Minami Kaido (currently Cure Mermaid) had expectations of the Crystal Clear Sea. She figured it would be clear with clear skies and gentle waves lapping beaches of white sand like her family's Hawaiian resort.

Yet, they found themselves under a blanket of gray skies with waves crashing against the shore crowned with thick heads of foam. The air was clammy with moisture and the thick smell of sea salt and rotting seaweed surrounded them. Said seaweed formed a border marking the extent of high tide.

It reminded her of moving from Miami to northern California to complete her doctorate at Standford and going from the tropical sunshine interrupted by the occasional thunderstorm to the seemingly constant stream of winter storms that struck the American Pacific Coast.

It was there Prince Kanata met her after a decade. While the reunion with him as well as her old schoolmates and fellow Precure was joyful, it was sadly brought about by urgent business. Hope Kingdom was once again under threat and in need of its legendary warriors.

It was strange to be back into her Precure persona. She had forgotten the power that coursed through her in this form. The outfit had changed little other than accommodating she was a woman in her mid-20's. Kirara Amanogawa (Cure Twinkle) probably had the most significant change: adding a bertha with gold stars embroidered into the cream-colored satin silk.

With Twinkle on her mind, Mermaid noticed she had been glancing suspiciously at her exposed midsection. "What?" Mermaid asked.

"I just never thought I'd see you rock a six-pack," Twinkle answered.

Mermaid flushed at this. There was the subtle definition of her ab muscles, the thin lines expected for a particularly fit woman. "I spend a few hours a day diving for my studies. It keeps you in shape."

"To think we'll be calling you Doctor Kaido by the end of the year," Twinkle mused. "Or would it be professor?"

"Doctor will probably be the more appropriate title," Mermaid answered.

"Marine exobiology, right?" Twinkle asked.

Mermaid nodded. "With a concentration on marine mammals.

"How has the fashion scene been treating you?" Mermaid asked.

Twinkle smirked. "As exhilarating as ever." Her expression then sank a bit. "And just as exhausting."

She fluffed her gold skirt and the cloud of purple petticoats under it. "The superpowers are great and all, but the thing I appreciate the most about being a Precure is that the outfit always fits perfectly. You wouldn't believe how much time I spend with my tailor for model shoots."

"I heard your working on a vintage line with your mother," Mermaid said. "I've seen some of the first designs, very sensible yet elegant."

"I used to love all the wacky designs you would see on the red carpet and catwalk," Twinkle said. "Then I had to try to wear them. My mother says fashion goes in cycles, so stepping back from the craziness is considered avant-garde."

"I like what I'm seeing." Mermaid preferred simpler fits to her dresses with the details being what made it stand out. There was a design for a mermaid-skirted gown in the line that had her eye.

Twinkle turned back to Haruka Haruno (Cure Flora) and Princess Towa (Cure Scarlet). "What about you, Haru Haru? How have you been bringing the world into bloom?"

The pink-clad Precure of Flowers looked up as Twinkle slowed enough to come abreast to her. "Oh, well, I'm now assistant manager of a flower shop. I've also done some work as an illustration model."

Scarlet turned to her. "An illustration model?"

"For books, I serve as the model for the artwork," Flora explained. "Yui got me some connections."

They faced forward to Prince Kanata leading them with Aroma, Puff, and Miss Shamour beside him. Seeing the two young fairies as adults in human form still needed time for Mermaid to adjust to.

"How has Prince Kanata been?" Flora asked, causing Mermaid to feel a faint sting to her heart. She looked back to the three cures.

"We've been trying to marry him off, especially with him approaching thirty," Scarlet answered. "There have been many suitors, but he shows no interest. I personally believe he has a certain girl in mind."

Flora's eyes widened as her gate stiffened. She turned to Scarlet, pointing to herself. "You don't mean me?"

Twinkle elbowed her. "Hey, this is your big chance. You've always wanted to be a princess, and the best way for a commoner to become one is to marry a prince."

"Though, you wouldn't be a princess for long," Scarlet said. "Once Katana is married, Father plans to step down for him to become king. So, his bride would become queen."

"Ka-ka-kakakakaka-queen?!" Flora stammered.

"Queen Haruka has a nice ring to it," Twinkle mused.

"And you would look so gorgeous in those gowns and presiding over the Queen's Court," Scarlet swooned.

"Let's just back this up to me marrying Prince Kanata!" Flora erupted.

Their conservation dissolved into Flora trying to wrap her head around the prospect and Twinkle and Scarlet trying to talk her up.

Mermaid turned back to the Prince of Hope Kingdom and quickened her pace to reach the pink-haired man. "Is it true you want to marry her?"

Kanata looked to her with an embarrassed smile. "Actually—" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box "—I was hoping to propose after this latest crisis is dealt with." He opened the box to show the gold ring with a diamond sitting in a flower-shaped holder.

