The scene changed into a tepid desert when a lone horse trotted along.
Then, a jolly voice sang as he was riding his horse, " Caught the bandits, plain to see. "
"TWENTY YEARS LATER"
"T-Twenty years later!?" Karen said in shock, "How far are we going through the story!"
"This is interesting…" Akira said with curiosity, "Most of the stories that have this kind of time skip always show at the middle or the end of the story."
"By the way, who's the person riding on the horse?" Mei Fan said to the host.
While the person was singing, he suddenly pulled a rope, revealing two people tied to it. One has a small mustache and short hair while the other has a messy beard and long hair.
When the girls saw the two men, they were shocked by what they had become.
"What in the world happened to your counterpart Maya Tendo!?" Claudine said to her rival.
"I don't know Saijo-san," Maya said to the Frenchwoman, "But I fear that my counterpart and Joaquin must've done something bad that they ended up like this."
" They're tough and they're mean, " the man said as he pulled along the rope.
"But don't scare…. Me!" the man said, revealing himself as Yachiyo that he tugged the rope so hard that the brothers dropped to the ground.
"Is that you Yachiyo-san?" Mei Fan said in curiosity as the Siegfeld girls noticed Yachiyo's counterpart's attire. Wearing a dusty old coat, they also saw that her counterpart was old thanks to her gray hair. As for the girl herself, she was curious about what her role would be in this story, more or less her counterpart is the one dragging Alejandro and Joaquin in the desert.
"My, my…." Yachiyo surprisedly said, "I never imagined I'd appear as an old man."
"Now I'm wondering how I managed to capture those two," Yachiyo said with a smile.
"Even so, your counterpart is being so mean to them," Shiori said in annoyance.
Yachiyo laughed while the brothers got up.
" Stayed on their track, bringing them back, " Yachiyo sang, " So pay the bounty now to me "
" Cause, " Yachiyo said as he pulled his canteen and emptied its contents while Alejandro and Joaquin looked at each other in annoyance.
" Cause, " Yachiyo repeated, making the brothers sing along with him, " Nobody's tough as Jack, nobody's tough as Jack "
Once again, Jack laughed heartily at the brothers and said, "Now you're gettin' there. Like I don' told ya. Singin' can lighten your terrible load."
When the girls saw why Jack wanted them to sing, they were a bit annoyed by his reasoning. But for Yachiyo herself, she chuckled that she might try to do that just to mess with her friends.
"You know…." Yachiyo thought, "I think I might try to do that for fun…."
"If you try and pull a similar prank like this," Akira said seriously, "There will be repercussions."
Yachiyo chuckled at Akira's response and said, "Sure thing, Prez!"
Jack threw his canteen at Joaquin, which he gave to his younger brother. But when Alejandro tried to drink, he soon noticed it was empty and he threw it in frustration
Jack laughed at them as he pulled the rope along with the brothers.
"He's so mean!" Shiori said in annoyance.
"Don't worry, Shiori-chan," Yachiyo said whilst patting the young Frau Jade, "This is just my counterpart's way of being helpful."
"I think she's FAR from being helpful," Fumi said in annoyance.
Meanwhile, the screen changed to a bald man who washed his face with water. He then removed his bandana, scooped some water, and rubbed it on his face when he heard a shout, "Hey, hey, hey!"
"Come one! Come all!" Jack announced from his horse, "For the fright of your life!"
"See the notorious Murrieta brothers," Jack shouted, "Robbers! Horse thieves!"
Jack continued his announcement when one of the guards saw him and immediately ripped one of the wanted posters.
"Garcia," the guard said to his superior as the rest of his group assembled, "It's the Murrieta brothers."
He then showed Garcia the poster as it said: "WANTED JOAQUIN AND ALEJANDRO MURRIETA"
When the girls saw the poster, they were surprised at how low they had become. They all thought that they'd found good jobs since the friars had taught them but instead, they became thieves.
"Now I want to know where did they go wrong," Maya said with a sigh.
"Come here, you mangy trash," Jack said to the brothers, pulling them by the rope.
While the hut's inhabitants watched, Jack placed his hand on the poster.
"Con su permiso, amigo? (May I, friend?)" Jack said to the guard, yanking the poster away to see how much money he would gain from the Murrieta brothers.
Garcia said to the bounty hunter, "These men are in the custody of Colonel Armando Garcia and we will take them the rest of the way. And you can claim your bounty in Tlaxco."
"So my counterpart's a bounty hunter huh?" Yachiyo said with interest, "I wonder how I managed to capture those two?"
