Futari wa Pretty Cure: A New Legend

by Ashbel Longhart

Ichi Dai had a somewhat good life. Working at his uncle's orphanage, taking care of the kids, and so on. But on his birthday, he was suddenly transported to PreCure no Sekai. After a year of living in this new world, he later finds out that Grongi are here, causing chaos and death wherever they go. As the new Kamen Rider Kuuga, he must protect this world's smile. "Chou Henshin!"

23. Ride 23: The Garden of Light

Hello Fanfiction readers! Ashbel Longhart here back with another chapter of A New Legend! I'm finally on Summer break so I am finally free from work, for now. But now that I don't have anything keeping me busy, I can finally focus on getting to the halfway point. The goal is just in sight people, just a few more chapters and we're there! Now cue the disclaimer!

(Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider Kuuga or Futari wa Pretty Cure. They both belong to their respective owners. I just own this story and my OC's.)

Now then, last time, Dai and the girls have, against all odds, just defeated Illkubo and have gathered all seven Prism Stones. After putting them into the Prism Hopeish, how came a rainbow and appearing before the group was a new fairy, Pollun with a mission of taking the group to the Garden of Light! Now let's see what's in store for our heroes! Let's ride! Chou Henshin!

---

Ride 23: To the Garden of Light-Popo! There, Kuuga sees...!

---

(One Year Ago)

"Vacation?" Dai repeated, looking at the Misumi family in confusion.

"Yes. Whenever I get time off from work and the kids don't have school, we usually take trips out of the city," Takeshi explained. "I managed to get some time off from work this summer so we're planning on taking a trip. A vacation."

"Okay. But why tell me this?" Dai asked, still confused.

"Duh, because you're coming with us, obviously," Nagisa said.

"I am?"

"Of course. You've lived with us for almost a year now. It'd be heartless of us to just leave you here while we all go on a trip," Rie said.

"Plus, this is also my way of giving my thanks," Takeshi said.

"You thanks?" Dai said, once again confused.

"For saving Nagisa during that car accident months ago," Takeshi explained, bringing up the incident that occurred months ago. "I never got to thank you properly for that so, as a sign of my wife and I's gratitude, we're allowing you to pick where we're going to go for this summer."

"Wait, I'm the one who's picking where to go?" Dai asked, surprised. This was all quite sudden for him.

"I know this may seem sudden," Oh look an echo. "But I couldn't think of any other way to show my gratitude. You saved my daughter, and for that, you have my thanks."

"Mr. Misumi..."

"Hey, hey," Ryota spoke up, walking over to Dai's side. "Since you're the one who's picking, mind picking someplace that isn't boring?"

"Oi, Ryota, Dai-kun's the one picking where we're going, you've got no part in that," Nagisa said, grabbing her brother by his shirt and pulling him away.

Dai let out an amused chuckle at that before going into deep thought.

"Well, if I'm picking where we're going to go, then..." As Dai trailed off, the Misumi family all leaned towards the pre-teen and the future Rider couldn't help but smile.

"How about...?"

---

(Now)

"No no no-popo! No way-popo! No! No! The Queen said so-popo! Pretty Cure come with me-popo!" The fairy known as Pollun whined like the child it was, demanding that the group come with him to the Garden of Light like it had mentioned earlier.

"He's been at this for a while now," Dai commented. He was no stranger to whining kids, having dealt with them back at the orphanage, so he knew that unless something was done the fairy was never going to stop.

"It looks like we have no choice..." Honoka said, coming to the same conclusion as Dai.

"The Elder is waiting so you HAVE to come-popo!"

"Fine, we get it," Nagisa said, relenting to the fairy. It's whining was starting to remind her of the bad times she had helping Dai at Minori's orphanage. Those kids would not stop being rough with her.

"Everyone go to the Garden of Light-popo!" Pollun cheered, jumping in joy.

The girls sigh while Dai lets out an awkward laugh before the three look up at the rainbow Pollun had come down from.

"It says we have to go, but how exactly do we do that?" Dai asked, looking up at the rainbow. "Do we ride this rainbow?"

"How exactly are you even supposed to ride a rainbow?" Nagisa said, thinking along the same lines as Dai.

"Why not use Gouram?" Honoka suggested, remembering the time she and Nagisa flew on the sentient horse armor. Well, they weren't exactly on the mechanical stag beetle, more hanging from it.

"Not enough room," Dai instantly shot it down. Sure, the girls could ride on Gouram's arms while he rode on the beetle's pincers, but Dai really didn't want to ride in pincers that had the strength to tear through metal.

"It's simple-popo," Pollun said.

"Simple?" Nagisa repeated as the group looked down towards the fairy.

"What do we do-mepo?" Mepple asked.

"Come this way-popo," Pollun said as he jumped and hopped into Honoka's estate.

"That way?" Honoka said, confused as to why they were entering her house. Nevertheless, grabbing their shoes, they all followed the fairy inside.

Light. That was the only thing filling the entire building as the group walked through the estate. All the doors that would usually separate the many rooms of this place were now gone, leaving quite the open space around them.

" Obāchama(Grandmother)!" Honoka cried out, spotting her Sanae knelt down and doing nothing.

"What is she doing?" Nagisa thought out loud. Surely the old woman noticed the state of the entire building.

"Don't worry-popo, she's only sleeping-popo," Pollun said.

"She's asleep?" Honoka asked and Pollun nodded. That brought a bit of relief to the Cure as she wouldn't have to explain the current situation.

"Now, off we go-popo!" Pollun said before sparkles of faint colors surrounded the fairy and lifted him up to the air.

"Whoa!" Dai cried out in surprise as the group looked up and watched the fairy rise up.

"Okay, let's go-mepo!" Mepple said as he and Mipple followed Pollun's lead and ran up until they right under the rainbow and jumped. Soon after, they too were surrounded in sparkles and rose up into the air.

"Wait for me-mipo!" Mipple cried out, following after her lover.

"Let's give it a try!" Nagisa said, a bit excited, stepping forward with the other two following the girl's lead. Soon after, all three of them were surrounded by sparkles of light and color before rising up. As the group rose into the air, they all were surrounded by a ball of light before entering the rainbow and flew off like rockets.

And so, the group were all on their way to the Garden of Light, not knowing just what awaited them on the other side.

---

(Insert STRIKE BACK by BACK-ON)

(Instrumental) The song starts as the camera rises up to show the legs of Kuuga before we get a sudden screenshot of Cure Black and Cure White before go back to Kuuga. Just as the camera is at the Arcle, we get a sudden shot of Mepple and Mipple before the camera gets to his chest. We then get another sudden shot of The PreCure cards surrounding Gouram before we go back to Kuuga whose back was facing the camera. He then suddenly turns around and punches the screen, cracking it as the title appears.

(Kidou sura kaerarenai kurai no kakuritsu da to shite mo) We now see Nagisa playing lacrosse with her team, catching a ball as Mepple is seen sleeping from Nagisa's bag.

(IPAASENTO demo areba mochiron teikou desho?) We then see Honoka with the members of the science club, doing an experiment that ended in an explosion as Mipple just giggles at the scene.

(Shosen, "unmei" to nagetsukerareta tte, No I won't!) We go to the city where the police are examining a dead body. Ryō looks at the body before he walks away and gets out his phone, calling Dai.

(Hikkuri kaeshite, Because datte kimi to mirai wo miretara saikou janai?) Dai, riding on the TryChaser 2000, gets the call from his radio and speeds up, passing both Nagisa and Honoka as he races to meet up with Ryō.

(Bring it on! 'Cuz I'm just gonna grow up in the battle HEY! buchinuku donten!) Suddenly, the sky turns dark before the Dark King and his subordinates appears as well as an army of Zakenna appeared. Appearing with him was a shadow figure of N-Daguva-Zeba along with an army of Grongi.

(Still burning my fire ten wo kirsaku raimei I gotta kakikesu Nightmare tada mirai ga mitakute!) Nagisa and Honoka step in fear before Dai suddenly appeared behind them and gave them his signature smile and a thumbs up.

(Kako, mirai, soshite ikiteru ima, I ain't scared of my past and now for takusareta asu) Seeing his smile seemed to steel the girl's resolve as they took out the Queen PreCure and Dai summoned the Arcle belt.

(Screaming out for my pride!) A light then suddenly appears and appearing from it was Kamen Rider Kuuga along with Cure Black and Cure White, ready for battle.

(Namida mitakunai kara, sakebi tsudzukeru yo! Zutto...) Cure Black and Cure White engage a battle with some Zakenna before taking on Pisard, Ilkubo, Poisony, Kiriya, and Gekidrago.

(I'm never falling down! oi kaze wo se ni fukitobasu Destiny!) Both sides traded blows for a bit before both girls held hands and fired their signature Marble Screw.

(Kono senaka ni aru, egao mamoritai kara! Zutto...) We see Kuuga kicking way a few Grongi, bashes them with the Dragon Rod while in his Dragon form, shoots a flying Grongi with his Pegasus Bowgun in his Pegasus form, slash a few more Grongi with his Titan Sword in his Titan form.

(I gotta blast off your pain for you and me! kanashimi nante Rest in peace!) Dai and the girls meet regroup as they face both the Dark King and N-Daguva-Zeba. Dai charges up a Mighty Kick before he jumps.

(Nando demo...) The girl then threw another Marble Screw as Dai kicks towards the two beings of darkness with the Marble Screw following close behind him before a light overtakes everything and we see a quick look at the blue sky before the song ends.

---

*WHOOSH!*

As if they were the wind itself, the group consisting of Pollun, Mepple, Mipple, Nagisa, Honoka, and Dai all rose inside the rainbow riding in balls of light. All the fairies rode their own respective ball while Dai and the girls all rode in the same one.

"What amazing speed!" Honoka said, looking around in amazement. It was like hanging onto Gouram and flying again, only this time with a lack of wind hitting her face which she actually preferred now that she thought about it.

"I wonder if this is safe?" Nagisa asked, a little nervous.

"It seems safe enough," Dai said, sitting cross-legged as he made himself comfortable.

"Hey, what do you guys think this Garden of Light is like?" Nagisa asked the two. They've all heard Mepple and Mipple talk about it before so to think that they were actually heading there was a bit crazy to the girl.

"Well, both Mepple and Mipple described it as a place filled with light and flowers," Dai said.

"Maybe we have to turn into creatures like Mipple and Mepple in order to survive," Honoka said, throwing out that idea.

Letting her imagination run wild, Nagisa thought about what she looked like as a fairy.

"I don't want that!" She immediately disliked the idea as she banged on the light ball they were in. "What if we can't go back? No way, zettai arienai(I can't believe this)!"

"I don't know, I think you'd look cute if you looked something like Mepple and Mipple," Dai said, thinking about it.

Nagisa looked at the Rider in surprise, blushing before she stuttered out, "D-Don't joke about that!"

