DoraDo's Bizzare Adventure: Ghostly Fur

It’s a rainy night in Puerto Rico. We pan over and see an accident on the road, a horse carriage tipped over and in ruin. Lying in the mud with a clearly broken rib is a familiar face: Dashing DJ Urie, barely breathing while holding onto his wife’s hand. Briefcases are scattered around. We pan over to see another man in a raincoat digging through the wreckage, pillaging the remains.


“This jewelry is nice… could pawn me a pretty penny… What does this one have?”

The man opens another briefcase.

“A lucha mask? Doesn’t look like any wrestler I know… and it’s made of stone. What sort of idea would make something like this?”

The man throws the lucha mask towards the carriage, where he sees Dashing. The man’s face lights up.

“Hoho! Rich corpses always have something nice on them…”

He walks over to the corpse of Dashing and pulls off his wedding ring.

“20 karat! I’ll be rich selling something like- huh?”

The hand the man has grabbed has grabbed him back, Dashing’s eyes weakly opening as he tries to speak.

“My wife… my son… are they… safe?”

The man looks over at the wife, who is completely motionless, and sees a masked baby in her hands. The baby seems unconscious, but breathing.

This rich guy is weak, I could leave him for dead and loot all I can, but if he thinks I’m a hero, I can mooch off him my entire life!

The man puts his hand on his heart and closes his eyes with a sorrowful expression.

“The misses don't look like she made it, sir, but the baby seems to have survived the crash. It looks like your wife gave her life for the child.”

Dashing’s face scrunches together, a combination of relief and grief filling him. The camera slowly pans over to the lucha mask laying on the muddy ground and a stream of horse blood slowly approaches it. Once the blood and stone meet, the mask starts to shake heavily as an arsenal of nails shoot into the inside of the mask. The scene fades to black.

______________________________________________________________________

Several years later, the masked baby has grown into a strapping young masked man, playing with his large cat, Angus. While playing, the boy hears a commotion and peeks his head over the nearby hedge line and sees two young ruffians accosting a lovely young girl!

“Give us yer lunch money, gringa!”

The young girl is crying now, desperately explaining that she has no money. The young man has seen enough!

“Enough, you hooligans!”

The ruffians look up to see the masked young man standing atop the hedge maze, posing proudly. The ruffians exchange glances.

“Hey I know you, ese, you’re that rich kid! DoraDo!”

Before he can say any more, DoraDo has jumped down from the hedge and ran at the ruffian, slamming into him with his masked head. The ruffian is winded for a moment, but is not affected by the flurry of weak punches sent into his sternum by the tenacious DoraDo! The ruffian knocks DoraDo to the ground, and begins to stomp on him, soon joined by his equally rough friend! They beat the bejeezus out of DoraDo for a few minutes, before reaching into his pocket and taking his wallet.

“Rich kids should learn to mind their own business, chico!”

The ruffian delivers a final kick, before he and his friend run off. DoraDo, bruised and dirty, stands up. The young girl stands by him, worried look etched upon her face.

“Oh sir, are you alright?”

DoraDo bristles as the girl touches his arm.

“I am fine! Don’t think I did that because I care or anything, it is simply the duty of a gentlecat to intervene when a maiden is in danger!”

DoraDo wipes his chin off with a fancy golden handkerchief. The girl smiles anyway.

“I’m Flo, of the Progressive family. Those boys said your name was DoraDo?”

“Indeed, I am El Gato Dorado of the Felinos Familia, but my friends call me DoraDo.”

DoraDo offers the girl a smile.

“Perhaps we'll meet again sometime soon. Take care!”

DoraDo waves and runs off to meet his cat, who is waiting nearby, leaving Flo to watch him go, eyes bright and smile wide.

______________________________________________________________________

We cut to a young man with slicked back black hair playing checkers in a bar. Across from him is an old drunkard. The young man gets a black checker to the end of the board and flips it over. The drunkard is confused.

“What was that?”

The young man smiles.


“I’ve crowned my piece, now it can move in any direction. This, you dirty old drunk, is power!”

The drunkard’s eyes widen as he realizes the power of the king checker, and his face changes to an angered sneer.


“You think you’re so hot, you little shit?”

The man grabs the boy by his hair and smashes his face into the table, bloodying his nose.

“You’re nothing! Your family is nothing! You feel powerful now, huh?”

The boy’s eyes squint in pain.

“N… no…”

“That’s what I thought!”

