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Dissonance

Event III

Blood

Aqua and Moonlight stared at each other in silence. They were not there to battle. Not physically.

"The rules state there can be as many contestants as there were people waiting during the last fight. I propose a six versus six. We both need the favor, regardless of who wins. We both will have people on our team who will have to learn the hard way that they won't be able to get around fighting." Moonlight opened negotiations.

"Do you really think they will just nod and agree? The last fight was four versus four. There are only eight on each team that waited during the last fight." Aqua knew that the chance to fight Milk was very high if she agreed to this. But could she really let personal feelings get in the way?

"If we cannot come to an agreement, you and I know that the next fight will include all of us. I want to avoid an all-out fight if possible. Not until everyone has accepted this." Moonlight took a few steps toward Aqua. There was a force field in the middle of the room, preventing them from getting close to each other. "Think with your head, not your heart. I dislike this as much as the others, but this isn't something we can just put down and hope it will solve itself. I ask you to agree to the six versus six."

The rules stated that no personal questions were to be asked at the negotiations and the fights. There was a penalty for breaking the rules. It existed to ensure that the fights were fair and nobody acted as spy.

"When do you propose this fight to happen?" Aqua figured that she would not get around accepting her proposal. It was the logical thing to do. If negotiations failed, then all of them had to fight. All twelve versus all twelve.

"The sooner the better. Giving those that are undecided or afraid of this more time to think about it will only hurt them. They need to experience it themselves. They need to learn first hand that this is not a battle they have to fear. The earliest time we can battle is an hour after the exchange. The door won't open before then."

"I... very... very well. I accept." Aqua grit her teeth. Moonlight was right. She too was one of the people that had to accept that sooner or later it she would fight Kurumi. It was a matter of statistic. Making a big deal out of it now wouldn't help anyone.

"Time, in one hour." Moonlight said and Aqua repeated after her. "Time. In one hour."

Then it was Aqua's turn. "Participants, six." And Moonlight repeated after her. "Participants. Six."

Their respective doors opened behind them and Moonlight walked away from Aqua, who stood there, torn between personal feelings and duty. "I'm sorry, Kurumi."

=== Dissonance ===

"Until you come back." Mint saw Rhythm off. They all knew about the rules. That the earliest time someone could swap again was after six battles had passed. A maximum duration of twelve days, in case negotiations failed six times in a row.

"You should try to make up with Lemonade, Mint. I think you two can get along." Rhythm stood in front of the open door. The light was different depending on where the door lead. A crimson red for battle. An tranquil azure for negotiations. And a neutral white for exchange.

"Don't lose to the Exile." They knew well what the Exile was. A lonely existence, forced to live alone and wait for the exchange to happen without a soul to talk to. Only when the exchange happened could she approach one of the two in the exchange and take their place.

By force and battle. By pleading and sympathy. By bribery and deceit. By trickery and malice. By speed and cunning.

Rhythm waved Mint goodbye and stepped through the gate, finding herself in a small corridor. One that looked just like the countless others. She had to find the gate to the team of darkness before the Exile did.

Rhythm started to run, suddenly scared. It was hard to comprehend but to find a single gate in a labyrinth was not all that difficult. It was in fact very easy. There were multiple ways to find the exit. But it became a fight for survival as soon as someone else looked for the same gate and only one of them could pass.

The Exile was a pitiful one and nobody would want to be the one that was all alone. Yet there was no choice. One of them always would be the one. Rhythm didn't know who the other two Cures were but it didn't matter to her unless the Exile was someone from her team. Even kindness had it's limits.

Taking a turn right, running up stairs, through rooms and down stairs again, Rhythm found it to be a terrifying place. If the Exile spend the time between battles there, she would know where one of the gates was. Rhythm started to have chills.

If the Exile knew their way around. Would that not mean that one of the two in the exchange would always end up as the next Exile? She started to run as hard as she could, wind created by her sheer speed blowing in her face, whirling her hair up. She had to hurry!

Only Hikari had been there to see her off. Moonlight had come back and announced that the next battle would be six versus six and an hour after the exchange that was to begin right after negotiations. Milky Rose was running as fast as she could but the place was a labyrinth.

Going right, going left, she went through rooms and hallways with complete disregard for what would happen if the Exile reached her door first. She could not become the Exile. Not with things being as they were between her and Karen.

She reached a large room that had no visible exists. A single bed was placed in the middle of the room. The room of the Exile. And she was not there. "Dead end..." She turned around and ran back the way she had come.

It was a wicked game. Three participants and only two could possibly join a team. One would always remain lonely and as the Exile. A horrible thought shot into her mind. What if Aqua was the Exile? What if Aqua was the one to change to come and see her?

Why hadn't she thought about that first? Why did she have to rush her decision and volunteer without seeing if Aqua was coming for her. But what if she had waited and Aqua would have lost to the Exile? "Enough with the what if's. I'll just have to find that damn door."

But they were both slow. Running around in circles, into dead ends, they were outmaneuvered by someone that had been there for some time already. Blossom had herself hidden close to the dead end that was the furthest away from her room, hoping that the door would appear in an area close to that.

And luck was with her. After just a minute another Cure ran right past the room she hid in. Blossom had read the rules and realized that nobody would willingly give up their position to switch with her. Unless she got extremely lucky and maybe Sunshine or Marine showed up.

Blossom stood in front of the door and held out her hand. The game was over for her and she was not going to be the next Exile. It was a fate she didn't wish on anyone, but there was no alternative. "I'm really sorry..." Blossom touched the door and the hallway behind her transformed into a dead end. She was locked in with the door now, waiting for the other Cure to reach the door on the opposite side.

Rhythm ran as fast as she could, having a bad feeling about the situation. There was no sign of the Exile yet. If it was someone that was at least moderately good at fighting she would try to take out one of the other Cures.

Rhythm jumped down a set of stairs, took a right turn and landed in a large room, several exists on each side. But that was not the worst of it. Just a second later, another Cure emerged from the other side. One clad in purple.

"Abbadon!" Milky Rose used her ability without regard for her opponent and created a huge storm of metal fragments in the room, forcing Rhythm to retreat to avoid getting cut to pieces. "The Exile..." Milky Rose feared that it would come to that. Her enemy was someone she didn't know. At least Aqua was not the Exile. She didn't even consider it possible that it was not the Exile but the Cure from the other team she had attacked.

Rhythm wouldn't bother fighting anyone. She was quick and had good reflexes. Ignoring the raging metal storm, she headed for the upper levels of the big room and reached a balcony above the storm. "What a brutal, merciless ability. And she didn't even hesitate to use it." Rhythm didn't want to become the Exile either, but that was going too far. She wouldn't lose to someone like that.

Milky Rose had other problems. Running from Rhythm who she thought to be the Exile, she only found more stairs, hallways and rooms. There was no exit. Had she taken a wrong turn again? Or had she already lost?

