Tuesday of a new week — two in the morning. Emily, wearing her gray hoodie, sweatpants and scarf covering the lower half of her face, runs across the rooftops of her neighborhood. She jumps onto the rusty fire escape of a modest hotel and watches the street, waiting for one of the patrol cars to pass. When a police vehicle rolls by, its red-and-blue lights illuminating her for a second, she climbs to the hotel roof and leaps to the nearest house. Her landing is harsh, breaking a few tiles; she falls onto her back in the yard. She sees movement inside the house and grows nervous, so she scrambles over the garden fences and hides in the darkness, tracking the police car. The patrol finally stops at a gas station. Emily crouches behind some trash bins. The squad car idles and the lights go off for a moment. She watches the officers' activity intently. A worker emerges carrying a large black trash bag and walks to the bins. Emily's heart pounds; she muffles her breathing with the scarf so she won't make a sound. The employee drops the garbage into the bins without noticing her, and Emily allows herself to breathe again.
The patrol's siren begins to wail as they speed away. She breathes a frightened whisper and the employee, startled by the sound, looks at the trash cans in alarm and rushes back inside. Emily takes a long, steadying breath and prepares to climb onto the gas station roof—but the employee returns with a coworker. The man carries a taser; the woman holds a broom. They move slowly toward the hiding spot. Emily, aware of the risk, looks for anything to distract them and spots a cat nearby. She scoops it up and gently tosses it onto one of the bins. The two employees sigh with relief, and Emily slips up onto the roof. She sees that the patrol is now some distance away, but she can still follow the flashing lights.
The patrol arrives at a park, where they are met by a slim man with long brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing dark clothes and a well-kept black jacket. The two officers approach. The man says, "I found this woman. Her body is stiff. I've called the forensics team. Secure the scene; I'll check whether the suspect is still nearby." The officers answer, "Yes, Detective Surgiri."
Emily reaches the park and sees a man stepping out. She moves as close as the trees allow and finally sees the corpse. Horror floods her; she begins to tremble and thinks, "I—I— I know her." Images flash through her mind of the victim laughing at a dinner with her father. She's Miss María Bloom… she was seeing my father a few months ago… If only I'd stopped the man who does this when I had the chance… Tears fall slowly. One of the officers feels something drop onto his cap; looking up with his flashlight, he notices a strange lump. When he illuminates it, he sees the vigilante. They try to stop him, but Emily wastes no time: she leaps from tree to tree to lose them. One officer stays to speak on the radio while the other chases her on foot. The pursuit becomes an obstacle race through the streets; the girl uses anything in her path to put distance between herself and her pursuer. Rounding a curve, she notices the same ponytailed man who had left when the patrol arrived — he's now waiting ahead. She hastily looks for a way around him, seeing that before reaching him there is an intersection that connects the streets.
The police follow the same route the vigilante took, searching for tracks but finding nothing; he's vanished. The officers continue down the other street and move away from the scene. Emily crawls out from behind a crate, exhales with relief, wipes her tears, and — weighed down by guilt — goes home.
At Forte, the kids wander the vast corridors during the second recess. Tyron walks and talks with his red-haired, glasses-wearing friend.
Tyron: "Come on, Antonio—what do you say?"
Antonio: laughing "I told you—it's dangerous. Chasing a street vigilante, escaping from our homes."
Tyron: excited "Oh, come on! Where's your sense of adventure?"
Antonio: "Safely guarded by my survival instinct."
Tyron: depressed "Please, man—just tonight. If we find him great; if not, whatever. And if he's violent, don't worry—I'll give him a few kicks."
As they head to class, three students approach from the opposite direction — former friends of the dark-skinned boy. They pass exchanging fearful glances, except the largest and most brutish one. Monguer moves up and shoves the redhead hard in the shoulder, sending him sprawling onto his back. The big guy laughs. The redhead's face hardens with rage. Tyron calmly offers his hand, but his friend doesn't take it; instead he stands up furious and hands Tyron his glasses — then storms off to assault Monguer from behind. Tyron gently pulls his friend back; to his surprise, the redhead has a lot of strength. After calming Antonio down, they return to class. While Tyron listens to his friend talk, he thinks about the extra muscle he felt in Antonio's shoulder — more than Tyron's—despite Tyron having trained eight weeks with the warrior.
All of Guarly buzzes with excitement at the idea of a local superhero. Everyone is talking about "Plata, the shining vigilante." The four teenagers train in the backyard, now in the forest clearing, each with a wooden sword.
Jayden (sitting on a branch with a steaming cup of tea): "Remember — red means strike, yellow means block, blue means evade."
