Disclaimer: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Ben 10 do not belong to me.

Thank you once again, Vandenbz and Animeguy1101.

Shortly after reaching Singapore, the group was under attack by Devo the Cursed and his Stand Ebony Devil. Polnareff fell into Devo's trap but with some assistance from Ben, managed to kill him. Before his death, however, Devo revealed that DIO was targeting Ben. In an attempt to spy on DIO, Joseph's Hermit Purple revealed that Kakyoin was supposedly a traitor. And Kakyoin himself was with Ben and Jotaro at that very moment

Yellow Temperance

"Hopefully we can relax for once," Ben said as he, Anne, Jotaro, and Kakyoin walked along the sandy beach. To Ben the view was spectacular and almost made him forget the danger they were in. Almost.

"Doubt it," Jotaro said bluntly. "It's best to assume that our enemies are still out there, waiting to strike since Devo failed."

That brought Ben's mood down. "You sure it's a good idea for Anne to be with us?" he looked over at the little girl, who was walking ahead of the group. Anne had been evasive ever since Ben realized she might have lied about seeing her father.

"There's three of us here with her," Jotaro said calmly. "As long as we keep close to her, nothing should happen."

"I hope you're right," Ben said worriedly. The thing that bothered him the most about these enemy Stand Users was all the deaths they committed. Their victims were all innocent civilians who couldn't even see Stands, yet they were casually slaughtered. Ben shuddered. What other horrible people did DIO have working for him? "Not that I'm complaining but how come they're not all attacking us at once? I mean, my enemies have teamed up with each other before."

"So far all the Stand Users we've run into have been extremely arrogant," Jotaro noted. "Perhaps they're so confident in their Stands that they don't see the need to work together. Or maybe they each hope to gain favor with DIO by being the only one to capture you and kill the rest of us?"

Ben weighed Jotaro's words. "Hopefully it'll stay that way. As long as we stick together, I'm sure we can take them all one by one."

Anne let out a happy gasp as she dashed toward a food stand. "Hey, mister! Can I have some ice cream?"

"Welcome," the man said pleasantly. He held up a coconut with the top cut off. Inside were straws and some ice. "Ice cream's good and all but so is this: chilled coconut juice!" He held the coconut out to her. "Want some?"

Anne looked at the coconut skeptically.

Ben shrugged as he and Jotaro reached the food stand. "I've had coconut-flavored smoothies but not actual coconut juice. I wonder if it's any good."

"Let's go ahead and try some," Jotaro said before looking at the stand seller. "We'll have four."

The man was pleased at the order. "Thanks! That'll be sixteen dollars."

Anne looked horrified. "That should only be seven dollars!"

"They're four dollars each, Anne," Ben pointed out to her.

Kakyoin pulled out his wallet and handed the money to the seller. "This should cover it."

"Thank you," the man said after handing Kakyoin his change. "Come again."

Just as Kakyoin was about to put his wallet away, it was snatched out of his hand.

"Thanks, pal!" mocked a sleazy guy with an open red shirt and tan shorts as he started running.

"Hey!" Ben shouted, instinctively going for the Ultimatrix. Just as he realized that he should let Emerald Ace go instead, Kakyoin made Hierophant Green appear. The long range Stand shot towards the pickpocket like a snake, grabbing him by the leg. The man fell to the ground with a grunt of pain, the wallet flying out of his hand. Nervously the man turned as Kakyoin loomed over him. Suddenly his face seemed to convulse.

"You shithead," Kakyoin muttered. "Did you think you could get away with stealing my wallet, you fucking bitch?!"

Ben took a step back. "Okay, when did Kakyoin start talking like that?"

Jotaro narrowed his eyes. Anne looked at Kakyoin and the mugger in confusion.

"Spill your guts!" Suddenly grabbing the man by his head, Kakyoin slammed his knee against the would-be thief's nose with a loud crack.

"Kakyoin!" Jotaro shouted. Ben and Anne were appalled by Kakyoin's viciousness.

Kakyoin held the now bleeding man up by his hair. "You scumbag. You're worth even less than a cockroach's dick! My precious wallet…" Suddenly he flung the man over his shoulders with a wrestler-like move. "You dare touch my wallet with the same filthy hand you use to wipe your ass! What you've done is unforgivable!"

The man cried out in pain, sputtering blood as Kakyoin applied pressure to him.

"That's a back-breaker move," Anne muttered, staring at how brutal Kakyoin was being. "And that foul language!"

Kakyoin applied more pressure to the man, blood dribbling from the mugger's mouth. "Come on! Come on!"

"That's enough, Kakyoin!" Ben yelled, utterly confused by his friend's sudden behavior. It was like he really wanted to snap the guy in two.

Whether Kakyoin purposely ignored Ben or couldn't hear him over the man's cries of pain, no one could be sure. The look of sadistic glee on his face implied nothing good, but Kakyoin's sadistic fun ended when Jotaro struck him in the back. Kakyoin fell to his knees while the mugger sprawled on the ground.

"Ben said to stop it!" He knelt to check over the mugger. He would need to see a doctor about his nose but seemed otherwise fine. Still, what would Kakyoin have done if Jotaro hadn't stepped in? "What's wrong with you?"

Kakyoin got to his feet and looked down at Jotaro. Their eyes locked and Ben could feel the tension. Was Kakyoin going to attack Jotaro next? Ben made his way over to them, stopping his hand when he found himself reaching for the Ultimatrix again. Anne stood beside him, holding one of the coconuts.

