Golden Wind: Fate of Zephyr

Chapter 5.5: Cassiano & Francesco Cappano 

Rovescio Montagna used to be the undefeated street fighter known simply as Il Monte of Naples. But, before that life, he was simply just Cassiano Cappano. 

When Rovescio was born, he felt like he must have done something that cursed him to live the life he was born into. His father was an unknown businessman from an island called Hong Kong who convinced his young mother to keep both Rovescio and his older twin brother Francesco before bailing out on all three at the last minute. Their mother, simply known as Ariella Cappano to her contemporaries, was an up-and-coming starlet desperate for money and now had to give up her career to become a mother once the twins were born. She was in denial of having to adjust to her new life as a single parent that needed to be responsible for two people she was guilted into bringing into the world. Despite well-meaning friends and family offering help and trying to help her transition to motherhood, Ariella continued to partake in her former lifestyle of lavish parties and casting calls while leaving Rovescio and Francesco to fend for themselves once they were weaned. The twin brothers bonded over hours of being left alone in the dirty studio apartment and it was a miracle that both survived long enough with the neglect they were given; the family of three often had to move around to avoid eviction, which would have been prevented had their mother thought about paying house bills instead of cosmetic procedures to retain her youth. To this day, Rovescio doesn't know why his mother insisted on keeping him and his brother and wondered whether she valued her image too much to send them to foster care or just abandon them instead. 

Despite being identical twins, Francesco always seemed to be the better out of the two— their mother made sure of that every time she paraded him to every audition that needed a young boy. Francesco, to the world, was a beautiful, talented potential actor; he had the “it” factor that made everyone who came across him believe he was destined to be Italy’s next big star. Many would describe Francesco as someone who could sing, dance, act, and model, and many joked about how much of an “old soul” and “classic gentleman” he was despite his young age. Meanwhile, the rest of the world only knew Rovescio as just Francesco’s little brother— if they ever knew he existed at all. 

The boys used to spend their time together alone in the apartment, with Francesco taking the role of the big brother despite the two being the same age until Ariella found a use for Francesco to be her next money-maker and chance to live the celebrity life vicariously. Rovescio learned quickly that he was unwanted by his family. To his mother, he was the uglier, talentless, worthless twin that looked less Italian than his brother and therefore not worthy of her unconditional love. The only reason why Rovescio was tolerated was because he seemed to remain in the shadows without question. 

One night, the young boy overheard Francesco and Ariella talking in whispers and his brother mentioned how “worthless” Rovescio was to the family for reasons that resonated with Ariella. The words Rovescio remembered the most was how Francesco flatly said something along the lines of Rovescio was not worthy to achieve the greatness Ariella wanted to gain through her children. What he didn’t realize at the time was that what Francesco told their mother wasn’t intended for malice; the older twin intentionally fed Ariella these awful lies to say that his younger brother was too ugly, too inept to pursue such an intense career, and made up statements that convinced her to no longer favor his younger sibling— all of it to protect Rovescio from the horrific life that would befall on Francesco for years to come. “A useless spare,” the words etched in Rovescio’s memories as he held back tears to avoid being caught eavesdropping. The abusive, exhausting life as a child actor was something Rovescio ultimately learned about after his brother’s death but wished he learned sooner. 

The next several years after the first audition Francesco was put through were grueling, to say the least, and their mother's favoritism also forced the two brothers to spend more time apart. While Rovescio was forgotten by the world, Francesco received various gifts and exaggerated love from Ariella and his growing fans. No matter how well Rovescio did in school or how badly he behaved, his actions were all met with apathy from his mother and any attempt to prove his worth only fueled the separation between the two brothers further. Francesco’s apparent lack of comment or action was interpreted as him agreeing with Ariella’s opinions no matter how harsh they were. 

Rovescio began resenting his more well-liked older brother over time. Francesco was always too busy to play, talk, or even acknowledge his younger brother, and it translated to arrogance in Rovescio’s mind. In reality, he was either too exhausted due to being overworked or too drugged up to keep sane; the latter was what the younger twin never realized was happening due to how well Francesco was at hiding it. Eventually, Rovescio stopped trying to rekindle the brotherhood he had before— even when Francesco had chances where he wasn’t as exhausted or was sober enough to initiate. 

Photos on their apartment walls were filled with pictures of Francesco in beauty pageants, movie premieres, and modeling gigs, sometimes alongside the mother; not one photo of Rovescio was displayed beside a few he knew were stuck into a worn photobook tucked under the messy coffee table in the living room. While Francesco seemed to have plans to go to Hollywood one day, his younger twin concluded escaping home as soon as he could get the financial freedom to do so. Rovescio began spending his days trying to find a job he could do that would allow him to earn money quickly without his youth being a hindrance. No one wanted to hire a young schoolboy, especially one living in an area with a reputation of delinquents, but Rovescio never gave up and attempted to take small jobs like being a gofer unknowingly for a local gang and walking neighborhood dogs. How he managed to not get too tangled into the crime world until much later in his life remained a miracle. 

