Chapter 19: If You Can't Win, Run! There's No Shame in It!
Jonas-kun approached the smoking, charred form of Alessi. He was honestly surprised that the man had survived an explosion of that magnitude.
Seeing his child-sized nemesis draw near, Alessi forced his heavy eyelids open. He was done. He had given up completely. He, a full-grown man, couldn't even defeat a child. The crushing humiliation had extinguished his will to fight.
"Hey," Jonas-kun demanded, putting on a threatening air. "Change me back. Now!"
A broken, reedy voice rasped from Alessi's throat. "If I... if I change you back... will you... let me go?" He hadn't surrendered earlier because he was terrified of what the adult Jonas would do to him. But now, with no hope left, all he could do was bargain.
"You're in no position to bargain!" Jonas-kun bluffed, his eyes glittering dangerously as he clenched his small fists. "Either you undo this yourself, or I'll beat you until you do!"
Terrified, Alessi threw his hands up to protect his battered face, certain another punch was coming.
"Don't hit me!" he shrieked. "I... I surrender!"
With the last of his strength, Alessi staggered to his feet. He began to back away, planning to get as far as possible before undoing his Stand's ability. He had to be ready to flee the instant Jonas returned to his adult form.
He retreated, step by step. Jonas-kun just watched, making no move to stop him. Good, Alessi thought. I can make it. I can get out of here.
And that's when Hol Horse arrived at the mouth of the alley.
He peered into the gloom and saw the scene: a filthy, disheveled man with a face full of malice, cornering a small, half-naked boy.
"Found you... you kidnapper!" Hol Horse thought, a wave of relief washing over him.
Now, it's true that Hol Horse was a flirt, a scoundrel, a greedy mercenary, and a killer for hire. But even he possessed the Golden Spirit. In his travels around the world, he'd seen his share of human misery, but the one thing he absolutely could not tolerate was a child trafficker. He might not have been a "good guy," but he would never stoop to such a despicable, unforgivable crime.
Therefore, he would righteously intervene.
He quietly bent down, picked up a sturdy-looking brick, and crept up behind Alessi.
Suddenly, Alessi felt a massive, crushing impact on the back of his head, as if... well, as if someone had just smashed a brick on his head. He tried to fight the darkness, to stay conscious, but it was useless.
In his last moment of awareness, his swimming vision caught a glimpse of the culprit. A man with golden hair and a cowboy hat was smirking at him, a chunk of brick still in his hand.
"They call me Hol Horse," the man declared, striking a cool pose. "And a gentleman like me can't just stand by while a scumbag like you threatens a kid!"
Hol... Horse?! The name detonated in Alessi's fading consciousness. That's... That's the name of my partner! The one Enya sent! Why... Why is my partner... attacking... ME?!
With his mind full of questions, Alessi's world went black.
ALESSI IS RETIRED.
Hol Horse's gaze softened as he turned to the small boy. But before he could say a word, the most bizarre thing he'd ever seen—and he'd seen a lot—happened.
With the Stand user unconscious, the ability of [Sethan] faded.
In an instant, the boy's body began to... grow. Hol Horse's jaw dropped as, in a matter of seconds, the small child elongated, broadened, and transformed into the full-grown, muscular man from the photograph.
Jonas was back.
As Jonas's body got bigger, Hol Horse's mouth fell open wider. He stared, his pupils trembling, as the pieces clicked into place with horrifying clarity.
His eyes darted from the adult Jonas... down to the unconscious, battered man at his feet.
The "kidnapper"... was his partner.
The "child"... was his target.
A single, cold drop of sweat trickled down Hol Horse's temple. His partner, Alessi, had been reduced to this pathetic state by a child version of Jonas. What chance did he, Hol Horse, have against this man at full power?
He let out a long breath, made a swift tactical decision, and hoisted Alessi's unconscious body over his shoulder. Then, he turned and ran for his life.
"If you can't win, run!" he muttered to himself as he sprinted. "There's no shame in it! I'm not about to get eaten by whatever Stand that guy has! I'll just wait for a better opportunity. My strength only shines when I have a partner, anyway. I don't aim to be Number One... Number Two is good enough for me! That's the Hol Horse philosophy!"
From Jonas's perspective, this cowboy had just appeared out of nowhere, brained Enya's assassin with a brick, stared at him for a second, and then ran off with the body. He stood there, completely baffled by the man's actions. But he knew one thing: if Alessi was Enya's man, this cowboy must be, too. And he might have information.
Jonas started to give chase. He took two steps and then abruptly stopped.
With his body restored, his tiny underwear... was just tiny underwear. He was, for all intents and purposes, naked. And he still had his pride.
That brief hesitation was all Hol Horse needed. By the time Jonas peeked out of the alley, the cowboy and his unconscious burden were gone. He stroked his chin, frustrated.
He walked back into the bakery. He found the owner's room, "borrowed" a set of clothes that fit, and put them on. As he came downstairs, he was greeted by the sound of a woman screaming, "Pervert! You... you're a pervert!"
The baker, who had also been de-aged by [Sethan], had reverted to his adult form at the same time as Jonas. Unfortunately, he had not been wearing an infant's onesie. He was now standing, completely naked, in the middle of his own shop. The customer's reaction was, all things considered, quite understandable.
As Jonas slipped out the front, he heard the sound of sirens. Someone had called the fire department about the explosion. He made his way back to the first alley, relieved to find his original clothes still lying in a heap.
He dressed and returned to "La Porte Rouge."
The moment he walked in, he saw a familiar figure at the bar. It was Manon, the journalist, looking bored as she swirled the bubbles in her beer.
"Manon," Jonas said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"
She spun around, her face lighting up. "Jonas! You're finally back! Where in the world did you run off to?"
The bartender chuckled. "This lady's been waiting for you for almost an hour, my friend."
"I... had to take care of some business," Jonas said, deciding it was best not to involve a civilian in the bizarre world of Stand battles. "Did you... find something?"
"I did," she said, her eyes gleaming. "I found J. Geil's location!"