Butterfly Effect
Welcome to the second chapter of this story! Last Chapter the Zeppelis watched Joseph Joestar hold his own against a Pillar Man. They're off to Venice in order to meet a new Hamon teacher. How will each Zeppeli help and tutor the young Joestar? Read and find out.
I do not own JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Chapter 2: Full support
After parting with Speedwagon who returned to the US, the Hamon users boarded a train from Rome to Venice. Everything took a few days, but Joseph still had 30 days to live.
Mario took a dreap breath, being first to leave the train. "Haaaaah, Venice! If only your brothers and sisters were with us, we could spend some good time together. How does that sound, Caesar?"
"Father, we're in a situation of life and death! You can't be thinking about fucking vacationing now!" Caesar reprimanded his old man who flinched.
"Come on, I was just saying. Don't be so stiff, my boy."
"He's right, you know." Will calmy agreed with his grandson. "Let's think about that after we're done. This way."
Will lead the way, his group walking through narrow venetian alleys and bridges towards a gondola dock. "Why are we in this tourist place? I thought we'd be going up into the mountains or something." Joseph spoke his mind, imagining a training ground in the open nature.
"You're in for a surprise, JoJo. Not far from here is the best place for Hamon training there is." the old man revealed, thinking about him and Jonathan training in the open like Joseph said.
As they arrived at the gondola docks Will approached someone in a gondola. "Excuse me, can we get a gondola ride to Air Supplena island please?"
The person in the gondola, initially looking away, looked at the group. That person had a mask on. Both elder Zeppelis could already tell who that individual was.
"Is that a stone mask?!" the Joestar exclaimed, believing the person was dangerous.
"It's not a stone mask, calm down. It's a masquerade mask for festivals. Venice is famous for those." Caesar educated his friend, deescalating the misunderstanding.
The masked individual wasn't interested in deescalation though. "Big guy on the left. I don't like your face. I'm gonna have to hurt you." the person spoke, pointing at Joseph, who couldn't believe what he just heard.
"Excuse meee? What the hell is that all of a sudden? Are you a little special?" Joseph mocked his challenger, pointing at his own head.
Throwing a gondola oar into the sea first, the individual jumped onto it, perfectly balancing on the floating oar just on toes. Ripples appeared in the water, exposing the masked person as a Hamon user. That challenge wasn't just hot air.
"He's standing on top of that oar! Who the hell is this guy?!" the Joestar assumed the Hamon user's gender, surprised by the level of control.
The individual kicked up the oar, leaving a tiny portion in the water, then kicking the airborne end at Joseph.
Joseph was hit on the side of his head, spitting blood as he was launched into the water. He saved himself from falling into it by concentrating Hamon into his fingertips, balancing on the surface. Caesar taught him about condensing and concentrating Hamon for better control on the train. He inwardly thanked his friend for that.
"What the hell is this guy doing, I don't get it! Not only was he able to hit me, he sent me flying!" the Joestar complained as he lifted himself off the surface, standing on the water with his own two feet. His opponent had seen enough, removing the mask.
Underneath the masquerade mask a beautiful face revealed itself. The mysterious Hamon user was a gorgeous brunette woman with dark red lips. She appeared to be 10 or at most 15 years older than the young Joestar. "So you can at least stand on the water with Hamon."
"Master Lisa Lisa!" the young Zeppeli blurted out in surprise. He expected her to be on Air Supplena island herself.
"Bitch…" Joseph spat, the woman's thin smile disappearing. "Suddenly hitting me with an oar, you'll pay. In a situation like this, I don't care if you're a girl! No mercy!"
"Stop it, that's my master!" Caesar warned his friend. His elders told him she was strong. He hadn't seen her fight before but they had no reason to lie.
"Master?" Joseph narrowed his eyes. "That's perfect then. If she's defeated by me here, then there's nothing to learn from her. Everyone only wants to learn from those who have ability and talent!"
Will chuckled at Joseph's naive remark. Just how a greenhorn would talk.
"I know you have wonderful talent. I'm impressed you can walk that well on water without training." Lisa Lisa stated before quickly kicking up the oar in a fast manner again. "But! You'll need to be able to face death to fully grow in a month!"
While kicking up the oar two narrow pillars of water stuck onto it. She'd made a makeshift exercise bar where one would perform calisthenics. Lisa Lisa gripped onto the oar, swinging herself into the air. As she let go of the oar and was floating in the air she pulled a metal mask out of her outfit and put it onto the Joestar's face.