He closed the box and returned it to his pocket. "The truth is, I found myself comparing my suitors to Haruka. She has that infectious enthusiasm and unshakable resolve."

"She would make a good companion and queen," Shamour said.

"I might have asked sooner," Kanata said, "but I wanted you to have a chance to live your own lives and dreams."

"That's understandable." Mermaid felt a pang in her heart. She wanted to change her subject. "About this new threat, you can't tell us anymore?"

"There's nothing else to tell," Kanata said.

Ships had started to disappear without a trace. Those that had returned claimed to be stalked by strange shapes during the day and lights at night lurking just below the surface. Sailors were refusing to go to sea, and rumors of sea monsters were spreading through the kingdom.

"Who would've guessed Hope Kingdom would have its own Bermuda Triangle," Mermaid commented.

Kanata frowned in confusion. "What triangle?"

"It's a region of the North Atlantic Ocean in my world," Mermaid explained. "It has a long history of ships and aircraft disappearing. The descriptions of U.S.O.'s just made me think of the legends of how aliens, sea monsters, and other paranormal phenomena sprung up from it."

"I didn't realize your world had such things," Miss Shamour said.

"The truth is not as fantastical," Mermaid said. "The region is subject to frequent hurricanes, doldrums in wind and current, seaweed, and lacks any landmasses."

"Wish we could explain what's happening as hurricanes or seaweed," Miss Shamour said.

Considering this world had an embodiment of despair itself, the more outlandish legends of the Bermuda Triangle could be the cause. "Has this ever happened before?" Mermaid asked.

Kanata shook his head. "No. Though, we know very little of the Crystal Clear Sea. Most of the islands are inhabited, but we know almost nothing about what lies below the waves. It never even occurred to us to explore it.

"What has me worried is this latest report is on shore," Kanata continued. "The disappearances and sightings had been well out to sea. If this thing is coming on shore, all of Hope Kingdom is in danger."

"Hence us being here," Mermaid said. "Don't worry, we got this."

She looked around. Aside from the crashing waves, the beach was peaceful. "Though, I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

The beach was abandoned…aside from a figure sitting on the end of a nearby dock with a fishing line in the water.

"Odd," Mermaid mused. "Who would be fishing in this weather with a supposed sea monster about?"

Twinkle ran past her. "Let's ask him?"

Twinkle ran onto the dock to the figure. With someone to compare it to, the figure was unusually large, being taller than Twinkle even though sitting and hunched over. "Hey!" Twinkle called to him. "We heard something is out here. You seen it?"

As Mermaid walked onto the dock, the figured turned to Twinkle. From under his hat, she saw it had a sharp muzzle. "Why yes," the figure said with sharp teeth. "I was the one who reported it."

"Really?" Twinkle asked.

The figure stood up, revealing its true height as it seemed to stretch to at least two and half meters tall, dwarfing Twinkle who stepped back. Mermaid suddenly realized how exposed they had made themselves by being on the dock.

"I'm in fact what you're looking for." The figure took off his hat to reveal his head was that of a seal. Judging by the shape of his head and spots on his throat, Mermaid figured he was a leopard seal. An eyepatch covered his left eye socket with a pink, linear scar coming out from under it above and below suggesting why it was needed.

Twinkle backed away as the leopard seal loomed over her. "A royal fairy?"

"Not like any I've ever encountered," Shamour answered.

Mermaid turned to see what she was dreading. Another pinniped creature stood at the base of the dock: a female California sea lion from the looks of it. She wore what looked like an old suit of diving armor with a red insignia on the breast and held a rifle-like weapon with a parabolic dish around the end of its muzzle. They had fallen into a trap.

Aroma turned to the beach. "Get the prince out of here-roma!" He transformed into his parakeet form and flew for the shore. Puff and Shamour also took their fairy forms and flew after him. Mermaid and the other Precure jumped, Flora princess carrying Kanata.

Their leap took them over the turbulent waters to land safely on the sand past the seaweed line. Just as they got their feet under them, the sand in front of them lifted in a massive hump. It fell away to reveal yet another pinniped in diving armor: a massive elephant seal—the northern species going by the size of his proboscis and the tusks protruding from his lower jaw. He dwarfed the other two, more than three meters tall and mountainous in his anthropomorphic build. A necklace laden with shark teeth hung around where his head connected to his body.

The elephant seal balled his hand into a massive fist and brought it down. Kanata lifted his staff to form a shield around them. He might as well have surrounded him in a soap bubble as the elephant seal's fist crashed through it without slowing to smash into the ground.

The impact both disintegrated the sand under their feet and caused it to explode around them. They were thrown back, needing to right themselves and land several meters away, forming a triangle with him and the two others. The fan shape of sand thrown up was expansive, giving the sense of the amount of power behind his fist.

