All-Stars Lucky 7th 4 - (JJBA 7th Stand User x Precure All Star F)
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Reaching the Oasis proved to be a blessing. While it is true that my experience in Egypt had made me somewhat better-accustomed to walking across deserts, that didn't mean I was above-human in regards of some of my own needs.
The water procured by the green patch of heaven was indeed fresh and delicious, and it was... where we also met another girl. And Pretty Cure.
Hanadera Nodoka (Cure Grace) had somehow made the trip to this oasis on her own.
...
How?
I mean, it makes some sense if what she said was true- that she woke up very close to the oasis, hence why she could see it and make it here but... maybe I was overthinking it. After all, ever since I got to this place and met those girls, I can't help but feel a lot of the classic rules of engagement regarding hostile Stand Users don't apply anymore.
Maybe it was because I had killed DIO. Maybe it's because I had eliminated any potential foe from that side of my 'home' that didn't make it here. It was just me, the girls as they were now chatting with Laura since she got in the water and proved she was a real mermaid and... Puca.
The little bunny 'mascot' was someone that I had planned to talk with for a while now. And right as the girls were busy chatting and I had the little one sitting on my lap, I turned my eyes down to look at her.
"So, how are you, Puca?"
The bunny twitched, then looked upward to glance back at me.
"Puca."
I couldn't understand her, but I could tell it was something like 'good'. "I am glad to hear that. Did you get some water?"
She nodded twice. "Puca."
"So... do you think that these three will remember we exist?"
She shrugged and... plopped against my chest. I carefully reached to pat her head and she actually leaned to my palm. A tiny smile appeared on her face and it made me smile back. Yet, I used this opportunity to tackle a thought I had on the situation. How I could explain how I ended up here, but Puca, a 'mascot' without a Precure, was the only one here that stood out as a piece of this puzzle - one that led to reveal who had caused this odd situation for the other girls.
"I know that it sounds a bit sudden, Puca, but... are you aware of who is behind what is going on?"
My question saw the mascot tensing up and looked at me with a surprised look.
"A-And before you misunderstand, I know you are not the cause of this. I can tell you are a sweet and nice bunny, but I... knowing what we may end up facing could help in the long run. I don't wish to press it if you-"
"Puca," She hummed while nodding, and I paused.
"You... know them?"
Another nod. "And do you think they are strong?"
Two nods, that didn't sound like an exaggeration.
"Well... when we find them, then I can promise you that they will not hurt you," I assured to the mascot, hugging her again. "And I am not the kind of guy that let's someone get hurt by some bad people. Got it?"
Nuzzling on my chest, the bunny nodded. "P-Puca."
"And, once this is all over... you could tag along with me," I pointed out. "Like, I am not sure I'll go back home but... it's not like I am going to let go of you after this is all over. We are sticking together from now on, because you are my friend."
I had no guarantee I would be back to Cairo by the end of this. Or Japan. Hell, I don't know where we were going to end at our destination, but that didn't mean that everything was truly lost. We would still keep living and, while I am unsure if Pucca came from somewhere else than this place, I knew that I wasn't going to let her live alone and that I would keep her company to the very end.
Surprise flashed from her pink eyes. "Puca?"
I smiled. "I promise this to you on my life."
Her lips twitched, tears forming at the edge of her eyes and-
"Pucaaa-bwaahaahhh!"
She bawled her eyes out against my shirt.
"N-Now, Puca. There's no need to cry about it. Come on, a smile- show me a smile or- I-I don't know!"
The two of us struggled a bit more between crying, panicking, hugging and...
The girls now taking the chance to get pictures of us with their phones (what a fascinating technological development!), muttering things like 'they are so funny together' and 'kawaii~!' - all but one of them.
Kasai Amane glanced at her fellow Precures gushing over the sight of the only boy of the group interacting so cutely with the odd mascot he carried around.
