A/N: This is it, the last chapter! Do not fear, there will be an epilogue, and a sequel!

El Tigre: Chosen

"Did we win, yo?"

-Lash Inferno

Chapter 25

"You can have whatever you want. Just give me the Oar." Manny demanded, standing firm.

Doña Ultima smiled. "Excellent choice."

There was a twinkle of light as Manny's storage crystal absorbed his belt, left him and floated toward the hostess. She snatched the crystal greedily and thrust the Oar in Manny's direction. He caught it, and immediately felt its power.

"How does it work?" Manny asked, but his inquiry fell on deaf ears. Ultima was enraptured, holding the crystal up like a projector, holographic images of the items it contained flitting before her eyes, a wicked grin on her face..

Slowly, the grin faded, replaced by an expression of rage.

"What? Im…impossible!"

Doña Ultima began to glow blue with fury, appearing before the young Rivera in an instant, lifting him by his shirt.

"Where is it? Where have you hidden it? It has to be here somewhere! You have to have it!"

"What are you talking about?" Manny asked, confused. "You took my crystal! The objects are all in there!"

Ultima ignored Manny and shook him. "It has to be here! I've looked everywhere else, searched the world over!" Ultima was unraveling, losing it. "Now, tell me, where is La Corona? Where is the Crown?"

Meanwhile, hundreds of object-wielders sat within Dona Ultima's crystal prison, surrounded on all side by crystalline walls stretching as far as the eye could see. They could not tell what was going on; their view of the outside world was cut off when White Tigre destroyed the mystic guitars.

"Is my grandson okay?" Grandpapi Rivera worried.

"I'm sure he's fine," Trina reassured, putting a hand on the old man's shoulder.

"That was some fight," Meredith Jolner whistled.

"So if Tigre won," John Forge started, "Why aren't we free?"

The Indian Two Moons sighed. "Because Doña Ultima probably never intended to release us in the first place."

Dodge stepped up. "So we need to find a way out of here."

"But how?" asked Trina. "We don't have our objects. None of us has the strength to break through that wall."

"Ahem."

The object-wielders turned to see Don Baffi wheeling up to meet them, followed the Chipotles, Senor Siniestro, and El Mal Verde.

"You forget, some of us don't depend on cheap trinkets for our strength," Don Baffi said proud, rolling up to the wall. His mustache had regenerated from his encounter with Mer, and it was ready to rock.

"Strong is the mustache of Don Baffi!" the Mustache Mafia boss declared as he rose up on legs of hair and began pounding the crystal wall with mustached fists. The Chipotles fired at the prison wall with their lasers, Siniestro hammered away with robotic fists, and Mal Verde used his mace arm to deliver several punishing blows.

The wall began to crack.

"I don't know where your crown is!" Manny insisted. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You're lying!" Ultima hissed.

"Let my son go!" Maria shouted at the enraged hostess.

"Yeah!" Frida chimed in. "None of us have your stupid crown!"

Interesting, Mer thought, She wants the crown more than the military does…

Ultima growled, setting Manny down. She took away the Oar.

"Very well then. If that's how you want to play. The rules are you must deliver all objects of power for Charon's Oar. No Crown, No Oar!"

"That's not fair!" Manny cried.

"Life isn't fair, or else I'd have the Crown by now," Ultima smiled, but something was off. It felt…cold.

"Then let Trina go," Mer said to Ultima. "Let everyone who lost go. You promised."

"I think…I'll keep them as collateral." Another cold grin.

"You bi-" Mer was cut off when Ultima shocked him with blue energy.

"Need I remind you that none of you have any mystic objects anymore?" Ultima said nonchalantly. "You can't stop me."

Suddenly, there was a flash as something in Ultima's pocket exploded. She went flying back as shards of crystal and hundreds of lights flew out, swirling around the arena. The lights took human form, and packed the coliseum.

The object-wielders were free.

"No! Impossible!" Doña Ultima wailed.

"Oh, it's possible all right!" Trina smiled, hopping down into the arena. "And now it's time for a little payback!"

"HA!" Ultima laughed, raising Manny's crystal. "You forget, I am still in possession of all objects of power!"

