"I don't think I've ever been to a festival I didn't love to bits. After all, there's so much wonderful food... neat stuff to do… great food… fireworks shows… really, super delicious food… and of course I get to share it all with my friends! Don't get me wrong, I'd go just for the food, but it's really the whole package that makes festivals so great. Even though a lot of things didn't go so well at that last one, it takes more than my jerk brother and a monster attacking to ruin a good festival!"


X-Heart PreCure!

Episode 16: I Believe! The Heart That Seeks the Extraordinary!


"Hey, have you heard?" "Have you heard?" "What that girl has been doing?"

"She poses like she's in a comic book." "She wears a bandage that she never takes off." "Except when she forgets it entirely."

"She told me that she fought together with Pretty Cure." "She told me that she fought Pretty Cure." "She told me that she has a demon sealed in her arm."

"Who does she think she is?" "Who does she think she's fooling?" "Why does anyone put up with her?"

"Somebody does?" "I heard she's in a club." "Yeah, a small club. They probably keep her around just to make up the numbers."

"Some people sure can talk," Tamaki observed.

"It's not like that, right?" Himeka looked to Shima with tears in her eyes.

"As if I'd keep someone in the club for such a stupid reason," Shima replied without looking up from her book. "Those girls don't know what they're talking about."

"But…"

"Himeka, anyone who's seen how the two of you get along would know what kind of person Yui really is. Shima isn't as cold-hearted as she sometimes sounds."

"What Tamaki's trying to say is that even though I prefer to act like a completely rational and realistic person, the fact is that I have likes and dislikes just like anyone else. There isn't anybody in our club whom I dislike."

The classroom door slammed open, and Yui entered shouting. "I have traveled through time for fourteen years and eight months to arrive at this room right now!"

The gossips fell silent.

Shima facepalmed. "Some more than others."

While the rest of the class was still stunned, Suou-sensei strode in through the open door. "I don't believe the entire building heard that, Watanabe. See me after school."

By the time Tamaki arrived at the planetarium, Shima was the only person in sight.

"Y'know… it's kinda weird. I just got used to having everyone here all the time."

Shima set aside her book and stretched. "I actually enjoy the quiet, but I know what you mean. Ton and Tun are hiding under the sink as usual, but Yui's in detention or trying to avoid it, and Himeka left already. Something about an upgrade to her bicycle."

"Himeka has a bicycle?" Tamaki's stray hair wavered inquisitively.

Shima stared at her incredulously. "What, now you don't share memories with Morning Tamaki either?"

"It's not like I'm a different person!" Tamaki protested. "It's just… um… I don't think I can really explain it. Have you tried that phone number yet?"

"That's a pretty transparent change of subject… but no. Even if that guy says he's on our side, which he really hasn't ever said... I'd rather not just give away my phone number by calling him. And if he's been sneaking around the Academy without being noticed, he might even be able to identify us from just our voices."

"Oh. That would be bad."

"Or he could record the call and use it against us later."

Tamari scratched the back of her head. "So you're just not gonna call him?"

Shima shook her head. "No, it still needs to happen. He's helped us at least once already, and if he's up to something sketchy, I still think we should punish him. I just need a way to keep him from learning too much about us."

Their conversation cut off abruptly as the door creaked open and Yui slipped into the room.

"Yo, skipping detention. Want some oranges?"

An orange flew towards Tamaki before she even responded. She caught and began to peel it. "Thanks, Yui."

"Yeah, no problem. Shima?"

Shima reopened her book. "Not if you're going to throw it at me."

Yui weighed one of the remaining oranges in her hand for a moment, perhaps thinking about throwing it anyway. Then she walked to the desk Shima was sitting at and set the orange in front of her.

"Thank you." Shima picked it up and began to peel it while still reading her book.

Yui set a few more oranges on the counter by the sink, then picked one to peel for herself. "So… anything interesting going on? I probably don't have long before Miss President thinks to look here, but..."

"Hm…" Tamaki's stray hair wavered hesitantly. "I have this friend-"

Yui quickly glanced toward Shima. "Are you sure you wanna ask advice for dealing with her when she's sitting right there? She might seriously make you walk the plank."

"This isn't about Shima," Tamaki protested weakly. "This is… a friend of mine has this phone number she needs to call, to talk to somebody she doesn't know, without the other person being able to figure out who she is."

Yui looked at Shima again. "Wow, Captain. Remind me never to piss you off."

"Yui, I will create a plank, and you will walk it." Shima deadpanned without looking up from her book.

"Aye, Captain!" Yui snapped off a mock salute. "Anyhow, putting aside who we're obviously talking about… just how paranoid do you want to go with this?"

"Um…" Tamaki frowned. "As much as possible? It's a really delicate situation."

"Say no more!" Yui tapped her fingertips together. "I shall of course require the club's entire annual budget..."

"Denied." Shima interjected.

"Half?"

"None."

The brunette thought for a moment. "Okay… that's not a complete deal-breaker, but I'll need some time and some serious delusion power in order to pull it off. We might end up owing the Crafts Club a favor or two."

