Chapter three: The Color of Beginnings

It's been a week since the last Dead-Color attack. I lean back against a tall gnarled tree and let out a sigh. Even though my life was changing rapidly, it seemed like no one else was. The dorms in the morning were still the same; loud and full of people; the classes were the same; dragging on and boring; and I hadn't seen Clancy since she brought me back. Biting into my sandwich I look around. The blonde said she would stay in touch, but she had yet to contact me.

I wasn't keeping an eye out for her only however, I was also keeping an eye for monitors. Like the rule of not going out before breakfast, the school rules also stated lunch to be eaten inside or in the benches out back. However, it was summer and the benches in the back had no shade making it hell to eat outside. Except! In the front of the dorm around the brick path were lots of shady trees. I wouldn't get in too much trouble for this since I was in dorm sight.

I finish off my sandwich. It was kinda peaceful eating outside. There was a certain stillness that pressed comfortably around me. The wind gently blows above swaying the tree branches. Sunlight filtering through the leaves, speckling light across my dark skin. I feel at peace. My eyes slide shut as I soak in the atmosphere. A shame that in about five minutes the bell would ring, shattering the atmosphere.

"Hello Merle."

I jolt against the tree bashing the back of my head against the bark. Wincing I look to whoever disturbed my peace. It's Clancy. The sun's behind her back illuminating her already pale blonde hair. Through her shadowed features she gives a smile.

"Clancy."

She sits on the ground cross legged. She's in a regular shirt today along with some khaki shorts that end right above the knees. Surveying the area I look for Grif. A week has passed and the creature still hasn't given me an apology.

"Grif is not with me." I grunt in acknowledgement, casting my gaze to Clancy. She seems happy to soak in the sun, sitting barely out of the shades reach. I search around for my bag of chips. I wonder why they aren't here. I tear the bag open.

"What are you doing?" I redirect my attention to Clancy. I wave the bag in the air towards her, offering a chip. She reaches for one, then hesitates and drops her hand. "Are you not in school?" She tugs at her shirt. I was beginning to notice a trend with her clothing. Every shirt she owned had frayed edges. She would tear at the clothing and work her fingers into the fabric.

"Lunch time." I reply eating a few chips from the bag. She gives a nod and we settle back into silence. This time the silence presses heavily, it invades the space between us and squeezes my lungs. I want to say something, anything, to Clancy, but no questions come to mind. She seemed to have a hard time talking about her home, so that ruled that out. I glance back up to her. Clancy is now lying stretched out on her back, basking in the sun like a cat.

"This warm weather is nice." She comments idly.

"Yeah, is the weather… cold where you're from?" Wait. The bag of chips drop into my lap. Slapping my hands over my mouth, I repress a groan. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I wasn't going to talk about her home! Clancy sits up slowly. She pulls at the grass and doesn't meet my eyes. Great, now she hates me. "Y-You don't have to answer." The words stumble out. "Just ignore the question." The one person I want to talk to, and I can't speak. I avoid looking at them, instead staring at the grass.

"The Land of Canvases is mostly desert." Her voice is clipped. "It's very hot, not like on Earth." I nod at her words. The silence returns. I shift and rest my stiff back against the tree. This is worse than sitting alone at lunch. Actually, I would prefer that over this. At least when I'm sitting alone I don't have to try and come up with topics for conversations. When I'm alone, all I have to do is smile at the people who glance my way.

"Merle, you don't have to try so hard." My head snaps up at her words. A bright smile is set on her face. "We will become closer. And until then," Clancy reaches over and places a calloused hand on my knee. "Feel free to be a little awkward around me." My cheeks burn as I give a shy shake of my head. I don't feel like talking anymore. Any energy I had recharged for the afternoon is gone. It was draining to talk to someone, no wanting to talk to someone. I opt the busy route and shove handfuls of chips down my throat. Clancy sits back and gives a titter of laughter. She looks like she's about to say something, but the bell shrieks overhead effectively cutting her off.

