All Stands in this part that don't belong to the heroes are named after F-Zero machines. The Stand users are shout-outs to NASCAR racers and F-Zero pilots.

Sadao and Sunset arrived at the garage where their team would be taking off from. Waiting for them were six other people, five guys and one girl. "Look alive people," Sunset said, "We've got our last team member. This is Sadao Kujo." Sadao tipped his hat to the group. "Guy looks like a jazz singer," a black man snarked. "Funny you should mention that," Sadao said, "I happen to play in a jazz band." The man's eyes widened. "No kidding? Sorry for the comment, then. Name's James Brown. My Stand's name is Ride On Right Time."

He revealed a humanoid Stand with a subdued yellow color. It had a lion's head, it's torso was covered in tiger stripes and had long claws coming out of its hands, and it's legs had cheetah spots on them. "My Stand let's me use the wind as a slashing weapon, increasing the nearby temperature as it does. It emits bright light to blind enemies, and it's claws can slice through solid steel several centimeters thick. It also let's me run at speeds equal to any modern vehicle." "If we are going through introductions," said a young Egyptian man, "Then let me make mine. I am Radames Avdol, younger son of a merchant family."

He summoned a gray humanoid Stand. It's head looked human, but with a large rhino horn on the face. It's torso was big and bulky with clear gorilla arms, and it's legs looked large and powerful, the skin resembling that of an elephant. "My Stand is called Sun Goes Up. It let's me increase the gravitational pull of the Earth in a localized region, as well as creating small earthquakes capable of toppling anything the size of a human. It's strength can also be channeled through its fists and head."

The young girl, who looked to be French, stood up next. "I am Antoinette Dupont. I came here hoping to get funding for something important to me. As for my Stand..." She summed a blue humanoid female Stand. The head had fins along its top and sides that resembled those of a killer whale. Long whip-like tendrils that resembled electric eels wrapped around its arms, and its legs looked segmented, octopus suckers visible on the underside.

"It's name is Shout Out," Antoinette explained, "It let's me change into water for additional movement. I can also use it to breathe indefinitely underwater, and it also sprays streams of water to attack. The whips, as you've no doubt guessed, are electrified and good for attacking or containing an enemy. The legs can separate into an octopus pattern and allow me to climb walls with ease." One of the other men in the room looked to be Japanese like Sadao and Sunset.

"Hey there," he said, "I'm Ryusei Ito. I'm just a high school student, but Valentine offered me the chance to earn the money I need to get through college. My Stand's name is Time Judged All." A red humanoid with bird-like features appeared. It's head was clearly that of a falcon. Great wings were folded into its back, and it's arms were covered in peacock feathers. It's legs ended in condor talons. "I can use this Stand to fly like birds, but like them I can be subject to weather," Ryusei explained, "I can also use it to enhance my vision to superhuman levels, fire off the feathers like projectiles, or strike opponents with the talons. Or grab and hold them."

There was also an American guy who looked like he came off the streets, his middle-aged appearance evident as he eagerly dug into the food being offered. "Oh, sorry. Didn't realize it was my turn. My friends just call me Rudy. I've long forgotten what my real name is. I do know I have a Stand, which I've often used to help my fellow homeless have easier lives on the streets of New York." He revealed a violet humanoid that had a primal look about it. "I call it Power To Tearer."

The Stand had a hood that resembled a pterosaur head, long wings coming out of its back. It's neck had a triceratops frills, with sharp horns underneath. It's legs resembled a tyrannosaurus, with a tail to match. "An ominous name for something you use to help people," Sadao noted. "Well, that's because it's power is so primal," Rudy explained, "Like Ryusei I can fly for a good distance. The horns and tail are good for attacking. And with it I can freeze things. It's good for preserving what little food we can find... Or fending off hecklers. As you might expect, I intend to use my share of the race pot to help my homeless community. Let us afford a stay at a decent shelter, at least."

The other Japanese man seemed as old as Sadao, and had a distinct pompadour. "Hello there, I'm Sanji Matsumoto, a recent employee of the Speedwagon Foundation's Japanese branch." "I think I've heard that name before," Sadao said, "Yeah... Yeah, my father-in-law mentioned it a few times." Sanji nodded. "Indeed. I heard your name from the Joestar family register, after your marriage to Holly Joestar. My Stand is Reverse Rebirth." A purely cybernetic humanoid appeared from within Sanji. "Kinda looks like a Kamen Rider," Sadao noted. Sanji rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I am a fan of Toei's work. Anyway, my Stand can create several different machines that provide a variety of options."

