Studying wasn't likely to happen today. Not at this point, when Rani appeared to be getting close to discovering the remaining components left of Asperity's dark shards. Kiriko pretended she wasn't interested, claiming that right now, her studies for her next test took priority, which they should've, but the longer Rani kept on working away on the other end of Kiriko's study table, the harder it became for Kiriko to focus on her studies.
She caved in, and finally decided to observe Rani and her experimenting, wanting to take part, but knowing something like this would've been out of her element since Rani was likely dealing with components found only in the kingdom.
Kiriko leaned closer towards Rani and the shard fragment she was tinkering with, cutting it with the utmost care in fear of shattering it. Rani was too immersed in her shard cutting to even notice that Kiriko had stopped trying to study.
Idly, Rani said to herself," No matter what combination of elements I try, nothing seems to react with the shard. Not to mention it's a pain to cut over and over again."
Kiriko nodded in understanding, picking up the remaining chunk of the shard they had left, which was getting smaller and smaller as the days passed.
"You're almost running out of elements that the shard could be made of too right?" Kiriko questioned, taking a look at the document Rani had opened on her laptop. Almost all the elements listed from the kingdom were crossed out, and the list was much shorter than when they first received it.
"And...you're sure we can't go through the door and just find someone in the kingdom who could identify it?" Kiriko asked, alerting Rani greatly who only shook her head in an instant.
"No, I wouldn't want to trouble the people of the kingdom, not when they have worse to worry about." Rani explained with a rather forced chuckle as she returned to inspecting the shard. Kiriko frowned, unimpressed with Rani's dishonest behaviour but deciding that now definitely wasn't the time for an interrogation. Kiriko glanced at the door, still carved into her bedroom and hidden by an old blanket she had, making it look like an entrance to a blanket fort. She would've liked to step through the door to see just what had been making Rani and Nova so on edge about returning to the kingdom, but Kiriko wasn't all that sure if she was ready to find out.
So, she went downstairs and returned quickly with Rani's favourite snack, apples with peanut butter on top. She slid the plate towards Rani and upon seeing it, the little elephant's expression went from uneasy to pleased. Rani took a break from her work and took a slice off from the plate, happily munching on it. Kiriko smiled at the sight of a less frustrated Rani, and then thought about the shards.
While Rani ate the apples, Kiriko stared at the microscope on her desk and considered how she could be of any help to Rani. To think that two other elements were used to create the shards was hard to believe, but Kiriko couldn't simply deny the facts laid out in front of her.
Kiriko walked out of her bedroom and went outside, sitting on the porch bench for a little bit, while gazing up at the sky. The feeling of being so useless, so unable to provide answers really made Kiriko question her abilities and position as a leader. She had been beginning to view herself as someone who was bound to get the job done, a responsible person who could show results, but watching herself and Rani continuously hitting deadends was making her feel beyond guilty.
Kiriko drew out an awfully long sigh and considered the options she had left. She already told her team that she didn't want to sulk, even if it would've felt so good to do so, so instead, she tried to take matters into her own hands again and went on a walk to the library.
It was getting close to sunset, and there was a strong chill in the air but Kiriko didn't seem to mind, too focused to go forth to the library. If she couldn't find answers at home, then maybe she stood a chance in a different environment.
Asuna and Misa were walking together to an arcade that Misa claimed that Asuna would've loved going to since she loved video games, though it appeared that out of the two, it was Misa who was more excited. Misa was going on about how she had heard good things about this place and how they even had things like karaoke rooms and bowling, but Asuna didn't appear as interested as Misa hoped. Misa pretended that she didn't notice how absent-minded Asuna was being and only continued talking, hoping something she said would've enticed her.
Misa knew better than anyone out of their friends that Asuna hadn't been her usual self as of lately and she couldn't tell what was bothering her because as per usual, Asuna wouldn't dare speak about her problems. Asuna always, without fail, kept her troubles to herself but to Misa it was blatantly obvious that something was up. It was almost comical how bad Asuna was at hiding how she felt. But perhaps the most comical thing about this was how little trust Asuna had in her friends to confide in them.
Misa wondered if dragging Asuna to the arcade was even worth it, especially when Asuna was clearly worlds away from her right now. Misa looked forward and found they weren't too far from the arcade now, but at this point, all the excitement she had been trying to build up in Asuna and herself had diminished and she was only left with an inexplicable feeling of dread.
This was her fault somehow, Misa was sure of it, though she wasn't fully sure how. It was probably because she wasn't paying attention when Asuna was gaining interest in befriending the vice-president. Sure, Kiriko didn't seem like a bad person but...their friendship or whatever they had going on didn't make sense to Misa. And it was clear to her that asking Asuna about it was out of the question, since she'd just deny it regardless.
