Fateful Meeting
"So this is Cantus, capital of Major Land," Erika remarked. "It's loud, but I expected something more."
Unaccustomed to crowded locations, Tsubomi attempted to shrink behind Erika, to limited success seeing how she was taller than the blue-haired girl. "Is this place supposed to be special?"
"I have no idea," Erika said. "I've been to Palmier before, and I can barely tell any differences between either of them."
"Clearly you need glasses," Coffret said. "Look closely, and I'm sure you'll notice a common theme."
Upon closer inspection, they did notice something interesting. The entire city was covered in music. Pictures of notes or musical clefs were painted everywhere, from the buildings to the signs to the ground. They passed over a section that was painted like a piano, which Erika took great joy hopping on and around.
The people were just as music obsessed as the city itself. Around every corner someone was playing a violin, a trumpet, a guitar, and plenty of other instruments that none of them recognized. Small crowds gathered around any group of players on a whim to watch. Usually there was excitement and cheering, though some older folks spared no criticism if they saw an avenue for improvement.
Erika attempted to plug her ears, and while it did lessen the sound, she could not block it. "This place is way too loud. How does anyone sleep in this place?"
Coffret covered his ears in a similar fashion. "I'm beginning to wonder that myself."
Tsubomi began quickening her pace. The incongruent music was giving her headaches. Constant loud noises made her wish she could return to her quiet, peaceful garden. "Let's try and find somewhere quiet." Erika and Coffret grunted in agreement, making Tsubomi halt and look around. "Where's Chypre?"
They spotted Chypre some ways back dancing in the air to the tune of a triangle. Erika rushed back and grabbed her. "Hey, don't worry Tsubomi. She's gonna have a panic attack if you disappear."
Chypre seemed confused. "Oh come on, she can handle herself for a bit." When they caught up Chypre asked, "Tsubomi, you can handle yourself for a bit, right?"
Tsubomi hesitated for a moment before answering. "L-Let's just try to stick together."
"Yeah, I'd need to be able to fly in order to figure this place out," Erika proclaimed. "Wait, can we do that?"
"Maybe?" Tsubomi said, unsure of the answer.
The more time Tsubomi was around her, the less she understood Erika Kurumi. The girl was wild, doing whatever caught her fancy on a whim. She had no sense of shame, acting in ways Tsubomi wouldn't be caught dead doing. Erika casually asked for directions to the nearest café like it was the simplest thing in the world. Tsubomi shrunk back whenever someone waved at her. Erika knew as little as this place as Tsubomi did, yet she didn't act nervous at all.
Tsubomi was unsure if this was normal behavior or if it was just unique to Erika. Either way, she hoped this meant Erika would do most of the talking for them.
Once they made their way into a café, things quieted down. There was still music playing, a soft relaxing tune played by an odd cello fairy, but it was small enough to relieve Tsubomi of her headache. When they looked at the menu, Tsubomi realized she had no idea what any of the options were. Most of the items seemed to be named after some musical pun. Flower puns would've been fine with her, but she knew little about music.
Neither did Erika, and she wanted to know all her options. "So what's this? And this? This sounds tasty, but what is it exactly?" She kept the waiter busy for five minutes getting details of everything that caught her eye. In the end Erika went for natural minuet tea while Tsubomi simply got water. The fairies shared an orange juice.
Once they were nearly done, Erika asked, "So what do you think of the big city? Quite a bit different from Kibougahana isn't it?"
"I suppose," Tsubomi said. "It's kind of overwhelming."
"Well I suppose if you've never been to these kinds of places it would be. Remind me to tell you the story of when I got lost in Muret later. Anyway, these people are crazy. I understand liking music, but these people are way too obsessed if you ask me. Can't they think of anything other than music?"
For some reason that last comment stung Tsubomi. "Isn't that too harsh a term? It may seem like a lot, but they seem really passionate about music here."
"Sure, but there's a limit of how much of one thing you can take before you get bored," Erika said. "But fine, obsessed is the wrong word. How about fixated?"
"You're missing the point," Coffret said. "Not everyone likes the same things you do."
"Shut it, we're talking," Erika said. Her voice was becoming clearer, as the outside music was quieting. "So what do you think of their fashion? It looks spiffy to me, but unrefined. I bet I could give them some tips."
Now Tsubomi had no idea how to answer. "I don't know anything about clothes."
Erika slammed her hands onto the table. "What? How could a girl not care about fashion? That's something all of us love, a deep bond all of us share."
"Itsuki has sort of diluted what she thinks girls wear," Chypre said.
"Excuses," Erika said. "The first chance we get, you and I are going on a window shopping tour to find the best Major Land has to offer."
Tsubomi was deliberating whether she should say she had no interest in clothes when she noticed something odd. All outside music had stopped, and the café's other patrons seemed just as confused. Now that everything had quieted down, even Erika noticed the lack of noise. "Huh, looks like they finally came to their senses."
"Something isn't right here," Coffret said. He and Chypre flew outside to see if there was any commotion going on.
One loud crashing sound later the fairies scrambled back inside. "There's some giant monster running amok outside!" Chypre yelled.
Erika frowned. "What kind of giant monster?"
"The kind that goes around causing all sorts of destruction," Coffret said. "Now let's get far away from it."
Erika grabbed him before he could get far. "Hold on, isn't this our kind of thing now? Pretty Cure is supposed to take these guys out."
"No offense," Coffret said, "but you really have no idea how to fight. You just got lucky the first two times. Leave this to the authorities."
"Nonsense," Erika remarked. "We've got this. Right Tsubomi?"
Tsubomi wanted to agree with Coffret, but the way Erika stood up with confidence, ready to take on any challenge standing in front of her, made her heart race. Erika wanted to do this and had no qualms about her capabilities. If Erika was willing to head straight into battle, then so was she.
"It can't hurt to help," Tsubomi said. Chypre and Coffret stared at her in shock.
Erika flashed her a thumbs up. "That's the spirit. Let's show them what a pair of heroes of justice can do when they put their minds to it."
Running outside, the two stood side by side in the streets. Instead of music, all they heard was screaming along with the occasional roar to accompany the fearful people. They caught a glimpse of the monster as it leaped into the air before coming down onto a nicer building. Tsubomi and Erika nodded towards each other and brought out their Heart Perfumes.
"Pretty Cure Open My Heart!" This time the pink and blue lights shining from them intertwined as they transformed simultaneously.
"The flower that spreads throughout the land, Cure Blossom!"
"The flower that flutters by the ocean winds, Cure Marine!"
Together they posed triumphantly, and Blossom suddenly felt a surge of energy and confidence coming from within. She knew she had the ability to do something.
Marine glanced around the empty street in disappointment. "Still no applause. I really need to fix that someday. Let's take him out!" she called out, running straight towards the monster. Blossom didn't hesitate to follow behind her.
The wrecked building the monster had plowed into was a museum containing countless instruments, most of which seemed to be antiques. This creature bore no resemblance to the Desertrians they had fought before aside from size. Its body was in the shape of a violin, but on its neck was a yellow ball with large eyes. It was stuffing everything valuable it could get its hands on into a sack. A man wearing a black jacket was standing in a corner. He was probably attempting to avoid attracting its attention, Blossom reasoned.
"Hey big guy!" Marine yelled. "Come over here right now, or face the music!" She giggled to herself. "Get it?"