His wish to find a stable job came one day after school when he walked by a worn-down fighting gym that had a “help needed” sign hastily written and taped on the door. Despite being only eleven years old at the time, he asked the middle-aged owner of the gym, a former mixed-martial arts world champion forced into early retirement due to injury, if he could work for him at the rate posted. The idea of fighting never crossed his mind but he considered learning to at least know how to punch if his gofer side-job goes awry; Rovescio even asked the older man if he could be paid with fight classes instead. The owner in response gave him a broom without question and told him to finish the sweeping before his first lesson later that evening. 

The man— Rovescio never learned of his name beyond calling him L’allenatore— was a bitter soul who took advantage of Rovescio’s young age and desperation to get cheap labor in exchange for teaching everything he knew about various martial arts; eventually, the two developed a close yet awkward bond with each other as the owner began to have soft spot for the young boy that only went as far as ensuring he wouldn’t get into trouble. Rovescio still saw the man as the father figure he never had despite the occasional back-handed comments and intentionally stifling his pay when money was tighter during sporadic parts of the year.

Whether it was ethical or not, the owner eventually decided to use Rovescio to fight in the illegal underground fighting pits against children of similar circumstances so both could earn extra money. Unlike the regulated and public fighting competitions where opponents were evenly matched based on weight, Rovescio was made to fight with opponents who ranged from larger near-adult teenagers that enjoyed abusing their younger contemporaries to frail-looking school children who were more upset that their too-big uniforms got soiled with blood than their noses barely hanging off their faces. L’allenatore made Rovescio believe that it was the latter’s choice to fight and constantly reminded him that he was lucky to be doing it for experience instead of necessity. Surprisingly, the cut that the young boy made with fighting was fairly split between him and his mentor. 

Rovescio proved to be a natural. Whether it be Muay Thai, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, Capoeira, or even wrestling, no style was off limits for Rovescio to use in matches and no hit or punch was deemed illegal in a free-for-all situation. It didn’t take long for him to learn how to fight against opponents regardless of size and style, and he began his reputation as an undefeated champion that lined the pockets of those who bet for him. Rovescio used his earnings to build up his savings for a new place to live and possibly to get a higher education if his lifestyle allowed it. It didn’t take long for his reputation to spread to the point where local gangs asked his mentor to let him join their syndicates. Unbeknownst to Rovescio at the time, L’allenatore made sure no one tried to make him join anything related to the mafia. “Being an anonymous gofer when you were younger is one thing,” he explained to the young boy about why he should never join a syndicate regardless of the benefits and promises a membership entailed, “but being a full-on gang member is another thing. Promise me that you would never join a gang of any kind. You are much more safe beating them in the ring than joining them on the streets— you hear me?”

The once identical twins were now completely different people. Francesco spent his days at opulent ballrooms or fresh gardens dressed in the finest clothes and appearing without imperfection while Rovescio spent his days at abandoned buildings or makeshift gyms wearing nothing but his worn shorts and covered in sweat and blood. Francesco would represent the elegant beauty that young women fawned over while Rovescio emulated the rugged attractiveness that men aspire to have. Francesco could be molded to be the perfect star while Rovescio gained fame as the immovable and unchangeable Il Monte; it was a name given to him by the referee that oversaw his most famous battle and the crowd went wild as soon as the moniker was created. They were opposites despite starting their lives alike. 

Neither his mother nor, as it seemed, Francesco wondered what Rovescio did while they were away. Ariella assumed he was off doing something unworthy of her time worrying when she had a more famous son to deal with and her thoughts were justified seeing Rovescio constantly covered in sweat or bruises she believed came from simple roughhousing among schoolboys. Francesco tried to ask Rovescio about the injuries appearing more than ever that Ariella seemed to ignore one night but Rovescio snapped back when the former refused to stop asking. “Why would you care,” he barked back. Rovescio then muttered about being glad to leave Francesco soon once his fighting career finally takes off. His dreams developed into him wanting to become a famous fighter one day. While he mostly did underground and was more accustomed to the lack of rules or regulations, he hoped to enter the actual M.M.A. world as a proper fighter when he had enough money to move. 

Francesco may have noticed the injuries that Rovescio didn’t mind showing off, but Rovescio failed to see Francesco struggling to hide the damage that was done over time due to his career. By the time the two of them were seventeen years old, the once-identical twins were no longer identical in appearance. Rovescio was able to grow stronger, and taller, with his once-light brown naturally darken with age to a thick rich black that was buzzed short for ease of maintenance. Francesco, meanwhile, remained slightly shorter but frailer due to the ideal lean physique of the time, his longer hair remaining blond and fried due to constant bleaching, and constantly styled to suit whatever role he was put in. To this day, Rovescio wished he saw the signs sooner and taken notice of how many times Francesco appeared with strange bruises on the inside of his elbows or the fact that their mother constantly shoved pills down his throat every time the older twin dared complained about being too hungry, sleepy, too hyper. Rovescio realized Francesco was struggling to keep his eyes open the more he saw him and the younger twin swore he heard the sounds of violent retching in the bathroom every time Francesco was to use it after every meal. 

