At the bottom of a hill roughly three blocks away from Kirazaka Elementary was the local kindergarten. It sat surrounded by greenery and trees, dappled sunlight making pretty patterns on the stepping stones that led to the old-fashioned school building. Word on the street was that the building had once been the home of a wealthy family in the Meiji era, who wished for it to be converted to a school after moving to Tokyo. So despite the colorful posters, finger-paintings on the windows, and small playground in what was once the back courtyard, much of the building had been unchanged, simply maintained regularly.

The students at Kirazaka Kindergarten were sitting in the main room, all in a circle, clapping and singing along as their teacher stood in the center.

"Heeeaaad, shoulders, knees, and toes!"

"Knees and toes!"

"Ears, and eyes, and mouth, aaaaand…"

"Nose!" the children shrieked, lifting their chubby hands to touch their noses. Finishing their song, they broke into laughter, some children falling to the floor in sitting positions and some hugging each other for support.

The teacher, Mr Miura, laughed and clapped his hands together. "Alright, alright, everyone, settle down. I have an announcement to make, then we can all have our lunch."

The kids stopped laughing, looking up in curiosity.

Mr Miura pushed his glasses up his thin nose. "We're going to have some special visitors tomorrow; the fifth-graders at Kirazaka Elementary are going to spend the day with us and be your big brothers and sisters! Doesn't that sound fun?"

The resulting cheers were deafening.

But one little girl was not happy.

OP: Your Glow

Episode 13: A Tiny Problem! A Big Attack!

The two fifth-grade classes trampled down the path through the forest leading to the kindergarten. The Wednesday sun was bright and merry, but the shade of the trees protected everyone from sunburn. Some of the kids were excitedly whispering about what the day would bring.

"I love kids! You think we'll get to play together?"

"Maybe they'll let us lead the sing-along!"

Others were more wary.

"I'm an only child, I'm not used to kids," muttered Kaoru anxiously, biting her knuckle.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm an only child too, and we'll only be there for like, a day," another boy said.

And others couldn't have cared less.

"You think Ms Abe will notice if I just play on the swings all day?"

Kumi was in the first category, humming a magical girl theme song as she walked, swinging her arms in delight. "I've always wanted a little brother or sister!" she cheered. "Now I get one!"

"Kumi, it's only for a day," Haru whispered.

"Yeah, you just made it sound like you're just gonna kidnap a kid," laughed Rui.

Kumi just giggled sheepishly. She glanced around to make sure nobody was watching, then opened her backpack and looked inside. "Glimmer, do you have siblings?" she asked quietly.

The little hedgehog shook her head, hiding under one of Kumi's books. "No," she whispered back. "And make sure nobody finds me - I don't want a kindergartner to mistake me for a toy!"

Kumi nodded as Masako leaned over and zipped up her backpack again.

Meanwhile, far off in Lustre, Sterling and Electrum stood by Onyx's bedside with their hands clasped and their heads bowed. Onyx was furious, they could feel it in the energy that pulsed and surged throughout the room. Electrum even flinched when a spark of purple shot past his ear over his shoulder, singing the wall behind him.

"I need to wake up," Onyx's voice hissed from the brooch.

"I know, Brother," Sterling said. "We're doing our best, I promise-"

"It is not enough," a snarl cut her off. Sterling flinched; Electrum reached out and took her hand reassuringly. "It's not enough… I need more dark energy, I need more Sparkle to be dimmed if I'm to wake up!"

"How much more?" Sterling asked. Electrum shot her a look, but she went on. "You keep saying you need more, just a little more, but nothing happened yet! How much longer are we gonna-"

A nearby glass exploded, prompting the siblings to clutch each other tight, stopping Sterling's words instantly.

"I have an idea…" said Onyx. "Have the two of you tried to collect dark energy at the same time?"

"Same time?" Electrum and Sterling shared a look.

"Well…" Sterling began, hesitant. "One Usugurai already gathers so much-"

"Didn't you say this was inevitable? That this was needed? Were you or were you not aware that the human world would Fade if you took dark energy?"

Sterling began stammering. Electrum put a hand on her arm, stepping forward. "We were trying to wake you up, Brother. Because you said we needed to-"

"I know what I said!" Onyx snarled. The other two recoiled.

Shadows formed over Onyx's brooch before floating to Electrum and Sterling. They held out their hands, and a smoky glass ball appeared to drop into their cupped hands. Inside the glass was swirling darkness, crackling purple lightning. It made their skin crawl, the glass and darkness inside freezing to touch.