"Yeah, when bulls start wearing bloomers," Jack said in a boring tone when Alejandro peeked over Jack's shoulder and said, "How much are we worth?"
"Get out," Jack said, hitting Alejandro with his elbow.
"Seriously, why would anyone want to know how much they're worth even though they got caught by the law?" Tsukasa said in confusion.
"Maybe they want to know how infamous they are?" Claudine said to Tsukasa, "They are outlaws after all."
"All figured out…." Jack said whilst turning his head, "...about two hundred pesos."
The brothers were in shock at how much they were only worth, especially Alejandro.
"Two hundred pesos? That's it?" Joaquin said in disbelief, "After all the payrolls we've robbed? A lousy two hundred pesos a piece! That's all we're worth?"
"Are they saying that the two of them aren't worth the trouble?" Junna said with wonder.
"If that were the case, it could mean that the law doesn't care about them," Claudine said, "But in this case, the brothers probably want to be more infamous."
"We're wasting time," the colonel said in annoyance.
"That's two hundred pesos," Jack said to the brothers, "For the both of ya."
"What?" Alejandro said in disbelief, "Are you crazy!? Don't do this Jack!"
Having enough, the colonel smacked the younger Murrieta and said "Back out there!"
Suddenly, Joaquin brandished a small pistol, pointing right at Garcia's head!
The girls were in disbelief that not only did Joaquin remove his binds, but he was able to brandish a gun!
"How did he do that!?" Karen said in shock.
"Touch my brother again," Joaquin said in silent rage, "And I'll kill you."
"Yes, he will," Alejandro said mockingly, revealing that he also got out of his binds.
The guards immediately went for their swords when Joaquin quickly drew another pistol in his hand.
"Hey," one of the guards said in shock, "I thought you were tied up."
Joaquin smiled and said to him, "That's because you're stupid."
Then, Jack and Alejandro threw a rope over them and swept the guards' legs, knocking them down.
"Why is your counterpart helping them, Yachiyo-san!?" Shiori said in surprise.
"I don't know, Shiori-chan," Yachiyo said happily, "But in my opinion, I'm glad my counterpart is helping Alejandro and Joaquin."
The guards tried to fire at them but the trio held them at gunpoint.
"Drop it! Drop it!" Alejandro said to the guards while holding a rifle.
Then, the elderly man from the inn held a basket of food and approached the elder brother.
"Hey," the old man said, "They got a strong box on the wagon."
When the girls heard that the old man was helping the bandit brothers, they were surprised that he was willing to assist them.
"Seriously!? Isn't that the opposite of what you should be doing!?" Lalafin said in annoyance.
"I guess even though they were liberated, it seems that some people in the government might've forgotten about helping the people," Michael said jokingly, annoying Lalafin in the process.
"We know," Joaquin reminded the old man, "That's why we're here."
The old man figured out why they'd arrived in the first place. Joaquin paid the man for the food while Alejandro told some of their escapades to the old man's grandson.
"Two hundred pesos, lousy cheats," Jack mumbled, "It is a fact, that I, the legendary Three-Fingered Jack, ain't even mentioned."
When the girls heard what Jack said, they figured out why they were able to steal the strong box.
"Jack's also an outlaw like the Murrieta brothers!" Aruru said with shock.
"That's smart," Maya said, "Since the guards didn't know that Jack was their partner, he was able to fool them that he's captured Alejandro and Joaquin."
"My, my," Yachiyo said with interest, "My counterpart must be really smart to think of that kind of plan."
"I ain't even mentioned," Jack said, annoyed that the brothers had become more well-known than him.
"And ain't I the one that figured to kidnap the mayor from his own outhouse?" Jack said while getting on the wagon, "I tell you, I am the holy guts of this gang. Without me, the whole damn opera falls apart!"
"Amigos, adios," the old man said to the trio where Alejandro saluted the old man and waved goodbye to his grandson.
The trio left the inn with the wagon, leaving the poor guards naked and tied to a bunch of cacti.
The girls laughed at the poor guards, especially Yachiyo for how they deserved it after their colonel hit Alejandro in the face.
"I hope they learned their lesson from punching Alejandro," Yachiyo said with glee.
The brothers performed their signature handshake, showing their triumphant score whilst Jack screamed with delight.
The gang is still on the run when Jack suddenly stops the cart, revealing that a group of lawmen has cornered them.
The gang took a closer look, revealing that the lawmen were led by a US Marshall, none other than Michiru Otori!
"There you are, Michiru-chan!" Yachiyo said with a smile, "Looks to me that you're playing as a lawman here."