"Not funny," Coffret grumbled.
The monster turned to the girls and roared, "Hoshina!" It took a tight hold of its sack and immediately started to run in the opposite direction, plowing through a wall to get outside.
Blossom looked at the wreckage. No one seemed to be hurt thankfully, though the man had an odd frown on his face. The building was spectacularly ruined. "Did we win?"
"Not until I say we do," Marine said, cracking her knuckles. Breaking out into a run, she gave chase to the monster. Blossom brought up the rear, and they emerged outside where a few people could see them.
The Hoshina was fast for creature its size, but it couldn't outpace the Cures. Marine got under it and kicked it straight upward into the sky. Blossom matched its altitude, brought back her arm, and punched it as hard she could make herself hit, which wasn't all that hard. The Hoshina landed on top of a building, unsteady, but on its feet.
Blossom and Marine landed on the same roof. "I don't have the strength to hurt it," Blossom mumbled.
"Sure you do," Marine said. "You just need some conviction. Try calling out the name of your attack before you do it. That'll get you pumped up, like this." She leaped towards the Hoshina shouting, "Marine Slam!"
With its free hand the giant violin plucked one of its strings, sending out a wave of music that pierced their ears. Blossom covered her ears in an attempt to block the pain, but Marine was too close to cover herself, and she ended up headbutting the monster, only knocking it back. Rubbing her head Marine moaned, "Okay, not the best plan ever."
The monster started to turn tail again. "Oh no you don't," Marine said. Naturally it didn't listen as it started hopping across rooftops. Marine was in pursuit. "Get back here! Stand still for a minute! Listen to me! I said listen to me! You're just some dumb monster, so do as I say or prepare to face my wrath!"
The creature finally slowed down when a pink blur heavily slammed into it, causing it to tumble into the streets while the contents of its bag spilled out onto the roof. At the same time, Marine barely avoided getting caved into the roof by a white figure. Both figures joined together at the edge of the rooftop. Marine glanced at the fist sized hole at the location she was just at. "That was close." Her attention then shifted to the two newcomers.
The taller of the two had pink hair styled into twin tails, decorated by a pink ribbon. Her midriff-revealing costume had so many frills on it that Marine didn't even know where to begin. The second girl had long curly blonde hair, and a white ribbon adorned her hair. Her costume was all white, featuring only a few less frills than the other girl's costume. Marine found both of them excellent costumes, if inferior to her own.
"Playing the wild rhythm, Cure Melody!"
"Playing the tranquil melody, Cure Rhythm!"
Marine was awestruck by their appearance. Everything about them, from their appearance to their announcement, made them look like professional Pretty Cures who knew what they were doing. Why, there was even a deep singing voice playing in the background just as they showed up.
Rhythm turned towards the source of the sound. "Bassdrum, stop singing and get to work!"
Looking over the monster, Melody sighed. "Jeez, there just had to be an attack when we had a good beat going." She stretched her arms out in a warm-up pose. "Let's clean this up quickly."
"Not just the monster," Rhythm said, glaring at Marine. "We also need to take out its controller."
Marine pointed at herself, confused. "Are you talking about me?"
Melody glanced towards the blue Cure. "You sure about that? She doesn't look like the type."
"She was shouting orders at it," Rhythm said. "Trust me, I know what I heard."
"Yeah well, I think we should focus on the big guy first."
"If we want to make sure this doesn't happen again, then we can't let her escape."
Melody and Rhythm were now glaring at each other's eyes. Marine slowly backed up. "Er, I think this is all just one big misunderstanding. Can't we just talk this out?" Neither Major Land Cure listened to her. "Maybe my sister was right about my mouth."
Four odd looking fairies flew to the bickering Cures. The orange one got in between them. "This isn't the place to be fighting each other. Save it for later."
Both Cures turned away from each other. "Fine then," Melody grumbled. "We'll take them both down." Rhythm nodded aggressively.
Raising up her hands, Marine said, "Seriously this isn't what it looks like. Even though that would be pretty cool, but that's not what's going on."
Melody and Rhythm suddenly moved simultaneously in different directions. Melody leaped down to confront the recovering Hoshina, while Rhythm launched herself at Marine. Striking quickly, Rhythm hit Marine square in the chest, sending her flying away. Marine landed on her feet on the ground below and barely dodged getting crushed by Rhythm. Spotting a crowd some distance away, Marine dashed towards it in an attempt to lose Rhythm, who remained hot on her tail.
From above Blossom, Chypre, and Coffret stared at the scene Marine and Rhythm were making, unsure of what to make with it. "Should I go help her?" Blossom asked. Their attention was interrupted when they heard the ugly noise again, followed by Melody being tossed away from the Hoshina. "Or should I go there?" On one hand, the monster was still threatening people. On the other hand, Marine needed her help.
Coffret sighed. "You go deal with the bad guy. I'll go see what she's gotten herself into." The blue fairy flew off to join his partner.
Blossom rushed off to the monster and leaped down to strike it from above. Remembering Marine's advice she yelled, "Blossom Kick!" Slamming down on the Hoshina, she caused it to collapse face first. Her attack felt stronger, and Blossom herself was filled with even more energy following her attack. Perhaps there was merit in shouting after all.
"Behind you Blossom!" Chypre called out. Turning around, Blossom narrowly ducked out of the way of a sword swinging right at her head. She quickly put some distance between herself and her new assailant, a large man a massive green beard wielding a sharp, shiny sword.
Bassdrum stepped forward. "You look suspicious. I'm bringing you in." He continued swiping at Blossom, who kept backing up. Now she was just confused. Did he think she had something to do with the monster? Actually, that would explain why that other Cure was attacking Marine.
"Excuse me," she stammered out quietly. "You're making a mistake. I'm trying to fight that thing." Bassdrum either didn't listen or didn't care as he lunged forward. Gulping, Blossom jumped straight up into the air, and too late she realized she was going to come down right on top of Bassdrum.
Might as well knock him out then. She twisted herself around while falling straight down and tried to figure out what part of her body was going to hit him. "Blossom Butt Punch!" Her rear end collided with the Musketeer, dropping him to the ground as she sat on him. "Sorry sorry sorry," she repeated.
The air was suddenly filled with that awful music again, bringing Blossom to her knees just as she was getting up. The monster violin was playing in front of her. Before it went on too long however, Melody swooped in from behind, knocking it down while she landed near Blossom. "I'm getting real tired of that thing making a mockery of our music."
Then Melody noticed Blossom next to her. "Hey, are you involved with this guy at all?"
Blossom looked at her in relief. Finally someone wasn't attacking her at first glance. "N-No," she said meekly.
"Good enough for me." Melody saw the Hoshina get back on two feet. "Damn it, I need time. Can you stop its music for a moment?" she asked Blossom.
"Sure, I guess."
Melody nodded in affirmation. "Get to it then. Get ready Miry," she said to the orange Fairy Tone floating next to her.
As Melody and the Hoshina prepared their attacks, Blossom rushed forwards. This was her chance to do something useful. Just as the violin was about to pluck its string again, Blossom grabbed onto the string, and summoning all her strength, she managed to rip it out. The Hoshina tried to go for another string, but Blossom grabbed its hand and held on tight.