“You have to get rid of that food somehow to stay thin,” he heard their mother once say to his older brother during dinner before Francesco obediently went to the bathroom afterward. “It's not that hard— just throw it up quickly. You can still enjoy the taste of food without having to gain its calories. Try harder, Francesco.” 

Rovescio didn't think much of what she said back then. Every time he did think of something that related to Francesco’s well-being, he brushes it off by reminding himself his older brother truly never cares about him or Ariella scoffed at him for trying to talk in her presence. Yet, the signs of abuse Ariella put Francesco through became more prominent: he looked more tired, he looked older, and he was forced to eat on some days while made to starve on others. The fancy suits and hairstyles, although trendy and modern, didn’t help him look younger either, and he was constantly teased for appearing “too old” at times. Yet, Francesco said nothing to the comments and seemed to follow Ariella’s orders to maintain the unhealthy lifestyle as if he was doing so blindly. 

Even after they began drifting apart and despite constantly moving, the twins always shared the same bedroom; Ariella insisted she had her own room to sleep in because she claimed she deserved it for raising her future star and the family never had enough to afford three bedrooms. Rovescio noticed how Francesco often acted weird at night since he began his acting career, sometimes keeping the former awake at night for random reasons. Whether it was wetting the bed, or constantly opening and closing the bedroom door to rush to the bathroom, Rovescio didn’t hold himself back from nasty remarks against Francesco for being seemingly bizarre. The actions made Rovescio feel justified for continuing to call Francesco an old man who seemed to be unable to stomach his food or control his bladder. Yet, Francesco said nothing beyond promising he would stop bothering his younger sibling and try harder to control himself. It never stopped, with Rovescio being the most annoyed about the weird noises that Francesco would make at night as if he was having some intense dream every time. Rovescio once said aloud he wished his brother would drop dead someday so he could finally sleep in peace. 

The current bedroom they shared since they moved in a year ago consisted of two twin beds next to each other that were divided by a small nightstand they shared. Years of escaping eviction meant their clothes and items were mostly in boxes for the possibility of moving again, and rarely did the twins have anything personalized as a result Every night was the same routine for the two, in which Rovescio turned to face away from his brother as a means to go to sleep while Francesco was forced by Ariella to shove a handful of colorful pills before lying down. Back then, Rovescio assumed they were weird vitamins simply put in generic pill bottles due to how their mother seemed insistent in making sure Francesco was healthy for some reason yet never tried to give any to Rovescio.  

Over time, the sounds of the door opening at night were replaced with the smell of something sour in the morning instead. Rovescio noticed a weird red bucket that seemed empty every time he went to inspect it but smelled like a mix of something sour and metallic despite it looking clean. Rovescio was only glad that the sound of the door opening and closing constantly at night was no more and thought he could finally have a good night’s sleep when he woke up one night to find Francesco’s body on the ground in a pool of vomit. 

Rovescio first heard a soft thud, followed by what he later realized was muffled choking noises, but he refused to open his eyes to know what was going on. Instead, he turned himself over to the other wall away from his brother’s bed, and loudly told him to shut up before falling asleep again. Yet, something in his mind was telling him to wake up despite his tiredness fighting against it. Rovescio tried to resume sleeping for almost an hour before he finally listened to his gut and opened his eyes to see the horrific scene before him. 

To this day, he wished he never turned on the lights. He wished he had never woken up or turned back to see what he saw that night. There on the ground with a hand stretching closest to Rovscio was his dead brother, now limp and cold to the touch, killed by lack of oxygen from suffocating on his own vomit caused by an overdose. He was unable to roll himself over or call for help. The red bucket managed to roll under Rovescio’s bed. 

By the time Francesco was rushed to the hospital, he was already gone. It didn’t help that Rovescio tried to wake Ariella up for the next half hour before the mother finally relented and walked into her sole source of income now deceased. Drug addiction was labeled the cause of Francesco’s suffering and doctors said that he suffered a withdrawal that caused him to vomit. Ariella had intentionally given Francesco various, unregulated medications in the hope that it would optimize his performance and keep him under her orders over the years and even bribed doctors to prescribe them regardless of the long-term effects they could have on any growing boy’s body. She became desperate a year before, seeing that Francesco was still not in a position she wanted her to be in and how the competition was getting younger, and upped the doses of the medications she managed to get from black markets without questioning their ingredients or whether the drugs themselves were legal to use on children. Those noises of Francesco going to the bathroom and the red bucket came from him vomiting as a side effect of the drugs being too strong, and he got the bucket so he would allow Rovescio to sleep better. The night he died, his weak body fell as he tried to grab the bucket. The bucket ended up rolling to Rovescio’s side and Francesco was unable to get underneath his younger twin’s before he finally choked. 