"Oh really," Sadao said, "What sort of machines?" "Well," Sanji replied, "There's a drill arm, shovel arm, crane arm, caterpillar treads for the legs, a set of wings that can also act like a boomerang, and a large cannon in the chest. I'm part of the mechanical engineering division and I'm pretty passionate about my work, so my Stand's abilities are really no surprise." Sadao nodded. "Well, I'm assuming you guys know what Sunset can do." The group nodded.

"In that case," Sadao said, "Allow me to introduce my Stand, Gotta Keep It Real." Gotta Keep It Real appeared. "He let's me create copies of myself. The copies are just an illusion, but they can still interact with reality. It can also launch electrical shocks with voltage equal to a taser gun. The blades on its arms can slice through anything, but they have the added benefit of not slicing through whatever I don't want them to, like if I wanted to just slice off someone's clothes without injuring them. In addition it gives me the proportionate jumping ability of a grasshopper."

"Looks like we all know what each other can do," Sunset noted, "That's good, because we have some time before the race begins to start discussing how those skills can be used in combination. We have plenty of options with our varied powers, and we know we'll be up against enemy Stand users as we make our way across the 4828 kilometers from here in San Francisco to New York City. That's three-thousand miles, for those of you who don't use the metric system."

"Sounds like a big number either way," James noted, "I've eyeballed the map, and we have fifteen states to cross in total. Not to mention over two hundred racers including us, with an unknown amount of Stand users likely ready and willing to use their powers to their fullest in order to win." "Can we estimate how many we'll likely be facing?," Radames asked. "Valentine said his board of directors consists of twelve people," Rudy said, "And they'd each be sponsoring between one and nine Stand users. I sincerely doubt they'd all put their eggs in one basket with a single Stand user, nor do I think they'd all be so overly cautious as to go with nine. I'd honestly be surprised if we faced more than fifty Stand users by race's end. But there'd likely be no less than thirty." The group continued to strategize until the opening ceremony was announced.

The racers were lined up in several rows. Sadao and his team were grouped together in the back. From his office at Valentine Motors, Valentine addressed the viewing world. "Greetings to all who tuned in to this amazing event. In a few short minutes, the world's first coast-to-coast motorcycle race, the Steel Ball Run, will commence. This broadcast will include live footage from various positions throughout the race, which will give all watching a beautiful view of the USA and all its varied locations."

Scenes of various cities appeared on screen as he continued. "My company has worked together with numerous sponsors to clear a specific stretch of road that has been clearly marked. Racers will have to keep to it at all times and never deviate. Doing so will not immediately disqualify them, but it will certainly cause them to lose valuable time and positions. Disqualification will only come to a certain number of racers near the back of the pack at each checkpoint, until only the top fifty racers are left. This course has been cleared of any and all obstacles, insuring a clean and fair race. That said, don't be surprised if unusual accidents happen." He obviously couldn't bring up the idea of Stand users, since the public at large didn't know about them.

"In between cities will be rest stops where the racers can affect repairs to their vehicles, get new ones if necessary, and refill on gas," he continued, "Also, at eight of these stops will be a colored ball." He held up one such ball to demonstrate. "This is where the Steel Ball Run gets its name. Grabbing one will protect a racer from disqualification. Any racer who takes a ball past the finish line, regardless of their position in the race, will earn the prize of twenty-five million dollars. That means that up to eight racers can win in total. Already the racers are lined up at the starting line. The race begins at San Francisco, and will end in New York City. If our racers are ready, we will begin... The Steel Ball Run!"

That got the green light activated for the race, causing the entire group to get running. The team started at Nob Hill, and right as the finish line was crossed things got weird. The streets, which were supposed to be cleared for the event, suddenly became full of traffic, including a few patrol officers that mistook the event for a street race. "What's going on?," Radames asked through the two-way radios in their helmets, "Valentine made sure this route would be clear for the Steel Ball Run!"

"Gotta be a Stand power!," James replied, "Those cars all just came outta nowhere!" "The course takes us to the Golden Gate Bridge!," Sadao called out, "Head for there and let's start making our strategy going forward!" Once at the bridge, a sudden roadblock was made evident, forcing the group to jump the bridge and land on a lower street, not far from the projected route. "That was close," Sadao said. "The roadblock and other vehicles are suddenly vanishing," Ryusei noted, "That was definitely a Stand power. Let's get to the first stop outside San Francisco and figure out what that was."

