//------------------------------// // Part 9-2: Hunter Soul // Story: Shim Sham's Bizarre Adventure // by Joey JoJo Shabadoo //------------------------------// “Oh, my.” Rarity gasped. “That Stand looks as ghastly as your dress.” “Quiet, you!” Suri’s Stand, a black, spectral woman, loomed over the stage. “Hunter Soul is far more impressive than that wriggling piece of cloth you’re clasping onto.” Realising that the cloth didn’t belong to Suri, Rarity released it from her grip, allowing it to slither away, backstage. Rarity already had a hunch on who the cloth Stand really belonged to. “Suri!” Rarity called. “You and your friend were the ones who stole the arrow from Sunset’s locker, weren’t you?” “So what if we were? Would you promise to let us go free, if we returned it, peacefully?” Suri smirked. Rarity chuckled to herself. “Oh, heavens no.” Abruptly followed by a striking glare as the torn pieces of what was once her masterpiece, ominously levitated around her. “I’m going to destroy you.” Lady Fascination manipulated the pieces of torn fabric, weaving them into a new object. Her declaration put Suri on edge and her Stand immediately jumped into action. Hunter Soul dove into the stage and swam toward Rarity. It released the lock on the trapdoor dropping Rarity underneath, in the hopes that it would be enough to interrupt whatever plan she was enacting. Rarity reacted quickly, her own Stand changed the texture of the floor beneath her into an elastic substance. Landing into the elastic floor, Rarity sunk in and used the force of her fall to spring her herself back out of the stage and into the air. Taking advantage of her airborne momentum she dove toward Suri, with the intention of decking her in the face. Sadly, she wasn’t quick enough as Suri leapt back, just barely avoiding her. Before her fist collided with the ground, her Stand once again, changed the texture of the stage so it was as soft as a cushion, leaving Rarity’s fist unharmed. In their brief scuffle, the girls got a taste of what each of their Stand’s were capable of. Rarity’s ability to manipulate and transform matter versus Suri’s ability of possession. Before Suri could brag about how futile Rarity’s efforts were, Rarity was already in the middle of her next move, as her Stand wove her tattered dress into a nice, solid club that she quickly tossed at Suri’s face. Thanks, once again, to her quick reflexes, Suri narrowly avoided being clobbered as the club flew past her and embedded itself into the wall behind, leaving a terrifyingly deep hole. Even Rarity was shocked by her Stand's power. “Oh, dear.” She laughed. “I suppose that was a bit much.” Suri quickly realised that Rarity wasn’t the pushover she initially thought she was and promptly rushed off the stage. Rarity followed behind, no one messed with her dresses and got away with it. Suri hurried to the end of the gym and opened the storage room. Inside was equipment used for various sporting events and gymnastics. She didn’t care what was inside, as long as there was something she could use to get Rarity off her back. While there were various sharp objects like javelins she could abuse, they seemed a little too extreme and would probably leave a mess. She just needed something that could knock Rarity unconscious, something unorthodox and unpredictable. Hunter Soul had a much easier time possessing smaller objects as larger ones were more difficult to move. That’s when Suri discovered the crate full of basketballs. “Trying to hide in the storage room, are we?” Rarity scoffed. “As if.” Suri threw the doors open, as a swarm of possessed basketballs flew toward Rarity, one after another. Staying quick on her feet and remembering her own horrible experiences with dodge ball, she dashed around the gym, weaving and bobbing to avoid each one. But, it wasn’t over, the balls she dodged didn’t simply lay dormant on the floor. They were still possessed by Hunter Soul and they all quickly rose back into the air for another round. Rarity couldn’t dodge forever, once she was backed up against a wall, she had to defend herself. As the second swarm of balls descended upon her, she used Lady Fascination to snatch a gym mat and flattened it into a strong, steel plate. As the balls rushed her, Lady span the plate in front of Rarity deflecting the balls away. Since each ball was possessed by Suri’s Stand, each deflection felt like a literal slap in her face. Angered by Rarity’s persistent attempts at foiling her every move, Suri possessed the remaining gym mats and lined them up either side of Rarity, forming a set of walls, preventing escape. After setting the mats, Suri lined up the basketballs, preparing to drop them in the alleyway she created between the mats. Rarity had nowhere to run but forward, but there was no way she’d be fast enough to reach Suri before being battered by more balls. Instead she formulated a counter to Suri’s plan. There was no time to create anything new, as she was still holding onto the mat she used previously and no convenient way of disposing if it. With such little space to work with, Rarity levitated her mat above her head, to shield herself. As the balls descended upon her, like a falling tree trunk, her mat protected her from the bombardment. In hindsight, the solution to Suri's assault was rather simple. This wasn't the end of Rarity's cunning plan. Once the balls landed in the alleyway, forming a perfect straight line, she then flipped the mat on top of them. Thanks