CHAPTER ELEVEN: Witch Mountain - Part 3



For all she tries, Moya cannot help but cover her eyes completely. Around her, the reflective light on the ocean’s surface shines blindingly. She takes a step forward, forcing her way through the salt water. WITCH MOUNTAIN throws a blind punch that hits nothing but air.

Shizuka leaps away, but only just avoids the Stand’s strike, as she too fights the tide. Nevertheless, ACHTUNG BABY turns up the intensity, so that the light shines as bright as the sun.

Moya hisses in pain, as the light permeates even through the flesh of her hand and her eyelids, attacking her retinas. She hears her blood pumping in her head and grinds her teeth.

“WITCH MOUNTAIN!! Cover the water!!”

At her cry, her Stand throws its arms out and shakes its head wildly, whipping its long hair all around. The oil splashes around them, sitting on top of the water. It blots out the light of the water entirely, so dark that it has almost no reflective qualities of its own.

“Uh oh,” says Shizuka.

Moya scowls. “WITCH MOUNTAIN!” she shouts, and her Stand rises into position to strike.

Shizuka barely has time to cry “ACHTUNG BABY!” before WITCH MOUNTAIN unleashes a barrage of punches, howling “POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP!!!”

ACHTUNG BABY does what it can to defend its master, but Shizuka feels the hits as well as if she were taking them herself. The shock of them shudder through her body, rattling her senses.

“Maybe this wasn’t… such a good idea…” she thinks as ACHTUNG BABY comes close to being overwhelmed. But then, through the pain she thinks, “Wait… she’s… going easy on me? She said she’d beat me bloody, but…” A twinge of frustration hits her in the barrage. “Happening again… First Kilo, now her… I am so sick… So sick of being TAKEN LIGHTLY!”

One of WITCH MOUNTAIN’s strikes grazes against ACHTUNG BABY’s arm, a small cut emerging of Shizuka’s arm. She yelps, though more out of surprise than pain. WITCH MOUNTAIN pauses its assault, and in that moment, Shizuka falls back into the water. In the same moment, she disappears from sight, as she turns invisible.

Moya sneers, immediately spotting the thin trail of blood . “It might be harder to catch you while you’re underwater, but you’re still wasting your energy!”

Shizuka rises out of surf, water flowing down her invisible form. But it is different somehow from normal. It appears to wave and flicker, almost like a mirage.

“What is this?” Moya thinks, squinting at the figure, “It’s hard to look at. I feel… nauseous?” Nonetheless, she grits her teeth, “It doesn’t matter! Whatever trick she she’s working won’t help her now!”

WITCH MOUNTAIN swings a fist at the odd figure, whilst black fluid streaming down between its knuckles, staining its skin.

“It’s over”, Moya mutters under her breath.