The drunkard throws the boy to the ground and laughs at him.


“Now get out of here, before I stop feeling so kind!”

The boy gets up and dizzyingly walks towards the bar. The bartender looks down at him with a shred of pity.

“You, boy. You’re… Xander Slate, right?”

The boy looks up at the bartender with anger in his eyes.

“Yeah, I am! What’s it to you?!”

The bartender gulps.

“Now calm down, you just look like your father is all. I haven’t actually seen Mr. Slate in a while, how’s he doing?”

The scene fades out, and we fade to see the young Xander Slate face to face with his bedridden father.


“Father, I’m going out. I’m going to get you enough money for your medication.”

Mr. Slate grabs an empty bottle of beer and throws it at Xander, who dodges out of the way.


“I don’t want any damn medicine, I want beer!”

Xander grits his teeth.


“Father, you are sick! You need medicine!”

“That damn medicine is a waste of money, it doesn’t make me feel better at all! Beer makes me feel better!”

We fade back to Xander leaning bloodied against the bar.


“I see… Look, kid, I can’t give you much, but… here, get your dad his medicine.”

The bartender hands Xander a bag of coins.


“But when he gets healthy, you let him know to come on down and buy enough drinks to pay me back! Kidding of course, but it’s probably a good idea for you to get out of here.”

Kindness has been shown to Xander by this stranger, yet his anger doesn’t look like it’s died down at all. He takes the bag of coins and leaves. We fade back to the Slate house where Xander is mixing his father’s medicine into a glass of water.


“Boy, get over here!”

Xander sighs and grabs the glass of water, walking over to Mr. Slate.

“Boy, I don’t know if I’m gonna make it or not. If I don’t, I want you to mail this!”

Mr. Slate hands Xander a sealed letter.

“Twelve years ago, I found this stupid rich guy. He owes me a life debt, and I’m cashing it in! If I die, you send this to him, and I’ll make sure he adopts you as his own son! You get into his life, you rob that rich bastard, and you wipe the smug smile off his damned face!”

Xander takes the letter, gripping it tightly, and sighs.

“You’ll be fine, father, just take your medicine, and you’ll be fine…”

We hear a crash of thunder and the scene immediately changes to one in the Slate house to one outside on a rainy night. The camera pans around Xander Slate to show his father’s gravestone. He’s looking down at the stone with complete disdain.

You were a dirty, abusive drunk. You think a little kindness is enough to make me forgive you? It was your greed that brought the death of Mother… I’ll never forgive you, you piece of shit!

Xander spits on his father’s grave.

Robbing the household of the Felinos family… How simple, how stupid. I refuse to live my life on the run, not for you… I’ll do this my way…

Xander Slate walks away from the gravestone, walking towards a carriage. With one more shout of thunder, the screen immediately cuts to black.

______________________________________________________________________

Weeks later, at the Felinos Family mansion, DoraDo is once again playing with Angus, tossing a ball for the large feline, who chases it happily. A moment later, with quite a commotion, a horse drawn carriage pulls onto the property. DoraDo watches as the carriage pulls into the area and the door flies open, followed by several bags of luggage. A moment later, out popped Xander Slate, dramatically exiting the carriage via jumping and landing in the well manicured grass.

“Oh yes, Father informed me of this. You must be Xander Slate.”

Slate stands up straight, brushes himself off, and looks DoraDo up and down.


“And you must be El Gato Dorado.”

DoraDo offers Slate a hand.

“Feel free to call me DoraDo. Everyone does.”

mrowr

“Oh, that’s Angus. Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite. Come here, boy!”

Angus bounds merrily up to the duo, only for Xander Slate to sneer angrily, and kick the poor feline right upside the head! DoraDo gasps dramatically as his wounded pet runs away.

“How dare you!?”

DoraDo raises his fists as if to fight, and Xander Slate does the same.

“Now now, boys.”

The voice of Papa Felinos, Dashing DJ Urie, carries down to them from the balcony above.

“Let’s at least get acquainted with each other before we start the roughhousing! Come now, Xander, DoraDo. It is time for dinner.”

DoraDo and Slate exchanged angry looks, before they followed a servant inside, several other servants grabbing Slate’s bags and bringing them inside. Dashing sees the angered expression on his son’s face.

“DoraDo, I understand your anger, but this boy comes from a harsh place... He was likely scared seeing a strange cat jumping up at him like that… Please find it in your heart to forgive him…”

DoraDo takes a deep breath and nods.

