After a full day, Caesar and Joseph finally made it up.
They had needed three days to conquer the Pillar of Hell. The first thing Joseph wanted to do afterward was...
"I want revenge."
"That guy Riku naps every time we are training. He does not pick any other spot. He comes here to the very top of the Pillar of Hell to sleep."
"Before each nap he even says good night to us. That hateful show-off is doing it on purpose."
"I will not forgive him."
"I am going to use oil-based ink and write five big words on his face: I am a big idiot."
Even exhausted, Joseph forced himself to his feet and wobbled over to the sleeping Riku.
He pulled out Caesar's pen and aimed it at Riku's face.
"JoJo..."
"Do not stop me, Caesar. I must get even."
"No, I am not stopping you. I just want you to add a few words for me too. Write: a narcissistic blockhead."
Caesar knew Riku was motivating them, but every time Riku said good night, that look and that tone were just too infuriating. Even he could not stand it.
"Heh. Leave it to me, Caesar."
Joseph gave a thumbs up. He would make this right.
As the pen tip neared Riku's cheek...
"Wait."
"What now. Lisa Lisa, are you trying to stop me?"
"I am not. I am reminding you to watch your step. Do not trip by accident."
"Please. On flat ground like this I will not trip. I am not some fool who falls for no reason."
Joseph snorted. He had climbed the Pillar of Hell. How could he trip now?
He raised the pen again.
"Hey."
"Who is it this time?"
He spun around, annoyed, and at that instant his foot snagged on something.
He pitched forward, rolled to the edge, and nearly fell all the way back down.
He flung out a hand and clawed at the wall.
"A g-ghost. Something just tripped me, then shoved me. Caesar, Lisa Lisa, help."
Joseph shouted, genuinely afraid of ghosts.
Riku sat up from the lounge chair, walked over, picked up the fallen pen, and strolled to the brink.
"Hey, what did you want written again. Right. You are a big idiot or a big fool. I will help you write it."
"Riku, Brother Riku, sir, I was wrong. Pull me up."
Joseph folded at once. He had fought so hard to climb up. If he fell now, he might never make it again.
"Do not rush. Let me finish. Oil-based ink is hard to wipe off."
Smiling, Riku neatly wrote the word idiot on Joseph's head, then hauled him up.
"You are despicable. You were pretending to be asleep. You tripped me when I was not looking. Despicable."
Joseph scrubbed at his forehead. It would take real work to remove.
"I was not pretending. I was truly asleep. Sleeping does not mean I cannot sense the outside."
"I do not believe you. Sneak attack."
Joseph lunged and fell again. During his ambush he was tripped once more and went sprawling.
"He was right in front of me. How did he trip me from behind?"
Joseph could not figure it out. Whatever. He was starving.
Food first, then a long sleep.
...
After three more weeks of Ripple training, Caesar and Joseph were basically ready.
That day Lisa Lisa gathered everyone and produced a red jewel.
"The Stone Mask was made by a very clever man named Kars."
"He made it to evolve himself into a being beyond human. To complete that, he needs a supreme source of energy."
"That source is this Super Aja Red Stone."
She explained the Pillar Men's goal and the power of the stone.
"May I take a look?"
Riku asked.
"You may."
She did not guard against him. To people, it was only a gem.
Riku took the stone and studied it. How did it amplify sunlight a thousandfold upon a thousandfold.
When he fed it a trace of energy, that trace reflected, compressed, and refined within the stone hundreds of millions of times, then shot out.
The tiny spark became a lance that blasted a deep hole into the ground.
"Nature is astonishing. To produce something like this."
He sighed and examined it more closely.
"What is there to study. To keep it away from Kars, we should destroy it."
"Give it to me. I will smash it."
Joseph actually chose the most straightforward plan. Destroy it, and Kars could not ascend.
But Lisa Lisa would not allow it. Long ago there was a prophecy among Ripple warriors that only the Aja Red Stone could defeat Kars.
So she would never let Joseph destroy it.
Riku could not either. His mission required Kars to ascend and then be banished. He also found the stone's structure fascinating.
"This is no ordinary rock. To me, it is a path to power."
"What if I recreate the stone's structure inside my body. What if I make a technique that reproduces its effect."
"What if I combine the Stone Mask with the Aja Red Stone."
Excitement bubbled up. He nearly blurted I will abandon humanity.
"Stop chasing crooked notions. Focus on helping JoJo get the antidote first."
Lisa Lisa rushed over and snatched the stone. She knew Riku's mind worked differently, but she had not expected him to be this bold. Combining the Mask with the Aja and Ripple. Was he not afraid of dying?