A short chapter that sets things up for later in the arc, including a surprise return.

Valentine and his board continued to monitor the progress of the Steel Ball Run. "Gentlemen," Valentine said, "The Run is taking our racers through Utah as we speak. So far only my team has collected any of the steel balls needed to win, with two out of eight in total. That said, we've had some issues. Chairman, I don't know what sort of Stand power your one racer has, but it was supposed to be made clear that all traffic was to be cleared from the race course."

"I assure you, Valentine," the chairman replied, "He did nothing against the rules we set forth in the contract. We all agreed that our chosen racers could use their Stands at will, yes? It just so happens my racer has a Stand that can create the situation that occurred in San Francisco and Las Vegas. That said, I've had to make calls to the police headquarters in both cities to clear up any confusion that may have been incurred." He leaned back in his chair. "There's no need to worry. Our budget for this event was made with these sorts of events in mind." "I hope so," Valentine said, "Our racers will be furious if we have to cut the prize money for any reason."

Meanwhile at the Kujo household, Jotaro, Sadao's son, came home from school to see his mother sitting in front of the TV. "What's going on?," he asked. "Oh, Jotaro. You're home," Holly said, "I don't know if you've heard this, but your father has been selected to take part in a cross-country race in America." Jotaro raised an eyebrow. "Why would Dad be selected? He's a jazz musician, not a race car driver." "Actually it's motorcycles they're racing," Holly corrected him, "But I guess that really doesn't answer the question. Honestly I don't know why he was selected, but he was apparently handpicked by the one in charge of the event."

Jotaro sighed. "Gimme a break... As if Dad didn't have enough keeping him away. Oh well, at least we weren't expecting him him for a while longer. How's he doing?" "He seems to be doing well," Holly said as she watched the coverage, "He's near the back of the lineup, but apparently your position in the race doesn't determine whether you win or not." That got Jotaro interested. "So it's less a race and more a competition. I'm starting to see why Dad might have been selected." He sat down next to his mother. "Don't you have homework?," Holly asked. "I'll get it done before bed," Jotaro assured her, "I wanna see how Dad races."

Team Kujo was heading through Zion National Park in Utah. The desert pavement was taking them through a winding road. "Heads up, team," Sadao said, "Another pack of racers right in front of us. Better expect more Stand users." Sure enough, a racer near the back of the lineup was racing next to a skeletal looking Stand wearing racing gear. He snapped his fingers, and the Stand turned into a giant skull that screamed, causing several racers in front of him to hold their ears and wipe out as a result.

"This one could be dangerous," Radames noted, having heard the sonic attack from behind the racer, "We'd best approach with caution." Just then, the skull turned its attention towards them. "Scatter!," Sadao called out, the group separating to avoid the sonic scream. "Not bad," the racer said, "You've got good reflexes to avoid my Stand. Names Sterling Elliot. My Stand, Sonic Phantom, can fire sonic blasts capable of wiping out vehicles like a jet engine. It also increases my hearing."

He fired off another sonic shot, but Sunset blocked it with her Stand. "Never tried to block an attack like that," she noted, "It kinda stung." "Let me take care of him," Sadao said, "Gotta Keep It Real!" Elliot got confused when he suddenly heard a whole mess of engines coming in at once. He looked behind him and got shocked to see multiple copies of Sadao coming at him. He fired off Sonic Phantom's attack to ward them off, but the real Sadao managed to get through and cut through Elliot's engine with Gotta Keep It Real. Elliot quickly wiped out.

As the team continued to progress, Sunset looked back. "Uh, guys? Something's blending into the background right behind us." She quickly focused her Stand's infrared vision. "I see something. Tighten Up!" The reptilian Stand struck at the figure she saw, which suddenly became visible. "You were able to see through my camouflage," the racer noted, "Impressive. I'm Darrel Guster. The power you saw me use was thanks to my Stand, Green Panther." He revealed a humanoid panther wearing a soldier's camouflage uniform.

"This Stand let's me blend into nearby environments like a chameleon," Guster explained, "I didn't think anything could see me in that state." "That's because of my Stand," Sunset explained, "Your camouflage is no defense against my infrared eyes." Before Guster could make another move, Radames had his own Stand weigh down Guster's bike. "And we don't need you making further trouble for us." Unable to move his motorcycle, Guster was forced to watch as Team Kujo left him in the dust.

Jotaro couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at what had just happened. He looked to his mother and saw she was also a little confused. "These sort of strange accidents have been happening the entire race so far," she noted, "We were told to expect them, but it's odd to see them happen. Yet your father and his team don't seem to have had much trouble." "He's always had some odd luck about him," Jotaro admitted, "I guess I have to admire him for that. I just wish that same luck would let him stay home more often." Holly looked at her son sadly.

Up ahead, the same young man who saw Sadao before he was recruited by Valentine finished his business at the rest stop before he made a call on the nearby phone. "How's the standings? I see. I haven't picked up any of the steel balls yet. My plan is to wait until all eight have been claimed by others then wait for them to get close. There was nothing in the contract that said we couldn't grab one from another racer, which is what I intend to do. Don't worry Dad, I'll get that money. With it we can really expand our operations. The power of my Stand will ensure I come out victorious."