"What's this?!" he managed to let out before having breathing problems.
"Joseph Joestar, you must live this next month wearing that correct breathing mask!" Lisa Lisa ordered her new student. He literally couldn't complain.
"Ugh, can't breathe…"
She had to be harsh on him, but as a teacher explaining things came first and foremost. "The breathing rhythm. If your rhythm is correct, you'll be able to breathe normally. But! If your rhythm is off, the mask is created to make you suffer by not being able to breathe!" his new teacher explained. "You have to be able to run 100km easily with that mask on."
Joseph couldn't accept this. "You.. take off this mask… Gah! Can't breathe…"
He forgot to get back on land. Due to not being able to breathe his Hamon dissipated, no longer letting him stand on water. As a consequence he became wet as rain. "D-damn it! You bitch!"
Being who she was she didn't like him talking to her like that. But as of right then, the young Joestar didn't have to know. "There's one more thing I need to say. I'm not teaching you Hamon to save your life. I'm teaching you to become warriors who can defeat them, that's all."
"Still wanna fight Master?" Caesar joked, helping the Joestar get out of the water.
"I can't hit a woman!" Joseph claimed, despite him being willing to fight Lisa Lisa after her reveal. In truth he didn't want to spell out him admitting defeat. 'This woman's ability and talents are genius. I'll have to accept having a woman as a teacher… Dang it! But this woman is telling me what to do and placing this lame mask on me. Oh well…'
"Let's start over. Will, Mario, as well as Caesar and JoJo, welcome to Venice.
'I understand she's a Hamon master but what's with her attitude? That's the type of girl I'd never marry.' Joseph thought, referring to her stoic coldness. 'She's kinda hot tho'
While the other Zeppelis exchanged cheek kisses like true italians with her, Caesar bowed. "Bow your head!" He pulled his friend's head downwards, berating him for the lack of respect.
After the brief new greeting was over they all departed to Air Supplena island with a motorboat.
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During the trip to Air Supplena island the Hamon masters discussed the training while the Hamon novices kept to themselves. Getting off the motorboat the young Zeppeli saw his father's concerned face. Whatever awaited them, it would be hard. The elder Zeppelis went another way while Lisa Lisa brought their students to a tower. The three stood before a closed metal door.
"The Prologue to the training! I call it 'Hell Climb Pillar'!"
"What's a 'Hell Climb Pillar'? We haven't even been shown the house yet!" the young Joestar complained about Lisa Lisa talking about training right off the bat.
Caesar had other worries, sounding much more serious. "Master! We have to immediately challenge the Hell Climb Pillar?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, knowing about danger level of that training apparatus. "I've never challenged it! You've told me yourself many trainees died!"
She merely looked at him coldly. "Unless you can complete this task, you don't deserve to stay here."
"It's not fair you two know everything! Explain this Hell Pillar or whatever to me!" Joseph demanded, annoyed at being left in the dark.
"You'll understand once you fall down the tower." Lisa Lisa bluntly answered, making him understand quickly by kicking him and his italian friend into a pit of oil the moment she fully opened the door.
Turns out the tower was a complex built just for the Hell Climb Pillar.
Joseph and Caesar found themselves soaked deep in smeary oil as they landed in the substance. The pit of oil they fell into was shaped like a CD, a 24 meter tall stone pillar in the center. Fresh oil flowed down its surface, making it really slippery.
"Climb to the top of the pillar with just your hands, that's the only exit. If you can't climb out, you'll stay here until you die." she revealed their mission, seemingly feeling nothing about the last sentence.
"We have to climb this slippery pillar?!" Joseph yelled out in shock, feeling that was too great of a challenge. He wanted to say something to his master but she already closed the door behind her.
Caesar gave it a try. Slowly and grip for grip he advanced for a few meters, feeling the pressure and difficulty. Joseph waited some more before trying to climb after realizing Lisa Lisa wouldn't return. The Joestar barely climbed two meters before sliding down.
"JoJo! The longer you take, the more energy you use up! Hurry up and climb!" the Zeppeli frantically explained, his hand slipping. He worked hard to maintain his balance.
'Oh no, I can't even be talking! Even talking disrupts the Hamon…'
"Give me a break! I just arrived here! With my current Hamon I don't have the strength to stick to this godforsaken pillar!" the young Joestar furiously called from below. He ripped his upper shirt off him, truly exasperated. "That woman! Suddenly dropping us down here! I no longer respect her! Damn, I've never picked on a girl before, but once I get to the top I'll pay her back in different ways!"