Kakyoin brushed himself off, his gaze never leaving Jotaro. "That hurt. You didn't have to push me like that. Only a horrible person steals someone else's wallet. It's only natural that I'd retaliate." he took the coconut Anne was holding and took a sip. "Is that so wrong, Jotaro?"

Jotaro said nothing; he just kept his gaze fixed on Kakyoin. Ben wondered what his friend was thinking but he possessed the very definition of a poker face.

"What's with that glare? That's quite the steely gaze you're giving me, Jotaro," Kakyoin tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "Don't tell me…you couldn't be wanting to fight me…just because I taught that thief a lesson, right?"

"You could've just taken the wallet back, Kakyoin," Ben spoke up. "You didn't need to try breaking his back."

Kakyoin turned his gaze to Ben, who prepared to call on Emerald Ace. Behind him, he could hear the thief crawling away from them. At least he could still move, and would probably have second thoughts about robbing anyone ever again.

"Look! A rhinoceros beetle!"

Kakyoin turned around. Behind him, everyone saw a group of kids gathered in front of a tree. Four rhinoceros beetles were swarming around a spot on the tree where the sap was running. Kakyoin then laughed into his hand, surprising Ben and Anne with his sudden change of behavior.

"Ben! Jojo!" he chuckled. "There's no need to get upset over this. I'm just a little agitated today. The trip here was exhausting, and it put me in a bad mood."

"A bad mood?" Jotaro repeated. "You seemed fine earlier."

Kakyoin's jovial mood evaporated and his steel gaze returned. Ben was just glad that he wasn't the only one who noticed it.

"Gramps and Avdol said we should head to India by train," Jotaro said, turning around and heading back the way they came. "We'll leave tomorrow. First we'll take a cable car to Singapore Station and reserve the tickets."

Ben quickly ran over to him. "Any idea what's going on with Kakyoin?" he asked quietly.

"No," Jotaro whispered back with a hint of agitation. "The closest I've ever seen Kakyoin act like this was when he was under the control of the Flesh Bud."

Ben's eyes widened. "Do you think someone got to Kakyoin again?"

"I don't think so," Jotaro said. "But he could be under the effect of an enemy Stand."

Ben blanched. "You mean there could be Stands that can control people?"

"There's always the possibility," Jotaro said. "Hopefully we can figure out what's going on before we get to the station."

Suddenly Ben felt something latch onto his arm. Anne was trembling, her forehead slightly sweaty. "What's wrong, Anne?"

"I-I just saw Mr. Kakyoin eating one of those rhinoceros beetles." She whimpered.

Ben and Jotaro looked back. Kakyoin was just standing there, like there was absolutely nothing wrong. Though Ben noticed something different.

"Is it just me or does Kakyoin seem bigger?" He muttered.

Jotaro frowned.

. . .

Ben envied Jotaro's stoicism. He had been on edge ever since they had left the beach, all the way to the cable car building. Jotaro, however, was cool as could be, even buying himself an ice cream cone as they waited for a cable car. Ben didn't have an appetite at the moment so he tried to distract himself by looking over the railing at the city below.

"Jotaro!" Kakyoin called out as he approached them. Ben eyed him out of the corner of his eye. Kakyoin pointed at the cherry on top on Jotaro's ice cream. "Are you going to eat that cherry? I'll have it if you won't. I'm famished."

Then without even waiting for Jotaro's permission, Kakyoin snatched the cherry and then gave Jotaro a hard shove toward the railing. "Oh no! Look out Jotaro!"

"Jojo!" Anne cried as Jotaro fell over the railing. Luckily he managed to grab onto it at the exact same time Ben and Anne grabbed his hand.

Kakyoin laughed. "Just kidding!" He popped the cherry in his mouth as Jotaro was hoisted back up. "I'm just kidding, Jotaro." He then started licking the cherry, rolling it all over his tongue. When Kakyoin started rolling the cherry faster, he accidentally flung it off his tongue and onto the floor.

"What's with that look?" Kakyoin asked when he noticed that Jotaro was glaring at him again. "Why do you keep staring at me with that dumbass look on your face Jotaro, my man?" Then without a care in the world, he picked up the fallen cherry and popped it into his mouth. When he swallowed it, his body seemed to grow. If things were bad before, Ben knew they had just gotten worse.

Just then a cable car arrived. "Get on, Kakyoin," Jotaro said as the door automatically opened. "The cable car's here. Now get the fuck on." He held up his fist. "I've got your ticket right here. I can tell you're being possessed by something, so allow my fist to send you on your way."

Kakyoin's widened just as Jotaro's fist connected with his jaw. Much to the shock of Jotaro, Ben, and Anne, Kakyoin's jaw seemed to ripping apart. The force of the blow knocked Kakyoin into the cable car, his body sprawling on the floor. Kakyoin started laughing, his voice distorted. He faced Jotaro and from what Ben could see, the cherry was still on his tongue, a piece bitten off.

"It would be wrong to say I'm possessed," 'Kakyoin' said before rolling the cherry along his tongue again.

"You're not Kakyoin," Jotaro realized.

The fake Kakyoin laughed as he got to his feet. Ben saw that he actually towered over Jotaro. "Hadn't you noticed how much bigger my body had gotten lately?"