Three spheres fly through the bushes at high speed. Francesca blocks, Emily strikes, and Tyron evades; the orbs vanish.
Tyron: "Hey—have you heard the rumors about Plata?"
Alexa: "Be specific; there's a lot said about him."
The spheres reappear. Tyron blocks, Emily evades, Alexa strikes.
Tyron: "Wait — you know Plata?"
Francesca: "Everyone talks about him. How could you not know?"
The spheres burst out of the bushes again. Emily evades, Alexa blocks, Francesca strikes.
Tyron: smiling "Good point." He dodges a blue orb. "Would you like to know who Plata is?"
Alexa: "I wouldn't mind — sounds fun."
Francesca: "I'm not wasting my time. What do you want?"
The spheres appear once more. Tyron strikes, Emily blocks, Alexa evades.
Tyron: "I want to go catch him."
Alexa & Francesca: "Dream on."
Tyron: disappointed "Why the refusal?"
Alexa: "If the police couldn't, what makes you think you can?"
Francesca: "Even if I don't like the idea, I'm with broom-hair," she says, exchanging a look with the dark-haired girl.
Suddenly the three spheres shoot from the branches straight at Emily. She waits, then — remembering María — drops to the ground and lets the orbs pass. They strike her three companions in the face, knocking them out.
Jayden (emptying his cup with a sigh): "Alright, moving on…" He notices the three knocked out students. "What happened to you?"
Emily: "I'm sorry — it's my fault. I got distracted."
Jayden: "You mustn't get distracted. When you lose sight of your actions, you put not only yourself but others in danger."
The warrior approaches the three unconscious teens, tips his cup and lets tiny drops of tea fall onto each of their lips. As if revived, they jolt awake, clutching their mouths at the terrible taste. Jayden watches and says as he walks back to the cabin, "Don't get distracted. Take fifteen minutes' rest." The four students head back to the cabin. Francesca asks Emily why she seems so down; the girl answers only, "I didn't sleep well."
It's Wednesday after school. Before catching the bus to the forest, Tyron walks alone toward Kiryoku. He's convinced three of his classmates to look for Plata. Unbeknownst to him, someone on a motorcycle follows him discreetly. When Tyron enters Kiryoku, the rider pauses at a traffic light and jotting notes in a small notebook.
Alexa walks with her friends toward the central park.
Alexa: "Sorry, girls—I have to go. I have plans." She smiles and leaves.
Tamara: "Wait—" Alexa is gone. "Who do you think she's meeting?"
Leslie: "Maybe a boy."
Tamara: "I don't think so — have you ever heard her say she likes anyone?"
Leslie: "Good point." They grin mischievously and say in unison: "Let's follow her."
Alexa enters Kiryoku and finds Tyron sitting at a table near the window. They greet each other.
Tyron: smiling "Mmm—this is great. Hi, Alexa."
Alexa: waving "Hi. Is the shake good?"
Tyron: "Better than the master's tea, I assure you."
Alexa: "That doesn't take much. How long do you think the blonde will be?"
Tyron: "No idea. Who knows what time they'll let her out of Celeritas."
Alexa: "Then we should order something."
They talk about the plan to find Plata. Unbeknownst to them, the dark-brown-haired girl and the redhead sit at a distant table that offers a perfect view of what they assume is a "date." When the redhead drops her phone, someone else picks it up — a girl with beautiful bright eyes returns it. The two spying girls are stunned; they whisper, imagining a love triangle.
Francesca debates where to sit: "By Tyron with his nonsense… or with her?"
Tyron nudges Alexa under the table: "Is she okay? She's been standing there for more than a minute."
Alexa: "Probably trying to remember how to sit down."
Francesca sits by Tyron: "Okay Elkin, what's your plan?"
Tyron: "Plata has been spotted in the Green Tiger district — one of the biggest and most dangerous."
Alexa: checking her watch
Francesca: "I agree — faster is better, or we'll be in trouble with the master."
Tyron: "My plan: sneak out at night, go to the district, and catch him. According to social media…" the door snaps and a few shrieks follow. "—so? Sound good?"
Francesca: annoyed "What an idea…"
Alexa: "I like it — an adventurous night."
Francesca: surprised "You're interested? I don't believe you."
Tyron: "Well, you both came for the same reason, I assume."
Francesca: "I'm intrigued — you said Plata might be one of the master's students. Hey — why didn't Emily come?"
Alexa: "She's hurt. The killer took another victim, someone she knew."
Tyron: "Let's try to cheer her up. Sound good?"
Alexa & Francesca: "Okay."
