Onward! Precure 9
Previously on Onward! Precure 9:
Cherie, Cecilia and Isabella went on a shopping trip together with Susan, a longtime best friend of Cherie's. However, a new enemy showed up to crash the party, a young girl named Tsubasa with unprecedented powers stood in the way of our heroines. They managed to save Susan from a deadly situation with a little help from their senpais, two of the Heartcatch Precures. Tsubasa finally retreated, but will the peace last?
Bold: emphasise
Italics: thoughts
Bold+italics: flashback
CAP LOCK: SHOUT/TECHNIQUES
(Cherie's POV)
"Can I join your group?" I asked.
"Yeah, we're missing one person anyway so..."
"Hey, can I join your group?" someone else asked.
"Yes of course! Sorry, Cherie. Maybe next time."
"Oh... ok..."
"PRECURE! SUSUME!" I flew down from the rooftop and landed as Cure Hope, "Unlimited anticipation towards the future, Cure Hope!"
It's been some time since the ordeal with the girl called Tsubasa. She was really strong. But we have been getting stronger too, I can feel it; not exactly her level but stronger nevertheless. Nothing special happened after that, and of course, that's good news! It's just that...
Iris came out from my Locket as my wings dissipated. I complained, "Jeez... the last time I take a toilet break at lunch..."
"You're here," Wonders jumped to my side.
"Sorry for the wait," I replied, "Need any help?"
"Nah, let us handle this."
I saw Cure Accel slip under the turtle Teiton, stood as tall as she could, and struck with her palm, "ACCEL RUSH!"
The turtle was propelled upwards, and crash-landed on its back. It struggled, but couldn't move after all.
"Nice!" I complimented.
"Now for the finishing touch!" Wonders grinned, "PRECURE! SPECTRUM FANTASY!"
The Teiton was purified.
Cecilia and Isabella have always been best friends. That fight split them for a few weeks, but now their friendship is as strong as ever. While I...
Wonders retrieved the Shine and returned it, "Great job, Accel, you totally ruled the battlefield!" They high-fived.
Accel shrugged, "Today's an easy fight."
I smiled a bit, "Come on, we don't want to be late."
We walked back at a fast pace to our next English lesson.
While I'm just an outsider...
As always.
"Good afternoon, students," Kimori-sensei said, "Today, you'll start on a new project. I know the mid-terms are coming but you will get started first and continue afterwards."
Everyone looked confused.
"This year's English form activity would be a drama performance. The 32 of you will split into groups of 8. Each group will create a drama revolving around school life and perform in class. The best performance will be chosen to perform in front of the whole form. Now, I'll give you all about 20 minutes to group and discuss the first draft of the plot, you may leave your seats."
Instantly, I joined Cecilia and Isa, then gestured for Carmen and Bonnie to join us. The other few slots were filled in by some boys in our class, Jeffrey Yuuki, Samuel Manaka and Henry Genki.
And so, I immediately started leading the discussion, "I think we can make a story about bullying since that is quite a serious problem, but that would require some information. I mean, I don't think I've ever been bullied before so we need some real cases to make it realistic."
"Cherie, there's no need to be so serious about it," Carmen said, "It's just a situation where someone is treated unfairly by his or her peers. Besides, I honestly think you've been bullied in primary school."
"She doesn't give off the vibes of a victim though," Samuel, who was also from my primary school, commented.
"Anyway, is this theme alright for everyone?" I interrupted. Everyone nodded.
"Okay then. We can talk about the division of work. I think I can handle the script alone, though if anyone else wants..."
"With Kibouka-chan in our group, we're so lucky," Genki-kun whispered to the other boys.
"Yeah, she was really good at English in primary school too," Samuel whispered back.
"We can totally lay back," Yuuki-kun added.
"What about everyone else? What do you wanna do? Props? Backdrop?" I pretended I couldn't hear that and continued.
"Sorry to interrupt," Kimori-sensei suddenly walked here, "Who's your team's leader?"
"Kibouka-chan can be the leader," Genki-kun immediately pointed to me.
"I agree, I agree!"
"Do you want to be the leader? Cherie-chan?" Bonnie asked.
"E-eh... of course, it's a pleasure," I answered, I have to do it, everyone wants me to, I need to be of use...
"Okay," Kimori-sensei marked it down on her copy of the group list.
"Let's continue our discussion," Cecilia said, "I think me and Isa can handle the props, is that okay, leader?"
I got pulled back from zoning out, "Yeah sure, just let me know if you need help."