"All right move it!" Melody yelled. "Miracle Belltier! Come here, Miry!" The Fairy Tone entered the pink stick with double-sided handbells in Melody's hands. An orange light shined around Melody as she drew her Belltier in a circle. "Come out, Tone Ring! Pretty Cure, Music Rondo!" As Blossom dove out of the way, an orange energy ring shot out at the Hoshina, surrounding it. "3/4 Beat! 1, 2, 3! Finale!" The Hoshina promptly exploded, leaving nothing except a broken violin behind.
Blossom stared at the destruction Melody caused. The monster was gone, but there wasn't a trace of her attack left elsewhere. She had to have excellent control in order for that to happen.
Melody walked over to Blossom and offered her hand. "Nice work. Now we just need to take care of our friends."
Rhythm had her Fantastic Belltier out, poised to strike down Marine, but she couldn't get a clear shot. Marine was clumsy, unable to lose Rhythm even in a crowd, but she was also quick on her feet, darting from side to side between shops and dodging everyone in her path. Rhythm wanted to take down the blue rascal before she got any funny ideas.
Coffret wasn't as fast as Marine, but since he was flying he didn't need to dodge anything, so he was able to catch up to her. "What have you gotten yourself into?"
"That crazy girl started attacking me for no good reason," Marine huffed.
"Now I wander why she did that."
"Not helping. How am I supposed to get her to stop?"
"Running always makes you look worse," Coffret said. "Stop and maybe you'll be able to sort things out."
Skidding to a halt, Marine suddenly turned around to face Rhythm. Oh she had an idea to sort things out all right. Rhythm was still moving fast, so she was unable to avoid the fist flying towards her face. She was however, able to catch Marine's arm before it could hit anything. Marine promptly headbutted Rhythm in her nose. Rhythm flinched, and then planted herself into the ground and flipped Marine over her head, throwing her backwards. Marine landed with a thud on her back.
The coast was clear, and Marine was finally still. Rhythm readied her Belltier. "You've been such a pain. Come here, Fary!" The yellow Fairy Tone inserted itself into the Belltier, and Rhythm drew it in a circle. "Come out, Tone Ring! Pretty Cure, Music Rondo!" A yellow ring shot out straight for Marine.
Melody intercepted the attack, grasping the ring in place and holding it back. As soon as Rhythm realized what was going on, she lowered her Belltier, dissipating the Tone Ring. "Melody, what's going on?"
"They're not our enemies," Melody said. "I'm not sure how they got caught up in this, but they weren't the source of the monster."
"Well it's about time somebody understood that!" Marine shouted. Melody glared down at her. "Er, thanks for the save by the way."
Blossom came in from behind and pulled Marine up. "She didn't hurt you did she?"
"Hurt me? She tried to blow me up. Why if I get the chance…" Marine started to imagine what kinds of horrible punishments she could dish out.
"W-Well that's all in the past now isn't it?" Blossom said in an attempt to placate her.
"So who are you two anyway?" Melody asked. "You look like Pretty Cure, but none that I know of."
"About time somebody asked," Marine declared. "I am the beautiful and devious Cure Marine, the greatest Cure in all of history."
Before the blue Cure could continue her tirade, Blossom pulled her back, and Coffret covered her mouth. "I'm Cure Blossom. We're here in place of Cure Flower to listen to the Grand Concert. We're both new at this, so please take care of us."
"In place of Cure Flower?" Rhythm's face turned to worry for a moment, but it brightened up a moment later. "Well then, my apologies for anything we might've done to offend you."
"You mean what you did," Melody mumbled.
Rhythm decided to ignore that comment. "Since you're here to see the concert, we should get you settled as soon as possible. Welcome to Major Land. If there's anything you need, please tell us."
Major Land had not been what Blossom expected. The city was crowded, the music was almost overbearing, and it didn't appear to be any safer than home. Still, these two Cures looked like they knew what they were doing. She didn't want to be a Pretty Cure, but since she was one she should try to get some advice from experts, she decided. And perhaps she would be able to enjoy herself here. Smiling she said, "I'm excited to hear what you have."
"Stand tall and focus your stance," Mana suggested. "You'll look better and be able to respond faster."
Nodding, Cure Happy straightened herself and began punching the air in front of her. "One two. One two. One two."
"Place your thumb outside your fist, not inside. That will keep your thumb safer." Happy adjusted her fists accordingly and continued her practice.
Sitting on Mana's head, Sharuru said, "It's nice of you to teach her Mana."
"I consider it a favor from one Cure to another," Mana said to her pink fairy. The duel between Beauty and Sword was set to begin soon, and since they had some time Miyuki had asked Mana for some tips. Mana had no problem with it of course. They may be from separate kingdoms, but as Pretty Cure they all were fighting the good fight. "Alright, now try it on me."
"Okay," Happy said quickly. "Wait, really?"
"It's better to practice on a target," Mana said. Sharuru flew off as Mana readied herself. Happy hesitated. "Don't worry about a thing."
"If you say so." Happy jabbed at Mana slowly, who barely had to turn her head to avoid the attacks.
"Do it for real," Mana said. Refocusing, Happy sped up her attacks, forcing Mana to start moving back and actively dodging, yet Happy was unable to land even a glancing blow. After a minute Mana reached up and grabbed both of Happy's arms, holding them in place. "All right, that's enough for now."
When Mana let her go, Happy detransformed. "You kept up with me even when untransformed. How did you do that?" Her expression was mixed with curiosity and awe.
"I guess it just comes naturally to me," Mana answered. "It doesn't matter whether I'm Cure Heart or not; I'm still going to give it my all for everything." She placed her hand on Miyuki's shoulder. "You may have a bit to go, but you definitely have a great future ahead of you."
"Really? A-Sunny doesn't seem to think so." Miyuki went deep into thought for a second, and then laughed. "I probably look real silly to her."
"You'll get closer," assured Mana. "Sword and I weren't always on the best of terms. Anyway, I have a question about Märchenland," she said, switching subjects. "Some of your more famous stories recreate themselves in reality. What about the Happy Prince?"
"The Happy Prince?" Miyuki closed her eyes as she tried to remember which story that was. "Oh, you mean the one where the swallow helped the statue bring happiness to a desolate city? I think there was a stint a decade ago where parts of a statue mysteriously ended up in the hands of poor people. It's been accepted that that was a recreation of the Happy Prince."
That was a relief for Mana. It was good to know Rikka was just worrying too much. "That's nice to know. A friend of mine likes that story, so I was curious." Looking to the side, she saw people beginning to enter the nearby coliseum. "It's time."
The coliseum was a light blue and large enough to hold thousands of people. Indeed, the seats were filling up fast, and the crowd was excited. The day was perfect for an outdoor viewing, perhaps a little chilly, but with clear skies and no wind. Robots cleared off the ground floor to make it perfect for the fighters.
"So who do you think is going to win?" Sharuru asked.
Twirling her hair, Mana said, "Who knows? Beauty certainly has her reputation, but Sword has her own skills as well."
"Beauty is really good," Miyuki said. "At least I think she is. I mean, I don't really have much of a reference point, but if everyone says she's good, then she must be good, right?"
"We'll find out soon anyways," Mana said. She disliked these kinds of fights, and even though Makoto had her reasons, she still found it unnecessary. So she wanted to avoid these sorts of speculation. "Miyuki, I've been wandering something. Do you have a partner fairy?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" The younger girl looked confused.
