Episode 2 – The Bursting Bubble
My name is Sakuya Iroha.
The sun shone through her blinds as her alarm clock beeped obnoxiously. A small hand slapped over the snooze button, and a girl with a messy magenta bedhead sat up on her bed. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she slowly turned out from under her sheets and slid her feet into her slippers. She walked to her dresser, looking down at a small pink cellular phone with a pentagram star within a heart in the center, and she smiled.
And I am a Pretty Cure.
After putting on her Tokugawa Academy uniform, she brushed her hair in front of her mirror and tied them to their normal twin tail style. She then took her bag and opened the door to the hallway and the stairs.
A few days ago, a friend and I were attacked by a strange monster called an Akumajin, summoned by an enforcer of the rumored Yokubuzoku. That is when I awakened to my power and became a Pretty Cure.
"Good morning!" Iroha chimed happily.
"Yo!" called out a familiar, yet unexpected voice. Iroha rolled down the stairs and in front of the dining room, buttocks up. She knew that voice well, but she wasn't expecting a morning like this. The voice belonged to her classmate, Aoba Tomoyo, who was eating breakfast made by Iroha's mother. "About time you got out. It's rude to keep your guests waiting, you know."
"Well, excuse me, but isn't it rude to just come into someone's house uninvited?!" Iroha yelled, flailing her arms about. "Why are you here?! Why are you eating our breakfast?!"
"Well…" The blue-haired girl turned to a plate of eggs and held them up. "I rushed out to meet up with you, but I hadn't taken consideration of the time. So I was hungry, and your mom let me in." She then proceeded to shovel the eggs down her mouth like a human garbage disposal. Iroha lowered her head and slapped her palm onto her face.
This is Aoba Tomoyo. She is my classmate at Tokugawa Academy. And…she was there when I became a Pretty Cure, so she knows my secret identity. She is a huge fan of the Pretty Cure, so for the last few days, she's been trying to hound me for information. I told her I don't know anything, but I don't think on a topic like this, she won't take no for an answer…
"What's all the noise?" asked another voice coming from the stairs. It was Iroha's older sister, Seika, who had just awoken earlier than she normally does. She opened her eyes a bit and saw Tomoyo at the table. 'She is…' she thought to herself.
"Oh, good morning, onee-chan," Iroha smiled and began to push her sister to the table. "You're up early today."
"Well, I can't sleep if you're the one yelling," Seika yawned as she took her seat next to Tomoyo. "You must be Iroha-chan's friend. Tomoyo-san, was it?"
Tomoyo put down her plate and nodded energetically. "Yup! Aoba Tomoyo!"
'Aoba…I see,' Seika thought to herself again and shook Tomoyo's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Tomoyo-san. I'm sorry for all the trouble my sister has caused you."
"O-Onee-chan!" Iroha blushed as she took her seat.
"Oh, Iroha's no trouble at all. She's very nice and cool and kind! You must've raised her diligently!"
Seika looked at Tomoyo after her response and smiled warmly. "Thank you…please, continue taking care of Iroha-chan for us."
Iroha turned away, beet red as they continued their exchanges. 'I'm right here, you know,' she thought to herself embarassed.
"We're off!" Iroha called out from the door.
"Okay, have a good day, you three!" her and Seika's mother answered back as the two of them plus Tomoyo headed down the school path.
The three of them talked about many things, mostly how their first week at Tokugawa Academy had been. With Seika in high school, Tomoyo was learning many things about the other high schools around the Etsukyou area. She was interested in Seika's deep hobby of reading and was amazed that she can read and speak in English. But at the normal intersection, Seika bid her farewell to her sister and her friend as she watch them cross the street. Seika looked at Tomoyo and smiled, saying to herself, "She's grown up…" and turned to the other path.
"Hey, hey," Tomoyo whispered as the she and Iroha were closer to the crowd of Tokugawa Academy students, "so now that it's just the two of us, why don't you tell me more about the Pretty Cure?"
"I said I don't know anything," Iroha huffed. "I really don't. I haven't even transformed since that day."
