Hello Fanfiction readers! Ashbel Longhart back to bring you, people, the next chapter of A New Legend! After being gone for six months, I'm am back to begin the second arc of this story. So sorry for the long wait people, I've been finding myself getting distracted a lot lately, that and me working on my other stories, but I am here to ease you Rider and Cure fans. Now, before I continue any further, cue disclaimer!
(Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider Kuuga or Futari wa Pretty Cure. They both belong to their respective owners. I just own this story and my OC's.)
Now then, let's do a recap: Last time Dai and the girls successfully defeated the Dark King, but were immediately beset by Daguva himself who though his actions caused Dai to go berserk in his Ultimate form. On a rampage, he and Daguva cause chaos and destruction all over the Garden of Light. But when it seems all hope is lost, the grandfather of all Kamen Riders appeared himself, KR Ichigo! With his help, as well as some assistance from the Queen, the girls were able to bring their friend back to his sense and have returned to Earth, only to hear that a new threat is rising. These guys just can't catch a break.
Alright, with the recap over, its time to get this show on the road as well as for the others to face their new enemy. Oh! And before I forget, enjoy the new opening I've prepared for this arc. Now, let's get started. Chou Henshin!
Ride 26: A New Darkness Closes In! The Semi-Final Gegeru Begins! Save the Lost Pollun!
(One Year Ago)
"Zzzzzz..."
Minori smiled to herself as she looked at all the slumbering children sleeping soundly. Quietly closing the door, the woman makes her way to the kitchen to get herself something to eat only to find Dai sitting at the table eating a sandwich.
"Oh! So this is where you were."
"Yeah. I hope you don't mind me eating, I was a bit hungry," Dai said, holding up the sandwich had just made.
"No, it's fine. After all the help you've done, I'm more than willing to spare a few pieces of bread," Minori said as goes and brews herself some coffee.
"So the kids are all sleeping, right?"
"Yes, thanks to you," Minori said as she sat down next to the boy. "The story you told was quite entertaining. The kids were knocked out in minutes."
"Well, this isn't my first time handling kids," Dai said, scratching his cheek a little.
"So you've told me," Minori said, having heard from Dai how he helped his uncle's orphanage. "Still, you have an amazing way with kids."
"My uncle said the same thing to me," Dai said with a small smile.
Minori smiled again at that before asking, "So, what's your secret? I've known those kids for quite a while and you're the first person they've grown attached to so quickly."
"My secret?" Dai raised an eyebrow before he crosses his arms and hums to himself. After a minute of humming to himself, he looks back up at Minori, smiles, and says...
"Well..."
(One Year Later)
It was a calm day in the city of Wakaba. The skies were still blue and filled with clouds, cars and trucks drove down the streets to get to their destination, birds chirped from their trees or flew around, and the waters from rivers flowed downstream. Yes, it was a completely normal day.
But amongst this quiet time, something was stirring. No, it would be better to say something was being born.
Down amongst the river banks, the flowers and grass all started to whither away at a rapid pace. The source? An unknown seed which was beginning to sprout. But it wasn't a flower that was forming. Nay, it was something else, something dark.
"Well..." Bearing witness to this skeptical, Daguva smiled to himself as he watched the 'seed' giving birth. "This should be interesting."
Finally finished, what had come from the seed stood up and let out a silent scream. Daguva himself continued to smile as he announced to those listening...
"Let the semi-finals of the Gegeru...begin!"
(Insert RISE by MADKID)
(Instrumental) The song starts as the sun begins to rise over the horizon, casting its light over the city. Over on top of the tallest building in the city, three figures can be seen standing, looking towards the sunrise.
(Oh oh oh oh oh oh~! Oh oh oh oh oh oh~!) As the sun rises higher and higher over the city, we soon see that the three figures were none other than Dai, Nagisa, and Honoka, all transformed as they looked over the city protectively.
(Hikari mitsuketa kuuhaku no jikan) We first see scenes of Nagisa playing lacrosse with her friends on the lacrosse team. Sweat drops fly off of her as she catches the ball with her lacrosse stick before throwing it. Off to the side, Mepple is seen sleeping inside of Nagisa's bag, dreaming about eating various foods.
(Mayoikonda chuuzuri no sekai) Honoka is seen in the lab with her friends in the science club. The girl mixes a vial of chemicals in her hands while the others watch with anticipation. A puff of smoke erupts from the vile, and the girls sigh in relief when that's all that happened. In the corner, Mipple watched nearby from within her carrier, looking on with interest.