Valentine sat with his board of directors as they discussed the early portions of the race. Valentine looked to the Chairman. "The racer you've sponsored certainly threw the gauntlet down," he noted, "I realize we allowed our racers to use their Stands as they wished during the race, but I must admit I have a hard time figuring out his power, even though I too am a Stand user." "Don't expect me to divulge his secret," the Chairman said, "That was part of our rules, after all. Still, I will say that we'll need to explain this matter to the San Francisco police."

"The good news is that the race is already proving to be worth the investment," another board member noted, "Already attention is being drawn to the power and versatility of our new engines. You've made plenty of good decisions with the company, Valentine, but this has to be your best idea so far." Valentine smiled. "The racers are already moving through the first stop outside San Francisco, and will soon be reaching Altamont Pass. From there, we'll see who can make it through California to Nevada first, and who will be first to find the coveted steel balls that mark the winners."

Most of the racers ran right through the stop and kept going, but Sadao and his team stayed behind to check and see if the first of the steel balls they needed to win weren't hidden somewhere at the stop. "Looks like it's not here," Rudy noted, "I wasn't expecting to find one so quickly, but one never can be too careful." "The other racers didn't even bother looking," Sanji noticed, "They must've forgotten that it doesn't matter what you place in at the end of the race, without one of the steel balls you can't win the prize money."

The group hurried through to Altamont Pass, with several racers along the path. Just then, another racer came zooming in, and the group gasped. Holding onto the bike alongside him was a robotic figure with wheels at its shoulder jointed. Seeing the racer pull ahead, James decide to confront him. "Ride On Right Time!" His Stand appeared and used the wind to propel himself forward. The driver noticed this. "Well, well. I was told there would be other Stand users. Wasn't really expecting it though. Name's Clinton Turner, and this is my Stand Red Gazelle. I was expecting to win this easy thanks to my Stand's speed boost, but it looks like I'll need to mix it up to get ahead."

Red Gazelle changed its hand into a mini-turret, but none of the bullets succeeded into hitting James as Ride On Right Time slashed the air, causing them to diverge. "Did you forget how I caught up to you?," James noted, "My Stand, Ride On Right Time, can control the wind through its slashes. Earlier it was slashing behind me to move me forward, and just now it did the same to deflect those shots. Looks like your Stand mimics real world machines too well."

Just then, the two Stand users had to contend with a series of projectiles that caught them off guard. Sadao noticed another racer coming in with another Stand, this one a humanoid female with a white coat and pink belly. "Looks like I snuck in just in time," she said, "Turner, what's keeping you?" "Dammit, Summer!," Turner called out, "You went and hit me too!" "Sorry," Summer said, "I should probably introduce myself. Lee Summer, and my Stand White Cat. It fires off golden projectiles that fire in random locations."

Ride On Right Time showed James on of the projectiles that it had caught in its claws. "These look like Spanish doubloons," he noted. "Don't bother," Turner said, "They aren't worth jack. Otherwise Summer wouldn't be in this race. They disappear after a few minutes of being fired." Summer then fired off another round, but Sunset rode between them. "Tighten Up!" Tighten Up appeared and moved the turtle shell on its back to act as a frontal shield, blocking the barrage. "Ryusei! Her tires!"

"On it!," Ryusei replied, "Time Judged All!" The bird-like emerged and fired off the feathers on its arms, striking them into Summer's tires and causing her bike to start wiping out. Sanji then starting pulling up. "Break off, James! Reverse Rebirth!" James pulled away from Turner as Reverse Rebirth fired off its central cannon. Turner dodged it, but the near impact created enough force that he was forced off the road. Sadao's team quickly left the two in the dust. "I guess only some Stand users can be super powerful," Sunset noted, "Likely a lot of the other Stand users we run into will be the same."

The team finished their search at the next stop, got some grub before leaving, then headed for the Yosemite Approach down the 140 Highway. As they did, they saw another racer weaving through the other racers at a calculated pace, like he could predict their every move. As they got close, they saw another Stand hovering near him, a humanoid fox wearing a yellow jumpsuit. "That's three so far," Radames noted, "Let me try my hand at getting his attention. Sun Goes Up!"

Sun Goes Up appeared and pointed at the Stand users bike, causing it to become heavier instantly. Turning around the man frowned. "I see I've already run into rival Stand users. I'm Doctor Robert Flock, licensed medical doctor. I entered this contest for the chance to earn enough money to open my own private clinic. Listen, there's no need to confront each other. There are eight separate pots up for grabs. Why not join forces?" "And leave one of our teammates out in the lurch," Sadao noted, "I don't think so." He proved his point by striking at Doctor Flock's bike with his Stand.