Asuna was only thinking about Asperity, and how things would change so much after this final battle, regardless of the outcome. She felt frustrated in herself, and also anxious as she thought about how little time they had left until their Pretty Cure careers reached their end. To be relieved of these duties would've been great, but if they'd be under the wrong circumstances made her wonder if she was ready.
If they were to lose, everything would change, wouldn't it? Asuna wondered how greatly things would change and what she'd no longer be able to enjoy if Asperity obtained victory. It was a frustrating thought, the concept of being left out of the know and feeling helpless.
She didn't want to admit either, not to anybody at all but, Asuna was scared. Scared of losing a fight she had been working so hard to win, scared of losing her teammates, scared of losing those she held close around her. Not fighting was a guarantee to lose, but fighting against Asperity didn't guarantee anything, which only made Asuna grow anxious.
Before she even realized it, she and Misa were already at the entrance of the arcade. The two stood back for a moment, allowing a couple to exit the arcade. Asuna made eye-contact with the boy and recognized him within seconds, in disbelief of what she was seeing.
Asuna then asked, "Aren't you-?"
"-Oh hey. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Sophie was in her room, laying flat on her bed as she responded to a mass of emails she had received over the last couple of days. Her modelling career had finally picked back up again, now that she felt like her work had meaning again. These last few weeks had kept her so busy, it was both hectic yet calming in a sense. Perhaps calm wasn't exactly how she was feeling, it was more like a sensation of composure that came with having some stability in her life. A feeling she was certain her life wouldn't know for long.
Sophie closed her emails for a moment and reached for her PlayPact on her side table. It had been so long since she had it, but it hadn't even felt like all that much time had passed. She held her PlayPact tight and only stared at it for a few moments before she opened it up. She looked at her reflection thoughtfully, before finally taking her gaze away from the PlayPact and zoned out at the ceiling.
Out of her whole team, she always felt like the one who was the most out of touch and out of place in all of this. She never quite viewed herself as the magical girl type, but...she never really viewed herself as ordinary either. It was an odd feeling to try to put into words but...somehow, Sophie always felt like her Pretty Cure awakening was by chance. The others felt very in tune, and there had been times where Sophie wondered if she had been on par with her teammates. Sometimes, she felt like if she could've been stronger, more intuitive with her magic like the others were, than maybe she wouldn't have felt as inferior as she did. But, after all this time, Sophie knew there wasn't any merit in beating herself up over what could've been. She knew she'd only see results by doing something.
But then, she also considered how there may not be another chance for her to even use her magic again, no matter how their final battle would've ended. Sophie stared at her palm for a few moments and then felt this unusual sense of disappointment as she clenched her hand into a fist.
Maybe her magic wasn't as strong as her teammates, but it wasn't like it didn't exist. The strength of her magic didn't define her potential, she kept saying to herself, but if that didn't then what did?
The memory of Amina, smiling before seeing Sophie off from the afternoon they spent together ran through her mind and the sight of Amina's warm and caring smile changed Sophie's perspective for a moment.
Sophie then wondered about what was most important to her right now. What was it that she wanted from this final battle? Sure, protecting the kingdom was important. But, without a definite goal, something that would make her feel like she had no other choice push herself beyond her limits, she wondered if she really stood a chance.
"I need something to make my resolve strong, why do I want to fight? What can my magic do that nobody else's can?" Sophie asked aloud as she held her PlayPact close,"What do I want to protect most?"
Just then, she heard the sound of her dad's car parking outside and soon after, the sound of her siblings cheering and shouting filled the house.
"Of course." Sophie said to herself, a large smile appearing on her face before her sisters Anika and Inna walked into her room.
"I have something that I'm willing to protect with all my life. If I can't step forward and fight one last time with everything I've got, what kind of Pretty Cure would I be?" Sophie thought to herself.
Mari was walking home from a shoot she had with her friend Shinobu. Things went well, as always, but Shinobu failed to notice how distracted Mari was today. Her shots were the best they had ever been , but Mari was too busy thinking about other things today to rejoice over today's accomplishment.
The walk home had been a lot quieter than usual too, since Mari would typically listen to music on the way home. Perhaps it would've done her some good to listen to some of her favourite songs to take her mind off of things. But, all Mari wanted to think about was their final battle with Asperity and Cure Cheer's untimely passing.
Mari was certain that Cure Cheer had unwillingly left behind people who loved her very much, friends, family, there probably wasn't a single soul in the kingdom who hadn't grieved after her final battle. Once Mari got closer to her house, she then wondered what it would've been like to have Cure Cheer on her team. The thought of it made her smile as she further entertained it.