"Cherie, are you okay?" Carmen asked.
"Is being leader giving you stress?" Isabella asked, "I'm sure you can appoint a sub-leader if you want."
"Oh, no no, it's not that, sorry. Let's get back to the discussion..."
I don't want to be an outsider again... I don't want to be neglected... I have to be useful.
(After school, on the way home)
"Cherie, what's on your mind?" Iris flew to my shoulder.
"Nothing."
"You didn't sound like yourself back in the drama project discussion."
"Iris, you must be imagining things."
"Cherie-chan, who are you talking to?"
I froze and slowly turned around to see who spoke... "Bonnie! Jeez... don't scare me and Iris like that!"
Iris had been holding her breath and now was panting heavily.
Bonnie let out the tip of her tongue and came to stroke Iris's head, "Iris-chan noticed too, hmm? Cherie-chan, you're as easy to read as a book."
"Am I that easy to read? That easy?"
"Well maybe not that easy," Bonnie pondered, "I still can't figure out the reason, but at least I can tell that you were a tad bit troubled since the boys started chattering on their own."
"What?" I pretended to laugh it off, "They were complimenting me, why would I be upset?"
"That's... a good point," Bonnie gave in.
"Something is up with you, Cherie, I just know it," but Iris really didn't, she lied.
"Oh yeah? Name it!"
Iris puffed her cheeks, "Give me some time!"
I inwardly smiled victoriously and turned to Bonnie, "Wanna come to my place for a bit? Since we're on this path already."
"Sure!"
On the way, we talked about various things, but I just knew that they're both watching me closely.
"We're here!" I open the door and showed Bonnie inside and settled her down on the couch.
"Do you want a snack? Me and father made banana cake yesterday."
"Sure, thanks!"
So I went into the kitchen to cut her (and myself heheh) a slice of banana cake.
..."But I asked if I could join first..." was all I could mumble as they walked away.
The knife almost slipped when the sudden flashback occurred to me.
I'm not doing this wrong, am I?
...
"Sorry for the wait," I walked out with two slices and an extra small slice of banana cake.
"Itadakimasu!"
"This is really delicious!" Bonnie exclaimed.
"Am I lucky to be Cherie's fairy or what?" Iris threw her a smug face.
We both smiled at her, then Bonnie continued to question me, "Cherie, are you really, really, really fine?"
"Yes."
She sighed, "Okay, but when you're not..."
"I know, you'll be there to listen."
She shook her head, "No. We all will be there to listen, Cecilia-chan, Akahoshi-san and Isabella-chan too."
I smiled wider, "Okay..."
Sorry, girls, but, I can't stop, I can't take the risk. This is one of the ways that worked for me since primary 3, I won't quit it, just in case.
Iris suddenly shouted, "Cherie! The Time Wraiths!"
I stood up, alerted, "Let's go, Iris!"
"Wait a second," Bonnie stopped us, "Let me go too!"
"Bonnie... you can't, it's really dangerous!"
"Don't worry! I'll hide really good so no one can spot me! I've been thinking, you know? Three 13-year-olds fighting monsters must be tough, so I thought that you deserve to get whatever help or support you can. So even though... I want to but I know I can't support you on the battlefield, I need to support you in the sidelines!"
"Be careful not to let anything happen to yourself!" Iris told her.
"I promise!" Bonnie stood up and nodded determinedly.
I gave in, "Alright. Hold on to me. Iris, the wings."
Iris made her way into my Locket and my wings appeared, while Bonnie widened her eyes in a 'well this is new' manner.
"Let's go."
Thank you, Bonnie. But I can handle this, I will handle this.
The Teiton this time was a sphere of creepy-looking fabric.
We landed behind some bushes a safe distance from the Teiton.
"Okay, this will do. Come forth, Future Seed!"
"PRECURE! SUSUME! Unlimited anticipation towards the future, Cure Hope!"
As Cure Hope, I now ordered Bonnie, "Stay here no matter what happens!"
Assured when she gave a big nod, I jumped into action, "Stay right where you are, Kiba!"
"So you've come, little girl."
"I won't let you do anymore harm!"
"Tsk, who said you have to let me? Teiton!"
The Teiton used two scarfs as whips and lashed at me, I barely slipped between them to dodge a very painfully-looking attack.
Scarfs... I know!
I jumped around swiftly while the scarfs lashed here and there. But what I was doing was actually...