"I will take that as my leave." Clancy rises to her feet. She waves a quick goodbye and then runs towards the direction of the school gates. I grab my bag and rise. Brushing chip crumbs off my red skirt I make my way towards the main building. Students are pouring out of the cafeteria now, a cacophony of chatter shattering the awkward silence. Students brush past me with hurried paces. I walk at a more leisurely pace, trying to take in the last bit of sunlight. Like Clancy said, it felt nice.

"Merle, I couldn't help but notice you sitting outside." A smaller student bumps into me. Of course it's Sylvia, who else would talk to me. She crosses her thin pale arms and glares at me. "That's against the rules." I pick up the pace, and she pursues.

"Plus…" her voice wavers. I look down to the shorter girl. Her head is bowed and she grips her arms. "There was a strange girl with you." Her voice sounds watery, weak, not like her at all. She brings her head up and meets my eyes. "Who was she? She was out of uniform!" I shrug my shoulders. We're now entering the main building. The glass doors are perpetually open by the throngs of students entering.

Hoisting my bag higher on my shoulder, I avoid looking directly at the dorm manager. She took her job way too seriously, not only was she dorm manager, she was on the disciplinary committee and student council. That sounded like too much responsibility for one person. Then again I was just appointed a hero to help save multiple worlds by a shiny rock. That was a lot of responsibility for a person as well. Let alone someone like me.

"- you're not listening to me!" She shouts. Blinking rapidly I survey where exactly I am. Lockers are standing at each side of the small hall. Further off into the distance is another set of doors leading outside. Students mull around in small groups talking amongst themselves. Sylvia gives a sigh and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Fine! Go off into your little world as always. I'm leaving." With a twist of her heel the small girl stomps off. Another pain in my side.

"Sorry," I call out to her. I don't know why I'm apologizing, but I feel the need to.


I barely have the energy to lug myself to my dorm. My feet drag along the carpet as I draw nearer and nearer to salvation. Gripping the bronze handle I swing the door open. It's not empty like usual. Clancy sits on my bed talking in hushed tones to Grif. The griffon sits on my chair like last week. At the creaking of the door their heads swivel my way.

"Merle." Clancy dips her head in my direction. Another bright smile is gracing her face. I shut the door and let my bag drop by the entrance.

"Tell me this isn't going to be a daily occurrence." I was too tired to deal with a Dead-Color or Precure stuff. I drag a hand across my face. "How… did you even get in?" A breeze gently brushes against my face, looking up I spy an open window. This was the second floor. Dragging my gaze to Clancy, she looks away. She fails miserably to hide the smile on her face.

"It's good to finally see you again, Merle." Grif speaks in their haughty tone. "We have important things to discuss."

If this didn't include a sorry for last week I was going to cook them. I could serve them to Sylvia to repair our vanishing nonexistent friendship. No, that wasn't exuding love and understanding like my mother preached. I pick at the Pigment. I would only lightly roast them. That would teach them to tear into my arm like a cat trying to escape their bath.

They clear their throat and shuffled their claws. "To begin this meeting, I would like to apologize for my behavior… from last time." Grif had officially extended their life. "It is unacceptable that I attacked you." I shrug and try to emit forgiveness.

"Don't do it again."

Grif's body droops. Their beady eyes water and their beak turns. Hunched over the seat they turn to Clancy. "I believe we should discuss a plan to obtain the Pigments." Bending down I pull out a notebook from my bag. Turning to empty page, I fish out a pen. "Lord Monochrome has stolen five of the seven Pigments, and to our knowledge has given two of them to his Generals: Tessur and Anneis." I write what Grif says in large scribbles.

"Logically speaking, that means we should go after the Generals and reobtain them." Grif continues. "But! Taking on the Generals at your levels… would be disastrous." The griffon's body droops again.