"Edward-san, what's the name of my character here?" Michiru said in interest.
"It will be revealed soon Michiru," Edward remarked as the girls decided to continue watching the movie.
The brothers looked at each other, prompting the trio to jump off the wagon. Michiru fired her revolver, hitting Jack in his leg.
"No! Jack's been shot!" Shiori said in horror.
"Don't worry about that Shiori," Yachiyo said in a calming tone, "He did that just so he wouldn't escape. And besides, I bet my counterpart will escape in no time."
Shiori looked at Yachiyo knowing that she was doing that to calm her down and decided to continue watching the story.
Michiru noticed the two brothers and lined his gun. Michiru fired, hitting Joaquin in the back of his leg.
"Joaquin!" said some of the Stage Girls as they saw Joaquin in pain.
Joaquin clutched his wound and Alejandro noticed his brother in agony.
"Joaquin, Joaquin! Come on! Come on!" Alejandro said while trying to pull his brother up.
"Go! Go!" Joaquin replied, pushing his brother away from him.
"Are you crazy!" Futaba said in anger, "He's trying to save you!"
"He can't do that Isurugi-san," Maya sadly said, shocking some of the girls around her.
"What do you mean he can't!? That's his brother Maya-san!" Aruru said in anger, "He could've helped him up and-"
"And it would slow them down," Maya said, cutting the blonde girl from speaking, "I apologize if I cut you off but think about it. Since Michiru's men are on horseback, it would be easy for them to capture my counterpart and his brother. At least Alejandro can get away from them before they reach Joaquin."
With Maya's statement, some of the girls (especially Aruru) became quiet and understood why Joaquin wanted Alejandro to go. It is to ensure his little brother's safety so that he may live another day.
"Come on! Get up! Get up!" Alejandro said while trying to pull his brother from the ground when Joaquin punched him, knocking him to the ground.
Alejandro immediately got up and looked at his brother who sadly said to him, "Go."
Shocked that his brother wanted him to leave him, Alejandro tried to process what was said when Joaquin said to him one last time, "Go."
"Please…. Save yourself…" Elle quietly said, hoping that Alejandro would listen to his brother.
As Alejandro sat in shock, the sound of horses was heard, forcing him to quickly run away from his brother.
Alejandro managed to hide behind some cacti as the rest of the guards surrounded his brother.
Michiru drew his blade and said to his captor, "I just want you to know….. I consider this an honor."
In his final moments, Joaquin spat at him, grabbed his pistol, and shot himself in the heart, shocking Alejandro.
When the girls saw Joaquin shoot himself, almost all were stunned by what happened.
It was silent within the theater that it took a few of the girls to find their voices.
"Why….. Why did he have to kill himself!?" Takao said in disbelief.
"I guess….. He doesn't want to be captured…." Tsukasa sadly said, "Maybe he'd rather die than be their prisoner…."
Alejandro's limp body did nothing to the marshall that he eventually got off his horse. Michiru walked toward it and decapitated its head, cutting the necklace from Joaquin's neck.
Alejandro silently cried at the man who butchered his brother from afar. Michiru turned around and said to his men, "Bag the head. Bury the body."
When the girls saw what Michiru's counterpart did, they all felt mad at her for treating Alejandro's brother like that.
"I hope that bastard gets what he deserves….." Futaba silently mumbled.
The scene changes to an unknown shore when a small leather bag is shown, revealing it to have Joaquin's head which was placed near Michiru's hip.
Then, a hooded figure is being rowed by several sailors as the unknown person jumps off the boat and walks towards the marshall.
When the girls saw the hooded figure, they all wondered who that was yet they couldn't see its face.
Then the scenery changed back into the desert as a hand grasped Joaquin's necklace. Revealing it to be Alejandro, he pressed the medallion close to his face, and Alejandro sobbed quietly, all alone in the desert.
As the girls saw Alejandro crying, they all went silent. Some bowed their heads out of respect while others prayed for Joaquin that he'll be able to see his parents in the afterlife.
Meanwhile, the marshall and the unknown person are on horseback when they stop at a fort that is filled with various wooden crosses.
The girls are now intrigued by where Michiru and the hooded figure went through but judging from the crosses and building, it appears to be a possible cemetery.
Then, an old man was sleeping while snoring when he said "Of course, I have feelings for you."
"Yes, yes, but quick. Hide in the barn," the man sleepily said, "He's coming."
The man continued snoring that he didn't notice someone opened his door until he was doused with water.
The man woke up in shock and said, "What do you want? Please! Don't touch me!"
