At a locker room, Jose sits on a bleacher, with his hear down and hands on top of his forehead. He was going to a mental breakthrough from all the drama Johnny just put him through. From telling him about his past between Johnny and Edwin, his father, to forcing him to referee a wrestling between Dulcinea and either Puss in Boots or Kitty Softpaws.
"God, what will I do?" he says, trying to find some kind of answer to his problems. His heart was pounding slowly with every bit of emotions, like it won't stop until he sends one of his friends to total torture in that dreaded Krypt. Jose didn't wanted this. Not at all.
"What's wrong, chicken? Afraid you don't have the balls to be the ref?" Then, General Rival Argentica came from the door with those evil words and chuckles, while Jose turns his attention towards her.
"Nah. Least is I ain't no servant of someone you really want to kill," says Jose with a smirk, clearly trying to hinder something at Rival, which it didn't like her at all.
"How dare you mock my loyalty, you son of a b-," says an angry Rival, but Jose puts his right finger up, interrupting her in the process.
"Ah, Ah, ah. No cursing, there is kids reading," he says.
"And, one thing I noticed about you, is that you always on his side, too close to be intact. And I always sense and feel in your heart this assassin's mentality in you. I'm starting to think you're nothing more than a spy working for somebody else," Jose says, whoch frove Rival's head mad.
"What makes you think I'm against my boss, my King. The one that actually cares for me when my parents die from an accident, an act of war, when all they ever did was getting me away from such war between the government and the rebellions Mom and Dad were. You know nothing!" she says as she yells with such anger towards Jose for him mentioning her boss and challenging her loyalty towards him. But deep down in her heart, he had a point.
"Then why someone as fierce as you would place its loyalty to a someone who is known to be a cold blooded killer? I know him. He killed my family, took them away from me, and my partners along the way because of my thirst for vengeance against his clan. But if you want to follow a false leader, fine. Just stay the fuck out of my way and let me do my job as referee," said Jose as he was walking out of a stunned Rival. She was struggling with her thoughts, about what her purpose in life was, and lost importantly her place as a General.
"Jose, wait!" she says, pleading him to stop as she grabs his left arm. Jose moans in such an uninterested fashion, but he took upon his heart and gave the indecisive Rival a chance to talk.
"You're right. But I'm not working for someone else. You see, three months ago, I've learned that my boss was obsessed with the Chaos Emeralds, it drove him mad. He killed soldiers who failed his vision of his goals. We all did his best to pleased him, but with no success. Then, one night, I snuck on his desk, and saw his secret room. I got suspicious and I went in, and I saw him with two more associates. And he was beyond angry, he had this addiction. About building and creating a weapon. A machine who can follow his every order. An unstoppable monster... one that Johnny kidnapped from his dead parents he purposely killed," Rival says as she puts her head down in lament. Jose couldn't believe all this information he just got.
"No way! So you're saying Weapon24, was actually a normal kid?" he says.
"Yes. Daniel J. Hawkins Mahler is a fifteen-year old kid and he is the only survived subject out of a total three thousand subjects of a project called WeaponXXIV. An advance weapon with claws, great senses, killer instincts, no soul nor mind to call him a human, and someone that is virtually unkillable. My boss kidnapped other kids for his plan to work, but all failee except him. Once he was complete, Johnny rapidly made others to him, killing anyone on sight, all for those Emeralds. That's why he never discovered my intentions, because he would never suspect his trusted general would kill him when he hold those hands on the Chaos Emeralds," Rival explains. Jose was trying to analyze everything she said, while also being very angry at Johnny's work throughout the years.
"So, Johnny did all of this for some myth treasure? Well, I guess I will kill him now," said Jose as he wanted to leave, but Rival grabbed him by his waist. Jose was suddenly stunned by Rival's sudden gesture, as if she har some hidden feelings for him by the way she was slowly sliding his torso and hher eyee were straight to his face.
