El Tigre: Evolution


"Remember, we need to get together and watch some real American football!"

-Mer


Chapter 27

Frida and Manny soared towards the LuxeCorp. Building. Orbs of light went sailing past them, being drawn back into the vortex above the tower. With El Santo Oscuro gone, the demons were returning to their dimension. Frida and Manny touched down in front of LuxeCorp. amidst the crowd of jubilating villains and cloaked watchers. They looked around and smiled at the scene.

"Papi!" Dr. Chipotle Jr. cried, running into his father's arms.

"Diego!" Dr. Chipotle Sr. hugged his son.

"I thought I lost, you, papi!"

Meanwhile, Vultura and Lady Gobbler were leaning against the building, resting. Suddenly, a dark purple streak rushed up to them, pulling them into a group hug.

"Mom! Grandmami!" Black Cuervo cried.

"Mija!" her family replied in unison.

As these families reunited and talked and teared up, Trina, Maria, and Puma Loco approached Manny and Frida.

"Manny! You did it!" his Grandpapi shouted, clapping his nieto on the back.

"You didn't get into too much danger, did you Manny?" a worried Maria asked.

:"I'm sure they were fine," said Trina. "Right, Oso?" she turned to a dazed, but human-again, El Oso.

"I feels like I got hit by a train, mans," he grumbled.

One of the watchers approached the group and addressed Manny. "You have done well, young one. The Prophet and Antonio were right to trust you.

"Speaking of," said Manny, "Where is-"

"Frida looked down at the ground. "Antonio didn't make it. I could feel it."

"AND YOU WILL JOIN HIM!" An energy blast zoomed by and struck the watcher, incinerating him instantly. Everyone turned, horrified, to see…Diego Luxe. But he was something less than human. His body was twisted and deformed. He sported a pair of lopsided wings. He began to advance towards the group. With each step he took, his skin seemed to crack. Bits of him were crumbling away, slowly becoming ash.

"What's happening to him?" a disgusted Trina wondered.

"His body's become unstable," a nearby watcher responded. "The demonization process is tearing him apart…literally."

"YOU'VE TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME!" Luxe howled. "NOW YOU DIE!"

The twisted Luxe formed another energy blast, aiming for Manny. Watchers and villains alike prepared to counterattack. Manny went for his belt. Time stood still.

Then a miracle occurred.

It began to rain.

Faces turned upwards, letting the cool, rejuvenating droplets splash on their skin. It had an entirely different effect for Luxe. His energy fizzled out, and instead of crumbling into ash; he started to melt, dripping like slime.

"No," he whimpered. "Not like this…not like this…"

Soon all that was Diego Luxe was washed away by cleansing rain.

Cheers went up, and all present celebrated the end of the drought. People came out of hiding in the buildings and their homes to marvel at the rain. People of all sizes and ages started to splash in the puddles and play in the downpour. It was fun, something the city hadn't experienced in a while.

Mer herded the police out of his apartment building.

"Remember," Mer called after them. "We need to get together and watch some real American football!"

Manny and Frida laughed and hugged and got soaking wet, until Frida's cell phone went off. She checked it and gasped.

"The Atomic Sombreros' Spontaneous Concert Alert!"

Manny raised an eyebrow. "The What-Now?"

"Manny! As rock stars it is the Sombreros' duty to shred at a moment's notice for special occasions! This is as special and occasion-y as it gets!" Frida gestured dramatically.

"Okay, okay, sorry! But…doesn't it take time to set up a concert?"

"Manny, Manny, Manny…you're thinking too much."


The crowd stood in the rain, looking up at a particular rooftop, where the Atomic Sombreros had positioned themselves.]

"MIRACLE CITY…" Frida shouted through her mike. "ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?"

The crowd roared.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

The crowd got even louder.

Frida turned back to her band-mates. "Let's crank it up to eleven, guys!"

And the song began, with Frida singing:

We are gonna

Let it rain

C'mon, c'mon, just

Let it rain

Luxe was nuttier

Than squirrel poo

Now he's just a

Puddle of goo!

And what about

El Santo Oscuro?

I'll tell you what

We booked 'im Danno!

And Los Alados

Those guys are toast!

But I wonder what happened

To the Von Krieger Bros?


Nacht rode on his motorcycle, concentrating on the road ahead. When the demons started returning to the vortex, the Seventh Samurai returned to his human form. Nacht had just finished giving his demon form the beating of a lifetime for the death of his brother, but he could not bring himself to finish the hero…the fellow object-wielder. So instead he left.

He passed a sign that read: NOW LEAVING MIRACLE CITY.


Frida finished up an awesome guitar solo and continued singing:

White Pantera

This one's for you!

Thanks for lending Manny

Your strength and Bronze Boots of Truth!

We are gonna

Let it rain

C'mon, c'mon, just

Let it rain!

Sartana watched the concert from the shadows with a skeletal smirk. Tigre's novia could put on a show…

"Sartana?" A familiar voice called out. The undead woman turned to face her father…Salvador of the Dead.

"Papi."

Her father smiled. "I'm very proud of you Sartana. I wanted you to know that. I love you, mija." He pulled his daughter into a hug.

"Papi…" Sartana's eyes watered. And for a moment, she was alive again.

We are gonna

Let it rain

C'mon, c'mon, just

Let it rain

We are gonna

Let it rain

C'mon, c'mon, just

Let it…rain.

Frida ended the song with a strum of her guitar and the crowd went wild.

Mer slid up next to Trina. He tried to casually start a conversation.

"Very nice song, very…avant-garde."

Trina gave Mer a look. "Do you even know what that means?"

Mer returned the look. "Of course I know what it means, it means…"

But he stopped because they both went in for the kiss.

Frida looked down and saw the pair lip locked and grinned.

"Let's give it up for the lovebirds…Mer and Trina!" she shouted. The people around them clapped while Mer and Trina blushed. "This next song is for them!"

Frida paused for a moment to scan the crowd, and wondered, "Where's Manny?"


Manny stood in the Miracle City Cemetery, in front of a tombstone marked:

Rodolfo Rivera

a.k.a.

White Pantera

"Macho till the End"

He sighed. "I know you were with me today, but I still miss you, Dad." He jumped when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see his mother smiling down at him. His grandfather wasn't far behind.

A new day dawned as they stood at the grave, silently paying their respects.