Episode One: First Move! The New Precure!
The desert was pale as the soldiers on the other side of the battlefield, and two very intruding things loomed in the distance- the sun, and King Xerxat of the White Kingdom.
Cure Brilliancy was normally quite good with history, but the heat of the day and the strange sadness of her earlier conversation with her partner made her head muddled and confused. Not good for a fight, no, not good at all. Her bright red hair covered her eyes and ears like a hood, making the top of her head hot, but allowing her a bit of comfort from the sun, helping her eyes avoid the glare. Without that distraction, her dark gaze was determined, ready to face the leader of the enemy she had fought for three years now.
She glanced to her side, to Cure Olympiad. Maybe it was just that she was small, or that he was growing more confident, but he always seemed tall to her, his spirit towering above his small stature. Maybe I just look up to him, she considered vaguely.
If they hadn't been in such a dire situation, she might have snickered at the pun. Brilliancy hated when others brought it up, but she really was tiny; she had to look up to everyone, at least she did if she wanted to look them in the eyes.
Olympiad turned to her and offered up an only slightly uneasy grin. His own dark blue hair, oddly colored in his Cure warrior form, was neater than hers. Altogether, he had a much more put together air about him, and Brilliancy was reminded that he was the leader. He was the one who would have the glory. But that was fine by her. She got to have fun, and there was significantly less sacrifice involved with being the backup.
A low murmur passed through the Black and White kingdom's forces, and Ast looked up to see Cure Purity join King Xerxat on the other side of the field. Her own blue hair, lighter than Olympiad's, swished beautifully, falling gracefully onto the frills of her white dress, and her weapon, a short, white wand, was held at the ready. Xerxat did not smile at her, Brilliancy noted, but then again, not many were smiling.
She and Olympiad, filled with hope... they were the exception, not the rule.
Then Xerxat spoke, words that could be heard throughout the battlefield but that Brilliancy somehow tune out, and the battle commenced.
The duo of Black Kingdom Precure had talked about what would happen. Soldiers would fight soldiers. The two Precure would team up against Cure Purity, hopefully converting her to their own side, using all the friendship and love they had... she had to have love in her heart, didn't she? That was what Nathan said made a Cure warrior. If all else failed, they would defeat her in beams of light and showers of hope, as they had defeated every other villain that crossed their path.
Then, they would move on to Xerxat. He would not attack until then, until his last underling was defeated. Hopefully, there would be three against one, but two against one would work as well. One against one would never work. It would also never happen, though... the strength of Olympiad and Brilliancy was through their love, and they would never separate at such an important time.
Olympiad ran forward, the Olympiad Ax charging. "Precure Tornado Strike!" he called as he brought it down. Winds flew from the weapon, clearing a path that lead halfway to Purity.
Brilliancy watched her partner run swiftly down the lines, deflecting the odd soldier who thought their experience with a sword or shield or mace made them qualified to take down a Cure warrior. As she prepared to follow him, however, the soldiers filled in the gap that he had made, swallowing the path. She frowned, losing her partner in the crowd as she fired up her own weapon, prepared to strike the intruders with flame and smoke.
A shift in the distant silhouette caught her eye, and she looked up.
Slowly, Xerxat advanced onto the battlefield. Instinctively, soldiers moved out of his way, back towards the other side. Already, Brilliancy felt the push and pull of the crowd moving against her, and she struggled to free herself of the wave and get to her partner. Where was he? She scanned the crowd for Olympiad, hoping he, too, was retreating, hoping he realized she wasn't with him.
Brilliancy pushed forward, finally finding him. He was far from her, and the way he was moving swiftly forward, jumping and landing over and over with the ease and grace only Precure had, she doubted he'd noticed she wasn't there. She assessed his movements, relieved to find that he was still headed for Cure Purity. That was good. She would meet him there, talk some sense into her old friend and partner, and they would face Xerxat together.
He ran past Purity.
What is he doing?
He thinks I'm with him. He's probably talking, changing the plans since Xerxat isn't doing what we expected. He probably thinks I'm right behind, taking in what he's saying.
She pushed harder, attempting to get through the crowd with all her might, finally bursting out on the other side as she watched Olympiad strike the leader of the White Kingdom with his ax. Gripping her own sword tight, she ran for him, screaming his name. "Olympiad!"
He couldn't hear her. Of course not. She couldn't hear him calling out his attacks, his purifications.