Cheer would've been a great addition, albeit an older one, due to her experience and attitude. Her mom would tell stories of how Cure Cheer was said to be a highly-disciplined leader with a strong sense of justice. She had good judgement but she was always trying her best to be friendly towards others. She wasn't social by nature, but she was good at adapting to new situations and could work accordingly.
The idea of fighting alongside Cure Cheer was enticing, if only it could've been a reality. Mari hung her head, reminding herself that she lived in a world that no longer had Cure Cheer, and it was up to her team now to set things straight with Asperity.
When Mari opened the door to her house, she found her mom sitting in the living room, going through the Lost Kingdom of Toys books. Her mom motioned her over, and Mari took a seat next to her, looking through the pages of the first book from the series.
"I never really told you much about my illustrator for the first and second books. But perhaps now would be a good time to talk about her." Satomi said as she flipped through the pages.
"Excuse me, miss?" A younger Satomi called out to a girl walking ahead of her with black hair dipped-dyed burgundy that reached her shoulders. Her hands were laced behind her head and she was walking with a group of her friends. She turned around to see who was calling to her and blew a bubble with her gum.
" 'Sup?" She asked Satomi as she waited for the older woman to catch up to her.
"I noticed your drawings in the cafe, I wanted to speak with you about a potential position you might be interested in." Satomi explained to her.
Her friends seemed more interested than she did, since the girl only stared at Satomi with a blank look on her face.
Satomi managed to get the girl, Misora, to come to her house so she could better explain herself. Misora was a lot more outgoing than she previously assumed thankfully and was willing to hear her out.
"So, to summarize. I think your art would be perfect for my storybooks. What do you say?" Satomi asked her, excitement creeping up into her voice. Misora stared at her for a few moments, that same blank look from before in her blue-green eyes. Misora then leaned towards the table and picked up the manuscript for the books, the book's title piquing her interest.
"Ok, I'm in." Misora answered with a grin, leading Satomi to nearly jump out of her seat in joy.
Despite the fact that Misora was still a high-school student, she was always able to deliver her work on time and always impressed Satomi with her illustrations. It really was true that a picture could paint a thousand words, and all Misora ever seemed to need was a sentence to determine what each page's illustration would look like. Everything was so well-detailed and brightly coloured, her art made Satomi feel as if she was staring at photos from home even though such an invention like a camera had yet to appear in the kingdom. Satomi was beyond amazed, Misora was keen on creating just what Satomi envisioned, not even knowing that this was more than a mere work of fiction.
When the first set of illustrations for the first book had been finished, Satomi and Misora looked through them together. Satomi was only viewing them with admiration while Misora was looking for any errors in her art.
"I love them, you have no idea how I...I would've never expected my little story to have art so beautiful for it. I'm really in your debt Misora." Satomi remarked as she organized the sheets of the book.
Misora nodded and smiled, placing a hand on Satomi's shoulders as she said," Remember, you're the one who wrote the darn thing. I'm just...bringing your words to life I guess."
Misora then picked out the first sheet from the pile and studied it for a few long moments. She held it up and her eyes looked vacant as she continued to look at the illustration she made of a castle with a field of flowers surrounding it under a pastel sky.
"It would be nice if a place like this existed...wouldn't it?" Misora asked, though it didn't sound as if the question was directed to Satomi.
"Misora's art was unlike anything I had ever seen, it somehow felt like it was ahead of its time. I see illustrations online every now and then that remind me of her style and then I get excited but...I know it's not her." Satomi declared with a defeated look in her eye," When we were working on concepts for the third book, Misora didn't seem as enthusiastic but she continued. She only produced loose sketches and then...something happened."
"Yeah, it was the creative differences, right?" Mari asked her, who only stared at the cover of the first book.
"Misora disappeared. She was missing from school but she lived on her own and nobody could get in contact with her parents. Weeks passed and she had yet to be found, everyone was losing hope. But...I didn't. I continued to search around the usual spots she hung out at with her friends, but I never saw Misora again. I gave up after a while, I was so upset with the turn of events that by the time the art for the third book was completed by the new illustrator, I just didn't want the books to be published. I may not have known Misora all that well but regardless, I miss her. She did everything she could to bring colour to my writing and… she was a good friend to me."
Mari fell quiet, nodding in understanding but feeling a wave of guilt coming over knowing that her mom might have to experience losing someone dearly close to her again. Mari took a deep breath and put on a somewhat forced smile, saying,
"Even if Misora's gone, I'm glad you decided to share the story after all these years because at this point, I think it belongs to both of you. She must've loved it as much as you did to create such lovely art for it. I know many kids have fallen in love with the story the way Misora did, I think she would've been happy to see your tale receive all this attention."