"What do you want? Who are you?" the man said when he saw a guard and the hooded figure.
The hooded figure removed his hood, revealing himself to be Don Rafael!
"Is that Don Rafael!?" Karen said in shock, along with the rest of the girls.
They never thought they would see Don Rafael again, much less an older version of him! And since it was Futaba's counterpart, most of her pink hair was fading into a pinkish-grey color.
"Oh my Futaba-han," Kaoruko said in surprise, "It looked like you aged gracefully after 20 years!"
"Yeah, to be honest, I think Don Rafael doesn't have that many wrinkles," Futaba said with a smile.
The fat man grinned in delight and said, "Don Rafael…."
The scene changes to a row of disheveled men that are standing behind a wall. Meanwhile, Don Rafael is holding a handkerchief over his nose due to the men's unsightly appearances.
"Ugh! They're filthy!" Kaoruko said in disgust, "Do they not have showers at that time!?"
"I think this is a prison," Junna said to her classmate while the rest of the girls all realized what kind of place Don Rafael visited in the first place.
"Still, why would Don Rafael go to a prison of all places?" Karen said curiously, "Is there a reason why he would go there?"
Given a torch, Don Rafael began walking and started to observe them. While he was looking at them, one of the prisoners started to chuckle at him, baring his blackened teeth.
Don Rafael immediately covered his mouth with his handkerchief and resumed moving.
While observing them, an elderly man with withering hair started coughing; Making Don Rafael cover his mouth right away.
"How disgusting….." Kaoruko mumbled silently. She had never seen such ignorance of basic hygiene in this part of the story. She's very glad to be born in an era where taking a bath is an absolute necessity.
Then, he started to go back and noticed one of the prisoners. The prisoner was an old bearded man whose left eye was covered in cloth.
The don lifted his chin and checked the silent man's face.
When the girls saw the man Don Rafael checked, they began to wonder if they had seen this man before.
"Wait…. Those eyes…" Mahiru said with wonder when she took a closer look at the man, "Is that who I think it is!?"
"Listen to me. If any of you is or was that masked man dressed in black known as Zorro," the prison head exclaimed, "Reveal himself now."
"So that's why Don Rafael visited the prison!" Aruru said in realization, "He wanted to be sure that Don Diego was dead!"
"I see," Akira said in reply, "Since Don Rafael has returned, he visited the prison where Don Diego is held to know if he died during his imprisonment."
The girls immediately understood why Don Rafael went to prison in the first place. He wanted assurance that the man he defeated was dead. While some of the girls are still mad at what Rafael did to Diego's family, a few of them consider it smart because they rarely see a villain who does something smart for a change.
The inmates began to wonder what the prison head meant when one of the prisoners shouted, "I'm Zorro!"
Don Rafael went to the old prisoner who told him, "They took my mask. My sword, my hor-"
"Hey! You're not the real Zorro!" Karen said in annoyance, "You're not even Don Diego!"
"These guys are even dumber than I thought," Futaba said while agreeing with Karen.
Misora sighed and replied to Futaba, "I bet Don Raphael would kill Zorro on the spot to save himself the trouble."
"Silent, you old fool!" another prisoner said, "I am Zorro! I am the man you want! I am the original!"
"Liar!" the coughing prisoner said to the other one, "Anyone can see you are too tall!
The two men began to scream at each other, forcing a guard to put one of them back in line. Then, the rest of the prisoners screamed that they were Zorro at Don Rafael until the prisoners began to clamor at him.
"Get your filthy hands off of him!" Kaoruko shouted in anger.
"Hey! Calm down, Kaoruko!" Futaba said in a stern but calming tone, "I'm okay! They're just desperate to get out of prison."
"Even so," Kaoruko said with a huff, "They should at least try to be more civil about it"
Futaba silently giggled at her childhood friend, showing that she cares for her, in her way.
It was bedlam when they crowded over the don that unbeknownst to them, the man whose left eye was covered in cloth revealed that his left eye wasn't hurt. It was none other than Don Diego, hiding amongst the prisoners!
"I knew it!" Mahiru exclaimed, "There's no mistaking it! That was Don Diego!"
When the girls heard what Mahiru said, they soon looked at Karen and looked back at the big screen and noticed the man's eyes. And upon seeing it, they saw his brown eyes that were the same as Karen's!
"I don't believe it…." Aruru said in shock, "That's Don Diego!?"
While some of the girls are still in a state of shock or disbelief, Karen replies, "But I don't get it! How did Don Raphael even miss him a while back!?"