"Well…what about that woman who gave it to you?"
Iroha paused for a bit, trying to remember the woman with long platinum blonde hair. She had encountered her at school when transferred over, and once again later that day. But she never saw her again. Did she really work at that school? Or was she an elusive staff member hiding secrets? What connection did she have with the Pretty Cure? "I really don't know what to tell you," she sighed. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this person…why me of all people? I don't even know anything about the Pretty Cure from three…years ago…"
Tomoyo watched Iroha daze of at that point, as if she was lost in a fog. "Hey, Iroha? Are you okay?"
Iroha was slow to respond, but she snapped back to reality a bit later. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. I was just…thinking."
"That's right, you said you can't remember anything from three years ago…" Tomoyo rubbed her chin and contemplated for a bit. "Hm…maybe you were a Pretty Cure back then, but you lost your powers and you don't remember…but that doesn't make sense, since rumors state there were only two Pretty Cure…"
"Hey, you shouldn't be thinking about it too much," Iroha chuckled. "You'll hurt yourself. Besides, I really don't know what else to tell you. You're the first person who's ever told me anything about the Pretty Cure."
"You're right…it's been days and you haven't supplied me with the information I needed…" Tomoyo's eyes lit up and she leaned into Iroha's space, holding up her hand to Iroha's mouth like she was holding a microphone or a tape recorder. "Then answer me this! What was it like being a Pretty Cure? Where did all your power come from? How did you know what to do?!"
Iroha began to sweat from this sudden attention and panicked. "S-Stop it!" she yelled and pushed Tomoyo away from her. Tomoyo fell back on her buttocks, her bag falling and the contents spilling out. Among them was a container of bubble soap that children played with. "I-I'm sorry!" Iroha apologized as she began to gather the rest of Tomoyo's things. But as she reached for the bubble container, Tomoyo quickly reacted.
"Don't touch it!" she screamed and grabbed it, clutching it close to her chest as her back was against the wall. She breathed heavily as she glared at Iroha, protecting the container. The other students that were passing by looked at the two of them as Iroha felt guiltier. She put Tomoyo's things into her bag and passed it to her.
"I-I'm sorry…" she muttered and headed on to school ahead.
Tomoyo watched her go as she held on to both her bag and the bubble container. She grit her teeth and knocked the bottom of her fist against the wall behind her.
"Not again…I did it again…"
During class, Iroha took her notes as one of her classmates began to try and read a passage in English. She tried to turn her head behind her to see if Tomoyo was doing anything.
Tomoyo was pretending to write notes, but all she was doing was slowly scribbling over the same space with her pencil until the area darkened. She let out a small sigh, but as she looked up and saw Iroha taking a glance at her, Tomoyo looked away out the window.
Iroha felt rejected and turned back to her notes, feeling a heavy pain in her chest. Unbeknownst to her, Ran was watching them.
"Do you have a minute?" Ran asked as Iroha took out her lunch box from her desk. She was accompanied by Yumi, as usual.
Iroha looked up in a daze, but she nodded silently. Ran and Yumi took their seats from their desks and brought them over.
"You seem down. Are you okay?" Yumi inquired. "Normally, you're chipper than this."
"Ah…well…" Iroha looked at her lunch box and untied it slowly. "…It's nothing, really."
"It's Aoba, isn't it?" Ran stated. "I saw the way you were looking at her. You also did not come with her to school this morning." Iroha didn't say anything back. "…Has she been bothering you with anything?"
"B-Bothering? No!" Iroha quickly retorted. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just…well…"
"It's okay, Iroha-chan." Yumi placed her hand on top of Iroha's. "We understand. After all, the two us grew up with Tomoyo-chan."
Iroha looked up at the two. "R-Really? I mean…so…you know then?"
Ran sighed as she opened her lunchbox. "Aoba has a fixation on Pretty Cure, but also with other things. When she gets excited, she becomes so hyper that it's hard for others to keep up. She never had a lot of friends as a result."