Satomi then nodded after a few moments, smiling as she held the first book close as she said,
"Perhaps these books were just as important to her as they are to me."
Mari then excused herself and went up to her room. She closed the door quietly and moments later, she slid down against the door and broke down into tears. The guilt she had been feeling for months now that came from not telling her parents was gnawing away at her gradually and thinking about the final battle made her feel so powerless. Both outcomes made her fearful and she couldn't bring herself to think about her team losing, or the team winning but the four of them meeting their demise the way Cure Cheer did.
Mari shook her head, in complete disbelief of the thoughts that swarmed through her head. Weren't the other girls scared of winning at the cost of their lives? Were they all somehow ready to bereave their families?
Clearly, the other Cures were only conscious of two outcomes: Either winning and everything would go back to normal or a bitter defeat.
"If I was in Cure Cheer's shoes, the last thing I'd want is for someone else to have to succeed me. This has all been so fun but at the same time, I don't want things to end like this." Mari said to herself," I...I don't want to end like this."
Mari then took a deep breath, leaning against the door and asking aloud," I wonder if Cure Cheer knew what was in store for her. Did she expect to win, but at the same time lose? Was she ready to fight all on her own?"
After saying that aloud, Mari came to a realization. She had something that Cure Cheer didn't and that was teammates. She had a whole team that was surely ready to back her up and that she could rely on. The difference between her and Cheer was that she didn't have to worry as much about her own weaknesses, for what she lacked in, her team made up for. Not to mention, she wasn't going into this battle alone, everyone was fully capable of fighting against Asperity, plus they were still working on the ace up their sleeve.
Mari then sprung up from her seat and collected her things to dash out of the house. She reached for her cellphone in her pocket as she ran down the street and waited for the other person on the line to pick up.
"Oh wow, Mari I was just going to call you, what's up?" Kiriko said on the other end.
"How can I help? I mean...with this whole Asperity shard predicament? I understand there hasn't been a lot of progress made but...if there's anything and I mean anything I can do, please let me know!"
"Yeah, about that, are you able to head to the library for a little bit? Asuna and Sophie are on the way." Kiriko explained to her.
Days had passed and Asperity was no longer the familiar home that Domino and Bounce had grown to love. Staying here for too long was literally becoming unbearable, all thanks to blackened magic that Lilith had created through corrupting Arabella's magic. Arabella and Kai had been unconscious ever since Rubix brought them to Asperity and Lilith had already removed their Patchwork Hearts, keeping in glass confinements but not telling anyone how she planned to use them.
Domino was walking through the halls of Asperity without any direction, but then someone appeared from a corner and dragged him into a room. Domino would've screamed, if his programming didn't keep his voice monotone and found Bounce holding onto him with both of her hands.
"Let's get out of here." Bounce declared, her eyes wide and fixed on him. That look in her eye, it admittedly made him uncomfortable, since that unrelenting, unforgiving expression reminded him so much of her father.
Domino only shook his head, saying," And where, pray tell, do you think we should head off to? The kingdom, where we'd get eaten alive? Your mother would never approve of such a thing."
"No, let's go to Earth, and we'll convince her to come with us." Bounce explained, as she tugged onto Domino's arm, but he wouldn't budge.
"You don't really expect that to work, do you?" Domino asked her, surprised by the fact Bounce wasn't so quick to admit defeat with such a foolish plan," I thought you'd hated the earthlings anyways.
"They've got nice critters, plus...if Jack was able to do it, why can't we?" Bounce questioned, her eyes downcast as she finally stopped tugging on his arm," I don't care about all this fighting anymore, not when it's ruined everything. I just...I just want to be with you guys, and not have to worry about how I'm going to lose next."
Domino was taken aback by Bounce's words and pulled her in for a hug. He looked down at her for a moment and felt an odd sense of defeat, since their reasons for no longer wanting to fight weren't aligned. Bounce didn't care about what was morally right or wrong, as long as she could be with her loved ones. An admirable sentiment, albeit an immature one. Did Bounce understand the error in her ways, had she yet to understand that they were in the wrong?
They were forced into this, all because Lilith was family and because she managed to convince them the kingdom was corrupt. Maybe Lilith was right, but...was it a cause worth fighting for like this?
Maybe it would've been better to have a fresh start on Earth, maybe reunite with Jack and that girl he fell for, and live without the guilt that came with being a member of Asperity. Domino then pictured him, Jack, Bounce and Takara all living in a house together, doing human things like watching tv and going to lavish restaurants. Wouldn't that have been nice?
