Hisa looked dismally at Himemiya, who was now glad in a gold version of her usual dress. She leaned forward, gently nudging her with her snout. "It's been a while now," she murmured. "And you're not any better and the Dream Charm is still broken..." She sighed, straightening up and looking out the window at the darkening sky filled with ominous gray clouds. "And on top of that...we sent five messages, we asked five girls to become Pretty Cure, Princess," she went on, speaking to Himemiya as if she could hear her. "But there's only four right now..."
"Big sister, who're you talking to?"
Hisa startled, whirling around to see Kaana slithering towards the nightstand where the other two sat. The younger smiled curiously at her, tilting her head to one side. "Huh?"
"N-No one," Hisa muttered, flushing pink. "Where have you been?"
Kaana beamed, pressing herself to the ground and wiggling out of the thread that looped around her neck to hold the tiny bag in place. Freeing herself and nudging the bag open, she added "I've been hunting for Dream Shards! Because Pretty Cure are too busy-"
"-or Fumie's too incompetent," muttered Hisa. Louder, she added "And did you find any?"
"Just two," Kaana said, suddenly looked rather depressed. "And it wasn't easy...and someone stepped on my tail!"
"Never mind about that-get up here and we'll-" Hisa began, interrupted by the door suddenly bursting open. Fumie rushed inside, dropped her schoolbag on the bed, and then rushed back out, yelling something about being right back, she wanted to get a soda first. Hisa and Kaana just sat there, Kaana looking puzzled, Hisa looking very agitated. "Ahem. We'll add the shards to the Dream Charm, and then we'll have to rally the girls. There's still so much they don't know."
OP: "Purikyua Club" - Bukatsudo Four
"Ehhhhh?" Mari cried, eyes wide and shiny with disappointment. "But you said we were gonna get takoyaki together! You totally promised, Fumie-tan!" Mari whined, stomping her foot.
Fumie stood in front of her, clapping her hands together at face-level and ducking her head. "I know, I know, and I'm real sorry! But Hisa says this is Pretty Cure business, and I asked if you could join us or it could wait til later, but..." She suddenly shuddered, flashing back to the look of anger on Hisa's face as she had said that-she'd never seen such a dark look on a snake before. "I promise, we'll do something together tomorrow, okay?"
"B-but I have cheer practice tomorrow!"
"After your practice then." Fumie smiled apologetically, clapping her hands over Mari's shoulders. "I promise we'll do something fun soon, okay?"
Mari lowered her head a bit, biting at her lower lip. "I hope so...I don't wanna be locked outta the loop forever, Fumie-tan. Or - or worse, if you spend all your time with them and then they'll your bestest friends forever and I'll be left out in the coooold..." Mari's eyes grew bigger, swimming with tears as she sniffled pathetically. "I dun wanna not be your best friend..."
Fumie laughed, shaking her head and patting Mari's shoulders in attempts to comfort her. "That won't happen, Mari! You're always gonna be my best friend, 'k? And I promise, soon as this meeting is over, we-"
"Fu-mi-e!" Kurako shouted from inside Fumie's room. "Get in here or we'll lock you out and you won't get any of Aoi's snacks!" Aoi could be heard protesting, saying of course Fumie would still have her snacks, but Kurako and Hisa just shushed her.
"Aheheh...I'm needed! Bye, Mari!" Fumie blurted out, ducking back into her room. She held the door open slightly a few moments longer, watching Mari dry her crocodile-tears and give her the thumbs-up. Smiling and returning the gesture, Fumie slowly shut the door.
TODAY'S EPISODE: A Downer of A Downpour! Uta and Mari Are Brainwashed!
In Despair Horizon, three of Nocturna's generals were seated around a small table, a board game between them. Chuusha rested a head on her palm as she rolled the dice. "Fureyaa's late," she muttered, gripping her game-piece and moving it five spaces forward.
"Well, maybe he's out attacking Pretty Cure," Kemuri answered, taking the dice and rolling them herself. She made a face as she only got a two.
