorning its shaft.
From Izanagi, Yu Narukami had awakened his true, ultimate Persona...Izanagi-no-Okami.
Jotaro, not letting his surprise show any further, summoned Star Platinum back to his side. When the two young men stared each other down...they smiled. It was a sad smile, of course, letting it show that neither of them wanted any of this.
But now, both young men knew...play time was over.
Yu wasn't the only one with great determination here. Jotaro, on his part, decided that he wasn't about to fall here, either. His adventures with the Stardust Crusaders had molded him to believe that nothing was truly impossible. With that in mind, Jotaro decided he was going to push on to the bitter end. He was going to get back to his world, to his friends and family.
It was time for the endgame.
Jotaro and Star Platinum dashed towards Izanagi-no-Okami. The evolved thunder deity twirled its new lance, each lightning-laced strike actually matching, if not surpassing, the speed and strength of Star Platinum's blows.
The brief bout continued on for ten seconds...and then Izanagi-no-Okami twirled its spear and unleashed a mighty blast of Ziodyne!
Jotaro and Star Platinum couldn't react in time as a massive bolt of lightning slammed into them. One that actually packed one hell of a punch!
Izanagi-no-Okami prepared itself once more, thrusting with its lance. Star Platinum was quick to react, the lightning-charged blade narrowly whizzing past its face, and returned fire with a straight jab, which Izanagi-no-Okami just as quickly blocked with the shaft of its spear.
Star Platinum pulled its fists back, and began its signature assault once more.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
What surprised Star Platinum, and Jotaro, was that Izanagi-no-Okami leapt out of the way of each strike, aided by Angelic Grace! Granted, Star Platinum's punches were faster, and some even slipped past the evasions and connected...with Izanagi-no-Okami's spear.
With expert twirls of its lance, Izanagi-no-Okami dueled with Star Platinum for a good total of seven seconds, matching the latter's blows with its own strength.
Meanwhile, close to their spectral companions, Jotaro and Yu had also begun fighting, fist on sword. Ducking under a right hook, Narukami swung his sword upwards, the blow knocking Jotaro into the air, and then laced his blade with electricity.
At the same time, with a swipe of its lance, Izanagi-no-Okami batted Star Platinum-and in effect, Jotaro-towards a weakened street lamp. The force of both Stand and Stand user crashing into the lamppost bent it in at an awkward angle. Jotaro recovered, only to see a blast of Ziodyne barrel at his face! Star Platinum reappeared in front of its master-!
The sheer power of the blast sent Jotaro and Star Platinum flying! Not one to let up, Yu shouted a command, "Izanagi-no-Okami!"
The evolved thunder deity Persona complied, twirling its lance in front of it and unleashing Ziodyne, Agidyne, Bufudyne, and Garudyne at Jotaro!
And in rapid succession!
The blasts of lightning, fire, ice, and wind, amped up by Elec Amp, Fire Amp, Ice Amp, and Wind Amp respectively, mercilessly peltered the airborne Jotaro and his Stand, forcing a silent scream of pain from the JoJo as he was juggled further and further into the air. Gnashing his teeth to blot out the blinding pain, Jotaro witnessed Izanagi-no-Okami twirl its lance once more...and charge up Megidolaon!
The blast of almighty power raced towards Jotaro, who'd reached the peak of his ascent and began plummeting back down to the earth!
He knew he couldn't use it as much as he wanted, unlike DIO. However, he needed to live through this, even if it could potentially cost him his heart! In absolute desperation, Jotaro cried out,
"STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD!!!"
At Jotaro's behest, time froze once more. Even the evolved Izanagi-no-Okami had stopped moving.
Without waiting any longer, Jotaro quickly enveloped himself in that same golden aura he had used to fly, and glided towards the prone, motionless form of Izanagi-no-Okami, and summoned Star Platinum back to his side. Giving absolutely no quarter, the Stand set to work.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!"
Roaring in fury and determination, Star Platinum hammered away at the motionless form of Izanagi-no-Okami, light itself not keeping any sort of pace with its blows. As soon as Star Platinum stopped punching, time resumed its natural course.
All of a sudden, a seemingly invisible barrage of punches smashed into Izanagi-no-Okami, ragdolling the Persona's body! Yu bit his lip back, sharing the pain of his Persona...