Mana pointed at Sharuru. "For example, Sharuru is my partner fairy. She helps me transform and is almost always by my side. They may come in different shapes, but as far as I know every Cure has her own partner fairy."
"Maybe Candy? I mean Princess Candy," Miyuki said, correcting herself. "She reminded me how to transform, so that's pretty close, right?"
Mana shook her head. "But you don't need her to transform, correct? Then she's not your partner fairy."
"Oh." Miyuki began scratching her head. "Then I guess I don't have one."
"Strange," Mana remarked. Perhaps Märchenland Cures were different from most others. But it was probably something unimportant anyway.
Soon they reached their seats. As Pretty Cure they had VIP seats next to the princess, high above the ground near the top of the coliseum. Ange was already there, talking to a woman with purple hair. Noticing the approaching girls she said, "Mana, Cure Happy, I'm glad to see you're here."
Mana took a seat to her left, and Miyuki sat to Mana's left. "I'm sure this will be very interesting" Mana said. To the purple-haired woman she whispered, "Davi, is she sure about this?"
Davi gave a heavy sigh and whispered back. "She's too sure of it actually. She thinks this will help the princess avoid some stress."
"Are you excited for this Mana?" Ange questioned suddenly.
Mana hesitated. She didn't want to say no, given how the princess had given her explicit approval to this, but she also didn't want to lie to her. "I find it interesting, and I'm curious as to what Beauty can do."
"I'm ultra excited," Miyuki said. "It's not every day that you see something like this."
"I agree," Ange said nodding.
The audience was completely full. The duel had only been announced recently, but everyone wanted a chance to see Cure Sword, who made few public appearances, along with Märchenland's most famous Cure. Expectations were high amongst the people, and even high up they could hear chatter coming from everywhere.
A bell rang out loudly, signaling that the duel was about to begin. Everyone immediately quieted down, ready for what was coming. Marie-Ange stood up and walked forward to address her people. "My people, today is a day of excitement. Today, we are about to witness two great Pretty Cures face each other in a friendly match between friendly kingdoms. The duel will last until only one remains standing. Let the best Cure win!"
The crowd cheered in excitement for their princess as she sat back down, taking a deep breath once she was settled. Mana wandered if Ange had already decided on whether to ally with Märchenland. Given her wording that seemed to be the case.
Down below to their left, the first figure stepped out onto the battle arena. She held herself with a commanding presence, her hair blowing even though there was no breeze. "The snow, falling and gathering, a noble heart! Cure Beauty!" Her introduction sent the people into applause and cheering even louder than what they did for their princess. The foreign Cure waved to the audience, making herself look open to all.
Across the arena a purple figure stepped out wearing a white robe. Her purple hair was much shorter, moving directly with its owner. Standing as proud as possible, she threw off her robe. "The courageous blade! Cure Sword!" The applause for her went even higher than it was for Beauty, as they were naturally excited for their own Cure.
"So cool!" Miyuki exclaimed.
Mana wasn't as excited as everyone else, but now that it was happening her heart was speeding up. Well, it was happening, so she might as well enjoy it. Davi looked down at Sword as she took her seat to Ange's right. "Good luck."
Down below, Sword smirked at Beauty. "Since you are our guest, I will grant you the honor of the first move." Beauty was a formidable opponent, and she wanted to get a good reading on her before going on the offensive.
Beauty walked forward, but kept slow. "I could, but then this would be over before it even began, and as we are here to entertain that would not be ideal."
Sword put herself on guard, inching forward to meet her. "Overconfident much?"
"Not at all." Raising her right arm into the air, Beauty materialized a sword of ice into her hand, impressing the audience greatly. Pointing her weapon towards Sword she proclaimed, "Draw your sword!"
Sword paused. "My sword?"
"You do have one correct? It is in your name after all."
Gritting her teeth, Sword wandered if Beauty was vain enough to believe her name applied to her. "I am the blade of justice that cuts down the enemies of my princess. I do not need a weapon for that." Besides, she thought, it was untraditional for Cures to use a weapon extensively.
"I see." Beauty seemed rather disappointed. She swung her sword down and stuck it into the ground. "Then I will not need this."
Now she was just being patronizing. "Your loss." Tired of waiting, Sword launched herself at Beauty, moving faster than ordinary people could follow. Beauty sidestepped and kneed her in the stomach, which she followed up with a punch that sent Sword flying back.
Rising back up, Sword narrowly dodged a kick from Beauty and retaliated with her own swipe. Beauty blocked that with one arm, and with her other seized her opponent's shirt and threw her up in the air. While Sword was readjusting herself, Beauty jumped up and kicked her straight up. "I really expected better from you." Landing, she spread her arms in anticipation of the crowd's cheers, which came right on time. She glanced up to Ange, Mana, and Miyuki and smiled at them.
Beauty was too busy winning the crowd's admiration she almost let herself be pummeled when Sword tried to strike her down from above. She managed to block most of Sword's attacks, but she was forced onto her knees in the process. Sword moved in for a flurry of punches, a few of which connected with Beauty. Beauty attempted to jump away, but Sword gave her no chance to back away. Both Cures were locked into a stalemate of attacks and defense, neither one giving ground.
From above, Mana was impressed. "So that's Ice Blade. She's good, though she needs to pay more attention to the fight itself."
"Go Beauty!" Miyuki shouted.
Davi sighed in disappointment. "Sword isn't going to win this with pure power and speed. She should know better."
"She won't go down easily," Mana said. "We both know that." Admittedly Sword was probably outmatched, but not overwhelmingly so. Sword had managed to land several hits on Beauty already, something Mana wasn't sure she could do herself.
Something caught the corner of her eye. A small blue bird flew down to the princess, flapping its wings as it landed on her shoulder. Ange turned away from the fight below and patted the bird on its head. She then stood up and started walking to the exit.
Miyuki and Davi were too engrossed in the fight to notice. Mana got up and caught up to her. "Princess, do you need anything?"
Marie-Ange paused, wavering slightly as she spoke softly. "I am fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all."
"Do you need any help? I know you still haven't fully recovered from back then." Ange didn't want to publicize it, but her illness had taken more out of her than most people knew.
The princess shook her head. "Thank you, but I'll be fine. I…have an escort waiting for me. Just enjoy this and make sure nothing happens."
Down below, Beauty had regained the advantage, holding one of Sword's arms behind her back while immobilizing the other arm as well. As Sword struggled to break out of her grip, Beauty whispered to her, "Why do you wish to tire me out before negotiations truly begin?"
"You're imagining things," Sword said quickly, tensing up even further.
"Am I? This duel has distracted me from my true purpose for being here, and I cannot stay for long. If you wish for us not to ally with each other, be up front about it."
"That's not it," Sword responded quietly. She swiped her foot at Beauty's leg, causing her grip to loosen, allowing Sword to break free and put some distance between them. Her body started to glow in a faint purple light as she jumped into the air. "Flash! Holy Sword!" A flurry of purple swords flew out from her, headed straight for Beauty.
The blue Cure side-stepped the attack with ease. "So we're moving towards that? Fine with me." Her hands began to glow blue, but Sword sent out another barrage, forcing Beauty to duck and roll to avoid it. Dust filled the air as the attacks impacted the ground, obscuring everyone's vision of the battle.