Everything made sense to Rovescio now. The drugs, unnecessary beauty procedures, the questionable things that happened behind closed doors that he could only imagine. Ariella fed him a lot of things and made him do a lot of treatments: various barbiturates and amphetamines, diet pills, hunger suppressors, botox injections, tanning booths, hydration IV therapy, the works. He was overworked, abused, and exploited— not only by his mother but the directors and executives who saw his pretty face and body as something they can use beyond filming. Rovescio realized Francesco’s words years ago were lies and that Francesco was silently protecting Rovescio in hopes that his younger brother would not live the same life as the older one was forced into. 

While Ariella was behind the abuse, she managed to get away with it. His mother bribed the police to believe that Francesco always had a drug issue rather than it being her causing it. The sob story stated that fame became so stressful that Francesco inflicted on himself his addiction and eating disorders. The local community immortalized him as the poster child for childhood addiction, coinciding with Passione’s growing power and campaign for anti-drug use among children. Ariella became known as the grieving mother who sacrificed her life to help her child achieve fame and gained a lot of financial “assistance” and sympathy from the community for having to lose such a promising star so young. 

But, Rovescio knew it was all a lie. 

Francesco Cappano was forced to take drugs and died because of his mother’s dangerous ambitions. Francesco Cappano was forced to starve himself and sell his body for her unrealistic dreams. Ariella was the woman who killed him. She was the one that ended Francesco’s life before it could begin. But, what could a boy forgotten by the world do to prove it? What could a boy everyone only knew as Il Monte can do besides beat his mother? Rovescio wanted to avenge his brother one way, but he wasn’t sure how— until he met his Stand. 

Rovescio had knocked down a glass of water when he was at the gym while sweeping one day. Realizing it was L’allenatore ’s favorite cup and prepared to be yelled at by the latter for breaking it, he gingerly went to pick up the pieces and wondered how to glue them together when they suddenly moved. The glass reassembled itself as it seemed to float upward and returned to its original state on the table it was knocked from. While the glass was fixed as if it never fell, the water within it remained as a puddle on the ground unmoved. L’allenatore never knew that his glass was ever broken but only asked Rovescio to clean up the water spill instead. 

The next day, Rovescio realized he could make the stray black cat that liked to hang out at the entrance walk backward. One touch on all four legs made it move against its will to the trashcan it just came out of. Rovescio realized his ability allowed him to reverse the flow of motion; the more complex the flow, the more energy it took to reverse it. Broken boards could be put back together, and burned objects could be reverted from ashes if he had a clear understanding of what it originally was, he was able to save a businessman one day from choking by reversing his windpipe to push the lodged food out. The last discovery gave him an idea one night when he was having dinner with his mother. 

Two weeks after Francesco died was his grand funeral. The night before, Rovescio and Ariella were having dinner by themselves for the first time together. Between Francesco’s death and the day before the official funeral, Ariella had been away from home spending time doing anti-drug campaigns across Italy that exploited Francesco’s image while also going off to vacation with a mafioso who became her recent boyfriend that neither twin knew about. For some reason, she was willing to have dinner with Rovescio that night and act strangely familiar with him; Rovescio figured, based on what had overheard, that she was planning on trying to make him an actor next and make it look like Rovescio was going to be Francesco’s legacy. Despite knowing why she suddenly was paying attention to him and the awkwardness of the dinner, he played along and let her lament about how upsetting it was for her to lose her son. Rovescio tried to feign empathy as he sat up from his chair and went to his mother to side-hug her after she finished crying crocodile tears. Ariella didn’t think much about the act of affection, especially how Rovescio moved his hands from her chest to her torso. All she mentioned was how Rovescio looked just like Francesco before she coughed. 

At first, she thought her throat was dry and took a sip of water. She felt herself cough again and tried to drink again. Rovescio moved his hands away and let his Stand do its work as he backed up. He watched his mother beat her chest as if she was trying to get something out but in vain. Eventually, Ariella couldn’t stop coughing and began retching instead. 

Ariella’s hands were clutching the edge of the table as bile and undigested food began to come out of her mouth and onto her dinner plate. She couldn’t stop herself from vomiting, wondering what was going on, and fear began to envelop her. She called out to Rovescio to help her, but he refused. His fake, empathetic voice turned cold. 

“What’s the matter,” he asked his mother in a taunting tone. 

He approached her again to grip her hair and pull her head up, making sure she wasn’t facing down on the table to not watch the food she ate come out. A stream of sour stomach acid came out and spread across the table as Ariella watched in horror. The smell of sour bile no longer bothered him anymore. “You always told Francesco he should throw up his food after eating so he could stay thin, right? You told him to do that all these years. It’s not that hard to do, is it not?”