...but when the assault ended, Yu was very much surprised to find that he and his Persona were still alive, not gravely injured by Jotaro's faster-than-light assault.
Still, while Izanagi-no-Okami could resist physical attacks, the sheer power behind Jotaro's punches was a tad bit overwhelming, even as Yu had brought out the real big guns.
As the pain left his system, Yu looked on at Jotaro...and saw that the JoJo was hunched over, as a result of the four amped-up elemental spells pummeling him. Seizing this chance, Izanagi-no-Okami reared its lance and thrust it at Jotaro...
SHIIIIIINK.
The lance had buried itself in the abdomen of someone else. Star Platinum had rematerialized before its master at the last second, and as a result, it was on the receiving end of the Persona's stab.
...And unfortunately, so was Jotaro. The JoJo coughed out a wad of blood as he hunched over, feeling the pain of a thunder god's spear pierce his gut. Star Platinum dissipated...
...and as a result, Jotaro wasn't able to defend himself from the sudden surge of electricity that had coated the concrete, the result of Yu plunging his sword into the road. The JoJo gnashed his teeth, unable to scream in pain as the electricity continually shocked him, throwing off his concentration and preventing him from using his trump card.
In the briefest of moments...Yu looked on at Jotaro as the Joestar did the same.
And then...
"Thousands die while a million are born."
Izanagi-no-Okami twirled its spear, its circular guard glowing brightly. Soon afterwards, storm clouds of varying sizes and shades covered the sky. Yu Narukami was going to deliver the endgame.
Izanagi-no-Okami then ascended into the sky, awaiting its master's final order.
Yu, on his part, looked Jotaro in the eye and smiled sadly. This man was but a stranger, one he'd only encountered. Yu knew that fierce determination, hidden within a stoic demeanor, burned within JoJo. The determination to get the hell out of this world, to be reunited with his loved ones. In other circumstances, they could have been allies.
And so, with a heavy heart, Yu Narukami gave out one final order.
"Behold...THE TRUTH!"
The clouds parted, if only by a bit...and a millisecond later, a blast of pure, concentrated divine lightning friendship thundered down on Jotaro Kujo. The Joestar, seeing it coming...only smiled sadly. If this was where he was going to fall, now he was a bit fine with that. Jotaro shut his eyes as he remembered each and every one of his companions, alive or deceased.
Joseph...
Avdol...
Polnareff...
Kakyoin...
Memories of his companions, alive and dead, flashed through his eyes. Jotaro then resigned himself into true submission to his foe's power. Star Platinum, of course, materialize in front of Jotaro to defend him at the last second, in one last futile attempt to defend its master-
[MYRIAD TRUTHS]
Just then, a singular blast of light ensued as it connected, lighting up the entirety of Inaba like Christmas. Not one trace of darkness remained, and the entire street was enveloped in blinding light.
And then...silence.
Little by little, the blinding light that was Myriad Truths faded away...
...and when Yu opened his eyes, he saw that not a single trace or facet of his former foe remained, save for the singed cap that had once belonged to him.
(stop music)
Yu Narukami stood there in silence. Now, one would normally relish in his victory over the other...but he didn't. He cast a gaze on Jotaro Kujo's cap, his head bowed in silent respect, as he began to ponder on a few things.
Was this truly the right thing to do? Had he just ended the life of a stranger who was merely confused as to why he had gotten here, and just as determined as he was to get back to his loved ones?
Still, Yu heaved a sigh of relief, glad that the battle was truly over. Silently thanking his friends and loved ones, the Wild Card sheathed his katana, and at the same moment, Izanagi-no-Okami, its job done, dissipated.
Casting one last gaze onto Jotaro's cap, Yu Narukami uttered one final phrase, directed at wherever his foe was now. Perhaps it would earn him some closure.
"It was an honor meeting you...Jotaro Kujo."
KO! FOR REAL THIS TIME!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Boomstick: *sniff* *sniffle* NOOOOOOOOOO! Jotaro was so cool!!! *begins sobbing*
Wiz: This Season Finale was a very, very close match. Jotaro's one Stand was capable of tanking through and overpowering Yu's many Personas, whilst Yu himself was a very skilled tactician, possessing more variety in his attack options.