"He can't be - it's not his turn today, and you know how much of a bleeding-heart he is," Chuusha snorted, both at the description of Fureyaa's incompetence and Kemuri's rotten luck. As Gachan took the dice and started to shake them in his hand, she went on. "If he is after them today, we're all doomed."
Kemuri shot Chuusha a smug look, raising an eyebrow as she rested her elbows on the table. "Oh, Fureyaa will be the cause of us losing to Pretty Cure? What about you, hm? You had a Dream Shard in your hands and you just gave it to a hallucination."
Chuusha's face darkened as she reached over the table and smacked Kemuri upside the head. "You weren't there!" she snarled as Kemuri clutched her head in pain. "She looked-she looked so freaky! And just..." Chuusha's eyes narrowed as she shuddered involuntary. "Looking at her gave me such awful chills...I felt I should drop to my knees and plead for mercy."
"You? Pleading for mercy? Wow, I ought to meet this hallucination and shake her hand!"
"I told you, it wasn't-!"
Gachan suddenly released the dice, letting them fall to the game board with a loud clatter. The two females looked to him in wide-eyed surprise as he calmly moved his game piece. "That's enough, you two. Fighting among the ranks doesn't get us anywhere, either...And if Fureyaa's absence bothers you so much, Chuusha, then Kemuri and I will go find him, and Pretty Cure, ourselves." The one visible corner of his mouth turned up slightly as his game piece reached the center star pattern on the board. "Game."
"You know about the Dream Charm, but you're still clueless about Mora," Hisa began, looking at each girl in turn with a serious look on her face. Aoi, Kurako, and Kotone nodded in interest. Hisa's gaze then landed on Fumie, and she glared at her. "Fumie! Stop eating!"
Fumie swallowed her cookie, reaching into the box on Aoi's lap for another. "But they're so tasty!" she whined.
Kurako sighed and reached over to shut the box without even looking. At Fumie's whine of protest, she added "I eat far more than you do and I'm keeping my appetite in line. I think you can do the same thing."
"Thank you, Kurako," Hisa sighed, shutting her eyes and shaking her head. "As I was saying...Mora.
"Long ago, the Dream Charm had been threatened, much lie it is now. However, it wasn't shattered, merely stolen...No one knew who had taken it, and scoured all of Dream Peaks and all of Earth to find it. The culprits finally revealed themselves; an evil group calling themselves Mora. Pretty Cure went after them to retrieve the Charm Charm, and they eventually sealed Mora away, and returned the Charm to its rightful place..." Hisa's expression suddenly looked uneasy.
Aoi picked up on this, leaning forward and resting her hands in her lap. "There's a 'but,' isn't there?" she asked softly.
Hisa nodded hesitantly.
Now Kaana spoke up-to her credit, she was taking this seriously as her sister was. "Pretty Cure did seal Mora away...but at the cost of their own lives. We've no idea how it even happened...and the bodies were never recovered. They'd all just flown into the sky after Mora and then...they never came back down. But everyone knew that they'd all..." Kaana swallowed, looking down at the surface she sat on, imagining how it must have looked. Five people, clad in bright colors and matching heart-emblems on their chests, floating lifeless among the stars. She hadn't been alive when this had happened-not even her parents had been, so she could only imagine them based on the large tapestry that hung in the palace back home.
"That's what it means to swear on the lives of past Pretty Cure. It's the most solemn vow we have," Hisa put in.
Fumie stared, wide-eyed and pale. Next to her, the other girls looked the same way as they digested this information. Kotone was the first to speak. "H-Hold up now!" she blurted, rising to her feet. "You mean to say-we could die? I didn't sign up to die, man-we have to achieve our dreams first!"
"You won't die!" Hisa snapped. "Not as long as you work hard."
"Oh come on-with something as powerful as Mora..." Kotone went on. "I mean-you said they were sealed away by the other Cures. But here they are again! Explain that!" she cried, gesturing wildly with her hands.
Aoi gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. She hadn't thought of that. "Maybe...maybe they're not quite as strong anymore?" she ventured. "We have been defeating every monster they throw at us...and they all seem to retreat afterwards, so maybe..."