Iroha paused as she remembered how excited Tomoyo was the last few days, especially this morning when she was interrogating her. It was highly unusual, but she could see it now. But the way Ran had put it was a little… "So…are you two friends with her out of pity?"
Yumi stopped eating and laughed a little. Ran let out a small chuckle. "Pity? Oh no, nothing like that!"
"We became friends with her because we understand how she feels." Ran smiled as she turned to Iroha. "You too, right? Something you are so passionate about that you would give even your soul for."
"My, Shoukusari-san, how romantic!" Yumi laughed.
Iroha thought about it and smiled as she looked at the empty desk behind her. "Yeah…I kind of do…"
As the spring wind blew the clouds in front of the sun, Tomoyo sat in its shade on the roof of the school. She had her lunchbox sitting at her side, still tied up in its cloth, and her container of bubble soap in her hands. She stared at the tiled concrete floor and sighed heavily. As she closed her eyes, she remembered some haunting memories.
"Sorry, Aoba, but you're weird when you get excited. It's kind of scary." A younger Tomoyo watched her classmates walk away from her when they were supposed to play together years ago.
"Did you hear? Aoba is obsessed with the Pretty Cure!" "No way, really? That's so weird!" "It's not like she'd ever be one, anyway!" Tomoyo in elementary school could hear her classmates talk about her within earshot and put her dreams down. She slumped down on her desk and placed her face inside her arms.
"Excuse me, Aoba-san?" Tomoyo looked up at the voice talking to her. It was a green-haired girl and her pale-blonde companion, who were also classmates. "Will you tell us more about these Pretty Cure?" Tomoyo, who had tears in her eyes but had been trying to hide them bit her bottom lip and nodded.
"Aoba-san…" Tomoyo looked up and found herself on the roof of her school again. She looked up to find Iroha standing over her as she closed the door behind her. She pushed her skirt under her and sat by Tomoyo on the other side of the door. "I was wondering where you were."
"What do you want…" Tomoyo coldly asked, turning back to the floor.
"Nothing. I was worried about you."
"I appreciate the concern, but you don't need to worry about me…" She slowly closed her eyes. "I can handle it. I've always handled it for years…"
Iroha looked at Tomoyo and smiled. "My grandma owns a greenhouse in Kanto," she said as she looked ahead of her. "When my family and I went to visit, she would always show me all the new flowers she grew. It was a public place, so everyone always came by to help water or feed the plants. And when they saw how colorful and pretty they were, they would be happy, as if all their troubles were blown away. Grandma says that by sowing the seeds of happiness to others, we can spread happiness around the world, like a garden."
"Isn't that your dream?" Tomoyo asked.
"In a sense. That's why…I decided that when I grow up, I will own my own greenhouse. I will plant many different flowers, just like my grandmother. And I will give them to people, so they can continue to plant the seeds of happiness around the world. In our earth, and in our hearts."
"…Why are you telling me this?" The girl was puzzled why this person was telling her such irrelevant information.
Iroha placed her hand over her chest. "It's because I understand how you feel. To be obsessed with something to the point that people will think you're weird. They will shun you and make you feel worthless." As Tomoyo looked up at her, Iroha turned to her as well. "People used to make fun of my name because it was unusual. My sister loved to read, so she named me after the Iroha. It's a poem that uses each basic Japanese syllable once. At first, I used to hate my name for it, but when she taught it to me, I learned many things from it. I learned of her love and devotion to raising me. She made me happier than anyone ever had in my life, and I want to spread that happiness to many others."
Listening to Iroha, Tomoyo turned to her bubble container and held it up. "My brother…gave this to me. He is studying in America for psychology, so he sends me these once every year since he left."
"Why does he send you those?"