"This guy was using his Stand to look like Kakyoin," Ben put the facts together. "What did you do with the real Kakyoin?!"

The door to the cable car closed, leaving Jotaro alone with the imposter as it began moving. "Jojo!" Anne yelled as she started to chase after it.

"Anne, we have to warn Mr. Joestar and the others!" Ben shouted to her. Anne looked back at him in worry. "We have to let them know there's another enemy. Really wish I had some spare Plumber Badges right now." He eyed a nearby phone. "Anne, I need you to call Mr. Joestar. Tell him the enemy was posing as Kakyoin. I'm gonna go and help Jotaro! These guys seem to want me alive so maybe I can keep them distracted!"

Anne weakly nodded. "O-kay! I'll go and get them!" She ran to the phone. Ben turned to face the cable car. "Emerald Ace! Stinkfly!"

In a flash of green light, Ben was hoisted in the air by the buglike alien and lifted towards the car. "So this guy can use his Stand to look like other people. Not to mention that he was able to create a copy of Hierophant Green. C-can this guy copy a person's appearance and their Stand?"

Just as Stinkfly neared the cable car, Jotaro's body smashed through the window. Stinkfly quickly grabbed hold of the larger teen.

"Ben, get us away from that guy!" Jotaro ordered.

"R-right," Ben said. He spotted a nearby tower. At his command, Stinkfly carried him and Jotaro over to it. "What happened?"

Jotaro held up his right hand, where Ben spotted a small blob of yellow slime on his pinkie. "Whatever you do, don't touch it!"

Ben flinched back when mocking laughter came from the demolished cable car. Inside was a muscular man with long black hair and wearing only a pair of black pants. The same yellow slime from Jotaro's finger was resting on his shoulders. "You think you've escaped me?" He taunted. "Well I've got some news for you. Find a straw to suck all the crap out of your ears and listen up! My Stand, Yellow Temperance, has no weakness! It's not that I let you escape! I just don't need to chase after you! You fucking bitch!"

Ben growled, preparing to have Emerald Ace attack him.

"Don't!" Jotaro warned. "His name is Rubber Soul and his Stand feeds on flesh which allows it to grow bigger. It's also why I was able to touch it when I punched him."

"And why it was able to pose as Hierophant Green," Ben realized, not in the state of mind to question the man's name. He looked at the slime on Jotaro's finger and noticed that it was staring to spread. "We need to get that off!"

"Stand back!" Jotaro ordered as he pulled out a lighter. "You've got a diamond alien right? Use him when fighting that guy. No flesh for his Yellow Temperance to feed on."

Ben nodded. Stinkfly hit the Ultimatrix dial on his chest, transforming into Diamondhead, a large crystalline alien. His body was composed of indigo crystals but his arms and head were green. Jotaro nodded in approval before flicking the lighter. Diamondhead stood protectively in front of Ben as Jotaro held the flames underneath the slime.

"Uh, Jotaro," Ben asked as the slime caught fire. "Are you sure that's a good ide-"

His question was answered when the slime seemed to grow, spreading completely over Jotaro's finger and onto the bottom of his hand. Jotaro cringed. "The flames didn't work. What should I do?"

"Let me try," Ben suggested. Diamondhead grabbed at the slime. It didn't even try to latch onto the alien's fingers, probably being able to sense that it there was no flesh to feed upon. But whenever Diamondhead tried to pull off the slime, it simply oozed around his fingers, remaining on Jotaro's hand.

"It's like trying to eat soup with a fork," Ben said in frustration.

"Solid enough to latch onto me but liquid enough so that it can't be pried off," Jotaro's scowl deepened. "We'll have to try something else." His eyes landed on a passing cable car; or rather the blue popsicle being eaten by a little boy inside the car. "If heat won't work, then maybe cold will."

"Huh?" Jotaro suddenly grabbed Ben and leaped towards the cable car. "Heeeeeeeeeeey!"

Jotaro latched onto the top of the car as Star Platinum pulled the door straight off.

"Would you warn me the next time you do that?" Ben snapped as Jotaro set him down.

"We had to hurry," Jotaro said calmly despite the slime eating at his hand..

"Oh my," a short woman in languish jewelry commented. "What a strong entrance."

Ben frowned at how casual she seemed. The only other occupants were the boy with the popsicle, a man sleeping on the other side of the car, probably the boy's dad, holding a leash to a small white dog that watched them with a wagging tail. The fact that everyone was so calm, and one guy even sleeping, baffled Ben.

"Don't mind us," Jotaro said to the woman before turning to the boy. "Hey, kid. Let me see that popsicle for a second." He then plucked it from the boy's hand. Ben wanted to object when he saw how upset the boy was but reminded himself that this was an emergency.

The fancy woman, on the other hand, had no such reservations. "Hey! Why are you bothering that kid?"

"Is he yours?" Jotaro asked curtly.

The woman waved a hand haughtily. "Of course not."

"Then shut the fuck up and enjoy the view," Jotaro told her coldly.

Ben choked on his spit. "I'd asked if you kissed your mom with that mouth but with the way you've talked to her…" he said under his breath.

Jotaro looked at Ben now. "Did you say something?"

"Just hurry up and get rid of that slime!"

"Sorry about this," Jotaro said to the boy with that rare gentleness of his. "I'll buy you a new one once we're on the ground."

