Before we can get on the show, I decide to respond to the reviews from the last chapter starting this chapter. This is something I've been thinking on doing when the reviews came rolling in and as a way to be connected with the readers and fans. This is going to be fun so here is my response to the reviews I'm interested in:
Guest 1: I like your excitement! Don't worry. I'll make more chapters until the fanfic is finished! As for romance, well... we'll see.
SynchroRegis: I'll do my best!
Guest 2: Hahaha. Hope to see it in you as the next chapters are published.
Guest 3: Well, with undead creatures being seen as monsters automatically by the population, I knew I have to include it. Also, I've been meaning to add depth to some characters like Avdol, who is underutilized in Part 3. It will be fun to write them based on my observation of their characters and I hope you will like the way I write them, whether it's them staying true to their character or adding depth to their existing personalities. Also, your comment about zombies being electrified and wondering how zombified Stand Users are affected is something I need to consider. You gave me an idea, all the same.
Guest 4: You, sir or ma'am, have read my mind. All that is left for me to do is see where can I let Franchouchou sing the OP. I'm thinking on them singing it as a separate fic or in the sequel but I'll see to it our zombie idols sing their voices away to the tune of Stone Ocean!
With the review response done, it's time for the fifth chapter to start!
With a hat on his head, a bat in his hands, and Romero sitting with paws on the floor, Kotaro Tatsumi points the bat forward to the fourteen zombies in front of crude scoreboard drawn on the chalkboard.
"OHHHH! THAT'S A BAAAAASEBALLLLL!" The man shouted passionately. "We've got the championship game to determine the ultimate undead high school today! After an interesting game, we're in the ninth inning with three runs apiece! Will Undead High School be able to hold it together through this inning?"
"Our pitcher for today is ｢Gyro Zeppeli｣!" He announces to a very eager Gyro.
"Nyoho!"
As expected, the zombies are bewildered over what they are seeing. We have Gyro standing opposite of Kotaro as a pitcher, wearing a baseball glove for holding a steel ball and Kotaro ready to swing the bat in his hands as a batter. Most of them are just watching the event unfold except Tae, who is off snoring loudly as she naps.
"Let's see what you got Gyro! Bet you can ace your first ever pitching?" Kotaro exclaims.
"You bet I can!" Arching his arm, Gyro is careful not to use the Spin, instead throwing it normally as he can. He then says, "This is the first pitch! ORA!" With a shout, Gyro throws the ball.
"BLAM!"
カッキーン
With a swing of the bat, Kotaro hits the steel ball hard, sending it flying back to Gyro. He ducks when seeing this and, in the process, the ball bounces back from the wall behind him. "Woah!"
"And that's...! A hoome ruuuuu-"
バッゴォーッ
Kotaro didn't finish his words when the ball hits his abdomen deeply, sending Kotaro crouched on the floor in pain.
Gyro stares the bombastic producer reeling on the floor in surprise, having not expected the steel ball would bounce back to him. Good thing he refrained from using the Spin, otherwise Kotaro will be in worse pain than he is now. "Whoops! Sorry about that! Nyohoho..." He apologized, stifling a chuckle over Kotaro's misfortune.
"The dirt... The dirt..." The zombies hear him mumble pathetically, who is scooping up dirt with his hands. "Uh, what exactly are you doing?" Sakura asks.
"I'm...picking up some dirt...off the field...! Competitive fields are...cruel, y'know! The second you let your guard down, it can all...fall apart!" He answers in baseball terms and rules.
"...Oookay then?"
Meanwhile, Gyro walk to the steel ball to pick it up but Romero, after sticking its nose on the object in curiosity, proceeds to swallow it whole. "AH! THE STEEL BALL!" Spin Cowboy shouted in shock and horror.
"Shit! Come on! We can't let the dog eat it under our sight!" Johnny crawls toward Romero after seeing it try to eat the ball.
"Right, right! Hey! Stupid dog! My steel ball is not made for consumption!"
As the two Spin Users try to force Romero to spit out the steel ball, Kotaro stands up when his stomach doesn't ache anymore. Ignoring the two cowboys, Kotaro explains what he is saying to the zombies in an irritated tone. "I'm trying to say that if you get lazy, you're gonna be in for real trouble, you dim-witted zombies! You haven't forgotten that little 'hotel of the living dead' mess at the resort, have you?"
The culprits who started the whole mess, Sakura, Saki and Junko, tries to not look guilty. The biker doesn't look ashamed though.
"You wanna get talked about, make sure it's because you are idols! We haven't gotten any further operating budget thanks to you!"
"I'm pretty sure that's your fault."
Ignoring Saki's remark, Kotaro is about to announce today's act when Johnny cried out in pain. "OW! DAMMIT!"
"Now Romero is biting you? Sheesh, can't believe it's so protective of the steel ball it swallowed." Gyro exclaimed. Everyone looks at Johnny trying to pull Romero out of his face after he managed to made Romero spit the ball out. Apparently angry over his action, the mutt responded by latching and biting his hat or hair. Grunting at the dog growling or barking at him, Johnny managed to get it out of his face before chucking Romero away from him. If Romero is still alive as normal, the poor dog would get hurt for sure.
"HEY! Don't throw Romero like that!" Kotaro scolded him.
"I wouldn't have done so if he didn't eat the steel ball and latched onto me in anger!" Johnny pointed to Shades. "Besides, it's a zombie. It's not like it got hurt from the impact."
"It still counts as animal abuse!"
"Well, I feel bad about it but what am I supposed to do? Let it stay on my face?"
"Just try to be nice and careful!"
"...Fine. But that doesn't mean I'm angry at you for not reeling the dog in."
"Hey, uh... Do you have a handkerchief? My steel ball is covered in spit." Gyro shows the saliva-covered steel ball. Everyone reels in disgust, with Saki, Ai, Lily, Kakyoin and Narancia telling him to stop showing it to them.
"Sure. Here you go." Kotaro gives him one. "Now! Can you and Johnny go back to your seats? I got an important announcement that you stinking zombies need to know!"
"Alright. Thanks anyway!"
After heeding his command, Kotaro clears his throat before he declares today's act to the zombies. "Now then...! I happen to have arranged a gig that even you slobs will be able to hit a grand-slam home run with!"
"And what would that be?" Kakyoin inquired.
"Starting today, we're gonna try to raise our profile! And the first step is having you appear in a commercial for a certain mega-famous business!"
"We're getting offers for commercials?"
"I know, right?" Kotaro leans close to Sakura while answering her question. "You guys are gonna be so shocked that your hearts might start beating!"
"Oh yeah? What have you got on your mind?" Narancia challenged him.
"If you want know, dear Narancia," Kotaro stands beside the chalkboard before he answers, "The mega-famous business that's hired you for this commercial...IS THE FAMOUS ｢DRIVE-IN TORI｣!" The flipped chalkboard reveals a crude drawing of a chicken and words matching to what he bombastically answered to the zombies.
Most of them don't recognize the name ｢Drive-in Tori｣, which is the first time they heard of it...except for Saki, who stands up in shock over her recognizing the restaurant in question.
"Miss Saki?" Avdol calls her name with a concerned look.
"What got you so shocked?" Sakura asks her friend. The biker boss ignored them as Kotaro plays a commercial on his laptop.
BGM: Drive-in Tori Commercial Jingle
Yakitori Ichiban
Torimeshi NIban
San wa Sarada de
Yoi Kenkou
Itsumo Nikoniko
Tori de Manpuku
Yay!
"Holy crap... It's really Drive Tori." Saki stated in disbelief.
"Drive Tori...?" Sakura repeated, noticing she left one word in the name.
"C'mon! It's Drive Tori! You really want to die?" Saki seems offended she doesn't recognize the restaurant she used to visit with her gang.
"Sorry! It's just that I've never heard of them!"
"I've heard of them but never been there." Lily added.
The usual tough and rough-as-nails leader of Franchouchou is watching the commercial being played on Kotaro's laptop with wide-eyes. Her bravado is replaced with looks of recognition and nostalgia, being so surprised Kotaro brings it up out of nowhere to properly expressed her thoughts about it.
Especially when the zombies don't recognize it. "Unbelievable... you guys ｢FAIL｣ AT SAAAGAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Is it that famous?" Bucciarati asked, wondering what the restaurant is about since it's not known in his home country.
"You'll all learn how amazing Drive Tori is in time." Kotaro tells him.