The elephant seal tucked his necklace in his suit. He let out a deafening bellow and charged for them. Twinkle vaulted herself at him foot first with a far less impressive battle cry before Mermaid could think. She landed her kick, but sank into his belly to almost her knee. "What?!" Twinkle yelped.

The elephant seal flexed, sending Twinkle flying back. She flew over the others, screaming and landing clumsily in the sand behind them.

Flora turned back to Prince Kanata and the fairies. "Get Prince Kanata out of here while we handle this."

"But—" Prince Kanata started before the others pushed him away.

"Come on, Your Majesty," Miss Shamour said, "you can't distract the Precure with concern for safety."

Flora and Scarlet went at him next, charging at different angles. Mermaid went for the front. Scarlet and Flora vaulted into punches, but the elephant seal easily swept them away with his massive arms. With almost no interruption to his motion, he brought his fists together again where Mermaid would end up being. She stopped just in time to avoid them, but the concussion of their collision threw her back and knocked the wind out of her. It was all she could do to keep her feet under her.

Mermaid's chest heaved as she forced her lungs to take in air again. The elephant sea was quick in spite of his bulk. He brought an elbow into Scarlet's stomach as she jumped into another attack, sending her flying. In a split second he grabbed Flora out of her kick by her leg and tossed her away.

Melee was not going to work on him. Mermaid summoned her crystal princess rod and took out her ice key. "Ice," she said as she extended the teeth and inserted them into the end of the rod. A twist made the wings deploy for it to cast its energy. "Precure: Frozen Ripple!"

She held the rod above her head as a giant snowflake formed above it. It burst into a stream of ice balls at the elephant seal, coating him and encasing him in ice. He had managed to cross his arms in front of him before he was completely entombed and immobilized.

"Great work, Mermaid," Twinkle said.

Mermaid felt it was not over. The other two were standing there, smirking. Also, they seemed to not take interest in Prince Kanata escaping as he and the fairies were long gone.

A sickening crack of breaking ice ripped into Mermaid's ears, returning her attention to the elephant seal. Cracks formed in the ice with shards falling from the breaks. The ice exploded from the elephant seal, freeing him.

"I got this." Twinkle placed her luna key in her road. "Luna. Precure: Full Moon Humming."

A disc with the image of the moon formed. She jumped to kicked it towards the elephant seal. It shot towards him, kicking up sand to give a sense of the energy behind it. He threw a punch into it, shattering it.

"Let's try together," Mermaid suggested.

They inserted the bubble and shooting star keys. "Precure: Bubble Ripple."

"Precure: Meteor Humming," Twinkle said at the same time.

An onslaught of bubbles and shooting stars streamed at the elephant seal. He shielded his face with his arms as he charged at him. He closed the gap in deceptively little time, wrapping an arm around each of their waists.

He leapt into the air, twisting back with them pointed headfirst into the ground. Mermaid braced as best she could for being embedded headfirst into the sand. Between being buried to her chest and the impact, her ears rang and her head throbbed. She did not remember being a Precure being such a painful experience.

She extracted herself from the sand and helped Twinkle pull herself out. "This is crazy," Twinkle grumbled. "It's like trying to fight a tank."

Mermaid looked up to a scream in time to see Flora flying backwards towards her. She caught her and put her on her feet.

"Thank you," Flora said. "Are we getting slow in our old age. I don't remember struggling this much against Dys Dark."

"He's stronger than any of the dusketeers or zetsuborg, that's for sure" Twinkle said. "And did you see how easily he broke Kanata's shield? He might be stronger than Queen Dyspear herself."

"He must be a beach master," Mermaid said. "The strongest elephant seal bulls defeat all their challengers to control whole sections of beach."

"Would explain his fighting prowess." Twinkle smirked. "We might have an actual challenge."

Mermaid did not share in Twinkle's bravado. She again looked to the other two standing next to the dock. He was just one of these creatures. Their technology suggested they came from a full-fledged society. She did not want to know what the gun the sea lion was carrying was capable of if a people with this kind of physical power felt a need for it.

Scarlet swept her leg low to try to trip him. She knocked his foot out from under him and grabbed him by the back as he toppled. He kicked to tumble back to his feet with her clinging to his back. He was just so large and limber, he refused to go down. He grabbed Scarlet off his back and threw her into the crowd.

Flora caught Scarlet. "These creatures are terrorizing my kingdom," Scarlet growled and Flora set her down. "They can't go unanswered."

She summoned her violin and inserted her fireworks key. "Precure: Scarlet Flame!"

She shot a ball of fire at the elephant seal. He was nonchalant in swatting it away.

He jumped into the air, amazingly high for his bulk. Mermaid grabbed Flora to get her away. She saw Twinkle and Scarlet summon Full Moon Humming and Scarlet Illusion before he landed on them.