to Suri’s own trap, Rarity could now ride her steel mat on top of the balls, like a treadmill, pushing herself toward Suri. This time she was determined to ram her fist straight into her smug face. Unfortunately the gap between them was too great, after sailing across the last ball, the treadmill came to a screeching halt and Rarity lost all her momentum as she landed on her feet, tripping slightly. Suri saw this brief opening as her chance to defeat Rarity using her own weapon. She possessed the flattened mat and attempted to flip it once again, to crush Rarity, but Rarity quickly changed the texture of one of the mats walling her in, so she could jump through it like wet paper, safely escaping Suri's trap, as the steel hard mat crashed into Suri’s own face. “Oh, dear.” Rarity giggled to herself. “Not the seasoned tactician I thought you’d be. I must admit I was fairly worried after you trapped me with those gym mats, but then I remembered, they’re just gym mats, my Stand can still change them just as easily as any other object.” The flattened mat slowly slid off Suri’s bitter mug. Whether it was the mat's surprisingly light weight, or through sheer force of anger, Suri was still standing and still conscious, her pride was more wounded than her face. Tired of Rarity’s games, she decided to bring out her secret weapon. Hunter Soul lunged itself at Rarity and flew inside her body. She felt paralysed and her mind started to black out. “What are you doing?” She cried, struggling to remain conscious. “Finding different objects to possess and beat you with is such a bother, all that thinking and strategising... I’m just going to possess you instead and call that a win.” Upon learning this new ability, Rarity tried her hardest to fight against Hunter Soul’s control. “As... if... I’d... ever... allow... someone like you... to control... ME!” Despite Suri’s best efforts, Rarity’s willpower was too strong. The longer Hunter Soul tried to fight against her, the more pain Suri felt, like a splitting headache that grew more unbearable the longer she struggled. The pain grew too much for Suri to bare and she had no choice but to release her Stand from Rarity before she passed out. Rarity tidied herself up. “Well, that didn’t accomplish much, did it? Are we done playing these little games now, or can I, finally redesign that face of yours?” A daring taunt, but Suri was too exhausted from her failed possession to snap back at her. She needed a break and to let someone else deal with Rarity for a while. “COCO! GET OUT HERE, NOW!” From behind the stage, the meek, hooded girl from earlier quietly stepped out. Her sky blue hair and pale skin further emphasised her weak disposition, as she hurried to Suri’s side in fear of being scolded again. “Coco, I’m growing tired of this battle, take over for me, m'kay?” “Uh, are you sure? She seems pretty strong and-” “Quiet! Your whining is giving me a headache.” Suri complained, rubbing her temples. “Just use your Stand to... I don’t know, punch her or something.” “Yes, ma’am.” Coco turned to Rarity and raised her fists. Rarity didn’t really understand why this girl was being so obedient, but she wasn’t about to let her guard down around Suri's subordinate. The red cloth from earlier appeared around Coco’s wrist, transforming into fighting gloves before she came charging at Rarity. However, something didn't feel right. Coco’s charge didn’t have the determination and resolve one would usually have when one was about to rough someone up. Not only that but, the punches Coco threw weren’t very focused, as Rarity easily swayed back and forth avoiding them. She could hardly treat Coco as a serious opponent, let alone an enemy when even she seemed unsure of what she was doing. “Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked out of genuine concern. “You seem a little distracted, we can quit if you want. I'm really only interested in Suri.” “No. I can still fight, I just need a little time to warm up.” Despite her will to continue, her shaky voice and saddened expression showed that she was clearly struggling. “Coco!” Suri called. “Will you just land a hit already!” “I’m really trying, she’s too fast...” With an exaggerated groan, Suri continued. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, then maybe I should take over!” Coco appeared hurt by the idea, but she ultimately decided that it was probably for the best. “O-okay...” “Is your break time finally over, Suri?” Rarity chided. “Honestly, how could you drag this poor girl into our fight like that? She’s clearly lacking in both skill and confidence. Now get over here and put up your dukes, I'm not done with you, yet!” A sickly grin crawled across Suri’s face. “I’m not going to fight you, Coco is! I’m just taking over.” “What?” Hunter Soul emerged from Suri and flew into Coco’s body. Without even putting up a fight, the Stand took full control of her body as evidenced by the blank stare in her eyes. Rarity was disturbed by the very idea of using another person as a puppet, but she didn’t have long to think about it as Coco rushed toward her. With Hunter Soul in control, there was no hesitation in her movements and her punches were much more precise, as they gave Rarity a tougher time dodging. Realising the gravity of the situation, Rarity ran over to the mats hoping to meld them into a weapon to fight with, but Coco was much faster than she was before. Lady Fascination only had time to rip a piece of the mat off