Decided to start after Episode 24, rather than the planned 22.
PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Realm PC-10a
Mirai Asahina, Riko 'Izayoi', Kotoha 'Haa-chan' Hanami, and Mofurun were in the park together, enjoying a lazy summer afternoon. Just yesterday, they had finished turning the Asahina house/shop's attic into a bedroom for Haa-chan, prettying it up with some homemade jewelry as well. Of course, they'd also been worrying a little lately about the return of Yamoh, the assistant to the now-defeated villain Dokuroxy; he had been melded into his master during that final battle, so how had he returned, alive and ready to avenge the dark mage?
"U-Um, hello?"
The three girls looked up, while Mofurun went stiff and pretended to be a regular stuffed bear. There were seven kids, five girls and two boys, all around 10 or 11 in age – a girl with red eyes and long golden-blonde hair with a streak or two of orange in it, a green-eyed girl with black hair down to her upper back, a green-eyed boy with short black hair, a blue-eyed boy with somewhat-spike deep-red hair, a blue-eyed girl with shoulder-length pink hair, a red-eyed girl with long pink hair and two little blue ribbons, and a green-eyed girl with long red hair held in two big pigtails.
"Hi!" Mirai smiled. "Who are you guys?"
"We're looking for some people" the blonde girl replied. "We came to help them deal with a problem they're facing, but we've been having a bit of trouble finding them."
Before Mirai could say anything in response, there was a sudden chill in the warm summer air. Then, several shadowy 'pools' formed on the ground all around the group. The darkness bulged upward, forming into claw-tipped, muscle-toned arms, the limbs' owners soon following. Now, over a dozen Neoshadows surrounded Theta Team and the local group.
"Get back!" Laicixa told the three local girls as she and Erika summoned their Keyblades. "These things are dangerous, but we've dealt with them before. Just stay behind us."
"Damn…" Anya gritted her teeth. "How are we supposed to find and help this world's Pretty Cures if we have to worry about keeping these things contained, too?"
"It's the curse of Keyblade-wielders" Laicixa replied. "The Heartless will keep seeking us out and trying to destroy us so long as Erika and I wield these."
Mirai, Riko, and Haa-chan looked to each other in surprise, and then made their decision. The seven kids of Theta Team were caught by surprise as multicolored lights flashed and swirled behind them, turning in surprise just in time to see Cure Miracle, Cure Magical, and Cure Felice finish their transformations and get ready for battle.
"…Well" Timmy said. "Okay, then. That was easier than I thought."
"We'll explain who we are after we handle these things" Mariko told them, as the Neoshadows began to close in.
A Neoshadow leapt in, claws bared, and Erio moved forward and lashed out with a lightning-charged kick that launched the Heartless back with enough force to destroy it. As if that were the signal, the rest of the Neoshadows charged, and – considering they were up against seven experienced and powerful young fighters (two of them Keybladers) and three Cures – they got thrashed and quickly destroyed.
"So, now that that's out of the way," Cure Miracle said, "who are you guys?"
"Wait" Cure Magical spoke up. "We should find someplace where people are less likely to come across us, then share explanations."
"Good call" Laicixa replied. "You know a place?"
The three Cures de-transformed, and they & the animated teddy-bear led the kids to a quieter section of the park, amidst some trees, where Haa-chan conjured blankets for everyone to sit on. Laicixa cleared her throat, taking the lead in explaining the travelers' side of things.
"We represent the Dimensional Defense Force, a group of civilizations and people with various special powers from across the Realms, banded together to help, teach, and trade with each other, and to protect the multiverse from the forces of Darkness who threaten people and worlds. We already have three universes' Pretty Cure teams with us, and recently detected this world's team and three more worlds' Cures. We came here to help you girls against whatever dark forces you're up against, and ask if maybe you can help us against our foes as well. Consider our enemies' plans could threaten all of Creation…"
"We have access to special… 'footage'," Caro chimed in, "which will show you all the backstory and information you need, all while inside a magic pocket-Realm where only five hours will pass in the outside world even though inside it'll take days to get through everything. And while you're in there, you won't need to eat or drink or sleep or whatever, so you don't have to worry about that kinda interruptions."