"We'll get stronger, don't worry." Clancy reassures them. She rises from the bed and makes her way towards me. "Merle and I will train." Her face is too bright to look at. Looking down to my notebook I scribble more barely legible notes. I still didn't feel like I had to help defeat Lord Monochrome. I didn't want to fight for a lofty goal like that. I just don't want to see someone like Clancy get her heart broken for her home.

"We'll work together." Her words are stabbing into my heart. I grip the pen harder. I watch ink blots grow thicker, bigger, under my hand. It's more preferable than seeing Clancy. "Right Merle?" I think back to last week, watching that hopeful smile die because I don't want to fight to take back her home. Looking up I meet Clancy's gaze. Looking closer I can see dark bags underneath her eyes. I give a nod.

"That's good to hear. Precure partners need to work together to become stronger." Grif rises from the chair and soars towards the two of us. Gently they flutter their wings and hover near us. "The best teams in the past all drew their strength from teamwork." Their beak turns upwards. Teamwork, I don't know if that will work for me. No one's ever wanted to be in a team with me before. It wouldn't hurt to try it however.

"…sounds fine." My voice sounds as tired and drained as I feel. Clancy clasps my shoulder and gives a tight squeeze.

"We'll start teamwork exercises right away then!"

What. No.

Clancy grasps my shoulder and turns me towards the door. She's rattling off team exercises that I've never heard of and some that sound down right fake. The closer we get to the door the more dread I feel tugging at my heart. I was too tired for this.

"Hold on…" I firmly place my foot down and face the smaller girl and the griffon. "I know you're…" I look for the right word, "…excited." Clancy animatedly nods. "Because you found me, but I'm really tired." I try to explain gently. Clancy's face turns red and she takes a step back.

"Of course! You just got back from your classes." She tugs at her shirt and clears her throat. "You take a break and I will work out a regiment." I give another nod and jab a finger to the door.

"Don't leave through the window." If someone saw her jumping out the window they would probably have a heart attack. Clancy laughs.

"I thought I would write it here. As my partner you should have some say in it." Oh, that was smart. I shrug and lean down to pick up my backpack. I have homework and other things to work on as well. Clancy continues to speak, "and you looked like you wanted to talk at lunch." I hoist my backpack up and nod.

"We can get to know each other more." Her voice tapers off at the end. She sounds afraid, like I would reject her. Again. I set my backpack down on my bed. I pull out folders stuffed with worksheets and other papers. Throwing my textbooks on the floor, I turn to Clancy.

"Yea." How eloquent. She throws me a bright smile and heads towards my desk. Wires, nuts, bolts and other tools are strewn around covering 90 percent of the wooden table. Clancy brushes aside the clutter and sets down her own stuff. As she sits on my chair I sit on my bed. It creaks in the otherwise silent room.

For the next thirty minutes the silence is deafening. It presses and makes me hold my tongue. The homework is mind numbing. It's easy, but long. Each question has another section… and another… and another. Putting down the pencil I look over to Clancy. She and Grif have been talking quietly this whole time. She hasn't once spoken to me about the regiment. She hasn't even looked up from it. If I could see through the curtain of blonde hair that covers her face, I bet her face would be set in concentration.

I place the finished homework in their respectful folders and clear my throat. Clancy jolts in my seat and turns around.

"Merle, are you done resting?" I shrug at her question; not even. The homework made me feel even more tired. Clancy holds up a page, the regiment, and waves it through the air. "I'm just about done if you want to try it out." The page in her hand is filled with neat script and boxes. I give another shrug. I still felt really drained. Clancy continues to speak, "I tried to make it fun?" She continues to try and sell her regiment.

"If you want to." I rise from the bed. It was a Thursday meaning the soccer fields are free game. I grimace and idly make my way to the door. Only last week I was excited about that. Only last week I was working on my robot. Only last week when Clancy came tearing through the field. Literally.

Clancy is rattling off the team exercises again. Her excited voice fades into the background as we make our way out the door. I don't see why she's so excited about this. Turning to face her, my mind brims with questions. "Did you have a team before?" She seems to know a lot about these things.