"When I was young, I used to be bullied for my hyperactivity. So he told me that if I blow these, it'll calm me down. He said that the bubbles I blow contain everything about me, from the good to the bad. And when they pop, they are dispelled. The things I love about me, the things I hate about me, I don't have to care about them anymore. It was so I can think clearly about what I want to say, and how to say them without scaring anyone. I used to think he also didn't like the way I acted. But…I know that deep down, he's worried about how lonely I am. But he's also telling me that the only way I can help myself is by making the change. So…"
Tomoyo twisted the cap and dipped it a couple of times. She then lifted the wand to her lips and blew. A few bubbles floated ahead of her, one by one. Iroha smiled wide as she crawled towards Tomoyo and the bubbles in wonder. "That pushiness, my weirdness…if I can just get over that and try to be someone people will like. But…the Pretty Cure are important to me because…they saved my life once. I was attacked by an Akumajin three years ago, and they rescued me. Ever since, I wanted to be just like them. I wanted to protect people like them. But everyone thought I'm just a weird girl and that I scare them away…" She bit her lower lip as her hands shook.
But Iroha reached out and held her hands gently. "You're not weird. You're passionate. And with passion, you can grab anything you want." She took Tomoyo's hand holding the wand and dipped it into the bubble soap. Then she lifted it to their mouths as she pressed her head against Tomoyo's. "The things we love about ourselves, the things we hate about ourselves. Let's put them all into this one bubble. And even when it pops, the friendship it symbolizes will always be forever." She smiled warmly. "Because we're both a couple of weirdos!"
Tears began to stream down Tomoyo's face as she turned to the wand. They both took a deep breath and blew into the wand. A larger bubble, bigger than the ones before, floated up into the air. "Oh my gosh! It's so huge!" Tomoyo gasped as she stood up. "I've never made one of these before! Iroha!"
As Iroha stood up, she embraced Tomoyo. "Thank you for being my friend…"
Tomoyo just stood there, both hands holding each bubble part. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around Iroha. "Thank you…I'm sorry…Thank you…"
Behind the door, Yumi wiped her tears as Ran pressed against the closed door with a soft smile on her face.
The day ended with the four girls leaving the school together. This time Iroha was in the lead, humming to herself.
Tomoyo looked at Iroha and sighed to herself. "I was completely caught in her pace," she muttered to herself.
"But when you say it like that, it doesn't sound like a bad thing," Yumi chimed. "In fact, you almost feel glad."
As Tomoyo looked up at Iroha, she remembered the few days they spent together. When she declared her dream to the entire class, when she willingly threw herself in the fray to protect her from the Akumajin, and when she accepted Tomoyo for who she was. There were few people in her life who have done that for her, such as Yumi and Ran. And even though she felt that she always annoyed the two of them, she had faith that Iroha wouldn't be like that. Because, as she said, she is also a "weirdo." "We're all weirdos, aren't we?"
"Hm? Did you say something?" Ran raised her eyebrow in response.
"No~thi~ng!" Tomoyo ran ahead and threw herself onto Iroha's back, the two laughing gleefully.
Ran looked at Yumi as her companion shrugged. "Hey, this is where we split up. Will you two be okay on your own?"
"No worries! I got a hero on my side!" Tomoyo grinned as she hung off Iroha's neck.
"T-Tomoyo!" Iroha blushed and waved her hands. "She's kidding! She's just high off of energy!"
Yumi giggled as she waved to the two of them and departed with Ran at the corner. She whispered to Ran, "They're on a first name basis. Why don't you try to be like that, Shoukusari-san?"
Ran cleared her throat as she blushed slightly. "I could say the same about you, Amagi…at least address me by my first name."
"Yes, yes…"
By the river bank, a boy from another high school sat on the grass with his hands on his head. He sighed woefully as he took out a paper. It seemed to be an exam, marked with a 72 in a red pen. "How did it come to this…" he droned. "I studied hard…but dad's not gonna like this. To him, I've already practically failed…" He then threw himself onto the grass. "Maybe I should just drop out and become a delinquent…school is just so hard and a waste of time…"
"What was that?"
The boy's eyes widened and scrambled onto his feet. Behind him was a young boy with a black vest over his skinny pale body, tight black pants, and a white turban around his braided silver hair, grinning devilishly. He held out a black lamp towards him. "You just want good grades, right? Make a wish with this. Knock out the competition."