"Come on, it can't be that bad," Dai said. "In fact, I wonder how I would look like if I looked something like Mepple and Mipple?"

Now that got the girls thinking. Using their imaginations, they thought what Dai would look like as a fairy. Using Mepple as a base, he had the same eyes and hair as a regular human. They then pictured the fairy Dai transforming into a chibi Kuuga.

'Kawaii(Cute)...' Both girls thought as the blush on Nagisa's face grew redder.

And so, for the next few hours, or what seemed like it, the grouped continued to ride inside the rainbow until they saw the light at the end of the tunnel, speaking both figuratively and literally.

In a flash of light, the group found themselves kneeling with the fairies in their trie forms standing.

"We've arrived-popo," Pollun said.

"This is the Garden of Light?" Honoka asked, looking around.

Looking down at herself, Nagisa was relieved to see that she was still human.

"Yokatta(Thank goodness)! I'm the same as normal!"

"Aw, I wanted to see a chibi Nagisa," Dai said, getting up to his feet and dusting himself.

"Quiet you!" Nagisa snapped at the Rider, though if she were being honest with herself, she kinda, maybe, also wanted to see a chibi Dai herself.

"Wow!" Honoka exclaimed in amazement, standing up as she looked at the area before them. "How beautiful! It's all one big flower garden!"

Indeed, true to Honoka's words, the area around them was simply flowers of all colors with the sky being the same, extending out even into the horizon. But, as they slowly turned to the left, the colors suddenly turned dark as parts of the earth were cracked and uprooted with spires of what could only be darkness extending out of the cracks.

"What happened over there?" Honoka asked though she had a feeling just exactly what that was.

"That's what happens to the places the Dark Zone consumes-mepo," Mepple said, looking at the scene with anger and bitterness. Just looking at it brought up bad memories for both Mepple and Mipple.

"Hidoi(How awful)..." Nagisa said, speaking out what everyone thought.

"Truly..." Honoka said, adding to what Nagisa said. "It must have been such a beautiful place, with flocks of sheep and..."

"This isn't right," Dai said. The dark spires and the sickening colored clouds were like spots that messed up a beautiful painting, ruining it.

"Um, speaking of sheep..." Nagisa spoke up, getting the two's attention as she pointed over to something approaching from over the hills.

"So that's the legendary Rainbow Bridge."

"Wow!"

"It's the first time I've seen it too-dapo."

"It looks like they brought something back with them-nepo."

"Don't you know? Those are the legendary warriors!"

"Huh? But wasn't it supposed to be just two? Who's the third guy-kapo?"

One by one, creatures much like Mepple, Mipple, and Pollun appeared before the group, coming in all shapes and sizes.

"Do some of them look like fruits and plants, or is that just me?" Dai asked, pointing out a few approaching fairies.

"No, we see it too," Nagisa said as the approaching fairies all ran up towards them, seeing and recognizing Mepple and Mipple amongst them.

"Mepple! Welcome home-pepo! I'm so glad you came back-pepo!" One fairy said as he and Mepple ran up to each other and hugged with another one doing to the same to Mipple.

"Welcome home, Mipple!"

"Welcome back-nipo, Pollun," One of the fairies said to Pollun.

"I'm so happy to be able to meet everyone again-mipo!" Mipple said, getting misty-eyed.

"Mipple..." Mepple looks towards his lover, also misty-eyed as the two hugged one another, happy to finally be back home.

Dai and the girls look on at the scene, smiles on all of their faces...when suddenly, the rainbow bridge falls apart into tiny sparkles.

"Ah, the rainbow bridge...!"

"Ah!" The group cried out in surprise as before they could do anything, the rainbow was already out of their reach.

"The rainbow is disappearing!" Nagisa exclaims.

"It's gone..." Honoka said as back on Earth, the rainbow returns to the girl's house and disappears. Once it does, all the doors that had been blown off were magically put back into place as the only one left was a sleeping Sanae.

"Well, that's just great..." Dai sarcastically said as the rainbow disappears into the clouds ahead. Now how were they supposed to get back home? There were still Grongi he needed to fight!

"Now, let's go to the Palace of Light-popo," Pollun said.

"Palace of Light?" Nagisa said as she and the others turned to the fairy.

"The Elder is waiting-popo," Pollun said as he points over to a palace in the distance situated on top of a collection of high mountains.

"Is that the Palace of Light over there?" Honoka asks. Pollun and the other fairies nod their heads before the group begins walking.

"That seems pretty far," Dai comments, thinking that he should have brought his TryChaser with him.

"Who is this Elder? What kind of person is he?" Nagisa asks as Pollun kept mentioning him.

"You'll know if you come-popo."

"Sheesh," Nagisa groans at the fairies answer before looking towards the palace in the distance. Thinking about how long they'll have to walk, the girl groans again.

"I'm starting to think we should have brought your motorcycle with us," Nagisa said to Dai who only laughed a little. Nothing they could do about it now.

And so, the group walked, talking here and there while taking breaks in between. Finally, after hours of walking, they finally arrived at the Palace of Light.

"Passing through this place on our journey makes me sad-mipo," Mipple commented, looking at how close the darkness was to the palace.

"It's like the lands literally been devoured," Nagisa said, walking over to the edge and looking down only to see bottomless darkness. "Creepy..."

"A long time ago, it was all just one flower garden-mepo," Mepple said, looking down sadly.

"And now it's become like this," Honoka said, now starting to see just how severe their battle with the Dark Zone was.

"Unforgivable..." Dai said as he looked down into the darkness below. For a place like this to suffer such a fate, it was too cruel. Looking up towards the palace, the Rider could spot a hole in one of the towers, telling him just how close this place was to being devoured by the Dark Zone.

Moving away from the chasm, the group continued their treck up into the Palace of Light. Slowly, the flowers that surrounded them disappeared and were replaced with marble floors.

"So this is the Palace of Light?" Nagisa asked, looking around.

"Where is this Elder?" Honoka asked.

"I'm home-popo!" Pollun called out and a minute later, what could only be described a short, elderly man dressed in robes and wielding a wooden staff stepped forth.

"They weren't kidding about the elder part..." Dai commented as the fairies all cried out happily at the short old man.

"Elder-mipo/mepo!" The two cried out as they ran up to the elderly man.

"Ah, Mipple, Mepple, you came back safely, thank goodness," The Elder said. "I really appreciate what you two have done. Living in the Garden of Rainbows must have been tough for you."

"Nah—"

"Yes!" Suddenly, interrupting Mepple was the group of fairies that were all on the cards the girls had used to take care of the fairies.

"It was especially tough taking care of Mepple-sama and his pickiness." Said the chef.

"Eh! No way—!" Mepple tried to deny the chef's claims, but he was interrupted once again by the others.

"Staying up late at night..."

"Always playing."

"And you two flirt way too much!"

"Shhhh! Don't say things like that-mepo!" Mepple tried to quiet the nurse fairy as Mipple blushed. "I was doing all right-mepo."

The Elder laughed, not in the least bothered by the other fairies' reports as he looked down knowingly. "Eh, I thought it'd be something like that."

"Seems you've been found out, Mepple." Dai said, smiling as the girls giggled.

"Grr, what's what everyone saying-mepo?" Mepple growled in annoyance and slight embarrassment.

"Oh!" As if finally noticing them, the Elder addressed the three humans. "Are you people the legendary...legendary...um, legendary something..."

"Legendary warriors-mepo," Mepple said, helping the Elder while Dai and the girls awkwardly laughed.

"Ah yes, that's it. It was legendary warriors." The Elder said as Mepple got to introducing the three.

"Elder, this is Misumi Nagisa-san, mepo." Pointing to his partner first, Mepple introduced the ginger, haired girl.

"D-Domo(Hello)," Nagisa bowed slightly, trying to appear polite without seeming nervous.

"Yukishiro Honoka-san, mipo." Mipple then introduced Honoka next.

"Hajimemashite(Pleased to meet you)," Honoka said, bowing as well and having better control over her voice than Nagisa.

"And finally, this is Ichi Dai-san, mepo." Mepple finished introductions by gesturing to the Rider.

"Domo," Dai, with his signature smile, bowed to the Elder.

"Yes yes, pleased to meet you all," The Elder said before making a noise of confusion as he looked at the three. "Huh, that's strange. I thought there were only supposed to be two legendary warriors?"

"Dai here isn't actually one of the legendary warriors-mepo," Mepple explained. "But he's a strong ally and friend who's helped us gather all the Prism Stones-mepo."

"That's right-mipo," Mipple joined in. "Dai has helped us a lot. He's a very reliable comrade-mipo."

"Oh stop! You two are making me blush!" Dai said, bashfully smiling as he rubbed the back of his head.

"My my, it seems Mepple and Mipple trust you a great deal." The Elder said as he bowed to the Rider. "You have my gratitude for helping them gather all seven Prism Stones and aiding the legendary...legendary..."

"Legendary warriors-mipo." This time Mipple was the one to correct the Elder while Mepple made an exasperated expression.

"Ah, that's it! Forgive me, lately, I've been greatly forgetful."

"I think it's always been like that-mepo," Mepple said while the Elder laughed.

"Well, forgive me. Youko-san, Keiko-san, and Yusuke-san, was it?" Dai and the girls all blinked at that.

"Eh? Youko-san?" Nagisa said, confused.

"Who's that?" Honoka asked, also confused.

"Um, Yusuke's my predecessor," Dai said, but the Elder went on like nothing was wrong.

"Good job, you three. We thank you very much."

"Oh, it was nothing. We were mostly just being reckless, right?" Nagisa said, blushed bashfully before glancing over at Honoka who was also bashfully blushing.

"Praising us like that, you're embarrassing us..."

"No no, without your powers, the Garden of Light would have been attacked by the Dark Zone and completely destroyed." The Elder said. "The Dark Zone was born from the power of darkness. Its nature is to consume whatever it can get its hands on and grow. In a world captured by the Dark Zone, every kind of energy is sucked up, and not a single breath of life is left. The Garden of Light survived because we are protected by the power of light."

"The power of light?" Dai repeated, confused with the girls sharing his feelings before the Elder explains.

"It is the exact opposite of the power of darkness. Life and hope, everything springs from it. And that power's origin is the Prism Stones."

"The Prism Stones are extremely important, aren't they?" Honoka asked, understanding a little better now just how important the seven Stones were.

"They are. Because if the seven Prism Stones were taken away, this Garden of Light would totally vanish. Thanks to the two that Mepple and Mipple escaped with, the Garden of Light was able to survive." The Elder explained before looking down to the mentioned fairies. "Mepple, Mipple, you two did very well."

"It's the first time the Elder's ever praised me-mepo!" Mepple cheered, tearing up a little while Mipple simply smiled happily.

"Mepple."

"Yes-mepo?" The fairy looked up to the Elder.