Rhythm had found her door. Either the purple Cure had been the Exile or the member from the dark team. Whoever she was, it was no longer her business. Stretching out her hand, the hallway closed behind her.

Milky Rose was still running around, hopelessly lost and growing more desperate with every dead end she found. "Where is it? Where is the door?" Looking through every corner and nook, it was quite clear that the Cure she attacked had not been the Exile. Her door had likely vanished at that time already.

"Dammit!" Milky Rose punched a wall and literally pulverized it. "I'll get out of here... after the next battle..." She only had to wait for about an hour. An hour in absolute loneliness with nothing to do. It was not even enough time to memorize her way around the labyrinth. Why was the place so needlessly big?

"Karen..."

=== Dissonance ===

All the Cures were present to see who the new member would be. Some were anxious, others plain curious. And finally, the door opened. It took longer than they expected. They only knew of the principle behind the Exile. Not the details.

"Blossom!" Marine was surprised and overjoyed to see her best friend come through the gate. The pink haired Cure was hugged by her friend right away. With Marine clinging to her, Blossom had difficulty standing.

"Marine?! I'm so happy to see you. I missed you guys. Are Sunshine and Moonlight on this side too?" Blossom asked and looked at the many unknown faces. She recognized a few of them as having them seen before but not their names.

"Sunshine and Moonlight are kinda on the other side Blossom. I already fought them." Erika seemed a little awkward telling her friend that. "I think I sort of knocked Sunshine out too." Marine scratched her cheek. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"Marine... Ah. I'm Cure Blossom. Hanasaki Tsubomi. Nice to meet you." She tried to politely bow but with Erika hanging on to her, it was an act of balance to just keep standing.

"Blossom. Did you come over from the other side or were you..." Aqua was curious about Milky Rose.

"I was the Exile. I had luck and found this door really quickly. I only saw one Cure run past me. I wasn't able to see who it was, but if I came through this door, she must have been from this side." Tsubomi felt bad for whoever ended up the Exile but this time, she couldn't save them.

"That means the Cure from the dark team is the new Exile. Can you tell us about the part of this place that you were in?" White was curious about the details.

"It's a labyrinth. Even when I knew my way around, it took me a few minutes to get from one side to another. There is a huge room in the middle and another big room which serves as the place for the Exile to sleep." The next fight is in one hour. We will decide who fights now, but don't worry, we won't force anyone that just swapped. Marine can show you where your room is, Blossom." White issued her orders and watched Marine almost forcefully drag Blossom away, all the time wearing a big smile on her face.

"She's like a walking mass of energy." White couldn't help but smile. Marine had her own way of getting into someone's heart.

"It's almost refreshing to watch." Berry added. "White. I want to talk about the composition of the team for the fight. Aqua, I want your opinion as well." The others, while not going to interrupt the three, would listen.

"Only two can remain this time. Four of us have fought the last time, which leaves us with eight. Lemonade, Mint, Pine. I think those three should fight in any case. Pine's ability will come in very handy during such a large fight."

"Lemonade and Mint seem like reasonable choices as well. Are you three okay with this?" White looked first at Pine who reluctantly nodded. She didn't want to fight her friends, but seeing how serious even Miki was, she would feel horrible refusing.

"Fine with me." Lemonade knew that every single one of them had to fight sooner or later. It was easier to get used to it quickly.

"If you want me to fight, I will. I just hope I will not end up fighting Rhythm." Mint was not happy about fighting other Cures but she shared Lemonade's opinion.

"For the other three, I volunteer. And I would like to have Peach and Dream fight with me. Is that fine with you Aqua?" Berry could sense that Aqua was with her thoughts somewhere else. She was not mentally prepared to fight.

"No. I want to fight. I shouldn't let my feelings get the better of me." Aqua's expression changed. She was the Cure symbolizing intelligence. Not passion.

"I don't want to fight." Dream looked at the ground, still unable to accept the situation. "I say we all just talk to them and see if we can find-" Dream staggered back when someone slapped her. Her cheek boomed with pain.

"Will you come to terms with reality already?" Aqua had slapped her friend. "I don't want to fight either! Kurumi is probably on the other team and will be in this battle! Do you think it's easy for me to prioritize what my head says over my heart? But it's the right choice! Listen to yourself Dream! Where are the dreams and hope you always talk about!" Aqua shouted at Dream who broke out in tears when her friend was done shouting. Leaving the nine others behind, Dream ran away.

"Rouge. Please look after her." Aqua didn't regret what she did, but she hated the fact that she had to do it.

"That settles it. Lemonade, Mint, Aqua, Berry, Pine and Peach are up for the next match. I wish you girls good luck." White looked at the six that were chosen to do battle. "Try to win. You will have to fight seriously, just like we did."

"We realize that. None of us will ever like this, but at least we accepted it. Dream is the only one struggling so much." Lemonade seemed cold and distanced to the others.

"I suggest you try to make out some kind of strategy among yourselves. It was quite a failure on my part that we went into battle without even knowing about each others abilities." White looked at Berry and Aqua and they nodded.

==Dissonance===

On the other side of the battlefield was a similar conversation going on. Rhythm had been welcomed back by Melody, Beat and even Muse. At the same time, Moonlight, Sunshine, Windy and Egret tried to decide who was the next to fight. Bloom and Egret volunteered which left four slots open.

"Aren't those four one team? Should we not try to get them to participate as a whole?"Windy looked at the four Cure's that were happily talking to Rhythm, who had briefly introduced herself when she came through the door.

"The youngest one is only thirteen. I don't think it is wise to let her fight just yet." Sunshine was being protective of Muse, who was by far the youngest of all.

"The other choice would be to have Shiny Luminous or Passion substitute for her." Moonlight looked at Luminous and Passion, both of which stood behind Sunshine. "Is either of you two volunteering?"

"Black and White fought in the last battle, right?" Luminous addressed the question to Moonlight.

"Yes. They were quite powerful. I remember that you belong to their team?"

"I want to switch after this battle, so I want to at least help out once before I leave." Luminous didn't want to be a burden to anyone. "I'm not very strong or fast, but I can give everyone a power up."

"Passion, you want to switch too, don't you? Do you want to fight?" Egret asked the pink haired Cure.

"I... no. I would like to skip. I will let Luminous switch. I have a feeling that the rest of my team will be in this battle." Passion didn't want to fight them if possible. Especially not Peach.

"That leaves three of the those four. I also think we shouldn't let Muse fight yet. Not until the others have some experience with this sort of thing." Windy said and whistled, getting the attention of the four Cures. "Melody, Rhythm, Beat, come here please."

Melody was uncomfortably reminded of an old friend of hers. Muse followed them anyway, curious what they were doing. "What?"