Tamaki hesitated, but Shima said nothing. "I think she's okay with that. I guess I should tell you a bit why we need this thing..."

"Nope! It'll make for a more powerful delusion if I make my own guess what evil plot you're going to use this for!"

"We're actually trying to make peace with somebody..."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. What's important here is that you came to me for a sneaky plan, and I won't let you down. But first, I have urgent business elsewhere. My current delusion absolutely requires-"

The door slammed open, revealing an enraged student council president. "Watanabe Yui!"

"Delicious oranges! Heads up!" Yui slid behind the counter and pitched an orange in Koishi's direction.

The purple-haired girl caught the orange and slowed down not at all as she charged toward the brunette's cover and leapt over it, leaving the orange next to the others on the counter as Yui scrambled away and made for the door.

She didn't make it. Koishi caught Yui just short of the threshold, and ended up sitting on her chest after a brief scuffle.

Her half-moon glasses glinted. "Now… what have we learned?"

"That you could stand to lose a few pounds."

At the other side of the room, Tamaki choked on her orange.

Koishi reddened slightly, then got up and forcefully yanked Yui to her feet. "You're going back to detention."


After returning to Nanohanasou that evening, Shima made her way staff dining room. Having come home a bit later than usual and the inn having a few more guests than usual, the room was quite deserted by the time she got there. However, there was still plenty of food, so she served herself and sat down to eat.

She was about halfway done with her meal when Yuusaku drifted through the door, clearly looking for a meal of his own.

"Ah, Miss Shima. Happy dinner."

"I think you mean 'good evening', Andou-kun."

"Oh, that too. I've just been a bit hungry and distracted for the last little while." He chuckled awkwardly. "You know, they say that cooks and alchemists shouldn't eat where they work. So I don't."

"I think you mean chemists, not alchemists." Shima replied calmly.

"Is that the same thing? Let's pretend I said that, then."

It was quiet for a while while they both ate.

"By the way, that girl with the green curls is a friend of yours, right?" The boy asked, sounding a little nervous. "Could you let her know that I didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable? It's just… I haven't really been in touch with anyone from around where I used to live. If there was some connection between the two of us, it would've been nice to find out."

Something buzzed from inside Yuusaku's pocket. He hastily reached inside, pulled out a pair of mismatched cellphones, then fumbled to put the extra away. He glanced quickly at the screen of the remaining phone, then smiled weakly. "Email from my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Shima blinked. "Meaning… you are somebody's boyfriend?"

"Strange, right? To think there's a girl who wants to date an oddball like me!"

"I really don't know how you expect me to answer that."

"Well, you might say, for example…" He paused for a moment. "Actually, it's kind of a loaded question, now that I think about it. And I didn't really mean to brag about being in a relationship either. Maybe you can agree that just being human can be really exciting sometimes?"

She shrugged. "As compared to what?"

The boy affected a conspiratorial tone. "Literally anything else."

Shima facepalmed. "Andou-kun, this conversation is getting a little too weird, and I want to finish my dinner."

He blinked. "Okay, that's fair."


"Tamaki, why are we having lunch on the roof? And why did you bring Ton and Tun up here?"

"Well… Ton has been whining all week about wanting to nap in the sun, and Tun didn't want to leave him to his own devices after what happened last time. It's not a problem as long as they pretend to be dolls, right?"

"I suppose not. But why the roof?"

"Pirate business. I… wasn't actually told the details, but for some reason, it had to be here."

'Here' was in the shade of a small wooden shed on the quiet part of the roof. There wasn't much of a view, particularly compared to the other side of the roof, which made it a good place to get away from other people.

"Yui's idea, then. Dare I ask why she didn't suggest it in person?"

"She seems to have gotten the idea that telling you what she has in mind would just end up with her being told not to do it."

Shima facepalmed. "Of course she'd think that. She goes out of her way to make half of her plans unworkable and insane. We're talking about the same girl who does things like going out looking for Pretty Cure at the very moments when they're known to be fighting dangerous monsters."

Tamaki swallowed a bite of her lunch. "I don't think anyone can talk her out of that."

"Probably not, no. Then again, for example, if she were planning to surprise us by jumping down from the top of this shed… I'd forbid that without her even asking. It's not as if I dislike surprises. But that wouldn't be a surprise, and she'd almost certainly hurt herself."

An annoyed grunt drifted down from somewhere above their heads.

"How do you keep doing that?" Tamaki asked over the sound of someone nearby clambering down a ladder.

Shima shrugged, then typed something inot her phone. "It's not anything I'm doing. It only works when other people are being predictable."

"I am not predictable!" Yui shouted, the star stream on her skirt rippling flashily as she dashed around the side of the shed.

Shima held up her phone. "Check your messages."

"Why, what'd you send- Gah!" Yui shoved her phone back into her pocket. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't do anything. If you'd said practically anything else, that text would've made very little sense or none at all. But if it makes you feel better, you're not the only one."