She couldn’t answer— not like Rovescio wanted her to. More undigested food came out, some varied in colors of oranges and browns. “Maybe those pills you gave him could help you,” he mentioned the illegal drugs. “I heard cocaine is great to keep your energy up after a heavy meal. Why don’t you try some of that, mother? It seemed to work for Francesco, didn’t it?”

He kept taunting her and using his Stand abilities to keep her vomiting more. It didn’t take long for all the food, including the excess waste, to be out of the system. Rovescio only reversed the flow of the digestive system as a whole but not the individual processes within it. The stomach, for example, was desperately replenishing itself with more acid, which would then be retched up. “Cassio,” she could barely speak, “what are you—” 

“Franecsco never had a drug problem,” Rovescio angrily told her as she vomited more. “He never had eating disorders or was addicted to cosmetic procedures. You were the one who forced that into him. You used him so you could have that fantasy bullshit of being a famous actor. You sold him, you made him suffer— just because he was your one-way ticket to the fame you never got! Come osi! Francesco went through hell because of you. I lost my brother because of you!” 

He slammed her head on the table with such force that it caused some silverware to roll off and he stepped back. Ariella couldn’t care less about what Rovescio was saying but was struggling to stop. She could taste something metallic filling her mouth with each hurl. The intensity of the flow was starting to break blood vessels. 

“You did this,” Rovescio meant to say the words to his mother but unknowingly was talking to himself as he came down from his anger. He was heaving, the reality of what was going on was kicking in. “You could have stopped it,” he felt tears beginning to come out. “You could have said something, you could have saved him! You... I…” 

By the time Rovescio said his last word, he felt himself leaning against a nearby wall that hung a picture of Francesco genuinely smiling at five years old; it was the healthiest that Francesco ever looked. He managed to catch himself from falling and slid down as he watched Ariella continue to retch herself to death. Tears were flowing down his eyes and, for the first time, Rovescio let himself cry uncontrollably. He had trained himself to suck up his tears over the years and never show sadness but he let himself scream. It was a miracle that no neighbor heard Ariella dying or Rovescio finally mourning the loss of his brother. Rovescio didn’t shed tears when he tried to wake Francesco up or when the doctor declared him dead; he wanted to, but he wondered why he couldn’t until now. 

All those years of believing his brother never loved him, never cared for him, and Rovescio felt selfish for only thinking of himself. He could have saved his brother rather than left him to die. Rovescio wondered if he too was responsible for killing Francesco by simply not preventing it or speaking up against the abuse. He regretted every moment of him shutting down his brother over the years, making fun of him for things he had no control over, for refusing to listen when his brother tried to talk to him. All those thoughts swirled into his mind as he cried. 

He blacked out from emotional exhaustion and overused his Stand soon after. It didn’t matter what he could remember from that day, as everything was a blur soon after he gained consciousness hours later. He woke up to see his mother dead, her glassy eyes still staring at him while she was slumped onto her chair. He didn’t need to check that she was dead but Rovescio quickly left the apartment with nothing but the clothes on his back and the stash of money he earned with his fights over the years since he was hired by L’allenatore . The gym owner didn’t question Rovescio when the now young man began spending more time and seemed to be sleeping there more often; L’allenatore would eventually move back to his hometown and sell the establishment a few weeks later, leaving Rovescio to fend for himself. 

Rovescio began full-time being an underground street fighter to maintain his title as  Il Monte and never disclosed who he was. He heard a rumor that Ariella died but didn’t hear what was reported as her cause of death. No one cared to look for Cassiano Cappano so far, and Rovescio decided to simply move on with his life. 

Because L’allenatore was no longer his mentor, Rovescio had more money for himself which allowed him to buy a modest studio apartment with his savings and live relatively comfortably while doing fights often. The dream of being an MMA fighter was thrown away in favor of the illegal fighting community being more lucrative. He still kept L’allenatore’s advice to never join a syndicate but added a twist to it: he would only join or do what was commanded of him if he was beaten by the person who was going to recruit him. 

The reversing ability was given the name「Polyphia」and began using it against his opponents. By simply tapping his competitor when they throw a punch or he gets behind them, he was able to make his opponent reverse their movements. Rovescio used it to find patterns in their movements or create an open spot to hit them. No one knew he was a Stand User, and Rovescio was able to get away with it as money flowed in. As his reputation grew, so did the offers of joining syndicates due to his ability now that L’allenatore  was no longer there to protect him from unwanted solicitors. His deal brought mafiosos from all over the country to try fighting against the infamous Il Monte and quickly being humbled without knowing that a Stand was being used. Because of「Polyphia」, no regular human was able to beat him or understand why their perfected tactics or strategies suddenly failed them. No one was able to move the mountain. No one could end Rovescio’s seemingly impossible streak. 

Until Aglio Nero came along. 

The boyfriend that Ariella was involved with was a prominent mafioso within Passione. Upon her death, the syndicate wanted to investigate whether the cause was done by a potential enemy that needed to be taken out. The newly-formed Hitman Team #47 was tasked to investigate and Aglio noticed that Rovescio was the only living next of kin. It was a detail other mafiosos that investigated the case failed to notice due to lack of photos in the apartment and the future Team Leader decided to visit the seemingly unknown son that other mafiosos failed to take into account. Going through the twins’ old bedroom gave Aglio some clues that indicated a bigger truth. 