"I am telling you two now. Go down to Earth and use these… make a power Usugurai. I need to wake up."

"Okay, everyone, say hi!"

"Hiiiiiii!" the small crowd of kindergartners chorused obediently. A few of them were louder than others, and some waved their hands excitedly. One little boy hid behind his friend shyly as he called out a greeting. The kids were all wearing little smocks; pink for the girls and blue for the boys, and little yellow indoor boots.

At their greeting, the fifth-graders all felt their hearts melting; even the ones who had been initially sceptical about the entire arrangement.

"Okay," said Mr Miura with a smile. "So Ms Abe and I have taken the liberty of pairing everyone up during the planning stage of this visit. I'll say the name of one of my kids and call them forward, and Ms Abe will call one of her kids. You'll stick together throughout the day, helping your new little friend with anything they might need."

"And I expect you to be on your best behavior," Ms Abe reminded her own class sternly. "These kids will be looking up to you."

"That's right," said Mr Tenoh with a nod of his own. "Don't set a bad example. Is that understood?"

"Yes, teacher!"

"Same for you, children. Be nice to the big kids!"

"'Kaaaay!"

"Alright. First up is Kimi Abiko…"

"You'll be with Kazu Sasaki."

Kazu stepped out of the group, meeting a girl with light brown hair in a pixie cut, and bright brown eyes.

Little by little, the rest of the class was paired up. Haru was paired with Itsuki, a little blond boy with bright hazel eyes and glasses; Masako paired with Takuro, a little redhead boy with a face full of freckles; Rui walked off towards the blocks with an auburn-haired girl named Hanon. Kumi just stood excitedly, waiting for her turn.

And soon, she was paired up.

"Hi, Suzu," Kumi said, smiling and kneeling down in front of the small girl. "I'm Kumi! It sounds a lot like your friend Kimi, doesn't it? But if you're gonna get confused, just call me 'Big Sister!'"

But Suzu, a girl with long black hair in two low ponytails and gray eyes, just pouted and sharply looked away. Kumi's smile became a confused expression, as she blinked curiously and tilted her head. Maybe Suzu was just shy? She smiled again, hoping she looked reassuring, and leaned closer. "Do you have a favorite game? Or maybe you want to color? We have plenty of time before we do the sing-along!"

Suzu kept pouting. She folded her arms over her chest.

Kumi waited for a response, but of course there was nothing. She waddled sideways like a crab, not leaving her crouching position. She looked up, past Suzu and into the rest of the play room. Her eyes roamed around, looking for a conversation starter, a hook, anything to get Suzu to open up. There was a soft mat made of interlocking puzzle pieces, giant blocks that looked like bricks, an assortment of stuffed animals… Her eyes lit up when she spotted the doll house. Or rather, the doll castle. It was bright, pink and sparkling, and seemed to have real working lights inside. How pretty!

"Do you like dollhouses?" Kumi asked.

Suzu was silent for another few seconds. Then Kumi saw her eyes slowly shift towards her, saw her eyebrows raise. Suzu appeared to chew on the inside of her cheek for a few moments before she looked back up at Kumi. "Yeah," she mumbled.

Kumi grinned brighter. She'd finally gotten somewhere! "I like dollhouses, too! And dolls, and princesses. Do you have princess dolls here?"

"Yeah… We have a castle, we gotta have a princess."

"Ohhh, that's true… You wanna play with the dollhouse? We can make the princesses have a ball!"

Suzu stared for a long second, then she smiled. "Okay!"

Kumi considered it a victory as Suzu led her to the dollhouse. Her heart felt lighter as she crossed the room, passing by her friends and their own partners. Kazu looked up from playing Go Fish with Kimi - who was apparently winning - and grinned at her. Kumi gave him a thumbs-up in exchange, then looked at the dollhouse.

Suzu sat cross-legged in front of it, pulling out a shoebox of dolls from a garage that housed several carriages. "Here," she said, shoving the box at Kumi.