Hisa frowned, hmmm-ing to herself.
Mari shuffled dejectedly down the hallway, eyes on the ground. She heaved a sigh. It's just not fair...if I was Pretty Cure, I bet I'd be able to spend more time with Fumie-tan...We'd still be together, like we always were...
She suddenly paused by the door to the music room, hearing voices from inside. "Eh? Who's this?" she mumbled, pressing her ear to the door.
A familiar voice was giggling faintly. "...you're so funny."
"Hee~! ...and then...we should totally go out and..."
"Yeah, that'd be fun! ...can't tell Kotone though...Dun worry, I'll...to her..."
"Hey, what's goin' on in here?" Mari suddenly called out, slamming the door open. She stood there in the doorway, staring at the room's occupant. Seemingly its only occupant.
Uta stood in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind her back as she smiled nervously. "A-Ah, Mari! What brings you here?"
Mari looked confused, tilting her head as she walked in. "I was lonely, so I just...Uta, were you talking to someone?"
"N-No, I was rehearsing for a play!"
"But you're not in the drama club..."
Inside the utility closet, Fureyaa stood stock-still, sweating profusely, heart hammering in his chest as he praised himself on his quick thinking and narrow escape.
Eyecatch 1: Fumie stands at an easel, tongue poking out slightly as she carefully dabs some paint onto the canvas. Satisfied, she steps back and spins the easel around to reveal a watercolor of Cure Ink, the PCBE logo where a signature should be.
Eyecatch 2: Kurako, Aoi, Kotone, Mari, Uta, Kaana and Hisa all sit down on the floor, watching Fumie. Fumie stands at a podium and bangs a rubber gavel, calling the club meeting to order. The PCBE logo appears in the corner.
The rain began to fall slowly at first, with a few drops spread far apart and hitting the pavement. But then it was as if the floodgates had been opened, and soon the ground was completely-soaked, windows streaked with water. The sky was dark, as if it were evening when it was only mid-afternoon, and no one dared go outside.
Well, one person was out there. Hiding under a tree in the courtyard, the long-haired, transparent girl looked down at the Dream Shard in her hands, then looked up at the clouds. "Hyuu..."
On the other side of the campus, the dark vortex appeared, quickly fading to reveal Gachan and Kemuri, Gachan holding a black umbrella over his head. Kemuri hugged herself, sneezing. "Ewww! Why'd it have to be raining?" she whined.
Gachan wordlessly held the umbrella so they were both shielded from the rain. "Perhaps we should hurry, then," he said simply.
Kemuri sniffled. "Y-yeah..."
"Uhm, Mari, shouldn't you be with Fumie?" Uta asked, nervously shifting her gaze to the closet every now and then.
Mari didn't notice Uta's discomfort, or where she kept looking. Instead, she began to pout, grabbing a lock of her hair and smoothing it between her hands. "Hnnn...she and the other girls are havin' a Pretty Cure meeting. Only Pretty Cure, so I'm not invited. And Fumie-tan promised we'd go out to eat today!"
"I dunno if you should go out today, anyway...it's pouring out there," Uta noted, looking towards the window, watching the water streak down the glass surface.
"I have an umbrella!" Mari protested.
Inside the closet, Fureyaa sighed quietly, eyes to the keyhole. "Come on, come on," he whispered. "Leave already...it's cramped in here..."
Mari stood straighter, looking towards the closet. "Say...did you hear something?"
"N-Nope!"
Outside, perched on the overhanging roof above the window, Kemuri and Gachan knelt down, Dream-Eating Cranes in hand. Kemuri shot Gachan a cat-like grin, shifting her hold on the origami crane. "This ought to get them, right? These two are close to the Cure brats, but their dreams aren't for them to simply be happy!"
Gachan said nothing, simply leaned further down, outstretching an arm and casually unlocking the window...