It was on one particular night that the two met when Aglio first heard of this deal. While most of his fighting style was self-taught, Aglio considered himself to be good enough to defend and escape but never engaged in fighting rings for any reason other than watching them. Hearing about Rovescio’s deal and refusal to even talk to anyone made Aglio have no choice but to sign up for a fight himself. The crowd was confused but also excited to see how this unknown contender would be beaten by the undefeated Il Monte.

Upon entering the ring before the fight, Aglio immediately noticed「Polyphia」. The two-headed tiger stood behind Rovescio, surrounding its infamous smoke as a means to secretly guard its Stand User, as the referee rang the first bell. Rovescio was still high off the victory of his last fight and only thought about winning his next one; seeing his opponent playing with a coin was brushed away as some weird quirk in Rovescio’s eyes. The first few hits Aglio took allowed the mafioso to see how being touched by Rovescio forced him to go backward and expose an open spot for him to be hit or learn his fighting style. Aglio played into his strengths regarding agility to avoid being hit and using「Black and White」to protect the areas that Rovescio tried to touch. He didn’t want to expose his Stand’s more gruesome abilities and noticed Rovescio’s ability was exhausting him the more he used it. Two seemingly boring rounds later, mostly to allow Aglio to bait his opponent and then showed how well he could beat the latter, Rovescio became desperate seeing Aglio appear unfazed and「Polyphia」becoming exhausted from unusual overuse. The last round ended up being intense, with Rovescio using his actual fighting abilities instead of his Stand and managing to put some damage against Aglio. However, the exhaustion got the best of Rovescio and Aglio became the first to beat Il Monte’s winning streak. 

When the results were announced, Aglio tried to help him up as a means of showing good sportsmanship but was met with Rovescio refusing and hastily leaving the ring without talking to anyone in his way. The crowd was caught off guard by the unpredicted results of the fight and chaos ensued in the viewing areas. The mafioso saw that guns were beginning to be drawn out and noticed Rovescio already to avoid the crowd and head back to the locker room area; the matches were being held in an abandoned school’s gym and the mafioso knew cops would arrive soon. Ignoring the fights that were happening among the watchers, Aglio kept his eyes on Rovescio as he silently followed behind the newly defeated fighter. As he walked, he was handed the envelope full of prize money by the referee and slightly felt guilty about taking it but accepted the reward nonetheless before resuming his walk to the locker rooms.

Rovescio had a feeling something was up when he reluctantly decided to admit defeat and was declared the loser of the match for the first time in his fighting career. He was suspicious of how someone he never met was able to defeat him and whether this was another ploy to have him recruited into a crime syndicate. The latter suspicions grew more when he was complaining about his defeat with the fighters that were supposed to be going up next. Once Aglio entered the room and approached Rovescio, he asked the other men to leave them before taking out his wallet to pay for their departure. The fighter was confused, seeing that Aglio was still holding the envelope underneath his other arm but then handing it to Rovescio instead. “I only take what I rightfully earn,” the fighter refused Aglio’s money despite the latter insisting. “What do you want?” 

Aglio simply placed the envelope on the bench and took out「Black and White」to play with it; seeing Rovescio look at the Stand allowed the mafioso to confirm that he truly was a Stand User. “My name is Aglio Nero,” he introduced himself. “It’s nice to meet the infamous fighter himself. You must be Cassiano Cappano, no?”

“You must have heard the deal I have,” Rovescio was focused more on patching himself than engaging in any conversation. The sweat from his body had quickly dried up and he was now rummaging through his locker to grab some sweats to warm himself. Aglio noticed a few small tattoos on the fighter’s arm and back. 

“No one can talk to you or make you join their gang unless they defeat you in the ring,” the mafioso reiterated. 

“So,” Rovescio rolled his eyes as he put on a pair of worn sweatpants, “what are you here for? Is this about me joining your team? Is that what you want to talk to me about?” 

“I want to talk to you about your mother.” 

His answer caught Rovescio off guard, but the latter maintained a poker face to avoid further speculations from the other. Aglio continued nonetheless. “You’re Signora Ariella Cappano, correct? You had a brother named Francesco?”

“What about her,” the punch Aglio gave to his face still stung when he spoke and he hissed after asking him. “That bitch doesn’t care about me or my brother. Why should I worry about her?” 

“Your mother died,” Aglio said matter-of-factly; Rovescio simply shrugged in response. 

“I know,” he admitted. “I killed her. She deserved it.”

Aglio looked at him quizzically, surprised by how honest he was about it. “I killed her,” Rovescio repeated himself as he moved to change from his fighting shoes to another pair of sneakers. “Is that what you’re looking for? Who murdered her? Turn me into the police or kill me for all I care.”