(Shinjirareru kotae sagashimotomete) The scene transitions to Dai playing soccer with the rest of the soccer team. After scoring a goal, Dai switches with someone else and goes over to the bench, grabbing a water bottle. However, just as he's about to take a sip, he gets a phone call from Ryō. Answering the call, Dai's expression turns serious.
(Tada samayotteru) [Yeah] Nodding his head, Dai ends the call and runs off, running towards his TryChaser 2000. Getting on the bike, he revs up the engines and drives off. This doesn't go unnoticed by both Nagisa and Honoka as they stop whatever they were doing and race off to follow after the Rider.
(Yubi no sukima nigeru light, Yosomi shiteru hima mo nai) The scene changes again to show Ryō along with the other men of the Special Investigation team, all running around as they all armed themselves and got into their respective cars, racing down the road to the scene of the crime.
(Uketa kizuna ato sae kate ni, Seijaku kirisaiteku) Darkness overtakes the scene as the Seeds of Darkness, Juna, Regine, and Belzei Gertrude all appear, glaring menacingly at the screen before all three of them get sucked into a portal and a shadowy form appears to replace them.
(Dare mo kare mo Dead or alive, Mamoru dake ja Can't survive) In an abandoned warehouse with flickering lights, the Grongi consisting of mostly the Go Tribe appear, their forms flickering between their human and Monsters forms in tandem with the lights.
(I don't wanna lie to myself) With Baruba and Dorudo at his sides, Daguva walks up, smiling as always as he raises his hand and sends out a blast of fire that momentarily blocks the screen.
(Keep on the fight, get right, I'll never lose and cry) Skidding the bike to a stop, Dai quickly takes off his helmet and gets off his ride as he faces off against the Go Tribe which were accompanied by the Seeds of Darkness and a small army of Zakenna.
(Keep run up day and night, Time to rewrite) Just as Dai was about to summon the Arcle, both Nagisa and Honoka finally catch up with the Rider, appearing by his side with their Lovely Communes in their hands. Behind them were the Special Investigation Team as Ryō and the others all aim their guns at the Dark Zone and Grongi.
(No matter what anyone say I find my way) Dai looks at both the girls who give him encouraging smiles before the three nod at one another and ready their respective transformations.
(Yeah, never go away) In a bright flash of light, Kuuga followed by Cures Black and White all leap out of the light and towards their enemies.
(Never go away) Both sides charge at one another and at the same tie Dai throws the first punch, Ryō fires his gun and the fight begins.
(Now, nobody can't stop me no way) With both his hands and feet covered in flames, Dai throws a barrage of punches and kicks at any Grongi and Zakenna that get to close to him before coming to deadlock with the leader of the Go Tribe, Go-Gadoru-Ba, whose eyes briefly flash gold.
(Wasurete shimau koto no nai you ni) With their backs to one another, both Nagisa and Honoka punch, kick, block, and throwback any Grongi and Zakenna that attacked them before coming face to face with the Seeds of Darkness.
(Nakushita mono subete torimodosu tame) Over with the Investigation Team, Ryō and the others fought with their guns and bravery, not backing down against such overwhelming odds until Ryō comes face to face with Baruba. The two have a staredown as Ryō aims his gun at Baruba who simply stares back, her expression unreadable.
(Rise suddenly in this world) [I don't look back yeah] In a flash of golden lightning, Dai assumes his Rising Mighty form while the girls equip their Rainbow Bracelets. Now ready, the trio stands up against Daguva in his Imperfect form.
(Kurikaesu tabi no hate) Taking the lead, Dai charges at the Grongi leader, throwing lightning-fast punches which Daguva simply guards against before punches Dai back.
(Nouri ni nokotta shippai nante) The girls jump in this time to try their luck, they both attack in perfect sync as Nagisa's right eye and Honoka's left eye briefly flash gold.
(Zenbu torikaese ima Turn over) In a show of strength, Daguva pushes the girls away before a tornado envelops his entire form. With a swing of his arm that disperses the tornado, it reveals Daguva now in his Perfect form as the entire area is suddenly enveloped in flames.
(Rise suddenly in this world) [I don't look back yeah] Seeing the sight of Daguva at his full strength, anger seems to ignite from Dai as with a roar, darkness soon envelops the Rider as he transforms into Kuuga's Ultimate form.