The boy, who's eyes had begun to water, nodded.

"Hope this works," Jotaro held the popsicle against his skin. He hissed when spikes formed from the slime. "Motherfucker! It formed needles to dig into my hand!"

The woman looked unimpressed. "Hey, you! Fire and ice aren't going to work!"

Ben rounded on her, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me!"

The woman blew her nose into a white handkerchief before sneering at Ben, fondling herself. "I told you before, it has no weakness!"

A whimpering drew Ben's attention. He froze when he noticed the lower half of the woman's body had dissolved into a bluish slime that was swarming over the dog. The poor thing whimpered harder, his eyes looking desperately for someone to save him.

"Leave that dog alone!" Ben shouted. Emerald Ace appeared, transforming back into Diamondhead. The woman's eyes widened as Diamondhead grabbed at the dog. Desperately the Stand pulled the canine but the slime remained on his body. The dog whimpered louder as the boy started shaking his dad.

"Daddy!" The boy cried. "The doggy! The doggy!"

Ben desperately thought of which alien could possibly remove this vile Stand.

"You asshole," Jotaro snarled at the smirking 'woman'. "You were already in this cable car?"

Diamondhead tugged but the slime was stuck to the dog like glue. The poor creature looked at Ben with pleading eyes that made his heart wrench. It was bad enough that so many innocent people had died, now an innocent animal too?

"H-hey on, little guy," He said weakly. "I-I'll get you out! I promise!"

The 'woman' laughed as the slime took on a more familiar, yellowish color. "You scared me for a moment with that alien your Stand became, Ben, buddy, but not even his strength will be enough!"

"M-my Pocky!" the man cried, finally waking up. He pulled on the leash in an attempt to save his dog.

"Don't pull on it!" Jotaro yelled at him. "It's too dangerous!"

The dog let out one last feeble cry…before his head was torn from his body. The owner cried out in horror as his dog's head hit the floor of the car, spraying blood.

"I'm here to finish you off!" The 'woman' shouted, her face expanded before turning into turning yellow and dissolving, revealing the enemy User from before, Rubber Soul. "My buddies!"

Ben's eyes were glued on the decapitated head of that dog. His palms shook, his throat was dry, and there was unsettling feeling in his stomach.

Jotaro was not in such a state. Star Platinum pried off a holding bar from the side of the car. "Ora!" He yelled, swinging the metal bar at Rubber Soul, only to be blocked by a wall formed by Yellow Temperance.

"You're fast," Rubber Soul complimented. "But like I told you I have no weakness!"

Suddenly crystal shards shot at Rubber Soul, who hastily had Yellow Temperance expand itself to block the projectiles. Jotaro looked over at Ben, noticing the sheer hatred Ben was sending at Rubber Soul. His green eyes flashed with a fire Jotaro had never seen before. Although he didn't show it, Jotaro was unsettled by his friend's expression.

"So, your Stand, at least in this form, has the benefits of both a close range and a long range Stand," Rubber Soul said. He laughed. "No wonder Lord DIO wants you so badly. But allow me to explain things to you both! My Stand is like an armor that consumes energy! A barrier that can fight back!" To demonstrate his point, Yellow Temperance began covering the metal bar in Star Platinum's hand, starting to bend it. The crystal shards were sucked into the slime Stand, floating harmlessly. "It doesn't matter how strong or how fast you are, you're totally helpless against Yellow Temperance! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

Yellow Temperance, now bigger than Ben had ever seen it, expanded from Rubber Soul's back, latching onto various parts of the cable car like a giant web. Several strands grabbed onto Jotaro.

"DIO wants Ben alive so I can't risk hurting him," Rubber Soul sneered. "But I can kill off the rest of you."

Diamondhead's hand morphed into a blade, which he brought down upon one of the strands. Instead of being cut in two, Diamondhead grunted when the strand bounced like rubber, absorbing the force of his swing. Ben watched as the slime gathered onto Diamondhead's arm. Diamondhead tried to pull his arm away to no avail.

Rubber Soul laughed. "Face it, Ben, buddy. For all your power, you won't be able to save your friend. Maybe if Jotaro had the balls to cut his hand off earlier, he might have escaped me. But since you two dumbasses didn't bother heeding my warning, Jotaro's finished!"

"Everything has a weakness," Ben said coldly. "We'll find out what it is. There's no way I'm gonna let you get away with this!"

Rubber Soul laughed. "Are you even paying attention? Seriously, can someone with your power be so fucking stupid? I can't be beat! No alien you have can possibly defeat me!"

Ben's fists shook. Even with his limited number of guys, one of them had to work. But which one could possibly get past that slime? Four Arms, XLR8, Wildmutt, Ripjaws, Grey Matter, and Stinkfly would just get hurt. Upgrade and Heatblast could have some resistance but would probably have as much luck as Diamondhead. That only left…

Ben's eyes widened. "Actually, I know what we can do!"

Rubber Soul cocked an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"Emerald Ace. Ghostfreak!"

Diamondhead grabbed the Ultimatrix symbol with its free hand. Rubber Soul hissed when green light filled his vision. Once it faded, a new alien had appeared. Like the name said, he looked like a ghost formed from grey smoke. A single purple eye was visible through an opening in its head, staring down at Rubber Soul.

Rubber Soul took a step back. "Wh-what is this? I thought your Stand could only turn into aliens! It can turn into ghosts too?!"