"Don't you get me at all, Captain? If you explain a stunt like that all rationally without playing it up as psychic powers or black magic, that's not a delusion at all!" Yui crossed her arms. "And don't try to tell me that you've got no delusions, little miss with your 'when the stars are right' and 'sins of the old priest'… The truth is that you like a good delusion almost as much as I do!"

Shima raised an eyebrow. "And yet I don't run around getting several detentions in the same week and getting pinned to the ground by my cousin."

"Don't remind me…" Yui groaned. "You know Suou-sensei only gave me one extra detention for skipping? I've got detention the rest of the week and into the weekend only because Miss President demanded it! Lunch is the only time I've got left to cut loose!"

"Is that why you changed clothes before you came up here?" Tamaki asked. "I mean, your Pirate Preview is cute and all, but if you're just going to get in more trouble if Koishi catches you out of uniform."

"I'll get away with it, because I'm awesome!" Yui posed dramatically. "Also, the student council is almost always busy during lunch. The tyrant herself let that one slip, so I know I can get away with wearing my Pirate Preview, Model Yui, and nobody's going to do a thing to stop me!"

Yui suddenly flattened herself against the wall of the shed and peered around the corner. After holding her breath for a couple of moments, she relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

Shima sighed as well. "Would it really be so tedious to behave like an ordinary person living in an ordinary world?"

"Of course it would!" Yui shouted, striking the door of the shed for emphasis. "The world and my place in it may be painfully ordinary, but I don't have to accept that! I work hard to see the world as I want it to be, because that gets me fired up to make the world more awesome! For myself and everyone around me, I will chase after that Destiny, whether it's written in the stars or not! That's the delusion way of life!"

A faint ringing tone and a flicker of soft blue light accompanied the sudden appearance of a pair of shadows above Yui's head. One lantern-shaped and one bell-shaped, both hovered in the air encased in otherwise identical blocks of ice.

Behind Yui, the storage shed's door creaked open. From it emerged a fishman wearing a long-sleeved white robe lined at the collar and the hem with turbulent whitewater and a garish yellow headdress decorated with feathers and broad green leaves in place of the typical Pira Clan hood. Covering its face was mask was made of olive-colored wood, carved and painted to look like the head and bill of a hawk... but where the bird's lower jaw would be, the fishman's jowl stuck out instead, scaly, jaundiced, and filled with wicked-looking teeth. Before anyone had time to react, the creature grabbed Yui by the arm, shoved her into the shed, and slammed the door.

Muffled shouts and pounding could be heard coming from the inside of the shed almost immediately. While holding the door shut, the fishman reached into one of his long sleeves and drew out a mass of white bubbles, which he smeared on the door making the figure of a keyhole. It flared brightly for a few seconds, then faded.

"There are many places in your world more afflicted with dust, but none that I have set foot in." Unlike the other Pira Clan, this fishman's voice was a smooth, sonorous tenor.

"That was our friend you just shoved in there!" Tamaki protested.

"That is known to me, but I do not care." The eyes of the fishman's mask flashed. "She has served her purpose in drawing out the accursed treasures of darkness with her passionate feelings. Henceforth she would only be in the way."

"She would, but that's our problem more than yours." Shima stood up and adjusted her glasses. "Let her out."

"I am not obliged to follow your orders. This is not a negotiation. You would be well advised not to stand in my way."

Ton jumped to his feet and ran in front of the fishman. "Those treasures belong to the Field of Currents-ton! We won't let you have them-ton! The legendary warriors and I will stop you weirdos every time, even if your boss comes here himself-ton!"

The masked fishman looked down at the fairy. "My boss, you say?"

"The leader of your clan," Tamaki clarified. "Amama-Bananya-Whatever."

"So be it!" The shaman-like fishman growled. "The individual of whom you speak is myself. I am Amazonya, the all-knowing prophet of the Pira Clan. I will take possession of the accursed treasures of darkness, and I will put an end to this!"

Tamaki looked to Shima. Shima looked to Tamaki. Their gazes met, and girls held up their lodestones.

"PreCure Cross My Heart!" "PreCure Cross My Heart!"


The world around them vanished. Their bodies now floated in the air between a softly glowing sea and a beautiful starlit sky. Two large banners, pink for Tamaki and blue for Shima, each emblazoned with a golden heart crossed underneath by a golden X-mark, formed out of the wind and the sea spray, and wound around their bodies, hiding their clothing and everything below their necks from view.

The banners rippled and reformed, becoming fanciful knee-length dresses in pink and blue, replete with ribbons and frills. Elbow length gloves and tall boots formed around their hands and feet, and leathery black belts and bandoleers, with golden buckles all shaped in the same crossed-heart emblem, wrapped around their waists and crossed their chests.

Tamaki's black hair washed pink and shortened back to the nape of her neck, except for a small handful of strands that wound themselves into thin pink braids and tied together in a bow at the top of her head, secured in place by the tiara that appeared.

At the same time, Shima's glasses vanished and her hair grew longer, washing blonde as it reached down to her back and swayed loosely in the air. A heart-shaped ornament appeared over her left wrist along with a blue ribbon that wound itself down her arm.