"Garment?!" the Teiton exclaimed in confusion as it found its whips tied together in a square knot.
"Hope!" Wonders and Accel came flying.
"What's the situation here?" Wonders asked.
"A clothing manufacturer pooped its pants apparently," Accel joked.
"Okay, so what's the plan?" Wonders asked again.
"Uh... I still don't have a plan..." I said, hanging my head.
"Okay never mind, let's make one on the spot."
"Umm... yeah, okay."
Meanwhile, the Teiton successfully untied its whips, "GARMENT!"
Accel and Wonders dive kicked the cloths. The parts they kicked caved in, but soon regenerated.
"HOPE JOLT!" I yelled, sending a blast at the Teiton. However, using a net of elastics, the attack ricocheted back to me.
"Ahhhh!"
"Hope!"
"I'm fine!" With that I dashed at the elastic net and tried to cut it with my hands, of course to no avail. The Teiton used the scarfs again to lash me away.
"What is she doing?" I heard Kiba wondered out loud.
"What is she doing?" the fairies wondered out loud too.
"Hope, wait!" Accel called out.
"Come back! You have to..."
I didn't care. I clenched my fists and kept going, once again trying to cut holes in any parts of the monster.
I can handle this, I will handle this, I won't stand by and wait anymore, or else I would only be forgotten.
People around me always flock together, leaving me alone when I'm not of use. I don't want this Precure mission to become a typical school project.
"Do you think Hope's a bit off today?" Wonders asked.
"Yeah..." Accel answered.
"She's upset, I don't know why but she is!" Bonnie suddenly spoke to them in the bushes.
"What are you doing here?!" Accel immediately stepped closer to the bush to hide Bonnie's face, "It's not safe."
"I know, that's the reason I'm in here."
"You were saying?" Wonders cut to the chase.
"Oh right, I thought you two noticed too, but apparently not. Cherie-chan was feeling uneasy since English lesson. I don't know the reason but we have to figure that out soon, or else..."
I got trapped inside a top hat in the Teiton which was then used as a cannon to fire me at Kiba. Kiba dug his talons into my neck and pulled me to his height.
I... can't breathe...
"Oh boy," Protea sighed.
"Hope!" Iris and Bonnie exclaimed at the same time.
"Good heavens, what was she thinking?!" Wonders facepalmed, "Lupine, the wings!"
"Sure thi..."
"Wait..." I coughed. I grabbed Kiba's wrist with both of my hands to support myself to fold my legs and jab him in the stomach. I plunged down after his claws left some marks on my neck.
"Tsk," he let out when rubbing his abdomen, "Teiton!"
Suddenly, the Teiton beneath me opened a big hole for me to fall right in.
"Wah!" I yelped as I hit the bottom of the monster, "What?!" I banged and kicked on the wall of fabrics as soon as my breathing was stable again, but it didn't work.
"HOPE JOLT!" I punched the wall but the magic vanished. Hearing a yelp of Accel outside, I realised that my attack must've passed through the cloth, "Oops, sorry about that!"
"Forget that!" Accel shouted, "How do we get you out?"
"I... I don't know!"
"What were you trying to pull off anyway?" Wonders exclaimed, "Taking off by yourself like that?"
"I... don't know..."
"Why didn't you think it through first? It's dangerous!"
"I... I'm sorry! I don't know anymore!"
A short silence followed.
Accel used a gentler tone after my exclamation, "What's happened to you today? You're more reckless than usual."
"It's just that... when I was small, people always try to stay on my good side just to win a favor and then forget about me after I've helped with that. That's why I have to be useful, that was what I need to do to keep everyone from drifting away from me. I know that wasn't right, but I didn't know any other way to avoid being alone! I'm afraid of going back to that stage!" I gave up on attacking the confines and sat down, "I feel that it can happen to me even now..."
A stinging sensation came to my eyes, but no tears came out, "Because... the two of you have always been together, while I'm just an outsider who met you girls halfway! My whole life... I've been an outsider, if I'm not useful enough, I'll never be accepted!"
"Hope..." Accel grinded her teeth, "I'm so peeved with you! ACCEL RUSH!"
"Eh?" I felt something lifting up the monster, then a gust of wind blew it apart and threw me into the sky.
"Wah!" I yelped as I landed on my back painfully.
"Serves you right, silly Cherie," Wonders crosses her arms and then crouched down, "Need a lift? And don't say no or Accel is going to do it again."
My expression softened as I took her hand and stood up.