"It's because of his appearance," Maya replied, "I think Don Rafael thought Don Diego would look the same after twenty years. And if that were the case, Don Diego would expect Don Rafael to check the prison and see if his nemesis is dead."
"And I gotta say, Don Diego is way ahead of Don Rafael," Junna said whilst cleaning her glasses.
Later on, the prisoners were escorted back into their cells when one of the guards threw one of them into the wall with a loud crack.
The guard lifted the inmate's head showing that he died from the accident.
When the guard who put Don Diego back into his cell saw the dead inmate, he ordered his colleague and said, "Get him out of here. Before he starts to stink."
The girls are appalled at how the guards treat their prisoners, leading to the old man's death.
"And here I thought the guards were better than Don Rafael," Tsukasa said sarcastically, "They're as worse as he was!"
When his fellow guard starts to leave the cells, a hand shot from Don Diego's cell and chokes him from behind.
The guard pleads for help from his fellow guard who instead leaves him and after a while, drops dead on the floor.
When the girls saw how Don Diego choked the man quickly, they never imagined that the former don still had enough strength to kill the guard that quickly.
"To think Don Diego can choke someone that quick," Mei Fan said on how Don Diego choked the guard to death.
With the guard dead, Don Diego grabbed his key ring to try and remove his shackles.
But when he pressed one of them into its keyhole, it didn't fit.
"Well, that's just great!" Tsukasa sarcastically remarked, "Now how will he get out!"
"Don't worry Tsuakasa-senpai!" Aruru said to her senpai, "I believe that Don Diego can escape! I'm sure of it!"
"Aruru's right! I bet Don Diego can figure it out!" Karen said with Aruru's agreement.
Meanwhile, Don Rafael and Michiru were about to leave the prison when Michiru said to him, "Did you find him?"
Don Rafael looked at him and said, "He's dead".
"Back to the boat," Rafael said as he got onto his horse, "I need some sleep before landing tomorrow."
"So that's why he covered his face a while back," Mahiru said, realizing why Don Rafael was wearing a hood, he wasn't supposed to be there from the start.
Back at his cell, Don Diego immediately pulled the guard's body and closed his cell's doors. He pulled the guard's dagger and looked out the hallway, realizing that the guard's compatriots were coming his way.
The don immediately opened one of the guard's pouches, removing three pieces of paper. He opened one of them, revealing it to be gunpowder, and filled the lock with it.
"Is that gunpowder?" Akira thought when she noticed Diego poured the paper's contents into his shackle.
Meanwhile, the guards were returning to the cells and one of them was carrying a big sack.
Back at his cell, Diego is trying to create a spark using two pieces of rock near a rope inside his shackle, revealing that he made a makeshift bomb.
"So that's Diego's plan! He's trying to blow the shackles off his leg!" Aruru said, upon realization of it.
"But if he's trying to blow it off, then, won't it also hurt him!?" Shiori said with worry.
"I highly doubt it would happen," Claudine said with confidence, "I think he only used one bundle which is enough to blow the shackles off. But…. It would only give him a slight inconvenience."
The guards are nearing his cell when luckily, the flint created a spark, burning the rope it was latched until it blew his shackles off his legs.
The old don grunted due to the bomb's power and he immediately removed his shackles.
The girls looked in awe of Don Diego's resourcefulness that he was able to get out of the cell.
"Alright! He did it!" Karen said with joy until she realized that the two guards were also coming back to grab the body!
"Oh right! The guards!" Karen said whilst facepalming, making the rest of the girls realize it as well.
"I forgot! The guards were going back to get the dead prisoner!" Junna exclaimed.
With those exclamations, the Stage Girls now wonder what will Don Diego do next to escape his captors.
Upon exiting his cell, he noticed his dead cellmate's lifeless body and he thought of another idea.
The guards returned to the cell and grabbed the dead prisoner. The pair carried the body to the cemetery but unbeknownst to them, the dead prisoner was inside Don Diego's cell along with the dead guard; who happened to be shoeless.
Later, the two guards dumped the body in an open grave and piled it with dirt.
They kept going at it until the grave was left alone. Then, a hand holding a knife burst open from the grave, cutting the bag's leather in half, where Don Diego escaped from the bag.
When Don Diego burst out of the bag, the girls were once again impressed by his quick thinking of switching the dead body with his.
"Alright! He's finally out!" Karen said with a smile that Don Diego was free from his prison.
"The next question is…. What will be his next move?" Mei Fan said with interest, leading the girls to think of what Don Diego did after he escaped.