"We are deciding the next match up. Passion and Muse will remain here while you three as well as Bloom, Egret and Luminous will fight. Does either of you three have any objections?" Windy kept it short and informative.

"I don't really like it. But two of us would have to fight anyway, right? At least this way I can fight with Melody and Beat." Rhythm knew that sooner or later, her turn would come up anyway.

"Why am I being excluded?" Muse spoke up and her stern eyes met Moonlight's.

"I won't lie to you." Moonlight looked at Muse and they went into a contest of staring at each other. "You're by far the youngest of everyone here. I won't say you will get in the way, but you have the least experience and power. I want your teammates to have experience with this before you join them." Harsh words but Muse knew it was the truth.

"Fine. You were honest so I can accept this. But I won't let you just exclude me because I am the youngest. I'm not weak." Muse was displeased and walked off without another word.

"You six should organize a strategy of some kind. The first battle was extremely chaotic because neither side had time to properly think of a strategy." Windy looked at Egret and Rhythm. "I think you two are best suited to this task."

"Rhythm, can't you tell us about the other team?" Melody was curious about the Cures on the other team. It would be a great advantage to know about them beforehand.

"Melody, just how bad is your memory? Those who switch are not allowed to talk about the other side. Just think what a chaos it would be if nobody trusted each other after everyone did that." Rhythm was not very surprised that Melody had forgotten that specific rule. She herself only recalled it when she had been welcomed by her teammates.

"Regardless, we should know about each other. Luminous, why don't you start?"

===Dissonance===

Watching each other, twelve Cures were about to battle for superiority. Lemonade was at the front together with Peach and Berry. Mint was in the back together with Aqua. Pine stood in-between Mint and Lemonade.

Luminous was guarded by both Melody and Rhythm, Beat had already taken position on a higher balcony and Bloom and Egret were matching Peach and Berry.

And the fight started. A multitude of abilities were all unleashed at once. Lemonade was the fastest in execution and her special took effect first. "Iron Maiden!" Lemonade pointed at the space above her. Countless golden chains broke out of the walls, connecting the room on both sides and creating a massive spider net like trap.

Next up was Luminous and the two Cures guardian her. "Queen of Light!" A golden line emerged from Shiny Luminous, growing larger with every passing second, the glow passing to her own team members. Luminous was standing entirely still and focusing on her ability. At the same time as receiving the glow, the four front cures rushed at each other.

"Battle of Titans!" "Oracle!" Melody and Rhythm used their abilities, modified by Luminous Queen of Light.

Bloom attacked Peach with a straight punch which Peach tried to block by crossing her arms in front of her chest. The impact was like that of an explosion. It took everything she had to just keep standing. Looking to her side, Egret was keeping both Lemonade and Berry in check with her superior speed..

Bloom was right in front of Peach again but this time the blond Cure didn't take the hit, uses Bloom's own arm as support to jump above her, grabbing Bloom by her hair, about to slam her into the ground. Bloom resisted with brute force and Peach was suddenly locked into a stalemate with her.

Egret was switching targets in the blink of an eye, surpassing both Lemonade and Berry in speed easily thanks to Luminous buff. Berry was skilled and kept on defending herself against Egret who mainly focused on kicks, as opposed to Bloom, who worked more with her arms. Lemonade used a golden chain to block and force Egret to retreat.

A triple kick from mid air against Berry, Egret left an opening. Lemonade hit Egret with her chain, wrapping her completely in it. Egret's speed was sealed. Berry immediately left to intercept Beat, who was now trying to join the close combat fight to help Egret.

Lemonade was completely merciless, just like her friend Rouge. Using her whip like an extension of her own arm, she repeatedly smashed Egret into the ground. Egret coughed up blood after the fifth but was suddenly freed. Melody had left her position as Luminous guard and punched Lemonade's face, sending her flying and sliding over the ground.

Bloom and Peach were still locked into a contest of skill versus raw strength and slowly but surely, Peach was losing her ground. The situation suddenly reversed when Aqua left her own position as well, leaving only Pine behind with Mint. Bloom was hit by a full strength kick from the Cure of Intelligent and driven back.

Peach tried to make use of the situation and joined forces with Aqua, both of them attacking Bloom with a series of varied kicks and punches, impossible for Bloom to block them all. Instead of wasting her stamina and slowly sucking up damage, Bloom jumped right into a punch of Peach, endured it, grabbed her face and drove her straight into the ground with full power, cracking the floor.

That came not without a price. Aqua has drawn her water rapier and stabbed Bloom's right leg. Blood ran from the thin hole. The attack left Aqua wide open but instead of retaliating, Bloom jumped away, ignoring the pain. Aqua could smell that something was wrong and helped Peach up. The entire enemy team was retreating next to Luminous. But one was missing.

Beat was in the middle of the room. Creating a blue guitar from nothingness, she hit a power chord that made the air itself vibrate. "Loki's Veil!" Beat started playing a series of heavy power chords. Berry, Lemonade, Peach and Aqua all found themselves paralyzed and unable to move.

But the worst was yet to come. Egret and Bloom had taken position in the back of the room as the upper parts were entirely locked down by Lemonade's chains. "Twin Stream..."

But Pine had waited for a moment like that. Making eye contact with Beat, the cure stopped playing, turned around and jumped right in front of Bloom and Egret. "Loki's Veil!"

"Passionato..." Melody and Rhythm had joined hands and were aiming right at Mint and Pine. They knew it was their doing

"I didn't want to use it yet... " Berry stood up, flicked her fingers twice, pointed at the enemy cures and announced. "It's showtime!" A third flick and the entire atmosphere turned blue. Melody and Rhythm's attack was stopped, all of them watching as Berry slowly and gracefully walked over to them. Beat had stopped playing as well and Luminous too, had her eyes glued to Berry.

Her special ability. 'My World'. She was right in front of Luminous and smiled happily just before she used her full force in a drop kick to smash Luminous into the ground. Her abilities effect broke and Berry was suddenly surrounded by half a dozen enemy Cures. Beat spun once and kicked Melody, getting distance between Rhythm and her.

Berry attacked Rhythm but was outnumbered. Rhythm was joined by Bloom and Egret, the three of them landing a simultaneous hit on Berry, knocking her back and leaving her staggering for a second. Egret went right after her, joined by Rhythm.

Beat was locked into a duel of equal skill and power with Melody, the two of them using the exact same moves, parrying each others attacks, trying to find an opening. The odds had changed to seven versus four now.

"Mint..." Pine was about to hit her limit. They could not risk falling prey to Beat's ability again, so it was Mint's job to stop them from using their abilities.

Peach, finally recovered, had joined up with Lemonade and attacked Bloom. Peach was inferior in terms of raw force but had equal skill compared to Bloom. The orange haired Cure took a blow to the face and countered with a punch herself, knocking Peach back. Her legs were suddenly sealed by Lemonade's golden chain which was wrapped around her ankles.