Sword was just outside the dust field, attempting to find her opponent. A blue glimmer caught her eye near the edge of the dust field, and she fired off a low-powered shot towards the location and rushed forward, prepared to end the battle.
Her fist did not meet flesh, but instead cold ice which covered the floor where she struck. As she landed, her feet almost slipped, forcing her to halt her movement in order to not fall down, which left her wide open.
"Pretty Cure Beauty Blizzard!" From behind Sword was hit directly by a storm of snow and ice, pelting her entire back and sending her crashing into the wall of the arena, creating a dent the size of her. Most of her body felt cold, but her back was numb, unprepared for the vicious freeze inflicted on her. She attempted to rise, but her body failed to respond, and Sword slumped down in defeat.
When the dust cleared, Beauty was still standing with one arm raised in Sword's direction. She was practically shining as the after effects of her attack wore off, though her body was noticeably dirtied by dust. Her uniform had several cuts on it, but she seemed unalarmed by them. Beauty remained tense until it was evident Sword was no longer going to rise.
Up above, Mana stepped forward. "Cure Beauty is the winner! Congratulations to the both of you for an excellent display!" The crowd went wild once they realized it was Mana speaking, the noise deafening out anything else she wanted to say.
Up above, Miyuki was standing up in excitement. "Wow that was so cool. Beauty was all kick kick and then Sword went smash smash and then we got all the pretty lights. I couldn't actually follow what was going on, but it was awesome." Her gaze shifted to Mana, then to where the princess last sat. "Uh, where did the princess go?"
"Did you just notice?" Sharuru asked. Miyuki giggled shamefully.
"I hope she learns from this," Davi said to herself. "Well, at least she got what she wanted. The princess should be ready by now."
While Sword struggled to get up, Beauty came to her and offered her hand. "Despite what I may have said earlier, it was a good match. You fought well."
Sword took her hand and Beauty's help to stand. "You too. If this is what all Märchenland Cures fight like, then your kingdom is in good hands."
"We all have our own styles," Beauty said. "I'm almost disappointed I won't get to see Heart. So what do you think of my proposal?"
Her fighting skills were not Sword's point of contention, though she was glad to be able to confirm them firsthand. No, she had to buy Ange some time to prepare herself. If she didn't then Beauty would be sure to smell weakness and exploit it to her advantage. "I'm open to it," she said neutrally.
"I am glad to hear that," Beauty said. Looking up, she met Miyuki's eyes and smiled. "It appears we made a good impression." Her eyes narrowed as she swept her gaze across the top. "Where is she?"
"Huh?" Sword followed Beauty's gaze and looked up. What she saw startled her. Mana was up front, while the princess was nowhere to be seen. Well, Mana being there meant it couldn't be anything too serious, but she was slightly hurt that her princess hadn't even been around the whole time.
Beauty shook her head. "I'm sure she has her reasons. But now, I think it's time we began making plans."
"Pretty Cure Metamorphose!"
Pink and red lights exploded in front of Urara as she saw Pretty Cure transformations for the first time. It was dazzling and bright, yet she couldn't take her eyes off them. In this moment, Nozomi and Rin were becoming something much greater than the ordinary girls they usually were.
And Urara was about to stand right next to them.
"The great power of hope, Cure Dream!"
"The red flame of passion, Cure Rouge!"
Travelling with Nozomi and Rin had been an interesting experience to say the least. They were travelling away from home to fight dangerous creatures, and yet they had acted as casually as they always did. Nozomi would look at anything that interested her without remorse, while Rin attempted to keep her from doing anything stupid. Except in that sapphire shop. They both ogled over that.
Yet the moment a monster sighting in Mite was reported to them, they rushed to get there, dragging Urara with them. And when they arrived to see a dark blue…thing attacking the village, they immediately prepared to jump into battle.
Dream stared straight at the monster several meters larger than her. It looked vaguely humanoid, except for its bulging muscles and deformed face. Right now they had its attention. "Rouge, you and I will keep it away from everyone else. Urara, make sure no one else gets close to it."
Rouge cracked her knuckles. "Let's take this one out and move on to the next place."
"Do you think we can do it?" Urara asked. She knew Pretty Cure was tough, but Dream and Rouge were positively petite compared to that beast.
Dream gave her an encouraging smile. "I'm sure. I'm sure of myself, I'm sure of Rouge, and I am sure of you, Urara."
The monster let out a loud roar and advanced towards them, bringing its arms down towards the Cures. Both of them held their ground, putting their arms up to catch its fists. Without flinching they held tight onto the beast.
It was time for her to stop hesitating. Holding her left arm into the air she shouted, "Pretty Cure Metamorphose!" A dazzling yellow light shone out from Urara, enveloping her entire body. In an instant she felt everything change. Her clothes gave away to a new set, her hair mended itself into a new style, and she felt more powerful than ever before. It was sort of like getting a makeover, only this gave her actual powers.
When her transformation finished, she almost felt like a different person. "The effervescent scent of lemon, Cure Lemonade!"
Dream and Rouge pushed the monster off of them, causing it to stumble. The pink Cure leaped in to strike its stomach while Rouge jumped up to kick its face. Their simultaneous attack forced it onto the ground. "This one isn't so tough," Rouge remarked.
"Maybe," Dream said. Glancing back, she noticed the newest Cure. "Urara, you did it. I knew you could." Lemonade gave an uneasy smile back to her.
A dark blue stream of energy shot out of the monster straight at the Cures. Dream and Rouge dodged it with ease, but Lemonade barely avoided it running to the side. Unfortunately, the attack continued until it hit a building, tearing a hole through it and bringing half the wall down.
"Check to make sure no one is hurt," Dream ordered before she and Rouge converged on the monster again.
Lemonade ran over to the broken building, looking to see if anyone was there. The place was littered with rubble small and large. She heard someone cry out, and she spotted a woman pinned down by a chunk of the wall larger than Lemonade herself. Taking a deep breath, the yellow Cure attempted to lift it up, and to her surprise she was able to lift it easily and toss it aside. She picked up the woman and carried her away from the battle.
A guard with a blue uniform came running to her. Lemonade handed the woman over to him. "Look after her and keep everyone away until we finish," Lemonade ordered.
"Hold on, who are you?" The guard asked.
"Pretty Cure," Lemonade answered quickly. Now that she had gotten a taste of her powers, she wanted to try them out on something bigger. Inside she felt a power welling up, just waiting to be unleashed.
Dream and Rouge were attempting to pin the monster down by hitting it from both sides, but when they tried to get close it simply swiped them away. All three of them were so focused on each other that they didn't spot Lemonade flying through the air, smashing her feet into the dark beast's chest.
When she landed Lemonade brought her hands together, and the image of a yellow butterfly appeared between them. Instinctively she knew how to call upon the power within her. "Pretty Cure Lemonade Flash!" A flurry of shining butterflies swept over the monster, knocking it onto its back.
Dream jumped into the air over the monster. "Pretty Cure Dream Attack!" Dream launched a pink butterfly at the monster, and creating a loud explosion as smoke filled the air. When it cleared, the creature was completely gone.
Rouge whistled. "Well, that didn't go horribly wrong, so that's a good start." She glanced at the wrecked building. "I guess we could stand to improve a bit."