(Oh oh oh oh oh oh~! Oh oh oh oh oh oh~!) The scene changes to a bright morning day, the sky bright blue with few clouds in the sky. Dai stands on top of a small hill looking up at the sky as Nagisa down below looks up at the Rider with worry. Turning around, Dai gives Nagisa a smile, but this only seems to worry the girl even more as she quickly runs up to the Rider and grabs him by the arm in desperation. As soon as she does this, the scene returns back to the battle as Nagisa tries to grab Dai's arm, but fails as the Rider charges forth, both he and Daguva meeting in the middle as they both throw a flaming punch at one another and just as both attacks connect, a bright flash of light blinds the screen and the song comes to an end.
(Garden of Light, Throne Room)
"Mepo/Mipo/Popo?" Mepple, Mipple, and Pollun all spoke up in confusion as they plus the Elder look up at the Queen of Light in confusion.
"Seeds, you say?" The Elder repeated in confusion.
"Yes," The Queen nodded. "Mepple, Mipple, if you recall, just before the Dark King's defeat, he split himself into seeds."
"That's right-mepo/mipo!" Both fairies exclaimed, remembering their fight against the Dark King. They had been so caught up with rescuing Dai and the restoration of the Garden of Light, which was now healed as good as new if one were to simply look outside, that they had completely forgotten what had occurred with the Dark King in the Dark Zone.
"With the Garden of Light now restored, I have had time to locate these 'Seeds of Darkness,'" The Queen said before frowning. "They are in the Garden of Rainbows; on Earth."
"That means..." Both fairies gasped, realizing that their friends, which they had sent back to Earth in order to recover, were in trouble!
"While on Earth, the Seeds will absorb the nourishments and will soon sprout. When they do, I fear what they will do when they take root."
"It's a terrifying thought..." The Elder said, sharing his ruler's fears.
"My Queen! Please send Mipple and me to the Garden of Rainbows-mepo!" Mepple pleaded. "If there's anyone who can stop these 'Seeds of Darkness' it's the Pretty Cures-mepo!"
"Please, Queen-mipo!" Mipple pleaded as well. If these 'Seeds of Darkness' were really on Earth, then she and Mipple had to reunite with their respective partners!
"That was my intention from the beginning," The Queen said. "But you will not be going alone."
"Mepo/Mipo?"
"Pollun," The Queen addressed the third fairy in the room. "Go to the Garden of Rainbows and assist the Pretty Cures."
"EH!?" All three fairies cried out in surprise.
"Pollun, you may not have realized it yet, but you possess a great power within you," The Queen said. "That power, it will surely be of use to everyone. And that power of yours shall guide the way to our future!"
"Popo?" Pollun simply tilted his head, still somewhat confused.
"Mepple. Mipple. I leave Pollun in your care."
"Y-You can count on us-mepo!" Mepple said with Mipple nodding in agreement.
"Now, go forth! Chosen Hero, Mepple!"
"Mepo!"
"Princess of Hope, Mipple
"Mipo!"
"Prince of Light who will guide the way to our future, Pollun!"
"Popo!"
(Now)
"And that's why we're here-mepo," Mepple said, finish telling Dai and the girls why he and the others were here.
"I see," Dai said as he looked out the window of the hospital room he was in. "So these Seeds of Darkness are somewhere in this city..." Dai made a mental note to tell Ryō about this later.
"I kinda get it, but I also kinda don't..." Nagisa said from her bed.
"In other words, it means it wasn't the end, was it?" Honoka said as the fight against the Dark King came to mind. Even though they managed to defeat him, the fight still wasn't over yet.
"That's right," Mipple nodded before a look of concern formed on the fairy's face. "How are you two, by the way-mipo?"
It's been half a week since the faires arrived back on Earth. During that time, both Nagisa and Honoka have regained consciousness and were told what had happened and why the fairies were here.
"We're fine, for the most part," Nagisa said, touching the bandages wrapped around her head.
"Tsubaki-san said that we could leave tomorrow if nothing else is wrong," Honoka said, having bandages of her own wrapped around her head.
"That's good to hear," Dai said, dressed in short brown cargo pants and a red polo shirt with Kuuga's logo stitched into the breast pocket done by Dai himself.
"Still, it's worrying to know that there's a new threat out there," Nagisa commented as she looked out the window. If the fighting was far from over, then she was glad she had Dai help her finish her summer homework. One less thing to worry about.