The scene changed when it showed four soldiers blaring their trumpets.
An old man wearing a grey jacket shouted, "The governor has returned!"
Upon the announcement, Don Rafael jumped off the boat and walked to his old friend, revealing that it was a welcoming ceremony. Banners of red, white, and green are shown across the beach along with a large tent that only sheltered the men and women of the noble class. There's also a crowd that was part of the ceremony who is clapping for their former governor.
"So that's why he doesn't want to be seen in prison. It's all for him to not be late at his welcoming ceremony," Futaba said while noting the reason why he was in disguise.
Don Rafael approached his old friend and hugged him, "Luiz…."
"Welcome home Rafael," Don Luiz said to him, "It has been too long."
"Too long, my friend," Don Rafael replied.
"You said once you favored me above all," Luiz said, "Consider this a fool's apology for ever doubting you."
Luiz handed Don Rafael a small item, revealing it to be a gold nugget that seemed to please the returning don.
"Is that gold?" Fumi curiously said as the girls also noticed the golden nugget.
"I believe it is Fumi," Tamao earnestly said, "I think they might've found a gold mine."
"If that's the case, they might be preparing their gifts for Don Rafael!" Lalafin said in annoyance, believing that the dons were expecting a reward from Don Rafael for their loyalty in keeping California ready for his return.
"Come," Luiz said to Rafael, gesturing him to follow his lead, "A crowd has gathered to greet you."
The don walked to the tent, showing that it was filled with his old friends as they greeted and hugged him.
After being showered with love and respect from his fellow dons, Don Rafael walked towards the crowd and shouted, "Please, please. I know that you're not really happy to see me."
"So let us all stop pretending, shall we?" Don Rafael said to the crowd whom he immediately silenced.
The Stage Girls were very surprised that Don Rafael said those words, especially the Seisho girls.
In their version of Zorro, Don Rafael was a complete tyrant hell-bent on ruling Mexico. But to see this version of him to tell that everyone is just pretending to be happy that he's returned was interesting.
"At least this version of Don Rafael isn't lying," Futaba said, interested in this version of Don Rafael.
"You think I don't know you've been paid," Don Rafael said, "Even threatened to come out into the hot sun to greet me?"
But while Don Rafael kept talking, it showed that Don Diego was there, blending into the crowd.
"There's Don Diego!" Aruru said while pointing at the screen.
"Looks like he found out about Don Rafael's welcome ceremony," Mei Fan remarked, "And he might take vengeance upon him as soon as possible."
"I understand exactly how you feel," Don Rafael said.
"Why should you care about any of your leaders, past or present?" Rafael continued while Diego was walking towards him, "What did they ever do to you?"
"The Spaniards oppressed you. The Mexicans ignored you," Don Rafael said while walking to the crowd, "And the dons? Well, the dons. The dons"
Don Rafael paused, looked at his clique, and replied, "The dons seemed merely to cheat and lie to you."
Then, the don turned around and smiled at the crowd, "In fact, I put it to you."
"Who in your entire history has ever helped you?" Don Rafael said to the crowd when a young priest said, "Zorro! Zorro fought for the people."
Soon enough, the entire crowd chanted Zorro's name, showing that even after twenty years, they still remembered the man who would always protect them from harm.
"See that Don Rafael! These people never forget who helped them first!" Karen said while the rest of the girls are glad that the people still remember Zorro as their protector.
"Yeah! What good is your speech if the people know who fights for them!" Aruru shouted while pointing her finger at the screen.
"I will admit, I thought Don Rafael would berate the man for saying Zorro's name," Akira said, believing that Don Diego's confident that Zorro wouldn't bother him again.
"Ah yes, Zorro," Don Rafael said in a bitter tone, "Where is he now, Padre (Father)? Your masked friend?"
Diego still kept on walking to Rafael when Don Rafael said to him, "Unless I'm mistaken, he hasn't shown himself in twenty years. Twenty years!"
The crowd immediately went silent as the don continued his lecture towards them, "People of California… The time has come to take our destiny into our own hands. Not as Spaniards, not as Mexicans. But as Californians!"
The crowd started to clap for Rafael's declaration when the former Don Diego was now a few meters away from Don Rafael.
"I stand here before you today with no mask…." Don Rafael said to the crowd, "Only a pledge…. A solemn pledge that I will never abandon you. And you have my word…."
"The word of Rafael Montero….. That I will do everything within my power to help you fight for a free and independent California!" Rafael proclaimed, making the crowd cheer for him of his grandiose promise.