Even for his mass, the eruption of sand was incredible. Despite being several meters away, Mermaid and Flora were caught in the shockwave, thrown forward into the sand.

Mermaid did not even want to look back, but had to. The elephant seal pushed himself off the ground and to his feet. Twinkle and Scarlet lay embedded in the sand. Their groans confirmed they were at least alive.

"And that's enough," the leopard seal said. "You've had your fun, Eliot! We're here on business!"

"Fine," the elephant seal, apparently named Eliot, snarled.

He grabbed Twinkle and Scarlet by their legs and threw them towards the sea. The flew hundreds of meters before disappearing below the waves.

Before Mermaid could react, he had her and Flora and threw them to the ocean. She sailed helpless through the air before gravity overcame her forward momentum to pull her into the water, sinking below the turbulent waves. Mermaid was in her element, being a better combatant in the water. The others, however, were more or less helpless underwater, holding their breath and trying to right themselves.

Mermaid turned back to a sense of something approaching. The pinnipeds had boarded some kind of open vehicle, heading for them. The leopard seal threw a pair of objects at them.

Mermaid swam away before the two discs took up position on either side of the others. It formed a sphere around them and filled it with air. The captive cures banged at their spherical prison to no avail.

"Alright, you asked for it." Twinkle took out her princess perfume. "Engage: Mode Elegant!"

"Wait, Twinkle!" Flora tried to stop Twinkle, but her skirt exploded into its ballgown form, filling much of the bottom half of the sphere and pressing Flora and Scarlet against the sides.

"I guess I should've thought that through." Twinkle looked to the two other cures pinned her dress.

Eliot and the sea lion came up and pulled the sphere by the handles of the disks down onto the bed of their vehicle. Clamps reached up to secure it. Similar spheres encased the three pinnipeds heads, likely to provide them air.

The leopard seal turned back to them. "So, these are the legendary Precure. I must say I'm not impressed. It was too easy to capture you: all one, two, three, f—"

He stopped and stared at the captive cures. "Where's the blue one?"

Mermaid used his moment of confusion and being blind to his left side to land a kick to his side.

"Yeah!" Twinkle cheered. "No one can beat the princess of the Crystal Clear Sea in the water."

The leopard seal grabbed his side. "Opportunistic eel. Eliot, Cali, get her!"

The sea lion, named Cali, and Eliot swam after Mermaid.

Mermaid was like a guided torpedo in the water, almost effortless motions sent her sailing through it. She smoothly turned around to face the two. She went for the sea lion, hoping her to be the easier opponent.

As she approached, Cali shifted to the side, letting her sail past. She then brought her knee up into Mermaid's stomach, taking away her momentum. Stopping for a split second was all she needed to punch Mermaid in the face. Although it was not as powerful as one from Eliot, it still sent the world spinning.

Mermaid righted herself and shook out her head as her ears rang. Eliot and Cali loomed over her.

She took out her princess perfume. "Exchange: Mode—"

Cali kicked her perfume from her hand. Eliot grabbed it.

"Princess of the Crystal Clear Sea, eh?" Cali mocked.

Eliot had Mermaid's attention. He tightened his grip on her perfume. She could hear the crystal and metal straining against his fingers.

"Call yourself whatever pretty title you want," Cali said as the sickening sound of crystal glass cracking reached Mermaid's ears. "But at the end of the day, you're just another interloper."

The perfume shattered in Eliot's grasp. Mermaid was ripped away from Minami, her hair and outfit resuming their natural forms. However, it was losing whatever allowed her to not need air that was the most pressing. She swam towards the surface.

It seemed as if the surface was rising higher more quickly than she could swim. Every stroke sapped strength from her as what oxygen was in her system dwindled. Her chest screamed for a breath she could not take. She resisted with every fiber of her being. However, something broke. She drew in a breath only to take in water. Her consciousness faded as her chest filled with water.


Flora watched, paralyzed in horror, as Minami resumed her normal form and swam desperately for the surface. As she went limp, bubbles escaping her mouth and she floated there motionless, it took a few seconds for Flora process what she just witnessed.

"Mi," Flora whispered before screaming, "MINAMI!"

Her scream sounded distant in her ears as she seemed detached from the world. It barely registered to her that the pinnipeds were quick to reboard their vehicle and take them downward, saying something about getting out of there before "they" arrived.

She could not believe it. Minami Kaido, her friend, her princess, was dead. She could think of nothing else as she and the others were carried into the inky depths.


The keys of the Crystal Clear Sea's princess surrounded Minami. She was still alive, but barely with little time left. Without the princess perfume, they could not transform her into Cure Mermaid. However, they had the power to save her life. They cast their energy on her body, hoping it was enough in time.