"Thanks!" Kumi looked down into the shoebox. There were several different dolls inside - a few cheap ones from the convenience store, some cotton-stitched ones, and even a Lica doll! That one was a bit older-looking than the others, prompting Kumi to think maybe it had been a donation, possibly from the teacher's own family. She sifted through the dolls, trying to figure out which one she wanted. Finally, her gaze settled on a black-haired doll with a sparkly pink gown bedecked with clovers and roses, and a tiny gold tiara. She smiled as she pulled it out, smoothing down her gown. "Oooh, I like this one-"

"No!" Suzu screamed suddenly, making Kumi jump. A few other kids turned to look, as did Ms Abe. Suzu didn't seem to notice, her little face bright red in anger as she glared up at the stunned Kumi. "No, Princess Rosette's my favorite! You can't play with her!"

"O-Oh, okay, I'm sorry, you can have-"

"She's my favorite, not yours!" Suzu cried, snatching the doll out of Kumi's hands.

"I… I'm sorry?" Kumi stammered, blinking slowly.

Suzu just pouted, cradling Princess Rosette closer and carefully stroking her hair, as if Kumi had somehow mussed it up. As Kumi continued to stare, a bit awkward and still startled, Suzu glanced upward to glare at her, her bottom lip poking out. "You can have Princess Tulip." She grabbed a doll from the box and shoved it towards Kumi. This other doll was wearing a faded yellow gown with a pink ribbon around the waist, and had choppy brown hair as if someone had taken safety scissors to it. Kumi tried to mask her disappointment as she took Tulip and noticed a chocolate stain on the hem of Tulip's dress.

The rest of the game did not go very well either.

Haru was playing a game of Cat's Cradle with Itsuki when another shout caught both their attention. Suzu was glaring up at Kumi again, hugging Princess Rosette close to her and turning her body away from her. Kumi looked stunned and confused.

"No!" Suzu shouted, loud enough for the whole room to hear. "That's cheating!"

"It's just pretend, Suzu, you can't cheat at-"

"Princess Tulip can't make a magic shield! Only Rosette can! She can't even learn!"

"I - sorry, I just didn't want her to get blasted with the Rose Launchers-"

"Well, she does! Because Rosette's the strongest!"

Itsuki made a small noise of distress and moved to hide behind Haru, gripping her sleeve in anxiety. Haru smiled down at him and patted his chubby hands. "Don't worry, it's okay."

At that moment, Rui approached, Hanon in tow. The smaller girl was biting on her thumb as she stared curiously, tilting her head a bit. "Hey," said Rui. "Everything okay?"

"She's being mean!" shouted Suzu, pointing accusingly at Kumi.

"I am not!" Kumi gasped, nearly dropping her own doll.

"Suzu's nice," said Hanon. "Don't bully her."

"But I'm - we're not-" Kumi stuttered, then sighed. "Okay, maybe dolls isn't the best game to play..."

Rui grinned, patting Kumi on the shoulder. "Well, Hanon and I were going to play Princess Chest. You two wanna join us?"

"Princess Chest?!" Kumi perked right back up, her eyes sparkling. She'd had that game herself when she was in kindergarten! She and Natsumi played it all the time; she had so many fond memories of moving her piece around the circular path, spinning the arrow and drawing a card to see what accessory she would collect next. Every time she would win and get the tiara, Natsumi would make a grand spectacle of it, placing it on Kumi's head like a real coronation ceremony.

The memory made a smile come to her face, and she couldn't help but sigh blissfully. That was a lot of fun… She'd love to be able to do the same for Suzu, she thought. "Yeah, let's go play Princess Chest, Suzu!"

Suzu narrowed her eyes at Kumi, but got off the floor and followed the small group to the shelf of board games. Rui took the game down from the shelf, giving it a small shake and smiling at the rattling sound inside. "Do you have all the pieces?"

"Yuh-huh," said Hanon with a nod.

"Cool! Let's play!"

"I'll go first!" Suzu yelled before Kumi could say anything.

"Eh?" Kumi blinked. "But Suzu, the rules say we spin the spinner and go in order from-"

"You were being mean, I wanna go first!" Suzu cried.

"But I wasn't-!" Kumi started to say, then stopped herself. No, no, it was no good to argue with a kindergartner. They were little kids, and she was older. She had to be the responsible, mature Big Sister. Besides, maybe Suzu did think she was being mean. Kumi remembered when she was that little, a lot of things felt like personal attacks against her. Even being told when to go to bed felt like her parents were just being mean. "Okay, then…"

In the corner of the room, Glimmer watched from Kumi's backpack, frowning slightly. She'd met her fair share of children in the castle, and she could tell: this one was upset.