"Something like that," Ben said quietly as Ghostfreak became transparent, flying at Rubber Soul. With a yelp, Rubber Soul raised Yellow Temperance in front of him…only for Ghostfreak to pass through the slime and into his body. Rubber Soul's body slackened, lowering his head as Yellow Temperance began recoiling back to him. Jotaro eyed the other Stand User warily. He flinched when Rubber Soul raised his hand, only to see that his eyes were the same purple color as Ghostfreak's had been.

"That takes care of him for now," Ben said, looking over Rubber Soul. He just stared at the teen hero, standing perfectly still.

"What did you do?" Jotaro questioned him.

"I'll explain when we land," Ben said, looking back at the boy and his father, who were staring at them in shock.

Jotaro's expression softened before he looked outside the car. "Ben, let's get out of here. These two have been through enough. I can see the docks down below. Can you get us there?"

Ben nodded, aware that staying in the car was a bad idea. Jotaro dug into his pocket and pulled out some cash, which he promptly gave to the boy. "I know this won't make up for the dog you've lost, but I hope it helps."

Shakily the boy took the money, nodding his thanks as he continued staring at Jotaro. Ben went to the doorframe of the car, the possessed Rubber Soul right behind him. With a quick turn of the Ultimatrix, Ben himself was Stinkfly. Both father and son yelled as Stinkfly scooped up both Jotaro and Rubber Soul before flying out of the car.

"So," Jotaro said once they made some distance from the cable car. "You have a ghost alien?"

"Sort of," Stinkfly said quietly. "Ghostfreak's an alien called an Ectonurite. An alien with ghost powers."

"Gimme a break," Jotaro said. "I can see why that Vilgax guy wanted your Omnitrix so badly."

Stinkfly chuckled but there was no humor in his voice. Jotaro let out a soft sigh. "So you had Ghostfreak possess him to stop his Stand?"

"It was the only thing I could think of," Stinkfly admitted.

"It worked," Jotaro said. "When we get to the docks, I want you to drop both of us into the water before you release him."

Stinkfly looked down at his friend. "Why?"

Jotaro readied his legs as they neared the docks. "I'm going to see what information I can get out of him."

"But why do you want him in the water?"

Jotaro's expression remained as stoic as ever, but yet Stinkfly was certain that there was an air of smugness from him. "I think I might have figured out another weakness of Yellow Temperance."

"Hmm," Stinkfly mused uncommittedly, though curious as to what weakness Jotaro could have figured out.

"This is good as spot as ever," Jotaro said, right above the docks. "Do it."

Stinkfly released both of them. The moment they hit the water, Ghostfreak left Rubber Soul's body. Jotaro emerged first. Rubber Soul shot out of the water, frantic.

"What?!" He looked around. "Where…How did I…" His eyes landed on Jotaro just as the teenager slugged him in the face, knocking some of his teeth out. Rubber Soul was only able to give a brief cry of pain before Jotaro elbowed him in the nose, effectively breaking it.

Rubber Soul clutched his face in pain. "H-how did you…" Yellow Temperance started to form around his shoulders but Jotaro was faster. He grabbed Rubber Soul by his hair and dunked him underwater. The enemy Stand User flailed wildly before Jotaro released him. As Rubber Soul gasped for air, Star Platinum appeared behind him in an armlock.

"Just as I thought," Jotaro said. "I almost had to use the Kujo…no the Joestar family secret technique. Fortunately Ben found an alien that could beat you; and it seems I found another way. Your Yellow Temperance has no weakness in combat, but it's useless against nonphysical attacks such as drowning. Or being possessed."

Stinkfly crossed his arms, impressed with Jotaro's reasoning. Though he was curious as to what this Joestar family secret technique was. Had Mr. Joseph somehow taught him that?

"No matter how powerful a Stand is," Jotaro said as he loomed over Rubber Soul. "If you defeat the User, you can defeat the Stand as well. Do you understand?"

Rubber Soul, bleeding and sweating, trembled at Jotaro's stony gaze. He held a hand up. "W-wait!"

Stinkfly grit his teeth. Was this guy seriously trying to beg for mercy?

"Please stop!" the assassin cried. "I'll never recover from this! My nose is broken and I'll need to wire my mouth shut. DIO paid me to do this! I didn't plan to risk my life fighting you guys."

"Of course you didn't," Stinkfly hissed. Rubber Soul cringed, squirming in Star Platinum's hold. "You were so confident in your Stand. Look how well that turned out."

"Y-you're right, you're right," Rubber Soul sobbed. "I should have known you were too powerful for me to fight, Ben, buddy. DIO has no idea what he's up against!"

Stinkfly growled under his breath at the pathetic display of groveling.

"If you're so confident that Ben can defeat DIO," Jotaro said, bringing Rubber Soul's attention back onto him. "Tell us about the other Stand users he's sending after us."

Rubber Soul fidgeted. "I can't do that! I still have some pride after all. I can't just betray my own side."

"Is that so?" Jotaro raised his fist. "How noble of you."

"I-I remember now!" Rubber Soul shouted.

"Some pride," Stinkfly muttered as Jotaro lowered his fist to let their enemy continue, Star Platinum releasing him.

"Death, Empress, Hanged Man, and Emperor," Rubber Soul listed. "They're the ones coming after you."

"What can their Stands do?" Stinkfly asked.