"Lilith, I'm home~!" Domino then heard a voice echo through the halls. The two of them couldn't believe their ears and exchanged suspicious looks before darting out of the room to find where the voice had come from. Standing a couple feet away from them was Jack, inspecting his surroundings as he looked for Lilith.
Domino and Bounce ran after Jack, with the former running faster to him.
"Jack, you came back!" Bounce hollered as she leapt onto his back and hugged him," What took you so long?"
Jack grinned to Bounce and waved at Domino, who seemed a bit less unenthusiastic with Jack standing before him. Neither of them said a word for a few moments and only stared at each other.
An uneasy feeling came over Domino, but he didn't say anything except," It's nice to see you again."
"Back at ya. So, can you guys lead me to Lilith? " Jack requested, " This place was always hard to navigate through, but now I can barely find anything."
Domino nodded and led the way for him. Jack was right though, the arrangement of Asperity's rooms had always shifted frequently, but with these recent developments, it somehow became more frequent for the shifting of the rooms. It was no surprise that the three of them habitually got themselves lost while ambling through these halls.
Soon enough, the three of them found the little conference room that Lilith and Rubix frequented and Lilith stood with her shock and disbelief in her eyes as she shouted,
"Jack, you've returned!"
She rushed over and held both of his hands, and Jack smiled at her in slight discomfort as he nodded. He let go of her hands and started to walk around the room, as if he was on a stage and proclaimed,
"That's right everyone! Your favourite member of Asperity has made their long-awaited return! I had to do some work undercover for the sake of Asperity, so I took it upon myself to fake my defeat. While in truth, I was searching for and trying to harvest more corrupted Patchwork Hearts for the team. I have to admit, it was absolutely dreadful being on Earth for that long, but I'm back and nothing will stop me from my goal."
Jack then chuckled and stated in a sheepish tone," Because of my lengthy absence, I'd like to know some details and progress we've made so far. Domino, would you mind bringing me up to speed?"
Domino nodded hesitantly and Jack then grinned saying," Awesome! You guys probably have a bunch of important stuff to do, don't you? I'll let you guys return to your work while Domino tells me what's up."
Lilith nodded and led herself and Bounce out of the room. Jack then closed the door and once it was only the two of them, the smile on his face disappeared within an instant.
"I need your help." Jack declared, his voice fully serious now with an intent look in his eye as he showed Domino the the almost-black burn in the center of his hand from Lilith," We're gonna work with the Pretty Cure, and put an end to Asperity once and for all."
"I beg your pardon, we're going to what?" Domino responded in utter disbelief.
Jack walked closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he said," Neither of us want to see Asperity continue like this. It isn't fair to any of us. That magic Lilith has been feeding off of from Nixe has gotten too strong, it's made her delusional. If we don't do something, we're going to lose that queen of darkness and tear this family apart."
"Jack, that's your sister!" Domino reminded him in a reprimanding voice.
"She's yours too. And that's exactly why we need to end all of this, because I don't know about but...I don't want to see her being brain-washed like this any longer." Jack replied, his tone remaining calm," We've been trying to create an anti-black shard. Something that will reverse their effects so that Asperity won't be able to partake in a final battle."
Asuna and Jack were the last to arrive at the library and found the girls all sitting at a table with a stack of heavy books around them. Asuna looked at the group skeptically, wondering how much work had been done so far.
"Just what do you think you're doing here?" Kiriko questioned vehemently as soon as she laid eyes on Jack, placing both of her hands on the table.
"Relax, nerd. I was on a date and then the redhead dragged me here." Jack said in his defense, as he took a seat, "You want to reverse the effects of the shards, right?"
Kiriko nodded hesitantly, holding out her notebook and a page she flipped to in a book about minerals.
"Rani said the shard contains Everlight. It was the first element we were able to uncover, but since then...we've been hitting deadends on what the other components could be."
Jack nodded in understanding and then Kiriko pushed the mineral book closer to him.
"And then, I came across this element here, I'm not sure if it's actually in the shards. It's sugar charcoal. It seems like an odd thing to place into the shards but-"
"You're correct. There is sugar charcoal found in the shards." Jack interjected as he pointed to the picture in the book," The charcoal gives the shards not only its dark colour, but their strength too. If you guys have been experimenting with the one shard you have, you must have noticed how hard it was to cut it."
"Sugar charcoal is sparse in the kingdom, we had an easier time finding it on Earth. The rest of the components are probably a lot harder to identify, since they were severely mutated and enhanced with cheap chemicals from the kingdom." Jack explained to the team, " To be honest, every batch of shards had different things put into it, but we always used Everlight and sugar charcoal. We'd use similar chemicals to achieve the same looking shards, but the only ones that know that each one was made differently are me and Domino."