But Bloom was much more difficult to swing around that Egret. The strong Cure literally buried her fingers into the ground, using it as hold to prevent Lemonade from lifting her up like Egret before.

Peach used the opening, went in and brutally kicked Bloom, unable to move her even with that. Another kick followed and yet another. A series of kicks to her face, Bloom took it all. Peach felt like she had no effect at all on her.

With a sudden movement, Bloom grabbed Peach by her throat and grinned. If she had to take so much from that one woman, she would pay her back twice over. "Blooming Strike!" Bloom rammed her fist against Peach's stomach, unleashing an energy burst. Peach was throw back from the impact, coughing up blood and her eyes white. Peach was down.

Melody kept Beat in a stalemate deliberately. She could overpower her but she held back. Whatever the other team was doing to control Beat, they couldn't possibly keep it up forever. And then the effect finally wore off. Beat blinked a few times and found herself fighting her own ally. They just needed to each other and stopped fighting among themselves.

They were hit out of the blue by a low kick, both of them losing their balance. Pine was upon them, faster than even Egret. And she was joined by Berry. Melody and Rhythm jumped back, bringing some distance between themselves and the devilish fast Pine and calculating Berry.

And then it happened. "Clear Zone!" Mint reached up into the air with her right hand and a green butterfly emblem appeared right above her. The room was suddenly filled with a green, shimmer light. Lemonade's chains persisted but every Cure could feel that something was different.

Melody and Rhythm lost their songs, and Beat found herself unable to play. Bloom and Egret felt the effects vanish as well. "Break!" Berry shouted and the entire light team retreated, vanishing into the hallways on their side.

The dark team was left penalized and one member short. Peach of the light team was also down, bringing their total to five versus five. Even with strategy, nothing ever went completely like planned.

Egret and Bloom went straight after the five, followed by Beat, Rhythm and Melody. They faced three stairs up, one down and a hallway that led straight further away from the main room. "Separate."

Egret took the hallway, Rhythm went up, Melody down. Beat and Bloom went up as well.

The first one to reach their destination was Rhythm. At the end of the room, leaned against the wall and as calm as a lake during a sunny day, waited Cure Berry for her. "Seems you drew the short straw."

"Do you really think splitting us up will make much of a difference?" Rhythm was confident that she was the least skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Even if she went down, there was no way one of the others could beat Bloom, Egret or Melody in a one to one.

Berry did not fall for the taunt and rushed straight at Rhythm. A powerful drop kick, Rhythm was forced on her knee's blocking it with her arms. Putting all her strength into her arms, she pushed the blue Cure back, closing the space that opened up with a quick jump, striking a series of punches against Berry, who blocked each punch with her forearms.

Rhythm jumped back and they were at a face off again. Berry flicked her fingers twice, pointed at her enemy and grinned. Rhythm had seen that attack before and closed her eyes to avoid the attack. But instead of the expected attack, Rhythm was suddenly hit by a brutal kick in her stomach, followed by a horizontal kick to her face and another that dropped her to the ground.

Berry didn't let off and followed up by jumping slightly and landing a brutal hit on Rhythm's back, making the younger Cure gasp for air in pain. Not taking any chances, Berry grabbed Rhythm by her legs and started to spin her around, about to drive her into the wall. But Rhythm was craftier than Berry gave her credit for.

Just as Berry was about to let go, Rhythm buried her hands deep into the long hair of her opponent and used the gravitational force against her. Berry was flung around like a stick and smashed into the wall. Rhythm had a thick strand of bright purple hair in each hand and dropped it.

Not giving her opponent time to regain balance, Rhythm unleashed a series of punches against Berry who had no defense. "Rhythmic Blast!" Jumping back, she concentrated her energy into her right fist and hit Berry with full power. The impact of the punch was not different from another but the energy blast drove the senior Cure right through the wall into the next room.

Rhythm jumped after her over the rubble, about to finish her off. Berry grabbed Rhythm's left ankle, pulled her off balance, swung her up and down and smashed her against the wall face first. Letting go of her ankle and jumping up, Berry grabbed the back of her opponents head, driving her into the wall thrice before the stone broke and Rhythm no longer moved.

Berry dropped the Cure and sighed. But she had been relieved too early. Rhythm, only pretending to be knocked out, kicked at Berry's ankles, making her fall down. Without getting up, the blond Cure used both her legs to kick Berry right up at the ceiling. Dust and debris fell down from the impact.

Berry fell down and didn't move. Rhythm didn't take the chance of falling for her own trick and rushed straight for Berry, who had just waited for that. Rolled to the side, she evaded the white clad Cures attack, grabbed her by her blond ponytail and used it to whirl Rhythm around like a lasso. "Spade..." Berry trashed Rhythm into the floor, stomped on her stomach with her heels to create her spade seal, jumped up. "...Impact!" The seal exploded and the force went straight through Rhythm, denting the ground and finally crashing it to pieces. Throwing up blood, Rhythm fell down.

Not without retaliating. Turning in mid-air, the white Cure spawned two dozen notes around her, a skill she had copied from Beat. "Chaotic Rhythm!" The notes went straight up and destroyed the ceiling above Berry with an explosion. The dust from the destroyed ground and ceiling mixed together, reducing visibility to nothing.

Berry grabbed debris and rocks at random, throwing them wildly below where she thought Rhythm to be. She was definitely not above using the environment to her advantage. "Chaotic Rhythm!" The notes came flying again and Berry took a direct hit, each note burning her skin and hurting like being stabbed by a knife.

"Spade Shock!" Overcoming her pain and aiming straight at the center of the origin of the attack, Berry fired a blue energy blast. A tiny bit of red mixed with the dust and she knew she had hit her.

Rhythm hit the ground and tried to get up but didn't manage in time. Berry landed straight on top of her, pinning her down. "Spade Impact!" Berry held her hand right in front of Rhythm's face and the white cure was again smashed into the ground by the energy blast.

Berry couldn't even stand after that and rolled over, down from the white Cure. If that wasn't enough to take her out, she would give up. But Rhythm didn't move and this time it didn't seem to be a fake. Berry sat up and as the dust came down and vanished, she saw Rhythm's passed out face. She had done quite the number on her. She would at least keep a blue eye.

"But she's kinda cute like this." Berry said before she fell flat on her back, unable to lift even a single finger.

Shortly after Rhythm had started fighting Berry, the next two Cure's met. Egret had run into a large room that was at best two meters high, leaving barely any room to jump. The length on the other hand almost dwarfed the large room from before.

Egret could barely see the yellow flash behind her before she was kicked in the back and slid over the ground from the impact but still remaining standing.

Pine had stopped about a dozen meters away from Egret and taunted her. "Let's see if you can keep up with me." Pine had insane acceleration and reached her stop speed in less than two seconds. Egret dodged to the side and watched Pine take a large curve, coming right back at her.