"When?! When's the job?!" Saki eagerly questioned after catching her breath for shouting her lungs out of vexation. For the first time, Saki's mind is in the same wavelength as Kotaro's when it comes to the time, as the two shouted at the top of their lungs in front of the bewildered zombies. "RIIIIIIGHT NOOOOOOW!"
"Hahahaha! You are so fired up this time, Saki." Avdol speaks up with a smile. Everyone, especially Saki, turn to him as he asks, "Does the prospect of visiting Drive-in Tori excite you? If you are, then you're not the only one who's eager to come to that place."
"Avdol! Don't tell me... You know Drive-in Tori!?" She asks him with a smile.
"No. This is the first time I heard about it. But seeing you so excited today must have compelled me to join in your excitement. Tell me then. Is Drive-in Tori good in your opinion?"
"Well, Fire Lord..." Saki wraps her arms around Avdol, who crouched to her height due to her being short and him being tall. Eyeing his expectant face, Saki states, "If my eagerness to go there again after my death doesn't clue you in, I'm gonna tell you right now that the food they serve there is very good if my memory serves right!"
"Hmm. I am anticipating it, miss Saki."
"Well fret no more thanks to Shades here managing to get this opportunity for us!"
"Ho ho ho! If you two wanted to go there badly, let's not waste more time! C'MON, YOU ZOMBIES! GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!"
Perplexed and somewhat amused of Saki and Avdol's eagerness, the zombies follow the three out, all of them curious of what Drive-in Tori has to entail for them.
Like her reaction back in the mansion, Saki looks at the sign displayed out in the front with a wide and open smile, conveying the prospect of visiting the restaurant famous for its yakitori menus and chicken rice, themed after poultry products again. As such, Number Two couldn't be any more excited about it.
Meanwhile, the thirteen zombies stare the restaurant with curious eyes, with Sakura stating, "Kinda...has that local business feel, huh?"
"Mega-famous business..." Junko commented.
"So this is Drive-in Tori. I can already tell from its look that it's based on chicken products." Avdol said, seemingly happy to see it in person.
"The homey feel! It's still the same!" Saki clasps her hands together as memories came flooding in of the time she was the leader of her biker gang. After the gang spent day and night raising hell on the roads, Saki and her best friend, Reiko Amabuki, would come on Drive-in Tori after they are done for today where they would eat to their hearts' content, with Saki ordering the number one menu with a side of lettuce. She recounts this memory to Avdol and the others with a nostalgic look plastered on her face.
"You really were a wild girl, huh Saki-chan?" Sakura remarked.
"Y'know, her story sounds similar to when me, Bucciarati, Abbacchio, Mista and Fugo used to visit a restaurant back in Italy as our meeting and dining point." Narancia noted the similarity, knowing well that the team would never be together in the restaurant again. In fact, Giorno has visited there together with them at least once. It's both nostalgic and sad.
"You're right. I do miss that place..." Bucciarati agrees.
"That bird's not very cute." Lily stated with an unimpressed look, referring to the anthropomorphic chicken displayed above. Saki doesn't take her insult kindly, stating, "Damn it, shrimpy! Don't you dare insult Drive Tori's immortal Cocco-san!"
"Cocco-san?" Avdol repeated curiously.
"What the fudge are you guys doing!? Move it already!" Kotaro's voice shouted to the zombies, who is standing beside the man in pink shirt, dark blue pants and a black waist apron looking at them with a smile. Everyone's attention is on the man as Kotaro proceeds to introduce him. "This man here is the president of Drive-in Tori."
"Hello. It's nice to meet you all." The president greeted them.
"Good after-"
"SIR, YES SIIIIIIIIIIRRR!"
Saki's passionate and roaring greeting interrupts their normal greeting, a testament of her inner child being awakened this day. "...So loud." Rai stated simply.
"I appreciate you all for coming here. I'm looking forward to seeing you girls advertise our restaurant," He expressed his gratitude. "Why don't we start by heading inside so you can try some of our signature grilled chicken?"
The zombies like the sound of that, especially Avdol and Saki, who again shouted to the top of her lungs and bowed deeply to Narancia, Johnny, Rai, and Lily's irritation. "SIR, YES, SIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRR!"
Saki is pretty fired up. Hehe, whoops. Didn't mean to make a pun. Avdol chuckled at her enthusiasm, not hiding his desire to finally try their menu.
Sitting altogether from opposite sides according to gender, everyone's mouth is watering at the sight of the food on their table, literally in Tae's and Gyro's case, as the sound of grilling meat flows in the air together with the smoke. Saki is in the center overlooking the grilling chicken, who can't wait to eat it and savor its crispy goodness while it's hot. Everyone thinks the same as her too, with Tae and Gyro trying to be patient despite their hunger instincts overtaking their heads.
"Most people think of beef when it comes to yakiniku-style grilling, but in Saga, it's all about chicken," The president lectures about the appeal of Drive-in Tori to Kotaro, Avdol and the pre-occupied zombies. Grabbing a cooked meat with a chopstick, Sakura eats it whole and smiles in delight over the taste exploding in her mouth. "Mmmmmm!"
"Sakura! Try some of that sauce and the garlic pepper!" Saki told her. As Sakura nods, Saki picks up the cooked one for her consumption but Lily complains that she's waiting for it to be cooked. While the two argue over it, Yugiri notices Junko is looking at the menu for a while now, prompting her to asks, "What are you looking at there, Junko-han?"
"The honey and black Calpis vinegar sounds delicious..." Junko stated, thinking on trying them out.
While most of them are happily munching (and arguing) over the food, the same cannot be said by the three Italians of the group, who are having trouble using chopsticks and pick up the food using it.
"Nnngh... C'mon... Lemme pick you up... I want to eat, alright!?" Narancia mutters in irritation as he tries to pick up one chicken using a chopstick. This is the first time he's using it and it shows in his inexperience.
"Narancia, need a little help?" Seeing he's having trouble, Bucciarati offers his help to him. He managed to use a chopstick properly after watching everyone handle theirs and tried it by himself. He gets to eat two pieces of chicken dipped in sauce when he sees Narancia is having trouble.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm getting desperate trying to pick even one. Think you can teach me?" Narancia plead for his help.
"Sure. It doesn't sit right with me seeing you struggle." Bucciarati nodded in response, directing his hands on his hands holding a chopstick. He hopes he do know the process of holding one after merely observing it.
Just as Bucciarati is helping Narancia, so do Johnny helping Gyro how to use chopsticks. Holding his hands, Johnny directs the chopsticks to a piece of chicken. "Okay... With your fingers on one stick, grab it like this."
Thanks to Johnny's careful attention and experience, Gyro managed to grab one and prop it in his mouth. Chewing it slowly, his annoyed face turn to a delighted one when the taste explodes in his mouth. "Mmmmm~… This is delicious...!"
"I know. I'm happy you like it after eating it just once," Johnny smiles to his friend, who follows his instructions carefully for him to scoop a piece to his mouth. Gyro thanks him for his assistance.
"...And that sums up the seven principles of Drive-in Tori." The president finished explaining about Drive-in Tori.
"Oh, I see- HEY! Would it kill you to listen?!" Kotaro scolded the inattentive zombies busy scrounging the meat, rice and lettuce but the president doesn't mind them not listening to his words, saying, "No, no, it's alright. Seeing them greatly enjoy their food is enough for me."
Swallowing the food chunk, Sakura remarks, "The food is really amazing!"
"Downright delicious!" Kakyoin added.
"Hahaha! If I have heard about this place, I would have visited after hearing about how the food is delicious!" Avdol exclaimed, catching up with his fellow zombies after he decides to listen to the president first along with Kotaro.
Smiling at the three, the man says, "I'm glad to hear that. Our chicken here is fresh from-"
"Hey! Tae-chan is eating raw chicken!" Lily directs their attention to Tae hungrily munching raw chicken meat like a dog. After eating all of it, she proceeds to grab the plate and lick it clean, much to their disgust.
"Uh, that meat is not yet fresh-"
Kotaro stops him from interfering by grabbing his chin and gazing on his face. The president is caught off-guard, and blushing, of his charming act and admiring face as the man in shades says, "Now then, shall we discuss the details of the shoot?"
Everyone except Tae look at him charming the man without hesitation. While the girls thought his act is strangely enticing, the boys see it as weird. Well, it's not like their thoughts matter when it's time for the shoot to begin, right after they finish the food under Saki's insistence.