Clancy stops walking. She stands rigid in the middle of the hallway. "Clancy?" The bags beneath her eyes are prominent. Her fingers are worked up into her shirt, tearing holes through the fabric. I asked the wrong thing again.

"Yes," her voice is so quiet I almost don't catch it. She's shaking.

"Clancy?" Even Grif sounds concerned. They drift down and land on her trembling shoulder. They shift their position, their talons barely piercing her shirt, and place a wing on her cheek. "Are you ok?" So even they can be caring. That's not important however, Clancy is. She raises her head, but her eyes don't meet mine.

"I'm sorry." Her words are even quieter than before. What is she apologizing for? I don't understand. Taking a step towards her I reach a hand for hers. Untangling her tan thin hand from her shirt I grasp it in mine. All I can offer is a squeeze. No words of comfort reach my lips. Her hand is limp in mine. I don't know what she's been through. She seems to have a hard time speaking about her home, but I suppose that goes for anything related as well. I'm an idiot.

After a few more moments of silence she drops her hand. I let her go with ease and wipe my palm on my skirt. Clancy is still as still as a statue. In her other hand is the regiment. The paper is wrinkled and has holes from where her fingers pierced it. "Do you still want to…?" I can't finish the sentence.

"Yes," she replies. She moves without warning, brushing across my whole body. "I want to become a good partner." The words send a chill down my spine. Turning, all I can see is her retreating back. Quickly I catch up with her. We're at the edge of the stairs. In silence we head down. The dorms are quiet due to most of the students being out for other club activities. Easily we slip out the door.

In the bright sunlight Clancy seems to perk up some. A smile forms on her face, but it seems forced. On her shorts she flattens out the wrinkled paper. "Well, let's do this!" There's an edge to her voice. I point right, the direction of the soccer fields, and turn to her.

"Soccer fields?" At my words she nods energetically and marches down the stone pathway. It doesn't take us too long to get there. My usual leisurely pace having to match her quicker one leads me a little breathless.

Other people are on the field. They're scattered here and there, but the fact people are there puts a damper on my mood. It truly was a lucky day that I met Clancy alone. The fact that people are here don't deter Clancy however, and she pushes onward. The happier persona she's taking on seems to becoming more real. Her eyes are brimming with anticipation, as well as the darker emotions from before.

We stick to the outer field, near the goal, and stay far away from the other people. Grif shoots off of Clancy's shoulder and races towards the metal goal. "He-Hey!" I shoot a glance to the other students. None of them seem to care, but that could change in a second.

"Don't worry, I look like a bird." Grif tries to placate me. I stare at the griffon. Like hell they looked like a bird. Birds don't have four legs. They nestle onto the bar and look down to us. "You two get working on the teamwork exercises." Clancy nods and brings the paper up.

"First exercise- trust falls." Clancy drops the paper and then brings her arms up. As if beckoning me she motions her hands towards her chest. "We'll do trust falls, and with each one we can ask a question!"

I look down at the smaller girl. Clancy was at least three inches shorter than me and thinner. Would I knock her over if I fell? She beckons again. With a sigh I turn around. Unsure, I turn to look at her again. She looked prepared with her arms open and legs planted on the ground, but I still felt uneasy. As if sensing my apprehension she reassures. "I'll catch you, don't worry."

I want to fall, but my body doesn't move. I try to tip backwards, but my feet move underneath and stabilizes. Letting out a sigh, I throw myself backwards. The world tilts from green to blue and white. My head smacks against something and I stop falling. Fingers are gripped into my upper arms. Blonde hair tickles my face.

"Told you I would catch you." Clancy laughs, "but try to fall, not throw yourself next time." She releases her grip on me and I stand. I step away from her and let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Now you can ask a question," her voice is small.

"Why don't you ask," I don't want to mess up again. Brushing away thick brown hair from my cheeks, I await her question. She seems to be taking this seriously. She crosses her arms and sends a glance my way.