"Hm, you never did strike me as all that bright to be honest…" Asuna remarked, her eyes narrowed on him.
"Look, I may seem like dolt but I am by no means incompetent." Jack pointed out to her flatly.
"You caught on fire one time, do you really think we won't see you as anything but a dolt?" Asuna replied, still as unconvinced as before.
"Ok, well...if you guys had been using different chemicals for every batch then we're right back to square one." Kiriko stated, a defeated look on her face as she felt her heart sink," We can't counter these shards if we're trying to figure out the elements of what could be a whole differently made shard at this point.."
"Not quite." Jack said to her," All the shards have one thing they're weak against. They can't work and their effects will be reversed once they're in contact with it."
The rest of the girls looked excited, though Kiriko only appeared anxious as she asked," Well, what is it?"
"Your finishing attack." Jack answered, but the girls didn't seem to be following," That's the only proven weakness against the shards. And at this point, do you girls have any time to be searching for another method?"
"But what are we supposed to do? Break into your hideout and purify your batch?" Kiriko questioned sarcastically, while Jack rolled his eyes at her.
"I'll ask about it." Jack reassured her," In the meantime, keep an eye out for the Mage's Patchwork Heart. If Lilith gets a hold of it, then we'll have yet another problem on our hands."
"So, what can we do?" Jack asked as he took a seat," I was really hoping that if there was someone with a solution, it'd be you."
Domino then thought for a few moments and then, excitedly, he pulled out a blank roll of blueprint paper and started to draft something up.
"What if the Cures were to direct their attack at an item that wouldn't be purified but rather...hold onto their attack?" Domino suggested as he drew what appeared to be a box," It could keep the attack to be used for a later time and then, at the press of a button, it simply unleashes the attack!"
"Could we really make something like that?" Jack asked curiously as he looked at Domino's blueprints.
"It's worth a shot, I'll try my very best to make it work." Domino assured him," You were right, we let this go on for far too long. Asperity...it's about time its met it's downfall."
Jack then nodded and replied with," As of right now, this stays between us. Not even Bounce gets to know, she's too much of a child to understand the gravity of the issue. She wants nothing more than to be with her loved ones. As long as we're together, she couldn't care less about what happens to anyone else."
Domino then drew out a sigh, saying," I couldn't agree with you more. I'm going to get to work on this, you can help out if you'd like."
Jack nodded and pulled his seat closer to take a better look at Domino's blueprints.
Kiriko sat with Mari inside the school study hall, the two of them in complete silence as they read through their assigned readings from their textbooks. Both of them appeared to have trouble focusing but neither wanted to admit it. Kiriko was zoned out on a picture of a glass refracting light in her textbook, but all she could think about was their final battle was getting closer and closer.
At this point, everyone could tell Kiriko had been frustrated with their findings and discovery about the shards, and that she was having some trouble fully trusting Jack and Domino. But she reminded herself for the hundredth time today that she didn't have any other choice left.
Mari finally noticed the troubled look on Kiriko's face and offered her a smile of sympathy, placing her hand on Kiriko's as she said,
"Don't worry, we're all feeling as anxious as you are. All we can do now is keep a lookout for the Mage's Patchwork Heart."
Kiriko exasperated a sigh and replied with," It seems almost impossible at this point. Especially when we've never had any leads and Asperity continues to find all the pieces they need."
Kiriko took a sip from her water bottle and commented," We have too much of a disadvantage as is."
"That may be true but...we have each other, don't we?" Mari reminded her," You said it yourself you wanted to get even right? So, how are we supposed to do that if you start beating yourself up before Asperity gets a chance to? Plus, if anything, they're the ones at the disadvantage. If you haven't noticed, we have members on the opposing side helping us."
Kiriko smiled at her, feeling less tense now as she closed her textbook.
"Yeah... we'll be alright." Kiriko declared as she stood up from her seat," Come on, I think we should take a walk around."
Asuna stood at the arcade doors, waiting around for Jack to arrive. He told the team he'd check in with them every two days to report their progress on their device. Last time they met, Jack explained how he and Domino were facing difficulties with assembling the item and getting it to work properly. Asuna felt nervous about today's meeting, hoping that things would've gotten better since their last meeting.
Jack eventually arrived, hands stuffed in his pockets before he waved to Asuna.
"Took you long enough." Asuna scoffed as she stopped leaning against the door," So, any improvements on the device?"
Jack then took something out from his pocket, a white, red and blue cube with a bunch of different buttons on it. Asuna's eyes widened at the sight of it, taking it into her own hands. The cube looked similar to a Rubick's cube, but there was a cavity in the center of each side that could be pressed like a button.