"So that's his plan, he wants to re-insert himself as California's leader again," Futaba said that once again, the Don Rafael onscreen is far superior to their version.
Maybe she could convince the school to do a re-run of Zorro—this time, with a more fleshed-out version of the characters.
Seeing his nemesis take control of the crowd, Diego brandished his dagger and prepared to stab him in broad daylight.
The girls tensed that Don Diego was prepared to kill his rival right away when they heard a familiar voice on the screen.
"Father!"
Suddenly, every single one of them froze in shock as they knew who that voice belonged to.
"Wait….." Nana said in shock, "Is that who I think it is."
Don Diego stopped in his tracks when a blue-haired girl wearing a white dress who was holding an umbrella hugged Rafael, revealing her face to be Kaoruko!
"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce my daughter, Elena," Rafael said, prompting Luiz and his cohorts to bow with respect.
"I'm Elena in this story!?" Kaoruko said in shock and awe.
"Wow, Kaoruko! I think you look beautiful in that dress!" Yachiyo said, "It may look simple but it suits you well!"
"Enough of that! I'm Elena!?" Kaoruko said, repeating her response.
While Kaoruko already knows that the stories Michael presents are
Don Diego stopped in his tracks and saw his daughter after twenty years.
Then, a little girl walked towards her and gave her a white flower.
"Thank you," Elena said as she smelled the flower and she became immediately curious about it.
"Can anyone tell me what this flower is?" Elena told one of the Californian dons, "I know this scent."
"Senorita, it's called a romneya. But it only grows in California," Luiz said to Elena as Diego looked at his daughter, happy that he could see her. But sad that he can never talk to her again.
"And I believe that is your first visit to our shores," Don Luiz said, making Elena feel more interested in the flower, prompting her to smell its fragrance.
The girls all felt sorry that his only daughter thought that her real father was Don Rafael. And the only thing that she remembers is the flowers that Don Diego placed when she was once a child.
Meanwhile, Alejandro is in a bar, motionless on the fact that his brother is dead. He then heard the sound of children, who were playing across the sidewalk.
Reminding of himself and his brother, Alejandro tried his best to repress it and yet it made him depressed.
"Poor Alejandro," Tamao said, "He truly missed his brother…."
"And now he's drowning his sorrows with alcohol," Maya said in a somber tone.
Then, Alejandro called a man's attention by grabbing his hand and said, "Hey, hey! Give me more whiskey!"
The bearded man angrily removed Alejandro's hand from his when the drunk Alejandro replied, "Or whatever you call this. I don't want to see the bottom of this glass, huh."
"Money first," the man said to him, revealing it to be the bar's owner.
Alejandro heard the man's request as he scrambled to find money from his coat.
The owner huffed angrily that his patron wouldn't pay him when Alejandro grabbed him again, "Hey, hey! Wait, wait, wait!"
"What about this?"Alejandro said as he revealed his brother's necklace to the owner.
"Are you insane!" Karen said in shock, "That's your only keepsake of your brother!"
"Ugh! No offense to you, Tendo-san but your counterpart is being desperate to get himself drunk!" Claudine angrily said that she saw her classmate's counterpart being pitiful.
Maya sighed as she watched her counterpart trying to drink herself to death.
"I hope that my counterpart gets better…" Maya somberly thought.
"Silver!" the owner said with glee and was about to take it when Alejandro stopped him from taking it.
"Of course, silver. The finest," Alejandro proclaimed, believing that he could get an entire bottle of whiskey if he wanted when a wooden cane got a hold of his hand. The cane pulled him to the left, forcing Alejandro to stop it, revealing that it was Diego who did it.
The girls all sighed when they saw Don Diego stop Alejandro from selling his silver necklace.
"Thank goodness Don Diego stopped Alejandro from selling his necklace!" Shizuha gratefully said.
The former don looked at the owner, forcing the man to leave right away.
"Where did you get that?" Diego said to the drunkard.
"It's none of your business," Alejandro angrily replied.
"Where did you get it?" Diego said, forcing Alejandro to tell him, "It was my brother's. He's dead."
Diego immediately moved the cane away from him and replied, "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? Why should you be sorry?" Alejandro said in an angry tone.
"You should not trade something like that for a mere glass of whiskey," Diego said to the young man.
"He's right! Drinking more whiskey won't bring your brother back!" Aruru said while pointing at the screen.
"Yeah, Alejandro! You can't waste your life away in a bar!" Shiori said with pleading eyes, "You have to avenge your brother!"
Karen smiled at the two girls that the story has spurred them that selling the necklace won't bring Alejandro happiness.