"Knock out…the competition?" The boy reached out for the lamp and held it close.
"Go on. Give it a rub."
As if under a hypnotic suggestion, the boy rubbed the lamp, and black smoke began to envelop him. He screamed in horror and pain as a voice thundered over him, "Your desire…shall be GRANTED!"
Iroha and Tomoyo walked down the path along the river, laughing with each other as they conversed. "Really? So that's what Nakamura is like?"
"I mean, they have their own myth!" Iroha giggled to herself. "Like a demon? Really? The superstitions get really out of hand. I wonder how they're all doing…"
"You must've studied extremely hard to come here."
"Don't remind me. Seika would study with me night after night, and before I knew it, I was top of my class…I guess determination does that for you?"
"GUAAAAAGGGGH!"
The sudden cry on the riverbank disrupted their thoughts as they turned to the source. What they saw was a black fog isolated in a single space. "It can't be…" Iroha gasped.
In the fog, two strong arms emerged that blew away the smoke. The clawed arms belonged to a large black bear wearing a torn school uniform and a wearing what looks like a school gangster's cap. On its stomach was a single eye. "Ohhh, you're strong! You'll definitely 'knock out the competition' like that!" the turbaned boy cackled as the Akumajin roared.
"Tomoyo, stay back," Iroha said as she passed her bag to her friend.
"Wait! You're going to fight alone?!" Tomoyo exclaimed.
"There's not much we can do," she replied as she took her Lifeliner from her bag. "I have to stop it. Even if I'm doing it alone…"
"No! We're friends! I'll fight with you!" Iroha looked back at Tomoyo's determined face and nodded, and the two of them slid down the grass.
The boy turned around at the sound of their footsteps and grinned. "What's this? The Pretty Cure have arrived?"
Iroha pointed at the boy. "Y-Yokubuzoku, I'll stop your reign of terror here!"
The boy noticed Iroha's shaking legs and cackled. "Are you kidding? You can barely stand! Tell you what. I, the great Alibaba, will grant you mercy. Akumajin! Give them a swift death!" The Akumajin growled and sprinted towards the two on all fours as Iroha tried to open her Lifeliner.
"I got this…I got this!" she told herself. She found her hands held by Tomoyo's as her friend kept her still. "Thanks…" With her determination renewed, Iroha readied her thumb.
"PU! RI! KYU! A! SENDING NOW!" As a bright light filled the screen, Tomoyo took a few steps back. Iroha closed the phone, holding it over her head.
"LIVE ON! Pretty Cure!"
In the dark world that seemed boundless and void of any end, a bare Iroha, her body glowing in a pink light, descended upon a reflective surface. The minute her toe made contact, the reflective surface rippled like water; the dark world had changed rapidly. The darkened sky became a day blue as the reflective surface sprouted into a field of green covered with many flowers of different colors. The flowers burst into petals that surrounded Iroha as if in a dance.
Iroha raised her arms as the petals fluttered around her body. They made contact with the light from her torso, and a black vest formed, adorned with two golden heart-shaped buttons and frilled in the front. A white shirt had also sprouted from the inside, its shoulders puffing out. Her skirt next bloomed under the vest, shaping into short flower petals and completed with a white fluff underneath. As Iroha spread out her arms, the petals formed white gloves over her hands, completing them with black cufflinks.
She took a petal, pink in color, and bent over, touching her glowing legs with it. In an instant, from her foot to her thigh, she wore pink shoes with white petals on it over long black thigh-high socks. She ran her hands over her hair, and spread them out; her pink puffy twin tails twisted and bloomed into what looked like flowers, spread out at the very ends like petals. Her hair had also became a lighter pink than its usual magenta. The twin tails were completed with two white petal-shaped hair ties. Over her hairline, the petals formed a small flower crown made of azaleas that hung over her small bangs. Finally, two pink ribbons were attached onto her; one behind her tailbone, long and down to her calves, and one around her frilly collar, small and short like a bowtie. On the center of it was a heart-shaped brooch with a pentagram-styled star on the center.