"This far from the next stop," Sadao said, "There's no way you'll reach the checkpoint in time avoid getting disqualified. By the way, I've gotta ask. What's the deal with your Stand earlier? You seemed to only be able to avoid the other racers." "My Stand's name is Golden Fox," Doctor Flock explained, "And it sharpens my mind to allow for logical thinking. It's been perfect for bypassing other racers without crashing into them, but human instinct can easily overpower it. Still, I had to try." The group looked at each other and shrugged, then moved on.

The team was soon heading into Yosemite National Park, right through El Capitan where they met another group of racers. One racer tried running into another, but the racer just laughed as he and his ride wasn't effected. "We got another one!," Sanji noted, seeing the racer accompanied by a Stand resembling a humanoid tiger wearing a purple jumpsuit and striped jacket. Another racer came up behind them, streaking like a fireball, near him was a Stand wearing samurai armor and bearing stingray-like wings.

"Yo, Roberts!," the guy said, "Look alive, I think these guys can see our Stands!" "Not like it matters!," the racer named Roberts said, "The name's Baba Roberts, and my Stand Iron Tiger coats me in a iron skin that no weapon could penetrate!" "What about the other guy?," Sunset asked. "I'm Glen Goroh," the other racer said, "My Stand is Fire Stingray. It covers me in a blazing fire that resists friction, letting me run faster while also protecting me from outside damage."

"I think this is a job for me, guys!," Sadao noted, "Let's play that sweet electric jazz! Gotta Keep It Real!" Gotta Keep It Real emerged, its blades ready. Roberts just laughed. "What's that gonna do? I told you, my iron skin cannot be--" He was cut off by his own scream as Gotta Keep It Real phased through the iron skin and slashed at Roberts' heel beneath it, also damaging the bike as it did so. "It doesn't matter how thick your defense!," Sadao explained, "My Stand, Gotta Keep It Real, let's me cut through whatever I want, while ignoring whatever I don't want to cut!"

Goroh looked on in shock as Roberts wiped out. He then got another surprise when Antoinette drove along him and slugged him. "I'm not about to go this entire race just being the load!," she noted, "Thanks to my Stand, Shout Out, letting me turn into liquid, this fire is no defense!" Goroh wound up knocked off his bike. "You're pretty strong for someone of your frame," Radames noted. Antoinette nodded. "My best friend's older brother taught me how to fight, and how to use my Stand."

"We're coming up on Tioga Pass," James said, "No sign of those steel balls yet, so by now we're bound to find one here." "And still just over four-thousand kilometers to New York City," Sadao noted, "Plenty of time find them." At the rest stop at the end of Tioga Pass, they found the ball they were looking for. "How come no one's picked this up yet?," Sunset asked. "Because," came a voice behind them, "They're trying to stay ahead of the pack, and grab a ball closer to the finish line."

The man took off his helmet, and revealed a Stand that looked like a humanoid turtle with cybernetic armor. "But this close to the back, getting a ball here would keep a person free from getting disqualified. So I'm here to take it from you!" He sent his Stand to attack, but Sunset activated her own Stand. "Tighten Up!" Tighten Up blocked the attack, surprising the racer. "Well well, I wasn't expecting you to be Stand users. Name's Jack Pico, professional bounty hunter. My Stand, Wild Goose, is perfect for quick, sharp attacks. They could normally down a person in one shot with a non-lethal blow, but your Stand seems to be made of tougher stuff."

"Why is it called Wild Goose when it looks like a turtle?," Rudy asked. "Because of this," Pico explained, Wild Goose suddenly emitting smoke that made both of them disappear. Reacting quickly, Sunset's eyes suddenly resembled snake eyes. "Don't think Tighten Up only defends me," she said, "I can use it track your body heat even in this thick smoke." "Good eyes," Pico admitted, "But my Stand is much faster, and I've discovered a chink in your armor. Your Stand's only good... From the front!"

Sunset felt pain as Wild Goose slashed at her, deep enough to draw blood and fracture her spine. She dropped to the ground in an instant. "Sunset!," her teammates called out at once. "That attack won't kill you," Pico assured her, "But it will severely cripple you. So, who's next?" Sunset chuckled. "You talk like our fight is done, but I have another surprise for you." To Pico's surprise, Sunset proceeded to get up and stand straight. "That's impossible! You should have been crippled for months!"