"Diamond Arms!" Pine clenched her left fist and four golden spikes formed in-between her fingers like a spiked glove. Egret jumped backwards, dodging the first blow, leaning back, dogging the next attack and escaping a kick with a quick back-flip.

Pine went in too fast and couldn't see Egrets counter. The purple haired cure used her arms as support, kicking Pine in the face twice and sending her flying towards the entrance. Using the low ceiling as stepping stone, Pine jumped at the ground, used her hands to jump back up and hit Egret, who followed her at maximum speed, with her right hand.

Using the speed of the impact to her advantage, Egret turned in mid-air and started running deeper inside the room. Pine caught up to her after a few seconds. Just running wouldn't get them anywhere.

Pine took the initiative. "Diamond Flash!" She completely vanished from Egret's field of vision for a split second. Egrets was lifted by an invisible force and smashed into the ceiling face first with such force that part of the ceiling was scraped off.

Egret couldn't see what was grabbing her but she felt something on the back of her head. "Sky Tremor!" Azure colored sky energy blasted away from Egret and the Cure fell to the ground, bouncing off the harsh surface several times..Her face was burnt by the friction of rubbing against the stone.

Egret turned around when someone crashed with full force into the wall at the end of the room. Speed so great that even the user couldn't even turn or slow down. Egret could only see something yellow flash for a second before she felt four spikes bury themselves into her stomach.

Egret couldn't trust her eyes. Relying entirely on her sense of hearing, she waited for the next attack. The sound of someone running at incredibly speed. The sound of the steps almost merging with each other, that was speed far surpassing her own.

Egret stepped aside, put her left leg in the way, clenched her fists and slammed down on Pine's back with all of her might. With a single blow, Egret stopped the godlike speed of the yellow Cure.

Rolling back and facing Egret, Pine bled from her nose and her eyes. Diamond Flash was not suited for continuous use after all. "Diamond Arms!" Pine created spikes in her left hand as well.

The two were in a stand-off. Pine had superior speed and Egret had superior technique. Starting to move in a circle, they looked for an opening. Egret was bleeding from the hit that Pine had landed before.

Pine got sick of the stand-off first and rushed at Egret who had to avoid her punched. A left-right combination, forcing Egret back, the purple haired Cure evaded again with a quick back-flip but this time Pine was prepared. Jumping just slightly in Egrets direction, she landed a kick in the same spot she had hit before. Egret spit blood and landed hard on the ground, cushioning her fall with her legs and one arm. Her left hand went to the wound Pine had just opened further.

Pine was right in front of her, trying to keep up the attacking pressure. Egret took the punch with her shoulder, grabbed Pine's arm, wrapped her legs around Pine's neck and brutally smashed Pine into the ground. "Azure Sky Supreme Thunder!" Egret put her open hand on Pine's left hand and unleashed an energy blast right on it.

Pine cried out in pain as blood started to run from several deep cut's in her hand. "Azure Sky Supreme.." Egret, holding Pine in a deadlock, was about to hit her again when Pine grit her teeth and started hitting Egrets hip with her free hand. The spikes buried itself deep into the flesh of the white Cure, again and again.

"Thunder!" Egret switched her target in the last second and put her hand right on Pine's horrified face. Razor sharp winds shredded over her face, cutting her a dozen times.

Letting Pine go, Egret rolled herself to the side. She was still bleeding. Putting her hand on the wound, she closed it with wind energy.

Pine was out could. The last attack had far surpassed her pain threshold and she fainted. Egret was tougher and that had in the end enabled her to win. A short but extremely brutal battle. Egret knew that if she had drawn out the battle, she would have eventually lost. The holes in her body from Pine's attack would have sapped her strength away in no time.

Barely able to stand and walk, Egret tried to get to the exit of the room but only got a few meters further before her vision started to get blurry. She was loosing a lot of blood from that last desperate attack of Pine. Egret fainted and fell down barely a dozen meters away from Pine.

At the same time as Pine going down, Melody found her opponent and she walked right into a trap. The room was a perfect square, about ten meters high and long. Lemonade was in the back of the room, swinging a long golden chain around.

"I wanted the purple one. You remind me too much of Dream. Why is everyone pink?" Lemonade grinned and waved. "Come. Let's get this down with."

Melody fell for the taunt and rushed straight at Lemonade, right into a trap. Swinging her chain, the pink Cure jumped over it, but the chain followed her, wrapped itself around her ankle. Melody was slammed into the ground like she was some sort of human swat. Once, twice, thrice, Lemonade knew no mercy.

Melody grabbed the chain, enduring the pain of being repeatedly slammed into the ground, and pulled on it, Lemonade too surprised to counter. The yellow Cure barely in range, Melody took out the big guns. She couldn't win a fight like that with just her martial arts. "Brutal Melody!"

Lemonade saw herself surrounded by pink notes. Dissolving the chain around Melody's ankle, she shot another one from her left hand towards the back end of the room, pulling herself away like a spider. The notes unable to follow her exploded and did nothing at all. "Crafty. But you got a long way to go, pinky." Lemonade knew well that taunting the enemy was an excellent way to make them lose their concentrating.

"If that was supposed to be an attack, should I show you what a real attack is?" Lemonade held one hand above her own hand and the golden chain extending from it started to whirl around her like a tornado. "Come and try to hit me, pinky." Lemonade didn't have to taunt her twice.

Melody rushed straight the the senior Cure and was instantly hit by a long slap from the chain. The first hit went right into her left side. The second hit at her right leg. The next four hits went for her arms and sides again. Melody couldn't get close without enduring the brutal whippings of the golden metal chain.

"What, is that all? Are you sure you're really a Cure? Or are you just completely useless without your partner around?" Lemonade stopped the whirl and grinned wide. "Watch out!" Lemonade shouted and to her own surprise, Melody jumped to the side. Lemonade started laughing. "What a wimp."

Melody clenched her fist so hard that the white of her bones was visible. She was far too easy to provoke and that yellow Cure had figured that out. She knew that she was just being taunted but she just couldn't resist. Again, Melody rushed at Lemonade.

"Tsk. You don't learn." Lemonade shot her chain again and this time it hit Melody's throat. Spawning a second chain from the ceiling to where she stood, Melody found herself suddenly strangled, fighting to breathe.

"Don't... underestimate... me...!" Melody could barely speak with the chain tightening around her throat. Grabbing the chain around her neck, Melody pulled on it with her full power and ripped it out of the ceiling.

"What brute force..." Lemonade was amazed for a few seconds which was enough of an window for Melody to recover and attack. This time Lemonade barely reacted in time, the chain wrapped itself around Melody's arm.