"The DDF has a few specialist teams, whose members frequently see action either separate or together. We are Theta Team. I'm Laicixa, the team leader – 'Lai', for short."
"E-Erika" "Timmy" "Erio" "Caro" "Mariko~!" "Anya"
"I'm Mirai!"
"Riko"
"Mofurun!"
"I'm Haa-chan! Er, I mean, Kotoha Hanami."
"Hm?" Anya tilted her head.
"Haa-chan was originally a fairy," Riko admitted, "only about this big. She started out as a baby, then went through a few metamorphoses that ended up with her like this."
"I came up with the name so I could fit in amongst humans…" the pink-haired girl said, a little shy about it.
"What were those key-swords you girls had?" Mofurun asked. "They were brimming with Light magic."
"T-They're called Keyblades" Erika replied. "You'll, ah… u-understand once you've seen t-the footage."
"Why don't we get that done with first," Erio suggested, "and it'll probably answer most of the questions you girls have?"
"Well, we did tell my mom we wouldn't probably be back until evening…" Mirai replied.
"So, have you girls beat your 'Big Bad' yet?" Mariko asked.
"Recently, yeah" Riko replied. "His top henchman is still alive, though, and still creating monsters to send against us as he tries to avenge his master."
Erika and Mariko looked to each other. "H-Have you girls unlocked any big f-flashy group finisher?" the green-eyed girl asked. "Found e-everything you need to find, a-and answered every mystery regarding y-your powers or any of your pasts?"
"…No…" Haa-chan replied. "And, come to think of it, we're not quite sure how Yamoh survived or came back to life or whatever."
"Then sorry to say," Mariko said, "but I think your adventure's not over yet. You've probably got quite a bit more fighting to go before this world is safe." 'Plus, all the Pretty Cure seasons we've seen end around mid-Winter, and it's still Summer here; we've got about a half-series' worth of fights left, I'd guess…'
-Break-
When the 'footage' viewing was over, Riko was thoroughly stunned. Other 'systems' of magic with fundamental differences in construction, incantation, and execution; magic-based artificial intelligences built into high-tech magical weapons; broom-less magic flight like what she & Mirai could do in their Sapphire Forms; ki/chi/chakra, and the things it could do; Keyblades and Heartless, other Pretty Cures, these 'Pokémon' creatures that Mirai got super-excited about, artifacts and powers beyond what she'd ever imagined…
"…We've got to let the Headmaster know" she said. "We have to let him know we have help now. …We have so much help now… Like, whatever's coming, with these kids helping us we've got it in the bag…"
Mirai hurried over to Theta Team. "Can I see your Pokémon?" she clasped her hands to beg, stars in her eyes. "Pleeeease?"
"Lai and I don't have Pokémon yet…" Anya admitted, sounding disappointed.
"We're heading there to pick our partners after this mission" Laicixa put a hand on her shoulder.
Mariko went first, pulling out a Poké Ball and a Luxury Ball and letting out her Starly and her Pichu; the little bird flitted around and set down on Mariko's shoulder, while the juvenile Electric-type stood at her side, looking up at Mirai, Riko, & Haa-chan with a heart-melting smile. Caro went next, sending out her Charmander starter, her Swablu, and the Gible she'd caught just before they left the Poké-world; they gathered around her, though Swablu had to perch on her shoulder since the dragon-whelp Fried was sitting on Caro's head.
Erio tossed out a single Poké-Ball, and his Mareep hopped out and stood by his young trainer. Then, Timmy sent out his two Pokémon partners, his Chimchar standing beside him while his Voltorb rolled around a bit to stretch its nonexistent legs. Lastly, Erika pulled out five Poké-Balls, and let out each member of her team one at a time. Turtwig, Swablu, and Seel popped out first, then Wigglytuff bounced around a bit and waved hello, and finally Kira the Gardevoir emerged, stretching her arms and back a bit and then noticed the local girls, waving and smiling.