"Jose. Don't do this. I know men like you. The type of man that is tired of fighting, tired of the many blood in your hands you have to suffer so many times. Come with me, join us. We can kill Johnny in the secret location of the Chaos Emeralds, control the beast, and the world will be ours. Just leave those weak friends for dead, and we can have all the sex in the world. Many were trying to win me, but none of them were capable bof such life. Just, relax and enjoy life, Jose. Becauae you will never get another one again," said Rival as she manages to slide her fingers onto Jose's belt. Jose, who didn't wanted to sold out his friends, pushes her out of the way as he coughs for a moment. He felt some love for the first time, but he wouldn't trade away his friends for anything.
"I'm sorry, General Rival. I want this, you know the treasure, revenge, and all the love in the world. But I can't do what you ask," says Jose, displaying his loyalty.
"Can't? Or won't?" says a grumpy Rival, with her arms crossed. She was not pleased by Jose's decision to be a friend first boyfriend later.
"Same thing," he says with a smirk as he ties up his shoes. He got up, finishes tying up his black shoes, completes his referee suit up and was finally walking outside the door, ready to officiate the wrestling match.
"Jose!" says Rival. She felt really very desperate, she really felt some feelings for him, but she knew Jose is a different type of man, and her tactics, the general ones, weren't winning.
"What, Nina, is it?" he says as he hold his right hand on the door, ready to close it tight and leave the locker for good.
"I know my past is a dark and unconvencable one, if such word exists, hehe. But can you comsider me as a friend? At least, please?" she saus with a bit of a forgiving look in her eyes. Jose couldn't stop but sense her mourning and sorrowful heart and how he felt her pain towards her lost loved one, same as how he lost his loved ones by Johnny.
"I guess we will soon find out, General Cattydue," he says, with a bit of a soft smile, as he closes the door and heads for the ring, were millions of fans were roaring with cheers waiting for the fight to begin. Rival sits down on the bleacher as she was breathing heavily, trying to dial in her conversation with him and his words. It felt like Heaven was speaking to her in the form of this... this young man. Nina then gets up from the bleacher and put on her tough look as she exits the locker toom and heads to get into the VIP room, where the boss and Weapon24 will swe the fight from perhaps the best view in the whole ring.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Dulcinea was streching her arms, legs, body, doing push-ups, jumping jacks, resulting in some bones cracks and clear relaxation for her fight against either Puss in Boots, her husband and best friend, or Kitty Softpaws, one of her closest friends. Then, she seee Jose entering the ring.
"Jose!" she says in her high spiritedly voice as she smilee for the arrival of Jose. But Jose was guilty, for all of this, and he didn't wanted to say a word as he had his head down, trying to not think about it and wanting to get it over with. Dulcinea puts her right paw on his right leg.
"What is it, Dulcinea?" he says, and he was suddenly impacted by her sweet assuring look in her eyes, like she wants him to be sure that she's okay with this.
"Jose. Is okay. I will be fine and whether I win or lose, just promise that you will do your best as the official and don't, for any reason at all, do anything to save one. I want to fight fair, please?" she says as she doesn't want to let Jose cheat just to save her because she wants to earn her victory. Jose shuts down his bad and undetermined mood and switched it up to an happy and positive look.
"Okay, Dulcinea," he says as he and Dulcinea share a smile. All that's left now is the opponent of Dulcinea, and this nightmare could start making its undying ending.
In the backstage area, Puss and Kitty, who was sitting down on a chair, thinking about the match against Dulcinea. Puss put his hat tight with a straight face, as if he made a decision without consulting it to Kitty at all.
"What are you doing, Puss?" says Kitty as she got up from the chair and stops Puss before he could move ahead.
"What does it look like I am doing, Kitty? I will head to the ring and face Dulcinea," says Puss. Kitty wasn't very pleased about it, mainly because she wanted to face her.
