Let's Go Hunting! (Story Arc)
Let's Go Hunting! (「
Summary
Jotaro arrives at Josuke's house and asks him to come hunting with him much to Josuke's confusion. He wonders if Jotaro is talking about picking up girls but Jotaro quickly explains that Akira Otoishi recently confessed to shooting a rat with the Bow and Arrow. The rat survived and was able to get away meaning that it must have gained a Stand from the ordeal. Josuke understands the urgency of the situation and agrees to go look for the animal with his relative.
As they leave, Josuke wonders if he can be of any real assistance given that Crazy Diamond's range is so small and mentions that Star Platinum will also need to get close to the rat to deal with it. Jotaro then pulls out a box of ball bearings and sets up some cans in a line on a fence. He grabs some of the ball bearings and has Star Platinum fire them at the cans, able to pierce them effortlessly from afar much to Josuke's amazement. Jotaro states that these will enable them to attack their opponent from a distance before asking Josuke to try it. Despite doubting himself at first, Josuke gathers his nerves and fires a few shots; however, he is slightly off the mark. Jotaro tells him to remain calm because if they miss, the rat may never get near them again.
Now near an irrigation ditch, Jotaro finds some rat tracks but is unable to identify how many rats passed through the area. After examining the surroundings, he deduces that their nest must be inside the drainage system then sets up traps and a camera with Josuke. Suddenly, Josuke sees a swarm of flies through a patch of grass and brings Jotaro's attention to a block of melted rats molded together. Jotaro is certain this is the work of the rat they are after and remarks they will have to proceed with the intent to kill.[1]
Jotaro and Josuke find themselves at a farm connected to the drainage system but are unable to find any trace of life on the premises. Jotaro concludes that the rat must already be there and killed the home owners. Josuke asks if they have a plan to sneak up on the creature but Jotaro responds that it's already aware of their presence and even inviting them to come near. He then gives Josuke some of the ball bearings as the two enter the house.
Once inside, they split up, leading to Josuke entering the kitchen where he notices the fridge seemingly open on its own. He spots the rat at the bottom of the fridge and turns around to contact Jotaro; however, he's nowhere to be seen. Josuke looks back towards the rat and they make eye contact. At this moment, the fridge door fully opens to reveal the melted and fused bodies of the home owners, shocking Josuke. He realizes he must take action on his own and pulls out a ball bearing, walking slowly towards the rat while remembering Jotaro's words to stay calm. The rat notices his movement and begins to run but Crazy Diamond quickly fires a shot and nails the rodent in its shoulder. Josuke disappointedly states that he failed to kill it as the creature calls forth its Stand, Ratt.[2]
Josuke declares he'll kill it with his next shot but the rat runs away under a table. Crazy Diamond kicks it away; however, the rat now flees behind a chair. Its Stand flips to reveal a gun which aims at Josuke who now understands how the ability works. He fires a ball bearing at the same time Ratt shoots a dart. Josuke quickly reacts by having Crazy Diamond grab a frying pan to deflect the dart and closes in to finish the rodent off with a final ball bearing which kills it. Josuke calls out to Jotaro, informing him of his victory, who then walks into the room and takes a look at the deceased animal. He tells Josuke that there was another rat in the house and shows off his right hand which is melting, having been affected by a dart that Star Platinum caught. Crazy Diamond heals Jotaro's hand as he calls the Speedwagon Foundation to alert them of the changed situation.
The Foundation informs Jotaro that they were attempting to reach him and uncovered from Otoishi that he actually shot two rats. Jotaro requests them to block the sewers and send a sniper team to restrict the surviving rat's movements. He confidently states that he and Josuke will kill it by sunset which Josuke has doubts about. Jotaro explains that rats have poor eyesight and instead get around through using other senses meaning that they stick to familiar routes. He also mentions that rats have to constantly eat or risk dying of starvation before pointing out a crop with bites taken out of it and fresh droppings nearby. Josuke regains confidence, excitedly declaring that they'll find it soon.[3]
Back near the irrigation ditch, Jotaro discovers a new set of tracks while Josuke mentions that the rat didn’t fall for their traps. Jotaro checks the recording and notes the creature’s intelligence as well as its ear that looks like a bug-eaten leaf. This results in him naming the rat Bug-Eaten. He then pulls out some rifle bullets stating that due to its cautious nature, the rat is unlikely to get within the range of their ball bearings again but they can still reach it with the bullets. Josuke doesn't think that Crazy Diamond will be able to see the rat from incredibly far away so Jotaro decides that he'll have to do it himself which angers Josuke. After stating that Jotaro was the one who let the rat get away while he killed the other one, Jotaro nonchalantly hands him two bullets thus mounting pressure on Josuke.