"Hobbies?" hobbies, that was a good question. I want to smack myself in the face, why couldn't I think of that.

"Robots." I think back to Mark ii the beautiful. My sweet, sweet robot that wasn't actually all that broken after our first fight. Clancy mouths the word and sends a look to Grif. They shrug and hop closer to me. Suddenly self-conscience I finger the Pigment. "I'm interested in the STEM field."

"STEM?"

"Science, technology, engineering, and math." I flex my bandaged fingers.

"Oh," Clancy kicks at the ground. "I'm interesting in painting." She laughs, more to herself, and looks up. "Obvious since I'm from the Land of Canvases." I smile and raise my arms.

"Why do you like painting?" It couldn't be just from living there, right? Clancy turns and hums.

"I just do. It's nice to sit down and pour your soul into something." Without warning she tips backwards. My heart lodges in my throat as I leap forward to catch her. She's light in my arms. Her body barely 'thumps' against mine before she stops. Compared to mine, hers is graceful.

"Yea." I agree with her statement. I felt similar with my robots. I face the other way and prepare to fall again. Knowing that she can catch me, I fall easier. She catches me with ease.

"How about… what do you hate?" I shrug and stand back up.

"Average things, liars the most." It was an odd question, but a good one too. I didn't have many pet peeves or anything that really bothered me. Except stupid rules and crowds of people. I mention those as well. Clancy giggles and turns around.

"I figured. When we met you said you can't follow rules." I almost drop her. My face heats up and I look away. Those words were going to come back and bite me. I knew it. I want to defend myself, but there's no point.

"Anyways," I try to steer the conversation away from my embarrassing statement.

"I think you know what I hate." Clancy's tone is bitter. She crosses her arms and bores holes into the ground. Monochrome and their group. It's obvious. "But I also dislike cowards." She purses her lips and tugs at her shirt.

"How ironic." A young woman's voice interrupts our conversation. Clancy's head shoots up and she looks wildly around the area. I too look. Across the field standing directly over the painted mascot is a tall woman. She's tall and looks like she can snap me like a twig. It's one of Monochrome's crew. Her very essence seems to dull the colors around her. She points towards us, dull broken bracelets clinking against each other. "Tessur told me you were here on this planet." She giggles to herself. "But I thought he was joking!"

Clancy moves to block me from view. She has one hand on her Pigment. Other groups on the field are taking notice now. One small group of girls are backing away muttering to themselves. Good, they seem to have common sense. On the other hand, and other side, another duo are walking towards the woman.

"Excuse me, miss you don't belong here." I can barely hear their shouts. Monochrome's lackey had a booming voice, so it was easy to hear her from all the way over there. The gray scaled woman looks offended. She places a hand on her chest and grins.

"I am Anneis of the Gray-Scaled Kingdom. I go wherever I feel like! I do whatever I feel like!" The woman claps her hands together and then raises them to the sky. "And I feel like raising a Dead-Color!" The girls that were approaching her are now backing away.

"Strip away your soul!" Anneis points her hands directly beneath her. Her gray hair begins to move in an invisible wind. Part of it is tied up in small pigtails, but most is left down. "Rise and be reborn! Dead-Color!"

Waves of gray blind me. The wave of instability washes over me, and in an instant it's over. I gasp for breath and try not to fall over. A stabling hand grabs my forearm and pulls me upright. "A Dead-Color." Clancy's persona has changed. She's now on the defensive.

The paint sprayed on the grass begins to bubble up. Anneis leaps out of the way and lands on the bleachers. She's superhuman like when we're Precure. She throws out an arm and lets out another booming laugh. "Be prepared! This one will certainly take your heads!"

The Dead-Color begins to rise. Exploding out of clumps of dirt a leg appears. Next appears the head. It's certainly larger than our regular mascot, a girl in a suit, and more and more of it is climbing out of its earthy prison. It's a large gray stallion. The Dead-Color flips its head and gives out a distorted horse whinny. Girls all around begin to scream and run away. It doesn't matter.