The real world reappeared exactly as they had left it, with the transformed girls posed back to back.

"Flying the flag of the whistling wind, Cure Breeze!"

"Flying the flag of the crashing waves, Cure Surf!"

"Joined together under the jolly roger of love, we will calm your hatred and steal your heart! Setting sail, Cross Heart Pretty Cure!"


"I will not be shocked nor awed by your vaunted transformation!" Amazonya made a sweeping gesture with one clawed hand. Clouds of steam appeared behind him as his hand swept past, with each one revealing the form of a Pira Clan warrior as it dispersed. "Your resistance only delays the inevitable!"

"Whoa…" Breeze whistled, impressed. "I think that's all the ones we've met and then some."

"Doesn't matter." Surf tossed her hair dismissively. "Breeze, do your thing."

"My thing?" Breeze paused for a moment. "Okay, I'm counting four things we want to do: Get the treasures, rescue Yui, beat up the monster, and send the bad guy packing. Today, we do all of those things! That's a Cure Breeze guarantee!"

Just as Breeze finished speaking, a loud thump sounded at the side of the shed. A second thump. There was a loud crash as a metal vent broke loose from the side of the shed and fell onto the floor along with a sack of cement powder. Then came Yui, slipping feet first through the hole in the wall.

"Freedom! You're not getting rid of me that easily, magical… fish… Wow, you got big teeth."

Cure Surf crossed her arms. "That's one objective down already."

Breeze grinned. "And we haven't even done anything yet!"

Yui gaped at the pair, starstruck. "That's it exactly! That grace! That confidence! That power! Having a destiny written in the stars! It's everything I've ever wanted! Please, Pretty Cure! Make me one of you!"

Breeze carefully avoided meeting her gaze. "Even if you say that… I mean, it's nice to be admired, but that's not something we can really do. Right, Surf?"

"Why ask me? I've been doing this exactly as long as you have." Surf paused, then smirked at the leader of the fishmen. "How about you, Amazonya? Didn't you just claim to be all-knowing?"

"I did and am… but I am not your prophet and answering that query would not serve my interests. This, however…" He reached into his sleeves and withdrew a white disc embossed with a row of serrated teeth. "Be created, Kiraina!"

The disc flew through the air toward the sack of cement, but Yui jumped in front of it with an enthusiastic shout. It connected just above waist-level and began to sink in.

"Ha!" Yui laughed defiantly and pointed at Amazonya. "You're gonna get it now! This is my delusion at maximum power!"

Cure Breeze's jaw dropped. "Yui…"

Cure Surf facepalmed. "You idiot."

The disc sank into Yui's dress and merged with it. The layers joined together as well, with the leather of her underbust corset joining together with the black and white dress underneath it. Her skirt grew longer until it touched the ground, and the sleeves lengthened until they were at least 20cm beyond the tips of her fingers. Oddly, the bandage on her left arm also grew longer, sticking out from that sleeve like a tongue. The seam between her underbust corset and the white top portion of the main dress split open, revealing two rows of jagged teeth and the dark inside of a mouth illuminated from within by a constellation of yellow stars. Below the collar of her monster dress, no part of Yui's body remained visible.

"Kiraina!" Yui's dress cried out with a voice almost like her own, then turned to confront the two magical girls.

"Hey, uh… PreCures…" Yui said with a worried expression. "I hate to admit this, but this is totally not what I had in mind."

Surf sighed. "You thought you'd be able to control the monster."

"I thought I'd become the monster, and then I'd help you two fight and you'd let me join. Who would've seen this coming?"

"Amazonya…" "The prophet…" "The Great Amazonya..."

Hearing the murmurs from his clan, Amazonya raised his arms and called back to them. "That is right, my followers! All is as I have foreseen! All is for the glory of the Pira Clan!"

"Something's not right about this…" Cure Surf grumbled to herself.

While Amazonya continued to bask in the adulation of his followers, Ton waddled back to the magical girls and tapped Breeze on the leg.

"Pretty Cure, I've got a question-ton."

Breeze glanced down at him. "What is it, little pal?"

"Would it be okay if I don't help you fight your friend-ton? Holding back isn't something I'm good at-ton."

Even Surf couldn't suppress a little smile. "I'm sure you wouldn't hurt her anyway, but do as you feel best."

"Okay-ton!" He spun and pointed at the leader of the Pira Clan. "Amazonya, your opponent is me-ton! I won't let you get your hands on the treasures-ton!"

"Is that such a good idea?" Breeze's stray hair quivered inquisitively.

Tun sidled next to Ton and whispered something in his ear.

"Grab the treasures and run-ton? Great idea-ton! He'll never expect that-ton!"

The other fairy let out a small sigh.

Amazonya immediately spun and strode toward the treasures, which were still floating in the air. "Nothing is outside my predictions, and that I will not allow! Kiraina! Keep the legendary warriors busy while I deal with these meddling fairies!"

"Kiraina!"

