CHAPTER ONE - Not To Fear! Cure Hope is Here!
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Argh," Mina moaned as the 7 O'clock alarm buzzed. It was the first day back from the summer holidays; Mina was dreading to see Fujimoto-san (a.k.a. Fattobotomu-san) but was going to enjoy seeing new students and her old friends, Emi and Hisa.
"Mina-chan," Mina's mum called from the kitchen, "it's breakfast!"
"Hai, I'm coming!" Mina swapped her silk pink floral pyjamas for her navy and white school uniform. She tied her magenta hair in a side ponytail held with two baby pink ribbons, she smiled at herself. No one could stop this day from getting better.
"Mina-chan!"
"Emi-chan! Hisa-chan!" Mina, Hisa and Emi hugged like penguins gathering for warmth in a winter blizzard. It seemed to Mina like she hadn't seen her friends for a century, but it was much shorter than that! Emi had been hiking and exploring in the Rocky Mountains in Canada whilst Hisa had gone to Thailand and done some scuba diving! Even though she stayed in Japan, Mina couldn't wait to tell her friends her adventures in Tokyo such as climbing Mt Fuji-san and visiting so many manga and anime museums that she felt like such a guru at the topic.
"Mina-chan," Emi whispered in a low tone, Mina knew in an instant that there was trouble to come, "apparently Fujimoto-san's son is coming at our school, and… he's in our year!" Oh no, Mina thought bad pictures of a spotty, geeky boy were coming up in her head, it was bad enough having Fujimoto-san but her son?! She was worrying over if she had to sit next to him for the next term and if he started liking her, and then they became boyfriend and girlfriend, and then they would get married!
"Mina-chan! Mina-chan?" Hisa called, "Let's go come on!" Mina snapped back into reality, the bell for first period had rung. Mina ran after her friends, just as they were entering Class. Mina edged over to her seat but was relieved to see no geeky boy sitting next to her, but more of a cutey! He had very dark eyes and mattered dark brown hair and he was tanned, very tanned.
"Hi," Mina managed to say, "I'm Mina Iswasaki!" The boy next to her blinked for a second and, after a pause, politely held his hand out for a shake.
"… Ko Fujimoto." Mina thought she couldn't hear properly! Was this boy's name actually Ko Fujimoto? He looked nothing like her mother! She was short and rotund and he was tall and slim. She had spots on her nose and chin and he had none but maybe a few freckles. And most of all, she was just ugly and he was actually good looking!
"Might I ask if your mum is Fujimoto-san, our teacher?" Mina asked just to make sure he was related to her.
"Yes, I am. But I'm not actually related to her, she's not my biological mother. You might say I'm…"
"Adopted?" Mina butted in, she could now understand. But one more question popped into her head, why?
"Yeah I guess so." Suddenly the ground was shaking; the bells rang at the sound of an earthquake. It gave Mina a quick panic attack, but Osaka did have earthquakes and Mina did millions of practicing at school but she was still scared. Her class in an instant ducked under the desks for protection, Mina covered my hands over my face and kept her eyes shut tightly the entire time. She could feel herself rocking to and fro like a baby in a cradle or a boat in a stormy sea. Books tumbled from the shelves and thudded onto the floor. In another sudden movement the entire school fell still, it was over.
The school bells rang for the end of the day. Flocks of students fled the school, buzzing with gossip about the earthquake in the morning earlier on. Mina was always the last person to leave school but this time it was Ko who was as well.
"Sayōnara Mina-chan," he then paused for a minute after, "O-daijini!" He exclaimed. Mina blushed; she was friends with him already? And why add "take care"?
"Baibai!" She shouted back anyway. He was so polite! Mina found she had a spring in her step as she walked home; it wasn't such a long way back to her home. She lived in Apartment No. 14 on the 16th floor in the second building of the three which surrounded a traditional Japanese courtyard garden. She entered the super-fast lift which zoomed her to the 16th floor, on unlocking the door she found her brother playing on the PS3.
"Tadaima!" She shouted so her brother could here very clearly. He turned round to see his sister.
"Ane! Ane! Wasn't that earthquake epic?" Mina's brother rushed over to her with beady eyes.