Using his cleverness Joseph twisted his ripped shirt into a rope longer than the oil pillar's circumference. He quickly regained his positive mood. "Hehehe!"
Pressing his makeshift rope against the pillar he pulled himself upwards. "Tons of people died climbing this? Could it be that they didn't have any brains?"
Barely up by two meters, the Joestar's efforts were sabotaged. A knife thrown from above precisely cut through his rope.
"Wha-!" the young Joestar let out in disbelief, feeling himself fall.
The culprit sabotaging his clever idea turned out to be Lisa Lisa, having gone up the tower from the outside. "Climbing with something other than Hamon is not appreciated by the pillar." she informed, two other knives in her hand, ready to be thrown. "This 'Hell Climb Pillar' only likes Hamon and knocks down anything else. Don't forget that."
"Blargh!" Joseph dived up to the oil's surface. "Hey wait! Wait, Lisa Lisa! I mean, Master!"
His master decided to be generous, throwing the Joestar a glance.
"You won't… You won't really let us die if we don't have the ability to climb, will you? This is only the first day… After you scare us and get us to try hard, you'll save us, right? With a ladder or something…" the young Joestar tried to manipulate her. The Hamon master saw right through his mind games, giving him a wry look with cold eyes before leaving.
Joseph felt hurt. 'That woman's eyes… She's looking at me like a pig about to get slaughtered!'
Hurt turned into anger. "Damn it!" he cursed, gripping the pillar. "I won't let her forget this! Her beauty only compounds my rage!" A fire lit up inside of him. He'd challenge the slippery pillar and get back on her.
To no avail, for quite some time.
XXXXXXXXXX
25 hours later, Caesar managed to rise by 15 meters. Joseph was still 24 meters below the pillar's top. Repeated tries and repeated failures.
With his stretched fingers trembling the italian looked like he was dangerously close to falling and wasting his efforts.
"You can do it, Caesar!" the Joestar cheered from below, wondering if his Hamon was about to run out.
For some more minutes the Zeppeli seemed to only barely being able to holding himself up. "Caesar!" the young Joestar called in worry, only to see that his friend wasn't going to fall.
Observing the young Zeppeli a little longer Joseph came to a conclusion. "Caesar's fingers have been like that the whole time… His finger's aren't about to come off the pillar!" He thought about Caesar telling him about condensing Hamon back on the train.
"Could it be? I'll try it out." For over a whole day, 28 hours, Joseph tried climbing the pillar with his palms flat on the oily surface. Realizing he'd used the wrong approach, he tried anew. But not before posing.
The Joestar literally found out first hand how much easier his friend's method was. 'I did it! I stuck with Hamon! I thought it'd be easier to hold my weight with my palm, but in actuality, for some reason it was the opposite! I got it now, it should be no problem! Now I just climb.'
"How should I hurt that bitch when I get to the top?" the young Joestar asked himself loudly, aware he shouldn't speak. But he was confident, with the secret figured out he wouldn't spend any more time at the bottom.
XXXXXXXXXX
A further 27 hours later, 52 hours later in total, Caesar had climbed 19 meters, Joseph 18 meters.
While both Hamon trainees came close to finishing the ordeal regarding distance, the trial's difficulty suddenly increased. It was Joseph's fault. He discovered a crack in the pillar. Intending to rest his tired hands in a cheeky manner he grabbed into the crack.
Lisa Lisa's words echoed in the Joestar's mind again as he became aware of the fact that he activated a trap. Oil thinly sprayed out of a tiny circular gap going around the pillar.
Caesar figured out the properties of this trap, much to his dismay. "This is oil blasting out at high pressure! It's like the oil is a diamond wall blocking our path!"
The Zeppeli didn't like how his path got harder to follow. "We can barely stick to the pillar, how do we get past this?" He tried to answer his own question with an experiment. Pulling out a pen from his pocket, he held it into the pressurized wall of oil, observing the effects. The pen's cap was cleanly sliced through.
"Since you can see through it, I figured it was very thin. But that's actually the problem, the thinness combined with the pressure makes it a very sharp wall." the young Zeppeli concluded, intimidated by the danger of it. "And it doesn't seem to be weakening hour after hour."