"But Puss. There isn't much time. I will face her," she says, trying to convince Puss to withdraw his challenge and let her face Dulcinea instead.
"No!" Puss says it in a tough voice, not wanting Kitty to face his wife.
"But Puss!" says Kitty, begging Puss to listen to her.
"No, Kitty! I will not let you face her. I cannot allow you to get hurt like they did to my maestro," says Puss in a soft tone. he wants to protect Kitty and prevent her getting hurt, like El Guante Blanco was.
"But if you win, you will hurt Dulcinea!" Kitty yells. Puss puts his head down, realizing the dangers and torture he and Dulcinea would have to face if they face. But his noble heart thought if Kitty was away from that inevitable faith, he will be satisfied for at least keeping his master's words.
"At least... At least I can keep the words of my maestro and protect you, no matter who wins," says Puss as he has his fists clinching while staring into Kitty's eyes. He could see she was pretty upset about his answer, and he knew she really wanted to face her. But Puss knew his choice would be a tough one to swallow. So Puss puts his roght paw to Kitty's left shoulder.
"Kitty. I know you really want to do this, but I have to keep you away from danger. I know you are a strong woman, but I cannot be responsible if something ever happens to you. I want you to promise me, whether I win or not, promise me that you will help my friends and stop Johnny. Can you do that for me? For our maestro?" saye Puss in a soft voice. Kitty puts her head down and groans in a heavy disappointment. She really did not wanted to have Puss and Dulcinea harm each other.
"Puss..." a very sad Kitty says as she was starting to drop a few tears, while Puss uses his paw to touch Kitty's cheeks. Later, Puss smiles and takes out some of Kitty's tears off. Kitty smiles for a bit, but her worries and fears still was locked deep within her heart.
"Please?" says a caring Puss. Kitty sights, as she has no choice.
"Okay, Puss," she says with such lament. Puss grabs a microphone and looks at Kitty.
"Thank you," he says as he was leaving towards the arena.
"Puss?" she says in a hurry tone. Puss turns around and before he could say a word, Kitty jumps him and gives him a hug.
"Be careful out there. Despite I love Dulcinea a lot, I want you to win," Kitty says as she gives a warming hug to Puss, who gladly hugs her tight.
"Hehe. Thanks, Kitty. I will do my best to win this wrestling battle," says Puss with a charming tone, enough to assure Kitty some sorts of calm around herself. Moments later, they let go of themselves and Puss returns to make his march towards the ring. Kitty shrugs herself like a warm blanket in a worry and pensive way, like she wishes she would had done something more. Like risking her life to save Puss, so thay she doesn't have to have in her conscience the bad facts that El Guante Blanco, her uncle, and her former lover and current friend Puss in Boots, were hurt and tortured by Johnny and his army.
A nervous Puss slowly steps foot to the arena, were the loud roars of the fans were bothering his ears, the bright lights were blocking his sight. He was feeling nervous, like the pressure is taking over his body. Then, he sees Dulcinea and Jose, ready to see if Puss will be the one to face Dulcinea. Puss's heart was beating hard and fast. Puss knew he had a big problem and he does not want to fight Dulcinea. But he needee to to what it was necessary to save the world.
"Here we go, Puss," he talks to himself as he takes a deep breath and and returns to make his mark to the ring, despite the pressure and many more distractions trying to take out his focus and determination to do this. Puss then stops, nearly about to enter the ring, and stares to Dulcinea. He was ready, ready to say the words so that the world, the entire world, can be aware of his intentions of fighting the White Tulpa once and for all...
"Well, I guess that's we wanted, huh? Dulcinea says, thinking that it will be Puss who will face her and looking back on that challenge Puss and herself made to each other when Puss and Jose helped her in rehabilitate her injuries from their adventure in Zootopia. Puss looks at her serious, and releases his voice and was ready to put the speculations to an end.
"Dulcinea, The White Tulpa, I'll be your challenger!"...