"Hi, there~" she greeted, to Mirai's mild surprise; she knew plenty of Psychic-types could 'talk' telepathically, but for this one to know how to speak with her mouth? Maybe she psychically 'copied' the knowledge & skill from her young Trainer's mind…
"Kira-san is pretty much going to be in charge of looking after us while we're here" Mariko explained.
"I've even got a human holo-disguise so I can be out & about with them" the Poké-woman added.
"All Gardevoirs have strong nurturing maternal instincts," Caro said, "but Kira-san's are strong even by her people's standards."
"Um, where are you guys gonna stay?" Mofurun asked. "I don't think Mirai's house has room…"
Anya grinned. "We asked Ms. Bulma from Goku's group if she could lend us, like, a couple of tents or something in a storage capsule. She gave us a little house!"
Laicixa pulled the unassuming-looking Capsule Corp capsule out. "It's not much – a small dining area & kitchen, a little den with a couch just big enough that all seven of us could squeeze in together (or six of us and Kira-san holding the seventh in her lap), and a bedroom just big enough to hold three beds, which is fine since we're all used to sharing. We just need to find someplace where a house popping up where there wasn't before won't raise too many eyebrows. Depending on where we end up setting 'camp', we may have to fit it with a Perception-Inhibition magic field…"
"Could any of you teach us that magic?" Riko asked. "Being able to make it harder for mundanes to consciously perceive us when we're flying around or the like would be really useful."
"We'll do what we can, but it's usually done with a bounded field set up to encompass a predetermined area, rather than something a mage can just carry around."
"We should contact the Headmaster soon" Haa-chan said. "He'll want to know about all this."
-Break-
The Headmaster had been shocked nearly speechless once he learned everything, especially that two of the new group's members wielded Keyblades, those legendary weapons of incomparable magical power… Still, he was happy to hear that the Cures now had so much help, and when pressed by Laicixa he admitted to the whole group that Cassie (the spirit that inhabited the crystal balls he & the Cures used) had foreseen a mighty dark power breaking free from its containment to stir up chaos and destruction (Mariko: "Called it"), telling everyone to be on guard.
Theta Team settled in, finding a spot to put their capsule-house and getting to know the local group better. It was quickly uncovered that while Laicixa had her Keyblade Glider and her Barrier Jacket, Erika had her Glider, Timmy was learning ki-based flight, Erio had his staff, Caro had Friedrich, and Mariko had her vector-wings, Anya didn't technically have a method of flight at her disposal – the broom she got from Meriadne Academy couldn't be shrunk down and would thus draw attention if she lugged it around, and so she left it at home and contented herself with solid-magic 'platforms' and with launching herself through the air with Fire magic. Haa-chan decided that simply wouldn't do (and Riko said the Vice-Headmaster would throw a fit if she heard about a young mage doing something so dangerous to get around), and used her magic to create a riding broom for the girl that could be magically shrunken down to keychain-size like hers, Mirai's, and Riko's.
"We really should ask Teana and her friends to teach all of us how to fly unaided when we get back…" Timmy mused.
A couple days later, Mirai's family took her, Riko, Kotoha, and Mirai's two friends Mayumi & Kana to the beach for a day of fun in the sun, with Laicixa discreetly following along. In her efforts to make the day enjoyable for everyone, Haa-chan got a little too crazy with her magic, failing to understand that "don't use magic where people can see" didn't mean she could use blatantly-obvious magic just because nobody was looking at her. Poor Mirai & Riko ended up running themselves ragged doing damage-control.
Then, Yamoh lured Kotoha into a nearby cave, trapping her against a Yokubal deep inside. Being told of how her actions meant to help everyone instead caused her two partners trouble, she tried to atone by fighting the monster alone, but was caught off-guard when the Yokubal began using the cave itself as a weapon against her. Fortunately, Cure Miracle & Cure Magical in their Sapphire Forms showed up just in time to bail her out, luring the Yokubal up through the cave roof and to the outside, where Laicixa was transformed and waiting to join in.