Eyecatch 1: Kumi, Masako, Haru, and Rui are shown one by one wearing a princess dress in their theme colors. Then the four pose in front of a mirror together as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.

Eyecatch 2: Kumi is shown in front of a vanity, holding a series of earrings up in front of her. She cycles through pink hearts, blue diamonds, yellow teardrops, and green clovers before settling on white crowns. She then clips the crown earrings onto Glimmer's ears as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.

"You cheater!" Suzu screamed, flailing her arms and kicking her feet against the carpet. "You rotten, dirty cheater!"

Everyone in the room looked over to the board games section in surprise. Kumi sat flabbergasted on her knees, a card in her hand. Suzu was busily screaming, and Rui and Hanon just looked stunned. Hanon whined and hid behind Rui, while Kumi tried to fix the situation.

"S-Suzu, it's okay - I didn't even win yet, I just get an extra turn-"

"You knew that extra card was there!" Suzu shrieked. "You cheated, I saw you peeking!"

"I didn't peek at-"

"You shuffled the cards yourself and peeked, I saw you! You cheater!" Suzu began to cry, her face bright red as huge tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Suzu! Suzu, it's okay - Suzu!"

"What's going on over here?" the kindergarten teacher asked, suddenly right behind Kumi. Kumi didn't need to look to know that he had a stern look on his face; she could hear it in his voice. "Suzu, what's going on?"

"Kumi's cheating! She's cheating and she's being mean and won't let me win anything!"

"That's not-"

"Alright, alright, I think Suzu needs some time in the beanbag zone," said Mr Miura. He bent down to take Suzu's chubby hands in his, and pulled her up off the ground. The girl whined and fussed a little longer, weakly stomping her foot, but ultimately let him lead her away to a pile of bean bags in the corner of the room.

Kumi stared, her brows lowered. As she watched Suzu be led away, the smaller girl looked over her shoulder, glared, and stuck her tongue out.

This didn't go unnoticed by Rui. The green-haired girl frowned, arms folded over her chest. What's her problem? she thought.

Suzu stayed in the bean bag zone until lunch time. Then she joined the rest of the group as they sat in a circle on a rug shaped like a flower. The older kids had been allowed to bring two lunch boxes to school that day, so they and their assigned kid could each have lunch together. Kumi had been looking forward to this part. She'd stayed up with Natsumi, looking up recipes together and asking what Natsumi used to eat in her bento in school, then woken up bright and early to cook.

And sure, she'd left a big mess in the kitchen and a big spot on the counter had cornstarch and flour on it, and there were dirty dishes piled up in the sink now, but it was worth it!

And besides, food brought people together… maybe this would be what made Suzu happy.

"Hey, Suzu," Kumi said with a smile, holding out the smaller box for her. "Look what I brought in today!"

Suzu eyed the box suspiciously. "What? Worms and dirt?" she asked.

"Nooo!"

Suzu continued to eye her like a cat regarding a huge dog. She tentatively took the box and, with some effort, pried the lid off. Steam burst out of the box, and a vaguely-familiar scent wafted through the air.

Kumi grinned. "It's teriyaki chicken mini pizza!" she said, unable to contain herself. "Doesn't it look yummy?"

Suzu stared into the box. There were little mini-pizzas folded in half, allowing the filling to bunch out at the top; potatoes; and two cookies for dessert. She barely noticed as Kumi handed her a juice box. "Doesn't it look good?" asked Kumi, but Suzu barely paid attention.

"Okay, Suzu…" said an older girl. "Let's go buy a pizza!"

"Yay, pizza!"

"I'll give you an extra big piece if you don't tell Mom!"

Suddenly, Suzu's eyes welled up with angry tears, and she shoved the box back at Kumi. Kumi frantically caught it, one pizza falling out of the box and onto the floor. "I don't want your pizza!" Suzu screamed. "I don't want it!" And with that, she ran back to the bean bags. She flung herself on top of them, whining into their plush.

Kumi wilted, and leaned over to pick up the pizza.

Mr Miura approached Suzu to talk to her, while Kazu scooted closer to Kumi. "Hey. Hey, Kumi," he whispered.

"What?" Kumi mumbled.

"The kid I'm with, Kimi? She says she thinks she knows why Suzu is so upset today."

"It's 'cause she hates me," Kumi sighed. "I'm an awful Big Sister."

Kazu shook his head. "No, no, it's not that! Kimi, tell her."