"That I don't know," Rubber Soul said. He whimpered when Jotaro raised his fist again. "I swear I don't! We all made sure not to tell each other our Stand powers. That could expose our weaknesses."

Stinkfly landed onto the docks. There was another flash of green light and Ben looked down at Rubber Soul with folded arms. "Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"T-there's this old lady that told DIO about Stands," Rubber Soul said as he started inching towards the docks. "And her son is one of the Stand Users coming after you. His name is J. Geil. He has two right hands."

Ben's eyes widened. "That's…"

"He's the one who killed Polnareff's sister," Rubber Soul went on. "I don't know how his powers work exactly but I've heard rumors. His Stand has something to do with mirrors."

"Mirrors?" Ben repeated.

"I haven't actually seen it myself, but Polnareff will never beat him," Rubber Soul said as he threw one hand over the docks. "He'll die."

Ben scowled at Rubber Soul. "You thought your Stand was invincible and we beat you. We'll do the same to J. Geil and anyone else DIO sends our way."

"That's very bold of you to say, Ben buddy," Rubber Soul said to the hero. Then he spotted something behind that made him grin. "I just realized something, Jotaro. The goddess of fortune is still on my side! See that drain? There's a bunch of nice crayfish inside. Give that a good look."

Jotaro looked over his shoulder. There was a drain with some crayfish gathered around the cover. One of them seemed to be sucked into the drain. Then the screws on the left side shot off. Yellow slime was oozing out of the holes.

Ben turned to face Rubber Soul, who had already climbed onto the docks. Yellow Temperance was stretching from his hand and into a manhole just a few inches away. Yellow Temperance shot out of the drain and latched onto Jotaro's jacket.

"Oh no you don't!" Ben yelled, reaching for the Ultimatrix. Strands of Yellow Temperance shot at him, encasing his hands. "Hey!"

"Sorry, Ben, buddy," Rubber Soul laughed. "But I can't let you turn into that Ghostfreak again. "Though I'm sure DIO will be interested in an alien like him. As for you, Jotaro. Looks like you'll be taking the info I gave you about J. Geil straight to the grave. Man this is my lucky day, I even powered up from eating those crayfish. "I'm gonna crush you into a delicious jam, Jotaro. And then I'll deliver Ben to DIO. I'm gonna get paid so much money for just a few hours of fight…gack!"

Rubber Soul was so busy bragging to Jotaro, that he completely ignored Ben. And that resulted in a headbutt straight into his side. Because he was distracted, Rubber Soul never had a chance to defend himself with Yellow Temperance. Emerald Ace responded with a sweeping kick, knocking Rubber Soul off his feet and into the manhole cover.

"Nice shot, Ben," Jotaro complimented from what he could see. "Looks like his stroke of luck ran out."

Star Platinum emerged from the water, punching at the drain. The force of his punch actually carried the water into the drain and blasted the manhole cover right off the ground, carrying Rubber Soul with it. Simultaneously, Yellow Temperance was removed from Ben, his Stand, and Jotaro.

"A water pressure punch…from inside the drain?!" Rubber Soul cried before he fell back into the ocean. When he surfaced, he froze when he realized where he had landed. Jotaro hoisted him up by the hair. Rubber Soul smiled at him weakly. "I-I was just joking, Mr. Jotaro. I was just messing around. I didn't mean anything by it! Come on, you can't be serious?"

"He can't be serious," Ben said as he sat down, deciding to just sit back and enjoy the show.

Rubber Soul looked up at Jotaro hopefully. "Y-you're not going to hit me again are you? I'm badly injured. You broke my nose and I'm still gonna need to wire my jaw shut." He laughed nervously.

"I have nothing left to say to you," Jotaro said coldly. "It's a waste of time…for me to say anything else. Ben?"

Ben looked up. "Yeah?"

"I can tell you still have some pent up rage after what this guy did to that poor dog," Jotaro looked at Rubber Soul, who paled. "Care to join me?"

Ben looked over at Rubber Soul, who trembled as he looked at him pleadingly. Ben frowned. "Normally I'm not up to kicking a guy while he's down," Rubber Soul sighed in relief. "But after all the stuff you and your buddies have done, I need to blow off some steam."

Rubber Soul let out one last whimper before Emerald Ace appeared, transforming into Four Arms. Star Platinum and Four Arms looked at each other. They both shared a nod. Star Platinum then tossed Rubber Soul into the air. His eyes widened in fear at the two smirking Stands below. Star Platinum and Four Arms unleashed a barrage of punches upon Rubber Soul, Star Platinum with his speed and Four Arms with his multiple limbs.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!" Star Platinum yelled.

"HERORORORORORORORORO!" Four Arms shouted alongside him.

"Whoa, Emerald Ace can talk?!" Ben chuckled. "And he's got his own battle cry."

"Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" the enemy User cried under the pounding the two strong Stands gave him.

. . .

"So let me get this straight," Ben said. "You were sunbathing on the roof…in your school uniform?"

After the beatdown they gave Rubber Soul, Ben and Jotaro made their way back to the hotel. Rubber Soul was in no condition to come after them. When they arrived, they were surprised to see Joseph, Avdol, and Kakyoin, who the latter two insisted was the real one.

"Mr. Joestar acted the same way," Kakyoin said with a chuckle. "Is that really so weird?"

Ben sighed, not in the mood to debate sunbathing. Just then Anne impacted him in a flying hug.