Had he noticed she wasn't there yet?
Of course he had.
She passed Cure Purity, who simply watched her go. She could feel the enemy Cure's attention on her as she raced for her partner, screaming his name all the harder, watching him fight, hoping he could hold his own for just a few more moments...
Xerxat released a beam of pure white nothingness, aiming it at Olympiad. As it hit him, he crumpled, falling onto the ground.
Brilliancy skidded to a stop, eyes wide. "Olympiad," she whispered.
For a moment, all was silent, all were motionless. Even the thrashing of the battle behind her grew quiet as the Cure lay motionless.
Then the noise began again in a frenzy as Brilliancy ran all the faster to her partner, and the Black Kingdom soldiers attacked again, enraged by the defeat of their defender.
Xerxat turned and walked away slowly.
He was far enough away from Brilliancy when she arrived at the scene of the battle that he didn't face her wrath, whatever wrath she had, anyways. She had a choice; she could stay with Olympiad in his final moments, or she could attempt to defeat Xerxat and probably face the same fate that her partner had.
The thought was tempting. Olympiad would hate her for it. She took to his side.
"Brilliancy," he croaked with a pained smile.
She clutched him tight, choking back sobs. Oh god, she wanted to cry, she wanted to remain brave and strong and loving for him, but she wanted to cry, she wanted to scream...
"You're gonna make it," she promised, she lied.
He gave a short, coughing laugh. "Yeah... right."
So uncharacteristic. He was always the optimistic one. That was why he was a better Precure. That was why he was the leader.
"Olympiad, don't... don't talk."
"Why? It... it's the end now."
"No," Brilliancy insisted. "No. You're not allowed..."
He looked as though he tried to smile, he really did, but didn't manage it. Then, he shuddered, went still and quiet, and she held him tighter, finally allowing the tears to roll.
Kaitlin Bergeron woke with a start and a small cry, disoriented.
With a deep breath, she put her head against her pillows and snuggled deeply under the covers. Just a dream. No, not just a dream. The same dream she'd had for the last few nights, just... continued.
It was getting rather boring. At this point, the dream was just pacing up and down in a big, white cell. It hadn't always been like that. The first night of the dream, she had found herself in a large town, even, with things to see and explore. With people, people she could interact with. For the last couple nights, the most interaction she had got was a pair of eyes through a small slit in the door. It might not have been so bad, had the dreams not been incredibly long and lonely.
She shook her head and finally threw off the covers. They were just dreams, still. Nothing to worry about.
Especially not today.
In her half-awake haze, she had forgotten what the day was. It was an anniversary, though not a particularly happy one. Two years ago exactly, her cousin had died in a car accident.
Though not particularly close in age, Kaitlin and Skye had been close in spirit. He had been seven years older than her, but their interests and personalities were really quite similar. There had been one hobby they bonded over in particular, too, and that was chess. Kaitlin glanced over at her board instinctively as she thought about it. It was a lovely board, really, and normally she loved to simply touch it, never mind playing it. Out of habit, she picked up a piece with disinterest, stroking the glossy wood with her thumb before setting it down. No, she didn't necessarily feel like playing it today. She doubted her parents would either; they never took the same interest in the game that she did even on a normal day. Playing against herself, as she did sometimes, felt lonely.
It was like there was a hole, where her partner in crime and chess used to sit.
She couldn't remember the first time she played chess. She knew she was very young, young enough that she didn't fully understand it, more from her short, preschooler attention span than from her cousin's lack of trying to teach her. Eventually, a compromise of sorts seemed to be reached. Skye found ways to pique her childish interest, stories about the pieces and shorter lessons. Kaitlin simply grew a little older, and by five she had a basic understanding of the game. The proud gleam in Skye's eye when she proved her knowledge might have been the first thing she really remembered about chess, rather than had it recounted at her by her family.
She played chess with her parents until she could beat them. She taught her friends at school, when she started attending at age six. She enrolled in a class to learn more advanced things. To her parents and classmates, chess was a game, and it was a game she enjoyed.
Somehow, though, with Skye, it seemed more. It became a battle of wits, of tactics and strategy. The times she played with her cousin were her favorite matches. He almost always beat her (almost always). Still, he managed to make even losses seem noble.
She asked him about it once.
"It's a noble game. It's a game of thinking and of rules, but that doesn't limit your options. Within reason, anything can happen if you think hard enough and you have a good heart."
"What's having a good heart have to do with it?"