"You shouldn't worry, though!" Kaana was saying, trying to calm down the panicking girls. All of them sat there, pale, biting their knuckles or gesturing wildly as they shouted that they didn't want to get killed-yes they knew they were supposed to be legendary warriors, but they weren't supposed to die in battle, that wasn't how it worked! "I mean-there are four of you, and like Aoi said, Mora's retreating after every battle! And we sent out five messages! Why, I bet that once we get the fifth girl, you'll beat up Mora once and for all!"
Fumie's door burst open just then. Fumie stood up hastily, saying "Mari, I told you we'd hang out later-" but it wasn't Mari at the door.
Fureyaa stood in the doorway, one hand gripping the frame for support as he panted, looking at the group in desperation. "P-Pretty Cure..." he gasped.
Hisa glared. "What do you want?" she snapped. "Here to attack us again?"
"N-No, Hisa, I don't think that's it at all," Aoi said, taking in Fureyaa's expression and overall tired, frightened appearance. "Fureyaa, what's-"
The darker-skinned boy swallowed, lifting his eyes to meet Aoi's. "I-It's Uta," he gasped.
Mari and Uta, dark auras pulsating around them, shuffled in the rain, half-closed, lifeless eyes scanning the area. Their dreams were all gone, all gone, they had nothing to fight for anymore...They had to find some Dream Shards, use them to get their dreams back...
Though the two stood in a tree high above them, Kemuri and Gachan could still be heard. "It's Pretty Cure's fault, isn't it, Mari?" Gachan intoned. "Pretty Cure's taking away your dreams."
"Pretty Cure..." Mari echoed, growling a little as her hands curled into fists.
"If Pretty Cure were gone, I bet you'd have your dreams come true in a snap," Kemuri offered, smirking as the two girls nodded dully in agreement. "We'd make your dreams come true...if you'd destroy Pretty Cure, and give us the Dream Shards you find."
"Yeah..."
"Mari! Uta!"
Kemuri turned to see four girls rushing towards their weak-willed puppets, not noticing how Gachan suddenly vanished. "Hey, the fun's starting! How'll you handle this blow, Pretty Cure?" she snickered.
The girls skidded to a stop, Fumie slipping a little from the wet pavement. Already the girls were drenched, but that didn't matter at the moment. All any of them focused on was their friends, robbed of their dreams. "M-mari?" Fumie gasped. "Mari-!"
Mari suddenly rushed at her, hands landing squarely on Fumie's stomach and sending her flying backwards. Fumie cried out as she fell near the end, landing in a puddle.
"M-mari..." she groaned.
Even from where she lay, she could hear Mari's whispered murmurs. "I want to be Pretty Cure...but why won't you let me? I wanna be special like you are; I wanna be a Pretty Cure, too..."
"Uta! Hey, Uta!" Kotone shouted, trying to dodge Uta's swipes at her. "I don't wanna fight you, but-but if I have to, I will!" she snapped. Unfortunately, she didn't sound convinced at all. "Uta!"
Uta looked at her sister with blank eyes, not saying a word even as Aoi grabbed her from behind and held her arms still. Then she went limp and heavy, forcing Aoi to lose her grip on her.
Kurako, meanwhile, was kneeling beside Fumie as Mari stalked over to them. "Fumie, get up! Fumie!"
"I-I'm okay..." Fumie groaned as she pushed herself up. Mari...is this really what you want? But out loud, she said something entirely different. "These Mora guys aren't playing fair at all! First our parents, now our best friends?" She looked up, eyes darkening in anger. "That's so not fair!" She stood up then, catching everyone else's attention. "I sure don't wanna get killed in battle, but it ain't gonna be today. And no one messes with my best friend!"
She caught everyone's eye, and they nodded as one.
"Pretty Cure! Show my future!"
"Painting the world with new tints, Cure Ink!"
"Spinning with grace and strength, Cure Twirl!"
"Adding flavor and zest to life, Cure Spice!"
"Drumming a new life's rhythm, Cure Beat!"
"Protecting everyone's dreams, Pretty Cure Bukatsudo Energetic!"
"First things first!" Ink shouted, reaching for around her neck. "We'll take the Dream Charm and...and..." Her confident expression slowly turned to one of horror. "O-ohhhh no."