“I understand father, I… I will.”

I just wish he would’ve apologized…

DoraDo walks into his mansion and spots Xander standing in front of the staircase. He dismisses the servants. DoraDo walks over and decides to extend an olive branch.

“Xander! I just wanted to let you know there’s no bad blood between us! I understand why you wouldn’t be comfortable with an animal you’ve never met jumping at you. Here, let me help you to your room!”

DoraDo reaches down and grabs Xander’s suitcase. His eyes shoot open and he knees DoraDo right in the face! DoraDo falls to the ground, holding his nose.

“You do not touch my suitcase, animal! And do not refer to me so lightly, as if we are brothers or even friends! I am neither of those things, I am your superior! You will refer to me as Slate, and nothing else so that you may remember your place beneath me! Do you understand?”

DoraDo whimpers out.

“X-Xander, why are you-?”

Slate steps forward and slaps DoraDo with a massive backhand!

“Can you not follow simple instructions, boy? Are you that dense?”

Slate grabs DoraDo by the collar and picks him up. DoraDo chokes out a single word.

“...S...Slate…”

A twisted smile grows on Slate’s face.

“Good kitty.”

Slate throws DoraDo to the ground and picks up his suitcase and marches to his room.

That day was the day it all changed. My life of happiness was over, and a cloud of misery descended my household…

We cut to Dashing DJ Urie smacking DoraDo on the hand with a ruler.


“Wrong again! DoraDo, this is simple multiplication! Look at Xander, he has already filled out the entire table and you can not even finish the fours row?!”

We cut to DoraDo drinking a warm glass of milk, drinking so fast he spills some on his clothes. Dashing hits the table in anger.


“Damnit DoraDo! Stop with the slobbery this instant! Look at Xander, he is eating with perfect manners! Why do you have to… you know what, that’s it, go to your room! You do not get dinner if you cannot eat properly!”

Butlers walk up and remove DoraDo’s only partially eaten steak from the table much to the young cat’s protest.

We cut once more to DoraDo walking down the road, on his way to meet with some friends. He sees them in the distance and throws up a hand.

“Hey guys, wait up!”

His friends simply sneer at him.

“Do not speak to us with that disgusting mouth of yours! Slate told us about all the disgusting things you do with that tongue!”

DoraDo’s face widens in disgust.

“W-what things has he accused me of?! Don’t listen to that liar, he just wishes to make my life miserable!”

DoraDo’s friends simply turn their backs to him.

“Whatever, buttlicker! Don’t tongue to us ever again, or we’ll cut out that gross tongue!”

His friends run off, leaving Dorado to sulk to himself all alone.

We cut to DoraDo sulking by the river with his best friend, Angus. DoraDo is petting his cat.

“Damn Slate… why is he doing this… why does he hate me? Father… why has he turned against me? He’s never been this angry before, does he no longer love me? Am I truly alone in this world?”

DoraDo notices a sound behind him and jumps to his feet.

“Who’s there?!”

DoraDo looks and sees the girl from the other day running away. He looks down and finds a basket full of delicious berries and his golden handkerchief. This brings a wide smile to his golden face.

“Thank you Flo! I’m always by the river this time of day, feel free to join me any time!”

______________________________________________________________________

In a life of darkness, DoraDo found the one light of his life in Flo Progressive. No matter what Slate would try to do to DoraDo, he knew he was never alone as long as he had Flo by his side. The pair would spend hours together every day, getting to know each other and having fun, ignoring the world around them. Slate’s venomous lies meant nothing to her, and her kindness inspired DoraDo to push forward and grow stronger as the weeks went by.

This drove the awful Xander Slate mad. This woman was the sole person bringing happiness to his adoptive brother, the sole person ruining his plans. One day he decided enough was enough.

As Flo was walking home, Xander hid behind a tree with his clique, the two boys who loved bullying Flo. Slate jumps out as she passes them.

“Well well well… if it isn’t DoraDo’s girlfriend… You know, I see why he like you so much, you’re quite pretty…”

Flo’s face scrunches up and she takes a step back, but the two boys jump out and stop her from leaving.

“Although DoraDo is such an animal, I don’t know why you would spend your time with such a disgusting person. Have you kissed him yet? I sure hope not, he cleans his balls with that tongue you know…”

Flo is scared, but the anger brought by hearing her precious DoraDo slandered causes her to shout out.

