"Why did I get stuck working first?" Zoey complained, running back and forth to fill orders and clean tables. "Corina never does her fair share, but she's out on the first Mew Mew hunting shift!"

"Kiki and Bridget are with her," Renee reminded her. "They'll all have plenty of work to do once they get back."

Wesley emerged from the kitchens and walked over to them. "Girls, I have some bad news," he said in low tones. "The other Mew Mews ran into a powerful Predasite at the county fair, and they need your help to defeat it. Don't worry; Elliot and I will take care of things here and close up early if we have to."

"We're on it," Zoey said firmly. She and Renee raced to the back rooms to change, and then they sped outside, in the direction of the fair.

Pai appeared with Taruto and was about to ask Kisshu what was taking him so long when he recognized the prone figure on the ground. "You baka… What have you done?!" he shouted, shoving Kisshu out of the way and causing him to tumble to the ground. Pai soared down to Rosalyn, brushing a hand against her cold, pale cheek. "Give it back to her. Now."

Kisshu hesitated, confused and offended. This was pretty much the most emotion Pai had ever shown, and he didn't know what to do about it. "Well, I… I can't retrieve the spirit until the Predasite is defeated."

"Then defeat it," Pai growled. Taken aback, Kisshu brushed himself off and stood up.

"What for?"

Pai ignored him and flew towards the nearby battle, where the Mew Mews were having a rough time. Taruto gaped at Pai, and then glanced at Kisshu, shrugging, before following Pai. Kisshu tilted his head, confused, before chasing after them.

"This is seriously the strongest Predasite we've ever fought!" Zoey grunted, shielding Kiki and herself from a blow with her Strawberry Bell. "How the heck are we supposed to defeat it?"

"We try harder," Renee said firmly, lashing out at the creature with her whip of violet light. The Predasite, a huge female humanoid with insect eyes and feelers, and thick wings like a grasshopper, shrieked and batted its fuzzy legs at her. Corina fired an arrow that the creature's exoskeleton easily deflected, and Bridget sent out a wave of water that only got it a little wet.

"We've got company," Renee shouted, pointing up at the sky. A tall figure sped towards them in the air, followed closely by two smaller ones.

"Aerial Tempest!" Pai yelled, pointing his fan-style weapons. Zoey braced herself for the attack- but the whirlwind of electricity hit the Predasite instead of her.

"Uh, I think you missed!" Kiki taunted, holding up her tambourine to attack him.

Pai ignored her and continued to battle the Predasite. Confused, the girls paused for a moment before assisting him in battle.

"And just what do you two want?" Corina shouted up at Kisshu and Taruto.

"We're just here to watch the fun," Kisshu assured her, smirking. Taruto made a face at Kiki, who turned red and made an even worse face at him.

Thanks to a combination of the Mew Mews' strength and Pai's assistance, the Predasite was soon defeated. R2000 floated up to the Predasite virus and eliminated it, while Pai seized the spirit and raced back over to where Rosalyn lay nearby.

He knelt down and lifted her limp body in his arm, gently pushing the spirit into her chest. Some color returned to her cheeks, but she still wasn't moving. "What… What's wrong?" Pai whispered, feeling for her pulse. There was no response. "Wake up. Please, wake up…"

The Mew Mews all looked on in sad silence- they didn't know exactly what was going on, but clearly, Pai somehow cared about this girl, for some reason.

"Zoey, teammate alert! Teammate alert!" R2 said quietly to Zoey.

"Are you sure?" Zoey whispered. She stared down at the girl.

A red car came screeching towards them, and Elliot darted out while it was still moving. "I came as fast as I could." He was holding an injection gun.

Wesley got out of the car after parking it. "Our scanners had a fix on your location, and the readings were picking up six Mew Mews. They also fixated on a final Red Data animal match, whose DNA we were able to collect a sample of before coming here."

Elliot started towards Rosalyn, but Pai shielded her from him. "Stay away," he ordered firmly. "I won't let you hurt her."

"Infusing her with this animal's DNA may be the only way to save her," Elliot said in a clipped tone. "Mew Mews' immune systems and physical strength are boosted upon infusion. It may also jumpstart her heart, but we have to act fast…" Pai glared at him before nodding once, while still cradling Rosalyn. Elliot knelt and injected her left forearm, directly in one of the thicker veins. A tense moment followed, while everyone watched with bated breath.

Finally, Rosalyn's chest shivered slightly as she took a small breath, and then began breathing normally. Pai could feel her heart beating again, and he sighed, a single tear splashing onto the ground. He clenched his teeth, silently daring anyone to point it out, but no one was stupid enough to do so.

"You'll have to let us take her back to the lab, if she's to make a full recovery," Elliot said in what was probably the softest tone of voice he had ever used. Pai stood, picking Rosalyn up as if she were the lightest thing in the world. He touched her hand softly before handing her over to Elliot. As he did so, her fingers squeezed his ever so slightly, as if she were comforting him.

Pai stood, motionless, as the Mew Mews and the two guys left. Kisshu and Taruto decided it would be best not to bother him, so they teleported away. After a while, Pai turned to go, noticing a wrinkled, stepped-on paper on the ground. He picked it up and unrolled it.

Rosalyn stirred, slowly regaining consciousness. She flexed her fingers, reaching for something that seemed to be missing. Then she opened her eyes.