"You really are like a chosen...chosen...er, what was it?"

*bong!*

"Not again-mepo/mipo!" Both fairies exclaim as they fell back before Mepple corrected the elderly man. "It's chosen hero-mepo."

The Elder laughed. "Oh right, it was hero."

"Mepo..."

"And Mipple..." The Elder began but the fairy waved her arms.

"Ah, don't overdo it-mipo."

Suddenly, another fairy about the same height as the Elder, but younger appeared and bowed before speaking.

"Elder, the Queen awaits."

"Oh, I see." The Elder said before turning to the group. "We have an audience with the Queen. She said she wanted to see the legendary...legendary..."

"You forgot again-mepo?"

"Ahem! I'm fine. The Queen said she wanted to meet the legendary warriors. Please follow me."

"The Queen wants to meet us?" Honoka asked as the Elder led the way.

"Maybe she'll give us a reward?" Nagisa guessed.

"We won't know by just standing here, come on!" Dai, a bit excited to meet this Queen, followed after the Elder with the girls.

With Elder leading the way, the group walked through the Palace of Light. As they went deeper in, their surroundings changed as the walls and pillars all shined like polished marble. At the center was a huge statue.

"Wow, this is some palace," Nagisa commented, looking around in amazement.

"It's all so beautiful," Honoka added, also looking around.

"It really is..." Dai said, he too looking around until the group walked into a very wide, open hall. The floor was round and judging from their position, Dai guessed this to be the center of the palace.

"Wow, so much space. It's probably even bigger than my house," Honoka commented.

"And the ceiling's so high," Nagisa added, looking up before turning to Dai. "What do you think, Dai-kun?"

The Rider did not answer back. Confused, Nagisa and Honoka noticed that Dai had stopped walking and was looking at something. Following his gaze, the two saw that he was looking at the statue.

Said statue was made out of marble as well, just like everything else in the palace. The statue itself depicted...a man? The girls couldn't be sure for the man the statue was depicting wore a bodysuit with two lines on both sides. What looked like a belt rested around his waist as he wore gloves and boots, armor pads, and a grasshopper themed helmet with red ruby gems carved to depict red eye lens, the one thing not made out of marble. The last and most notable feature was the carving of a scarf which the statue wore around the neck, made to look like it was blowing in the wind.

"Who's this?" Nagisa asked the Elder and fairies, pointing over to the statue.

"Oh, him?" The Elder stopped and turned to the statue, looking up at it nostalgically. "This man here is the great savior of the Garden of Light."

"Great savior?" The girls looked at the Elder in confusion and for an explanation which he provided as Dai kept staring up at the statue.

"Yes. You see, a long, long time ago, a great evil threatened not only the Garden of Light but also the Garden of Rainbows. It was an evil unlike any other, it caused great chaos throughout the two worlds and caused the loss of a great many lives. But that is when this man," The Elder points up to the statue. "Who the Queen had befriended from the Garden of Rainbows appeared to aid us against the great evil. In the end, he destroyed it, but at the cost of his life. In honor of his noble sacrifice, we built this statue to remember him by."

"Wow..." Both the girls said in awe, looking up at the statue before Nagisa looked down to Mepple and asked, "Is this the guy you were talking about before?"

"Yep. This is the great warrior who was friends with the Queen, Ichi—"

"Ichigo," Dai suddenly interrupted, getting everyone to turn to him as he looked up at the statue with disbelieving eyes. "This...This is...!"

"Ichi-kun, is something the matter?" Honoka asked, worried with how the Rider was acting.

"Yeah, you look like you've just seen a ghost," Nagisa added, also worried for her friend.

"Nagisa-chan, remember when I was telling you and Mepple about the other Riders?" Dai suddenly asked.

The girl nervously responded, "Yeah...why?"

Pointing up to the statue, Dai said, "This is one of them."

Silence took over the entire hall after that bomb had been dropped. One could have heard a pin dropping due to how quiet it was. Then, Nagisa was the one to break it.

"Eh?" Was her brilliant response.

Dai, in response, said, "This is Ichigo, Kamen Rider Ichigo."

Again, there was silence, for a moment. And again, Nagisa was the one to break it.

"W-Wait, hold on a sec," Nagisa held up hands, trying to process what Dai had just said as she pointed up to the statue. "You're saying this guy is that Kamen Rider Ichigo? The one you said was the very first Rider?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it," Dai said with absolute certainty as he looked up at the statue. "There's no mistaking that suit. This is the Kamen Rider Ichigo, the very first Kamen Rider."

"You know about the Kamen Riders?" The Elder suddenly asked, getting everyone to turn to him in surprise.

"Wait, you know about the Kamen Riders?" Dai said, asking the very same question the Elder just asked.

"Of course I do, it was the mantle the great savior, Ichigo, and his comrades went by."

"Comrades?" Dai pointed out the word in an instant.

"Ichigo was not alone when he faced the great evil." The Elder explained. "He had comrades with him who shared his title and aided him against the evil that threatened both worlds along with many others. They were the Kamen Riders, defenders of good and warriors of justice."

"And just what was this great evil you speak of?" Dai asked, trying his best to keep calm. It was already shocking enough that the Ichigo Mepple talked about all those days ago was the same Kamen Rider Ichigo he had talked about to him. And in the fact that there were other Kamen Riders as well and Dai's body was visibly shaken.

"Even in my old age, I could never forget the evil that caused such unrest and chaos." The Elder said before speaking in a tone so serious that it caught everyone off guard.

"The evil I speak of called themselves the Badan Empire."

"The Badan Empire!?" Dai gasps in shock.

"What's this Badan Empire?" Nagisa asked for pretty much everyone except Dai and the Elder, seeing that Rider knew what the Elder was talking about.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know much about the Badan Empire," Dai admitted, scratching his cheek. "All I really know is that the Badan Empire was the enemy organization of Kamen Rider ZX, one of the Showa Riders."

"That's all?" Honoka asked.

"Unfortunately," Dai spoke the truth. A Rider fan he may be, but he was a Heisei kid. He grew up more watching the Heisei Riders and knew very little about the Showa Riders. The extent of his knowledge was simply what he read off the internet.

"ZX...ah, that young man." The Elder said, getting everyone to turn to him again.

"You know ZX?" Dai asked, surprised that the small, elderly man knows about Showa Rider.

"I only ever met the man once, a young man trying to follow in the footsteps of his seniors and right his wrongs." The Elder said. "You seem to know quite a bit about the Kamen Riders. Exactly who are you?"

Standing straight, Dai re-introduced himself. "I'm Ichi Dai, Kamen Rider Kuuga."

"Kamen Rider...Kuuga?" The Elder repeated, analyzing Dai from top to bottom before he pointed his staff at him. "You call yourself a Kamen Rider, those are big words you're speaking. The title of Kamen Rider isn't just something so easily passed around."

Dai doesn't respond back, merely continuing to stare down at the Elder who stares back. Instead, it was Nagisa who responded.

"Hey, I don't know what's going on, but Dai-kun's been a great Kamen Rider," Said the girl who went and pushed the staff away from the Rider. "Kamen Riders are supposed to be heroes, right? In that case, Dai-kun fits the bill after all he's done for us and the people back on Earth."

"She's right, Ichi-kun has saved a lot of lives, even ours when we needed help," Honoka stepped in to defend their friend. "A lot of people were saved and are thankful for everything Ichi-kun's done. He's a great Kamen Rider."

"Girls..." Dai looks at the two in surprise.

"Oho?" The Elder raises an eyebrow at the two before he laughs and pulls his staff back. "If the legendary warriors think so highly of you, then you must be quite the man then. Forgive me for my rudeness." And with that, the Elder turned and continued walking. "Now then, shall we be on our way to the Queen?"

Pollun, young and naive as it was, was the only one to follow after the Elder while the rest stayed behind as they all looked up at the statue of now identified Kamen Rider Ichigo.

"Dai," Mepple was the first to speak up as he turned to the Rider. "Is this guy, the Garden of Light's savior, really the same Kamen Rider Ichigo that you told me about?"

"There's no doubt about it. That helmet and belt are iconic, it's him," Dai said with absolute certainty. The simple belt, the grasshopper helmet, and the scarf, it wasn't hard to recognize the figure for the image was famous in the land of Japan. Well, his world's Japan, at least.

"You said he was the very first Kamen Rider ever," Nagisa said as she looked up at the statue in a new light. "So this is what he looks like..."

"It definitely does have a Showa feel to it," Honoka commented, having heard Dai mentioned 'Showa Riders.' Then, her face turned into one of confusion as a thought came to her.

"Hey, I just realized something," Honoka spoke up, getting the others to turn to her.

"What is it?" Dai asked.

"This guy here is the very first Kamen Rider. And the Elder mentioned that Badan Empire which you said was the enemy of another Rider," Honoka listed off. "The Elder mentioned that there were other Riders alongside Ichigo and from the sounds of it, they all came before Ichi-kun. But if that's truly the case, then should we have heard about them?"

"!" Everyone gasps and widens their eyes in surprise as the girl's logic was sound. If there was a statue of the very first Rider here and the Badan Empire, an enemy of another Rider appeared during the past, then that means that there were other Kamen Riders before Dai!

'Does...Does Tsukasa know about this?' Dai thought, thinking about the old Rider. He asked his questions and got what he needed to know, but thinking about it now, he never did question the Destroyer of Worlds more about the world known as PreCure no Sekai(World of Pretty Cure) beyond the existence of Pretty Cure and knowledge that there would be more Pretty Cures in the future.

"Now that you mention it, Dai-kun's pretty famous because of his battles against the Grongi," Nagisa said. "If there were other Riders before, then there should have been problems which they dealt with and made them stand out."

"And yet we're just now learning about their existence," Honoka said, holding her arm and placing her knuckles under her chin. "The Elder talked about a great evil that threatened both our world and the Garden of Light. He mentioned how there was great chaos and many lives were lost to this Badan Empire. If such a thing happened, then there should have at least been mentions of it somewhere. And yet we're just now discovering this."

A feeling of uneasiness swept over the group with Dai feeling it the most. If there really were other Kamen Riders that came before him, then there should have been mention of them. Libraries, websites, there should have been something that mentioned about such heroes. And yet, like Honoka had pointed out, there was no evidence of them back in their world, the Garden of Rainbows.

"To answer your first question, I don't know. All I know is that whoever mixed in all these stories has powers like me, only much more powerful."

Dai recalled the words Tsukasa had spoken to him and a shiver went through his spine. When he accepted the responsibilities of becoming PreCure no Sekai's Kamen Rider Kuuga, he didn't think much about the one who fused the countless Rider stories into the world. But with this new information, whoever the culprit was, he was far more powerful than Dai could imagine. The very fact that he/she forced the very world into seeking help spoke volumes at just how powerful this person could possibly be.