The two continue their pursuit, eventually coming across a pond where, after taking his designer shoes and socks off, Josuke accidentally drops them in the water. A few dozen meters after this, Jotaro becomes shocked to find that the tracks abruptly stopped. Josuke suggests that maybe Bug-Eaten went underground but Jotaro determines it to be backtracking (where animals retrace their steps before departing from their original path to confuse others), not having thought it possible for a rat to perform such a feat. The two become worried, realizing they have gone from being the hunters to being the hunted.
On the hillside, Ratt is seen focusing its aim on the Joestars. Josuke feels like someone is watching them and they slowly move towards some rocks for cover. Near the rocks Josuke spots something strange in the grass and touches it, revealing it to be a mouse trap that snaps onto his hand. As he lets his guard down, Ratt fires a dart in his direction, shooting him in the neck. Immediately, Jotaro activates Star Platinum: The World and stops time. During time stop he has Star Platinum flick the dart and infected flesh away before Ratt's ability could affect Josuke. Time resumes and after reassuring Josuke that he's fine, Jotaro says that he's been able to pinpoint the location of where the shot was fired from.[4]
Behind the rocks, Jotaro looks at the hill with his binoculars and deduces that Bug-Eaten won't fire another shot as it would give away its exact position. Josuke says they should take action instead of waiting around in a stand-off which Jotaro agrees with as he stands up and begins to walk towards the hill. Josuke, shocked, questions Jotaro as even with Star Platinum's time stop he won't be able to deal with all of Ratt's darts. Jotaro says that he's doing this to lure Bug-Eaten out so that Josuke can finish it off from afar.
The pressure rises on Josuke once again as Jotaro climbs up the hill and is fired at. He manages to stop time to avoid getting hit but Josuke is unable to keep track of the rat's position. Jotaro tells him to look for the exact moment it fires which he is able to spot when Bug-Eaten shoots again. Just as Crazy Diamond is about to fire a rifle bullet, Jotaro is struck by Ratt's darts despite having stopped time to dodge. The rat knew he would attempt to move so it bounced the darts off a rock to hit Jotaro in his new position. Josuke screams out to his relative but Jotaro tells him to focus on the enemy and remain calm. The next time it fires, Josuke spots it in the same position but a rock prevents him from getting a good angle. Despite this, he resolves himself to make the shot and Crazy Diamond flicks the bullet at Bug-Eaten. However, the bullet strikes the rock and Jotaro disappointedly notes that Josuke missed.
As Bug-Eaten turns Ratt to face Josuke's direction, the boy is seen staring right at the rodent with another bullet in Crazy Diamond's hands. Josuke knew that if he missed, his opponent would turn to face him thus giving him a better shot. Crazy Diamond fires the bullet which perfectly hits a now wide open Bug-Eaten and kills it. Josuke confidently declares himself a man who can perform under pressure as Jotaro smiles, clearly proud and knowing he can count on him.[5]
Appearances
Chapters
- 060 (325). Let's Go Hunting!, Part 1
- 061 (326). Let's Go Hunting!, Part 2
- 062 (327). Let's Go Hunting!, Part 3
- 063 (328). Let's Go Hunting!, Part 4
- 064 (329). Let's Go Hunting!, Part 5
Volumes
- 07 (35). Rohan Kishibe's Adventure
Anime Episodes
- 16 (90). Let's Go Hunting!
References
- ↑ Chapter 325: Let's Go Hunting!, Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 326: Let's Go Hunting!, Part 2
- ↑ Chapter 327: Let's Go Hunting!, Part 3
- ↑ Chapter 328: Let's Go Hunting!, Part 4
- ↑ Chapter 329: Let's Go Hunting!, Part 5