What the little girl told Kumi made the redhead stop and stare, in both surprise and understanding. And suddenly everything was crystal-clear.

It wasn't until recess that Kumi was able to speak to Suzu again. As everyone milled around in the playground, Suzu had gone off by herself. Fortunately, Kumi had a pretty good idea of where she had gone.

"Suzu always goes to the big snail when she's upset," Kimi had said around her thumb. "She likes the shell."

Kumi spotted the snail right away - it wasn't very difficult, even if it was on the edge of the playground. It was a big snail, about seven feet tall, and painted in bright colors that stood out even under the shade of the big trees. Kumi walked over to it, then dropped to her hands and knees to crawl towards a hole in the back of the blue spiral shell. The shell was dark inside, but there were a few patches of sunlight shining through the smaller holes on the sides. She soon spotted Suzu, sitting against a wall with her knees drawn up beneath her chin. She had her arms wrapped around her legs, and was glaring angrily at nothing.

Then she saw Kumi and her anger was promptly redirected.

"Go away," she grumbled, sharply turning her head away. "I don't want you!"

Kumi didn't go away, though. She crawled over, on her hands and knees, until she was sitting beside Suzu.

Suzu said nothing.

So Kumi took the initiative. "Hey. So one of your friends told me you have a sister."

"She's the best sister. She's in middle school, and she can beat you up."

"She sounds strong."

"Yeah… she's a cheerleader, and exercises a lot. She's really strong. So she can beat you up."

"What's her name?"

"Why?"

"I'm just curious is all!"

Suzu sniffled. "Koto…" She suddenly glared up at Kumi. "Why, are you gonna go to the middle school and look for her?! Well, you can't, because-"

"She'll beat me up, I know." Kumi laughed, then tilted her head with a smile. "Sooo… your friend also tells me that your teacher said we were all gonna be your big brothers and sisters today."

"...yeah."

"Did you think I was gonna replace Koto? Is that why you were so upset?" Suzu was silent, so Kumi went on. "Because you know, I'm not. Nobody's replacing anyone's big sibling - we're just hanging out with you for today, and afterwards we go back to our school. I'm not going to replace Koto."

"You're… not?" Suzu sniffled again and straightened up. "But - But Mr Miura said you guys were big brothers and sisters!"

"In the classroom, sure! But that's all! I have my own mom and dad and sister. I mean, I'd like a little sister-" Kumi quickly shook her head. "I mean - I was having fun with you! But I have my own family - I'm not trying to replace anybody. Honest."

Suzu stared, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "So… So you're not gonna take Koto?"

"Nope!" Kumi's expression softened. "Is that why you were so noisy and angry today?"

"Uh-huh.. I thought if I acted like a brat, you wouldn't wanna be my big sister and would go away."

"Aw, Suzu..." Kumi scooted closer, gently putting her arms around the small child's shoulders. "I'm not trying to replace anyone. I promise."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No way. I get why you did that. It did feel kinda mean, but I understand... and hey, we still have the rest of the day together!" Kumi pulled away, smiling sweetly. "Let's get along the rest of the day, okay?"

Suzu sniffled, wiping her eyes with her arm. Then she nodded, smiling shakily. As Kumi held out her hand, Suzu slowly began to reach for it. "O-Okay..."

And then there was an explosion of noise.

Just a few moments prior, everyone else was happily milling about in the playground. Unseen by all, the air shimmered above a tree branch, and Sterling and Electrum appeared. In their hands, they each held the glass ball that Onyx had given them.

Sterling shuddered as she looked at the ball, awkwardly shifting her fingers so she wouldn't have to touch it for longer than necessary. "These feel so cold..." she murmured. "I don't like these."

"I know... but it's necessary," Electrum said, his eyes anxious. He swallowed thickly, and then held his arms out in front of him, the ball held high. "Are you ready, Sister?"

"No," Sterling muttered. "But I'll do it." She held her own ball at arm's length, high in the air.

"On my mark. One... two... three."

The glass spheres dropped, and shattered into pieces on the ground. For a split-second, nothing happened. But then, there was a harsh, sudden wind, whipping Sterling and Electrum's hair and clothes wildly. The two needed to lift their arms over their faces and shut their eyes, but right before they did, they noticed the sky turning black, and streaks of dark energy surging through the air like a tornado.

Down below, on the playground, Pretty Cure were struggling to keep their bearings and shield their faces.