"Don't worry! Now that I'm here everything'll be all right-popo!" Pollun spoke up...from the other side of the room.
Both Nagisa and Honoka blinked in confusion at the prince before Nagisa spoke up.
"Um...any reason why you're all the way over there?"
"He's just afraid of Dai-mepo," Mepple said.
"Afraid?" Honoka repeated. Why would the fairy be afraid of Dai?
"I mean, I don't blame him," Dai said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I did kind of trash him home a little when I was in Ultimate."
"Ah!" The events of what happened at the Garden of Light came to the girls' minds. Saying that the Rider wrecked the garden 'a little' was putting it mildly. While it was good to hear that no one got seriously injured or died during Dai's rampage, no doubt the residents of the Garden had a newfound fear of the Rider as evident by how Pollun was acting.
"Honestly, stop being so scared and come over here-mipo," Mipple said to the prince in a tone akin to either a mother or a big sister.
"I'm not scared-popo!" Pollun said but still did not come closer to the group.
Mipple sighs to herself before turning to Dai. "I'm so sorry about this, Dai-mipo."
"It's fine," Dai waved it off, fully understanding why the fairy prince was so wary of him. "I don't blame him for acting like that. I'm sure anyone would be scared if they saw what I did."
"Dai!" Suddenly, Nagisa spoke up before reaching out to grab Dai's hand, much to his surprise as Nagisa stared right into the Rider's eyes. "Dai...what happened at the Garden of Light...that wasn't you."
"Nagisa-chan..." Dai stared at the girl in surprise before an appreciative smile developed on his face. "Thank you."
From the side, Honoka and the others watched the two with amused smiles. While Honoka didn't wish to interrupt, it was best not to keep the Rider here all day. After all, it wasn't just the Seeds of Darkness they had to worry about.
"Ahem!" Honoka spoke up which snapped her two friends back to reality. A small smile made it's way to the girl's face when she caught the two blushing before turning to the fairies. "Anyway, I'm glad to see you guys again."
"Me too. I thought we'd never get to meet again-mipo," Mipple said. After all, with the Garden of Light restored, their initial mission was now over. Even if it was in response to a new threat, Mipple was glad to be reunited with Honoka.
"You'll be looking after us again from now on-mepo," Mepple said.
"Uso(No way)..." Nagisa said, not liking the sound of that.
"Oh come on, don't be shy! You know you missed me-mepo!" Mepple said in a smug tone. "I bet you had many restless nights just thinking about me-mepo!"
"AS IF!" Nagisa shouted loudly, scaring Mepple back into his Lovely Commune form.
Dai laughed to himself as he caught Mepple's falling form before standing up. "Well, I best leave you girls alone to rest. I'm gonna go call Ichijo-san and tell him about this. I'll be back tomorrow with the others."
The girls nodded, knowing that 'others' meant their respective families. After grabbing the other fairies who changed into their device forms and putting them into a backpack, the Rider left the girls to their lonesome. Now alone, the girls now had nothing to do except talk.
"...hey."
"Yeah?"
"Do you...feel any different?"
"...no, not really."
"Me neither," Nagisa said as she pulled at her hospital gown and looked down at her chest where a tiny scar was seen right over where her heart would be. Honoka did the same and showed that she too had a similar scar over where her heart would be. Once the two had regained consciousness they had been told everything, even about the Amadam Stone pieces stuck inside of them. The girls felt fine, nothing felt wrong with their bodies...but they'd be lying if they said they weren't worried.
(Garden of Light)
The Queen, sitting on her throne, used her powers to overlook the Garden of Light. What was once a land in the bring of collapse was now once again a beautiful flower garden as the denizens all frolicked about, picking flowers or playing games such as tag and hide 'n seek. The Queen smiled to herself as she gazed upon the now peaceful lands.
'If only you could see this now, Hajime,' The Queen thought to herself as she stroked the heart-shaped item in her hand with her thumb.
"My Queen," The Elder spoke up, getting the queen's attention. "Is it really okay like this? To leave everything to such young kids?"
"We will entrust everything to the Pretty Cures. We have no other recourse."
"Forgive me if I overstep my bounds, but do we not...?" The Elder raised his staff to the heart-shaped item in the Queen's hands, the very same item used to summon the Great Savior: Kamen Rider Ichigo.
The Queen held the item closely, knowing what the Elder was implying. She shook her head in denial.