Dai was a guy who responded to those who needed help. He was sensitive to other people's misfortune. Helping someone, whether they be a person or the very world itself, was like an automatic response. Nagisa and others kept reminding him that this side of him would get him into trouble, but he always brushed it off. But right now, he was starting to see what they all meant and for the first time, Dai felt like he bit off more than he could chew. Exactly what was he fighting against? Even worse was that he had dragged Nagisa and Honoka into this fight.

"Maybe the Queen knows something-mipo," Mipple suggested. "After all, she's known to have been friends with the great savior-mipo."

"She's right, maybe the Queen knows something," Honoka said before smiling down at her fairy partner. "Great idea, Mipple."

The pink fairy blushed as the group followed after the Elder and entered another high ceiling hall. And the end of the hall was a set of doors of great size, as tall as a giant.

"Wow..." All three humans mutter in surprise as the group stopped at the door.

"Now, we shall meet the Queen." The Elder said as no sooner did he finish saying that did the double doors open up all by themselves and a bright light erupted forth. Staring in amazement, the group all walked forth and found themselves in a room of prism colors with high pillars standing to the side.

"I have brought the legendary warriors, my Queen." The Elder said, coming to a stop.

"Eh?" Dai and the girls all blinked in confusion before looking around, spotting no one that looked like someone belonging to royalty.

"Um, Elder? Where is the Queen?" Dai asked.

"The Queen is right before your eyes." Said the Elder.

"Before our eyes?" Nagisa said, confused.

"What do you mean?" Honoka asked, also confused.

The Elder merely points ahead and the group looks forward...and then up...and up...and up...and up...and up...and...until they finally saw the being known as the Queen.

"Wah!"

"Huge!"

"Holy-!"

The being known as the Queen completely dwarfed the entire group. For comparison, the group was like ants to the giant being. Garbed in a dress of the purest white color that it seemed to shine, the Queen sat on a golden throne with a royal cape over her shoulders. Sitting on top of her long, wavy golden blond hair is a golden grown, signifying that her name as 'Queen' wasn't just for show. One of her hands held some sort of heart-shaped object while the other one rested on one of the armchairs.

'Suddenly, the giant doors make sense,' Dai and the girls thought to themselves as they tried to collect themselves.

Possibly amused by their reactions, the Queen let out a pure, good-hearted giggled before finally saying, "Hajimemashite(It is a pleasure to meet you)."

"Th-This is the Queen?" Nagisa said, still shocked.

"She just spoke Japanese," Dai pointed out and despite their size, the Queen heard him clearly.

"But of course, it would be inconvenient if we were unable to communicate with one another, no?"

"H-Hai(Yes)," Dai awkwardly scratched the back of his head, seeing the giant woman's point. Straightening his back and with his arms to the side, Dai bowed to the Queen before introducing himself for that was the polite thing to do. "Hajimemashite, Queen. My name is—"

"Dai-san, correct?" The Rider blinked in surprise when the Queen interrupted him and guessed his name correctly.

'How did she-?' Dai's thoughts were put on hold when the Queen addressed the girls.

"Nagisa-san."

"Y-Yes?"

"Honoka-san."

"Yes?"

"I am so glad you came."

"Oh, uh, no problem," Nagisa nervously responded back with Honoka doing the same with a simple, "Sure."

"And thank you so much for protecting Mepple and Mipple."

"Y-You're welcome," The girls responded back, still nervous before Nagisa sent a smile to the fairies who simple smiled themselves.

"I must also thank you, Dai-san, for aiding these girls in their mission to gather the Prism Stones. You did not have to, but you did so anyway. For that, you have my gratitude."

"You're welcome," Dai said, recovering and collecting himself to speak properly before asking the giant woman, "But how did you know that as well as our names?"

"As my name implies, I am the ruler of the Garden of Light. I am everywhere, thus I was with your group the second you arrived here." The Queen explained and Dai had only one response to that.

"Wow."

"At last, the Garden of Light can finally be restored." The Queen said, referring to the Prism Stones the group had collected and brought with them.

"Um," Nagisa spoke up nervously. "We know just how important these Prism Stones are. But I have to ask, why was such an important task given to us normal junior high school student?"

"That's true," Honoka said, having the same thoughts as her friend. Sure she was quite smart and Nagisa was quite athletic but other than that, they were still just normal junior high school girls.

"Well, that's because, um..." The Elder tried to explain it, but began mumbling to himself, making the others blink at him as the elderly man tried to collect his thoughts.

"How should I say it...The reason is...to sum it up..."

"The reason is contained inside of your hearts." The Queen intervened.

"Inside our hearts?"

"Us?"

"Yes, that is what inspired me."

"And...what does that mean?" Nagisa asked before looking towards Honoka.

"I don't know either."

"Hey, do you understand Mepple?" Nagisa asked her fairy partner.

"Nope-mepo."

"And you Mipple?" Honoka asked her fairy partner.

"I don't know-mipo."

"Some help you are," Nagisa said though there was no real bite to her words.

"Not like you're any different-mepo."

Ignoring the male fairy, Nagisa and Honoka turned to Dai to see if he had any idea, but the Rider simply shrugged, having no idea either.

"Mepple, Mipple," The Queen spoke up, returning attention to her. "You both did well in protecting the stones. I am truly pleased."

"I am honored by your words-mipo," Mipple said, looking truly blessed to receive such words from the queen.

"Thank you! I'm so happy-mep..." Mepple couldn't finish his sentence as he started crying, tearing up from joy.

"He's crying..." Nagisa said, surprised at the fairy's reaction.

"Good for you, Mipple, Mepple," Honoka said while Dai simply gave them a thumbs up.

"Thanks to you, the seven stones have all been gathered. In order to revive the Garden of Light, not just the Prism Stones, but the power of creation itself must be used. So now, in order to use that power, please travel to the Hill of Light." The Queen instructed.

"As you wish, Queen." The Elder said.

"Please do your best."

"What's the Hill of Light?" Nagisa asked.

"Are we coming too?" Honoka also asked.

"Of course-popo," Pollun said as he and Elder turned and led the way.

"Of course? What do we have to do?" Nagisa asked, still confused

"You'll know if you come-popo."

"Now, let's get going." The Elder said, leading the way.

"Matte(Hold on)," Dai said, stopping everyone from. "We still have questions that need answering."

"You wish to know more about the Kamen Riders before you, do you not?" The Queen said, already knowing what the young man wanted to ask. The Rider wasn't even surprised that the huge woman already knew. If what she said is true, that she was everywhere in spirit, then she had been expecting this.

"I am more than happy to answer your questions, but time is of the essence. Many are eager for the Garden of Light's restoration and I do not wish to keep them waiting." Despite not moving a single muscle, many could feel the Queen move her gaze to the Elder. "Elder."

"Yes?"

"Please take Nagisa-san and Honoka-san to the Hill of Light and begin the restoration. I will keep Dai-san company."

"As you wish." With a bow of his head, the Elder motioned for the girls to follow him.

Unsure of themselves, the girls turned to Dai who gave them reassuring smiles.

"Don't worry, I'll catch up with you two later."

"Okay..." Still unsure, the girls decided to trust their friend and left with everyone else to the Hill of Light. Now, it was just the Rider and the Queen in the room.

"Those two trust you a great deal." The Queen said, making the Rider turn to her.

"Yeah, those two are the greatest friends I could have asked for," Dai said with a smile before his expression turned serious. Now was the time for answers.

Despite all the colors in the room giving off a pure feeling in the air, a tense atmosphere descends upon the only occupants of said room. With just the Queen and Dai, the former being way bigger than the latter, it made for quite the odd sight.

"You called yourself Kamen Rider Kuuga, no?" The Queen spoke up, taking the lead. "It has been some time since I've last spoken to another Rider."

"And just how do you know about Kamen Riders?" Dai asked.

"As the Elder had told you before, I befriended one when I went to the Garden of Rainbows." The Queen said. Despite not moving a single muscle, a wave of nostalgia came over the giant ruler. "Things were different back then. My world had just recently made contact with the Garden of Rainbows. As the ruler of the Garden of Light, it fell to me to investigate just what kind of world it was. I was...less than pleased at what I saw."

Dai raised an eyebrow at that, confused and curious as to what the Queen saw.

"When I first set foot in the Garden of Rainbows, the world had just finished with a war that had taken the lives of many."

"A war?"

"I believe you know it as...World War II?" Dai visibly winced at that but was also surprised. Just exactly how old was this Queen if she had gone back to the time where WWII had just ended?

"It appalled me just how much destruction humans can cause to both the environment and to themselves. Even with the war ended, there were many who were suffering from the aftermath. It became worse when there were those who insisted on continuing the war."

'Wait, what?' Dai thought in surprise. America had practically forced the war to end after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To hear that there were those in this world that wanted that bloody war to continue was insane to him.

"Who in their right minds would want to continue that awful war?" Dai asked. The answer that he got surprised him.

"It was an organization that called themselves...SHOCKER."

"SHOCKER!?" Dai gasped in surprise and why wouldn't he be? Just like how Kamen Rider Ichigo was famous in Japan, the evil organization SHOCKER was just as infamous in the world of Kamen Riders.

"They were a group made from the remnants of a group known as the Nazi. It is they who wanted to continue the war and they were willing to do whatever it took to succeed, such as kidnapping fellow humans beings and-"

"Turning them into Kaijins." Dai intervened, having a clue at what the Queen was going to say.

"Yes. I'm surprised you know that."

"Let's just say I know a thing or two about Kamen Riders," Dai vaguely said. "So, I'm gonna take a guess here and say that you met Ichigo because of SHOCKER?"

"Indeed. SHOCKER somehow figured out that I wasn't a resident of the Garden of Rainbows and attempted to capture me, no doubt with the purpose of turning me into a Kaijin. And that's when I met him."

"Kamen Rider Ichigo."

"Yes. His name was Saishou Hajime and it's thanks to his actions that I'm still here today." For the first time, there was movement from the Queen as her smile grew. "Hajime was a great man and a great friend. Despite being experimented on by SHOCKER, he chose to fight for justice and protect the peace. It is he who taught me the good side of humanity, that despite their faults, they can still do good. It is because of his actions that I chose to leave the mission of gathering the Prism Stones to the people of the Garden of Rainbows, to Earth."

"Well, you sure got lucky getting Nagisa-chan and Honoka-chan," Dai said. From the sounds of it, the Queen basically left it up to chance when she sent Mepple and Mipple to Earth. Despite putting her faith in humanity, Dai couldn't help but feel that her actions were a bit reckless.

"Indeed. Hajime taught me that within the hearts of humans lie light, courage, and the will to do good. This was further proven to me as more and more people baring the Kamen Rider name appeared and fought against evil."

"So there were other Kamen Riders before me," Dai said.