But she lacked the strength to swing her around at that close range. "Too bad." Melody grinned and brutally hit Lemonade in the stomach, followed by a drop kick. Stomping on her head, Melody got even with her for all the insults and taunts. A battle was a battle. She didn't have to hold back.

She realized too late that the chain crawled up her leg and then quickly wrapped itself around her. She was locked down and couldn't move her arms. "Enough of this!" Melody was sick of the same old trick. "Brutal Melody! Brutal Melody! Brutal Melody!" The pink cure summoned so many notes that Lemonade was terrified the blast might obliterate them both. Lemonade canceled the chain and brought some distance between herself and her opponent but it wasn't that easy.

Melody was right after her, grabbed her right arm and threw her right into the mass of notes she had spawned. The explosion that followed completely destroyed the ground below, leaving only dust. Melody stepped close to the hole. There was only an empty and bottomless shaft below.

Trying to make sure that her opponent had fallen down, Melody leaned forward and peeked into the hole. That was her fatal error. A single golden chain flew out of the darkness below and wrapped itself around her arm.

Melody couldn't get the chain lose and the pull on it increased more with every second. It took all her power to not be roped into the hole in front of her. But it was useless. Golden chains shot out of the ground and up into the ceiling right around her and she was slowly sucked into the ground.

The second she was completely submerged, Melody dropped into a pitch black room that was only illuminated slightly by a dozen golden chains spun through it. "Golden Gate, Call." Lemonade was breathing hard, blood running from her nose. No more taunts. No more playing around.

Lemonade jumped up, whirled around and spawned several golden chains from her arms, attacking Melody from all directions at once. "Brutal Melody!" Spawning the notes right on herself, Melody endured the blast and used the smoke to evade the golden chains. She found a weak spot. Lemonade was wide open whenever she was in the middle of an attack. It was near impossible to evade them unless it was clear where they were aimed at. Or in case Lemonade couldn't see her target.

"Explosion Tune!" Melody put but her hands together, the insides toward Lemonade and hit her. A pink energy blast went right through Lemonade and the yellow cure threw up blood and fell to her knees, unable to even breathe. Melody didn't stop, grabbed the head of her enemy and jumped up in the air. She would end the fight right there.

Lemonade coughed and grit her teeth, a disastrous expression on her face. Several golden chains sprung out of the walls, wrapping themselves around Hibiki's ankles and wrists. Lemonade saved herself from falling by standing on two intervened chains.

"You're... good... but this.. is it..." With a flick of her fingers, the chains all pulled at once and Melody's scream of pain echoed through the shaft. Lemonade had no powerful finisher attacks. It was the best she could do to just break her opponent. If the pain made her faint, then all was good.

But it proved much harder to make Melody faint than Lemonade thought. Her muscles were burning like acid was dripping on them, her scream getting louder the more the chains pulled. Her bones were about to break. But her will was iron. With a last desperate act of strength, Melody pulled the chains right out of the walls, shocking Lemonade with her tenacity.

"Explosion Tune!" Melody, unable to even think straight, just hit Lemonade right in the chest. The energy burst ran through the chain user a second time and her body went limb. The golden chains vanished and they fell. Lemonade and Melody both hit the ground at the same time, not one of them moving.

A different kind of battle was playing out far above them. A room that consisted almost entirely of balconies and thin walkways between the two walls, the full length of the place was not even ten meters. It seemed more like a tiny tower than anything else.

Aqua was standing on one of the walkways far above, her rapier drawn. She had expected her the least. Beat. Her songs would prove useless in a vertically designed battlefield such as the tower. Aqua already had the inherent advantage.

"Sonic Beat!" Beat swung her arm in front of her and created a circle of music notes right above her. With a flick of her fingers, the notes turned face and became sharp arrows, aiming at Aqua, who didn't see the need to evade.

A second flick and the notes rushed at the blue Cure. Beat could barely believe her eyes when every single note was being parried with incredible skill and speed. But she was specialized in special attacks. "Sonic Rock!"

Aqua was surrounded by notes in an instant. Four circles of notes, pointed at her, ready to stab her. But the older cure kept her cool and waited for the right moment to counter. "Encore!" Beat spawned another set of notes around herself, the note whirling like a barrier.

With a single flash cut, Aqua destroyed the walkway below her and fell right through the notes center. Grabbing another walkway while falling, the blue Cure swung herself on top of it, using it as stepping stone and jumped further upwards, again and again, going higher with amazing speed.

"Come..." Aqua taunted her opponent. A heavy guitar riff shook the whole room and made Aqua curses. Her opponent was maybe not as unsuited to the area as she thought.

"Supreme Rock!" Beat had pulled out her guitar and played a series of heavy riffs, continuously spawning notes above her which immediately took aim and flew straight above, crashing into walkways and balconies, destroying them in the process.

Aqua had reached the top level of the room and could see the destruction further down. Beat could destroy the whole thing but it wouldn't help her. There was an exit on the last floor. But that was not all. It lead outside. Aqua was the first Cure to realize what kind of place they were in.

A massive fortress with towers and walls, floating in what seemed to be a bubble of atmosphere. There was nothing beyond that. It couldn't even be called emptiness or darkness. It was just nothing. As if the world plain ended beyond the walls.

Aqua lost her concentration for a split second and didn't notice the massive note that pushed itself through the exit. If that thing exploded...! Aqua slashed the note in half and then in quarters with a lightning quick cut.

Beat had caught up to her. She too realized now where they were. But that was only secondary. Aqua was right in front of her. "Hyper Beat Rock!" Beat played a different riff and a multitude of notes spawned all over the two Cures. Dozens of not hundreds of notes.

Aqua saw her possibility to evade that heavily diminished and attacked Beat, forcing her back. A quick stabbing attack, a horizontal slash, another horizontal slash, a kick at her ankles, Beat was losing the battle of speed and skill.

"Tune Blast!" Another riff. Aqua was literally blown away by the air pressure the skill emitted. When Beat looked up, her opponent was gone. She had only taken her eyes off Aqua for a split second.

"Above me?" Beat looked up but there was only her sea of notes. Where in the world was Aqua? The purple Cure only realized where her opponent was when a thin trickle of blood ran from her right arm. Aqua appeared right in front of her. "Mirage Cut."

The blue Cure jumped back and returned to her position. She wasn't made to excel at brute force or plain speed. She was the Cure of Intelligence. Fighting with tricks and cunning was her forte. Taking a single step back, Aqua vanished again.

Beat didn't realize what kind of trick the water Cure was using at the time, but she had her own ways to protect herself. "Amp!" Beat stomped on the ground and create a big amp from nothing. It was kept in her signature colors, purple and blue. She couldn't use her strongest attacks without it, but it was a huge risk to be stationary. "Supreme Power Chord!" The air vibrated and the ground shook when Beat started playing. The sound was echoing off the walls, coming back and reinforcing her ability. It was stronger in small, closed places, but even so.