The color all around seeps away in an expanding circle. I watch in horror as the color seeps away from the fleeing students. One by one they fall to the floor. They curl in up on themselves and shiver. "What's happening?" I turn to Clancy.

"They're losing their emotions. You have to hurry." Grif is the one that answers. They fly down from the goal and flutter near us. "If you don't help them they'll remain like that forever!" The whole field is turned gray. Again.

Clancy grabs my hand and squeezes it. "Let's do this together." I gulp at her words and feel my heart beat wildly. We were going to fight again. I clamp my hand on hers and try to take a breath.

"Pretty Cure! Primer and Gloss!" We speak in unison.

The transformation feels different this time. Over my body I feel cool water rushing over my body, but my hand feels like its burning. I look over the Clancy and see burning energy bursting beneath her. I can only imagine that her hand feels like its freezing. We move simultaneously. With our free hands we press them to our chests. My crop top bursts forth in a bright blue light. Vermillion's shirt bursts forth in a bright red light. I feel like I'm floating. Our skirts unfurl next. I drift in the bright transformation and face Vermillion. She lifts her other hand and I grasp it. My body is on autopilot like the last two times. Our gloves unwind from our clasped fingers. The cloth rolls backwards and bursts into a ruffle for Vermillion. The crisscross pattern of mine forms at the same time.

We push away from each other, letting our hands unclasp. I stumble backwards. Each step I take back my boots erupt into existence. Vermillion's long thigh high boots flare into existence in synch with mine. Running my fingers through my thick brown hair I toss it up awaiting for it to change. The hair blends sky blue and folds itself into a braided wreath that nestles against the base of my neck. Vermillion flips her short hair up. It extends further and further back till its floating all around her. Starting from the roots her blonde hair turns cherry red. Like mine it folds in on itself and becomes the overly large braid that tumbles down her back.

"The color of retribution! Cure Vermillion!" Vermillion steps next to me.

"The color of the unforgiving earth! Cure Aero!" I press my back into Vermillion's.

In synch we point to the Dead-Color.

"The unifying hues! Color Hex Precure!"

The glittery and weightless feeling falls away. I'm suddenly very aware of my own weight. I stumble forward and look to Vermillion. She's already slid into a fighter's positon. I draw my gaze back to the Dead-Color. It stamps its hoof into the ground where it once rested and tears through the ground. "Get ready." Clancy warns.

She rushes forward in a red blur. I chase after her. The world blurs as its edge as we race towards the Dead-Color. Its discordant scream rumbles the ground. I stumble, still not used to this body. My knees skid over the grass and burn my skin. With a wince I rocket back up.

Vermillion is already attacking. She spins and tries to land a kick on the equine looking Dead-Color. Her leg cuts through the air, but doesn't land. The Dead-Color rears up effectively dodging. It drops its front hoofs and slams into the area where Vermillion once stood. She's rolls forward, beneath it. On her back now, she flips her legs up and kicks.

Her attack lands squarely on its underside launching the Dead-Color into the air. It's as if she doesn't need me. She pushes up and stands in the upturned dirt. The Dead-Color maneuvers helplessly in the air desperately searching for ground it won't find. I finally make it to her side. I copy the position she held earlier and ball my hands into fists.

It's falling down now. Its legs are flailing wildly. I dodge one of its limbs and launch backwards a foot. My feet dig into the soft dirt. Pushing off I sling an arm back. The Dead-Color is still disoriented, shaking its head. I punch it right in its muzzle. The Dead-Color's head snaps to the side. A loud crunch can be heard echoing.

Vermillion gives a cry. Suddenly, the head snaps back my way. I don't move quickly enough. It's overly large head slams into my body. Dull pain blossoms from my forehead. I flip into the air, once, twice, and then crash first face into the dirt. The pain isn't so dull anymore. I blink rapidly trying to disperse the black dots that hover. My head spins and is splitting. Vermillion calls my name.