“I don’t care what he does, it’s nothing compared to your filthy heart!”

Slate grits his teeth, this girl is not giving up.

“What did you say to me, you harlot?”

Flo slaps Slate.

“Do not call me that! I am a pure maiden, and loyal to DoraDo, a concept you clearly know nothing about!”

Slate grits his teeth even harder, but a twisted smirk flashes onto his face.


“You’re right, I don’t know anything about purity… maybe you could teach me, is this what that means?”

Slate dashes forward and smooches Flo on the lips, the poor maiden’s eye bolting open in horror. The boys gasp.

“Xander kissed Flo! Xander kissed Flo! We have to tell everybody!”

Flo falls to the ground and spits out in disgust. Xander can’t help himself but to laugh uncontrollably.


“You thought your first kiss would be with DoraDo, but it was with me, Slate!”

His joy breaks apart as he sees Flo wash her lips with a nearby mud puddle.

Is she… saying my lips are dirtier than a puddle of mud?! I have given her the honor of kissing me, and she have the gaul to… to?!

Xander prepares to kick Flo in the face, but stops himself.

Control, Slate… if these two idiots see you hitting a girl, your reputation will be ruined! You need to control yourself…

Slate takes a calming breath and straightens his jacket, spitting in the mud puddle as he passes by Flo, who is left crying alone on a dirt road.

______________________________________________________________________

The next few days, DoraDo went to the river, yet Flo never came. At first he thought she was busy with family matters, but after a week of not seeing Flo he became extremely worried. One day while walking through town, he saw Flo with a basket in her hand and a grim look on her face. DoraDo called out to Flo, but as soon as she noticed him she ran away with tears running down her face.

DoraDo’s confusion was short lived, and with fire in his heart he ran all the way home. Once there he charged straight through the doors and saw his adopted brother reading by the fireplace next to a weird stone luchador mask.

“SLAAAATE!”

DoraDo charges forward with fury in his step.

“What’s the matter DoraDo, you look upse-”

Slate is cut off as a fist cracks against his jaw and he falls to the ground, blood flying from his mouth and splashing against the luchador mask. Slate looks up with tears in his eyes.

“You… you hit me?! You dirty animal, how dare you hit me?!”

DoraDo continues his beatdown of Xander Slate who is powerless to stop the enraged feline. Suddenly, the mask falls to the floor and both kids can see it filled with spikes that were not there before. DoraDo continues to kick at Slate as Slate pulls a switchblade from his pocket.


“DoraDo! Stop this right now!”

Dashing DJ Urie has just entered the room, shock on his face.

“To kick a man while he’s down and not even give him the chance to defend himself! I did not raise you like this!”

Slate puts his knife away.

“Go to your room this instant DoraDo, and do not even think of leaving until I tell you to!"

DoraDo angrily steps away from a crying Slate and marches to his room. He slams the door shut, trapped there for the night.

______________________________________________________________________

The next morning, after DoraDo has stepped away for school, a butler begins his run of collecting and removing garbage from around the mansion. The butler piles up some bags and boxes outside, before firing up the incinerator. After only a few moments, a fire is roaring powerfully, casting crackling yellow light against the shadowy morning air. The butler tosses several boxes into the fire, before grabbing one that brings him pause.

“Hm… Unusually heavy, this one.”

Thinking nothing of it, the butler tosses the box into the incinerator and shuts the door, letting the accumulated trash die down before adding more. As the butler rummages through some other refuse, he hears a peculiar sound.

clank clank clank

Turning towards the incinerator, the butler is shocked to see the door rattling. Nervously, the butler takes a step towards it, but the rattling stops. The butler pauses, before turning away… Only to feel his blood run cold as a familiar sound, from deep within the incinerator, reaches his eardrums.

mrowr…

______________________________________________________________________

Hours later, a teary-eyed DoraDo stands before the freshly finished grave of his beloved cat Angus. The butler stands by DoraDo’s side, profusely apologizing.

“Please, Mr. DoraDo, I had no idea… The poor thing must have gotten trapped in the rubbage bins. I am so, so very sorry, sir…”

The butler’s apologies fall on deaf ears, for DoraDo knows… He cannot explain how he knows, but deep down- perhaps in his very soul- that there is only one culprit in this case, only one man with whom guilt lies, only one man cruel and heartless enough to do something so senselessly, gut-churning evil…

“Slate…”

END OF EPISODE ONE
______________________________________________________________________