Hi again! I hope you like this next chapter!
Kupi: Lady Angelheart warns you that this chapter will be somewhat talkative.
Angelheart: Ah! Kupi! When did you get here?
Kupi: Just now. Your sister said you might need a muse, considering you just got braces and all...
Angelheart: I'll go thank my sister. Meanwhile, the rest of you, enjoy this chapter!
Kupi: Lady owns nothing.
A friend.
That's what he said.
Berry didn't know if that was true of not, but he was very handsome. Berry wanted to be friends with him…He was the living image of what she thought Tasuku would look like when he grew up… Wait, why was she thinking about this anyway?
"Berry. I need you to listen to me."
"I'm listening…"
"You probably won't believe this, but you can beat that thing."
"You're right. I don't believe it."
"You're not listening. You need to transform. You can win."
"How do I—Look out!"
The man quickly dodged the attack.
"You must believe." Said the mysterious man, "Take this. You're going to need it to beat that monster. I'm counting on you."
The monster whipped its tail around to strike. Berry nimbly leaped out of its way.
"Why do I keep doing that?" Yelled the girl as she sailed through the air and landed. In all the confusion, the man disappeared.
Berry looked at the pendant in her hand, "He told me to believe. But what do I believe in?"
The monster prepared to storm on her. Beatrice could jump out of the way again… but what if it didn't work? What would she do then?
"Berry, remember. This is my most important lesson. Believe in yourself. No matter what, you must believe in yourself. Do that, because your heart will never fail you."
"…Your heart will never fail you…"
The warm feeling from her heart came to her.
"Okay, mom."
The creature charged.
"I'll fight with my heart."
Berry jumped.
"Berry metamorphosis!"
In an instant, Berry could feel a strange feeling overcome her. It was like whatever she was becoming was there all along.
Her ears changed. She grew a tail.
So that wasn't a dream, after all. She really was a Mew Mew.
"Oh." She thought in the midst of all this, "So that's what that mark meant."
And there she was.
She wasn't just Berry.
She was Mew Berry.
"Why do you attack me? Do you assault on your own? Or did someone put you up to this?"
The beast only growled.
Mew Berry smiled, "Either way, we can't have you causing trouble, can we?"
She leaped off her post and entered battle. The creature roared.
I hear it… It's got a surprise…
Mew Berry hopped just as a large set of jaws sank into the ground under her. Landing gracefully on its head, she turned around and prepared to strike its weak spot—the back of its skull.
"You attack defenseless girls? Then you have to be punished. For the sake of protecting hearts everywhere, I must give it all I got!"
Mew Berry needed a weapon. She couldn't beat it with her bare hands. And the words came.
"Berry Baton!"
A slender rod appeared out of the air. Mew Berry spun it around before she prepared to attack.
"Ribbon: LoveBerry Blast!"
The monster was gone in a burst of pale pink light.
Berry slowly came back to earth… both figuratively and literally.
"Whoa… Did… I…just do that?"
Berry took a good look at herself. It wasn't gloves she was wearing, but cuffs like her uniform. Her boots were familiar, too. They had a rounded toe and stopped at her ankle. The whole outfit looked and felt a lot like her school uniform. No wonder she felt so at home wearing this.
"That was excellent, Berry!"
Berry turned around. There was the man that gave the pendent.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? How do you know my name?"
"Oh boy… How are we gonna explain this, Keiichiro?"
Berry turned around sharply.
"Hey… You're the blond guy I landed on when I went to that café!"
"Uh-huh. The name's Ryou. And you are the product of our newest project. Congratulations."
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?? I don't understand what you just said! I just know that I turned into a Mew Mew!"
The handsome known as Keiichiro spoke up. "Yes, that's what happened. You see, my dear, when you came to the café, you were injected with animal DNA much like the other mews were."
Berry quickly found the bench she was sitting at before. "Wait, slow down. Animal genes were planted in me? And this is how the other mews became mews?"
"Yes. They, too, were given animal genes."
"So what kind of DNA do I have?"
"You, my dear," said Keiichiro," are the very first mew to have two different kinds of genes in your DNA. The Amami Rabbit is your main animal. You may have noticed your body becoming rabbit-like."
"Would that be the reason for my hearing, jumping, and cravings?"
"Yep. The other mews all had similar happenings. All the way down to their own cravings." Said Keiichiro
"Your second animal is the Andean Mountain Cat. You won't get near as many sensory issues with cats but you do get a few of its good points. Like improved balance." Finished Ryou.
Berry stood up upon realizing something. "So all this happened because I randomly walked in on an experiment!?"
"Yep. Pretty much." Replied them both in unison.
Keiichiro smiled. "We were all very lucky that it was you. It's hard to find people matching one animal, let alone two."
"Even if one animal matched, if the other didn't, the transformation would have gone terribly wrong. Consider yourself lucky."
"Berry! Where are you?"
Berry's eyes widened when she realized who it was. "Oh, no! Tasuku!"
Another shock came when she noticed she was still in mew form. "What do I do? If Tasuku sees my like this…"
"Relax." Said Keiichiro. "All you have to do is concentrate on returning to normal and you will."
Suddenly, the ears and tail were gone. The outfit was replaced with her uniform. The rod was gone into thin air.
"See? You better get going now." Said Keiichiro.
Ryou had an opinion for this, too. "Yeah, you wouldn't want your boyfriend to think you're doing something unpure."
"Whaaaaaaaaaaatt!?"
"Oh, there you are! Berry!"
Said person turned around awkwardly, "Hi Tasuku! What are you doing here?"
"You weren't on the train. So… I came to pick you up! Aren't I nice?"
"Very nice… Wait, my train came in already? An hour went by?"
"Yep."
"Wow. The time went by fast… Uh, why were you waiting at the station, anyway?"
"You're pretty scatterbrained if you forget that. Remember this morning? My punishment for scaring everybody was walking you home."
Berry's eyes widened. How could she forget that?
"But! Back to the real point!" Tasuku yelled.
"What's the 'real point'?" Berry asked, fearing the answer, but smiling nonetheless.
"Since I'm such a good guy… How about a hug?" he didn't wait for a response.
Berry didn't wait either. "Nice try. Too bad it didn't work."
"Oh, you're such an ice queen!"
"I don't know about that. But I do make a pretty good snow cone!"
Tasuku laughed. "Hahahaha. Oh yeah! We should get to the station. If we hurry, we just might make the next train. Let's go, my princess!"
Berry grinned. "Lead on, my prince!"
Angelheart: Sorry if that was short... but I felt like a moment like this needed a chapter all it's own. Oww...
Kupi: Braces bugging you?
Angelheart: You could say that, yes... I can't bite anything hard without my teeth biting back...
Kupi: Please reveiw. Send some light into Lady's dark times.
Angelheart: You sound just like my sister, the drama queen...