In a grassy field outside the restaurant, filming creaw members are preparing the cameras for the commercial shoot acted by Franchouchou. Said group are dressed in costumes for the commercial, with Sakura, Saki, Junko and Tae wearing a full-bodied chicken suit while Ai, Yugiri and Lily a hat, shirt and overalls as a chick clothing. Naturally, Saki couldn't be any happier to be wearing an outfit themed after her favorite restaurant. "KAKKEEEEEEEE!"
"The first outfit we wear other than t-shirts... and it's this." Junko shyly remarked on having to wear a full-bodied chicken costume.
"Well it's all so we can get some real outfits someday." Ai told her.
"That looks so great on you, Junko-chan!" Sakura complimented.
"It does?"
Off to the side, Tae chews on her wings thinking it's food while Lily gushes over Yugiri looking cute in her getup. "You look so cute, Yugirin!"
Looking at the tiny tail on her rear end, Yugiri states, "I wouldn't have minded an outfit like this in my old line of work."
"AAAALLLL RIGHT! IS EVERYBODY READY FOR THE SHOOT!?" Shouted a passionate assistant director with a hairy armpit. The director, staff members, Kotaro and bodyguards keep quiet as the assistant director continues in a low volume. "First up, I wanna introduce the girls from Franchouchou who are gonna be in the commercial today! Give them a hand!" Everyone except Kotaro claps to the bowing idol group in a chicken getup as they look forward to their performance for the commercial. "Next up is Cocco-kun-san! LET'S HEAR IT FROM THEM!"
The one called Cocco-kun (or Cocco-san) makes its entrance to everyone with a composed walk and a pair of sunglasses that could rival Kotaro's own. The mascot removes their glasses as they walk pass everyone clapping to their appearance. For the third time today, Saki expresses her excitement at seeing the mascot in person. "They've really got a hell of an aura...!" She mutters under her breath.
"Saki-chan..."
"Yeah, that's not cute."
Sakura and Lily remarked on her excitement with their own reactions.
As Cocco-kun marches on with grace, their face becomes terrified when their eyes happen upon a drooling and smiling Tae, which her feral mind thinks she is looking at the human-sized chicken. The zombie makes a high jump toward the mascot with the intent of taking a bite out of them. Sakura, Saki and Lily gasps in surprise with the redhead ready to stop Tae from hounding Cocco-kun. Tae is only an inch away from chomping the panicking mascot when Kakyoin and Avdol intervene, forcing Tae on the ground and holding her head and mouth down so she wouldn't make any moves. "Sorry about that. T-Tae-san is just...excited. that's all." Kakyoin lied. Fortunately, Cocco-san doesn't take it against her much (despite their twitching smile) to their and Sakura's relief, who then chastises her that the mascot is not a real chicken and there's very much a living person inside the costume.
Kakyoin and Avdol return to their companions as Franchouchou and Cocco-san get in the position for the shoot. The assistant director starts shouting again once they are ready. "All right! If everybody's ready, we can get started!"
"YEAH! We're gonna give this our all!" Saki raises her hand up in anticipation.
Under the director's word, they are gonna do a test run first and see if they got the dance and song down. "And... ACTION!"
The jingle starts playing and everyone in chicken outfit enact the dance, with the girls doing the singing. It seems to be going smoothly, having no mistakes and the singing and dancing being captivating enough...until the director says, "Cut!"
"CUUUT!" The assistant director shouted. The jingle and dance stops as the two addresses something they heard during the test run with the director sticking his ear to a megaphone. "I could hear something weird in there." The director refers to the moaning heard during the test run..
Seeing Tae's skills in singing being non-existent noticed by them, Sakura tries to apologize on her behalf while Saki urges Tae to sing instead of moaning like a zombie. "Tae, ya gotta sing!"
"It's not gonna work, Saki-chan! Tae-chan can't really do any singing!" She whispered to her.
"Urgghh." Tae groaned in response.
"Okay! You girls ready?!"
"Er, well..."
"Just try to avoid all that ｢urgh argh｣ stuff this time, thanks!" After reprimanding them a little, the assistant orders another take soon, prompting Sakura to say, "O-Okay, Tae-chan, just join us for the ｢cock-a-doodle-doo｣ part at the end!"
"All right, Camera's rolling..." The director confirms.
"This time, for real!" The assistant reminded.
"And...ACTION!"
The song starts again and everyone is about to tune in to the song when not even a few seconds in, Tae shouted "CAK! A DUUDA DOOOOOOO!"
"CUT!"
"I'm so sorry!"
As the girls try to make Tae do her part properly, the boys watch them with a mix of amusement, interest and hilarity. Kakyoin, Avdol and Bucciarati chuckle at their acts, Narancia and Gyro cover their mouths that is full of laughter and Johnny and Mamezuku watch with an impassive but nonetheless curious looks. While it is undeniable they are enjoying what they are watching, they see it's gonna take long before Tae get her act together. All the while, Romero rests near a tree as the camera keeps on rolling.
Several takes later...
"Yakitori ichiban, torimeshi niban, san wa sarada de. Yoi kenkou, itsumo nikoniko, tori de manpuku. Yay!"
The directors bop their heads as they are liking the result of many takes to make sure everything goes smoothly. Eventually, the jingle made it to the end as Tae, after enough tries and reprimanding, shouts the chicken's call properly. "ACK! A DOODA DOOOOOO!"
"And...CUT!"
"YEEAAAAH!"
With the shoot done without any more mistakes, the directors agree it is a good take. "All right, we're gonna run a check on that take!" The man with hairy armpits exclaimed, much to the girls' relief. As for Sakura, she thanks Ai for coming up with the idea of changing the harmony, which did the trick for Tae shouting the rooster's call. After checking the last take, the directors agree the shoot is satisfactory and announce it to the girls.
"That's good to hear." Junko said, wanting the show to be done with.
"Was it really? Can you say you've really done the job?"
Franchouchou heard Kotaro run his mouth behind them. They turn around, wondering what the producer is talking about. But when they did, they are greeted by a surprise...
"What do you mean, Tatsumi-san? Isn't the last take good enough?" ｢Kakyoin｣ tries to cover his face from the girls out of embarrassment with his hands, or more appropriately, his ｢wings｣.
"Signor Tatsumi, is this really necessary? Is this your solution to us joining in the commercial at the last minute?" They heard ｢Bucciarati｣'s voice from a second chicken costume, whose back is turned against them.
"Hehehe... Uhh, I know I'm all for anything that amuses me but... This is a bit overkill, y'know?" The third chicken costume pointed out, which sounds like ｢Gyro｣.
It didn't take long for them to realize the ones wearing the costumes similar to theirs are Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro.
"Wait, Kakyoin!? Is that you!?" Sakura shouted in disbelief.
"W-What are y-ya doin' in a c-chicken costume!?" Saki stated, letting out chuckles between words out of hilarity and amusement.
"...Believe me. I want no part in wearing this costume provided to us by the staff under Kotaro's insistence." Kakyoin deadpanned.
"There are extra costumes?" Yugiri inquired.
"Just three. And somehow, the sizes of the costume fit our body so Tatsumi didn't hesitate to have us wear it at the last minute." Bucciarati sighs, still keeping his back facing them while feeling ashamed having to wear it.
"To be honest, maybe being in this costume isn't so bad," That was Gyro expressing amusement over wearing the costume. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"
"Tae-chan thinking you're the real chicken?" Lily stated, pointing to Avdol and Mamezuku holding Tae down when she mistakenly sees the three as real chickens and attempt to charge at them. Meanwhile, Narancia can't contain his laughter as he is clutching his stomach on the ground even though he feels bad laughing at Bucciarati. Even Johnny is liking what he's seeing, evident by the smile he has directed at Gyro.
"Uh." He blinks when he is reminded of Tae's earlier attempt.
"SO! What are you all? What are you standing here as, right now?" Kotaro brings everyone back to the topic in hand over his thoughts of the shoot.
"Uh, idol-"
"｢FREAKING CHICKENS｣!"
The girls, Kakyoin, Bucciarati, Gyro and the staff members turn to Kotaro engaged in another shouting rant continuing from his response. "You're chickens right now! AM I WRONG, JUNKO?! GYRO?!"
"E-Err, no...?" She squeaked.
"...Maybe?" He spoke.
"THEN YOU NEED TO ｢CHICKEN｣ IT UUUUPPP! I'M NOT SEEING ANY CHICKEN AUTHENTICITY! THE INTENSITY OF A CHICKEN AS IT'S BEING COOKED ON A MESH GRILL! THE ｢CROOOOOOOOOW｣ OF ITS ｢SOOOOOOUUUUUUUL｣!"