In her mind, it was just as adorable, but it wasn't the detail of that interaction that stuck to her. No, Amane had been listening to these two for far longer than the rest of the girls, and she had a few more concerning thoughts to entertain. First of all being that Puca was indeed implicated in what was going on - sure, she wasn't the main cause, but she knew the main perpetrator and... this one had scared her away.
Further introspection highlighted how the bunny had 'ran away' to the desolate area where most of the group first met, and it was such a desolate place to be that... the monsters being there meant that they weren't trying to ambush them- they were looking for Puca.
Why?
Well, Amane had a few ideas. Mascots were, without a doubt, far from 'squishy' things as some Precures gain their powers through their mascots, and there was a chance Puca was something of the kind - a 'battery' for a transformation. Which, in turn, would mean that there was a potential 'evil Precure' around for them to be wary about.
Not in their group even though Nodoka felt like a possible option. No, she wasn't... evil. As much as Amane wanted to disrust their newest member, she hardly behaved like someone unworthy of trust and behaved like a proper 'sillyheaded precure'. No, this has to be something else - a precure with a different attitude compared to the rest.
Then there was the fact her memories of before waking up were fuzzy but... were there.
She thought that it had been a sudden shift within her sleep, but Amane could recall an event had occurred before waking up in this odd place. And that it had to do with something dangerous. Something that, by all means, could have been Puca. Maybe or... maybe not.
Further thinking dissuaded her from seeing Puca as this 'scary monster' as she looked more like a victim. Maybe she was 'part' of the monster, and that's why the minions were looking for her.
As Amane continued to hit her head on tall walls since she was working on little information and a lot of conjectures, the other girls started to discuss about something and soon they all turned to her.
"A-Amane-san?" Mashiro asked, the pinkette's voice pulling her out of the thoughts about a potential scary foe in the near future.
"Hm?"
"We were talking about guardianship for Puca," Laura replied formally, which caused the others to frown. "What?"
"Y-You're making it feel like we are thinking about who should adopt a child," Nodoka pointed out, and Mashiro nodded.
"And? Is it not?" Laura pushed back, turning to Amane. "Still, the girls and I were thinking if Takkun should truly claim Puca as part of his family. I think he is good enough for that but-"
"Puca is a mascot, so maybe she already has a Pretty Cure," Mashiro argued and... Amane frowned. "Y-You don't think so, Amane-san?"
"If she had a Pretty Cure, then she loathes her. Have you not seen how she reacts around us? It feels like she is genuinely afraid of us since we are pretty cures and... I think it's possible we may be facing an Evil Precure."
This admission alarmed the trio, and they shared confused looks over it.
"It kind of makes sense," Laura hummed in agreement. "Since Puca is somewhat involved in this situation, maybe her Pretty Cure is a bad person and has abused her powers."
"That would be horrible," Mashiro squeaked in dread, while Nodoka looked furious at the idea.
"And we would have to keep Puca away from that mean jerk. Still, how do we know that it's a pretty cure that is evil?"
"We don't. I can only assume that's possible, but as more time passes, I feel like some fuzzy fragments of what happened before I got here got to me - I think we were... all fighting something," Amane replied, eyes turning away. "And if that's the case, then it is also possible the leader of those monsters may have used Puca to fuel its powers. And that they are strong enough to not only keep up with several Pretty Cures, but also beat us in the process."
Once more, a rather dreadful possibility and-
"Man, that's spoopy," Laura flatly remarked, then smiled. "Can we go back talking about my cute future husband?"
"W-Why would you think Taki-san is going to become your husband?"
"Because he is cute, obviously!"
Amane huffed. While she was quite sure she was the most serious member of the group, followed by Taki and Puca, she couldn't help but accept that things could have gotten far worse.
Especially if she ended up stuck with some of the more lunatic girls she knew were part of the Precure as a whole.
AN
Takkun adopts Puca. Amane ponders on their current threat. Nodoka and Mashiro think on Puca picking 'dad' and not 'a mom'. And... Laura needs to chill down a little bit- sure, she is a future mermaid queen and she prefers to pick personally her future hubby, but this may annoy someone - specifically a certain bunny mascot - in the long run.