"Yes. I can't help, but find it ironic that in my time of need, a new Kamen Rider should appear and aid the legendary warriors. It is good to know the legacy of Kamen Riders has not died out."

"Died out?" Dai raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean by that?"

"You are a Kamen Rider, yet you do not know?"

"Know what?" Now Dai was getting confused. The Queen talks as if he's supposed to know what she's talking about.

The smile that seemed plastered on the Queen's face turned into a frown.

"Hmm, if you do not know the sacrifice Hajime and the others made, then I suppose it is only natural."

"Sacrifice? What sacrifice?" Dai asked. "The Elder mentioned a great evil that threatened both our worlds. Does this sacrifice have something to do with why the world doesn't know about Kamen Riders? What happened to those that came before me?" Was Dai practically rushing for answers? Yes, but he was still pretty shaken about the fact that there were other Kamen Riders before him, something Tsukasa either didn't bother to tell him or didn't know himself. Even then, the fact that people from Nagisa and Honoka's world had no mention of any past Riders was abnormal.

'If such a huge threat happened, then it makes no sense for people not to know about it.' Is what Dai thought.

"The Elder has already told you the great evil that threatened both worlds, correct?"

Dai nodded. "He said it was the Badan Empire."

"Yes. You see, the Badan-"

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

"Whoa!" Dai cried out in surprise when suddenly, everything shook. "W-What's going on? An earthquake?"

"No, this is no earthquake. I sense a great evil approaching." The Queen said. Lifting a single finger, what looked to be a circular viewing window appeared on the ground in front of Dai, surprising the Rider a bit before calming down. Looking down at what the viewing window was showing him, Dai gasps in surprise.

"That's-!?"

---

(Meanwhile, with the girls)

Having left the castle, the girls and the fairies all followed the Elder down a road that led them to a hill with an altar-like structure situated right on top.

"That must be the Hill of Light," Honoka said as they walked.

"Yeah," Nagisa nodded her head before wondering, "Using the Prism Stones to summoning something, I wonder what we're summoning?"

"I don't know, but it has to be something beyond our imagination, right?" Honoka said before smiling excitedly. "Oh! I'm getting excited!"

Nagisa couldn't help but sigh at her friend. "I'm sometimes jealous of that personality of yours..."

After a bit more walking, the group finally made it to the altar. From up above, a ball of light rain down specks of light down onto a smaller altar situated right at the center of the platform which the group approached.

"This is the only place that wasn't fully consumed by the power of darkness." The Elder said. "In order to summon the power of the completed set of seven Prism Stones, um...Youko-san..."

"He forgot our names again..." Nagisa said with a less than amused look on her face.

"And who is that?" Honoka asked, wondering just where did that name come from.

"It's Nagisa-mepo!" Mepple exclaimed.

"And Honoka-mipo," Mipple said, placing her hand to her face in exasperation.

"Ah, yes that," Clearing his voice, the Elder continued with his instructions. "We will need the cooperation of you two."

The girls nodded in understanding before Nagisa asked, "So, what do we need to do exactly?"

"In order to summon the power of creation, seven people have to assemble over at the altar." The Elder said, gesturing to the said altar as Pollun was already making his way up the stairs.

"You say seven people, but..." Honoka began.

"There's only six of us here." Nagisa finished, having counted the number of people here. "If you need seven people here, then shouldn't Dai-kun have come?"

"That isn't a problem. We already have the Queen here." The Elder said.

"The Queen? Where?" Nagisa asked only to remember what was said back in the Queen's chamber. "Wait-"

"That's right. As she had said before, the Queen is always among us, therefore there is no need to worry." The Elder said before gesturing the two towards the altar. "Now come, we haven't a moment to lose."

Nodding in understanding, the girls and their fairy partners followed the Elder up the stairs to the altar. Once at the top, there at the center of the platform was a small, star-shaped table with a hole in the shape of a heart.

"Now, the Prism Hopeish." At the Elder's request, took out the card that would summon the needed item. In a puff of smoke, the card was replaced by the Prism Hopeish which Nagisa soon handed over to the Elder who stared down at all seven of the shining, hearted-shaped gems.

"The set of all seven Prism Stones. At last, you have returned them to us. Now, without delay, in the name of the Queen..." Approaching the star-shaped table, the Elder held the Prism Hopeish into the stream of light where the heart-shaped item began to slowly rise into the air. As everyone watched in wonder, specks of light began gathering on top of the Prism Hopeish until the Guardian of the Stones, Wisdom, appeared.

"Did you call me?" He said.

"Guardian-sama, every time I see you, you're so cool," Mipple said, complimenting the small man.

"Am I not always?" Wisdom said with a smile.

"Says the guy who got himself captured easily during the last fight," Mepple said with a smug look.

"You, noisy one over there, be quiet!" The Guardian snapped at the fairy who's response was to look like he had done nothing wrong.

"Wisdom."

"Yes!" At the call of his name, the guardian turned towards the Elder.

"For the sake of restoring the consumed Garden of Light, we seek the power to create all things."

Not a moment after the Elder had finished saying that did Wisdom respond with, "As you wish."

"The Guardian sure has a different attitude than normal," Nagisa commented.

"I said be quiet over there!" Said Guardian snapped again, but quickly calmed down and smiled. "However, thanks to you, now we are able to work salvation on this Hill of Light. I'm grateful towards all you've done thus far."

Nagisa and Honoka could only smile awkwardly due to how fast the guardian's attitude changed. It just goes to show just how important this moment was now.

"And now, everyone gathered here at the Hill of Light, unite your hearts on this one thing I plea." The Guardian began speaking as he rose into the air, raising his hands up to the light above. "Render unto us this great power! Under the name of the Queen of the Garden of Light!"

Suddenly, all seven Prism Stones inside the Prism Hopeish all shined before the heart-shaped carrier slowly began to descend down to the hole below. Everyone else presents watched in awe as the Guardian continued speaking.

"O Power to create all things, appear before us and spring forth!"

Slowly, but surely, the Prism Hopeish slowly dropped down towards the hole below, angled perfectly so that it would fit without any problems.

But then...

*RUMBLE!*

Just as the Prism Hopeish was about to slot itself into the hole, the entire land shook, causing the Prism Hopeish to miss its target and fall down, spilling all the Prism Stones it held onto the floor.

"Wh-What's happening?" Wisdom said, looking around in alarm.

"The Prism Hopeish!" Nagisa exclaims as she saw all the Prism Stones scattered around.

"Ah! Hurry and collect the stones-mepo!" Mepple said in alarm as everyone rushed over to the Prism Hopeish and the stones, rushing to the put the seven stones back into the item.

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, in the sky, purple lightning surged through the dark clouds, an obvious sign that something was amiss.

"Something is drawing near...Something dreadful." The Elder said, sensing an evil presence. The others look as well and they too saw the obvious ominous signs in the sky. "Quickly, hurry and attain the power of creation!"

Understandably alarmed, everyone quickly got back into their places as the Prism Hopeish was placed back into the stream of light.

*BOOM!*

Everyone cried out in surprise when a bolt of lightning suddenly rained down and struck quite close to the altar.

"What in the world is happening?" Honoka thought out loud, having a feeling that something bad was coming.

The lightning from before had made a deep hole in the ground as the inside glowed hot from the lightning bolt, or perhaps that ominous glow was something else? Whatever the source, from the hole, sprung a hand of dark sinister purple belonging to what was obviously a Zakenna. But this Zakenna appeared different as it was garbed in ruined robes, robes that the girls recognized.

"That's-!" Nagisa gasped as she had a feeling as to who the Zakenna was. And as if to confirm her thoughts...

"Unforgivable!" A voice belonging to none other than the deceased Illkubo came from the Zakenna.

"It couldn't be, Illkubo?" Wisdom said, he too recognized the voice of the Dark General the girls and Dai had recently defeated.

"But how?" Honoka said as the Zakenna that was Illkubo dragged himself out of the hole.

"I won't let you call forth the power of creation."

"How is this possible? Wasn't he supposed to have returned to the darkness?" Wisdom said. Despite not being there in person, he had felt Illkubo's defeat at the hands of the girls and Dai.

"This can't be..." Honoka said, having similar thoughts as Wisdom. She and Nagisa had seen it themselves, the sight of Illkubo returning to the darkness after his defeat. And yet, here he was now.

"I can't believe this," Nagisa said, staring at the Zakenna in disbelief. "This guy's been resurrected, and even came to the Garden of Light!"

"What is going on?" Honoka thought out loud, wondering just who had the power to resurrect the defeated Dark General.

"The seven stones..." The revived Illkubo began, having fully pulled himself out and began to stand up, glaring right over at the girls. "The seven stones...I'll definitely..."

"Quickly, one more time, the power of the seven!" Wisdom exclaimed in a hurry, knowing full well how powerful this monster is.

"I won't let you!" Illkubo shouted, making his way over to them.

"Ah! I'm scared-popo!" Pollun expressed his fears as he jumped into the Elder's arms.

"We have to hurry!" Nagisa said, remembering just how powerful this monster was. It had taken the combined strength of her, Honoka, and Dai along with the power of the Prism Stones to put down Illkubo. Now he was back and Dai wasn't with them. The way she saw it, they needed the power of the Prism Stones, and quick!

"There's no time-mepo!"

"He's here-mipo!" Like the fairies have said, Illkubo was already close to them. Seeing that the summoning of the power of creation took time, they wouldn't make it.

"No choice. Honoka, let's go!" Nagisa shouted.

"Right!" Honoka nodded as both Mipple and Mepple transformed back into their Card Commune forms and flew into the hands of the girls who wasted no time getting their respective Queen cards now and slashing them across the scanner.

"Duel Aurora Wave!"

You know the deal people, pillar of rainbow light, a quick transformation from within, and once the light erupted and vanished, in the girls' places were...

"Hikari no shisha, Cure Black!"

"Hikari no shisha, Cure White!"

"Futari wa PreCure!"

"Yami no chikara no shimobetachi yo…"

"…Tottoto ouchi ni kaerinasai!"

Illkubo was not intimidated in the least. Rather, one could feel his anger rise at the sight of the transformed girls.

"I felt your presence, and now I will take my revenge upon you!"

"What incredible willpower..." Honoka comments. Despite being revived, Honoka had a feeling that the only thing keeping Illkubo's current body together was his strength of will alone.

"Menence, hatred, I carry it all inside my body. The power of darkness has made me stronger!"

"Even at a place like this...leave us alone!" Nagisa shouted, charging straight at the Zakenna.

Nagisa swung her leg, aiming for the Zakenna's head only for the said kick to be blocked by the Zakenna's arm. With pure strength alone, Illkubo pushed back Nagisa and sent her flying back towards one of the altar's pillars.