"I believe in you, Alejandro! I believe you can make the right choice!" Karen thought.
"Why not?" Alejandro said to the old man, "You think I could get two?"
Alejandro started to laugh until he saw the man who killed his brother, who was getting off of his horse.
"Who is that?" Diego said when Alejandro immediately stood up, vengeance in his eyes.
He walked with the idea of killing him when Diego stopped him.
"That's the man who killed my brother," Alejandro said in anger.
"You're drunk and angry, in no condition to kill a professional soldier," Diego calmly said to Alejandro, leading him to sigh in annoyance.
Maya sighed, thankful that Don Diego had stopped Alejandro from killing himself.
"Listen to Don Diego, Alejandro. Michiru's counterpart can kill you in a few minutes once he sees you," Maya said, prompting some of the girls to agree with her.
"Get out of my way, you old man!" Alejandro said when Diego quickly grabbed him by the throat, leading him away from the marshall.
The owner curiously looked at what was happening with the two when Diego unsheathed his sword and threw its scabbard groggily with full intent to teach the old man a lesson.
"I'll say it right away, this fight's going to be one-sided," Futaba said with confidence.
"You have no idea how right you are Futaba-han," Kaoruko replied.
Alejandro tried to stab Diego when the old man parried it and threw him into a bundle of straw.
Frustrated by what was happening, Alejandro tried to stab and slash him but it kept missing until Diego disarmed him and consecutively hit him with his cane and caught his sword mid-air.
Diego flipped Alejandro over, pointed his sword at his neck, and said, "Would you care to try again?"
Alejandro only groaned in response to how the old man had soundly beaten him.
When the fight was over, everyone saw how Don Diego immediately defeated Alejandro.
"Wow! The short stack was right!" Andrew quickly said, "It was one-sided, ryuu!"
"What did you just call me!?" Futaba angrily shouted at the mole.
"Andrew, apologize to Futaba now," Elle said to her friend, prompting Andrew to reply, "Sorry I called you short stack."
"You're welcome," Diego replied, making Alejandro say in confusion, "For what?"
"For saving your life," Diego said to him when Alejandro managed to look at the old man.
"I would've killed him," Alejandro said to Diego when he replied to him, "No, not today."
"He is trained to kill. You seem trained to drink," Diego said to him, showing how his drunken attitude and sloppy swordsmanship would cost him his life, "Yes my friend, you would have fought very bravely and died very quickly."
"Who, then, would avenge your brother?" Diego said to Alejandro who looked at the man with sheer determination and replied, "I would have found a way. I've never lost a fight."
"Except to a crippled old man, just now," Diego retorted to his opponent, leaving Alejandro to realize that if he were to be beaten by this man, his revenge would be short-lived.
"Yeah! What would happen if you faced your brother when you died?" Fumi replied in agreement with Don Diego, "He'd berate you that you got yourself killed for nothing!"
Diego then asked the young man, "What is your name?"
"Alejandro," Alejandro said to the old man.
"Alejandro," Diego repeated as he replied to Alejnadro, "You know, there is a saying, a very old saying. 'When the pupil is ready, the master will appear."
"Have you want to kill this man, I can help you. I can teach you how, how to move, how to think, how to take your revenge with honor. And live to celebrate it." Diego said to Alejandro, "But it will take dedication. It will take time."
When Don Diego said those words, every single Stage Girl realized why he stopped Alejandro from attacking Michiru's counterpart.
"No way…" Lalafin said in shock until she realized what Karen's counterpart's role would do, "Is she going to train him!"
"Why are you so eager to help me?" Alejandro said to the old man, wondering why he would help a helpless drunk like him.
"Because once, a long time ago….." Diego said to him, using his sword to lift the necklace he gave to them in the past, "You did the same for me."
Upon hearing those words, Alejandro realized that the old man he faced was none other than his and his brother's former idol, Zorro.
"I'm….. I'm training the next Zorro," Karen said whilst in shock until a big smile formed around her face.
"I'M TRAINING THE NEXT ZORRO!" Karen shouted in triumphant that her counterpart's role was to train Maya's counterpart as the next Zorro.
Hi Everyone!
Yes, I'm back. I'm back with the continuation of my react fic of your Stage Girls.
It's been two years and it took me a while to get there.
A lot of things have happened since Ch 11 and it was a doozy. From college graduation to finding a job to the usual procrastination kicking in, it was a struggle.
You may claim that these are invalid excuses but I'll say this... I'm back but updates will be random.
I hope that you guys won't wait long!
Sincerely,
William DeGrave