"Consider it done." Jack answered with a smirk, though Asuna didn't pay much attention to him and instead started pressing the random buttons," Hey, don't press it so carelessly! Look, there's a sequence for storing an attack and releasing one. To store an attack, you're gonna press blue, white, red, white before shooting an attack to it. To release, you'll press white, red, white, blue. You'll also want to keep a few feet away from it when releasing an attack. I'd suggest tossing it at your target, but Domino said it was too reckless. "
"Thank you, we could've never done this without you guys." Asuna said, giving Jack a small smile," It really means a lot."
"Uh, don't mention it." Jack replied awkwardly," I would've never even thought to help out until we met here that day. I guess it wasn't so bad being of use to the enemy."
"By the way, who was that girl you were with?" Asuna asked.
"Oh, that was Takara. She likes coming here to show off her dance moves on that DDR thing from time to time. She's partly the reason I left Asperity in the first place." Jack explained, his cheeks tinting red," I told her everything and she still wants to be with me despite my past. Guess that makes her a keeper."
Asuna nodded in understanding, while looking at her reflection in the cube. The cube was small, but it fit just right in her hands. Holding it filled her up with excitement though her face didn't show it.
Sophie stood in her backyard, her early dismissal from school today allowed her to spend some extra time with her siblings. She had planned something special for them anyways, something that she knew may not have been the best thing to share, but regardless, she may not receive another chance to.
Anika and Inna were the first to enter the backyard, then came Erik, and then Liam.
Liam held onto his soccer ball and looked at the group curiously asking," Weren't we gonna have a big soccer game?"
Sophie giggled and shook her head, saying," No, I've got something better to show you guys. It took a bit of practice to get it right, but I think you'll all enjoy what you're about to see."
Sophie took a deep breath and shut her eyes, holding her hands in front of each other. Moments later, a stream of bubbles shot out from them and she directed her hands up into the air. The four of them were shocked by Sophie's display, but Sophie wasn't done just yet.
"Don't go bursting my bubble, Erik!" Sophie said as she created a massive bubble, almost bigger than Erik and sent it towards him. Erik caught it, but he nearly lost balance as he tried to catch the bubble.
"Cool! It's like a beach ball!" Erik exclaimed as he tossed it to Anika. Anika barely caught it and almost fell over just like him, and soon enough, the four kids were tossing bubbles around that Sophie made for each of them.
Inna took a break from playing with her sets of bubbles and then walked over to Sophie and tugged on her sleeve, asking," How did you make all the bubbles?"
Sophie motioned her to take a seat and then she said," It all started with a kingdom of toys…"
Bounce was finally allowed to leave Asperity with Lilith's permission, claiming that she needed to catch some sunlight before she shriveled up and withered away. Lilith of course wasn't buying her claim at all, but still let her leave regardless.
Once Bounce was out of Asperity, she made use of this opportunity and started her hunt, beginning her search at the school. If she didn't have a single lead, perhaps she wouldn't have been as motivated as she was, but then she did some thinking, and thought back to the day when the frogs were running around the school. There was a moment when it appeared there was someone around with strong, unpredictable magic, but Bounce hadn't paid any mind to it, too hung up on the fight at the time. It may not have been much evidence, but the blast of magic that turned the bench into a multitude of stars raised her suspicions, if only she had investigated that same day.
But not all hope was lost. If the event happened at the school, that had to have meant that the person behind it was a student here.
"That person has to be here, the owner of the Mage's Patchwork Heart." Bounce said to herself.
Bounce then noticed Misato walking out of the school, looking rather on edge as he looked around the school courtyard. Bounce smiled to herself and floated down to the Earth, standing right in front of him in a few moments.
"How goes it~?" Bounce asked him in the most upbeat voice she could manage. Misato looked at her curiously, but he wasn't as shocked as she expected him to be.
"I can't really talk right now, I'm busy and have a bunch of stuff to work on as a student-body presidential candidate, you wouldn't understand." Misato declared, though he was shaking like a leaf in her presence. He tried to walk away, but Bounce wasn't done with him yet.
"I really need your help though. One of my friends is in danger…" Bounce said to him, but he wasn't interested," Tell me, have you seen any strange happenings around here, one that involves an explosion of little blue stars?"
Misato stood as still as a statue, unsure of exactly what to respond with.
Bounce smiled brightly, saying," You have, haven't you?"
Hayase was busy organizing some papers in the classrooms where the council meetings were usually held, though today wasn't their meeting day. He'd grown comfortable of simply spending time here to work away on the paperwork for student council and the faculty didn't really mind, as long as he kept the room tidy. He was almost done for the day, but then he heard a knock on the door and found Misato standing in the doorway. He smiled at Misato and the younger student walked into the classroom.