Dream went over to Lemonade and clasped her hands. "You did really well for your first time."
"Thanks," Lemonade said. "It's kind of strange actually. At first I thought I would be afraid of fighting, but once I transformed the fear and hesitation evaporated. I just wish that my attack did more damage."
"Don't worry about that," Rouge said. "Not everyone blows stuff up as well as Dream does. Her attacks pack a nasty punch." The pink Cure pouted at her, apparently displeased at being called destructive. "It's true, and you know it. Anyway, Mint isn't offensive either, so don't be concerned that you're not blowing them up. You'll figure it out with practice." She snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, I didn't catch your name."
Her name? Oh right, her Cure identity. "Cure Lemonade."
Rouge giggled. "Nice name. The bad guys are gonna be shaking in their boots when they hear Cure Lemonade is coming for them. That is if your hairstyle doesn't do it in fast."
Lemonade cringed on the inside. "T-That's just what came to me." She wanted to comment on her hair, but she had no idea what it looked like right now.
"I think it's a good name," Dream said. "It fits your, your color scheme. Yeah, it fits that. Don't you think so Rouge?"
The red Cure shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm just messing with you. It's not like Dream is any less silly." Dream let out an awkward laugh at that. "Or even Beauty. What kind of person names herself that?"
A guard with a red uniform ran up to them. "Pretty Cure, we're glad for your assistance."
"We're happy that we could be here, uh…" Dream said stumbling on her words.
"Captain," Rouge whispered, recognizing what his uniform signified.
"Right, captain." Dream continued. "Do you need us for anything else?"
"No thanks ma'am," the captain said. "Our garrison here will make sure everyone is okay and help rebuild. I hear the west is even more littered of those foul beasts, so your work would be more appreciated there."
"What are they?" Lemonade asked. "Those monsters, I mean. Where do they come from, and why do they attack you?"
"We're not sure where they come from. If we did we'd be marching to destroy them at the source. There are actually two types of creatures that have been frequently spotted. The first type is the one you just destroyed, which we've taken to call shadow beasts. They're wild creatures from what we can tell, attacking people without any discernable motive. This one came out of nowhere and caught us unprepared."
"We've seen this one before," Rouge muttered.
"The second type looks odd. They don't have a set form, but always have a yellow ball in the center. They're called Hoshina, and their attacks are more targeted towards people carrying valuables."
Dream nodded. "Thank you for the information. We'll see if we can find the source behind either of them."
"How do you guys fight them?" Rouge asked. "No offense, but I'd guess you have hard time taking them on without us."
The captain sighed. "We find ways to manage. It usually takes a dozen men and women pelting it with arrows while another dozen surround it with spears. It's rare that they're taken out without some serious injuries on our part."
"We appreciate what you do," Dream said.
"I'm glad to hear that." He took a slip of paper out of his pocket and lowered his voice. "By the way, could I get an autograph? Something to show the kids."
"Sure," Dream said accepting the paper. "Wait, I don't have a pen. Let me look for one." Dream took off, and Lemonade followed her."
"She's enthusiastic," Rouge noted. "By the way, you said you were fighting them with spears and arrows. I thought the capital sent in new weapons. Have you not gotten them yet?"
"We have ma'am. It's just that we haven't had proper training yet, and we're all uneasy to use them, lest we hurt someone by accident." Rouge nodded in understanding.
Dream quickly returned, having borrowed a pen triumphantly and gave her autograph to the captain. He seemed almost giddy when he got it. After saluting them, he left to rejoin his garrison.
"They really respect us," Lemonade said.
"It's natural," Rouge said. "Who wouldn't respect someone with our powers?"
"That was fun," Dream said. "Let's hit some eateries and move onto the next place."
"Now you're speaking my language," Rouge said.
Before they could transform back, a winged fairy flew down to them. "Pretty Cure! Thank goodness I was able to catch you."
"Hi there," Dream said. "Do you need something?"
"It's terrible. There's been an influx of monsters in the east. New ones too. They look nothing like the ones we've seen before."
"You have got to be kidding me," Rouge grumbled.
"The east? All right, then we're headed there next," Dream said.
Rouge grabbed a hold of her friend and spun her around. "Now hold on. We were about to head west, remember? We can't exactly be going in two different directions at once."
"Oh."
"What are we supposed to do?" Lemonade asked. "Do we contact the others?"
Rouge shook her head. "We're expected to figure things out ourselves while Karen and Komachi handle the capital." She sighed and pinched her eyes. "I was hoping we'd be able to avoid this. We'll have to split up if we want to cover more ground. I'll head east while you two go west."
Dream closed her eyes while Lemonade looked at Rouge in surprise. "Really? Can you do all that on your own?"
"Of course I can. It may be a bit harder, but it's nothing I can't handle."
The pink Cure looked disappointed, but she nodded in understanding. "All right, we'll split up. Take care of yourself."
"That goes double for both of you," Rouge said. "If something bad happens, don't be afraid to get back to Papillon or contact Karen. Lemonade, if she does something stupid, drag her back home."
"U-Understood." Lemonade said. This was escalating fast. Now she was expected to look out for her senior. High expectations for someone so new.
Dream gave Rouge a big hug. "Don't get hurt out there."
Rouge returned the hug. "I won't. Look out for her and yourself. I won't be able to bail you out again."
"I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about us one bit."
Lemonade wished she could share Dream's confidence. No matter how strong they were, those monsters were scary, and she didn't want to face them alone. For now though, as long she stuck with Dream, she should be safe. Hopefully.
The air in the Selfish Kingdom was putrid. Not just the smell, though the trash filling the streets and the people who rarely, if ever bathed, certainly didn't help. For anyone else it would be enough to rally people to clean everything up, but here everyone was so used to it that no one wanted to put in the effort. Perhaps the dirtiness was the reason the sky was tinted red.
The air was heavy, permeating the entirety of the kingdom with a subtle, yet powerful force. A force that affected the minds of all who lived in it to care about their own, and only their own, desires. When they wanted to do something, they just did it without a regard for the consequences. It didn't matter if a stranger was hurt in the process. Their own desires were the only things that mattered.
So naturally, King Selfish's desires were the only things that mattered in the grand scheme in the Selfish Kingdom. Only by his will was the kingdom kept in check and prevented from completely devouring itself, for his power was absolute.
Princess Regina knew all that of course. As the king's daughter, she was free to abuse her authority in any way she liked. It was fun seeing all the servants scurrying around attempting to please her when in her sight. Anywhere she went, from the palace to the streets of Narcis, she was offered massages, free food, and any possessions that caught her eye. Anyone who refused to listen to her would pay the price.
Like the man chained in front of her. His eyes were full of fear and misery after being beaten severely. When Regina was on one of her daily strolls, she found him wearing a rice ruby ring, and decided she wanted it. He refused to hand it over, and thus the princess had the guards rough him up and pull him in. Now she was wearing what was rightfully hers.
General Bel was kneeling in front of her, avoiding eye contact with the princess thanks to his shades. "Princess, he is the culprit correct?"
Regina was slouching on her throne, bored of the current proceedings. She had already done this four times this month alone. The princess was concentrating on the ring on her left index finger while her long blonde hair was spread out over her throne. "Yeah that's him. He didn't listen to me. Get rid of him."