After another wild imagination consisting of fire in the background, a mesh grill as a floor and Magician's Red breathing fire against the grill with intensity matching Kotaro's shouting, the girls are left speechless out of incredulity over his words. Then Saki speaks up. "Shades might be right."
"What?! You're agreeing to his words?" Bucciarati asks her, now facing her and the others in surprise.
Ignoring the capo's statement, Saki sees that the whole time they did the shoot, they haven't become ｢real chickens｣. She is eager to see Kotaro's words come to fruition, even if it means adding or redoing another take that could very well include Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro.
Speaking of Kotaro, he urges the director to do another take that will fit to what he said during his usual rhetoric.
"These girls can do it if you give them a chance, director! Also, those three must have a part in the commercial too! They are dying to be included in the commercial!"
"We're not!" Kakyoin and Bucciarati disagrees when they heard him.
"Please! Let them try again!"
"Look at it!" Saki pointed to Cocco-san enacting dance moves done by a certain pop singer from the 80s. "You're not gonna let Cocco-san get one up over us, right? If we're idols who gonna take over the country, we need to be ready to gobble up the star on their own show! That includes you three!" She pointed to Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro. "Since y'all joining us this time, show them what you three are made of as part of Drive Tori!"
Suddenly, Tae charges at the costumed mascot, again trying to take a bite out of them. If she's lucky, she can eat the other three "chickens" as well. "Tae-chan!" Sakura called out as the feral zombie chases the unlucky mascot around. The girls and the three stooges give chase, with the two refraining from using their Stands because everyone is looking at them now. They would be wondering when an invisible force stops Tae from running like a mad dog.
As Tae hangs on the mascot's butt with her teeth, the director orders his assistant to stop her. "Wait!" Suddenly, Kotaro halts him with his hand before he dramatically points and declares, "Get that camera rolling! This is reality! This is the story we've all been yearning for!"
"TAE-CHAN! THIS ISN'T WHAT SHE MEANT!" Sakura shouted to Tae ripping a fabric covering the mascot's rear end, exposing their underwear. After swallowing the fabric, Tae turns her eyes to the three Stand Users in chicken costumes. "W-Wait! Tae-san, it's us! Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro! Y-You know us, r-right? We don't taste that good if you do it!"
"Cheese it! She's not gonna liste- ACK!" Gyro warned too late before Tae hurl herself towards him with a roar.
As the chaos continues, the director, under Kotaro's insistence, reluctantly order the camera rolling with a shout of "ACTION!"
"I have to say, you all did an excellent job as chickens. The restaurant would like to give you these as thanks for performing the shoot today."
Franchouhou, Kotaro and their bodyguards are outside the entrance of the restaurant, ready to go home after the shoot is done and over with. As the sun sets on the horizon, bathing the sky with its orange light, everyone is in good spirits except for Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro, who are separated from them at the moment while nursing their wounds after Tae nearly sink her teeth on their heads. Also, there appears to be a cloud hanging over their heads. Purple clouds to be exact. The president is with them to see them off but not before rewarding them with something in a carrier bag.
"...Do you think it's more chicken?" Saki eagerly guesses. What they got instead is T-shirts based on Drive-in Tori and its mascot. "Just t-shirts... Fourteen of them." Sakura stated in a disappointed tone.
As the disappointed stares the t-shirts with dismayed looks except Kakyoin, Bucciarati, Gyro and Kotaro, who appears to have an idea brewing in his head, the president expresses his expectation for the final product, hoping it can bolster Drive-in Tori's popularity.
Around Saga, the new commercial starring Franchouchou and Cocco-san with extras played by an unwitting Kakyoin, Bruno and Gyro are broadcasted in houses, shops and malls. The catchy jingle sung by the local idol group makes an impression to kids and adults alike while the scene of Cocco-san running with Tae on its tail flanked by three costumed stooges inspire laughter from them. A chicken's cry is heard at the end of the jingle to cap off the new version of Drive-in Tori commercial a certain biker boss love.
In a journalist office, the assistant watches the brand-new commercial from Drive-in Tori with a grin, being amused of the tune, the girls and the part about Cocco-san running with Tae on their tail and the other three being chased by the same woman. "Huh, they got a new commercial." The assistant told the journalist reading a newspaper, who glances at the tv with his eyes.
"What's with these girls? Must be hard trying to be idols in Saga of all places." He stated to the journalist, who does not pay attention to the commercial because of the black-haired woman hanging on to Cocco-san with her teeth. He scratches his chin in thought, his sense of attention to detail kicking in while out of work.
"Have I seen her before...?"
Meanwhile, in Kotaro's office in the mansion, Kotaro has finished watching the commercial starring Franchouchou with Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro acting as extras under a costume.
"Now that was some ｢nice｣ bird-ing! All of you seriously... ｢nice bird｣!" He claps his hand with a smile.
Eyecatch features everyone in a ramen restaurant with the girls using a long table and the boys taking their seats in separate tables. While everybody eats the ramen like normal, Tae eats the noodles without using chopsticks, only using her mouth
Eyecatch features Sakura, Lily, Tae, Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro smiling and posing during a festival. Tae is eating dried squid and Hierophant Green poses alongside its user
With a beret on his head, a baguette in his hand and Romero sitting on the floor scratching its ear, Kotaro starts the meeting with a sniff of a baguette, which he does it tenderly. "Ahhh~ Merci!"
As everyone contends with Kotaro going French for his act this morning, monsieur Tatsumi leans to Ai's ear and whisper some words in French. "Bonjour, Saga jeune."
"Huh?" Ai, as usual, is a little put-off from his act.
"Saga jeune..." He repeated.
"Tsk. Yeah, yeah, I'm a Saga jeune now, I guess." She complied reluctantly.
How are you in any way a SAGA JEUNE!"
メッギャン
Kotaro suddenly shouted before whacking her head with the baguette. In response, Ai snatched the baguette and swings it back to his face with enough force to split the baguette apart and Kotaro kneeling on the floor with his back turned to them.
ドボォオ
"What is your problem?!" Ai exclaimed angrily to the producer muttering "dirt" while picking them in his hands.
"You know, if Polnareff is here, I believe he wouldn't like you acting as a Frenchman. I hope you're not making a mockery of him." Kakyoin speaks in behalf to his 22-year-old friend.
"You better not make an Italian impression that fall short of our features." Bucciarati warned, with Narancia and Gyro agreeing.
"Americans as well."
"And Egyptians."
"I get it, sheesh! I'm not dumb enough to mock other races!" Picking himself up, Kotaro proceeds with the main topic of the meeting. "Listen up! None of you are even close to cutting it as Saga jeunes yet! Like a bunch of hick zombies using your sleeves to wipe your snot! However! I've found a way for even you to become Saga jeunes who can compete with even Parisian jeunes!"
"You are gonna participate in the Gatalympics!" Kotaro announces, flipping the board and revealing the phrase, ｢Entering the Gatalympics!｣
"Holy crap... The Gatalympics..."
They heard Saki mumble. Said zombie is covering her face before revealing it to be brimming with tears flowing from her eyes. Everybody is wondering why she is crying, with Sakura remarking, "Are those tears of joy...?"
"Anyone can participate in Gatalympics, right?" Lily stated.
"And what even is Gatalympics?" Ai inquired.
The former biker is in disbelief everyone hasn't know about Gatalympics, seemingly another one of her favorite things when she is alive. She's happy to hear Kotaro bring it up during the meeting but not for her fellow zombies. "Unbelievable... You guys ｢FAIL｣ at SAAAGAAAAAAAAA!"
After she is calmed down, everyone watches the video showing participants playing various sports while having to withstand the mud-covered playing field. The viscosity and texture of a mud ensures that players will be swept by the splashing mud and waves and getting covered in them.
"It's not even glamorous or colorful, isn't it?" Junko commented on the nature of Gatalympics.
"People participate in this event?" Narancia asked incredulously.
"Lily don't wanna join!" She pleaded.
"SHUT IIIIIIIITTT!" Shouted Kotaro, who is now showing a t-shirt with katakana and rainbow printed on it. The katakana reads, ｢Furanshikoshiko｣ and overall, the design is garish and tacky. Sakura, Kakyoin and even Mamezuku thought so.