With its mouth gaping wide, Yui's dress loomed upward, stretching and expanding like a telescope. The hem of the skirt remained flush with the floor as though it was nailed down. Then the main body of the monster… rather, the part of the monster that held Yui herself... toppled forward, lunging at the two magical girls with terrific speed.

"Eek! Look out, Pretty Cure!"

Apparently, it was also terrifying speed. The sleeves of the dress lashed out with a flurry of punches with deceptively long reach, and the girls were forced to back off in opposite directions. The hem of the monster's skirt portion slid toward the body until it was directly underneath, then the creature began to expand upward again.

"Please don't keep doing this… Come on, monster dress! I'm wearing you! I'm supposed to be in charge!"

"Keep it up, Watanabe!" Breeze called out as she dodged the monster's next lunge. "It might not help much, but keep telling that dress who's boss!"

"I am the boss!" Amazonya roared as he walked quickly after the fairies. "There is no possibility for that to change or be forgotten!"

"Save your predictions!" Surf yelled back as she picked up the abandoned sack of cement and tossed it directly at the monster.

The dress spun to face her, forcing Yui to look directly at the swiftly oncoming mass. As she shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut, the monster stretched its toothy maw wide, tall, and accepting. The heavy object passed into the star-embroidered void, which closed behind a double row of jagged teeth with no apparent effect.

"Kirainaaa!" The creature rumbled, then belched out a small cloud of gray dust.

The two fairies ran across the roof carrying the treasures. Though small, their running speed outpaced Amazonya's walk, and they reached the stairwell to the school proper well ahead of him. Here, a fishman blocked their path.

"Fish guy, get out of our way-ton!"

"Fairy warrior, fairy scholar. You have done well to come this far, but Pira Puppeteer cannot allow you to pass."

"You're gonna fight us too-ton?" Ton drew up to his full height… which was still below the fishman's knees, and brandished the treasure. "Cause I got a treasure in a block of ice, and it is perfectly made for head-bonking-ton!"

"Please don't use the Beacon of Hope as a weapon-tun!"

"Do not worry, fairy scholar. Puppeteer would disarm your comrade before such misuse could cause any damage to the accursed treasures of darkness."

"Pira Puppeteer, what do you mean by giving advice to our enemies?!" Amazonya shouted at the other fishman as he drew near. "Let the fool learn by making his own mistakes!"

Pira Puppeteer immediately knelt. "Apologies, Great One. This one judged it fair and proper to explain the tactical situation."

Amazonya stopped for a moment, and appeared to be deep in thought. "Hm… I suppose it is fair, at that. However, resistance is futile! I see all, and great portents have assured my victory!"

"What do tents have to do with it-ton?"

Nobody wanted to answer that.


"Incoming!"

Yui's warning, however vague, was at least in time for Breeze to dive out of the way as the monstrous dress dropped down with a two-handed punch that left a lattice of cracks spreading across that part of the roof.

A moment later, Surf darted in from the side, having torn one of the wall studs right from the wall of the shed. She jabbed quickly at the hem of the monstrous dress and was rewarded with a pained roar. Then the monster's dangling bandage lashed out and wrapped around Surf's weapon. She struggled to hold onto it only until the jagged-toothed maw snapped down across the middle of the staff, leaving behind only two short and relatively useless chunks of wood.

Surf backed away as the monster advanced amid another flurry of punches. Behind the monster, Breeze leapt high into the air and began to descend in a flying kick.

"Breeze, don't!" Surf hurled the last pieces of her wall stud at Breeze, who took the hint and vaulted off of them back into the air.

She landed next to her partner, looking confused. "What's wrong?"

"Don't attack from above. Yui isn't part of the monster."

Cure Breeze's eyes widened. "Oh! Yeah, that could've gone really bad."

"Kiraina!" "Look out!"

The monster lunged at the pair, its passenger calling out another warning as it lashed out with its long sleeves. The girls traded blows with the creature to little effect until the dangling bandage wrapped around Surf's arm. A moment later, she was hurled through the air.

"Cure Surf!" "Cure Surf!"

Yui and Cure Breeze both called out in alarm as Surf crash landed at the other end of the roof. Then the monster landed an uppercut on Breeze that knocked her sprawling as well.

"No!" Yui shouted down at her outfit. "You stupid monster! You're my clothing, so you shouldn't be attacking the good guys!"

The dress reached up and slapped her.

As Pretty Cure recovered and returned to the fight, the fairies continued to flee while Amazonya gave pursuit at a stately pace. His robe of flowing water trailed across the surface of the roof, somehow leaving it cleaner than it was before, but bringing him no closer to catching the pair.

"Give this up, fairies! In time you will be cornered, and I will punish you for your stubbornness!"

"Even if you say that, this isn't something we can give up on-tun!"

"Yeah-ton! And at this rate, we'll be able to keep ahead of you forever-ton!"

"Impudent young one! I will pursue you at my own pace!"

Tun stopped running for a moment. "Mr. Amazonya, could it be… you're really old-tun?"