"You're okay!" She said happily, tears swelling in her eyes. "I was so worried!"

Ben laughed weakly, giving Anne a small hug back. She looked at him with her tear-filled eyes, sniffling. When Ben saw her, he thought of that dog Rubber Soul killed, the memory washing over him like ice water. "Anne."

Anne tilted her head. "Huh?"

"I want you to tell me the truth about your father."

Anne flinched. Ben's question drew the attention of the others. Anne squirmed under everyone's stares, trying to avoid looking at any of them..

"Anne," Ben said gently, kneeling down so they were eye to eye with each other. "I want you to look me in the eye and tell me the truth."

Joseph was about to say something but Jotaro put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Anne bit her lip as Ben continued to stare at her, the tears threatening to fall. But Ben was not deterred; his stare remained fixed on her. Finally Anne let out a wail, the tears flowing down her face.

"Fine! I was never meeting my dad!" She cried. "I ran away from home to see the world!"

Joseph guffawed, Avdol rubbed his temple, Kakyoin just smiled in amusement, and only Jotaro seemed nonplussed at this revelation. Ben wondered if he had suspected the truth, or just didn't care.

"Anne," Ben said softly. "We're going to send you home."

"What?!" Anne sobbed. "Why?"

Ben placed a hand on her shoulder. "It…it's too dangerous. More bad guys are coming after us, probably worse than the last ones."

Anne smiled weakly. "B-but you'll protect me right? You said you wouldn't…"

"I can't take that chance!"

Anne stepped back from Ben's outburst. Jotaro raised a brow as the other three stared.

"These guys," Ben clenched a fist. "These guys don't care about who they kill to get to us. So many people are already dead and I couldn't do anything to help them! You could be next, Anne. I can't let that happen."

Anne stared at him, blinking three times as his words set in.

"We're going to send you home," Ben went on. "If you want to travel the world, you can do it when you're older. For now, I want you to stay home and spend time with your parents. They're probably worried sick about you."

Anne looked down at her feet as Ben's words sank in. She raised her head, perhaps to argue, but the words died on her tongue at the firm look Ben was giving her. Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "Okay."

Ben nodded. "Good."

. . .

"Here's some money and tickets," Joseph said, handing them to Anne. "When you land, some men from the Speedwagon Foundation will make sure you go home safely."

They were at the Singapore airport, Joseph having managed to arrange for her to be taken back home. Polnareff was still being cleared by the other members of the Foundation which was why he was the only one who couldn't see Anne off. Said girl gave a small nod as she took the items. Despite understanding why Ben wanted her to go back home, she wasn't all that happy about it. Joseph put a hand on her head. "Ben's right you know. We're…we're on a quest to save my daughter, Jotaro's mother. More bad people will come after us and you've been through enough. It would be better for all of us if you stayed home where you're safe."

Anne took a deep breath. "I understand."

"Take care, Anne," Ben said with a smile. "You'll get to travel the world one day, I know it. Just don't be in a rush to. You're still a kid. Enjoy your childhood while you can."

Anne looked up at him. Then she leaped up at him, giving him a quick hug and a peck on his cheek.

"Bye, Ben!" Anne chirped as she ran to the plane. "You better save Jojo's mother!"

Quickly recovering from his shock, Ben grinned at her. "Hey, I'm a hero remember? Saving people is what I do!"

The group stood there as the plane started taking off. Anne had taken a seat near the window. She waved happily at them. Everyone returned the wave, even Jotaro, although his was more subdued and brief compared to everyone else's. Ben watched the plane ascend into the sky and eventually disappear from view.

"You did the right thing," Jotaro said, standing beside Ben. "The kid's been lucky so far but her luck probably wouldn't last forever."

"Yeah," Ben replied, still staring at the sky. "Sure hope she'll listen to what I said."

"I think you got through to her," Jotaro said as he popped a cigarette into his mouth. "Let's go get Polnareff. Gramps booked the train."

. . .

In no time at all, the gang was on the train to India. After getting Polnareff, Ben and Jotaro told him about their fight with Rubber Soul and the departure of Anne.

"I still can't believe the kid's gone," Polnareff said as he looked out the train window, sitting across from Ben. "I know she was annoying but there was something endearing about her."

"I think you're more upset that you can't tease Ben about her crush on him," Kakyoin joked, sitting across from Jotaro.

"That too," Polnareff admitted before grinning mischievously at Ben. "Going to miss your little fan, Ben?"

Ben shrugged. "She wasn't so bad. I'm just hoping she'll stay out of trouble; at least for a while."

Polnareff chuckled before his face became serious. "So, you two found out the identity of my sister's killer: J. Geil." His fist shook.

Ben crossed his arms. "There's something I don't get though. Rubber Soul said that his Stand had something to do with mirrors. But you told us that his Stand created a dome around him that protected him from the rain. What does that have to do with mirrors?"

Kakyoin rubbed his chin. "Reflective surfaces." Everyone turned towards him. "Water and mirrors are both reflective. Maybe that could be a hint as to how his Stand works?"

"Rubber Soul was confident that Polnareff can't beat J. Geil," Jotaro said. "But he also bragged about how his Stand had no weaknesses."

Ben snickered. "Before we proved him wrong."

"Still," Kakyoin said. "Someone posing as me? That's creepy."