I clamber to my feet and clutch my head. Besides her calling my name I can hear Anneis guffawing. I stumble to the left and blink away tears. I can hear something whistle through the air. Then someone lands by my side. "Aero, I'm sorry!" Vermillion sounds frantic. Her voice rings in my ears. The pain is beginning to dull; much quicker than if I was a human. I lower my hands and take a deep breath. Electricity is flowing through my veins again. My heart is ramming against my chest.

"Let's finish the fight." My voice comes angrier than intended. I can hear something thundering. The ground shakes beneath us. Looking up, I launch to the side. The Dead-Color rockets past. Its giant hooves shakes the ground with each step. Vermillion hurls herself towards the moving Dead-Color. Her body is a blur as she gets closer and closer.

The Dead-Color is running towards her, it lowers its head and goes even faster. I'm moving now too. The beast is upon her in seconds. It flings its head up and barely misses the dodging Vermillion. She compacts her body, dodging the beast by inches. Her knee slams forward into the Dead-Color's throat. With her force, the appendage sinks in. She's not done however, the moment her body starts falling back she slings her other leg up. Her foot connects at the base of its chin. I can hear the crunch from where I am. Its head snaps upwards as its whole body leaves the ground. Again.

The Dead-Color tumbles over itself, but lands on its hoofs a few feet away. This thing just won't go down. It shakes its head and lets out a loud whinny. It rears up. I stop running just shy of Vermillion's shoulder.

The ground quakes, splitting asunder. The ground tears in deep torrents, the center point being the Dead-Color. I stumble, but don't fall. The terrain is now uneven everywhere.

"It's weakened, just one final push." Vermillion yells. She leaps from large upturned earth to the next. I follow. The Dead-Color is running now. We're trailing behind it. I'm neck to neck with Vermillion. She reaches for her Pigment. "I'm going to stop it, you cleanse it." She shouts. She sounds out of breath. I nod and charge on ahead.

"The Pigment that blazes within the heart!" I can hear her chanting her spell. "Pretty Cure Vermillion Spiral!" The red ring of paint rushes past me. I can feel the breeze it creates against my sweaty skin. It bypasses the Dead-Color completely. Splashing against the gray grass a few feet away, the ribbons begin to bubble up. The Dead-Color doesn't have time to correct its course. It runs smack in the middle of Vermillion's attack. The ribbons wrap around the horse, tying its legs together. With a loud crash, it falls to the ground.

I already am calling my attack. "The Pigment that tranquilizes the heart!" I reach to the side for the pencil. I stop running and begin to write the code. "Pretty Cure Aero Recode!" I fling the code towards the now tied down Dead-Color.

With one last discordant whinny, color seeps back into our school's mascot. The grays turn darker till it's a charcoal black. The horse expands fighting against the ribbons of Vermillion's attack. Paint splatters across the whole area. I feel it splatter against my skin. It drips down my stomach and I hold in a shudder. Color is now seeping into the area meaning the area is repairing itself.

"Argh!" Anneis gives a loud shriek. She pulls at her pigtails and stomps her feet. "I can't believe it!" Her brown eyes are sharp as she glares at us. The damaged bracelets clink together as she sweeps an arm towards us. "Next time I'll make an even stronger Dead-Color! And it'll absolutely DESTROY you!" She leaps into the air and like Tessur teleports away. To where, who knows.

I feel my transformation ping away. Falling to my knees I survey the area. The girls from earlier are now sitting up. Some are wiping at tears and others are clutching at their bodies. Clancy grabs my shoulder. "Let's leave before they start asking questions."

I nod and let her lead me away.


Afterword: Hey chapter three. Yaaaay. Almost a thousand more words than usual. This chapter seemed kinda boring to me so I put a really long (and hopefully good) fight scene.

I want to say thanks to Heavy Lok for reviewing. It means a lot to me that you followed and gave me advice! I'll try to slow down on the detail, because even I noticed it was a lot lmao. I don't have a beta reader or anything so I'll look for one. Again, thanks for the follow!