A laser hit the crystal, shattering it. Ultima's horrified gaze turned to Zoë Aves, armed with a smoking mounted wrist canon.

"Looks like you'll have to learn to share," Zoë mocked as more lights dispersed throughout the coliseum. The objects were returning to their rightful owners.

Dona Ultima looked around the coliseum, realizing the gravity of her situation. She was surrounded.

Manny put his El Tigre belt back on and spun the buckle, transforming into the feline super. He stood tall and faced Dona Ultima.

"Now make good on your promise, or you face all of us!"

Ultima took a deep breath. "You've forgotten one thing…" She raised her hand.

"…I have friends too!"

At that moment, dozens of Enmascarados exploded into existence, separating Ultima from the object-wielders. The entire coliseum erupted into chaos.

As the object-wielders fought the Enmascarados, El Tigre pushed his way through, pursuing a fleeing Doña Ultima. He burst out of the thick of it just in time to see Ultima twirling the Oar, forming a vortex. She smiled at Tigre one last time, and leapt in.

"NO!" El Tigre jumped after her, but the vortex swirled shut.

Once Doña Ultima vanished, the Enmascarados promptly disappeared, leaving several confused object-wielders.

"Did we win, yo?" asked Lash Inferno.

"No," said El Tigre. "She got away."

Mer went over to El Tigre, putting a hand on his shoulder. Don't worry, kid. Another day…"

"That day will come sooner than you think," All eyes turned to the new, ethereal voice amongst them. Frida gasped when she saw the winged figure.

"Antonio!"

Antonio nodded.

"But, aren't you kinda…you know…dead?"

Antonio smiled. "I'm here on borrowed time, Frida. There are some things you must know…and I'm sure you have questions, like…"

"Who is Doña Ultima, and why does she want this Crown?" Frida asked.

"Like that," Antonio nodded once more. "Doña Ultima is a mystery, an ancient being. She seeks the Crown to fulfill a prophecy made by one of the previous incarnations of the Prophet. If she gets her hands on it, bad things will happen.

"Where did she go?" El Tigre asked flatly.

Antonio sighed. "The only place she hasn't looked. She's scoured the land of the living with no success…" A light bulb went off over Maria's head. "She's going to the land of the dead!"

"Can you take us there, Antonio?" El Tigre asked. "We gotta stop her!"

Antonio shook his head. "Mortals cannot survive long in the land of the dead. But someone with demon blood…" Antonio turned back to Frida.

Frida looked around. "Wait…me?"

"You, and only you."

Frida gulped. "You mean I have to go face crazy lady all by myself? Alone?"

Antonio smiled. "Trust me, you won't be alone. You'll have the help of some old friends…"

El Tigre could no longer hide his frustration. "Well, what are supposed to do while Frida goes off and fights Doña Ultima?"

Antonio kneeled down to El Tigre's level. "You will be needed here. A battle is coming…the object-wielders will need a leader…they will need their champion." Now it was El Tigre's turn to look around in confusion. "Me? But I'm not a champion…"

"Did you not just win a tournament that proves that fact?"

El Tigre thought, then grinned. "I guess I did."

Antonio held out his hand. "My time is up, Frida. We must go now, and stop Doña Ultima."

"Good luck, goggles." Mer said.

Maria chimed in. "Our hearts are with you!"

"Suarez…" Zoë started, "You're not all bad…I guess…" The rest was grumbling.

Frida smiled at her friends, then told Antonio, "Wait!" and rushed over to El Tigre and gave him a hug.

"Good luck with…whatever it is you're going to be doing," Frida said to her best friend.

"El Tigre smiled. "Yeah, you too."

"You know I love you, right?"

"I know."

"But not in a creepy way or anything like that."

"Heh. Of course."

"It's time, Frida."

Frida went to Antonio, and took his hand. With a flash, they were off to the land of the dead.

Meredith Jolner stepped up beside El Tigre. "So what now?"

El Tigre surveyed the object-wielders who filled the damaged coliseum. All eyes were on him.

"Antonio says a battle's coming, right? I say we get ready to fight."