She took the Lifeliner into her hand and ran it from the second bottom button to her right hip. It formed a long golden cord from the clip on its side, and when she tapped it onto her hip, a white pouch magically replaced it, held in place to her hip.
As she opened her pink eyes, Iroha finally rested her feet onto the field. She brought her arms upward, as if a ballet dancer would, and held her left palm under her brooch while her right arm extended, her feet shoulder width apart.
The Akumajin closed in on Iroha, who raised her arm as she blocked a swipe from its claw. Immediately, she thrust her fist forward towards the eye that sent it sliding back.
She raised her right hand with her index finger extended. "One!" She opened all of her fingers. "Ten!" She clenched her hand into a fist in the air. "A hundred!" She brought her hand to her chest and swiped it outward to the side. "A thousand!" At that instant, from the trees to the grass below, many flowers bloomed, all of which were azaleas. "Bloom, fields of green, and bring happiness to the world!" As she said this, she brought her arms together and spread them out from her body. She then clasped her too hands together tightly and brought them close to her chest. As she opened her hands, a single azalea flower bloomed. "Cure Azalea!"
"There she is…" Alibaba grumbled as he clenched his teeth. "The Pretty Cure who defeated me…Akumajin! Rip her to shreds!"
The Akumajin once more charged towards Cure Azalea, who in turn launched herself towards it. It raised its claw, but as she prepared to block, she felt a blow to her other side. She bounced off the grass as she gasped in pain.
"H-Hey!" Tomoyo yelled. "That's cheating!"
The Akumajin turned to Tomoyo and let out a sly grin. It then proceeded towards Cure Azalea. As she stood up, the Akumajin batted her away again. Petals flew from her position as she slid along the grass. Alibaba let out an obnoxious laugh. "This is what you get! I had to get a lashing at by my allies, and now I'm going to make you pay!"
"Stop it!" Tomoyo tried to run towards Cure Azalea, but she was stopped by a blade to her neck. Alibaba glared at her as his scimitar was pointed towards her.
"Don't ruin my fun, little girl," he growled. "I'm a bit annoyed. Why don't you run off, now? You can't do anything. You're not even a Pretty Cure. You're weak."
"Don't…" Cure Azalea struggled to stand up as she looked up at Alibaba and Tomoyo. "Don't touch her…don't you dare touch my friend!" All of a sudden, she felt a heavy force on her back. The Akumajin proceeded to stomp on her repeatedly. "Agh! Ghgk….Tomoyo! Run! Get away from here now!"
At the thought of running away, Tomoyo teared up. She was about to lose her new friend, someone she felt was closest to her. As she looked down at the sword, she stepped back. She bit her bottom lip and turned around, running up the hill and along the path.
"Ha ha…ha ha ha ha! You see that, Pretty Cure?! Your friend abandoned you!" The sight of it excited Alibaba. "This is what you get…when you mess with the Yokubuzoku!"
As Cure Azalea tried to push the Akumajin off her, she grinned weakly. "Y-You're wrong…she's far from abandoning me. I know...because she's more of a Pretty Cure than I would ever be!"
Tomoyo ran back the way they had come from, panting heavily. "Help…I need someone to help…" she said to herself as she tried to catch her breath. "No…I don't care if there's no other Pretty Cure! Police! Firemen! Someone!" As she turned the corner of a crossroad, she stopped at the site of a woman with long platinum blonde hair in front of her. She had a hand bag with three Lifeliners attached to the strap. "You…are you the…"
The woman looked at Tomoyo, as if she was scanning her. She then took a Lifeliner, one with a blue gem on the upper right point of the pentagram. After detaching it from the strap, she held it out to Tomoyo."Will you answer the call?" she asked her.
"Who are you?" Tomoyo hesitantly replied. "Iroha was looking for you…"
"That is not important right now. If you want to save her, will you answer the call?"