"What is that garbage-like T-shirt supposed to be?" Lily asks with a forced smile and piercing eyes.
"You are all going to be entering the Gatalympics wearing these shirts." Kotaro answers with a straight look.
As Yugiri pokes her fingers to get a response from an unresponsive Junko hanging her head low, Saki, ignoring the lurid design of the shirts or being focused on the idea of participating in the event, asks, "When?! When are we doing this?!"
The answer is obvious. Again. "RIIIIIGHT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"
In a girl's changing room, Franchouchou is dressing themselves up using the t-shirts Kotaro designed for the event. They are not the only ones who are joining as Kakyoin and his companions are joining with them too. At first, they tried to tell Kotaro they don't want to join due to the nature of the event but the producer wouldn't budge with his decision, stating that the boys are in this together with the girls when it comes to saving Saga. As such, thirteen of these zombies are to play in different sports while dealing with the thought of getting covered in mud in no time. Most of them will not like it but they have to do it for the sake of Franchouchou's popularity and in turn, Saga's.
Putting on the garish t-shirt and recalling the mud aesthetic of the event, Junko recalls something about wearing it. "Wearing these clothes reminds me of the swimsuit-only athletic competitions they used to have."
"You were actually in those?" Ai asked, wondering if she has done modeling.
"I-I made sure not to pop out, though!" She quickly responded.
Having expressed her disgust of the shirt's design, Lily is not looking forward wearing it for the duration of the event. "I seriously hate this." She speaks her mind over it.
"It's for the sake of advertising. You'll have to bear it." Yugiri told her. She is confused compared to some of them disliking it but because it is required, she will allow it for this specific circumstance.
Saki doesn't say anything as she is busy doing warm-up exercise. She has to make sure her body doesn't falter when it's her turn.
Tae attempts to wear the shirt but she is having difficulty doing it or she doesn't quite get it. Sakura has to assist her, telling her, "No! Tae-chan, quit squirming!"
As the girls prepare themselves, the zombie Stand Users are already done preparing wearing the shirt in a boy's changing room. Since Avdol, Bucciarati and Gyro are among the biggest of them, their shirts are larger and fit to their bodies. Apparently Kotaro is mindful of their sizes and suit the shirt for their needs.
While they are (not really) looking forward participating in Gatalympics, the only one who isn't is Johnny...because he's not gonna participate due to being unable to walk. In fact, he is smiling at the thought of not joining them, only sitting in the sidelines to watch and. He still has to wear the shirt, though that is a small compensation compared to the thirteen wearing a sport outfit consisting of the T-shirt and pair of shorts while he gets to keep his normal clothes.
"Hey. Good luck guys. Hope all of you do a good job." Johnny told everyone, not daring to hide his cheeky and relieved smile.
"Here's hoping. Such a shame you didn't get to join Johnny. I bet it's gonna be fun participating with us together." Despite looking forward to the event, Gyro lets out a nervous laugh instead of his signature "Nyoho!", as if he predicts he's gonna mess up.
"Well, with me being unable to walk, what choice do I have?" He replied.
"...Guess none. I bet you're happy you only get to watch with that stupid shirt on you whereas thirteen of us have to participate." Narancia asserted, stretching the shirt with a displeased face.
Nail Jockey smirks in response to Plane Kid's statement. "I am."
"Lucky you." Kakyoin sighs. He takes a glance at Avdol, who is not wearing his robe outside when he's going to sleep. Like Narancia, he is also displeased. "Say, this is the first time I have ever see you without your robe. How does it feel Avdol?."
"Actually, I would like to wear it in order to cover the shirt as much as possible." Avdol told him with a sigh. "But because it will get dirty, I have no choice but to endure the uncouth event."
"Uncouth is right. I wished Kotaro would let us wash ourselves properly." Kakyoin lamented.
"I think washing from a hose is enough. Also, it's not like we're gonna stink as a zombie."
"Having to maintain the façade of being alive though must not be forgotten."
"Well, I'm glad to have my hat stay. Having to wear something else other than my outfit feels weird." Rai stated, who is wearing a shirt and short for the event. He tried to put the shirt on top of his normal clothes but Kotaro forced him to wear something relating to sports.
"Alright. If everybody is done, let's head outside. We must apply to the event before the application closes." Bucciarati ordered, who is also not wearing his normal clothes.
As if on cue, the megaphone built on a pole turns on and the announcer speak through it, notifying any of those interested to join before the entry closes. Everyone proceeds outside to get their entries except Tae and Sakura, the latter looking for extra T-shirt to cover the ripped Tae did when she attempted to wear it.
"Okay! We can't have you ripping another one so let's put an extra layer on." Sakura told the feral zombie, holding a white T-shirt for her. Hopefully, this will cover the bandages Tae has that could raise questions to her.
And hopefully, nothing can go wrong getting an extra T-shirt.
As an entertaining sporting event watched by many spectators hanging on their seats, it's no surprise there are many audiences in the Gatalympics eagerly waiting for various participants taking part in many games. Their shouts and murmurs buzzes around the venue, giving the event a lively atmosphere that can be felt in everyone.
Among the spectators, Arata Okoba and his assistant, Inubashiri are watching in the sidelines separate from the spectator seats, instead sitting under a canopy. The assistant is taking pictures of anything that can be used for the papers when he catches a glance of Franchouchou the distance. "Huh? Aren't those the girls from that commercial?" He brings Okoba's attention to the seven girls found among the other participants. Their six bodyguards are also found standing beside them too, being on the lookout for anything suspicious. Curious of the girls and the boys who all look like they came from a fashion magazine, Okoba brings a binocular to his eyes to inspect them. "Oh? Did one of them catch your eye, Okoba-san?" His assistant joked.
"Idiot." He responded in a raspy tone, ignoring him as he looks at the boys first, taking note of an adult wearing a bomber hat, a cowboy-looking Italian, two female-looking Italians, the Egyptian man and a teenager with a noticeable noodle-like bang. Shifting his eyes to Franchouchou, specifically Sakura and Junko, Okoba has a feeling he had seen them somewhere before...
Meanwhile, Kotaro carries Johnny to an open seat located at the top that can give them a good view of the participants, specifically the thirteen zombies. The paraplegic attempted to climb up like he did when he's not on Slow Dancer but Kotaro insisted on having him carry Johnny to the seats. Bearing a dislike to the producer for his annoying attitude and shouting tendencies even from the start, Johnny initially refuses his help, telling him he can get to his desired seat by himself. Kotaro is not having it, especially when they are attracting stares over the sight of a man wearing sunglasses and a flamboyant jockey who can't walk. If they were to argue now, no doubt anyone may get a wrong idea.
Eventually, Johnny relented to have Kotaro carry him after he insisted for the third time, now aware of the stares they are getting. He has to swallow his pride if he wants to get this over with.
"There we go! We got ourselves a nice view of the playing field to keep an eye of the girls and boys!" Kotaro exclaimed propping his butt on the seat next to Johnny after carefully putting him down. "Now that's not so hard, isn't it? I'm glad you didn't drag the argument for too long when everyone is looking at us funnily."
"I only let you because we are getting nowhere with our little argument." Johnny grumbled, keeping his eyes on the field.
"Well if you just agreed to me immediately, none of that wouldn't happen!" He told him while folding his arms.
"Or you just let me get to our desired seats instead."
"...You know the audience will look at you weirdly, right?"
"So? It's not like I mind what they are thinking of me."
"Not sure if you are stubborn or nonchalant. Or both."
After that conversation, the two keep quiet as they look at where their comrades are. Thanks to them seating on top of the seats, they are given a good view of the entire playing field, which has boardwalks erected above the mud. While Kotaro is familiar with the nature of the event, Johnny obviously isn't and to find out what exactly the sports entail, he just has to watch it unfold.
And see his friends possibly mess around covered in mud.
"Hey, Johnny."
"What?" Johnny turns to him again, somewhat annoyed he broke the silence between them and thinking he's going to bore on him again.
"I just remembered." He began. "About your paraplegic legs..."
"Yeah...?" He folds his arms and leer at him.
"Remember when you found out you can't walk and intensely interrogated me when you see me as a mysterious man who has knowledge of you and the others?" He reminded him.
Scrunching his face at the memory, Johnny snorted, asking, "What? You wanted me to remind of that day I see myself unable to walk?"
"Not in the sense of making you remember it in disgust, no." Kotaro has his hands in front of him to placate Johnny.
"Then what is it?"