"The most powerful players are the ones who love the game and love their opponents." He grinned mischievously at her. "That's why I'm so hard to beat."
"I love the game too, Skye! And I love you too!"
"Yeah? Well then, maybe it's just that I've been playing since before you were born." He moved a piece slowly, deliberately. "You're in check, by the way."
Kaitlin sighed. "Maybe my heart just isn't good enough."
"Give it time," Skye said. "Soon you'll be just as powerful as... say, the queen."
"You think so?"
"Definitely. Queen Kaitlin. It has a ring to it, don't you think?"
She shrugged, unsure. "I guess."
"Hey, give it time to grow on you. You've got time."
She was probably eleven at the time of that conversation, young enough to be dazzled by promises of kingdoms and royalty that Skye weaved, most if not all of them based on chess. Then, it must have become a running joke.
"So, think I'm queen yet?"
"Don't get too cocky, Kaitlin. Just because you seem to be winning now doesn't mean you'll actually win."
"What's my heart feel like though, Skye?"
He snorted. "Like you're being overconfident."
"Fine. Be that way."
"I am being that way."
She laughed and watched him make his move, analyzing her own possible choices of what to do, taking her time. He sat back, knowing it would be a while. "Maybe in a couple years you'll be on my level."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. No promises, though."
Come to think of things, that might have been their last conversation. He died two weeks later, in a car crash.
For a while, chess lost it's appeal, enough that she believed she would never play again. Kaitlin threw herself into other hobbies- horseback riding, soccer, even simple schoolwork. Though she hated her new timespenders, they kept her busy, kept her from remembering.
It didn't last long. She got a new board, her lovely wooden one, and again aimed for the top, though her top was quite different than most chess players would expect. Most players aimed to win tournaments, or play professionally. Kaitlin played to be the queen, even if she wasn't exactly sure what that meant.
In the present, her stomach seemed to cringe, as if it, too, were thinking far too much. She sighed and headed downstairs. It was quiet in the house, no laughing or talking or joking as usual.
She slumped into a chair silently. She was in the awkward place between tired and alert; she had gotten much less than her usual amount of sleep between staying up late the night before and waking early from the odd dream only minutes ago. She did not feel tired enough to justify a nap, nor awake enough to try to do anything. It was a bother, almost stupidly so.
She closed her eyes. If sleep wanted to come, it would come; if it didn't, it didn't.
It did.
"Asterisk, I'm telling you, it's time."
The young woman with the short black hair frowned. "Yes, yes, I know. What I don't know is why you're bringing this up today."
"You can feel it. You know."
Asterisk held an arm out, and her adviser took to it with ease, hanging upside down gently and stretching long black wings before continuing. "Within the last week, someone's heart has reached the proper conditions to become Pretty Cure. And with the way things have gone..."
"Yes, yes, Nathan, I know." Asterisk began listing things off, holding up fingers as she spoke. "The White King piece has been destroyed by Xerxat so he could take the throne. I hold one Queen, and Purity has the other. And the Castles have been missing since god-knows-when. I bet the pirates have them."
"I wouldn't jump to that conclusion, but..."
She interrupted the small bat. "So the only piece that is still in play, but isn't active, is the Black King piece."
"Correct."
"No way in hell am I giving a new Precure Olympiad's piece."
Nathan frowned. "It was never his piece, and you know this. It was simply the piece he used."
"What's the difference?"
"There will always be new Precure- like there is now, for instance- and there are only so many pieces in play. Especially now."
Asterisk grumbled.
"A new partner wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it? It would give the Black Kingdom hope again. Besides, you know better than anyone that one Precure alone can't defeat Xerxat."
"Maybe two isn't such a hot idea either."
"Asterisk..." Nathan pleaded. "Cure Brilliancy..."
She shook him off her arm, and he flapped his wings furiously, trying to stay in the air. "I told you not to call me Cure Brilliancy anymore! I told you that two years ago!"
"I simply thought if you had a new partner, you might want to go back to..."
"No. Call me Cure Jet or Asterisk or Ast or Queen Asterisk or something else, but I am not Cure Brilliancy."
Nathan landed on a nearby table. "Fine. Shall I send someone out?"
"You're not going yourself?"
"My duty is to you. There are others who can do the same things I can."
"Fine. Who's going?"
"You'll like her. She's quite young, but very determined. Her name is Catlin... and forgive me, my queen, but she's there already."
