Harry's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. But the Goblin armor and glider in front of him proved that Kid wasn't lying.
He looked around at everything, and reality just felt too cruel. The father he respected so much—Norman Osborn, CEO of the Osborn Group—was actually the infamous criminal "Green Goblin"?!
"No… this isn't real."
"Too bad—it is," Kid said calmly. "Your father injected himself with an incomplete genetic drug. It made him bloodthirsty. And over time, he'll just get crueler and crueler. That's why you need to be ready. He might die in an accident during one of his missions. Or he might get caught and locked up in an asylum. Either way, someone has to hold up the Osborn Group. That someone is you."
"No way. My father…" Harry wanted to defend Norman. But then he remembered all the strange things his dad had been doing lately. Deep down, he already knew. Norman was the Green Goblin. What was he supposed to do now? Talk him out of it? As if Norman would ever listen. His father never really listened to him anyway.
He needed strength. Just like Kid always said—only strength could stop evil. If anyone was going to take down the Green Goblin, it should be him. A son should do it.
"So, are you going to keep your promise now? Didn't you say you'd give me power?"
"Good. Looks like you're ready." Kid smiled. "Given your father's situation, there's no time to train you slowly. So I've decided to give you the power of a Stand."
He had planned to teach him the Microcosmos, but that required time and practice. And with how long he'd been putting off officially taking Harry as a student, there was no time left. A Stand would be better—fast and strong.
"A Stand?"
"That's right. It's a physical manifestation of life energy—power born from your soul," Liu A'dou explained. "Each Stand has a unique ability. Some can control fire, water, wind—even time. Stands are amazing."
"Sounds cool. What do I need to do?"
"Nothing. Just stand still." This wasn't the first time he'd used Ripple to awaken a Stand in someone. He was pretty good at it now.
Kid placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Ripple energy surged through him like a raging river, flooding every cell in his body.
"Focus on the power. Feel it with your soul."
Harry couldn't move anymore. Not even a simple nod. Inside, an incredible power was building up. He could feel a second life forming within him—though of course, this wasn't pregnancy or anything like that.
The feeling lasted only a moment, then everything went back to normal. Harry opened his eyes, but he couldn't sense anything different.
"Good. You now have Stand power. Next, you need practice. I've got just the place to help you get used to it."
Gotham City. More specifically, Gotham at night. That place was crawling with thugs and criminals. Just take a walk at night and you're bound to run into trouble. It was the perfect spot for a beginner to level up. That's how Liu A'dou had started out too.
Harry agreed. He had no idea how to use his new power yet, so training was essential. He was in.
They left immediately. No more riding horses—this time, they flew. Using Green Lantern-style energy constructs, Kid summoned a plane. These constructs had whatever power you imagined. You just had to think about what you wanted. They could even become AI—if you imagined all the details clearly.
It was incredibly convenient. Liu A'dou realized he was getting kind of dependent on it.
Same smell. Same formula. Same old Gotham. Every time Liu A'dou came back, it felt like coming home.
As soon as they landed, Liu A'dou waved his hand, and the uniform on his body turned into light and vanished into his ring. That's right—his outfit tonight was made from ring energy too.
Harry stared in surprise. He hadn't expected his "master" to reveal himself so casually. So who was Kaitou Kid, really? Harry Osborn had guessed many things before—maybe a regular young man, maybe a rich kid like himself, or maybe even a circus acrobat.
But it was none of those. When Harry saw Liu A'dou's real face, it looked so familiar. He was sure he had seen him somewhere before. After thinking hard for a moment, it hit him—Liu A'dou was that famous film director.
"So you recognize me."
"You're Liu A'dou? The director of Frozen?!" Harry never imagined the Moonlight Magician would also be the genius behind such a perfect movie. It was more shocking than the time Tony announced he was Iron Man.
"If my classmates knew, they'd go absolutely nuts." A bunch of Harry's friends were both Kid fans and Frozen fans. If they found out Liu A'dou was really Kaitou Kid, they'd lose their minds. But Harry understood why Liu A'dou had revealed himself to him.
"Now that we're master and disciple, I can't keep wearing a mask. Like I said, between master and student, there has to be honesty. Whether you truly accept me as your teacher or not, since you agreed, I'll treat you as my student and train you. Now let's start your low-level monster grinding."
They headed to the most chaotic place in Gotham—Narrows Island.
Harry was not used to places like this. The way people looked at him made it feel like they wanted to rip him apart. His back turned cold.
"This kind of place isn't for rich kids like you." As expected, they hadn't even walked far before some street trash came to them. "Hey, do you two know where you are?"
Three thugs surrounded them, each holding a knife.
"When the fight starts, focus on the energy inside you. Shout the name in your heart to summon your Stand," Liu A'dou instructed.
"You want me to take on all three of them by myself?" Cold sweat slid down Harry's neck.
"What else? This is why we came—to train you. As long as you summon your Stand, these three are nothing."
"Yo, boss, they're seriously ignoring us?"
"Leave your wallet, your coat, and your shoes. I like your shoes. Or we'll make sure you end up dead in the sewers," the lead thug said.
Liu A'dou shoved Harry forward. He nervously stared at the thugs, too tense to feel any kind of power inside himself.
"You're asking for it!" One of them punched Harry in the face, making his cheek swell up instantly.
Blood dripped from his mouth. Harry worked out, sure—but he'd never actually been in a fight. The punch left his mind blank, his face burning with pain. He didn't even know how to hit back.
"You an idiot?" Another thug kicked him square in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs.
The pressure and pain in his chest dropped him to the ground. He couldn't even lift a finger to fight back.
Liu A'dou just kept shaking his head. Harry had grown up in a cushy bubble and clearly had no idea how to fight. "Shout the name. Summon your Stand."
Every breath Harry took came with pain, but his determination still held firm. He hadn't forgotten why he was here. He needed strength. He had to stop his father from doing evil again. That's right—he needed to master this Stand power. He had to call that name. The Stand's name.
"Silver Chariot—"