"...Johnny. The Stand user who I still can't remember told me that you will be ｢able to walk again｣ after some months have passed."
"Huh? What did you say?" Johnny has his full attention to Kotaro when he told him he will walk again after a long time.
"I mean it when I said that," Kotaro assures him. "When you were...not woken up-" He whispered the phrase as to not let anyone hear it. "-you were crawling around instead of standing up and walking normally. At first, my unknown friend thought of making you regain the use of your legs but then, he finds out you will be able to walk once more for 4 – 6 months. Perhaps this has something to do with you getting...brought back to the world or my friend retrieving you from a different reality. In any case, the user told me that you will be able to walk again in 4 – 6 months."
Johnny must be hearing things. Turns out that him being paraplegic is only a temporary condition he has due to the complications between his death and resurrection. He finds nothing wrong with him being in an alternate universe that look unfamiliar on the surface but even then, it did contribute to his paraplegic status. And just hearing that he is able to walk again after many months is like a dream come true to him like what he endured during the race getting Gyro's attention and learning the secrets of the Spin in order to walk again after two years were spent using a wheelchair.
There is one thing he doesn't understand though. "I see. Guess I was fated to use my legs again but..."
"But...?" Kotaro seems surprise he has reservations of what he told him.
"Why didn't your friend regain the use of my legs? If his ability, or has the ability, to let me walk, why didn't he? That is something I can't fathom." His arms are folded again as he became annoyed at the thought.
"Trust me Johnny. I tried telling him even after he found out you will gradually use your legs these coming months but after a convincing argument of how you are capable of as a paraplegic, I... can't help but agree with him. Also, I am a bit curious of how you conduct yourself when you are in a wheelchair. Apologies if you don't my explanation satisfactory!" He bows to him with his hands clapped together.
"You're right. I'm unsatisfied..." Johnny snorted again. His frown turns to a small smile at the fact it is just a temporary condition. "Still... Hearing that surely helped having me endure my paraplegia. Besides, if I was still a whiny and problematic man who views himself as ｢less than zero｣, I would have tried to get out of the mansion together with Gyro. I'm thankful to have changed as a better person after my entire ordeal. In fact, now that you have said it, there's a tingling feeling in my feet. Could it be that what your friend said is true?"
"Absolutely! Why he should keep quiet? It sounds cruel if he kept that info to himself, y'know?"
"Heh. Guess you're right." For once in his undead life, Johnny has a smile directed at Kotaro, being grateful he told him. While he would like to stay away from the obnoxious producer as possible, it makes the meeting between the two less awkward.
Seeing he is in good spirits, Kotaro directs his eyes to the playing field after informing him of his temporary condition in response to his dismissive attitude, something that he doesn't hold him against for since he understands his response to his personality.
As the two goes on to watch the start of the Gatalympics, a hooded woman sitting in the same seat as them but a little far from them wearing an outfit hailing from Victorian era with a gothic touch consisting of a long-sleeved black blouse with frilled white collar hanging loosely at the waist or hip and the frilled white, wide wrists that extends pass her hands, buttoned by white diamonds, frilled red skirt over a black petticoat embroidered with red chrysanthemum leaves reaching to her knees, black boots, and black hooded capelet with a white underside fastened by a red chrysanthemum has been listening to them the whole time while her eyes focus on the event down there. The two didn't notice her inconspicuously overhearing their conversation at all, especially when the game is about start.
"And here we have the headline event of the Gatalympics, ｢Mud Biking｣!" The announcer proclaimed as the time for Gatalympics is starting. "Competitors ride down a narrow path on a bicycle!"
A female announcer standing on the boardwalk speaks through a microphone so the participants have their eyes for someone on a bicycle beside her. "First, we have a member of the Saga PD here to demonstrate! Care to comment?" She brings the microphone near the policeman's mouth. The same policeman Sakura, Ai, Junko and Gyro encountered the other day.
"Well, y'know, today... The uh, every day... peace..." He lets out, looking like he's nervous even though he isn't.
Junko and Ai are outright nervous when they recognize the policeman while Gyro keeps a cool head as the female announcer says, "All right, let's get this started!"
With the bang of a gun, the policeman proceeds with the demonstration, showing him riding a bicycle on a narrow walkway. Balance is the key for this sport, so he doesn't reach midway through when he falls on the mud rather comically. "Okay! That's all there is to it! Good luck, everyone!"
After laughing at the policeman's expense, Saki is the first to participate, confident that she will wipe the dust off of her opponents due to her skill in being on two wheels. With Sakura, Kakyoin and Avdol's blessing, Saki is ready to take the first place of Mud Biking.
Whether riding a motorcycle doesn't translate to riding a bicycle well or the sport is really that hard, Saki hasn't reached midway through when she fell on the mud.
"...Seems like Mud Biking is harder than it seems." Avdol guessed.
"Or Saki was overconfident that she forgot balance is the key..." Kakyoin added.
"...There's no way we can win this." Sakura expected with a concerned look.
Sure enough, Sakura's words ring true for the next races, as Ai shoves her face on the mud when the bike ran on the mud, Avdol's stature and inexperience force the bike he's on to tumble and dirty him, Junko screams when she fell, Narancia and Rai didn't fare better, Yugiri and Gyro haven't gotten far when they fell the moment the gun is shot, Bucciarati's urge to not use his Stand for cheating spell his doom, Lily gets her front splattered in mud, Tae sink in the mud like a cartoon character while still riding the bike surprisingly, Kakyoin didn't keep his balance and plummet to the mud and Sakura, despite almost making it, is the last to get herself covered in mud.
In the end, everyone is covered entirely in mud from head to toe, standing beside each other with looks of disappointment, dismay and indignation. Looking down to the T-shirt covered in mod, Sakura states, "You can't even tell what's on the shirts now."
"To be honest, I saw this coming." Ai admitted.
"Bleeugh! Aw man! I got mud in my mouth!" Narancia spits out excess mud out of his mouth in disgust.
"This is humiliating..." Kakyoin said while covering his face.
Seeing them utterly fail, Kotaro could only hit his head softly with his tongue out while Johnny shakes his head while resisting to crack a smile. The woman, on the other hand, smiled and giggled of what she watched.
Making their way to the water fountain outside the restroom, they wash the mud off of their bodies with a hose. They're so inclined in getting the gunk off their body and shirt, that when they turned off the hose, they see their make-ups have washed-off too. Their horrified expressions should tell you the trouble they are in.
"I knew it. Washing the mud off would mean our make-ups wash off too." Mamezuku said, the only one who didn't dare use a hose for cleaning his body. After two mud-covered kids pass the thirteen zombies while narrowly missing them just a tiny bit, he then says, "What now? You can't let anyone see all of you as zombies."
"YOU COULD HAVE TOLD US BEFORE WE USED THE HOSE!" Narancia shouted, shaking a smiling Mamezuku angrily while everyone else huddled up together wondering what they should do. Under Mamezuku's guidance, the group found cones and buckets for them to use and conceal at least their faces. Emerging from behind a food stand, the group quickly scamper when a dog barks at them, holding the rim of the cones and buckets as if their lives depended on it before discarding them and diving on the mud, covering their entire body again.
Once that is done, everyone retreats to the spectator seats, feeling more embarrassed that they almost got caught as zombies and getting the mud on their bodies again.
"...Kind of heartbreaking, isn't it?" Yugiri sums up their reactions.
"What's our next contestant's name?" They heard the female announcer say.
"Uh... Kotaro Tatsumi."
"Eh?" "Huh?" "What?" They exclaimed in surprise over Kotaro being a participant for the Mud Biking. He is speaking to the announcer while seating on a yellow bike as Sakura yells, "Kotaro-san?!"
"What is he doing there?" Kakyoin wonders aloud.
"And why isn't he wearing one of the shirts?!" Saki pointed out.
"Can we hear your thoughts going into the race?" She asked.
"Perhaps he can talk about you girls? He is your manager after all." Avdol guesses with a hopeful smile. Everyone thought so as well, that is until Kotaro, in contrast to his boisterous attitude, has this to say in a rather meek tone.
"Uh... I'm...gonna do my best..."
"Anything else?"
"Uh, nope.
"What the hell?! Why didn't he say something about you girls!?" Narancia exclaimed.
"Well, his ass is gonna end up covered in mud! Let's all laugh at him!" Saki said, wishing to see him blunder after not mentioning the idol group.
"On your marks... get set..."