"Black!" Honoka cried out in worry for her friend which were soon dashed as Nagisa, having experienced more than enough times of being flung back, corrected herself in mid-air so that her feet were what met the pillar. Steadying herself, Nagisa pushed off the pillar, rocketing towards Illkubo and leaving an imprint of her feet on the pillars. Seeing her friend alright, Honoka soon joined the fight, dashing forward.

With Nagisa going on ahead, she flipped over and aimed a flying kick towards Illkubo. The Zakenna simple held up his arm and Nagisa's kick struck his hand with no sign of it being effective, surprising the black Cure before he was practically swatted away. Spinning uncontrollably, Nagisa couldn't correct herself and ended up crashing into another pillar before falling down.

With Honoka, having seen what happened to her friend, sped forward with the intent of getting revenge. Illkubo went to catch her, but she evaded his fingers, moving past them and stopping right behind him. Jumping up, Honoka spun around and kicked. The slamming sound of Honoka's kick impacting against the back of Illkubo's head was heard, but to the white Cure's surprise, there was no sign of the Zakenna being affected.

"Enough of this!" Whirling around faster than Honoka thought, Illkubo pushed Honoka off of him and grabbed her right out of the air.

"White!" Nagisa shouts in alarm at the sight of her friend in the enemy's hand, literally. Getting back up to her feet, she ran forward and jumped, throwing a fist at the Zakenna. "Let her go!"

"Useless." Illkubo declared as he used his free hand to smack Nagisa back, sending her slamming and skipping across the floor. Reaching down to the girl, Nagisa didn't have a chance to escape as she too was now in the enemy's hands.

"Pretty Cure!" The Elder cried out in horror at the sight of the legendary warriors captured. And then...

*BOOM!*

Another crackle of lightning came from the skies, surprising Wisdom until he looked down to see himself disappearing. Soon after he vanished was the Prism Hopeish suddenly engulfed by a cloud of darkness.

The Elder lets out a cry of surprise while Pollun exclaims, "The Prism Hopeish is...disappearing-popo!" And just like the fairy had said, the Prism Hopeish dissolved into wisps of darkness, vanishing.

"What!?" Both Cures gasped in surprise. Just where did the Prism Hopeish go?

"Minna(Everyone)!" Suddenly, there was a cry. Turning their heads, everyone saw running to their location was Dai, sweating a little from having run all the way from the palace.

"You're too late, Kuuga. These two are coming with me," Illkubo said, glaring down at the girls in his hands before he and the girls dissolved into wisps of darkness.

"No!" Crying out, Dai leaps forward and tries to grab on, only to miss by a centimeter as Illkubo was gone, taking the girls with him.

"They disappeared-popo!" Pollun said, stating the obvious as he and the Elder went over to the Rider.

"This...What is this...?" The Elder said.

"Shit!" Not caring about who was with him, Dai cursed as he slammed a fist down on the floor, frustration coming over him before he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Getting angry now wasn't going to save the girls.

"Just what was all that-popo?" Pollun asked, still pretty shaken.

"That was an old enemy the girls and I had recently defeated," Dai explained before looking towards the hole Illkubo had emerged from. "He was supposed to have returned to the darkness after we defeated him. Just how did he come back?"

"It's thanks to the power of the Dark King."

"!" A voice not belonging to anyone here spoke up, making everyone quickly turn and made Dai's eyes go wide. Sitting right at the star-shaped table while smiling innocently was none other than—

"Daguva!" Dai shouted in alarm, getting in front of Pollun and the Elder protectively.

"Yo! Hisashiburi dana(It's been awhile), Ichi Dai," Daguva said, waving to the Rider while still smiling innocently and playfully. It was as if he were greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

"What are you doing here? And what do you mean it was thanks to the Dark King that that guy was revived?" Dai said in a demanding tone. He put on a brave face for the two behind him, but in reality, his heart was beating rapidly against his chest and his hands were shaking a little. Despite having successfully accessed Kuuga's Rising powers, Dai still felt he wasn't ready to face the leader of the Grongi.

"It's as I said, the Dark King was the one who revived Illkubo," Daguva said. "Apparently, his title as 'Ruler of Darkness' wasn't as self-proclaimed as I thought as he has the power to revive anyone who had, quote on quote, 'returned to the darkness.'" From Daguva's tone alone, Dai could tell that the Grongi leader didn't like the phrase. In all honesty, as much as he wanted to deny it since he'd be agreeing with his enemy, he felt the same as he felt that it was a cheap way of saying that someone was killed.

"By Dark King, you don't mean the Dark King, ruler of the Dark Zone." The Elder asked only to be pushed back by Dai. He didn't want either of the Garden's residents to get anywhere near the monster in front of him.

"Who else am I talking about?" Daguva said, hopping off the table and stood up with his hands behind his back. "Now then, before you ask me where Illkubo took your friends, you'll find them at the Dark Zone, the dimension the Dark King rules over."

"The Dark Zone!" The Elder and Pollun gasped while Dai narrowed his eyes at the disguised Grongi.

"Why are you telling me this?" The enemy before him had absolutely no reason to tell the Rider about where Illkubo had taken the girls.

The smile on Daguva's face grew bigger as he closed his eyes and gave Dai a toothy smile.

"Because, Dai, I'm going to take you there."

...

...

...

"Huh?"

---

(Meanwhile, with the girls)

The only thing the girls could hear was the sound of the wind and their screams as the revived Illkubo continued to drag them through the dark passage they had found themselves in. Struggle as they might, they could not get free of Illkubo's grip and were forced to endure the ride to wherever the Zakenna was taking them. After what felt like hours, the girls found themselves released from Illkubo's hold and fell to the ground.

"Aaaaaaaah~!" And soon after the girls crash landed did Wisdom appear riding on top of the Prism Hopeish with both landing and skidding across the mist-covered ground.

Groaning, Nagisa was the first to get up soon followed by Honoka, pushing themselves up.

"White, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Honoka said, rubbing her right arm before looking around. "But what happened?"

"This is..." Nagisa began, getting up to her feet as she took in their surroundings. A dense fog covered the ground they stood on and rocky mountains could be seen in the distance.

"Where is Illkubo?" Honoka said, expecting the revived Dark general to suddenly appear.

"The sacred world of complete darkness." A booming, echoing voice spoke up, causing the girls to turn around in surprise and gasp.

"Welcome, legendary warriors, to my Dark Zone." The Dark King said, his height towering over the girls even from where he was at. "I am the Dark King, the ruler of the Dark Zone!"

"That's..." Nagisa began.

"...the Dark King?" Honoka finished.

"That's right." A voice spoke up, making the girls turn to see Illkubo standing quite a ways from them. "And this place will be your grave. Hmph!"

With a grunt, Illkubo gripped his fists tightly before throwing his right arm up into the arm. A second later, all the fog that covered the floor were sucked towards the Dark General, swirling around him until his figure was hidden from sight behind a tornado of fog. The strength of the tornado was so strong that the girls were struggling to keep their footing. A moment later, the tornado exploded as a red light forced the girls to cover their eyes. Once the light died down somewhat, the girls looked and gaped at what they saw.

Gone was the large, indigo and black creature with slanted red eyes and ripped robes. What stood in its place is a tall, muscular silver creature with a completely different face. His red eyes remain and he gains a new mouth and facial markings to match those on the side of his chest.

"Oh boy..." Nagisa mutters to herself, feeling that things had gone from bad to worse just now.

"Pretty Cure." The creature that was Illkubo spoke, looking straight towards them. "Here before Dark King-sama, I shall send you to your oblivion!"

---

(Back with Dai)

"What did you say?"

"You heard me right," Daguva smiled. "I am going to help you get to your friends."

"You're going to help me get to the Dark Zone so I can help my friends," Dai said, looking at the disguised Grongi in disbelief. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why?"

"Why not?"

"Don't play games with me!" Dai shouts. "You show up just right after that Illkubo guy took Nagisa-chan and Honoka-chan. And now you expect me to believe that you're helping me out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Of course not," Dagusa said. His tone and the way he said it so bluntly while still wearing a smile caught Dai and the two behind him off guard. "You must have me confused with some good samaritan. I'm helping you because I'm going to get something out of it."

Dai gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as he glares at the Grongi before him. The way he simply admitted to wanting something annoyed the Rider but he forced himself to calm down lest he repeats history.

"You...What are you?" The Elder said to Daguva, gripping his staff tightly as he hugs Pollun close to him, keeping the young fairy from making eye contact with the Grongi. "Darkness...I sense great darkness within that man."

"Oh you flatter me," Daguva smiled, taking what the Elder said to him as a compliment. "But if we're talking about darkness here..." Daguva glanced over at Dai and the Rider, being the tokusatsu fan he is, knew exactly what the Grongi was talking about.

'So that's what he's after...' Dai thought, placing a hand over his stomach where his Amadam Stone was located at. There was only one thing Daguva wanted.

The Ultimate Darkness.

"It seems you know what I want, Ichi Dai. Good, that saves me the trouble of telling you," Daguva said, pleased.

"And just how does helping me get to my friends help you get what you want?" Dai asked, still somewhat confused.

"Well, that's for me to know, and for you to find out later." The Grongi said with a smile.

"And if I refuse?"

"Refuse? I'm sorry," The smile on Daguva's face no longer seemed innocent as there was a gleam in his eyes. Then suddenly, his right arm expanded to look like the arm of a bodybuilder, threatening to tear through his sleeve as a dark aura soon surrounded him, causing Pollun in the Elder's arm to shake in fear.

"I don't recall saying you had a choice. Unless, of course, you want to fight here and get all the other little fairies here involved?" Despite being miles and miles away from them, Daguva's eyes picked up the various shapes and sizes of fairies that made up the population of this world. And despite being miles away from them, Daguva's aura can be felt from all around, causing all the residents to quiver in fear.

"I'm fine with whatever you choose. There's just so many weaklings around here that it's taking everything from me not to puke." Daguva said, his smile sadistic.

"What a dark aura...!" The Elder exclaims quietly. "No, this isn't just darkness, it's killing intent! He means to do harm to everyone here!"

"You bastard! Leave the residents here out of this! I'll go!" Dai said, summoning the Arcle around his waist.

"Perfect!" The gleam in Daguva's eyes disappeared, his smile turned back to being innocent somehow, and his arm returned to normal. "Hurry up and transform, then we can go."

"Tch!" While annoyed, Dai forced himself to calm down as he went through the hand motions. "Henshin!" Seconds later, Dai was donned in his Mighty form.

But suddenly, a dark aura, much like Daguva's but less threatening, appeared around Dai. The aura was faint, but it was there.

"What the heck?" Dai looked down at himself in confusion, wondering where did this aura veil come from.

"It can't be. I sense great darkness within you!" The Elder gasped, backing away from Dai and holding Pollun close. Seeing the Elder's reaction, Dai tried to calm him down.

"Wait! Hold on, it's okay, I'm still me!" Dai insisted before turning towards Daguva. "What is this? And why do I feel..."