before it quickly returned to Rarity to use said piece to defend her from Coco’s punch. The mat piece cushioned the blow, but the sheer force of the impact sent Rarity flying out the back of the gym doors and into the field outside. As she flew Lady used the mat piece to soften the fall, but with little material to work with, Rarity still slid across the grass, leaving horrible grass stains on her favourite casual outfit. Truly, this was not her day. Suri laughed at Rarity’s expense, congratulating herself on a job well done, but Rarity hadn’t given up. She dragged herself back up on her feet. “I guess you didn’t hit her hard enough, Pommel." Suri chuckled. "Why don’t you go finish the job for me?” Coco was about to follow Rarity outside when Suri suddenly called her back. “Wait! Just to be safe, you should hand that over to me. I don’t want it to get broken.” After making some quick preparations, Coco headed outside to finish what she started. Rarity was shocked by Coco’s strength, even though she presented herself as meek and shy, her Stand was devastating. Was this the power of Hunter Soul, or was Coco’s own Stand simply stronger than even Coco herself realised? She thought back on her fight with Suri and how exactly her Stand worked. Possession of objects and people, that’s when she remembered. This wasn’t the first time the girls had to deal with one of Suri's possessed minions. A certain bulky individual, with a burly Stand, had also been a victim of possession, but that person’s power was most definitely their own. With that knowledge, Rarity concocted a strategy. As Coco approached her, Rarity transformed the mat piece into a shield. Although it was small, it was strong enough to defend against any of Coco’s punches. Coco unleashed another series of powerful jabs that Rarity was successfully able to defend against. As they fought Rarity set her plan into motion. “Coco, I know you’re in there! I know you can hear me!” The possessed girl continued her assault, while Rarity continued to speak. “Why are you letting Suri control you like this? I know you can break free! I did, rather easily in fact, so I know you can do it, too!” Her attacks started slowing down, a sign that she was listening. “You don’t need her, Coco. She’s not your friend, she’s just using you, literally!” Coco’s assault came to a halt. She calmed down, as Rarity held out her hand. “Come on, darling. You don’t need her bossing you around all the time.” Angered that Rarity’s words were having an effect so quickly, Suri tightened her control over Coco. “Hey! Are you actually listening to her!? I’m the one who gave you those powers! I’m the one who taught you how to use them! You didn't even have any friends until I showed up! You’re nothing without me!” Suri fought back against what little willpower Coco had to regain complete control over her. She smacked Rarity’s hand away and prepared a downward punch. Rarity raised her shield to defend herself, but despite blocking the attack, the force of the blow knocked her to the ground, as Coco kicked her shield away. Coco clenched her fist, preparing to end the fight, but with some quick thinking, Rarity, still lying on the ground found something else she could use as a weapon. She didn’t want to hurt Coco, but she needed to defend herself and so, by ripping the grass from beneath her, she transformed the torn blades into small needles that flew into Coco’s face. The needles were small and didn’t cause any serious damage, but the stinging pain was enough to stun Coco for a brief moment. Rarity used this chance to escape. She needed to break Suri’s control over Coco some other way and so she came up with another daring scheme. This time she regained her shield and transformed it into a small scythe, her Stand then used the scythe to hack away at the grass. Coco quickly recovered from being blindsided and chased after Rarity who was already running across the field hacking away at the grass. Suri laughed at the ridiculous display. "Look at that tiny little, scythe! What could you possibly accomplish with such a puny weapon!? Other than embarrass yourself!" "A lot more than your cheap Stand!" Rarity responded. After tiring herself out from the back breaking labour of mowing the lawn, Coco eventually caught back up to Rarity who was too tired to run away. Exhausting herself now was a gamble, but all that grass cutting was necessary for next stage of her plan. All Rarity had to do now was buy time as she attempted to help Coco break through her mind control, once more. “Coco, you must understand. You are not weak!” While Rarity continued giving Coco encouragement her Stand swirled the cut grass blades around them in preparation. “I know this because I have a friend just like you. She’s quiet and frail and doubts herself, but she’s still a Stand user just like us and her Stand is tall, powerful and reliable. She may appear to be a weak girl, but how can she when her Stand can punch craters into the earth with it’s bare fists?” Coco started hesitating again, despite Suri’s grip on her mind tightening, Coco could still hear Rarity’s voice. “It’s because she’s strong, maybe not physically, but a Stand is a reflection of a person’s soul, their life force. Can someone with a Stand capable of such feats of strength really be considered weak? What about the strength to send a lady like myself careening helplessly through the air? Do you consider that weak?” Coco, stopped in her tracks as Suri’s