With the shot of a gun, Kotaro and the other racers start pedaling. The group are watching him go, most of them looking forward to seeing him fail like them. To their surprise and confusion, Kotaro didn't fell off his bike and managed to score the first place of the race. The spectator cheer for the smiling producer while the group has dumbfounded faces over the sight of Kotaro winning.
"...We certainly look incompetent compared to Kotaro." Bucciarati remarked.
Seeing him cross the finish line without difficulty, Johnny spares a glance at the mud-covered zombies with a bewildered look, stating, "Guess all of you fail at riding those things..."
With Mud Biking done, the next competition is ｢Mud Tarzan Swing｣. As demonstrated by the policeman, this game has players swing on a rope to achieve maximum distance and strike flashy poses. They are judged by the, well, judges, which they gave the policeman two 3s and a 2 as an example. In theory, getting to swing on a rope for spectators and judges to see can help raise popularity for Franchouchou thanks to the T-shirts but if they do so, they will be showing the world that they are zombies.
Watching the demonstration behind the railing, Junko laments that they are covered in mud. "They're not going to be able to see the T-shirts anyway."
"That's true." Saki concedes.
"Johnny is wearing the T-shirt though." Gyro reminded.
"He's not participating with us so it's not enough for advertisement." Rai added.
"If we can make it over there, we might be able to manage something." Yugiri pondered on their one more attempt to reach any potential fans of Franchouchou.
"Hmm... How about that podium?" Kakyoin direct their eyes to the podium occupied by three participants, who appear to be interviewed by the newscast. "Do you think we can say something if we get to stand on first place?"
"...Yes. That might actually be the best way of reaching the crowd." Ai likes where Kakyoin is going.
"Sounds good! Let's aim for the top!" Saki is eager to achieve first place for the sake of advertising.
"It's the only choice we have!" Sakura agrees.
With everyone affirming the plan with a nod, the group make their way to the rope in the hopes of earning a place in podium. While being first place sounds better, getting a second or third place is the safe bet they have if they get to be interviewed.
Ai is the first one to try swinging the rope, with Sakura believing she can do it. After a deep breath, Ai jumps off the stand she's on...
...and plummets to the mud below without ever going far.
"That's a distance of 5 meters and 20 centimeters! That amounts to nothing!" The announcer exclaimed to Sakura, Yugiri and Lily, who all looked impassive.
Blushing out of embarrassment and indignation, Ai glances to the group to salvage something and says, "Say something..."
The second one is Junko, who is quivering at the height she found herself in. "T-This is h-h-higher up than I-I thought..." She remarks, gripping the rope tightly. Because her hands are covered in mud and she is leaning despite her apparent fear, the rope ended slipping out of her hands and Junko falls to be met with the mud. Her score is 1, 2 and 2
Bucciarati is up next and after inspecting the swinging distance and what kind of pose he is showing, starts swinging his way through the air. When he has achieved enough speed and height, he lets go before spreading his arms as he looks up in the sky with the sunlight beaming down on him. Everyone is dazzled by his pose that makes him look like a soul ascending to Heaven as Bucciarati makes a graceful but uneven landing that almost make him fall. Cheers and clapping are what he got in response to his attempt and the judge scored him with a 3, 4 and 3.
"Impressive. Bucciarati-san did a great job for the swing." Kakyoin smiles at the capo walking to the top.
"...Maybe there is hope for any of us to get the first three places?" Sakura believes to this prospect.
"If we do an impressive job." Gyro told her.
"Alright! Let's get to the tooooooooooooooooop!" Saki is determined to make her words come true, figuratively and literally, especially the literal part as she swings up high in the air...and didn't achieve any forward momentum as she fell on her back. She got a 2, 3 and 3 and her distance is just three meters. The group could only offer collective sighs (except Tae, who is eating takoyaki).
"You're supposed to jump forward..." Lily muttered.
"WHOOOOOOAAAAAAA!" Shouted Avdol as he makes a swing. He certainly didn't expect the swinging to be this intense due to the speed he is gaining. As he tries to set his mind on what the game is about, he almost failed to notice he is at the end of the swing. Acting quickly, Avdol made a futile jump as the rope is going backwards and because the momentum carried him, he didn't get far and makes an impact on the mud. "Oh dear... This is not what I thought this would go..." He bemoaned, catching his score of three 2s.
"Alright... Here comes Gyrooooooooo!
Gripping the rope like he's holding a horse reins, Gyro holds his hat on as the breeze rushes past him from the descent and momentum he is going. He was about to strike a landing when the rope slips out of his filthy hand, and since his other hand are holding on to his hat, he didn't get to hold again.
"Uh oh." What Gyro muttered before he plummeted to the mud below. "WAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He got 2, 1 and 3 from the judges. Seeing this, Gyro mutters a curse under his breath. "Dammit."
Yugiri is up and, with a shout of encouragement from Saki and Narancia, (to Lily's and Kakyoin's painful ears), the courtesan manages to impress the group and spectators by striking alluring poses for each three consecutive swings. Once she's done, everyone erupts in cheers for her ｢impressive｣ way of swinging and even got three perfect 5s from the judges. That said, she didn't achieve any distance so her points are still low.
"Here I go! Magical...Shooting Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar...!"
For Lily's part, she wraps the rope around her petite body before she swings with the encircled rope letting the spinning Lily go as she get some distance before landing on the mud with dazed eye and smile. For her attempt, she got a 5, 4 and another 5 while the announcer commends her for the distance she got. She is placed in the fourth place though.
"AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Narancia made a distinct yell as if he's swinging on a jungle vine while swinging through the air with his muddy hands on the rope. The thrill of the swing and being caught in the excitement and all is such that Narancia didn't pay attention to where he is going, especially when his eyes are closed and his hands are slipping from the rope. When he opens one eye, he got a split second of panic before he faceplants on the mud, making a trail behind. "OAAUGGH!"
"Narancia!" Bucciarati shouted looking at him with a surprised face.
"Oh my. I believe I saw him face plant with his mouth open." Yugiri winced out of sympathy.
"BLAUGH! Uuuugggghhhh! Not again...!" Narancia spitted mud out of his mouth while receiving a score of two 1s and a 3.
With the knowledge of Hierophant Green and what it is composed of, Kakyoin hasn't face any difficulty doing the Tarzan swing, jumping off at the apex and striking a pose. While the distance is not much, he got three 2s for his effort.
Rai similarly has no difficulty swinging away and achieve a satisfactory distance. Jumping off the rope, he does a couple of somersaults and strike the landing with his arms and hands wide. The spectators clap in response, netting him a score of 2, 3 and 4.
With her being last, Sakura's eyes are closed as she grabs the rope with a steady posture. The breeze blows through her hair as she opens her eyes with her face sporting a determined expression. If I believe in myself...then I can fly. I have to... I have to ｢win｣ this!
Sakura jumps off the platform as Saki and Kakyoin cheered for her.
"FLY! SAKURA!"
"YOU CAN DO IT SAKURA!"
With her two close friends encouraging her, Sakura believes she can fly as she stars swinging through the air...
バシャッ
...except that didn't happen. Instead, she makes a hard drop on the mud face first.
"A total belly-flop! And her score is... 1! The lowest score of today's games!" The announcer exclaims to the puzzled group, who are all not believing their eyes of seeing Sakura failing the swinging epically.
"That gotta hurt." Lily only has this to comment.
"Yeah, that's not impressing anybody." Saki remarked.
"How did she mess up so badly...?" Kakyoin wondered in dismay.
As everyone contemplate on their dismal showing or unable to achieve the top three positions, the announcer makes a curious statement over the last participant for the mud swing. "Huh? We've got someone with a unique style on the stand now."
Wondering who he is referring to, the group turn their eyes to one Tae Yamada holding on a rope, who is already off the stand and hanging on without difficulty.
"Tae-chan?!" Sakura exclaimed to the zombie.
"How did she got there without us noticing?" Bucciarati asked in surprise.
Number Zero starts swinging to build up speed and momentum, emitting grunts with every swing while the group follow each sway. Feeling she mustered up enough speed, Tae makes an incredible descent through the air that sends the rope to an enough height for her to let go of it, carried by the momentum she built up. As everyone's eyes are set on her, the sunlight got bright enough that Tae is obscured...
...which is fortunate because Tae's head, arms, and legs teared off her body.
"Uh oh." Gyro sums up the group's reaction.
The disembodied Tae plops on the mud as the spectators, announcers and judges are wondering what just happened. "Woah, that's... What the? It's hard to tell because of the sun. What just happened?"
