One instant the world is spinning, racing too fast, the entire universe rushing toward its endpoint to start over again, and then suddenly it's gone. The explosions of pain are gone, but they're back quickly enough and he's too disoriented at first to explain why. His nose was bleeding and now it's not, but his face feels like it's on fire anyway and Dio is looking at him, low to the ground and holding his chin and accompanied by a flash of gold —
This is familiar, too, and what registers is: he's close enough, I can hit him, and so he does.
The lucky thing is, it's only Jotaro who's swinging. Star Platinum's crushing blows are absent as his Stand lingers behind, confused and disoriented himself because with no orders forthcoming his duty is to protect, but in a situation like this he can't be certain what protection is. So in the end, they end up trading blows, one for one save that one of them doesn't come with the force of a Stand behind it, and it's barely even connected when he orders Star Platinum to stop time for the second time tonight, and feels it burn as everything once again stills to a halt.
This time, though, he simply eases himself back down into the sand, and stares up at the sky overhead where it's beginning to dot with stars.
He can think again.
What the hell did Dio do...that left him so he couldn't think?
It's so quiet in the world of stopped time. It used to bother him, the quiet; on some level it still does, but — no one's talking. That's nice. It's just quiet, and the waves ought to be lapping at the shore but they're not but they will be soon, and that's fine.
...No one's talking? But Dio's right th—
...
Oh.
He reaches up, absently, and catches hold of one of his opponent's forelocks, gently twisting it into a coil and setting it back against his forehead. That's better. That's the way it's supposed to be, isn't it...
Time's going to run out, but that's...okay, too. Five seconds to breathe was enough. He should move, probably, but he won't. Not yet, at least, because there's still no telling if this is the end of their duel or just a temporary suspension of their maneuvers, and Giorno had something to say to him so he should probably...let him do that.
He's got something to say too, doesn't he...?
And time resumes.]
I don't want to beat it.
[He forces the words out in a hurry, determined to get them out in the first place before he loses his opportunity, because he has a feeling he might if he's not fast enough.]
I can beat it but don't use it again. I don't want to. I don't want to.
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One instant the world is spinning, racing too fast, the entire universe rushing toward its endpoint to start over again, and then suddenly it's gone. The explosions of pain are gone, but they're back quickly enough and he's too disoriented at first to explain why. His nose was bleeding and now it's not, but his face feels like it's on fire anyway and Dio is looking at him, low to the ground and holding his chin and accompanied by a flash of gold —
This is familiar, too, and what registers is: he's close enough, I can hit him, and so he does.
The lucky thing is, it's only Jotaro who's swinging. Star Platinum's crushing blows are absent as his Stand lingers behind, confused and disoriented himself because with no orders forthcoming his duty is to protect, but in a situation like this he can't be certain what protection is. So in the end, they end up trading blows, one for one save that one of them doesn't come with the force of a Stand behind it, and it's barely even connected when he orders Star Platinum to stop time for the second time tonight, and feels it burn as everything once again stills to a halt.
This time, though, he simply eases himself back down into the sand, and stares up at the sky overhead where it's beginning to dot with stars.
He can think again.
What the hell did Dio do...that left him so he couldn't think?
It's so quiet in the world of stopped time. It used to bother him, the quiet; on some level it still does, but — no one's talking. That's nice. It's just quiet, and the waves ought to be lapping at the shore but they're not but they will be soon, and that's fine.
...No one's talking? But Dio's right th—
...
Oh.
He reaches up, absently, and catches hold of one of his opponent's forelocks, gently twisting it into a coil and setting it back against his forehead. That's better. That's the way it's supposed to be, isn't it...
Time's going to run out, but that's...okay, too. Five seconds to breathe was enough. He should move, probably, but he won't. Not yet, at least, because there's still no telling if this is the end of their duel or just a temporary suspension of their maneuvers, and Giorno had something to say to him so he should probably...let him do that.
He's got something to say too, doesn't he...?
And time resumes.]
I don't want to beat it.
[He forces the words out in a hurry, determined to get them out in the first place before he loses his opportunity, because he has a feeling he might if he's not fast enough.]
I can beat it but don't use it again. I don't want to. I don't want to.