"Old…" Amazonya did not stop. "Indeed, I am old. I am as old as the hills from which the rivers flow, and I am wise enough to hold my tongue when I see ale brewed in an eggshell!"

"You're that wise-tun?!"

"Run-ton! He's about to catch you-ton!"

Having drawn nearly within arm's length, Amazonya lurched forward and grabbed at Tun's treasure. She turned to run, but not in time to prevent him from grabbing the treasure. He lifted it, and her, into the air.

"I have you now!"

"Fairy Head-Bonkin' Attack!"

Ton leapt through the air, the frozen treasure held high over his head, then brought it down on the peak of Amazonya's head. The fishman snarled and let Tun's treasure drop, sweeping his clawed hands across the top of his head in an attempt to catch Ton.

For his own part, Ton escaped by leaping off of Amazonya's head… or that was clearly what he meant to do. Although he did escape, he slipped as he tried to jump, ended up tumbling haphazardly through the air screaming in terror, and landing with his mouth wide open on top of the guttering candle inside a block of ice that he'd meant to be protecting.

He struggled for a moment, obviously choking. Then he swallowed it.


All action stopped. Not only Amazonya, but also Pretty Cure and the monster they had been variously trading blows with and getting thrown around by, as well as the gathered Pira Clan warriors, all of them took several moments to stare as if in denial of what they'd just seen. Even Yui was speechless for once.

Rather than stand around gawking like the others, Tun stood up and stared deeply into the block of ice that still remained and the bell-shaped shadow within. Then she picked it up, opened her mouth as wide as she could, and crammed the remaining treasure inside.

Gulp.

Ton shuddered, then rolled to his feet. Then his eyes widened.

"I just ate the Beacon of Hope-ton! What'll I do now-ton!"

"I thought it was a good idea-tun. Now both of the treasures will be safe-tun."

Amazonya's jaw started moving, but it was several moments before he actually spoke.

"…no, no… this was certainly part of the plan as I foresaw it. The treasures thus far have appeared and disappeared according to their own will. Now, we need only capture you fairies! All is as I have foreseen!"

Murmurs rose from the assembled Pira Clan. "Such foresight..." "The Great Amazonya…" "So formidable…"

Cure Surf facepalmed. "How can they believe that fraud?"

Amazonya raised both arms to call attention to himself. "I will now capture the fairy warrior and the fairy scholar! My plans shall advance to the next stage and bring glory to the Pira Clan!"

"Hold it!" Breeze leapt across the roof to stand between Amazonya and the fairies. "You said you were all-knowing, right?"

"I did and am. What of it?"

"There's something that bugs me about that monster you made out of Yui's dress. Its mouth stretches straight across the front of her chest, so why can't we see Yui when its mouth is open?"

"I have no reason to explain that to you," Amazonya scoffed.

At the edge of the roof, one of the other fishmen raised a clawed hand. "Harbinger would also like to know."

Others raised their hands in turn. "Mariner also finds this curious." "Sporty concurs." "Jester agrees."

"Bah!" Amazonya threw up his hands, then turned and began walking back toward the monster. "Then let's just interrupt everything to satisfy your curiosity, shall we? There is a ladder by that dusty shed. One of you, fetch it here."

Being closest to the shed, the harlequin capped fishman hastily brought the ladder and handed it to Amazonya, who stood it vertically.

"Observe! This ladder is about half again as tall as I am, and I am taller than the human girl who is trapped inside the Kiraina!"

"Puppeteer observes!" "Zealot bears witness!"

Amazonya held up a gnarled hand to call for silence. "Observe silently! This is a salient point! Kiraina, open wide!"

"Kiraina?" The monster opened its mouth as ordered, revealing several embroidered stars, but no sign of Yui's body. It seemed to be as mystified by the demonstration as anyone else present.

Amazonya hefted the ladder and shoved its entire length into the monster's mouth, which closed, chewed, and then swallowed, all without seeming to affect Yui in any way.

"This is a creature of eldrich ire! It is not subject to normal spatial logic."

The Pira Clan murmured appreciatively.

"Thanks, fish boss!" Yui called out. "I figured there was a reason I haven't felt a thing all the time Pretty Cure have been fighting my dress, but it's nice to know for sure!"

"Yeah, thanks!" Breeze echoed. "Now I don't have to hold back as much!"

Yui's eyes widened. "That was holding back? Cure Surf had to stop you from kicking me in the head!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got carried away."

Amazonya cleared his throat. "Bear witness to my wisdom! See how I serve you with my knowledge! Now, at last I will-"

"Wait." This time it was Cure Surf who interrupted. "Before we start fighting again, do you mind if I ask about your clan? This is something that has bothered me from the beginning."

"You may ask, but I do not promise to answer."

"That's not the Innsmouth look, is it? I don't think I can take it if you're related to Dagon."

Amazonya stepped back, surprised. "What are you talking about? I have never heard of such a thing."

"That doesn't sound like something an all-knowing oracle would say."

"That was a fabrication! It is nonsense that you made up here and now!"

"In fact, it is not."