"Are you mad at me, Caesar?" the young Joestar inquired, feeling guilty about having put his friend in danger.
Caesar didn't look at him, making Joseph feel sorry. 'Ahh, he's pissed at me. So sorry, Caesar. Shouldn't have put my fingers into that trap.'
But the italian wasn't pissed at the brit. 'I'm not looking at JoJo because I'm mad, but because I'm worried. Will my Hamon be enough to get through this barrier sharper than a sword?'
Staying there any longer, he'd never find out. "There's only one way!" the Zeppeli shouted with determination.
"What are you…" the Joestar questioned, sweating all over his body. He was worried about his friend who let go of the pillar.
The young Zeppeli focused his Hamon into his shoes, then shooting his body into the oil wall with a diving motion.
"Caesar!" the young Joestar yelled in worry, only to find out his friend was fine.
"Attaching Hamon and Repelling Hamon! Concentrate the Attaching Hamon to one point and concentrate the Repelling Hamon where the oil meets my body! Those two kinds of Hamon must be controlled at the same time!" Caesar loudly explained before passing the sharp barrier with a daring jump.
'I did it, but right now… JoJo, if you can't do that, getting past the barrier is impossible.'
'Wow! I'm glad Caesar was able to get past it but… do I have the skills to do that too?'
Joseph doubted himself. Caesar was clearly more skilled with the use of Hamon. He'd have to find another way to get past the deadly hindrance, but finding another way involved the mind where Joseph is unparalelled.
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9 hours later, 61 hours since the beginning, Caesar finally passed the trial, climbing into safety.
"I… I did it!" He was breathing heavily, inhaling and exhaling. His body went through a lot, needing rest. His mind couldn't rest though.
"Master!" the Zeppeli shouted, still heavily exhausted. "Master, where are you?!"
He dragged himself to the outside of the tower, looking around with his eyes but unable to find his master. "Master, JoJo is at his limit! Stop the oil! With JoJo… With JoJo's personality… he will soon take the all-or-nothing gamble of jumping into the high pressure barrier! When that happens…"
His intense shouting coupled with him being worn out in general exhausted his voice, but he kept himself loud for his friend. "If he jumps into it, the razor-like stream will slice him in half! Even if it just blasts him away, he will fall 20 meters! The only destiny awaiting him is death! Master, where are you?!"
"Okay, it's all-or-nothing, here I go!" the Joestar proclaimed, loud enough for his friend to hear. The young Zeppeli couldn't believe his ears.
"STOP JOJO! JUST STAY THERE!" Caesar screamed in despair, his heartbeat approaching human limits.
Caesar ran back inside the tower. His legs ached but he didn't care. He cared about his friend. As he got back to the pillar the young Joestar was nowhere to be found.
"He… he's gone! Was he knocked down to the bottom… or was he ripped apart by the oil…?"
The italian was about to shed tears for his friend, but before he could get sentimental about the one with whom he faced death together, Lisa Lisa appeared from his blind spot. "Caesar… take a look over there."
"Huh, Master?" As the Zeppeli turned around he descovered a content expression on his master's face. She seemed to be glad about something.
Turning his head again, the young Zeppeli discovered his fellow Hamon trainee stuck to the wall surrounding the pillar. "JoJo!"
His mouth formed a grateful smile, Joseph was safe. "He didn't fall, he didn't die! He was blown into the wall over there, what a lucky guy!"
"Luck? It wasn't luck." Lisa Lisa corrected Caesar. "He calculated everything."
Caesar knew Joseph was extremely intelligent, though that seemed impossible to him. "There's 10 meters from the pillar to the wall! How did he get that far?" the italian questioned, holding up his open palms. "Plus, he's not below the oil barrier but 2 meters above!"
"He wasn't blasted over there. What JoJo did was use the Hamon on the barrier of oil to slide." the Hamon master revealed, also revealing she'd been secretly watching them. "Obviously the oil pressure decreases the farther out. Using the blast of the oil, he jumped up above the oil, right before reaching the wall. Instead of getting knocked down, JoJo gained meters."
Upon hearing that the Zeppeli's smile widened. His friend truly was as impressive as his grandfather in his own grandfather's stories.
"Nobody has ever climbed the pillar like that." Lisa Lisa further revealed, adding weight to her student's feat. "To use his disadvantage like that, a clever guy!"
