Tooth ACT1, Part One

"No!"

Jodio instinctively tried to stop time and retreat to safety, but Tang San was faster. In a flash, he appeared before Jodio and brought the Asura Divine Sword crashing down, its boundless divine power and Asura Killing Intent behind a blow that seemed ready to split a mountain!

King Crimson rushed to protect its master, unleashing a flurry of punches that barely held the strike back. But then a heavy blow slammed into Jodio's back. He spat up a great mouthful of blood mixed with mucus and stomach acid and nearly collapsed. Tang the God King gave him no chance to recover. Another sweep of his sword sent Jodio flying into the distance!

"Boss Jo! He just got knocked flying! How is that possible?" Huo Yuhao shouted anxiously as he watched through binoculars from far away.

"How is that possible? I clearly... stopped time."

"You think an experience like that is special? That you're the only one who's had it?" Jodio said. His gaze grew calm again as he slowly walked over.

"Ma Hongjun came from a poor family. His parents are farmers—tenant farmers, the poorest of the poor. He has several siblings, and his martial soul has a flaw. If it goes untreated for too long, his Soul Power will regress. He might even drop dead." Jodio pointed to Ma Hongjun, who was watching avidly from afar.

"But Little Ma has never lost heart. Whenever training pushed him to the end of his rope, whenever he reached his limit, I asked if he could keep going. He always gritted his teeth, took a drink of water, and got up to train with me some more. He complained all the time, but he never gave up. Now he's nine years old and level twenty-two. Tell me, what level were you at nine? Nineteen? Eighteen?" Jodio asked Dai Mubai coldly.

"Opportunity! Happiness! A future! They've always belonged to people with conviction! Even if they're a goat surrounded by wolves, a shark encircled by orcas, a rabbit caught in a trap, or a beautiful girl sent to a rich man's private room! Dai Mubai, what do you believe in?"

"Ora!"

Stone Free's fist came crashing down again. This time, Dai Mubai summoned every ounce of will he had and caught it with his hand, even at the risk of shattering the bones in his palm!

"What?!" Ma Hongjun cried in surprise.

"Just now... you showed me both of your Spirit Ring abilities, didn't you?" Blood and tears mingled in Dai Mubai's eyes. He spoke slowly between ragged breaths, as though the words alone took all the strength he had.

"Your first ability lets you turn into string, and it makes you incredibly strong. Your second seems to create plants. But I've never seen you use it, so it must be less useful than the first!" Dai Mubai said through clenched teeth.

"You've kept the ability of that Knight Spirit Ring under wraps, but I figure it's either an attack or something else strange. That means the only real danger left is your third ability!" Dai Mubai shouted.

"Come on! Show me your third ability!"

Dai Mubai's second Spirit Ring lit up again. He poured almost the last of his strength into activating its ability.

"This is my final White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"

As the fierce light gathered, Jodio leaped backward. His eyes shone with delight. Dai Mubai's last stand did not anger him in the slightest; if anything, he admired it.

Stone Free withdrew, and blue light appeared around Jodio's fingers once more. It flickered and danced like tiny whirlwinds, almost as if it were alive. A small pink figure materialized beside him. Compared with Silver Chariot, Stone Free, or Gold Experience, this Stand was tiny and weak. Yet Dai Mubai sensed a threat from it. He knew it was Jodio's third ability, and that it would bring about his defeat.

But why? How could I let it happen again...

How could I possibly accept losing?

"If I can win, why would I want to lose?!" Dai Mubai roared.

"Fly high for me!"

The White Tiger Fierce Light Wave tore forward. Across from him, Jodio raised a hand, aimed casually, and spoke as if it were nothing.

"Tooth.1."

Pain shot through Dai Mubai's shoulder, stomach, and lower leg, leaving him with an almost liberating sense of relief. He forced himself to stay upright on his other leg, wavering on the brink of collapse so he would not be declared defeated. He wanted to see the light wave hit Jodio. Even a glancing blow would do.

Jodio smiled. He was pleased—more than pleased. Sure enough, it took a lesson like this to bring out someone's true potential and make him worth watching.

The light wave grazed Jodio's forearm, leaving it bloody where the skin had been torn. But a wound like that could not stop him from fighting. He summoned Silver Chariot again, approached slowly, and thrust its sword. The blade stopped a hair's breadth from Dai Mubai's eyes.

"Why didn't you dodge?" Jodio asked with a smile.

"Because... I'm not afraid anymore."

"Great!" Jodio said, clapping his hands in approval.

"You pass. I'll get you treated now, so get ready to enroll." Smiling, Jodio crouched and looked at the blood on the ground.

Dai Mubai collapsed, utterly spent. At that moment, he was thinking neither of victory nor of dignity, but of Zhu Zhuqing. If Jodio had heard his thoughts, he probably would have called him a lovesick fool.

"He's a good kid. Worth teaching. Take him in, teacher." Jodio stretched as he spoke to Flender behind him.

"You hit him that hard? You never know when to ease up, kid. Little Ma! Go get Teacher Shao Xin!" Flender called to Ma Hongjun helplessly.

"What's the problem? I handle the fighting, and Teacher Shao handles the healing. Any injury will mend in no time," Jodio replied without a care.

"Well, teacher, I'm heading into town. We'll talk tonight." Jodio wiped the blood from his arm. The superficial wound was nothing to him. It barely affected him, and even the pain had not lasted long.

"Go on, then. Come back early tonight," Flender said as he picked Dai Mubai up.

"Of all these kids, you're the least trouble. Remember to bring me some lamb soup to go."

"Got it!"

Pain radiated from every part of Dai Mubai's body, so fierce he felt close to cramping up. He struggled to roll over and sit up, then felt himself and discovered that all his wounds were gone. Relief washed over him, followed by indignation. Why did Jodio have to hit so damn hard?

"Oh, junior, you're awake! The surgery was a success. You're now—" Oscar leaned in with his pretty face and a wicked grin.

"Now what? A girl?" Dai Mubai was starting to understand the students at this school. They all seemed to love bad jokes. Jodio did not seem to make them much, though perhaps Dai Mubai simply had not heard him do it yet.

"Boss really does have a way to turn you into a girl. He just keeps saying he isn't 'LGBT' or something, so he's never done it," Oscar said with a giggle.

"Don't worry about that, junior. Eat some dinner and get your strength back first. Then Senior Oscar will take you out for some social activities." Oscar set a tray on the table and beckoned him over.

← To Be Continued

Information Currently Available:

Level 30 Stand: Tooth.1

User: Jodio Joestar

Spirit Ring: Purple—1,700-year-old Armored Pangolin

Destructive Power: E (main body)–B (Nail Bullet); Speed: E–B; Range: E–C+; Stamina: B–E; Precision: E–C; Development Potential: A+

Stand Ability: Spins its user's fingernails at high speed and fires them like bullets, known as "Nail Bullets." The spinning nails can also cut targets. Fired nails grow back immediately, so there is no limit to the number of shots. It can also use rotational friction to travel along the ground, dealing even greater damage.