Tomoyo looked down at the Lifeliner. Slowly, her hand reached out for it, but as she held it in her palm, it began to ring. When she opened it, a familiar voice asked, "What is it you desire?" Her eyes widened as she gripped it tightly. She bit her bottom lip, and then clenched her teeth.
"My desire…what I want is…"
Cure Azalea laid limp on the ground as the Akumajin slowly removed its foot. "Is she dead?" Alibaba walked towards her, but she jumped up and socked a punch towards his face. He stumbled back, wiping the black blood from his lips. "You…"
"Heh…sorry, I'm a little persistent," Cure Azalea grinned, trying to keep herself up. "It'll take more than that to wilt this flower."
"I'll kill you, girl!"
"Not on my watch!"
Alibaba turned around to slash what was behind him, only to find his blade cut through a container of bubble soap. The soap splashed onto his eyes, and he let out a pained howl as he held his hands over them.
Cure Azalea looked up to see Tomoyo, her clothes disheveled and her face covered in sweat. She was panting heavily. "Tomoyo…"
"Iroha…this time…I'll be the one to protect you." Much to Cure Azalea's surprise, Tomoyo held out her Lifeliner. "My desire…is to protect everyone like my heroes have protected me! I will protect everyone!"
The phone was silent, but then it began to beep and replied, "Your desire…has been acknowledged. Please dial プリキュア and answer the call!"
At lightning speed, Tomoyo pressed the appropriate keys like a true texter. "PU! RI! KYU! A! SENDING NOW!" She then closed her Lifeliner and held it over her head.
"LIVE ON! Pretty Cure!"
In the dark world that seemed boundless and void of any end, a bare Tomoyo, her body glowing in a blue light, descended upon a reflective surface. The minute her toe made contact, the reflective surface rippled like water; the dark world had changed rapidly. She was immediately engulfed in blue water, surrounded by numerous bubbles. The bubbles danced around her as she waved her arms in dance.
Holding a bubble, she touched it against her wrist, and her round puffy cufflinks and wrist wraps formed on each wrist. She spun her arms around and spread them out. The bubbles covered her body, forming a black vest and a white dress shirt, her shoulders rounded and puffed. She then descended into a larger bubble that covered her lower region and formed a round bubble-shaped skirt. The bun on her hair unraveled as its color lightened. The ends of her hair were rounded and bouncy, and more bubbles wrapped around her hair to form a larger bun wrapped in pearls. She landed on top of two more bubbles that formed her shoes with two darker blue bubbles on the outer sides of her ankles. Finally, the round ribbons on her back and on her collar formed, a heart-shaped broach with a pentagram added with it. She reached out and created a crown from the bubbles and rested it on top of her head next to her bun.
She took her Lifeliner and spun it on her right index finger until she clasped it and clapped it onto her hip, forming a pouch and a chain connected to her vest's golden heart-shaped button that held it in place.
As she opened her eyes, Tomoyo connected her index and thumb together into a circle and blew into the hole, blowing many bubbles that danced around her. She spun and landed on one foot, raising the other behind her as she shot her fist in the air as a playful gesture.
As Alibaba's vision returned to him, his burning red eyes glared ahead of him. "No…no no no no NO!" He stomped on the ground and pointed at the new Pretty Cure in front of him. "Who do you think you are, little girl?!"
"Little girl? Maybe." She smiled as she opened one hand, releasing small bubbles. "Puku, puku, pop!" she called out as each bubble popped. She then jumped up and raised her other arm, spinning around and releasing bigger bubbles. "Boom, boom, BOP!" As she landed with her spinning arm down across her body and the other upward and outward, and her legs crossed, the bubbles behind her exploded like bombs. She then stood upward and held her hands together into a circle, one leg raised behind her, and her head tilted cutely. "Cure Bubble!"
"Puku…puku…what?!"
Cure Azalea blinked and smiled. "Tomoyo…"
"I don't care anymore! You've crossed with me for the last time, girl! Akumajin!"