As the aerial battle commenced, Laicixa's Lighting-type attacks proved an advantage against the Yokubal's rock-based projectiles and strikes, letting her carve through with little difficulty, opening the way for Miracle & Magical to pummel the monster. Cure Felice's desire to help led her to manifest working wings, letting her take to the air and bash the Yokubal around some more. Finally, Miracle & Magical trapped and weakened it with Sapphire Smartish, allowing Felice to finish it off the Emerald Reincarnation. In the aftermath, Haa-chan apologized for going overboard with her magic, though she used one last spell to make it so everyone could enjoy fresh shaved ice with their lunch.
However, Kotoha ended up feeling haunted by the words Yamoh said to her: "So long as you carry the Emerald, I will keep on pursuing you". She took this to mean that just by being near Mirai, Riko, & Mofurun, she was putting them in danger. And so, after baking a batch of heart-shaped cookies, she snuck out early in the morning… not aware that Mofurun was tailing her. Once Mirai & Riko woke up and found Haa-chan's now-empty room and her note that simply said 'Thank you and goodbye', they immediately set out looking for her and also contacted Theta Team to ask them for help.
Unfortunately, Yamoh found Haa-chan first, turning himself into a huge, draconic Yokubal-monster with a cage-belly and capturing her inside, tainting her Linkle Smartbook with darkness so she couldn't transform (which she already couldn't do anyway because of her conflicted feelings over her decision to run away). Mirai & Riko showed up first, transforming into their standard Diamond Forms and engaging Yamoh's monster form. The beast proved to be more powerful than they'd expected, smacking the duo around, and Kotoha told them to leave her be and run, about how she tried to leave so that when Yamoh came for her and her Emerald Linkle Stone again they wouldn't get hurt because of her anymore.
Miracle & Magical told her that they didn't care how much they had to fight; they were not going to let Haa-chan be all alone and unprotected. They were her family, they loved her, and they weren't going to let anything tear them apart. The love and courage and warmth Kotoha felt awakened the Pink Tourmaline Linkle Stone's power, restoring her tainted Linkle Smartome and allowing its power to shatter the cage that held her.
As Cure Felice took to the field, the kids of Theta Team arrived to join the fray. As Yamoh prepared to breathe out a stream of corrosive Darkness, a thrown flaming chakram from Anya hit the side of his head, knocking his attack way off course. The damaged fountain still provided enough water for Erika to cast Suiton: Suikōdan, a pair of water sharks flying through the air and bashing into the monster, slashing at his scaly hide with their fangs as they hit. Yamoh tried to crush the heroines with his huge tail, but with a flash of pure-white flames, Caro summoned her White Dragonfire Sword, and the monster roared out in pain as his tail was severed; Anya then set the detached tail ablaze, just in case.
Yamoh breathed out a flame-like stream of Darkness, but Cure Felice used the Pink Tourmaline stone to form a flower-shaped shield that blocked the darkness, and then she launched it back at him, canceling out his attack and smacking him in the face. The beast tried to lash out with ensnaring tendrils of dark power, only for Timmy to leap in with short-sword wreathed in Lightning chakra, slashing them all away and clearing the way for Laicixa to toss Erika at the monster. Erika had a Rasengan ready, and the extra momentum let her slam the attack into Yamoh's upper chest, the grinding concussive blast blowing him backward and weakening him. Finally, the Cure Trio dealt the finishing combo-blow:
"PreCure: Diamond Eternal!" "PreCure: Emerald Reincarnation!"
Yamoh's 'death' cry echoed out, and as the dust faded all that remained were a bug-catching box and a single, non-magical lizard which quickly scurried away. In the aftermath, the three girls reaffirmed their bonds and promised to be together forever, and then hurried home. Unbeknownst to the group, a portly being with reddish-orange skin hovered high overhead, muscular arms folded and eyes focused on the lizard now scurrying behind a tree.
"All that wonderful malevolence and vengeance," the djinn murmured, "and yet he ends up like this. Ah, well. I guess 'magic' has its limits…"
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: the first hint of the real threat that the MahouTsukai Pretty Cure have to face…