Yui's eyes lit up. "Do you know who Kilroy is?"

"Nobody knows who Kilroy is!" Amazonya snapped.

The rest of the Pira Clan was suddenly silent. Pira Harbinger stepped forward.

"...there is something the Great Amazonya doesn't know?"

Cure Breeze's stray hair wavered. "Is that a problem?"

"Amazonya does not know." "He is a false prophet!" "Horror and pestilence will befall us!"

"Wait!" Amazonya protested. "That was an error- an illusion! My wisdom encompasses all things!"

Pira Mirror stepped forward, taking on Amazonya's own appearance. "This one specializes in illusion. The only deception has issued from your own tongue!"

Amazonya quailed. "My dear clan, our world lies in ruins! What hope can there be outside of my guidance?"

Pira Zealot emerged from the ranks, followed by Pira Sporty and a fishman carrying a truncheon. Zealot stopped in front of Amazonya, while the other two moved to bracket and seize him.

"Amazonya, false prophet… Even now, there is still hope."

A large sheet of slimy water appeared in the air above the four. They jumped into it and vanished, leaving only the water to fall on the surface of the roof and drain away.

Yui's dress looked around in confusion. "Kiraina?"

Another fishman stepped out of the pack holding a skein of pink thread. "Indeed, it seems we have no further need of your services. Submit, or be made to submit."

The monster drew back, then looked around. Several other fishmen were preparing for combat, and Cure Breeze began doing stretches with a smile on her face.

"What if I want to do this the hard way?" Yui asked.

Cure Surf cracked her knuckles. "Yui, I will create a plank, and you will both walk it."

"Forget I asked." "Kiraina."

Pretty Cure stepped forward. Surf grinned. "You know, neither of us have ever seen this move from the receiving end."

Yui let out a squeak and her eyes widened.

Breeze glanced at her partner. "Honestly, Surf, are you trying to scare her?"

"Maybe a little? She's only in this situation in the first place because she did something unbelievably foolish."

"Would it help if I said I'm sorry?"

Surf gave Yui a stern look, then sighed. "I meant to forgive you the whole time, you know. Don't do dumb stuff like that anymore."

Yui nodded. Breeze held out her hand, and Surf did the same.

"The energetic love of the whistling wind! Breeze Color Charge!"

"The reliable love of the crashing waves! Surf Color Charge!"

"PreCure Colorful Heart Cross!"

The pink and blue crossed heart engulfed the monster and its passenger as one, spreading bright colors over Yui's face and the trembling dress. Then they began to glow softly together and a peaceful smile spread over the monster's face.

"Aye-Aye-Ai!"

The dress broke apart at the seams and folded in on itself, leaving Yui and her dress exactly as they'd been before. A small black disc appeared, marked with the image of a spool of thread, and clattered to the ground next to the brunette.

"Haha… that tickled."

Breeze wiped some sweat from her forehead. "I'm just glad everyone's okay. We're done fighting, right?"

The remaining Pira Clan began to teleport away one by one until the only one still on the roof with them was an unfamiliar fishman carrying a large sketchbook. He walked up to the three girls and displayed the first drawing, a verdant scenario centered around a castle on a white beach.

"This is our world that was."

He turned over the next page. It was clearly the same scene, but bleached entirely white and scoured of all life.

"This is our world that is."

He closed the sketchbook and handed it over to Cure Breeze.

"Pira Artist entrusts this to the legendary warriors and to the fairy treasure bearers."

Another pool appeared in the air above the fishman, who leapt into it before it fell on the roof like all the others. The empty roof began to shimmer, cracks faded away, along with the bits of wood that had been left after Cure Surf's abortive attempt to create a weapon from a part of the storage shed. The ladder that had been eaten by the monster, and even the vent grate that Yui had knocked out reappeared in their proper places as if nothing at all had happened.


"This is gonna be so awesome!" Now that she was free, Yui couldn't contain her excitement.

"Um…" Breeze looked nervous. "We really don't know how to give you powers. We became Pretty Cure kind of by accident."

"Of course it was an accident! Destiny always looks like an accident! You really need to learn how these things work, Tamaki."

"Gah!" Breeze's eyes widened. "I mean… who is this Tamaki of whom you speak?"

"Yes, who is that person?" Surf echoed sardonically. "And what can you tell me about her best friend, whom I hear is so beautiful and talented? Breeze, that ship already sailed. She's not going to tell anybody."

Yui nodded energetically. "Of course not! You don't just give away dirt like this!"

"Please don't try to blackmail us, Yui. Lacking a ship, I'd hate to have to find a way to keelhaul you."

"Sure, sure." Yui clapped her hands together. "I know! Why don't you two just finish up what you're doing here, and I'll go wait for you in the club room? This is gonna be the best club meeting ever!"

Without waiting for an answer, Yui rushed to the stairwell and ran inside.

Breeze looked to Surf. "What are we gonna do?"

Surf sighed. "It's still a secret, just one more person knows it now. More importantly… Ton, Tun, are you both feeling okay?"