"My Stand, Tighten Up, resembles reptiles for a reason," Sunset explained, "Like most reptiles, I can heal any non-lethal injury within seconds of receiving it. So unless you're willing to kill me, I don't think you'll be keeping me down long enough to fight one of my teammates, let alone grab the steel ball." Pico backed off in surprise. "From your hesitation," Sunset noted, "I'm guessing Wild Goose has no lethal options. I suppose that's good for a bounty hunter who needs to bring in contracts alive, but against me it just won't cut it."

She made a kicking motion which Tighten Up copied, grabbing Wild Goose in a phantasmal set of crocodile jaws. "Oh," Sadao realized, "That's what she was talking about when she said her kicks got some literal bite." Pico was paralyzed because of his Stand getting caught in Tighten Up's phantom jaws. Sunset smirked as she proceeded to kick over and over. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! SEIYA!" The final kick dropped Wild Goose as Sunset performed a sliding kick to strike it down with a massive phantom chomp, putting both Stand and user out of commission as their blood sprayed out from them.

"You chose to be nonlethal," Sunset noted, "So I gave you the same courtesy. The nearby medical tent should be able to keep you from bleeding out." She then walked over to the steel ball, which coincidentally enough was colored orange. "Almost like we were meant to pick this up," she said. "That's one down, seven to go," Ryusei noted, "And we still haven't even left California yet." "Then from here it's on to Death Valley," Rudy said, "The great desert connecting California to Nevada."

As the team headed through Death Valley National Park, a serious dust storm started to kick up. "That came out of nowhere!," Ryusei noted, "And this dust... It's thicker than it should be!" "Let me get a better look!," Sunset called out. Tighten Up helped her eyes improve. "I see something!," she called out, "Another racer with a Stand! It seems to be emitting the dust!" The man in question, Rex Falcon and his Stand, Blue Falcon, smirked. "There's no way they can get through my Stand's dust storm. The winds it creates to kick it up are too strong."

"James!," Sadao called out, "We need a stronger wind to cut through the storm!" "I'm on it!," James replied, "Ride On Right Time!" The feline Stand appeared and whipped up a strong wind with its claws, cutting through the dust storm as James moved closer. Finally, a good slash cut through Falcon's tires, causing him to wipe out. He must have gotten knocked out as well, since the storm started to dissipate. That's when another racer nearby summoned a Stand, which resembled a humanoid cross between an octopus and a shark, that locked claws with Ride On Right Time.

"Impressive how you took out Falcon," the racer said, "But now I get to tangle with you. I'm Joe Octoman, and this is my Stand Deep Claw. It's rending claws can slice through the thickest steel. I'm impressed your Stand can even stop it's attack." "Probably a good thing," James noted with a smirk, "Because while we're deadlocked, one of my teammates can take out your bike." Octoman was a little confused, until he saw Rudy pull up next to him. Before Octoman could pull Deep Claw away, Rudy had summoned Power To Tearer and launched one of its horns into the wheel of Octoman's bike, making him wipe out like Falcon.

"About time I was allowed to pull my own weight on this team," Rudy said with a chuckle, "Think we have any other surprises before we hit the border?" That's when another racer came up from behind them, with another humanoid Stand that was rather rotund yet muscular and wearing a silver jumpsuit, a five-pointed star on its belt. The man seemed to be glowing in rainbow colors. "Great shades of Super Mario!," Sadao called out. "Oh, you have that in Japan?," James asked. "Where do you think it came from?," Sadao replied, "The game was created by Shigeru Miyamoto."

"I guess the effect is similar to a Starman," the racer said as he pulled up, "I'm EAD Petty, and my Stand is called Great Star! With the power of this Stand, I become completely invincible! Better get outta my way, because the force of the effect can knock away anything I touch!" Antoinette then noticed something. "By the way? Why doesn't your Stand affect your motorcycle?" Petty blinked. "It doesn't?" He looked down to check, then gasped as Shout Out had a whip wrapped around the front suspension. "Uh...," he muttered, "This won't do anything else, right? Because Great Star's power can only work for..."

He suddenly stopped glowing. "Thirty seconds..." Antoinette grinned as Shout Out electrocuted the bike, with Petty on top of it. He wound up peeling out and then wiping out. "I was concerned we'd have nothing to deal with him," Sunset said, "Luckily his Stand came with a weakness. That's nine rival Stand users we've encountered so far." "Ten if you count the mysterious Stand user from San Francisco," Radames noted, "We still haven't identified him, or his Stand's power." "There's still time before the race's end to solve that mystery," Sadao assured him, "Until then, let's hurry on to Nevada."