"Catlin? What kind of a name is Catlin?"
"Kaitlin!"
The sixteen year old girl woke to her mother shaking her lightly. "What? I- huh?"
"Dinner's ready."
"Oh..."
Sluggishly, Kaitlin got up, checking the clock out of habit. It was later than she would have expected; she must have been more tired than she knew. As if on cue, she yawned deeply.
A fluffy, furry bundle of brown snuggled against her, and Kaitlin picked up the kitten and held her close. The cat didn't seem to mind, allowing the young woman to pet her and examine the odd tortoiseshell markings that dotted her fur, seemingly at random, bar in one place. Right on the cat's tiny forehead, her markings looked vaguely like the top of a king piece in chess. The mark made Kaitlin, normally not much of a cat person (or a pet person in general), extremely fond of the clumsy little cat.
"Hey, Catlin," Kaitlin said as she scratched the cat's ears softly.
Her mother laughed. "Have you finally accepted her name, then? And to think it only took a week."
"I'm still not sure whether to be charmed or offended."
"She seems like a Catlin. It feels like that's what she's supposed to be named."
"Mom, you say that about everything and everyone."
"Perhaps. Ready to eat?"
"Yeah."
"You feel her presence?"
"Yeah. She must be here."
"Far away. The White Kingdom. And, if I'm not mistaken, she hasn't moved for the past six days."
Asterisk sighed and raked a hand through her short hair, then pet Nathan thoughtfully with the same hand. "Erin has her, I bet. Well, better go get her. Alert the castle, prepare to leave and... and bring the Black King piece."
"Yes, of course."
"Erin?"
The young woman looked up from her papers and forms, her hand immediately going to the engraved pendant that lay on her desk. "Asterisk," she said, not letting any emotion creep into her voice.
Sure enough, the young woman who slipped in was her old friend and counterpart, though she looked quite different than Erin was used to seeing her. Normally, she met the girl in her Cure form, whatever she chose to call it nowadays. There, her hair was windswept and red, her small body shielded by a red and black dress, armor only in the vaguest sense of the world.
In her civilian form, Asterisk was even smaller than she was as a Cure warrior, with black hair that was more messy than everything, and a similarly dark outfit. Though she was dressed in pants and a regal long sleeved shirt rather than a frilly frock, she seemed less intimidating. Erin smiled a little and took her hand off the pendant. "So," she asked, "to what do I owe the honor?"
"Nathan seems to think you got your hands on a girl with Cure potential? Or a boy," she hastened to add. "I'm not picky."
"Oh, believe me, I know."
"Jeez, Erin. Of all the things I didn't think I'd hear from you today..."
She smiled slightly and snorted delicately. "Anyways, yes. A girl with love in her heart found her way into the heart of the White Kingdom, so I may have detained her for a while. I knew you would come for her eventually, Ast."
"Yeah. Here I am. So... are you going to hand her over to me?"
"That depends."
"On...?"
"What you can hand over to me in return."
Ast sighed. "Isn't my eternal gratitude enough?"
"Not at this time. Maybe a few years ago, but we're past that, I believe. No, what I want is the Black King piece."
"Whoa!" Ast objected. "Without the piece, she can't become Precure, so what's even the point of a rescue mission?"
"Who's to say she can't? The Castles are still technically in play, even if they are missing. I'm sure if you put the Black Kingdom to it, they could find one. Then you have your new Cure, and she doesn't even have to really be your partner. Isn't that what you want?"
"I don't know the last time there was a Castle Cure. Even I'm not that sure of my luck." Asterisk frowned. "Why do you want the piece, anyway?"
"Acquiring the Black King piece means one less rogue Cure I have to deal with." Erin shrugged. "I'm sure you understand. It's nothing against you or the new girl."
Asterisk frowned, hair flopping messily over her dark eyes. "If I agree to give you the piece, you'll let her go?"
"Of course."
"You let her out first. Just so I can be sure you aren't lying."
"And how am I to be sure you aren't?" Erin questioned, raising one of her pale eyebrows.
Asterisk grinned, leaning forward and pulling a necklace out from under her shirt. Jet black, with a symbol that was composed of thin ovals and a single heart engraved into it, it dangled on a black silk cord. "Because I've got love in my heart. I'm a warrior for all that's good and all that jazz."
Erin raised her own pendant. Though the same symbol was carved into it, the strange substance it was made of was ivory white, paler than the woman's own skin. "Under that logic, this deal should work out just fine."