They leave to catch the bus to train. The motorcyclist continues to follow Tyron, and once he boards the bus the rider writes again in his notebook.
A new night begins for Emily. As on most nights she patrols, she searches for the killer. With the police very active after the series of murders, she prefers to sit on the ledge of some apartments and wait for patrol movements to decide where to intervene.
Emily sits, scrolling her phone, thinking: Everyone was weird today — Alexa was overly kind, Tyron's careless (but not enough to spill the master's tea), and Francesca was less harsh than usual.
She notices patrols starting to move. As she prepares to jump down to help the officers, she sees a suspicious person running the other way and cancels the plan to pursue him instead. Meanwhile the others enter the Green Tiger neighborhood and slip into an alley. The two girls bonk Tyron on the head.
Alexa & Francesca: "Idiot."
Tyron: "Ow! Aren't the master's beatings enough for spilling his tea?"
Alexa: annoyed "And you — why did you think juggling spheres was a good idea?"
Francesca (whispering): "Shh. Lower your voices — remember the master's rules: use the shadows and don't wake the neighbors. Think of a way to find Plata; your idiot plan was just walking around hoping to spot him."
They agree. Alexa looks up to the rooftop, smiles, and signals for the others to follow. She jumps to the roof.
Francesca (whispering): "How did she do that?"
Tyron positions himself where the black-haired girl had been. Because he lacks the power to make a single big leap, he runs wall-to-wall and swings up to grab the roof and pull himself up. Francesca sees this, resigned and a bit annoyed, and copies him — though she manages it without needing support. Once on the roof, the three begin their watch. Tyron says, "Look over there," and they spot Plata running, leaping from roof to roof, so they move to intercept.
Emily pursues the suspect, who has slowed to a casual walk; she notices patrol lights returning in the distance — a fact that throws her mind into questions. It seems the suspect is heading to the gas station, so she ends up on the hotel roof again. To her surprise, familiar voices come from behind.
Tyron: whispering "Hey Plata. Calm down — we mean no harm. We just want to ask you something."
Emily waves for them to back off, thinking, They can't know it's me!
Francesca: "We think you and we might have something in common."
Alexa: "My friend Leslie says you saved her and that you talk. Just answer one question."
Plata/Emily notices the suspect is about to slip out of sight and head to the gas station. She trembles at what might happen and tries to follow him while keeping her friends at a distance. She attempts to jump to another building but is stopped by Tyron's hand; instinctively she twists his wrist, realizing she hurt him. She releases him, signaling apology. Tyron says, "I think we need to know — because of your abilities." He launches an attack, trying to land a heavy right. The vigilante grabs Tyron's arm and throws him off the path. Before she can react, the black-haired girl appears before him, blocking his leap. Her companions are preventing her from doing her duty, so she decides she must defeat them to continue.
Now the vigilante is surrounded: a block to her back and one side (Tyron), Alexa in front and to another side, and Francesca on one flank. Tyron attempts a sweeping leg, which she avoids by jumping — but the jump leaves her open to his second attack: a direct kick to the chest. She tumbles across the roof and quickly gets back up, dodging two head strikes from the boy. He lands a third — a center-of-stomach blow. Emily pushes herself up, thinking people might be in danger; she decides to run toward Alexa. Tyron intercepts with a side kick; she uses it to shove him into the blonde and continues a short exchange of moves with the dark-haired girl. Making a feint, she manages to twist Tyron's wrist and push him off her path; she finally leaps — only to be intercepted by a strong roundhouse from the blonde that sends her toward the rusty stairs. She braces for a strong heel strike from the redhead, but dodges it. The staircase shudders under the impact. The hooded girl punches the structure and it collapses, giving her a chance to escape her companions.
Emily bursts into the gas station. The man from the other night lies on the floor. She checks him quickly — he's only unconscious — and calls the police with the gas station's phone. Terror grips her as she rushes out, searching for any trace of the girl from before. Finding nothing, she loses hope — until a terrified scream snaps her into action. She sprints toward the alley where her trauma began and, though terrified, pulls the metal tube from her back.
?: "Shut up, bitch!" He hits the woman.
Plata: trembling "L-let her go!"
?: angry "You joke? Now you show up!"
Plata: breathing hard "Let her go… surrender…"
The woman is struck from behind and falls. Another person appears — about the same height as the criminal. The two men argue.
Killer twin: "I told you we shouldn't have followed Uncle Marcelo's steps — but no, your stupidity will get us caught. At least rape her while I kill Plata." He draws a knife.
Rape twin: "Come on — I told you we should go after the one who got away! But you wanted the gas station girl."