Boomstick: *sob* But...just...did he have to DIE like that?!
Wiz: *sigh* ...Can't we just save the mourning for later?
Boomstick: NO! *furiously leaves the booth, bawling his eyes out*
Wiz: Okay...? Guess I'm gonna have to go at this alone... *sigh* Like I mentioned before, this was a very close match. But before we start, let's discuss a major point in this battle: how Yu and Jotaro could see their respective Stands/Personas.
Stands are a manifestation of their wielders' fighting spirit, and to a certain extent, their wielders' psyche. Personas, on the other hand, are manifestations of their wielders' personality; a "mask" for their wielders to use to face hardships.
In the field of psychoanalysis and other fields of depth psychology, the term psyche refers to the forces within an individual that influence thought, behavior, and personality. Thus it stands to reason, though it is a stretch at best, that Personas and Stands could affect each other.
Now...we get to the part where we explain the outcome of this match. From the beginning, Jotaro held the advantages in physical strength and speed. His one Stand, Star Platinum, was capable of outmatching the vast majority of Yu's Personas in sheer physical strength, and its durability was more than enough to tank through many of Yu's attacks. Speed also easily went to Jotaro, since his Stand can punch at speeds faster than light, and Yu has yet to contend with that level of speed. Yu also possessed zero counters to Jotaro's trump card, the time stop, thus giving the JoJo plenty of openings to exploit.
However, Yu Narukami isn't an individual to be underestimated. There is a reason why he was able to defeat Izanami-no-Okami and is able to challenge the denizens of the Velvet Room. His sheer adaptability, versatility, and battle tactics allowed him to counter Jotaro's admittedly simplistic fighting style. Now, don't get me wrong, Jotaro is a great tactician in his own right...but the simplicity of his fighting style played right into Yu's hands. With Izanagi alone, Yu already possessed a versatility advantage over Jotaro, and couple that with his other Personas, who could buff Yu and debuff their opponents. In short, Yu had too much variety and versatility for Jotaro to handle.
Not to mention their durabilities. Jotaro and his Stand were incredibly durable, sure, but Yu's own durability is nothing to scoff at. He's tanked lightning bolts, superpowered hits, and attacks from deities such as Izanami-no-Okami, some of them being potential one-hit kills.
Also, Jotaro might have been physically stronger, but it was Yu who held the advantage in terms of raw destructive force. By spades. At his maximum, Jotaro wields the destructive power to demolish the average city block, via harming and defeating DIO whose body survived a passenger ship explosion packing the force of around 30 to 64 tons of TNT. Yu, on the other hand, possesses the destructive power to destroy the average large town. This is proven through his battle with Ameno-Sagiri, where through his Persona power, he split a rather thick layer of clouds in the sky, a feat that was calculated to be equivalent to 514 kilotons, or 514,000 tons of TNT! Naturally, this should scale to his durability since he tanked hits from stronger foes, such as Izanami and Kusumi-no-Okami. Ultimately, Yu's destructive power and durability were so far ahead of Jotaro's that the Joestar's sheer speed and time stop simply weren't enough to do Yu in. Sure, speed and time stop will help Jotaro hurt Yu, but they won't be enough to kill him given Yu's various healing options, and Yu's durability being much higher than Jotaro's maximum striking power.
Another thing to note is their trump cards, the Time Stop and Izanagi-no-Okami. Now, as mentioned before, Narukami possessed no counters to the time stop, and was left completely vulnerable...but here's the thing. Jotaro doesn't spam his time stop as his mortal enemy, DIO, did, as it would put a strain on his heart. Izanagi-no-Okami, however...it had zero debilitating drawbacks, and was a substantial power boost.
And while we're on the topic of time stop... "But wait! What if you used Star Platinum: The World? That can spam the time stop no problem!"
Well, the fight would be a hell of a lot closer, and it might go either way...but Yu has the slightly greater chance of winning. Remember, in exchange for mastering the Stand's ability to stop time, Star Platinum's actual defenses plummeted from excellent to poor. That is a considerable drop in durability right there, and considering the power that Yu's Personas wielded...well, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the outcome will remain the same, even with Star Platinum: The World.