"Wh-what's going on?!" cried Haru.

"Girls!" Kazu's voice was heard calling out. "Girls, where are you-!?" And suddenly, it was cut off, like a phone suddenly dropping the connection.

"Kazu!" Masako cried out, reaching blindly ahead.

"Masako-nee!" shouted Takuro from beside her. Masako felt him squeeze her hand tightly - and then his grip vanished into thin air.

All around, the same thing was happening to the other girls. Voices were shouting, only to be cut off. People holding their hands suddenly vanished. All there was was the deafening roar of the dark energy, and a horrible cold feeling. Rui suddenly gasped, hugging herself as a deep cold suddenly formed in her chest, and her heart felt like it was going to be torn out... but then, the ring on her finger began to glow, and dispelled the darkness. Abruptly, the cold feeling was gone.

"What...?" Rui murmured, staring at her ring. "Our rings are protecting us?"

The darkness swirled up into the air and coalesced into one huge mass. The girls looked up, and noticed something.

"Girls, everyone's gone!" shouted Masako.

"Where did they all go?" cried Haru. A moment later, she gasped, her glasses slipping down her nose. "W-Wait - up there!"

Now that she said it, the girls could hear it: inside the mass, which had a faint sparkle inside it, they could hear the faint sounds of multiple people screaming. Rui shuddered, feeling sick.

But there was no time to dwell on it. The mass suddenly squirmed and shifted, falling back to earth. It landed with a heavy thud, making the girls fly up a foot. Now, it looked like a combination of the Usugurai they'd always found before - six long, spindly legs that ended in sharp hooves, and a pair of antlers behind a pair of antennae. It had pointed ears like Electrum's Usugurai, and when it lifted its head to look at the girls, they could see eight burning red eyes set in its face. It opened its mouth and shrieked, its voice a twisted combination of all the victims' voices.

Inside the snail, Kumi pushed Suzu further back against the wall - the big snail had sheltered Suzu, preventing her from becoming part of the Usugurai. "Suzu," she said frantically, "stay in here, and no matter what, don't come out until I say so!"

"K-Kumi, wait! Where's you going?! Kumi!" Suzu cried as the other girl ran back out. She crawled close to one of the windows in the snail, just in time to see Kumi run out and join three other girls.

And then...

"Change! Elegant Crown Jewel!"

Suzu's eyes went wide as, in a flash of multicolored lights and glitter, the four big kids changed.

"Summer's jewel is full of love! Cure Ruby!"

"Winter's jewel is filled with light! Cure Diamond!"

"Autumn's jewel is filled with truth! Cure Topaz!"

"Spring's jewel is filled with energy! Cure Emerald!"

"The sparkling jewels! Crown Jewels Pretty Cure!"

Suzu's eyes shone as she stared at Pretty Cure, their gorgeous dresses and sparkling hair. "The big sisters are… magical heroes?" she whispered.

"Quick, everyone!" Diamond shouted as the four of them split up around the playground. "Tangle it up in the play equipment so it can't move!"

"Right!" everyone chorused.

Ruby leaped up high and prepared to deliver a sharp kick to the monster's head, hoping to send it stumbling back into the swing set. But that didn't happen. Instead, the Usugurai lifted his head to look at her, opened its maw, and shrieked.

The cacophony of mixed voices surged out and hit Ruby as if it were a physical blow, and Ruby's eardrums felt like they were going to explode. She cried out, frantically covering her ears and shutting her eyes. With her concentration broken, the Usugurai was able to lift one of its frontmost legs and swat her aside like a bug. Ruby shrieked as she flew, too fast to be caught, into the jungle gym with a loud crash!

"Ruby!" the others screamed, including Glimmer from Kumi's bag. Emerald ran after her, while the other two tried to subdue the Usugurai.

Suzu ducked down a little, eyes tearing up.

"Don't let it make noise!" cried Diamond, as she reached the apex of her jump. Her hands glowed a sparkling bright blue, and she shot a spray of ice at the Usugurai, intending to seal its jaw shut.

Ice formed around the monster's muzzle.

"Yes!" Diamond shouted as she landed, pumping her fist.

But then, with minimal effort, the Usugurai forced its muzzle back open, sending shards of ice flying, and screeched again.

"No!" cried Topaz.

High above, Sterling and Electrum watched, noticing the dark energy being siphoned away from all those Sparkles. "Wow," said Sterling, hugging herself. "That's a lot of energy."