"Apparently he transformed before we even left the hotel," Jotaro said.

"Still though, I wonder if he honestly believed he could fool everyone," Kakyoin said. "From what you and Ben said, he didn't even try to act like me. Oh, Jotaro!" He pointed at a cherry on Jotaro's plate. "Can I have one of those cherries?"

Jotaro stiffened but gave a slow nod.

"Thank you," Kakyoin said, biting the stem off the cherry and rolling the fruit along his tongue. Ben and Jotaro both tensed. It couldn't be Rubber Soul. He couldn't have possibly recovered so soon, could he?

"Oh, look, Jotaro!" Kakyoin pointed out their window excitedly. "There's a flock of flamingos!"

That was enough to pacify Jotaro, who slouched about an inch. "Good grief," he muttered.

If Jotaro was convinced that this person was the real Kakyoin, Ben decided to as well. It gave him more time to think. He couldn't stop himself from recalling all the casualties that had occurred over their adventure thus far: the passengers on the plane, Captain Tennille and his crew, the hotel worker, that poor dog, Ben worried that the woman Rubber Soul had impersonated was yet another victim. So many lives, killed for no reason than because these monsters felt like it. Ben ground his teeth slowly. He couldn't let any more people die. He would have to be on the lookout for enemy Stand Users, find out what powers they had, and take them down as fast as possible. To do that, he would have to find a way to unlock some more of his transformations. The fight with Rubber Soul had been far too close for his liking.

"By the way," Polnareff said suddenly, pointing a finger at Ben. "So now you've got a ghost alien now?"

"Yeah, Ghostfreak," Ben said. "He can fly, possess people, turn invisible, intangible…"

Polnareff rubbed his forehead with a groan. "You have an alien like that? Surely with him we can defeat DIO."

"I don't like using Ghostfreak unless I absolutely need to," Ben said with a shudder. "See, unlike my other guys, Ghostfreak's race retains their consciousness within even the tiniest strand of DNA."

Joseph, whose seat was in front of Ben and Polnareff's got up. "Wait, are you telling me that Ghostfreak is alive?!"

Ben nodded as Jotaro and Kakyoin shifted in their seats. "Right now he's in a dormant state, kinda like he's sleeping. As long as I don't do anything to wake him up, he won't give us any trouble."

"Why would he give us trouble?" Avdol, who was sitting across from Joseph, asked.

"Let's just say that Ghostfreak's species, Ectonurites, are not the friendliest of people," Ben said grimly as memories of his childhood flashed before him. "The guy who Ghostfreak's DNA comes from is probably the worst. One time I accidentally woke him and he managed to escape the Omnitrix." Everyone's eyes widened. "But like I said, he's back in there and he's dormant."

"So what do we do if Ghostfreak does 'wake up'?" Jotaro asked.

"Light, especially sunlight," Ben said immediately. "The way you saw Ghostfreak look earlier, Jotaro, is actually his second skin. He needs to shed it to use his full power but it makes him vulnerable to light. Mr. Joestar's Hamon is the best way to fight him though Avdol's Magican's Red could work too."

"Can you ensure that Ghostfreak won't wake up?" Kakyoin asked.

Ben gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I think I know what I did to wake him last time and I won't make that mistake again."

Jotaro nodded with a grunt. "The last thing we need is to deal with one of your aliens coming alive and attacking us."

"Do you think he would team up with DIO?" Avdol asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"He probably would and then try to betray him," Ben said idly. "I've seen him do it before."

"A ghost and a vampire teaming up," Kakyoin chuckled. "Sounds like the plot of a horror story."

Ben laughed. "Ghostfreak had a mummy, a werewolf, and a Frankenstein monster as minions. I don't know if there's any vampire aliens out there but I wouldn't be surprised if there is."

Kakyoin and Polnareff gawked. "You're kidding," Polnareff mumbled.

"Nope," Ben said as he leaned back, both arms behind his head. "But before I tell you that story, I better tell you about the time Ghostfreak first escaped the Omnitrix. It all started when we were going to this school my cousin Gwen wanted to enroll in…"

To Be Continued

Next time, the group makes their way to India. Unfortunately a major confrontation is about to take place. Ben thought they were lucky that none of DIO's minions teamed up with each other, but what happens when their next opponents do just that? Can the gang face two Stand Users? Find out in the next chapter of JoJo's Alien Adventure!

Hey, everyone. Sorry for the wait. More people quit Taco Bell so I've been working harder. At least I'm getting some overtime out of it.

Yeah, I know a lot of people wanted to see Ben save that poor dog. As much as I hated this scene, I kept it so that Ben could realize just how messed up DIO's followers are. They pretty much just because they can. Their powers probably made them think they were invincible and never had to fear the consequences of their actions. Then they go after the Stardust Crusaders.

Now that I say that, I honestly don't think DIO's followers ever fought other Stand Users before. They were used to attacking regular people who couldn't possibly defend themselves. No wonder they're so arrogant. Needless to say, this arrogance costs them greatly whenever they go up against Jotaro and the others.

Anyway, I was getting off track. Bottom line is that Ben's realized just how…evil DIO's followers. No More Mr. Nice Guy.

As such, the next chapter will be where we shake things up a little bit. I know all the current chapters have been pretty much retellings of the canon material, so I hope you guys will like what me and my pals have planned for the upcoming chapter.

That's all I have for now. See you all next chapter.