With everyone confused, the group quickly make their way to Tae in panic, hoping no one didn't saw what happened when Tae is in the air. "QUICK! Hide the fact she's a zombie!" Saki shouted. After running across the boardwalk and swimming in the mud, everyone made it to Tae and attach her head, arms and legs back. The assembled zombie raises her arms in triumph with her companions hyperventilating out of panic and energy exerted while the announcer commends their display of teamwork.
"And so we're here to interview the winner! Let's get a word from her right away. How do you feel right now?"
With Tae making a surprising act of achieving first place, something Bucciarati lamented that make them really incompetent, the zombie is being interviewed over her thoughts of the event. With the gold medal shimmering on her neck, Tae emits groans to the microphone as she is unable to formulate her own words at all. The group watches her continue making unnatural groans, with Saki stating, "So much for advertising..."
"For sure." Lily sighed.
"Errgh. Ehhgg. Aagh." She continues grunting.
"I wonder if she got too much mud in her mouth to be able to speak? In any case, that was an amazing jump! Congratulations." The audience clap for her first place while not paying attention much to her odd sounds and gesture.
"Well, what's done is done." Ai accepted the fact they tried their best. Seems like they won't be reaching far in getting Franchouchou's popularity to the entire prefecture. Just then, Sakura remembered giving Tae an extra T-shirt. Seeing that T-shirt is covered in mud but not the T-shirt underneath it, Sakura relays this to the group.
"Really? Then, that means..." Seizing one more chance to advertise Franchouchou, Kakyoin stands up and shouts to Tae, "Tae-san! Tear your shirt, please!"
Apparently hearing him clearly, Tae rips the dirty shirt with her hands...
...to reveal a ｢Drive-in Tori T-shirt｣.
He and Sakura are left speechless over the sight of a T-shirt made for a restaurant instead of an idol group. Their silence transfer to everyone as they process the T-shirt Tae is wearing. And then...
"Oh! Eh-oh-oooooooooh!"
With the jingle playing in the speakers as they recognize the woman who did a rooster call in the commercial, the audience continues cheering for the still crowing zombie except for the others, who all looked defeated and downtrodden, with Kakyoin and Sakura taking it too hard.
"Aaaaaggghh...!" Sakura lets out in frustration over wearing Tae with the shirt.
"Darn it! We were so close!" Kakyoin lamented with his hand on his face.
Clapping with a big smile, Kotaro has only two words to say over this unexpected scene: "｢Nice Bird｣."
"Nice bird?" Johnny repeated, also dismayed at the apparent failure of advertising Franchouchou. "You're saying that when everyone's efforts in promoting Franchouchou are all for naught?"
"Nope! It's not!" He responded, still bearing a smile and clapping.
"And what makes you say that?" He asked with one eyebrow raised.
"Really!? How come you forget it!?" Kotaro leaned to his face in agitation.
"What did I forget!?" Johnny shouted back in irritation over him unexpectedly leaning close.
Composing himself to prevent Johnny's wrath and everyone's unneeded attention on them, Kotaro stands up straight and says, "Franchouchou starred in the latest commercial Nail Jockey. The way I see it, we got the girls some advertising even if they failed."
"The commercial...? Oh yeah." Johnny sees what Kotaro is getting at. While Franchouchou doesn't get advertised at all, having Tae be recognized as the woman in the commercial could lead any curious observers to know who the girls are. Granted, it is perhaps not much promotion for the fledgling idol group but it's better than nothing.
"Now you see it. Well then! Let us embark! Our friends below are perhaps waiting for us!" Pleased that Johnny sees why he remains upbeat despite the supposed failure on the surface, Kotaro picks Johnny up by his arms. "Whoa! Hey! Warn me first before I let you carry me!"
"No time for small talk! Let's get you back on the wheelchair!"
As the peculiar duo left, the hooded woman watches them go. She sees that the man in shades and the flamboyant paraplegic are related or acquainted with the ones covered in mud. From what she has seen and heard, they might be the ｢most bizarre group｣ she has ever seen.
"I have come here in hopes of seeing ｢him｣ here in the event," She stands up as she mumbles to herself. "Since he's not here, I must take my leave. But, I didn't come up empty-handed considering I get to see the whole group after encountering them in that hotel without them suspecting me. And I must say... they are certainly ｢interesting｣. As such, I will keep my eye on them if I'm around while out of sight."
After she is done speaking to herself, the woman ｢vanished｣ completely. Everyone didn't see her disappear, meaning not a single soul came to suspect of who the woman is.
Meanwhile, Okoba has his binocular on his eyes again to observe the group carefully. His assistant takes pictures of them being interviewed, commenting, "They sure are an eccentric group. I don't think I have ever seen a group like them before."
After eyeing them for a while, Okoba lets out a gasp when he recognizes the shy blue-eyed girl. "That's it! I remember now!"
"Remember what?" The assistant asked.
Putting his binocular on again, he takes a glance of Junko with an inquisitive look before concluding, "I must keep my eyes on those thirteen and investigate them, especially that girl." As if feeling someone being watched, Junko's wary eyes turn to somewhere else.
To be continued
*sigh* Why does the second batch of Stone Ocean has to release during Fall season? While I may tolerate a batch release, seeing I have to wait for at least 6 - 10 months before I can watch episodes 13 - 24 is something I can't comprehend. What were Netflix thinking?
...
Ahem. Forgive me for my little rant there. Just need to blow some steam after hearing the second cour of Stone Ocean is releasing many months for now and how profoundly disappointed and frustrated I am. Well, at least us JoJo fans got the All-Star Battle remaster to look forward to. Speaking of which, I find it amusing that the game and second batch are releasing during Fall this year. Regardless though, guess I have to endure the wait before I can watch the second part of Stone Ocean...
Anyway! This chapter might be the shortest one I have written. While that may have to do with the absence of Stand battles like in chapter three, it doesn't mean I have fun adding Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro, AKA, my most favorite JoBros, getting humili- I mean, getting added as an extra for the Drive-in Tori commercial together with Franchouchou. Since the commercial posits the girls to be the star along with Cocco-san (or Cocco-kun, don't kill me for this Saki), I must think on how can the boys be involved with them. Watching the shoot from the sidelines is feasible enough for Avdol, Narancia, Johnny and Rai while having Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Gyro added as extras for Tae to try and take a bite on them seems acceptable for me. I hope I make the already humorous Drive-in Tori segment even more hilarious, even if it's not much.
Oh, and I'm sorry for putting my three favorite JoBros to the spotlight through humiliation, but I'm not regretting them taking part in it! Hehehehe.
To make up the other four not involved with the commercial, I make it so that six of them are joining with the girls to partake in Gatalympics. Johnny is not included because he can't stand up. I'm aware he endured his paraplegia during the Steel Ball Run race and managed to ride Slow Dancer but for this specific occasion, I excluded him. That said, Johnny will slowly but surely regain the use of his legs in the coming months so he doesn't have to put up with being in the wheelchair the whole time. I'm thinking on having him use a cane to support him. For now, Johnny has to sit on the wheelchair until his legs regain enough strength to let him stand up.
Because of his paraplegia however, he is spared from the utter humiliation the zombies faced during the event, up to getting covered in mud. I feel bad for them having to put up with Kotaro's antics but it is funny all the same. At least Yugiri, Tae, Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Rai tried their best.
Oh, and who's that hooded woman sitting far from Kotaro and Johnny? What does keeping an eye on them when she has the chance benefit her? Along with the unknown boy saying Franchouchou's name near the end of third chapter, the mystery deepens...
And we have the journalist Shinta Okoba also keeping an eye on them. He plays a minor role like in the anime but he is involving himself nevertheless.
With the Saga Rock arc coming up, I decided to add a new chapter between chapters six and eight, which adapts episodes six and seven respectively. Like how the anime starts delving in the backstories and causes of deaths of Ai, Junko, Lily, Saki and Sakura, it is inevitable I do the same for the fanfic as well. In fact, I'm thinking on revealing the deaths of Avdol, Bucciarati, Narancia, and maybe Johnny or Rai before the battle-oriented fanfic-exclusive chapter starts off in high gear. Hope you may look forward to it as I try my best adapting the Saga Rock arc to the story while adding in a brand new chapter.
I believe I have said what I need to said specific for chapter five. Hope all of you keep yourselves safe at all times and have a great day!
And with that, I bid you adieu~.