Fumie, we have to hurry!" Kurako shouted as everyone rushed from the room.
"R-Right!" Fumie called back, running after them, not noticing that she'd left a slightly-bigger Dream Charm on her nightstand.
"Ohhhh nonononono," she started panicking, bringing her arms up as Uta and Mari rushed her at once, each aiming a punch at her head.
"Ink, you-!" Twirl shouted, suddenly appearing to kick the two mind-control victims away. She landed in what should have been a graceful landing, but the rain had made the pavement slick and she slipped a little. "Where's the Dream Charm?"
"I-I think I left it."
Inside, Kaana had been coiled up, napping next to Himemiya, the Dream Charm glowing softly beside her. Hisa sat near her, eyeing the Charm and the princess in concern. "We're nearly halfway there," she said quietly. "But..."
Behind her, a dark vortex appeared, and Gachan stepped out of it. He smiled, his grin nearly splitting his face as he quietly approached the desk.
"You what?!" everyone shouted at once.
"I'm sorryyyy!" Ink wailed.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a faint whistling sound, and a streak of bright, white light heading directly at Ink's head. The item bounced off her head, landing in her outstretched hand. "Wh-what?" she gasped.
Kemuri narrowed her eyes from her perch, leaning forward. "What...?"
Ink held the Dream Shard to her face, eyes wide and shining. From behind her, she heard Beat whisper in awe "Deux ex machina..." But there wasn't any time to worry on where it had come from or who had thrown it. She held it out at arm's length at the rapidly-approaching Mari and Uta, shutting her eyes tightly as the brilliant light flashed from it. The shadows faded from their eyes slightly, shine returning to them.
"Girls...your dreams aren't destroyed! You still have them, you can still achieve them if your hearts are strong!" Ink stood up. "And Mari...I believe that you can be Pretty Cure!" Wouldn't it be nice... "Alright! Pretty Cure Color Splash!"
The familiar light bathed both girls, their eyes widening before closing in peace. As the light faded, Beat caught Uta in her arms as Mari fell face-first into Ink. The Dream-Eating Cranes appeared in mid-air over their hearts before disintegrating into nothingness.
"Th-the heck?!" Kemuri screeched, stomping her foot on the tree branch. Doing so caused her to unbalance, and she suddenly fell onto the wet grass, screaming in irritation. "You'll pay for this, Pretty Cure!" she screamed, suddenly vanishing into the dark vortex.
Later, everyone sat in Fumie's room, wearing pajamas and holding blankets around themselves. Fumie sneezed. "Wagh...why'd you guys have to go outside?" she mumbled.
"I didn't mean to," Mari and Uta chorused, snuggling further into their blankets.
"Ugh...this day can't get any worse..." Kurako muttered, right before Fumie's nightstand drawer started rattling.
Everyone glanced at each other, Fumie reaching out to open it. She gasped as Kaana and Hisa popped up, eyes wild. "Y-you guys! What're-"
"Where's the Dream Charm?!" Hisa demanded.
"And now my dress is soaked!" Kemuri whined, biting at her knuckles, one hand clenched over her chest. "Those Pretty Cure brats'll pay, mark my words!"
"Hmmmm..."
She turned to her teammate, frowning. "And hey, Gachan-you weren't there at the end of it! What happened?"
Gachan smiled ever so faintly again, reaching into the lapels of his coat. And then withdrew the partially-assembled Dream Charm.
ED: "Lead Me There" - YUME featuring Mari
ON THE NEXT EPISODE:
Kotone: "I can't believe this! We were only gone for a second!"
Kurako: "Argh, we'll have to get it back!"
Fumie: "Guys..."
Aoi: "Wait a minute, guys-there's another Shard over at...the amusement park?"
Hisa: "Girls, this isn't a time for fun and games!"
Fumie: "Guys, I don't feel so good..."
Mari: "Don't worry, Fumie-tan! I, your bestest friend forever, will serve as your replacement for this venture!"
Kotone: "Next time on Pretty Cure Bukatsudo Energetic: Substitute-Fumie? We Are Not Amused! Don't be late for next meeting!"