“She was associated with a high-ranking member of my syndicate,” Aglio explained. “La Familgia marked her death as suspicious due to the brutal nature she was found in— my superiors have labeled the event as an attack on Passione. You do realize what you admitted.” Rovescio sat back down on the bench. 

“You’re an assassin,” Rovescio thought out loud. “You could have easily tracked me down and killed me in my sleep the night before the fight, killed me while I fought another man in the ring, or killed me right now in this locker room without saying anything. Yet, you made yourself known to me. Why?” The fighter spread his arms out as if to say he was willing to die right now and taunted Aglio to do the job. If he could tell the actual truth, Rovescio didn’t want to die but was willing to resign to his fate. Given that he did tell everyone they could technically do as they pleased with him if they defeated him in the right, he resigned to every type of possibility. The taunting was simply done to hide his nerves. 

Aglio didn’t say anything but walked to a locker that was meant to hold Aglio’s stuff. The mafioso silently turned the combinations before opening the door to take out what looked like a worn-out shoe box. Without saying anything, he handed it to Rovescio. 

Gingerly, the fighter opened the lid and noticed how there was a large wad of cash, some checks, and a notebook stuffed with a few letters in there. What caught his eye first was an old photo of him and his brother together. It was the last photo the two of them took together when they were eight— before they reached the point of no return in their relationship. Both men recognized the photo was taken in a garden area in Villa Carlotta. 

“I hope you don’t mind me reading through all of it beforehand,” Aglio watched Rovescio rummage through the box. “But, this is why I didn’t kill you. The box was hidden underneath a bed next to a red bucket. I believe it belongs to you or maybe… your brother? The diary in it is written by Francesco based on the name on the cover and there was a wad of cash in there too with some notes addressed to your name.”

Rovescio was quiet. He pulled out each item and placed them on the bench next to the envelope before he finally reached the diary. Flipping through it confirmed that it was indeed Francesco’s diary and the extensive details of his life: the abuse and speculations of what happened to his body over the years, the words Rovescio had harshly said to his brother, and how Francesco clung onto the hope that, if he endured a little more, he could make enough money to get both him and Rovescio out of the living situation they were in. Aglio let Rovescio read in silence as the latter made it to the final entry. The words were more messily written and chaotic, but the pages all collectively revealed Francesco’s belief that he was going to die soon; the pages hinted how the older twin was feeling sicker but didn’t want his little brother to know how he spent those last few weeks vomiting quietly so he would sleep well. The notes that were in the box were addressed to Rovescio like it was a will that bestowed all the money. “If I’m not able to make it,” Rovescio read out loud as tears began to drop from his face, “let this money help you get out instead. I believe in you, Il Monte.”

Aglio didn’t judge seeing Rovescio cry and punch the locker room despite the pain it inflicted on his fist soon after. “I… deserve to die,” Rovescio muttered. “Do your job if you must but make it quick.”

“It’s one thing to kill your parents,” Aglio refused to kill him, “but it’s another as a means of justice when no one else would give it to you. La Famiglia wanted you dead for your crime of killing your mother but that shoebox proved that you didn’t kill her out of malice or to go against the syndicate. I volunteered to confront you because I believed that is what happened and don’t think you deserve death for your actions. Even if you’ll be executed, I wanted to at least let you see this regardless of whether I have to kill you or not.”

Rovescio summarized what had happened to his brother, which Aglio reassured that the story could be spun in the former’s favor due to Passione’s reputation as a family-oriented syndicate that wouldn’t condone obvious child abuse; Ariella’s actions as a horrible mother was never really known until now. “Are you going to be my executioner then,” Rovescio asked. 

“I was not given the final order to do so but the chances of you getting killed by as punishment are still very high,” Aglio tried to be optimistic yet realistic. “I’ll do my best to advocate for your survival. But, there is one way to guarantee you won’t be killed: you’d have to join Passione.”

“So,” Rovescio chuckled, “this whole thing was a recruiting situation the whole time?”

“Passione has a policy,” Aglio explained. “Those who kill a member of La Familgia can be ‘punished’ for their crimes by joining and their chances of being treated better are higher if they joined willingly. You can think of it as a sort of occhio per occhio situation. You can appear to be remorseful, willing to join, and therefore not be killed in the end. In fact, I want you to join my team in particular. My Team Leader and I are looking for members just like you.”

“If I join,” Rovescio wondered, “will you protect me?”

“From being responsible for Signora Ariella’s death,” Aglio clarified. “If you refuse to join Passione, I won’t use your refusal against you or cooperate with others to kill you, but I cannot stop them from doing so. Your chances for survival are higher if you join my syndicate than not doing anyrhing. I can give you some time to think about it and bide some time as a result. That two-headed tiger of yours could be a great asset for the team.”