Meanwhile, Joseph was in a monologue. "I did it… But… damn, nobody climbs the wall because it has an even greater overhang than the pillar. Plus, I'm totally exhausted… I only have 10 more centimeters, damn it…"
The Joestar could feel his exhaustion taking over. His breathing got more violent, disrupting the regular Hamon flow. That naturally affected his grip.
"No, I slipped!" the young Joestar exclaimed, facing death. He'd fall by over 20 meters with nothing to save him.
Nothing to save him below. A hand in green finger gloves caught him. "Cae- Caesar!"
"Don't be confused! I wasn't angry at you earlier!" the young Zeppeli clarified, still smiling. Busy holding his friend, he turned his head toward his master. "Master! Forgive me for saving him by lending my hand!"
She forgave him with a smile, then turning away. That scene, the Hamon master liked it. "That's fine Caesar. But isn't your stamina at its limit too?"
"Oh, I forgot!" That smile on his face disappeared for a second out of carelessness. But it quickly returned. "But it's no big deal, I don't need it that much."
Caesar transferred all the Hamon he could muster into Joseph, collapsing thereafter. He was fine but urgently needed sleep.
"Caesar!" Joseph shouted, rushing up the wall as fast as he could. He'd help his friend get to bed and later pay him back no matter what. That moment immortalized their friendship for life.
With that, roughly 5 minutes later Joseph Joestar mastered the trial of Hell Climb Pillar.
26 days until the rings melt
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Mario carried his son to a bed. Him and his father arrived at the tower after hearing the youths passed the trial. He was grateful and proud about his son mastering the pillar.
Will took Joseph to an empty terrace, the old man intended to talk to the Joestar. "Congratulations for conquering the Hell Climb Pillar. As expected from you."
"I wouldn't have been able to without Caesar, he deserves the credit." the young Joestar tried deflecting the praise, rubbing the back of his head. Without his italian friend the brit wouldn't even have figured out how to properly climb.
"Oh, that's not a bad thing at all. It's okay to rely on friends sometimes." the old Zeppeli said, an gentle smile on his face. "I want to tell you something. Lisa Lisa, Mario and I have constructed a training plan for Caesar and you for the next month. It's custom made for you two."
"Custom made?" Joseph liked the sound of that. "Does that mean we'll have it easier?"
"Hahahahaha!" Will laughed in an amused tone, shaking his head and finger. "It's the opposite actually, you two have to train very hard. Hard work is awaiting you."
"Oh no!" the Joestar comically called, pressing his hands on the side of his hate. "The phrase I hate the most is 'hard work', and the phrase I hate the second most is 'work hard'!"
"Hahahahaha!" the old man continued laughing. "I guess not being a gentleman isn't the only difference between you and Jonathan."
His expression then became a little more serious but still friendly. "You two have your own styles, I respect that. We're not going to force you to adopt Jonathan's fighting style. However, within the next month we will train you to the point your Hamon is stronger than your grandfather's."
"How powerful was my grandfather's Hamon?" the young Joestar curiously asked, interested about hearing more about his ancestor. He'd heard a lot about him as a person from his grandmother and Speedwagon, but nothing as a fighter.
"Powerful enough to send Hamon through walls." Will named an example, earning a nod of respect from Joseph.
"Powerful enough to cause tempests underwater." Will further named, causing Joseph's mouth to open.
"Powerful enough to touch and carry fire without burning himself." Will gave his final example.
"Alright then, please teach me!" the Joestar pleaded, bowing in respect.
"You'll only learn if you train hard enough." the Zeppeli reminded smirkingly. "But I can already picture you doing impressive things soon, you have much more potential than Jonathan."
"Thank you Zeppeli-san." the young Joestar thanked him in a respectful manner. "I'll work hard this once."
19 days passed. Joseph and Caesar were given a harsh and effective training plan by Lisa Lisa, Mario and Will. Their instructors Loggins and Messina did a good job making the duo much stronger than before.
7 days until the rings melt.
So there it is, the finished second chapter. Not gonna lie, the scene where I had Caesar transfer Hamon into Joseph felt cheesy. But it was beautiful to me too, friendship like that warms my heart. Will telling Joseph about Jonathan's abilities is important. Jonathan is someone who relies on his physical strength and the versatility of his Hamon. Joseph is someone who relies on his intellect and works with tools rather than fists. When it comes to pure Hamon without anything else Joseph is a lot less creative than Jonathan with it. That is something I will change. And the occasion for writing about that change is just around the corner. Until next chapter.
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