The man shivered. "Please, you don't have to do this. That wasn't even mine; it was my mother's ring. I just stole it a few days ago. Take her instead."
Standing near, but not too close to Regina, General Marmo chuckled. "My, what a selfish person," she smirked. "I'd say you were a model citizen, but you're also too stupid for your own good."
"Marmo, be quiet," Bel said. "Let's finish this as fast as possible."
Marmo was about to snap back at him, but Regina's impatient tapping on her throne made her hold her tongue. Bel's expression was neutral. "Your highness, what do you wish we do with him?"
"I don't care," Regina said. "Just do what you always do."
"As you wish," Bel said. "We are always looking for new test subjects."
"Test subjects?" the prisoner whimpered. "What do you mean?"
Ignoring him, Bel looked at a boy leaning on the wall. "Ira, you do it this time."
"Why me?" General Ira grumbled.
"Because you're new, and we don't feel like doing this," Marmo said forcefully.
"You need the practice," Bel said.
Ira looked annoyed, but he complied as her made his way over to the prisoner. "I've already know how to do this old man."
The guards threw the prisoner on the ground and backed away. "You don't have to do this," he begged. "Really, you don't. I'm good at cleaning windows. You can put me to work, right?"
Ira may have been shorter than the prisoner normally, but right now he loomed over the quivering man. "Tough luck." He snapped his fingers, and the prisoner convulsed. "Release the darkness from inside your heart." A winged black heart flew out from the prisoner's body, leaving a black mark on his chest. A second later the heart cracked open, and a large purple vulture stood in its place.
"Maybe you are worth something," Marmo said.
Ira pointed at the woman. "Don't make me sick him on you."
"Enough," Bel commanded. "Ira, take the Jikochuu to the storage facility." Ira walked off, with the creature following him. "Take the body to where all the others are," Bel told the guards.
Regina slouched down even further. This had been a complete waste of time for her. "Why do you need me for this? Just do that stuff and let me do what I want to do."
"We prefer to have your testimony," Bel answered. "The king prefers having a procedure, so that some semblance of order can be maintained."
The princess didn't care about order, just what she wanted. Like her new ring. Although on closer examination, something seemed off about it. It certainly looked nice, but on her it just seemed off. Like it clashed with her image. It was too shiny for her. Regina slipped the ring off and tossed it aside.
"All that for something she ended up not even wanting," Marmo mumbled as she pocketed the ring for herself.
Regina suddenly sat up straight. "I'm bored. Let's go have fun elsewhere."
"Not again," Bel quietly grumbled. "Go talk to Ira. He'll take you wherever you want."
"I've already been everywhere in the kingdom," Regina complained. "It's all drab. I want to see something new and exciting. Like the Trump Kingdom."
"Princess, I would heavily advise against leaving the kingdom," Bel warned.
"Papa said you have to let me do whatever I want to do. If you don't come up with something good, Papa will be real mad."
"Why not?" Marmo asked. "It would get her out of our hair for a while at least."
"And get us killed when something happens to her," Bel responded. "With all due respect your highness, the Trump Kingdom is too dangerous for any of us to enter at this time. We are not welcome there, not after what that idiot did." He paused to consider what Regina would say next. "And Labyrinth is completely off limits. Moebius would have you shot on sight. If you must go somewhere, why not take a nice vacation in the Garden of Clouds?"
"Been there, done that. It was fun chasing them around, but those people lacked a special spark. A sense of fun, if you will."
"You blew up their castle," Marmo pointed out. "Of course they're not going to find it fun."
"Well that's their problem." Regina leaped out of her throne, landing halfway across the room. "You better reconsider what you said," she said to Bel. "Otherwise I may feel the need to amuse myself with you generals."
"Take Ira first," Marmo suggested. "We won't lose anything without him. Or maybe Gula. We'd save a ton on our food budget at least."
Regina ignored her rambling as she walked out onto the balcony. She would get her way eventually. She always did. How could she not, when she had so many that would dance to her every whim? Looking over Narcis, she felt a surge of glee as she took in all that was hers. Well, hers and her father's, but the difference was minute anyway.
Yet something felt off. Perhaps it was the state of decay her kingdom was in, or perhaps it was the fact that deep down, she knew nobody except her father cared for her. That was just life of course, but it would be nice if she was appreciated for reasons other than the fact that she'd have naysayers be flogged, imprisoned, or otherwise humiliated if they didn't respect her. Too bad humans were just so selfish.
Perhaps she could get that appreciation elsewhere. Sure, everywhere else people would still be selfish, but it would be nice for someone to react to her without fear or deference. Someone who could stand with her, at least for a little bit. Someone who would have genuine fun with her. Someone Regina wanted to be with.
What were they called? Companions? Whatever it was, she wanted one. She was going to get one, even if it meant leaving her admittedly comfortable home. Regina always got what she wanted, and this was no exception. If nothing changed soon, then she had her eyes set on the Trump Kingdom. There was bound to be someone interesting there.
"Here we are, the Land of Fountains," Alice announced as she stepped out of the vehicle.
"So we're almost to Palmier then," Rikka mumbled as she followed. "Whoa, this place is new."
When Mai got her first glimpse of the Land of Fountains, her breath was taken away. It was just like a forest, except it was nothing like any forest she had even heard of. The trees were taller and lusher than any she had ever seen, with branches spreading out in every direction. Little fairies climbed all around the trees, and if it weren't for her keen eyes she would've missed them completely.
The trees themselves weren't the only interesting part. The ground was like a swamp, wet and filled with foliage on the ground. At the same time, there seemed to be river systems running all around the trees. Mai wandered if she would sink if she were to step into the area, or if it wasn't nearly as deep as she thought it was.
"Sebastian, please collect a sample of the water," Alice said.
"As you wish my lady." The butler took out a vial and leaned down to collect some water. When he did, most of the nearby fairies scampered off.
Mai watched them carefully as they ran off. Most went out of sight, but a few stayed close enough, albeit after attempting to hide in the foliage. "They seem to be afraid of humans."
"Really?" Rikka asked. "What do you think Raquel?"
The blue fairy flew in closer to the fairies, and they didn't retreat any further. "Seems to be the case."
Lance flew next to him on his sides. "This place is so pretty."
"Don't fly too far off," Rikka called out.
Alice was kneeling down to get a closer look at the water. "It's clean. Much cleaner than it should be considering all this foliage."
Mai wanted to get a wider look at the area. "I'm going to take a look around," she said to Rikka and Alice.
Staying on the outside, the forest was just as impressive in other areas. The trees all looked healthy as they swayed in the breeze. Various birds were perched on the branches, nests filled with eggs. On the ground, she spotted several assortments of colorful flowers. It had the image of a natural paradise.
Then she heard a soft chirping sound. Looking down, she saw a white baby bird lying on its side, flapping its stubby little wings as it attempted to right itself up. Mai carefully picked it up, being careful not to hurt it. She spotted a nest with similar birds on a nearby tree and realized the bird must have tried to fly, only to fall down instead. She began making her way to the tree.
"Don't go there!" someone shouted. Pausing, Mai turned around and saw a girl her height with orange hair running up to her. "They really don't like us going in their territory."
"I was just trying to return him to his nest," Mai said presenting the bird.