"So you'll release her?"
"If you agree to the terms, then yes."
"Great." Ast smiled mischievously. "I agree."
Kaitlin bounced a small white dream pebble off the pristine dream cell walls, catching it as it flew back to her. She'd never been athletic. Chess had always been her preferred game. However, six days in a prison, dream or not, was working wonders for her hand-eye coordination.
A small 'click' echoed in through the chamber, and she turned to see the door opening. Standing there were two women, one small and one tall. The smaller, darker one looked cocky and playful; the taller one, stern and familiar. Kaitlin frowned as it clicked- she had indeed seen that woman before, in the first night of her dream.
The monster loomed over the city clad almost entirely in white, and though the people around Kaitlin looked afraid, they did not look surprised. It was almost as though this was an expected occurrence. Perhaps, she reflected, it was.
"Desperado!" it roared, flapping oversized wings that crashed into the buildings, shattering windows and causing stones to fall off and onto the ground. Talons scratched at the pavement of the road beneath it, and now people were running away, scared. Kaitlin should have run too, but it was only a dream, and anyway, there was a girl running towards the beast now.
Pale blue hair flew in the breeze that she made as she jumped from building to building with strength, grace, and speed that shouldn't be possible. Her white dress, accented in the same color as her hair, also billowed gracefully, and she wore a cheerful smile on her face as she approached the thing.
"The fair and beautiful warrior, Cure Purity!" she announced, before holding out her hand. A large, frilly wand appeared in it, topped in a design that reminded Kaitlin of a particularly lovely looking queen piece in a chess game. It glowed brightly; Kaitlin could see the brilliance even from a few blocks away, where she was.
The girl hit the monster with the wand, and it roared in objection, swiping at her. She moved deftly out of the way, jumping up, going so high that Kaitlin could barely believe it.
As she fell back down, she raised her wand high. "Precure!" she called, "Heartpiece Capture!"
As light came pouring out from the frills and lace of the weapon, the monster let out one more weak roar of "Desperado!" before disintegrating.
Cure Purity picked something up from where the monster had stood and tucked it into her pocket. Then, she looked around. After a moment, her gaze landed on Kaitlin. The... what was she? A magical girl?Yes, a magical girl... stepped forward. "What are you doing here still? The streets are to be cleared for battles."
"Uh..." Kaitlin stumbled over her words. "I didn't know... sorry."
Purity frowned. "You didn't know? How could you not know? Did you hit your head?"
"No, I didn't hit my head. I just didn't know."
"Hmmm. You clearly have no idea what you're doing." Was it that obvious? "Come along with me and I'll take you somewhere safer."
"I-it's fine..."
"Nonsense! I won't have a demented girl like you wandering about the city."
"I-I'm not demented..."
But Purity had taken Kaitlin's arm and was pulling her through the streets already. "Where are you taking me?" Kaitlin asked weakly, unsure what to do.
"The White Castle, where I live. I'll have my medics look over you."
"The castle? There really is no need for that, is there?"
"Of course there is! I am the White Kingdom's only Pretty Cure warrior, and one of only two known Precure in the entire world. I have a duty to look after my people, and whether or not you acknowledge the fact, that includes you."
"Thank you," Kaitlin said uneasily as they turned a corner and found themselves at the castle gates.
Purity waved her off. "No need for thanks. In return, I want you to tell me something."
Kaitlin nodded for her to continue, feeling quite worn-out and overwhelmed.
"Do you possess a piece?"
Kaitlin frowned. "A piece of what?"
"Huh," Purity sighed, "Very interesting. Very unexpected. I suppose this is best, however. It's easier to keep you from getting a piece than it is to capture one that has already been bound."
"What?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to lock you up. It is, after all, for the good of my people."
Seemingly from nowhere, guards appeared, taking Kaitlin by the arms. She opened her mouth in protest, but no words came out, and she let them lead her through the immaculate, incredible courtyard and into the castle proper. The group marched through the entrance hall, where servants moved quickly and fluidly, through halls and halls full of doors. Finally, near to what Kaitlin assumed to be the very back of the castle, they stopped at a door. The guards pushed her into the room it led into roughly.
As the door slammed behind her, the last thing she saw was Purity, looking at her coldly and speculatively.
"So, it turns out I was right," Purity said coolly. "You do, in fact, have the heart of a Precure warrior, untainted by a heartpiece. Luckily for you, the queen of the Black Kingdom has agreed to trade your possibility for your life."