"My dear friend...He has done much not just for this land, but for all worlds alike. In the end, his sacrifice is what allows our people to smile to this day. To call upon his spirit to aid in every problem we face...it would be beyond selfish of me."
"Forgive me, my Queen," The Elder bowed in apology.
"It is all right, I understand your concern. However, this problem at present shall be dealt with those of the newer generation," The Queen said as a nostalgic look appeared on her face. "A Kamen Rider aiding the Pretty Cure...I never thought the day would come when I would see this again."
"You speak of the one known as Kuuga," The Elder said as a worried expression could be seen behind all the hair covering his face. "My Queen, can we truly trust such a person? The darkness that came from him..." Even now, he and everyone else in the Garden were quite afraid of the Rider known as Kuuga. Never before has anyone witnessed such overwhelming darkness before. It was suffocating like it could blanket the world in an instant if left unchecked.
"I understand your hesitance in trusting such a person. To be honest, even I am unsure if he can be trusted," The Queen admitted before she looks down at the heart-shaped item in her hands, running her thumb over the shape. "However, time and time again, my dear friend has proven to me that it is the person itself who defines the power they wield. So in accordance with his teachings, I shall place my faith in this new Kamen Rider. I ask that you do the same."
"As you wish..." The Elder bowed before taking his leave. Now alone, the Queen let her lips fall as she frowned.
While she had faith that the Pretty Cure and the Rider known as Kuuga would triumphant over this new threat, the Queen was still worried about another factor. The being known as Daguva. The Seeds of Darkness are like pieces of the Dark King, so to speak. If left alone, there is a chance the Dark King could revive himself. However, remembering that the Daguva currently had one of these Seeds in his possession, the Queen worried just what sort of plan did the Grongi leader have.
'Hajime, may you and the others watch over these new band of heroes.'
(The Next Day)
It was a bright summer morning as the blazing sun hung high in the sky, raining down its intense sun rays. While a little uncomfortable, the people of Japan were used to it as everyone minded their own business. It was a completely normal day and with no Unidentified Lifeform attacks in almost two weeks, the people were feeling pretty relaxed.
*Ptoo!*
A silent spitting sound was heard as the sound reached deaf ears. As silent like gentle winds. Yet as if sounding the alarm, disaster soon struck. Down below on the sidewalks, people one by one suddenly fell to the ground, unmoving. Passing by people went to check to see what was wrong, completely missing Dorudo who walks by, holding his special abacus as he takes note of the people on the ground and counts them.
(Special Investigation HQ, Meeting Room)
"Sorry, I'm late!" Hiroshi plus some other men said as he and everyone took their seats in the meeting room. Once everyone was seated and had their papers ready, Chief Hiwagawa spoke.
"Gentlemen. It's been almost two weeks since anything has happened in Wakaba. Our manhunt for No. 3 has not been going well as we've hoped. But that's not why I've called you all here."
Grabbing a remote, the chief turned to a TV monitor and turned it on, showing a recording of the train station. According to the date and time that are shown on the screen, this recording happened earlier today. At first, nothing happened. The video just showed a train driving by. But then...
*WHOOSH!*
A fast blur was seen flying by, causing everyone to jump out of their seats and move forward in order to get a better look.
"What was that?" Hiroshi asked the chief.
"Judging from the image of the camera, it's about 2 meters tall," Hiwagawa said as he put down the remote in his hands.
"An Unidentified Lifeform that can fly through the sky," Rai said. While the team has dealt with flying Grongi before, something about this was different. Grabbing the remote, Rai rewinded the video and played it at a much slower pace, but even then only a black blur was shown.
"It's too soon to make a case out of it yet, but the problem is that we can't detect any ultrasonic waves like the ones No. 3 and No. 15 emit while flying. If they're going to attack from the air, then we have no means of tracing them."
A deafening silence befell over the men in the room. True to Hiwagawa's words, all the flying Grongi they've faced up until now have all emitted ultrasonic waves when flying, allowing them to track and take them down before they could do more harm. But now they had a new flying Grongi that didn't emit such waves, making it impossible for them to track it down.
"Chief!" Suddenly, a female officer came running into the room carrying a stack of papers in her arms. With few female officers working on this team, the woman was identifiable by her semi-long, purplish-navy blue hair and a white hair clip that held up her front bangs which, without it, would have covered the woman's blue eyes.
"What is it?" Hiwagawa asked, identifying her as Sasayama Nodoka.