"Where did our brother even get such a power?" Electrum asked nobody in particular.

At that moment, Emerald and Ruby returned to the fray, Emerald skidding to a halt as she ran back in, snapping up a heavy rock as she went. "Hey, ugly!" she shouted, hurling the rock up at the Usugurai. "Down here!"

The rock hit the Usugurai, and it turned its attention to the green and pink Cures - who both quickly jumped up and drove their fists into its snout. The Usugurai shrieked again, stumbling back one step. Topaz and Diamond ran around behind it, Topaz sending up a fierce gale and Diamond striking it with a ball of ice. Both attacks buffeted the monster, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Okay, here I go!" Ruby cried. "Pretty Cure Ruby Firework!"

The bright flares of pink surged towards the Usugurai. Ruby felt her hopes rise…

...only to come crashing down when suddenly, the Usugurai opened its mouth and screamed again, cutting through the attack and reducing it to ineffective ribbons.

Ruby and Emerald barely had enough time to get out of the way, the soundwaves hitting the playground equipment behind them and destroying the swing set and jungle gym.

"Ohhh no, this is bad!" Glimmer cried.

"What are we gonna do?!" Ruby asked.

"I don't know, I've never seen anything like this!"

Electrum and Sterling continued to watch, undetected. Sterling glanced at Electrum. "Hey, this is enough, right? We've got plenty of energy to wake him up, right?"

Electrum looked back, his expression a careful mask. But his eyes betrayed his anxiety. "Even if it was enough, neither of us know how to stop this," he hissed.

Down below, Emerald took a deep breath, determination flaring up. "We have to hit it harder!" she cried. She took a running start, dodging various blasts of energy as the Usugurai tried to stop her. To cover her, the other three ran in different directions around the Usugurai, throwing blasts of magic at it - none of which seemed to affect it very much. It looked away from Emerald, but it was like flies buzzing on an elephant.

Emerald leaped up, turning around and delivering a powerful kick to the Usugurai's nose. It roared as the force of it made its head jerk to one side, and Emerald saw her chance. "Pretty Cure Emerald Storm!"

The emerald energy surged for the Usugurai.

The Usugurai didn't roar this time. The attack engulfed it...

...but when the light faded, the Usugurai was still there.

Everyone gasped.

"Our attacks won't even work?!" Topaz cried in dismay.

The Usugurai roared again, this time with an undercurrent of laughter. It felt as if it were mocking them. They couldn't fight it. Their attacks couldn't hurt it. The Sparkles inside were going to Dim until they were nothing. And there was nothing they could do...

"R-Rose Launcher!"

Ruby turned around with a gasp. And her blood ran cold.

Suzu was standing outside of the snail, a fistful of pebbles in one hand while the other one threw a rock at the Usugurai. "Rose Launcher, Rose Launcher!" she shouted.

"Suzu! Get back in the snail, it's dangerous!"

"N-No! I wanna help you!" Suzu readied another rock. "Y-Your attacks aren't doing anything, but maybe- maybe I can help! I wanna help!" She threw another rock. It fell short of its mark, only landing three feet away from her, nowhere near the Usugurai. But it still garnered its attention, and the monster turned towards her.

"Suzu!" Topaz yelled. "Get out of here, now!"

"No!"

The Usugurai opened its jaws, inhaling-

-Ruby gasped and ran towards Suzu-

-ROOOAAAAR! The Usugurai let out another piercing roar, soundwaves bursting out at top speed.

Suzu barely had time to blink before suddenly Ruby was tackling her, sending them both out of the way in the nick of time. Ruby turned her body so she landed first, one hand on the back of Suzu's head to protect her. The snail was shattered by the Usugurai's attack, but the two girls were safe. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, shakily releasing Suzu and getting back to her feet. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah..."

Ruby glared up at the Usugurai, slowly moving to stand in front of Suzu. She held her arms out, shielding the other girl in case the Usugurai tried to attack again. "Suzu, you run to the woods. We'll find you when this is over, I promise!"

"But..." Suzu's eyes teared up. "But nothing's working! What if it's never over?!"

"It will be!" Topaz yelled before Ruby could answer. She ran to stand next to Ruby, helping her shield the kindergartner. "Even if our attacks don't work the first time, we'll hit it again and again!"

"That's right!" Diamond joined the other two. "We're not giving up!"