Killer twin: pulling off a hood "Of course. She only goes out to buy things — attacking her home is too risky. Look, she's got long hair — somebody else to enjoy tonight!"
Emily wakes up, gripping the metal tube. She strikes the man who had the hood, then rushes the one who was looming over the unconscious woman, slamming him against a wall and then hurling him aside. The Álvarez twins draw knives and walk toward the girl holding the unconscious woman. The one bearing a mark from the tube on his face sneers, "I recognize those features — that hair, that forehead, those eyes. You're that Emily." The rapist licks his lips as they approach. Terrified, Emily begins to tremble; adrenaline drains and her breath falters — the walls seem to crush her. The two twins form a monstrous image from her past. A shadowy hand reaches for her — but then she feels intense heat on her left shoulder, then the right, and finally across her back. The shadowed hand is sliced by a luminous blade. Emily opens her eyes to find her companions had arrived: Alexa to her left, Francesca to her right, and Tyron behind.
Seeing they're only teenagers, the twins throw themselves at them — the rapist lunges brandishing his knife, intending to assault all the women. Francesca snatches the metal tube from Emily and, with grim determination, strikes the man's hand that holds the knife.
Rape twin: screaming with broken fingers "AAAH, you bitch…!"
Francesca bludgeons him hard on the head with the tube until a few teeth fly out. She strikes again on the other side, knocking out more teeth; another blow to the chin makes him bite his own tongue and lose a piece of it. He collapses to the ground.
Francesca (looking at the blood on the tube and the chunk of tongue): "I think I overdid it."
Killer twin (panicked): "Don't think I'm afraid of you—where's the dark-skinned girl?"
He recoils as Francesca suddenly appears a hair's breadth from him, smiling with darkened eyes. "I'm going to enjoy this. You shouldn't have messed with my friend." The green-eyed girl's fists fly — a rapid barrage that leaves the man trembling; after a thousand strikes she stops and he drops to his knees, clutching his bruised torso. He stammers in fear, "How… did you do that?"
Tyron kicks both men up and sends them flying, knocked out into the street where a car's headlights illuminate them.
Alexa (hugging Emily): "Emily — why didn't you tell us you were Plata?"
Emily: crying "I'm sorry! After I was assaulted, all I wanted was to get stronger so I could protect myself and anyone I could. That's why I train."
Francesca (embracing her): "You will. We'll be there to help."
Tyron (watching the three girls hug): "Wait — you're not training to take down the Director?"
Emily & Francesca: "What director?"
A police flashlight sweeps over them. A voice orders, "Freeze!" The teens raise their hands. The officer approaches and recognizes one of them.
Matias (tired): "Don't tell me… Tyron Elkin?"
Tyron: "Detective?"
Francesca (whispering): "Do you know him?"
Tyron (whisper to Francesca): "I don't exactly, but you'll fall over when you hear who he knows."
Matias (annoyed): "Take the woman to the gas station." He tosses them a pair of handcuffs. "Cuff those two to a bus stop and then come with me."
At three in the morning on Thursday, the warrior's students ride in the back of a patrol car while the annoyed Detective Matias Surgiri Welter sips coffee. The vehicle stops in front of the cabin in the woods; the teens are stunned. Tyron looks with satisfaction at his blond companion, who gapes at their destination. The officer bangs on the cabin door. After a while Jayden opens, looking freshly woken and says, "What the hell do you want at three in the morning, Welter?"
Matias (pointing to the teens): "I figure you owe me an explanation."
Jayden (looking at the kids): "They're addicts. Lock them up a few days and they'll get over it." He slams the door and tries to go back to sleep.
Matias barges in: "Don't you dare go back to snoring, bastard. How come you didn't tell me you had three more students?"
The teens lie back, kept awake by the heated shouting. Finally the warrior emerges, hunched, and walks toward them.
Jayden (angry): "Listen, you lot of trash. By order of that piece-of-shit," he points at the detective, "you won't be vigilantes anymore like you were, coward. It's fine that you test what I teach, but from now on —" He takes the metal tube from Emily. "You will use these." He hands them wooden swords with handles colored to match each student's band. "The other difference is that from now on you won't save whoever you feel like — Mr. Three-in-the-Morning will tell you where to go."
The warrior yanks the officer by the back of his jacket, kicks him so hard he flies back to the patrol car, grabs the door handle and roars, "Now get the hell out — and if you come pounding on my door at three in the morning again, I'll cut off everything I can in a minute!" He slams the door so hard a flock of birds flies out of the trees.
Matias (rubbing his backside, thinking, Why did I think this was a good idea?) looks at the teens: "Tell me where you live and I'll take you."