Kaitlin blinked. "What?"
"I'm sure she will explain it to you. Please, come out of the cell now so we can close this deal."
Tentatively, Kaitlin stepped out of the small room and into the white hall where the women stood. Purity nodded. "There," she said. "Now, Asterisk, give me the piece."
The darker woman... Asterisk? Was that even a name?... reached into a pocket in her shirt and pulled out a small pendant with a strange symbol engraved on it. Purity stepped forward, as if to take it, when Asterisk smiled suddenly.
"Hey, kid," she said. "Catch."
And suddenly, the pendant was flying at Kaitlin. Her eyes widened as she raised her hands to her face, protecting her rather delicate eyes and nose from the projectile.
Her eyes widened farther as her fingers curled over the smooth stone that the thing was made of, and she blinked, impressed with herself. Six days bouncing a stone off a prison wall apparently made a difference when it counted.
Purity frowned. "This was not part of the deal, Asterisk."
"Like you didn't know it was coming."
"I thought you said I could trust you- what was that about goodness and light, love in your heart?"
Asterisk snorted. "By that logic, you'd be just as honorable."
"Fine. Never mind then." Purity turned to Kaitlin. "Give me the piece or I'll be forced to resort to drastic measures."
"Wait," Asterisk frowned, "You can't mean you'd summon a Desperado in your own castle?"
"I will do whatever it takes to acquire the Black King piece. If that means destroying a part of my castle and one teenage girl, so be it." Purity sniffed and stared directly into Kaitlin's eyes. "I suggest you simply hand over the piece now. If you do, I'll spare your life, which is more than I should considering I have already been played once today."
Kaitlin looked down at her hands, still gripping the black pendant. She didn't know what was so important about it; it was pretty, but it didn't seem like much. "I-I..." she stuttered.
"Oh my god," Asterisk said, pushing past Purity to get to Kaitlin. "Hey kid, I'm really sorry for this, but I can't think of anything else to do."
"Huh?" said Kaitlin.
In answer, Asterisk raised her fist and smashed it onto Kaitlin's face.
She woke up in her bed, face aching and hands clutching the pendant that Purity and Asterisk argued over. The clock flashed 5:49 am in red digits that cast a soft glow upon everything, including the chessboard in the corner, and through the crack of her open door she saw another soft light in the hall. The door creaked as it opened slightly more, and Kaitlin watched Catlin enter. The girl patted her bed invitingly, shakily, and the kitten jumped up, purring.
"I just had the weirdest dream... only it wasn't a dream, cause now my face hurts and I have this thing, and..."
Kaitlin trailed off as Catlin walked matter-of-factually to the pendant and batted it away. "Hey!" she protested. "That's a... that's a something!"
"It's a piece," Catlin said, "and it's very powerful and very important that you bind it to you immediately-myu!"
"You talk! But... but... but you're a cat!"
Catlin meowed as though it was an affirmative answer. "What's your point?"
"You can't talk!"
"I just did-myu!"
"Oh," she said, rather daftly.
"Now, enough about whether I can talk or not-myu! You must bind the piece with the power of Pretty Cure, the power you must grant yourself!"
"Pretty Cure? Like that Purity girl?" Kaitlin shuddered.
"Not at all like Purity-myu! You're much better! Kaitlin, grab the piece and raise it to your heart. Then, repeat these words: 'Precure! Advance me-myu!'"
Kaitlin positioned the pendant over her heart. "Precure! Advance me-myu!"
Catlin swiped at Kaitlin with one paw. "No need to make fun of me-myu! Say the thing properly-myu!"
"O-oh," she stumbled. "Sorry. Uh, Precure! Advance me!"
The girl didn't know what she expected, but she definitely did not expect the necklace to glow.
Author's Note: Gain Tempo Precure, or GTPC, is a double fanseries based on the Pretty Cure franchise by Toei and the lovely original story D8 by Tonniwott on fictionpress (she also drew the cover image!). I have permission from Tonniwott to use her characters, situations, world, etc for this crossover of sorts (I say of sorts because absolutely no knowledge of D8 is required to understand GTPC. In fact, knowledge of D8 will spoil stuff, so if you're the impatient type (or even if you aren't) I recommend reading it. She is far better an author than I am).
Please enjoy and if you do (or don't), I would love to hear your comments!