"But wait," you may ask, "if Yu gets Izanagi-no-Okami, why doesn't Jotaro get Star Platinum Over Heaven?"
The answer is simple: it'll make the battle too easy for Jotaro, given the fact that it can rewrite reality. Also, remember that Eyes of Heaven is non-canon, and Yu himself doesn't have any game-breaking non-canon material to utilize...so it would be plain unfair if we gave Jotaro Star Platinum Over Heaven.
One more thing to note is that Star Platinum, while very powerful, is limited to an effective range of 2 meters. Meaning it must always be close to Jotaro to operate at full power. Yu's Personas, on the other hand, lacked such a weakness, if many of them couldn't already attack from long range.
Lastly, there's really no getting around two of Yu's greatest powers, his resolve and Myriad Truths. Jotaro's resolve was great, sure, but it wasn't a superpower in itself, whilst Yu's own resolve actually had the power to bring him back from the brink of death. Myriad Truths...it is a one-hit kill when it connects. Jotaro has very little means to avoid it, and no means to counter it once it hits.
Still, if it makes y'all feel better, consider this: Jotaro Kujo is so powerful and badass that it took the Pimptagonist from Persona 4 and his evolved thunder god Stand JUST to take him down. That and his sheer willpower and the power of his Stand should speak volumes.
*calls out to the outside* Hey, Boomstick! Are you gonna do the obligatory post-battle pun or not?
Boomstick: *sniffle* Hell no! I'll stand by my decision of leaving!
Wiz: ...did you just do a--
Boomstick: NO!
Wiz: *sigh* In the end, when all is said and done, the winner of our Season 2 Finale is Yu Narukami.
Winner: YU NARUKAMI
+ Greater destructive capability
+ Multiple Personas gave him more varied attack options and keep Jotaro hopping
+ Range advantage
+ Better tactician, at least by comparison
+ Stupidly overpowered durability
+ Personas aren't restricted by a range limit
+ Actually wielded a weapon himself
+ Izanagi-no-Okami is much greater than Star Platinum
+ Resolve and the power of Social Links could bring him back from near-death
+ Myriad Truths. Srsly, Myriad f*cking Truths
= Shares the pain of his Personas
- Physically weaker
- Slower
- Had no counters to the time stop
Loser: JOTARO KUJO
+ Physically stronger
+ Star Platinum could keep up with Yu's Personas for the most part...
-> - ...and then Izanagi-no-Okami showed up
+ Time stop is a valuable asset
+ Much, much faster, especially with Star Platinum, and this can help him at least harm Yu
+++ A tried-and-true badass to the last breath
= Shares the pain of Star Platinum
- In terms of raw destructive force and durability, is trumped
- Star Platinum must always be near Jotaro
- In terms of ranged options, had very little to work with other than Star Finger
- While an excellent tactician himself, Jotaro had little means to counter Yu's versatility
- Time stop cannot be spammed, as it puts a strain in his heart, and needs concentration to perform it
- Possessed no means to counter Myriad Truths
*~*~*~*~*~*
(A/N: Aaaaaaaaaand that's a wrap! Hope y'all enjoyed this battle, and the entire season.
Man. Seventeen thousand words. I gotta say, this is the longest fight I've ever written here. If y'all were too dragged out by the absurd length of this fight, I apologize, but if you enjoyed it, thanks! As always, don't forget to leave constructive criticism. It is greatly appreciated.
Also, not for this fight, but the entirety of the season...I apologize. I know I made too many modifications, and I couldn't deliver the line-up that I promised I would do in Vergil vs Sephiroth. That's because I felt that the matchups I replaced were too ridiculous (Chuck vs Madoka), already done (Lara vs Nate), or one of the characters was still a tad too incomplete (Ruby vs Nero. Still, I made Brachydios vs Yang. HYPOCRISY!!!) I hope you all understand.
Anyway, as this Season has proven, the line-up for the next season is incredibly flexible and can be modified, and thus I won't be posting a full line-up for Season 3, as some of the matches can change. The Season 3 Premiere will be revealed shortly, just not in this chapter.
Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed this absurdly long Season Finale, and the Season of Modifications. As always, peace out.)