The Akumajin walked away from the wounded Azalea and ran towards Cure Bubble. Once more, it raised its claw. But Cure Bubble jumped up and formed a circle with her hands. She blew into it, forming a bubble that enveloped her. The Akumajin swung at her, but it bounced off and it stumbled back. The bubble around her popped, but she took a deep breath as she held up one hand with her index finger and thumb connect. She began to blow into it, releasing many bubbles. As it connected with the Akumajin's chest, they began to explode like bombs.
"What?!" Alibaba gasped.
"Woah…that's actually kind of cool," Cure Azalea said to herself and readied her stance. As the Akumajin stumbled back, she pulled back her fist and jumped forward. She punched the bear square in the back that sent it flying towards Cure Bubble. "Do it!"
Once more, Cure Bubble held her two hands together into a circle. She blew a bigger bubble that slowly floated towards the Akumajin, and as it made contact, the explosion was much bigger than any of the ones before. The force was so strong that it sent Alibaba tumbling into the river.
"Finish it now, Cure Bubble!" Cure Azalea called out.
As Cure Bubble reached for her Lifeliner and flipped it open, it yelled, "You may now answer the call!" She pressed the Send key with her thumb, and the Lifeliner glowed a bright light that enveloped both of her hands. She jumped over the Akumajin and took in a deep breath. "Pretty Cure! Big Bang Bubble Burst!" She blew a large bubble that completely sealed the Akumajin in, raising it off the ground and into the air. As she landed away from it, she spun once and release a single, small bubble, posing with her hands together in a circle. The small bubble made contact with the larger bubble, causing a massive explosion that decimated the Akumajin.
It slowly floated down as it glowed a bright light. "How nice…" it hummed as its body disintegrated. The high school student was covered in a bubble that set him down gently until it made contact with the ground, popping and effectively dropping him.
Cure Bubble wiped the sweat from her brow as Cure Azalea ran up to her and hugged her in the air, swinging around her neck. "You were incredible!" she laughed until the two of them fell.
The sun began to set, and the two of them laid on the grass, staring up at the orange sky. The student was still sleeping. "You gonna wake him up?" Tomoyo asked.
"No, I think he's been through enough," Iroha shook her head with a smile. "I can't believe it. You're a Pretty Cure now…you've achieved your dream, Tomoyo."
Tomoyo looked at her friend, and then at the Lifeliner in her hand. "No…not yet. Not until Etsukyou is free of this evil." She then sat up, looking at the river. "But first things first…we have to find that woman…"
"That woman?" Iroha sat up as well and looked down at her Lifeliner. "That's right…we have a lot of questions that need to be answered…but until then, we're partners, right?"
"Totally!" As Tomoyo raised her fist towards Iroha, the other bumped her fist to hers.
In a dark castle surrounded by a blood red sky and a desolate and ominous mountain range, Alibaba was knocked down onto the ground. He was soaked to the bone from his river dive. "You failed me, Alibaba!" boomed a menacing and evil voice.
"I-I'm sorry, Master Diabolos!" Alibaba groveled. "But the Pretty Cure…there's more of them than the last time now! Their forces are growing…soon they will be-"
"Say something as blasphemous as what you are about to say, and I will see to it that you WILL cease to exist!" Threatened, Alibaba cowered into a prostrate, not raising his head. "Lilith…you will see to it that this…inconvenience is taken care of?"
A beautiful woman with short red hair, a very revealing outfit, and long devil wings took her whip and kissed the hilt. "I would LOVE to…It's been a while since I had the chance to stretch my legs, I thought I would get fat!" She chuckled to herself as she licked her lips, preparing to depart.
Later that night, the automatic doors to a department store opened, the bells chiming as Yumi walked out with a couple of bags around her arms. She hummed a sweet tune to herself as she walked down the street under the light of the lampposts. As she continued down the street, she passed a woman with long platinum blonde hair, who was walking the opposite direction. But the woman stopped and turned to her.
"Amagi Yumi," she called out to her, and the blonde curiously turned to her head. The woman held out a Lifeliner with a yellow gem on the lower left corner of the pentagram. "Will you answer the call?"