Beat could see. The silhouette of Aqua, moving around invisible. And she realized her trick. Water in the air. Aqua was using countless of tiny reflections to hide herself. Unexpectedly for her opponent, Beat dropped her guitar and went straight at Aqua, landing a kick right into her stomach.

Aqua gasped for air, grabbed Beat's neck, kicked her free leg of the ground, flipped her into the air and aimed carefully. Beat approached her own sea of notes at critical speed. "Cancel!" The notes vanished, but like this, Aqua had back the freedom of the sky.

Beat managed to turn in mid-air and barely escape the stab of Aqua's rapier, grabbing the older Cure by her shoulder, ramming her knee against her arm to make her drop her rapier. Beat gasped when Aqua put her hand on her chest. "Aquatic Prison." The two of them were engulfed into a large floating water orb and they could no longer breathe. More than that, Aqua landed a straight punch right in Beat's stomach, making the latter swallow water, falling into a coughing fit.

Free from Beat's grasp, Aqua jumped out of the orb and landed on the ground, spawning her rapier anew. She didn't underestimate Beat but it would be difficult to free herself from the water prison orb.

Beat's face was starting to turn blue and purple. The lack of air was making her desperate. She never really used the attack because of the recoil, but she had little other choice. "Metal Burst!" Beat ignored the lack for air, desperately trying to get free. And it worked. The orb shattered with enormous force and Beat dropped to the ground, coughing and throwing up water.

Impressed as she was, Aqua didn't give beat a chance to recover. Beat was on all fours and still throwing up water. With a single brutal kick, Beat was thrown on her back. "Aqua Crux." Ramming her first rapier into Beat's right arm, nailing her into the ground, Beat screamed in pain. Spawning a second rapier, Aqua next hit Beat's left arm, followed by her right and left leg. Beat's face was distorted in pain but she was still conscious.

She needed space. Aqua jumped up into the air and charged up her only attack that was likely to knock out Beat with a single hit. Reaching with her right hand above her, she created a deep blue butterfly floating above her. "Arrow of..." Beat could see and feel the danger but she was pinned down on her back. Just trying to move an arm or leg resulted in incredible pain. The wounds were small but the water blades razor sharp.

"Leviathan!" Aqua had formed a bow of ice with an arrow that resembled a snake's head. The second she fired the arrow, Aqua herself was thrown high into the air from the recoil of releasing it. The snake head arrow roared and howled before it hit Beat. The musical Cure was swallowed by the water and the impact.

Aqua was annoyed that Beat, instead of passing out, had used the water to successfully break free of her prison. She was bleeding, coughing and staggering but Aqua was high into the air, unable to change her course. Picking up her guitar, Beat used her most fearsome attack. The recoil was even worse than Metal Burst, but at this stage, she would at least take Aqua down with her.

"Metal Sonic Blast!" The air was vibrating even before Beat hit the first riff. Aqua had no way of avoiding a direct hit as she was still falling. And the moment Beat hit her guitar, everything went to hell. She only heard the first second of sound before her hearing gave in. The ground Beat stood on was shattering and most of the ground around her was shredded to pieces as well.

Aqua dropped to the ground and didn't get up. She had not sustained many injuries, but the delicate hearing she needed for her job proved to be a fatal weakness against Beat. But the latter was not moving either. She stood for a few seconds before she fell over and laid on the ground face down. She was not immune to the blast of the attack.

The last battle of the five had become a stalemate before it even started. Mint was waiting in a perfectly spherical room. And the opponent that came waltzing in was Bloom.

Bloom was walking around the barrier that Mint had created, annoyed and irritated. "Sun Strike!" The pink Cure hit the barrier with a full force punch but it didn't even make a dent. "Come out! This is no fight, this is a joke!" Bloom cursed but Mint remained unaffected.

She was one of the physically strongest Cures according to her own observation but Mint had the strongest defense. It was a bad match-up. Unless she could overcome her defense, the battle would never get anywhere. But in that case...

Bloom turned around and attempted to leave the room. "Forest of Tranquility!" Mint unleashed a new 'attack' and Bloom found herself blocked off from the exit. The entire room was filled by one large barrier with several dozen smaller ones. Bloom was confined inside one herself.

"Exploding Sun Strike!" Bloom hit the small barrier encasing her and surprisingly it burst. But not without a price. Bloom felt a hit to her face, throwing her into the air and against the upper wall of the barrier.

Mint was standing inside a triple-layer barrier, each layer protecting her. She had no offensive capabilities anymore, but her defense was absolutely flawless. "Growth!" Mint stretched out her right hand and the barriers inside the forest started to move and shuffled. Bloom dodged one from behind and another from the front but was caught by the next one. Prisoner again.

Hitting the barrier thrice, it shattered. Bloom took the blows to her stomach that time. She would just end up hurting herself until she collapsed if Mint kept up with it. There had to be a way to get to her. She just had to try and go straight for her. Jumping off the ground before Mint could use her growth command again, Bloom hit the outer most barrier with her full power, barely denting it. "Exploding Sun Strike!"

The first barrier shattered but Mint didn't even flinch. Bloom was smashed into the ground by her own attack's force. Ignoring the damage she had done, Bloom hit the second barrier with the exact same attack, taking the blow to her back that time and going straight for the last barrier.

"Growth!" Mint commanded, jumped back and moved with one of the small barriers, watching Bloom get encased into the one she had stood in before. "Enforce!" Mint created two additional barriers around herself.

The fight was going nowhere. Mint had the ultimate advantage against a physical fighter like Bloom. It would've been bad if Egret or one of the other three had attacked her. The barriers were not sound proof and Egret was simply too fast for growth.

Bloom saw no other option then to try and take Mint out with a single attack, breaking all the barriers at once. The rebound after breaking more than three barriers at once with that attack was something she didn't even want to think about.

Bloom starred at Mint, who simply smiled. She was, despite first impressions, a fearsome opponent. If only Egret was with her, then they could use Twin Stream Splash. She had to take her chance now, before she took anymore damage.

Closing her eyes, the pink Cure carefully imagined the trajectory of the attack. Through her own barrier, through the first of Mint. Through the second and third. To hit Mint into the stomach. The rebound always took about a second to kick in so she had only a brief window to finish her off if the attack did not.

A deep breath, calming herself, Bloom found it surprisingly difficult to focus. There was just something in her mind that told her to attack. And then she was ready.

With a single, sudden punch, the barrier in front of Bloom was shattered. But Mint had anticipated an attack like that. Over a dozen barriers were all lined up perfectly between Mint and Bloom. The attack went straight through all of them, crushing Mint's barriers and hitting the green Cure hard enough to fling her around like a pinball.

Mint was on the ground, spitting blood and panting. Her endurance was low. If that attack had hit her full power she would have- Not being able to finish her thought, Mint was face first smashed into the ground by a brutal drop kick.