"There have been mysterious 'shock-related deaths' all over the city," Nodoka said, handing everyone the papers in her hands to look over. "Reports keep coming in from every branch."
"What?" Rai exclaimed as he and everyone looked through the papers given to them.
"At about 10:15, the Adachi Hospital dispatched ambulances to nine calls. All of the victims died at the same time upon arrival. There were no signs of external injuries on the bodies. They all died from cardiac arrest. Afterward, hospitals in Itabashi, Edogawa, and Arakawa reported similar cases."
"Could it be...?" Rai spoke up as he looked over at Ryō. "They've started a new game?"
Ryō doesn't say anything but has the same thought. After nearly two weeks of peace, the Grongi were back at it again, resuming the Gegeru. It was time to make a call.
(Misumi Residence)
"So we're in agreement," Nagisa said, finally discharged from the hospital and was now back home in her room with both Honoka and Dai and the rest of the fairies with her sitting around the table. Well, most of them were sitting. Pollun was busy jumping on Nagisa's bed, much to the girl's slight annoyance.
"Yeah," Honoka nodded, agreeing to take care of Pollun.
"Sorry, Honoka-chan," Dai apologized. "I'd take care of him myself, but the little guy's still scared of me."
"It's fine, I don't mind," Honoka said. While the girls were still in the hospital recovering, the fairies had been staying with Dai in the meanwhile. Both Mepple and Mipple were fine with this, but Pollun wasn't. No matter how much the other fairies insisted, Pollun would be stubborn and stay as far away from Dai as possible. Dai understood perfectly well why the fairy was scared him, so when the girls were finally discharged from the hospital and after picking them up, the Rider brought the Cures together to discuss who would take care of the Prince. Pollun obviously didn't want to be with Dai and Nagisa was reluctant to take him as she already had her hands full looking after Mepple. So, by default, the responsibility to look after the Prince fell to Honoka who didn't mind one bit that she had to take care of a second fairy.
Speaking of the said prince, after a few more minutes of jumping around did the fairy fall on his back and gasped for breath, tired.
"I'm tired-popo."
"It's because you're always in that form-mepo," Mepple pointed out as he and Mipple were both in their Lovely Commune forms.
"But it's easier to move around like this-popo. I was always like this in the Garden of Light-popo."
"But we're not in the Garden of Light-mipo," Mipple said, reminding the prince how they were in the Garden of Rainbows. "You can't stay like that for long here-mipo."
"I'm fine-popo!" Pollun said as he started to jump around again only to fall down and suddenly revert to his Pretty Commune form.
"Pollun!" Everyone jumped up to check on the little prince only to hear the sounds of soft snoring from inside.
"He's asleep-mipo..."
"Hehe, the little guy must have tired himself out," Dai said, smiling in amusement.
"Geez, what's up with this kid," Nagisa said, a hand over her chest to stop her beating heart.
"...it's awakening-popo..."
"Huh?" Everyone blinked in confusion as Pollun woke up and opened up to look at everyone, appearing to be in some sort of trance.
"It's awakening-popo..."
"Awakening?" Honoka repeated in confusion.
"What are you saying? Weren't you just sound asleep a second ago?" Nagisa said, surprised by how fast the fairy woke up.
"It's sprouting-popo..."
"What's sprouting? What does that mean?" Nagisa asked, confused by what the fairy was saying.
"Pollun doesn't get it either-popo!" Pollun said, back from whatever trance he was in.
"Wait, he said sprouting," Dai said, deep in thought as he thought back to yesterday's conversation. "The Dark King split himself into 'seeds' just when we were about to defeat him. And the Queen said those seeds were somewhere."
"Wait, you don't mean..." Honoka spoke up, coming to the same conclusion as the Rider.
"One of the seeds must have become active, or at least is starting to," Dai said, looking out towards the city in worry.
"You're kidding!" Nagisa exclaimed as she and Honoka too looked outside. Somewhere out there, a new threat was being born.
*ring-ring-ring!*
Everyone jumped when from Dai's pocket, his phone started ringing.
"Geez! That scared the crap out of me!" Nagisa said, a hand over her chest again to stop her beating heart.
"Ehehe, sorry," Dai apologized before he took out his phone and looked to see who was calling. "Ichijo-san?" At this did both the girls freeze up. If Ichijo was calling Dai, then that could only mean...
Flipping open his phone, Dai answered. "Hello?"
[Dai, this is Ryō. Where are you right now?]
"I'm with the girls at Nagisa's house."