"Weakened?" Daguva finished for the Rider. "It's no surprise, really. This world is a realm of light and those that come from it are strong here. That's another reason as to why Illkubo took your friends to the Dark Zone with him. As a being of darkness, he's weak here. But in a world of darkness, like the Dark Zone, he's a lot stronger than he was on Earth. The same principle applies to you and me. Your powers come from darkness, thus you are weak here. But once I bring you to the Dark Zone, you'll find yourself much stronger. It's both very stupid and interesting at the same time."

"Wait a minute," Dai spoke up, realizing something. "Nagisa-chan and Honoka-chan get their powers from the power of light. If Illkubo brought them to the Dark Zone, a realm of darkness, then..."

Daguva gave the Rider a smile, causing a grim feeling to come over Dai as Daguva spoke.

"If I had to guess right now, Illkubo should be fighting those girls right now. I wonder how they're holding up?"

---

(With the girls)

"Tah!"

"Ha!"

Coming down from above, Nagisa spun as she threw a spinning screw kick towards Illkubo while Honoka came from below, swinging her arm out to strike the Dark General's leg. Both attacks connected but had no effect as in a split second, Illkubo swung both his arms and knocked the girls back, sending them rolling and skidding across the rough ground.

"No good..." Nagisa said, getting up while covered in dirt. "Our attacks didn't affect him at all!"

"It didn't even faze him!" Honoka added, she too surprised like her friend.

"The Dark King's powers have powered him up-mepo!" Mepple said as auras of darkness swirled around Ilkubo menacingly.

"Not only that, but he's also stronger here due to being a being of darkness-mipo!" Mipple said, giving out that information to the girls. "Not only that, but we're weaker here! Fighting here is impossible-mipo!"

"Now that you mention it, I do feel slower," Nagisa said, noting how her attack earlier didn't feel as powerful.

"This is a world of darkness." The Dark King spoke up. "Those who use the power of light to fight have no chance at winning!"

"Arienai(I can't believe this)," Nagisa said, she and Honoka looking over towards Illkubo in disbelief.

"Unforgivable...Unforgivable!" Pure anger filled Illkubo as he covered the distance between him and the girls in an instant.

He threw a punch which Nagisa barely dodged as she ducked in time to dodge another punch and quickly rolled away while Honoka charged towards Illkubo to test her chances. Leaping forward, Honoka was about to move in for a kick but was unable to due to Illkubo moving faster than she predicted. He was so fast that he left an afterimage while moving over to Honoka's side and gave her a hard knee to the gut, sending her up where Illkubo soon delivered a hammer blow to her, sending her slamming down on the ground hard on her back.

"White!" Nagisa cried out in worry, snapping Honoka out from the pain as she quickly rolled out of the way of a stomp which broke through the earth before flipping up and pushing off her hands to dodge a punch which also broke through the earth and sent out a mini-shockwave.

Flipping back to her feet, Honoka and Nagisa nodded towards one another before running towards Illkubo who simply stood there. Once close, the girls started throwing out a barrage of punches and kicks which were all blocked. Having enough of their constant barrage, Illkubo went and grabbed the girls, lifting them off of their feet. Lifting Nagisa up first, he threw the girl down hard on the ground, knocking the air out of her. He then lifted up Honoka and threw straight down towards Nagisa who was still recovering. Thinking fast and not wanting to hurt her friend, Honoka spun in mid-air, changing her path away from Nagisa as she crashed down on the ground harder than Nagisa due to the spin from earlier increasing her velocity.

"White!" Nagisa gasped in horror and worry at what her friend had done just so she wouldn't hit her. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to feel guilty as she quickly grabbed her friend and jumped out of the way of a stomp that would have flattened them. Jumping over to a nearby rock, she laid her friend against it to let her recover.

"How dare you!" With guilt and rage filling her, Nagisa glared over at Illkubo before stretching her hand upward. "Black Thunder!"

*Boom!*

From the skies, a single black thunderbolt rain down and into Nagisa's outstretched palm. Now charged with energy, Nagisa set her sights on Illkubo who raised a hairless eyebrow at her.

She dashed forward and in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Illkubo blinked in surprise as Nagisa reappeared behind him.

"Take this!" Nagisa cried out, throwing her lightning charged punch, the Cure struck Illkubo's back and with the sound of booming thunder, sent the Dark General skidding forward. Much to Nagisa's disbelief, Illkubo only skidded a few feet away from him.

"No way! That should have sent him flying!" Was this realm really weakening her that much?

"You pest!" Faster than Nagisa could react, Illkubo used pure speed to get behind the girl and kick her, sending her flying.

"Black!" Having recovered enough to stand, Honoka saw her flying friend and ran forward to catch her. She succeeded, but the force the black Cure was flying at sent the both of them crashing against and through the rock Honoka had been recovering against.

"White!" Mipple cried out in worry. The same went for Mepple.

"Black! Hang in there-mepo!"

Over at Illkubo, it seems Nagisa's last blow was the last straw for the revived Dark General as rivers of darkness began to encircle him.

"The final blow." With that declaration, the swirls of darkness all gathered within his fist before he thrusts his hands towards the girls. From his hand, a tiny light as small as a grain of sand flew out.

The girls' instincts were screaming at them to move and move they did, jumping out of the way in time as the tiny spec of light touched the rock behind them and...

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

A huge explosion occurred as a huge shockwave was born from it. The girls would have been sent flying if not for the quick cover they found as they hid behind a rock big enough to take cover behind. Once the explosion ceased, the winds died down, and their ears stopped ringing, the girls stood back up and gasped in both shock and disbelief.

Before the two was a path of pure destruction. A touch path had been carved out as in the distance, even the rocky mountains had been destroyed and flattened.

"Uso(No way)..." Nagisa said in disbelief, fearing what would have happened if she and Honoka had been a second too slow.

"It's not over yet!" Illkubo's declaration made the girls turn to see the Dark General gathering more darkness into his right hand again, preparing another attack. "It's over! Die and go to hell!"

The girls instinctively clasped hands together, planning and hoping their Marble Screw would at least cancel Illkubo's attack, but their bodies shook in fear, the words that would summon their respective thunders stuck in their mouths. Behind them was Wisdom who, standing over the Prism Hopeish, ducked down and cowered in fear.

The Dark King saw this, but it seems Illkubo didn't too focused on killing the two Cures. Should he let the Dark General continue with his attack, the risk of damaging the Prism Stones was highly possible. Flexing his fingers, the Dark King moved to prevent this...

"Saseru mono ka(As if I'd let you)!"

Coming down from the sky like a comet, just as Illkubo threw his hands out, whatever came from the sky let out a fierce battle cry as it came down and struck Illkubo's outstretched hand right before he could send out his attack, making him drop it and causing a massive explosion to occur right in front of him. As smoke and rubble flew everywhere from the shockwave of the massive explosion, something flew out from the destruction and landed right in front of the girls.

"Dai/Ichi-kun!" The girls gasped in surprise when none other than Dai stood in front of them.

"Sorry I'm late you two! It took a while to get here, but I'm here to help now!"

"God damn it, you couldn't have gotten here sooner?" Nagisa said, yet she smiled nonetheless, happy and relieved that the Rider was here. Now they might have a chance!

"We're glad you're here! We could use the help," Honoka said, she and Nagisa standing by the Riders side before the three looked towards the smoke cloud that was beginning to subside, allowing the three to see Illkubo.

"Grrrr...!" The Dark General growled in both anger and pain as he held bloody stump. The explosion from his earlier attack had covered him in dirt and burns from head to toe while also blowing off his right hand completely off.

"Seems like taking his own attack head-on damaged him," Dai noted.

"And what about you?" Nagisa asked, looking at the Rider who was covered in dirt and soot.

"My ears are still ringing a little due to how close I was, but I'm fine," Dai said, shaking his head a little to get rid of the ringing in his ears.

"You...You...!" One could physically feel the anger radiating off of Illkubo as he glared over at the trio. "You'll pay for this! I'll kill you! YOU HEAR ME!? I'LL KILL YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

"Whoa! He's angry..." Nagisa said a bit scared at the pure rage coming from Illkubo who was directing said rage right at them.

"But he's injured! This may be our chance!" Honoka said.

"Then let's not waste it!" Dai shouted as he and the girls charged at the injured Dark General who met their challenge and charged forth himself.

With his right hand unavailable, Illkubo threw out his left hand for a punch that forced the trio to break up in order to dodge. Dai dodged to the left while the girls both jumped up before double kicking the Dark General right in the face. The attack didn't really do any lasting damage, but it did manage to push the Dark General stumbling back where Dai was. The Rider forced Illkubo to his knees by kicking the back of his knee. He then grabbed onto Ilkkubo's back, climbing up until he was right next to his head where he held up a flaming fist. Before Illkubo had the chance to grab him, Dai punched down on the Dark General's shoulder with his Mighty Punch, both breaking Illkubo's shoulder bone and dislocating the arm. Instantly, Illkubo cried out in pain until Dai suddenly grabbed him around his neck and threw himself back, using his own weight to bring the Dark General slamming right down on the ground hard.

"Black Thunder!"

"White Thunder!"

*BOOM!*

From the skies, a familiar pair of black and white lightning bolts rained down and struck the girls that summoned them. Dai quickly jumped away from Illkubo as the Dark General, still a bit dazed, watched as the girls jumped right above him and came down with lightning imbued punches, slamming their fists right into his gut. With the sound of lightning exploding, a crater formed right under Illkubo who gasped in surprise and pain from the girl's combined attacks.

"We did it!" Nagisa cheered, but her excitement was short lived when Illkubo's eyes suddenly lit up before the girls were blasted back.

"Chou Henshin!"

Before the girls could crash into another nearby rock, a blur suddenly grabbed them and brought them to the ground safely. Looking closely, it was Dai, having assumed his Dragon form.

"You two okay?" The Rider asked.

"We're fine," Honoka insisted before her eyes widened and she shouted, "Abunai(Watch out)!"

Following Honoka's words and hearing something coming from behind him, Dai grabbed the girls again and jumped, moving just in time to dodge red colored laser beams. Landing back down soon after, the three looked and saw Illkubo glared straight at them.

"DIE!" With that anger filled declaration, Illkubo's eyes glowed again before he shot laser out of his eyes. Reacting quickly, the trio all jumped and dodged out of the way as Illkubo's lasers destroyed a good chunk of the earth.

"He has eye lasers!?" Nagisa exclaimed, in disbelief at the absurdity of actual eye lasers from the Dark General.

"Not gonna lie, that's kind of cool," Dai commented before he was forced to jump again, dodging another pair of lasers aimed at him. The girls also moved when Illkubo sent lasers at them and they barely managed to dodge the attack. The only one who seemed to have no trouble was Dai as he moved faster than the girls have ever seen him move, something the Rider took notice of as well.