Not a second too early. Bloom was smashed into the ground right next to her. They were both still conscious but had taken heavy damage. Bloom feared she had a couple cracked ribs, taking her own attack like that. Mint's face was full of small cuts and dirt, her stomach feeling like it had been crushed.

"You're not getting away." Bloom grabbed Mint's arm before she could jump away. The only slightly older Cure hit the green Cure with full force right in the face and felt how the punch came straight back to her.

"Equality." Mint breathed heavy, unable to free herself from Bloom's grasp. Her personal shielding ability reflected any damage inflicted close combat thrice over back. It was her last resort to defend herself.

Bloom rammed her knee into Mint's stomach, enduring the damage of her own attack. A brawl at close range with Bloom causing damage to both of them at the same time. Another punch to the face, a kick in the stomach, Bloom finished by smashing Mint into the ground with her weight and force.

The green Cure didn't move anymore, but the fight wasn't over yet. Not for Bloom. The barriers persisted even after Mint was knocked out. "You gotta be kidding me..." Bloom cursed and found at least five barriers lined up in front of the exit. It was impossible to break through the outer most barrier with force so she had to take the only path there was.

After taking even more damage than before, Bloom had finally reached the exit, her body one zone of pain. She never knew just how much it hurt to be hit by her own attacks. Walking down the stairs, Bloom finally reached the crossroads. Nobody else was there. Was it possible that her team had won?

"Too bad for you." Bloom had no time to turn around. Her body was exhausted to it's limit and her reflexes had dulled greatly after the fight with Mint. "Spade Impact!"

Berry had recovered enough to go and see who else had managed to win their fight. Hearing someone approach from the stairs, she hid herself and waited in the shadows for an opportunity to strike in case it was an enemy.

Bloom was thrown through mid-air by the energy burst and fell flat on the ground, back in the large room. She didn't move. "I... hope that was... the last of them." Berry sunk to her knees, exhausted to her limit.

The fight was over. Berry found herself in her room, as exhausted as before. Most of her wounds were gone. Bruises and a few small cuts remained, but nothing that posed any danger to her health. But there was something that bothered her. She had to confirm it with the others before she could say for sure.

Ignoring the bowl filled with favor on her bed, Berry left her room. The only Cure in the hallway was White. "How did it go?"

Berry nodded and walked over to White very slowly. She was tired far beyond what one could explain. "We won. But it was... hard. I didn't think the fight would be so brutal. It's like... once you go through the door, you forget they're your allies. You only see them as enemy."

"I noticed that as well. Once on the battle grounds, you find it difficult to think about them as your friends. It's not that you hate them. They just seem... to be your enemy." White confirmed Berry's assumption.

Two doors opened, Peach and Aqua joining the two others. "How did it go?" Peach was the first to ask. Her face had several bruises and she was fighting a headache.

Aqua couldn't even walk straight and pointed at her ears, forming a cross with her arms in front of her. Her voice was unnaturally quiet when she said something. "I still can't hear."

The others nodded. So far, nobody had taken any permanent damage so her hearing would recover.

They were joined by Mint, who had bruises all over the place. "Let's wait for Lemonade and Pine." The five just stood there and waited. It took a couple minutes but the two yellow Cures came out of their rooms, checking if the others were still there.

Pine had several cuts in her hands. Every single move of her fingers hurt but nothing seemed to be broken. Lemonade was looking even worse than Mint, thick, purple bruises covering her.

"We won." Berry announced. "But there is something I have to ask all of you." She looked at the five others. "Did it... feel to you like the other Cures were really your enemy and not just pretend? Did you feel like you really wanted to fight to the end with them?"

Lemonade and Pine looked at each other for a few seconds and then back to Berry. "How did you know?"

Peach and Mint looked impressed as well. "We're the same."

"I figured it was something like that. It's the red light, don't you think?" Aqua had formed her own conclusions.

"I think so too. The crimson red light seems to have an effect on our minds. It is probably setup in a way that it enforces our desire to battle to a degree where we forget that our enemies are actually our friends." Berry agreed and so did White.

"Where are the others anyway?" Peach looked at White.

"Sleeping. With the exception of Blossom and Dream, all of us fought today. You should get some rest too. We can discuss what we do with the favor tomorrow." White looked tired herself.

"I agree." "Same here." "Me too." I'm so tired..." Mint, Lemonade, Peach and Pine didn't even take time to wait for a reply before they headed off to their rooms. "Good night."

Aqua and Berry remained for a short moment with White. "I am going to vote for a shower and a kitchen." Berry looked down on herself. She was still dusty from her fight with Rhythm.

"Sounds like a good idea. See you tomorrow." Aqua just nodded briefly and headed back to her room. Berry and White just nodded and did the same.

=== Dissonance ===

Rhythm was the first to come to. She was hurting all over the place. Her entire body was sore, every single muscle pleading for rest.

Only Moonlight was in the hallway. Rhythm figured that the others had gone to sleep already. Those fighting must have been tired.

Moonlight didn't even have to ask. She could tell by Rhythm's depressed face. The next ones to wake up were Bloom and Beat. While Bloom was covered in bruises from head to toe, Beat had several red marks that looked like she had been stung by mosquitoes. She was also fighting a heavy headache.

Shortly after those two was Egret and Luminous. Egret had several cuts and a single deep cut at her side, which was closed but still hurt her badly. Luminous had several bruises but was otherwise fine.

Melody was the last one to come to and she could barely walk. Her legs and arms didn't obey her as she wanted to. Every step was painful like an electric current ran through her body.

"From the looks of it, we lost this round as well." Moonlight was not blaming anyone. There was something else she wanted to confirm. "That aside, did any of you notice something unusual when you fought?"

"Unusual? Like what?" Bloom asked. Egret and Rhythm both seemed to have a rough idea of what Moonlight mean.

"Now that you mention it. I didn't think I could fight like that against other Cures... nor did I think they'd be so brutal."

"Same for me. I would've never thought I could do those things." Egret agreed with Rhythm.

"I think the door that connects to the battlefield has some sort of mechanism to it to enforce our desire for battle." Moonlight was not too unhappy about it. It guaranteed that everyone was fighting seriously. "It's a setup that forces us to fight seriously. It would be painful if we continuously thought about them as our close friends while we attack them. This might result in much more brutal battles... but it's easier on mind."

"I don't get all that... so... the red light makes us want to fight?" Melody just waited to go back to bed.

"That's pretty much it." Moonlight sighed. "We should all get some sleep. Negotiations and exchange are postponed until tomorrow." While the rules stated that an exchange could only happen after negotiations and it had to happen after a battle, it did not specify the exact time.

"Good Night." Was the only words anyone brought out, feeling more tired than they had ever before.

=== End of Event III===