grip on her loosened. Rarity continued. “If you ask me, the only weak person here is Suri. A Stand that's only considered powerful when it's controlling others, is just the reflection of a soul that can’t do anything on their own and so, must rely on manipulating others to accomplish anything!” “Hey, shut up!” Suri objected, rushing over to the battle, insulted. However, Rarity refused. “But, you can’t even do that right, can you, Suri? Just ask Bulk Biceps, his memory may be foggy, but you couldn’t properly control him without screwing up, could you?” “How do you know about that!? You weren’t even there!?” “No, but my friends were. Bulk may be a little dim, but he’s not some brutish bully. It’s completely out of character for him to attack somebody for no reason. But after witnessing your Stand, it all made sense! Coco, you don’t need Suri to control you! She’s not strong, or even that smart, you’re much better off without her!” Coco was lost in thought. Deep down she knew what Rarity said was true, that Suri wasn't powerful, or smart and a horrible friend. She started to wonder why she ever listened to her in the first place, most likely out of loneliness. But, if Rarity, a complete stranger, believed in her, then maybe she could believe in herself and maybe she could make a real friend. One who didn't use her as a tool, in fact, as she thought harder, she came to the realisation, that she never wanted to be used as a tool again. Suri could feel her grip slipping and her anger was only making it harder to concentrate, she needed to regain some control, just enough to finish the fight. “Don’t listen to her, you idiot! It’s a trick! She’s just trying to distract you, so she can use this grass for a counter attack! I'm the one in control! Listen to me!” Snapping out of her deep thoughts, she examined her surroundings. The girls had been encompassed by a whirlwind of grass needles, but there was one small detail Suri had overlooked, a detail Rarity was more than happy to point out to her. “Who said I was aiming for Coco?” The grass needles all stopped in the air and pointed toward their target. A target that was much easier to hit now that she had inadvertently stepped into their range. “I told you she wasn’t very smart.” By the time Suri realised she had screwed up, it was already too late. The needles all darted toward her, puncturing every inch of her body. Just like before, they weren’t deep enough to cause any serious damage, but the pain was more than enough for Suri to lose her grip over Coco’s mind. Hunter Soul had been successfully exercised from Coco’s body, freeing her from Suri’s control. Rarity supported her, as she regained her senses. She then, immediately turned to Suri, who was awkwardly plucking needles from her body. Coco confronted her ex-friend with a daunting glare. Suri didn’t know what to say and instead attempted to throw her Stand at Coco again, but it was ineffective. Having realised just how weak Suri truly was, Coco had absolute confidence in her power and easily smacked Hunter Soul aside with her own Stand. "After everything I did for you and you still call me an 'idiot'." With her powers no longer being a viable option, Suri had only one trick left. “Um... I’m sorry?” "Denied." Coco responded with a swift punch to the face, sending Suri flying back into the gym. After breathing a massive sigh of relief, as if the weight of the world had finally been lifted from her shoulders, she turned to Rarity. “I... I’m so sorry, for what I did to your dress.” Rarity was a little shocked that Coco instantly returned to her meek demeanor. Hard to believe she just sent someone on a one way trip through the gym, just mere seconds ago. “Oh, please, don’t worry about it. We all know who’s really to blame in all this.” Rarity chuckled. “I’m still sorry.” “Why were you even with that horrid woman to begin with?” “I thought she wanted to be my friend, but I guess she was just looking for someone to boss around, instead.” “She’s the one who gave you that Stand, right?” She pointed to the cloth wrapped around Coco’s arm. “Yeah, I didn’t really understand how, but I figured if she was willing to share a special power like this with me, then maybe she wanted to be friends.” “What’s it called?” “A Stand.” “No, I mean, what’s your Stand called?” “I don’t know. I didn’t know you could name them.” Rarity was appalled that Coco's Stand wasn't even given a name, Suri was truly a wicked individual. “Well, this simply won’t do at all. Luckily, I have the perfect name in mind. How about: Make Oneself.” “Make Oneself... yeah, that sounds nice.” Coco smiled. “Oh, speaking of Stands.” Rarity suddenly remembered. “You were the one who stole the Unicorn Arrow from Sunset’s locker, correct?” “Oh, yeah, I’m sorry about that, too.” “That’s okay, but we really do need that back. Don’t want it falling into the wrong hands, do we?” “Oh, sure, let me just...” Coco felt around her clothes only to realise that she no longer had the arrow in her possession. “Um, it’s gone.” "What? I thought you had it?" "I did! I put it in my front pocket, but it's gone!" “But, if you don’t have it, then...” Rarity and Coco turned their attention to the gym. Hoping to find an unconscious delinquent lying flat on her face, they instead only found small bloodstains leading away from the school. “Um, I think she just ran away...” Coco explained. Rarity could no longer contain her anger. Outraged by Suri's cowardice. “That... that... HARLOT!"