Rovescio realized that Aglio could see his special ability.「Polyphia」, which had been lying on the ground nearby snoozing, perked up upon hearing its name. Aglio gently crouched down to say hello and the two heads glanced at each other before looking at the other Stand User. “You can see「Polyphia」too,” Rovescio was amazed. 

“Stand Users can see each other’s Stands,” Aglio gave Rovescio「Black and White」to hold as he explained. “When I saw how you were able to win your fights, I had to use it against you anyways. If I hadn’t, I would have never gotten to talk to you.” The mafioso gingerly reached his hand out to let Rovescio’s Stand be more familiar with the former. Although initially hesitant, the two-headed tiger Stand allowed Aglio to touch both its heads and chuff with each stroke. “「Polyphia」is a nice name,” he commented. “And a great ability too.”

Rovescio gave「Black and White」back and put the items with the envelope back into the shoebox. “I’ll join you,” he concluded. 

“You still have time to consider,” Aglio reminded him. “Although I said earlier that you could die if you refuse, I'm willing to make sure you’re not killed—”

“My deal was that I would not join a gang unless a member of it defeated me in the ring,” Rovescio reminded him. The fighter tucked the shoebox under his left arm and extended his right hand. “You beat me fair and square,” he smiled. “I might as well keep my end of the bargain, no? I’m officially your servant, Aglio Nero. I shall serve no one but you.” The mafioso shook his hand back to seal the deal. 

The chaos and fighting that the defeat caused allowed the two Stand Users to leave the fighting ring undetected. Cassiano Cappano was no longer Il Monte but a Passione mafioso who went by Rovescio Montagna in memory of his fighting days. No one knew what happened to the once-defeated Il Monte, though some with stronger criminal ties that did know still respected him for his former reputation. It was his experience in the ring that convinced Sorbetto to have the rest of Team #47 to be trained in fighting.

To this day, Rovescio still had the shoebox and occasionally rummaged through it to help him remember his brother. There were nights when the now third-in-command wondered what would happen if Francesco lived just a bit longer. Rovescio liked to imagine Francesco able to be free from Ariella’s abuse, possibly looking healthier than ever and having more agency with his life than ever before. Aglio and Rovescio often joked about their loved ones possibly becoming mafiosos in their place instead and coming up with strange code names they would have had; the two always brushed the thought away once it became too much to handle.

To Aglio, Rovescio was not just his future third-in-command but his closest confidant due to how close they were in age. A strong bond between them grew over time and the two became close over the loss of their brother figures. Rovescio grew and dyed his hair a striking bright blond in memory of Francesco and decorated his body with more tattoos; some referenced the names of Team #47 hidden in the details. He became a mentor and figure to the younger members of the team, becoming close with the second-in-command despite their bickering and his talent in battle eventually caught the eyes of a certain superior in Roma-Naples. All anyone knew about Rovescio was his devotion and loyalty to Aglio that rivaled even the most beloved kings. Rovescio kept the promise he made to Sorbetto in his heart, willing to do what he can to make sure that Team #47 and, more imporantly, Aglio Nero makes it out in the end. Like how Francesco silently endured to make sure his younger brother made it out okday, Rovescio would do the same for his team and for his best friend.  

Cassiano Cappano went by many names throughout his life. Cassio, Cass, fratellino mio, the third-in-command of Hitman Team #47, Signore Montagna, Francesco’s younger twin, Il Monte. 

And most recently, The Favorite of Roma-Naples.

Translations:

1. Il Monte: the mountain.

2. L’allenatore: coach. Similar to how athletes refer to their mentors and trainers, Rovescio simply calls him "coach". 

3. Come osi!: how dare you!

4. Signora: a title or form of address used of or to an Italian-speaking married woman, corresponding to Mrs. or madam. 

5. Villa Carlotta: a villa right by Lake Como that serves as a museum and botanical garden. 

6. La Familgia: The family. In the English dub of Vento Aureo, characters often refer to Passione as "La Familgia" and the phrase can be used to refer to a mafia clan or mafia family. In Passione’s case, it is used in reference to the syndicate as a whole. 

7. Occhio per occhio: eye for an eye. 

8. Fratellino mio: my brother. It is a more endearing version of Fratello. In this case, the endearing version implies a younger brother. 

Name Meanings:

• Cassiano Cassiano
  • Cassiano: Italian variation of the name "Cassius", meaning "metal helmet".
  • Cappano: Italian for "box, shed". In reference to Prosciutto Cappano.
• Francesco 
  • Francesco: Italian variation of the name "Francis", meaning "free man".
• Ariella
  
  • Ariella: Hebrew for "lion of God".

CHARACTER INFORMATION:

Name: Rovescio Montagna (Cassiano Cappano)

Occupation: Third-in-Command of Hitman Team #47 (Roma-Naples division), The Favorite

Birthday: September 20th, 1976 (25 years)

Family:

• Ariella Cappano, biological mother (dead)
• Francesco Cappano, older twin brother (dead)
• Father, biological parent (alive)

Stand: Polyphia (Instrumental progressive rock band Polyphia)