"Is there some reason they shouldn't?" The Elder asked as she emerged from the stairwell.

"Elder!" "Elder!" "Elder-ton!" "Elder-tun!"

Surf facepalmed. "How is it you keep showing up in places like you're not even bothered that someone might see you?"

"Don't change the subject. What issue has arisen with regard to my-" The Elder paused suddenly, turned her gaze on Tun, then on Ton, then back to Cure Surf. "...my students. What has happened to my students?"

"I swallowed the Beacon of Hope-ton."

"I swallowed the Bell of Peace-tun."

"Of all the-" The wrinkled little fairy rubbed her temples. "This will likely have consequences, but I'll need time to consider what they might be. Fortunately, it doesn't look like any of you have been magnetized to each other."

"Is that something that happens?" Breeze asked warily.

"It happened once."

"But what about the treasures-ton? I tried to spit mine out, but it wouldn't come up-ton!"

The Elder waddled over to Ton and prodded him on the forehead. "Of course you can't just spit it out. When you swallow something, it becomes a part of you. Even as young as you are, how have you not managed to learn at least that much?"

"I thought this might be different-ton."

"Well, it's not. And it's not the worst thing in the world, either.

"Speaking of bad things happening…" Surf looked hesitant.

"Yes, child?"

Cure Surf quickly explained the incident of two weeks prior when her color charge had failed so spectacularly.

"I see. But it only happened once? What have you learned about yourself since that time?"

"Well…" Surf hesitated, then continued. "I realized that I don't really need to think or act like Breeze. She already does that enough for both of us. What I need is to be myself, only thoughtfully and decisively. If I'm attacking only because I want to, I haven't thought enough about it yet."

"Very good, young lady. It sounds to me like you already understand the crux of the issue. I don't mind looking into it further, but I have confidence in you girls." The Elder stood up. "Before I leave, have you any further inquiries?"

Breeze raised a hand. "You came up the stairs right after one of our friends went down. How did you sneak past her?"

"That's a no, then. We will speak again later."


Tamaki and Shima arrived at the planetarium to find Yui lying down with her eyes wide open in the middle of the floor.

"Tama-chan… Shima-rin… Yo."

"Yeah, hi…" Tamaki responded nervously. "So… there were some things that happened during lunch..."

"Yeah, I was going to surprise you," Yui said lethargically. "Sorry about that. I guess I slept through my own surprise."

"You slept through?! Yui, you were- ouch!" Tamaki rubbed her arm where Shima had hit her.

"Hold that thought, Tamaki." Shima adjusted her glasses. "If she was so tired that she abandoned her plans to nap in the club room, she hasn't done anything we can't forgive her for."

Yui sat up slowly. "S'funny. I don't remember being all that tired, but next thing I know I'm waking up here. Maybe I'm getting narcolepsy or something?"

"You're not messing with us… are you?" Tamaki looked worried.

"Nah. Narcolepsy is a neat story hook, but as a delusion it's boring. And I'd get more detentions." Yui paused, then scrambled to her feet. "...and I'd better get back into my uniform before Miss President sees me. Ciao!"

She rushed out of the room.

Tamaki glanced at Shima. "What just happened?"

"I'm pretty sure Yui has genuinely lost her memories. It's slightly possible that it wasn't really her just now or on the roof, but I don't think that's at all likely."

"Yeah, and Pira Mirror was up on the roof with everybody else." Tamaki nodded to herself. "Maybe our powers just work this way? Like, anyone who finds out about it is just going to forget?"

Shima frowned. "No, I just can't accept such a convenient explanation. She finally learns the secret she's been thirsting after for weeks, only to suddenly turn amnesiac about that alone? I wouldn't believe that even if she'd somehow been given a lobotomy!"

"So… what now?" Tamaki's stray hair wavered uncertainly. "Should we just tell her what happened?"

"No… It's probably less dangerous to leave her like this for now. Somebody did this to Yui, and I think I know who… But we haven't gotten anywhere just by going after people because they seem suspicious." Shima's glasses flashed ominously. "This time, we're going to catch our culprit red-handed."


"Next Time!"

"And everyone lived happily ever after, until Cthulhu came and ate them all."

"I'm not so sure about that, Shima. I mean, that swan lady told us she was gonna come back."

"Cthulhu takes care of that."

"But that's our job!"

"Not if Cthulhu shows up, it's not."

"Shima, we can't just pass off our duties on some monster from beyond time and space!"

"It's not really passing it off if he eats us first."

"Shima…"

"Next time, X-Heart PreCure: Arrival! The worst mysterious transfer student!"

"Transfer student? But we've already got Himeka…"

"There can be more than one transfer in a year, Tamaki."

"It's unnatural, Shima! What would you think if another girl showed up with blue hair and glasses?"

"There are four other girls who wear glasses in our class alone!"

"Blue hair, Shima! Blue hair!"

"It's a perfectly natural hair color! Are you going to try to tell me that only you can have black hair?"

"Well, no… but…"

"No buts, Tamaki. This isn't a TV show."

"Okay..."