'What's going on? I'm moving way faster than I am normally,' Dai noted as he ran, appearing as a blur to the untrained eye.

"Having fun, Ichi Dai?" A voice asked right next to the Rider, making Dai turn to see a smiling Daguva running right next to him, having no problems keeping up.

"Daguva! What...what are you doing?" Dai was about to ask why he was here until he remembered that he was here because of the Grongi.

"Enjoying the show," Daguva said, smiling still as he looked at Dai. "Still, I'm most impressed at how much the Dark Zone is boosting your abilities."

"Wait, what?"

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Daguva raised an eyebrow before wagging his finger at him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk! Silly Dai, have you already forgotten what I told you earlier back at the Garden of Light?"

From under his helmet, Dai's eyes widen, remembering what Daguva had told him earlier. The source of his powers was darkness-based, and since he was in a realm of darkness, just being here made him stronger than he normally would be back on Earth.

"You won't escape me!" Dai was brought out of his thoughts when Illkubo suddenly appeared to his left. It seems the Dark Zone boosted him enough that he could keep up with the boosted Rider. The Dark General's eyes glowed again, signaling an incoming attack and in response, Dai reacted accordingly.

"Chou Henshin!" In a split second, Dai assumed Titan form just as Illkubo fired his lasers, hitting the Rider right on the chest and pushing Dai back by a good two yards until he stopped, digging his feet into the ground to stop himself from being pushed back further.

"What!?" Illkubo cried out in surprise, having expected his lasers to have blasted straight through the Rider, but the defenses of Titan form were boosted thanks to the realm itself.

"Grrrr...!" Gritting his teeth, Dai slowly walked forward, pushing through Illkubo's lasers as a faint aura of darkness began to surround the Rider which the Dark General took notice of.

"The darkness within him...it's getting stronger! Dammit, why do you insist on getting in my way! You are a warrior of darkness, like me! So why do persist in fighting for the light!?"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Dai said as he slowly advanced towards the Dark General. "I said it to you before, my powers may come from the darkness like you, but that doesn't mean I'm the same as you. Light and dark don't matter, I choose to fight against you because it's the right thing to do!"

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, a single lightning bolt rained down from above and struck Dai, causing Illkubo to stop his lasers as a bright flash of light occurred, forcing the Dark General to shield his eyes. Once the light subsided, it revealed Dai, now in his Rising Titan form. Sparks of electricity appeared around him before they all gathered at Dai's right hand. Lifting his hand up, a bolt of thunder appeared before he grabbed it. And right before everyone's eyes, the bolt of thunder turned into the Rising Titan Sword.

"That form is...!" Illkubo said, recognizing the upgraded form from the day he took Kiriya back for going against the Dark King's will.

"And one last thing!" Dai shouted as he held his sword in front of him. "Unlike you people of the Dark Zone, I never fight alone!"

*BOOM!*

A crack of thunder occurred right behind Illkubo who widens his eyes in realization. Turning around, he sees Nagisa and Honoka clasping hands as they were surrounded in power.

"Eyes on us, idiot!" Nagisa said, thrusting her free hand out.

"This is the end!" Honoka declared, thrusting her free hand out like Nagisa before the two shouted as one...

"Pretty Cure Marble Screw!" The twin blasts of black and white fired from the girls' hands and flew towards Illkubo who laughed mockingly before jumping up, avoiding the attack as it continued towards Dai.

"Ha! You're the idiots! You're about to hit your friend, the only one who has a chance against me!"

"That's what you think!" Dai said, holding the Rising Titan Sword in front of him as the Marble Screw struck it and began to turn the blade black and white.

"What!?"

"This is the end!" Dai declared, leaping straight towards Illkubo and raised his empowered Sword, shouting the name of the finisher.

"Hissatsu: Calamity Marble Titan Screw..." As a last ditch effort to stop the Rider, Illkubo gathered swirls of darkness into his left hand and threw the compacted darkness at the Rider who swung his blade.

"RISING!" With that last word thrown in, as if by command, the black and white blade of the Rider's sword flashed gold as the blade sliced through Illkubo's attack, canceling the explosive power hidden within, and sliced through the Dark General like a hot knife through butter.

"This...can't...be...!" Illkubo gasped in disbelief as Dai landed back on the ground, landing right next to the girls. "I...lost...again...!? To those...brats!?"

Lowering his sword, Dai and the girls turned towards Illkubo who was still suspended in the air as the Dark General gave out his final words.

"Damn you...Pretty Cure! Damn you...KUUGA!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

An explosion of pure light occurred, forcing Dai and the girls to shield their eyes as Illkubo's screams echoed everywhere in the Dark Zone. Eventually, the screams began to subside as well as the light, making the trio lower their arm and saw that the only sign that Illkubo existed was the huge crater in front of them.

"Did we do it?" Nagisa asked, scared that Illkubo might pop out of the ground again, only more pissed off.

"It looks like it," Honoka said. Their Marble Screw wasn't as strong as it usually was, but the white Cure was sure their Rider friend helped fill in the gaps.

*Clap-clap-clap*

Suddenly, the sound of clapping drew everyone's attention as they turned and saw Daguva clapping at them.

"Good show, good show, excellent teamwork," Daguva said with a smile.

"You!" Nagisa, just now noticing the Grongi leader, got into a stance, yet her body was slightly shaking as she placed a hand over the scar on her stomach.

"Daguva!" Honoka said, she too got into a stance. But just like Nagisa, she was shaking as she unconsciously held her right arm as if attempting to cover the burn scar her sleeves didn't fully cover.

"Hello again, Pretty Cure. Congratulations, you three have defeated all four of the Dark Generals." Daguva said, waving around his hands as if to act as confetti.

"Enough talk," Dai said, brandishing his Rising Titan Sword in front of him and towards the Grongi leader. He still wasn't sure if he could beat the monster before him, but having Nagisa and Honoka with him filled him with confidence, even if a part of him wanted the two as far away as possible from Daguva. Their last battle with him and the scars he left behind on the girl still haunted the Rider.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Daguva waved his finger at the three before pointing to his right. "You're fighting him now."

Daguva's finger pointed towards the Dark King whose eyes stared straight down at them. Realizing that the trio was now with both the leader of the Grongi and the Dark Zone here, the group felt that they were in for the biggest fight of their lives.

---

And...done! Fuck, that took longer than I thought, mostly because bouts of laziness kept hitting me! But I managed to finish this as soon as I could without wasting any more time.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed today's chapter. Surprise surprise, I stuck in a bit of episode 26 of PC because of two things. One: Even with the added content, the episode was still small so I decided to add in most of the beginning of EP 26 and this is the end result. Two: I've got major plans for the next chapter which I predict will be long. So...yeah. Like I said, I hoped you all enjoyed today's chapter. It was touch and go for me here from time to time, especially when I dealt with the conversation between Dai and Queen.

Now I'm going to bet and say some of you expected the Queen to be either a bitch to Dai because of Kuuga's powers being dark, or wary and hostile towards him for the same reasons. The reason why the Queen was okay with Dai is because of two things. One: KR Ichigo's influence which I will about him soon. And two: is because unless Dai's transformed, the darkness inside of him is hidden and goes unnoticed.

Now, onto the topic of another Rider. Surprise, the Queen knew and was friends with the first Kamen Rider and it was revealed that there were other Riders before Dai which I'm sure some of you have figured out, or at least guessed. To those out there who thought Honoka's grandpa was Ichigo, guess what; you're wrong. Surprise. Of course, with the possibility of Ichigo being off the list, I'm sure some of you can figure out which Rider Honoka's grandpa is.

Now, back to the main topic. Illkubo is gone for good this time and the group is all alone with both the Dark King and Daguva. Things are about to get hectic, especially since Daguva's there. Tune in next time readers for I guarantee the next chapter is going to be epic. Until then, this has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out. And as always, here's...

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Pretty Cure: Rider Fun Facts

"Hello Minna-san! Mepple here, along with Mipple and our partners. Welcome back for another segment of Pretty Cure: Rider Fun facts-mepo!" Mepple greeted the audience as Mipple and the girls waved.

"Hey! What about me-popo!?" A voice belonging to none other than Pollun spoke as the fairy literally jumped onto the stage.

"Oh right, I forgot about him," Mepple said, remembering that Pollun was now apart of the crew here.

"Hello everyone! I am the Prince of Light, Pollun-popo!" Pollun introduced himself to the audience.

"They already know who you are-mepo," Mepple said.

"Now, now, be nice-mipo," Mipple said, trying to calm down her lover.

"This sure took a while," Nagisa commented, hands behind her head.

"Well, it's not like he isn't busy even after getting out of college for the year," Honoka said before asking, "So what's today's topic?"

"Glad you asked-mepo!" Mepple said as, on the screen, a video of Dai executing today's finisher against Illkubo was shown. "Today, we're going to be talking about the Rising version of the Calamity Marble Titan Screw, the Rising Calamity Marble Titan Screw-mepo."

"Kind of a mouthful, isn't it?" Nagisa said.

"It is, which is why the author didn't have Dai shout the actual name, as seen earlier-mepo," Mepple said as Mipple got to explaining the finisher.

"Much like the regular Calamity Marble Titan Screw, Dai uses his sword, the Rising Titan Sword in this case, and 'catches' the Marle Screw from the girls-mipo."

"The sword's not actually absorbing the attack, rather it's wrapping around the blade," Honoka said, remembering the explanation from the previous segment when talking about this finisher. "That's what you said, right?"

"That's right." Mipple nodded. "However, as this is the Rising Titan Sword and not the regular one, the 'Golden Power' as it is dubbed that courses through the sword powers up the energy of the Marble Screw wrapped around it. On command, Dai can unleash the Golden Power just as he is about to execute the finisher. This is seen when Dai shouts out 'Rising' just before swinging his sword against Illkubo-mipo."

"And as a cool bonus, the blade turns golden-popo! It's super cool-popo!" Pollun added.

"Fun fact, Dai doesn't actually need to shout the word 'Rising' in order to unleash the Golden Power to power-up the attack, he could do it mentally too, if he wanted-mepo," Mepple said.

"Wow, I wonder how our other combination attacks look like with the golden power?" Nagisa wondered out loud.

"I'm kind of nervous to see the Rising version of the Marble Screw Kick," Honoka admitted. "Ichi-kun did mention that the Rising Mighty Kick can destroy city blocks."

"We'll just have to see if something like that happens-mepo," Mepple said before turning back to the audience. "Anyway, that's all the time we have today-mepo. Tune in next time for the showdown of Dai and the girls Vs. the Dark King and Daguva! You don't want to miss it-mepo!"

"Until then, bye-bye!" Pollun finished it off, waving goodbye as the next episode title showed up.

Ride 24: Out of Control Kamen Rider! The Ultimate Darkness Unleashed!