"Because even if we're knocked down," added Emerald, standing with the others. "Pretty Cure don't back down! We'll protect you and save everyone trapped in there..."

Ruby saw a glimmer of light inside the Usugurai, and a surge of determination rose in her heart. "We'll protect all those Sparkles... Because everyone deserves to Sparkle!"

Suddenly, there was a burst of rainbow light emitting from all four girls' rings.

Pretty Cure felt warmth in their chests, felt new strength... and they closed their eyes.

Everyone else - Suzu, Glimmer, Electrum, and Sterling - shielded their eyes as the light intensified until it was blinding, as if they were on the sun. Suzu herself briefly felt a rush of warmth - not a physical feeling, but something more abstract. Like the warmth of being with a best friend, of having a hug after a hard day, like getting praised for sharing with others... When she lowered her hand, she was the first to see Pretty Cure's new looks.

Each of the four girls now wore white ballgown-like dresses that fell to their ankles. Their chest bows had become shinier, sparklier, and the bodices of their dresses gleamed and shimmered like rainbows. The skirts of their gowns had ribbons in their respective colors decorating them like tinsel, with pearls here and there to help hold the ribbon. Between each pearl, inside each ribbon arch, was a big heart the same color as the ribbon. Their tiaras were now iridescent, the gems inside glowing with power. Even their hair seemed to have gained a special shimmer.

Suzu made to step forward, but Ruby moved her hand, silently instructing her to stay back. She faced the Usugurai head-on, like her teammates, and began to speak, the words coming to her from her heart. "A strong conviction, a dedicated heart... Sparkling Ruby!"

"Sparking Diamond!"

"Sparking Topaz!"

"Sparkling Emerald!"

"Pretty Cure... Sparkling Form!"

A white and gold jewelry box appeared in a burst of rainbow sparkles, hovering over the girls. Its lid opened, allowing four beams of light to escape and go to each girl. The green light flew to Emerald's wrist and burst apart to reveal a gold and green bracelet. The yellow went to Topaz, forming a golden topaz necklace. The blue went to Diamond's ears, forming blue and gold chandelier earrings. And the pink swirled around Ruby's head, forming an even bigger tiara, pink and gold with pearls.

"Bracelet, necklace, earrings, tiara! Pretty Cure..."

The jewelry box floated down in front of the group; they each put one hand on the box, feeling a wind of power swirling around them. "Sparkling Princess..."

Behind them, a vision appeared: a blonde Pretty Cure in pale purple. She smiled serenely, eyes closed, spreading her arms out as if to aid them.

Up above, Electrum's eyes widened. "Is that...?" he whispered.

"...Parure!"

Rainbow light shot out from the jewelry box, flying towards the Usugurai. It had no time to react as the light wrapped around it in a shimmering tornado, obscuring it from view. It spiraled faster and faster around it, finally exploding to reveal the monster was gone, and in its place was the Sparkle of everyone who'd been ensnared, trapped in colorful glass spheres. The spheres floated to Earth, transforming into the people again, frozen in time. They would wake up in a few seconds.

Suzu stepped forward, tentatively touching Ruby's skirt. "Kumi...?" she whispered. "Are you... princesses?"

Ruby turned to look at her, and smiled.

Nobody noticed Electrum and Sterling fleeing.

"Okay, everyone! It's time for the big kids to go!" Mr Miura announced as he stood at the front of the class at two o'clock.

His response was a collective awwwww! from the little kids, and Suzu whined, hugging Kumi. "I want Kumi to stay here!" she cried. "We were gonna play Princesses some more!"

"I'm sorry, Suzu, I know everyone loves their new friends, but they have their own school and families to get back to."

Suzu whined.

"Aw, don't worry, Suzu," Kumi laughed, patting her on the head. "I'm sure we'll see each other again!"

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"You know," Kazu interjected, leaning into their playtime. "In middle school you're assigned a second-grader to be penpals with."

"Hey, you hear that, Suzu? Just two years and we can start writing to each other! Won't that be nice?"

Suzu's smile was bright as she nodded. "Y-Yeah!"

As the older kids lined up and began the walk back to Kirazaka Elementary School, Kumi turned to wave back at her new little friend. And inside her backpack, Glimmer couldn't stop smiling either.

With the Miracle Jewelry Box revealed, they were that much closer to saving her princess and home.

ED: Miracles Can Happen