[So they've finally been discharged. That's good to hear.]
"Is something wrong?" Dai asked as he could hear sirens blaring on the other line.
[We've received a report that a new Unidentified Lifeform has appeared.]
At this did Dai's face become grim, something the girls took notice of right away.
"Where?"
[We don't know yet. This Unidentified Lifeform can fly at high speeds and has such an erratic pattern that we can't determine its location. And there's no way of tracking it as it doesn't emit any ultrasonic waves when it flies. Currently, all patrol cars are to be on alert. I'll contact you again as soon as I get any new information.]
"A flying Grongi..." Dai mutters as he goes through his head, trying to bring up what Grongi's could fly. As of right now, both the Zu and Me Groups were no more thanks to yours truly. If a new Grongi has appeared, then that could only mean one thing.
'They're finally here...' Dai thinks to himself, swallowing down some saliva before speaking up. "I think I have an idea what Grongi we're facing."
[You do?]
"If no ultrasonic waves are being emitted, then I think our little birdy is a Grongi by the name of Go-Buuro-Gu. He's an owl-type Grongi with the ability to fly up to 300 kilometers per hour and is armed with a blowgun that fires feather darts. Have any people been reported to have died due to something like cardiac arrest?"
[As a matter of fact, we've gotten reports from multiple hospitals about victims dying of cardiac arrest.]
"Then it's definitely him. Buuro uses his blowgun to cause his victims to die of myocardial infarction, striking at a precise location on their sides that it blocks blood from pumping into the heart."
[So it's like when cholesterol clogs an artery. Is there any way of tracking him?]
"All I can say is you'll have to take to the air yourself if you want to spot him. Try and get a hold of a helicopter if you can."
[Got it. I'll contact you again when I find something. In the meantime, I want you on standby for now.]
"Got it," Dai nodded before the call ended. Closing his phone, Dai turns to the concerned looks of the girls and the fairies staring at him.
"Is it...?" Nagisa begins as Dai nods his head.
"It looks like the Gegeru's begun again," Dai said as he tucks away his phone before turning to Honoka. "Honoka-chan, your grandma wanted you back before dinner, right? I'll give you a ride home."
"Y-Yeah. Thank you," Honoka said as she grabbed her things, as well as Mipple and Pollun, and left with Dai.
"I'll be back," Dai told Nagisa before he and Honoka left the room.
"Dai-kun!" Nagisa spoke up, stopping the two from leaving as the Rider turns back to the girl.
"Yes?"
"Um..." Tongue-tied, Nagisa bites her lip as she takes a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking. "...stay safe, okay?"
Dai doesn't say anything back. Smiling, Dai nods his head and gives Nagisa his signature thumbs-up before he and Honoka took their leave, leaving Nagisa alone with Mepple.
"Nagisa?" Mepple looks up at his partner, clearly seeing the worry all over her face.
Nagisa simply stands there, biting her lip as she places a hand over where her chest scar was.
'It's just one thing after another...'
(The Next Day)
As the sun begins to rise over the city, so too does the number of people waking up. Getting ready and dressed for the day, roads and sidewalks were already filled with people, all unaware of the predator high in the skies.
*Ptoo!*
Multiple people cry out, feeling as if they had been stung by something. Reaching with their hands, they feel nothing and find no blood on them. Their imagination?
No.
In exactly ten seconds, exactly nine people fall to the ground, alarming the people around them as they try all check to see what was wrong. Amongst the people trying to awaken the fallen victims and those calling for an ambulance, Dorudo is seen walking by, counting the victims on the ground with his abacus.
Over at a nearby building, standing right at the top, the Grongi known as Go-Buuro-Gu looks down over at his handiwork.
Like Dai had said, Buuro bore the characteristics of an owl, the most evident being the head and wings which were situated at the back. Ancient-looking gauntlets and graves covered the Grongi's forearms and legs while decorative ornaments hung around his neck. Cloth was wrapped around his feet as if to act as a substitute for socks while the lower region, much like other Grongi, was covered by a loincloth. In his hands, the Grongi was armed with a blowgun.
Looking down, Buuro smiles to himself as he taps his blowgun against his armored head. He has already fulfilled his quota. Now all that was left was to wait for the grand prize.
"Come out and play...Kuuga."
(Misumi Residence)
"Nagisa? You have a call from Yukishiro-san!" Rie called out to her daughter. Her husband has already left for work while Ryota was at the table eating breakfast with Dai.