"Not really," Mina replied, "where were you?"
"At home, dummy. Where else would I be?" He slumped back onto the sofa.
"Um, what about school?"
"Don't go back this week," He replied lazily, Mina looked around, "she's gone shopping." Mina's brother had read her mind. Mina told her brother to stay there and not move a budge as she went to the nearest market she could find. But there was no sign of her, she looked in every nook and cranny she could find, still no sign.
"Where could she possibly be?" Mina asked herself. Suddenly Mina was hearing a strange whining noise; Mina rushed over to where she could here the whining. She hadn't checked this alleyway yet, it was dark and very thin. Mina was a little chostrophobic but she seemed to edge her way in very slowly. There, at the end of the alleyway was a small plush polar bear like teddy, it stared at her warmly, and then it blinked. Wait, what? Mina rubbed her eyes a few times; it blinked again it's eyes growing bigger every time.
"Huh?" Mina picked up the 'polar bear' and held eye-to-eye with hers.
"It's an obli!" The 'polar bear' jumped out of Mina's hand and onto the ground.
"Did you just walk and talk?" Mina felt like an idiot. Of course it did, stupid, you just saw it. She thought.
"Wait your not an obli, are you -topu?" It asked Mina.
"Um, no," Mina said querily.
"Good, now hide me -topu!" The 'polar bear' then darted into Mina's hot pink satchel for cover.
"So what are you hiding from?" Mina asked.
"An obli, they look a bit like elves but human sized," 'Polar bear' looked around as I walked out of the alleyway, "if they find me they'll ask where the pretty cure are and I'm not allowed to tell them -topu."
"Wait, Pretty Cure?"
"Yes, Pretty Cure, the legendary guardians who protect the Earth!"
"Ok…" Topaz and Mina walked silently around, Mina was still trying to find her mum but it wasn't exactly working now that she had found Topaz.
"Right, time to cause some chaos," The dark figure rubbed his hands together in excitement, "won't give any information Topaz? Well then it's on!"
People were screaming now as the 10-metre fish monster rose out from the ground. Mina stepped back in panic; never would she think she would encounter this.
"Oblikon!" Topaz shouted at Mina. She stepped back as the monster scanned the area.
"Is this one of Obli's weapons?" She asked Topaz, she nodded in response. In lightening speed the monster darted towards them. Mina knew she wouldn't be able to get out the way quickly enough so she sheltered Topaz in her satchel and turned away from the monster waiting for it to strike her.
Nothing.
Mina couldn't feel anything, so she carefully and slowly opened her eyes. Pink glitter surrounded her. Am I in heaven? She thought. Then out of nowhere, Topaz appeared with a beaming smile on her face.
"You're a Pretty Cure! You're a Pretty Cure -topu!" She sang. Maybe this strange, unbelievable character that Topaz made up was true, "Now take this!" A heart-shaped pendant fell from above and landed onto Mina's cupped hands. It was light pink with a gold lining around it with a little gold logo on the front.
"I can't believe this!" Mina whispered to herself.
"And shout 'Forever Hope Pendant Unlock!'" Mina nodded thoughtfully revising the words and thinking of how to say it.
"DO IT!" Topaz said urgently.
"Forever Hope, pendant unlock!" Mina shouted out with passion. In an instant pink swirling energy surrounded her body she twirled around and stopped when a pink, strapless dress with a white frilly petticoat and gold lining sparkled through. She then jumped up as more pink energy circled around her hands and then feet, and as if on cue light pink above the knee boots appeared with more gold lining and matching gloves. Her ponytail then doubled in size and headgear came with it. With words coming to her mouth she called out: "The light that will always shine in darkness! Cure Hope!"
If you haven't noticed already there are some japanese in this story as it is based in Osaka, Japan. So, if you don't know what they mean here's a quick translation:
Hai = Yes
Fattobotomu = Fat bottom
Sayōnara = Goodbye
O-daijini = Take care of yourself
Baibai = Bye bye
Tadaima = I'm back
Ane = Older sister
Also, in Japan if you add -san on the end of a name it means (Ms, Mrs, Mr and in this case it's Ms Fujimoto) and -chan is used for a child or close friend.