Saki looked at the bird and the nest. "Oh. Can I try? I'm pretty good at climbing." Mai handed over the bird to Saki, and it started to wiggle frantically in her hands. "Don't worry little one. I've got you."
The orange-haired girl took a few moments to figure out the best way to get there. She hopped across some rocks and logs in order to get there dryly. When she got there she climbed up the tree with ease, ant then she grabbed onto the branch the nest was on and tested it for sturdiness. Once she was satisfied, she crawled her way over and placed the bird in its nest. "There you go."
Then she attempted to move backwards, but her grip slipped on the wet branch, causing Saki to fall off into the water below.
"Are you okay?" Mai called out. She hopped across rocks to reach Saki.
Saki managed to stand up in the knee deep water. She was dripping wet, but also smiling. "I'm good. Man, this place is really different from that cloud place."
"Cloud place?" Mai asked as she helped pull Saki up to dry spots.
"Oh yeah, down there is a totally different place from this. Let me show you."
"Wait please," Mai said. "I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Mai Mishou."
"I'm Saki Hyuuga. Nice meeting you Mai." Saki paused in thought. "Have I seen you before?"
Mai found that question odd. "No?" Yet Saki's name rustled something in her memory. "Maybe?"
A sharp gust of wind nearly blew them down as a barrage of leaves smacked into the girls. They had to hold onto each other to keep upright, closing their eyes to keep the leaves out of their eyes.
When the gust died down, and Saki and Mai were able to open their eyes, they say a tall green man floating in front of them. Parts of his body seemed to be made out of leaves, and he wore a purple leafy mask. His yellow-white hair was stuck straight up. Vines twirled around his arms. Saki couldn't tell what he was supposed to be. "Who are you?"
He gave them a menacing glare. "I am Karehan, proud guardian of the Fountain of Trees. Trespassers are not welcome here."
"Eh? I was told to come here," Saki said.
"But Princess Filia asked me to come," Mai said at the same time. Both girls looked at each other in surprise.
"Enough," Karehan said. Raising his hand, a storm of leaves was shot out at them. Saki grabbed onto Mai and made a break to the outside of the forest, dodging the attack by centimeters. Large vines shot out of the ground in front of them, causing them to trip and fall, though they did manage to reach the edge of the forest.
"Seriously, we didn't do anything," Saki complained as she and Mai scrambled to get back up.
Karehan was right behind them. "Those who disturb the peace of the fountains must be punished."
From a distance, Rikka and Alice were running up after hearing some of the commotion. Alice began cracking her knuckles when she saw what was happening. "Oh dear, perhaps I should do something about this."
"Hold on," Rikka said worriedly. "I know you've been studying martial arts, but isn't that a little out of your depth?"
Mai was bowing profusely quickly. "We're really sorry about this. We didn't mean to disturb anyone." Both she and Saki leaped back as Karehan almost slammed down on them.
The plant man geared up for another attack, but before he could attack another figure grabbed his arms and flipped him over onto the ground. "Jeez, I thought this place was supposed to be all nice and peaceful, not hostile to us."
"Cure Peach!" Saki called out.
Peach winked at her. "Yup, that's me."
Mai was shocked. Just talking to Cure Heart earlier had been a major shock, and now a transformed Cure had appeared right in front of her. Her luck was impeccable. If her memory was correct, Cure Peach was from the Sweets Kingdom, far away from here.
Karehan stood up and dusted himself off. "More intruders. No matter. I shall drive you all away from this most sacred place."
"Not as long as I'm here," Peach challenged.
Karehan was about to launch himself to attack, but before he could he found his arms entangled by a sticky web. "Dorodoron, let me go!"
All of the girls were perplexed and looked past him to see some sort of brownish, humanoid figure with six red eyes popping out of the ground. The webs stuck to Karehan were attached to his hands. "She told me to stop you," Dorodoron said reservedly.
Cure Berry and Cure Pine jumped to Peach's side. "Peach, what have you gotten us into this time?" Berry asked.
"I swear, I wasn't the cause of anything," Peach said.
"Let's keep our eyes on him and not each other," Pine reminded them.
Rikka was surprised. "More Pretty Cure? What are they doing here?"
Alice looked slightly disappointed. "It looks like my services won't be needed after all."
"What good would you have done anyway?" Rikka questioned. Alice grinned in response.
Karehan was still struggling to pull away from Dorodoron. "Let me go you fool."
A bright light shone from the forest. "Karehan, control yourself," a new voice commanded. It came from a figure floating out of the forest. Saki and Mai's eyes widened, recognizing her instantly.
Karehan went to his knees as she approached. "Princess Filia, I apologize for my abruptness. Please forgive me."
"It's alright." Filia's eyes were closed, but they still locked onto Saki and Mai with ease. She gave them a warm smile. "I am glad to see both of you have agreed to my request. My name is Filia, and I welcome you to the Land of Fountains. You must have travelled a long ways to get here."
"It was no problem," Mai said.
"I'm glad I finally get to see you," Saki said.
Peach stepped forward. "Hey princess, can you keep a tighter control of your people next time? That guy was about to hurt them."
"That will not happen again," Filia reassured her. "Karehan simply takes his duties very seriously. Oh where are my manners? Cure Peach, Cure Berry, Cure Pine, I am honored to be in your presence. I have heard many great things about you three."
"Of course you would," Berry said. "Who wouldn't hear about our fabulous exploits?" Saki cringed.
"Excuse me," Mai interrupted. "But what have you called us here for?"
"What she said," Saki said. "I can't figure out what you would want from me, some random nobody. Heck, there are three great Cures right here. I'm sure they could be of help."
"Thank you for the compliments," Peach said.
"You don't remember, do you," Filia said. "That's okay; you were much younger back then." Saki and Mai were confused, but she didn't elaborate. "As for Peach and her friends, they have their own priorities, and their goals may justifiably not overlap with mine. I need both of you for a more specialized purpose."
"What kind of purpose?" Saki asked.
"You said something about a ceremony in your letter," Mai said.
The princess nodded. "Yes, I did. To be more specific, it is a ceremony of stabilization. But before we can do it, I'll need you two to complete a task for me."
Rikka turned to Alice. "Are you following any of this?"
The rich girl's hand was on her chin. "I wonder if she would be interested in a deal."
"I guess not," Rikka sighed.
"Can you start over?" Saki asked. "I lost track of what we were supposed to do."
"I don't think she's told us yet," Mai said.
Filia looked up at the sky. "This is not the most appropriate place for this discussion. Please come to the center of the Land of Fountains, the Fountain of the Sun. It will be much more comfortable. There we can go over your mission in depth, my Pretty Cure."
"Now that sounds like a plan," Saki said.
Mai stopped breathing yet again, having listened fully to the princess. "Could, could you repeat that last part again?"
"My Pretty Cure, we should discuss this matter in the Fountain of the Sun." Filia repeated.
"See, I like the sound of that," Saki said cheerfully. "Now we're finally getting answers." Then her mind fully took in what the princess said, and she couldn't speak.
Rikka's eyes and mouth were wide open in surprise. Alice watched with heightened interest. Peach was looking back and forth between the princess and Saki and Mai. Berry tried to speak up, but couldn't find the words to say. Pine just stood still, confused.
Saki and Mai had one, and only one thought running through their minds. They heard it twice, and it seemed unbelievable both times. In unison they said, "Us? Pretty Cure?"