"Hey, what's up?" Hayase asked him, taking note of how tense Misato looked. He simply assumed that Misato was feeling uneasy about the elections for student council drawing near so he didn't think much of his troubled expression.
"I have...someone here who wants to meet you." Misato said quietly, his eyes fixated on the floor.
"Ok, well… let them in." Hayase instructed plainly as he glanced at the doorway. Moments later, Bounce peeked out from the side of the doorway and grinned at Hayase.
"How ya doing?" Bounce asked him cheerfully, though the sight of her made Hayase feel sick to his stomach. He had never met her once, but there was this intuitive feeling in him that said this girl was trouble.
"I'm fine, what brings you here?" Hayase asked her, his tone still level.
Asuna was walking towards the school, where Kiriko told her to meet the rest of the team since she received the cube from Jack. It was a lot quieter in the late afternoon, almost everyone had gone home at this point. The quiet school made her feel a bit uneasy, though at the same time, the empty schoolyard devoid of chatter was at the same time peaceful.
Nova peeked out from her bag and then asked her," Do you think you're ready?"
"I...I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Asuna answered with a nod as she walked quicker towards the school.
Asuna texted Kiriko on her way there, requesting their location. Kiriko told her to meet the rest of the group in the study hall and a few minutes later, Asuna arrived at a table where Kiriko, Mari and Sophie could be found, with Rani sitting on top of the table.
Kiriko motioned Asuna to take a seat next to her and Asuna did just that while placing the cube on the table. The group stared at it curiously, all with different looks on their faces. Kiriko thought it looked a lot less astounding than expected, and somewhat ordinary, looking like a cheap knockoff version of a Rubick's cube. But Sophie and Mari were very much intrigued by the cube, the former taking it into her hands, almost pressing the buttons before Asuna instructed her against it.
"Press one of those and you'll be dealing out a gigantic finisher in the library." Asuna said, her eyes narrowed on the cube. Sophie's eyes widened and cautiously, she returned the cube to its spot on the table.
"Well, we might not have everything we could possibly use to our advantage but, I have faith in our team." Kiriko declared as she took a stand from her seat," Each of us has a unique magic, a type of strength that the Toychest Pretty Cure wouldn't be able to function without. That's precisely why we decided on the name Toychest Pretty Cure anyways. Each member of this team is unsuspecting in a sense, but we're all very determined and powerful individuals. We didn't ask to be a part of this and yet, we all stayed until the very end. I couldn't have for a better, or cuter team!"
The three girls sitting exchanged glances and smiled, each of them standing up and walking towards Kiriko. Kiriko looked confused as they got close and came in for a group hug. Kiriko laughed awkwardly and while she wasn't usually one for group hugs, this one felt like it was much needed.
Just then, the girls heard a scream from outside the library that echoed throughout the halls. Kiriko had a blank look on her eye for a moment before taking a deep breath. Strangely enough, she didn't feel any sense of fear or panic, and instead was calm and feeling ready.
"I guess this is it." Kiriko said, as she pulled out her PlayPact while running out of the library. The rest of the team followed suite and Kiriko led them to an almost empty classroom where Bounce and Rubix could be found standing in front of a black and violet vortex.
"You guys are done for!" Bounce exclaimed as she gave the team a thumbs-down while stepping into the vortex," We've already got everything we need! The era of Asperity starts now!"
"No, not just yet!" Kiriko said as she held her PlayPact in front of herself, "We aren't going down without a fight!"
"Pretty Cure, it's Playtime!" The four of them shouted together.
"The princess of wishes, Cure Dolly!"
"The dame of courage, Cure Teddy!"
"The sailor of justice, Cure Bubbly!"
"The creator of dreams, Cure Fantasy!"
"When evil is near, playtime is here!" The four of them announced," Together we are...Toychest Pretty Cure!"
Bounce groaned, not surprised that the Cures weren't willing to admit defeat so easily. Yeah, a fight with them would've been entertaining, but knowing that Asperity would be sure of winning at this rate made things a lot less interesting.
"Can't you already you've already lost? We got loads more power than you now, you won't get far-" Bounce said, though she was interrupted in mid-sentence by the vortex beginning to suck in everyone in the room. As soon as the vortex absorbed everyone, it blinked out of existence.
The Cures were falling in a dark hyperspace, all of them screaming.
"Where the heck are we going?" Bubbly shouted as she clung onto her hat.
"We must be headed to Asperity!" Dolly yelled to the team," We're going to settle things, once and for all!"