"You are not going back to that stage as far as we're concerned, Hope!" Accel came support me too, "Jeez... somebody has got to teach you what does teamwork mean!"
"Yeah, Hope," Wonders agreed, "We're a team, comrades, friends. We don't speak conditions. So, forget what young Cherie used to be afraid of, your tomorrow should contain no such fears because you got at least us two..."
"Three!" Bonnie peeped from the bushes.
"Make that a six," Iris landed on my shoulder.
"Us six," Wonders corrected, "here by your side no matter what! We will advance together with you in this road fill with hardship and darkness, and we will vanquish all of it to achieve our goals. What you can't do on your own..."
"We can do it together!" Accel finished her sentence.
I looked beside me, Wonders and Accel smiling back at me. Then I looked backwards, the fairies and the hidden Bonnie supporting me. And somewhere, Carmen, and Susan...
I'm such an idiot. What was I thinking? We spent such a long time together already, why didn't I realise the people right in front of my eyes would be enough? Why didn't I notice they are different? Why didn't I trust that they are really my friends?
"Ready to fight yet?" Kiba yawned above us.
"Girls," I started, "You two just gave me a great idea for a team name."
Practically seeing question marks on their heads, I stood up and continued, "We are the team advancing in sync, striving with all our comrades to protect the world's happily ever after..."
"Oh, I get it!" they jumped up in sync.
"Onward! Precure!"
"You read my mind," I grinned, "Now, for the ongoing battle, just now, Accel, when you blew the Teiton's pieces apart, they regrouped like being sucked in by a magnet which means that there should be one centerpiece that works as the brain. If we separate it from everything else, it can no longer pull tricks to trap us or counter our attacks."
"You mean, trap you and counter your attacks," Accel chuckled.
"Don't let it get to your head, I won't be lame twice," I laughed back.
"Right," Accel then summoned her blue sword and stabbed it into the ground, "PRECURE! CYCLONE SLASH!"
The ground rumbled and a twister shot out from under the Teiton, blowing it up and apart.
"Alright!" Wonders cheered, "Now Lupine, tell me which piece you sense the Shine is in."
"Hmm..." Lupine squinted her eyes, "There! That blue sweater!"
"WONDERS LEVITATION!" she exclaimed, "Got it!" The blue sweater stayed in the air while the others floated to the ground harmlessly.
"PRECURE! DREAM BIG ARROW!"
The sweater was purified. Like the other garments, they went poof and returned to where they should be. Iris caught the Shine and returned it.
"Grrr!" Kiba growled, then instead of retreating, he landed before us and said, "I didn't come here today only to fight, I came to give the fairies a message."
Each of us quickly picked up our fairies and hold them tightly.
"Hahaha," Kiba cackled, "No need to get so sensitive, I only want to tell them it's not looking good for their friend, the clock is ticking." Then he retreated.
I felt Iris trembling in my arms, "What? Who was he talking about?"
"Well..."
"Don't worry about it!" Protea shouted, "He's just trying to scared us!"
"Are you sure?" asked Isabella, detransforming.
"Y-yeah, I'm pretty sure none of the fairies have fallen, or else we would've sensed something, or someone would come to tell us the news, I think," Lupine, too, was trembling, but tried to stay calm.
"Well, if you say so..."
Bonnie stepped out of the bush and stood beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder, "Are you fine?"
I put my hand on hers, "How can I not be? You're all here for me."
Everyone shared a smile.
"Alright, let's go to my home and eat some banana cake to celebrate absolutely nothing!"
"Yay!"
"By the way," Bonnie raised a question, "Why protect the 'happily ever after'? What's there to this phrase?"
"Well," I explained, "Happily ever after is what ends every fairytale. I just thought that..."
"That...?"
"That we maybe... maybe could make a fairytale out of our lives... and everyone's too..."
"That's a great aspiration!" Cecilia encouraged, "Hey! I know it's a bit late but the class association never set a time limit, why don't you add that to the wishing tree too?"
"Yeah, we can all sign on it," Isa agreed.
"Yeah, all four of us," I cheered.
"Eh?!" Bonnie said, "Me too?!"
"Of course!"
"T-thank you..."
So we all smiled, instantly trying to wash away the feeling that our fairies know something they weren't so willing to tell us.
End of Chapter 9
A/N: In case some of you feel contrived about the sudden revelation of Cherie's anxieties, I don't blame you because it's nearly impossible to catch the super minor hints I've placed here and there, but in hindsight, you might be able to find them.
