Chapter 47: [Invisible Black Monster: Oni] VS [The Fool]
Back in the alley, Iggy, the Canine Emperor, chewed his coffee gum, surrounded by his adoring female admirers. He was contemplating the black Stand he'd seen earlier. It hadn't done anything, but its very existence was a complication.
All Iggy wanted was to be the undisputed king of the strays. He had no interest in being dragged into the complex, violent world of human Stand Users. He spat out the flavorless gum, stood up, and decided it was time to change territories.
But as he trotted toward the alley's exit, a new set of footsteps entered. He looked back. A tall, imposing human was walking toward him, his gaze intense. And beside him, walking in perfect sync, was the black ninja Stand: [Oni].
Jonas stared at the dog, his eyes locking on the worn-out tag: IGGY.
It all clicked. The vague, nagging familiarity from the night before... this dog... this is Iggy! One of the Stardust Crusaders! It felt like Gravity itself had delivered this opportunity. Polnareff was unavailable, but this... this battle-hardened, Stand-using dog... he would make a perfect ally.
Jonas crouched down, a friendly smile on his face. He pulled an unopened pack of coffee-flavored gum from his pocket.
"Hey there, fella," Jonas said in a soothing voice. "Looking for this? I've got a whole stash of it back at my place. How about you come home with me?"
Iggy gave him a look of utter, profound contempt. This idiot thinks I'm just some common stray he can bribe with a treat.
Heh. Foolish human. Let me show you what happens when you underestimate me.
Iggy trotted forward, snatched the gum from Jonas's hand, and tore into the wrapper.
"Hey, slow down," Jonas chuckled, "you'll eat the foil..."
As the dog chewed, Jonas slowly reached out his hand, intending to scoop the small creature up.
But as his hand approached, Iggy stopped chewing. He turned, presented his backside to Jonas... and hiked his leg.
Pfffft.
A small, wet, and incredibly foul-smelling fart was directed squarely at Jonas's face.
Jonas's smile vanished, his eye twitching. A dark, murderous aura began to radiate from him.
"Good grief," he seethed. "What a truly, utterly... vulgar... creature."
With a sound that was unmistakably a canine cackle, Iggy bolted.
"[ONI]!" Jonas roared, pointing. "GET HIM!"
[Oni] was on the move instantly. Black particles swarmed its hand, forming a perfect rope lasso, which it hurled at the fleeing dog. But Iggy was just as fast.
"[THE FOOL]!"
A cloud of sand erupted from the ground, coalescing into a mechanical, canine-like Stand. [The Fool] swatted the lasso aside and then, with a powerful kick of its hind legs, sent a massive sandstorm rolling down the alley, blinding [Oni].
Damn it! Jonas thought, his connection to [Oni] relaying the sensory data. [Oni] relies on sight! Unlike [Maw]'s sense of smell, this sand is a perfect counter!
But [Oni] was a Stand of tools. It simply raised its hand, which dissolved and reformed into a massive gunbai—a Japanese war fan. With a single, powerful swing, it created a gale-force wind that tore the sandstorm apart.
Through the clearing dust, [Oni] saw him: Iggy, just about to escape the alley.
Iggy glanced back, his doggy-face twisting into a smirk. He'd made it!
But as he reached the alley's exit, a black form rose up from the shadow on the ground... directly in front of him.
N-NANI?! Iggy's mind reeled. It... It rose from the shadow! It can shadow-travel!
Yare yare, he thought, his expression turning serious. This just got complicated.
[Oni], now blocking his path, dissolved its war fan and reformed its hands into a dog-catcher's net. It lunged.
"[THE FOOL]!"
Iggy dodged, and his Stand materialized to take the blow. But the net simply passed through the sand, having no effect. [Oni], in turn, lashed out with a kick. Its foot connected... and passed harmlessly through [The Fool]'s body, which dissolved into sand on impact.
So, Jonas analyzed through his Stand, it's the same type as [Maw]. An automatic Stand that doesn't transfer damage to the user. I can't hurt him by attacking his Stand... I have to catch the user himself!
[The Fool] reformed at Iggy's side, but the dog was already on the move. He shot out of the alley and into the street, dodging through the heavy, oncoming traffic.
[Oni] didn't hesitate. The entire street was cast in the long shadow of a skyscraper. The Stand sank into the ground, vanishing.
Iggy was in the middle of the road. He looked back. Nothing. He'd done it!
And then [Oni] rose up from Iggy's own tiny shadow, its hand descending to grab the scruff of his neck.
But just as its fingers were about to close... Iggy smirked.
"YOU FELL FOR IT, YOU BASTARD!" Iggy barked (in a way that Jonas, through his Stand, could somehow understand). "I KNEW YOU'D FOLLOW! DIDN'T YOU CHECK YOUR SURROUNDINGS?!"
[Oni] didn't understand the words, but it felt the change in the air. It looked up.
A massive eighteen-wheeler truck, its horn blaring like the trumpets of hell, was less than a meter away, its massive grill filling their vision.
Time seemed to slow down.
"A Stand can't be hurt by a truck!" Iggy's internal monologue shrieked with triumphant genius. "But I'm not a Stand! I'm flesh and blood! To grab me, your hand has to become physical! I'm only thirty-five centimeters tall! I can duck under the bumper! But you... you're a full-sized humanoid Stand! ARE YOU WILLING TO BE OBLITERATED BY A TRUCK... JUST TO CATCH ME?!"
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Stand User: Iggy
Stand Name: [The Fool]
Destructive Power: B
Speed: C
Range: D
Stamina: C
Precision: D
Developmental Potential: C