She was in a small room with pink walls, on a simple white bed. The place was furnished cutely, but sparsely; and she figured that it was a spare bedroom of some sort.

"Ah! You're awake," said a gentle male voice. "My name is Wesley J. Coolridge the III." Wesley brought a tray with a cup of tea, a small bowl of soup, and a little puff pastry over to her, setting it on the nightstand beside the bed. "May I ask what your name is?"

"Rosalyn… Rosalyn Spinelli," she replied, remembering her manners. "Where am I?"

"You're at Café Mew Mew," he said, pulling up a chair to sit next to her bed. "Don't worry; you're safe here. Rosalyn, how much do you remember?"

Her eyebrows drew together. "Um…" It all came back to her in a rush. "Oh! Oh…" Rosalyn held her head in her hands. "That boy, with the ears… He…"

"It's all right," Wesley assured her. "He's gone now. Rosalyn, I'm part of a team of individuals involved with the Mew Project. Our goal is to defend the world from dangers like the Cyniclons. They tried to use you as a part of their plan to take over the Earth, but we were able to stop them and save you by infusing the DNA of an endangered Red Data animal with yours. So far, there are five other girls like you, who are able to transform into superheroes called Mew Mews."

"Wait… So you're saying I'm part animal now?" Rosalyn asked, confused.

"Kind of. Here, this will explain it better. Are you feeling well enough to stand?"

"I think so." Rosalyn got out of the bed, relieved to discover that she was dressed in a modest pair of pajamas that probably belonged to one of the girls Wesley had mentioned. She accepted the pretty golden pendant he handed her, and she instantly began to transform.

In a whirl of colors and light, her clothes switched to a black mini dress with detached puffy black sleeves and a flared skirt. Black gloves appeared on her hands. Her hair became a bright copper instead of its usual light brown, and little black antennae sprouted from the top of her head. Black butterfly wings with rainbow patterns upon them unfolded from her back, and a black garter encircled her left thigh. Her eyes, normally grey, turned a bright silvery color.

"This is unreal," Rosalyn breathed, looking down at her gloves. "I have… wings." She flexed the new muscles in her back, and the butterfly wings fluttered lightly.

"You look simply marvelous," Wesley praised her. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." Rosalyn realized the constant pounding in her head was gone. The aching in her joints was gone, too, and she hadn't coughed even once since waking up. "I feel better than ever. How is that possible?"

"The infusion of the Luzon Peacock Butterfly genes improved your strength, speed, immune system, and overall health," Wesley explained. "In a way, becoming a Mew Mew saved your life."

"Huh…" Rosalyn sat down on the bed, trying to process all of the new information that had been thrown at her. "Um, how do I… de-transform?"

"I wanna see her already," Kiki complained as the Mew Mews waited for Wesley and Rosalyn to emerge from the spare bedroom. "What are they even doing in there?"

"Wesley's explaining the Mew project to Rosalyn," Bridget told her. "I'm sure we'll get to see her soon enough."

"Yes; and while we wait, someone should sweep up the floors in the café area. They're a complete mess," Corina said from where she sat, sipping a cup of tea.

"Grr… Why don't you do it yourself?" Zoey began. Just then, Wesley walked out, followed by Rosalyn. She was wearing her regular clothes, and looked much healthier than she had before. In fact, she looked pretty- her hair was shiny and curly in its auburn ponytail, and her skin was glowing with health. Rosalyn's grey eyes seemed a little shy, but they were bright, and her cheeks were rosy.

"Wowee!" Kiki exclaimed, bounding over to her. "Hiya, newest teammate!"

"Hello," Rosalyn replied, smiling. "Um, thanks for saving me, everyone."

"It was our pleasure!" Zoey insisted. Elliot entered the room, carrying a garment box. "Here's your uniform," he said, handing it to Rosalyn. "I know it may seem a little early to ask you to start working; but if you feel up to it, we could use your help. The line outside the café is half a mile long."

"Oh- all right. I don't mind." Rosalyn went to change in the restroom, and came out quickly, wearing her new yellow café uniform.

"She looks great!" Kiki shouted. "Ooh, you're even skinnier and prettier than Corina. You're like a shorter version of Renee, but with brown hair and tanner skin."

Corina's neck flushed, but she took another calm sip of tea.

"We'd better go open up," Renee said, leading the Mew Mews to the other room. Elliot tapped Zoey's arm before she left.

"I want you to keep an eye on Rosalyn," he told her quietly. "If she starts working too hard, make sure she takes a break. She seems to be fully recovered, but we can't be too careful."

"Right. You can count on me!"

"Oh, and Zoey…"

"Yes?"

"Get to work already."

At the end of the day, the girls started cleaning up. Renee, Corina, Bridget, and Kiki all left as soon as they were finished, but Rosalyn and Zoey lingered for a little while.

"How did you like your first day, Rosalyn?" Zoey asked cheerfully as she put her uniform away in her locker.

"Oh, it was really nice," Rosalyn said, a little distantly. "I'm glad I finally have a job that pays well enough. And everyone seems pretty cool."

"Good! I'm glad," Zoey said, smiling. "Will you get home all right, or do you want me to walk with you?"

"No, I'll be fine. I don't live far, and it's still pretty early." Rosalyn waved goodbye and left, walking with a spring in her step. Her light smile faded when she got to the front door of her apartment. There was a sign on it that read:

This is your three-day eviction notice.

[A/N: What do you think so far? Let me know in a review :)]