"Come now, how long are you going to sleep?" Rie said as Nagisa comes down in her pajamas, having woken up late.
"Don't be so hard on her, Mrs. Misumi. Nagisa-chan's probably just happy to be back in her own bed instead of a hospital one," Dai said as he finished his bowl of rice.
"Yeah, what he said," Nagisa said, but in truth, she had been up all night thinking about the Seeds of Darkness and the continuation of the Gegeru. She had thought after collecting all the Prism Stones and restoring the Garden of Light, some normalcy would have returned to her life, but barely anything's changed since she got back. To be honest, she was kinda annoyed.
Taking the phone from her mother who returned back to the table to continue eating, Nagisa brings the phone up to her ears.
"Hello?"
[Nagisa! It's terrible! Pollun's gone missing!]
"EH!?" Nagisa cried out, surprising Dai and her family, the latter more so as Rie had bumped her head against the ceiling lamp that hangs right over the table. Seeing this, Nagisa whispers as she addresses Honoka. "What do you mean Pollun's gone missing?"
[I left him in my room to go eat breakfast and when I got back, he was gone. I think he must have run off by himself.]
"Okay. Dai-kun and I will be right over," Nagisa said before she hangs up the phone and sighs. "Geez, the second he gets away from Dai-kun he goes and causes trouble."
"Who's causing trouble?" Ryota asks, having snuck up behind Nagisa and overheard Nagisa whispering.
*SQUEEZE!*
"People who shouldn't stick their nose into someone else's business!" Nagisa exclaimed as she performed her infamous Cobra Twist on Ryota.
"Kaa-san!" Ryota calls his mom for help, but the woman simply sits back and watches.
'Now this is a familiar sight,' Dai thinks to himself, feeling as if he hasn't seen Nagisa's Cobra Twist in a while. Though he started to grow worried when he thought he heard a bone cracking.
Deciding to finally release her little brother, Nagisa glances over at Dai and motions him to follow her. Nodding, Dai gets up and goes to wash his dishes while Rie helps Ryota to his feet. It was a normal day in the Misumi household, it was too bad the Rider could not enjoy it longer than he would have liked.
(Meanwhile)
Sitting on the rooftop of a building, a pair of eyes watches straight across through another building at a seemingly normal man.
The said man wore a business suit and had spiky black hair. The only real thing that stood out from the man was his unusual blank eyes as his mouth was permanently set in a straight line, neither smiling nor frowning. Beyond that, he seemed to be a normal businessman. But the eyes knew better.
He watches as the seemingly normal businessman gives his proposal to his boss before taking his leave to resume his work. A completely normal businessman to the common people, but Daguva knew the truth.
Smiling to himself like he always does, he raises his left hand and grabs a hold of mother nature.
(Back with the others)
"Heeeeey! Where are you Pollun?" Nagisa calls out for the fairy as she and Honoka stop at a fork in the road and look around, finding no sign of the prince anywhere.
"Not here either," Honoka said, frowning to herself. She had been tasked with looking after Pollun and already she had failed that.
Lifting her phone up which had been left one, Nagisa speaks, "Dai-kun, have you found anything?"
[Nothing so far.] Came Dai's reply form the other side of the line as noise in the background told Nagisa that the Rider was currently on his bike driving around.
"This isn't the Garden of Light so..." Mipple spoke up, worried about the prince.
"Pollun couldn't have gotten far-mepo," Mepple said. As this was the Garden of Rainbows and not the Garden of Light, the prince couldn't have strayed far due to being unfamiliar with the area.
"Maybe we should split up again, cover more ground," Nagisa suggested to Honoka who nodded in agreement. Bringing up her phone again, Nagisa informs Dai. "Dai-kun, Honoka and I are splitting up to cover more ground. Let us know if you find anything."
[Got it!]
Ending the call, both girls then split up to cover more ground, unaware of the storm approaching in the far distance.
(With Dai)
"Really? You've seen it?"
The trio of girls Dai was currently talking to all nodded their heads.
"We were playing a crane game and thought it was a normal prize, but it suddenly started moving and talking."
"Do you know where it went?" Dai asked only for the girls to shake their heads.
"Sorry, but we weren't paying attention to where it went."
"I see...thanks anyway," Dai said, thanking the girls before going back to his bike, taking out his phone to call the girls. Even if he didn't know Pollun may have gone, at least he knew that the fairy prince was around the area.
*BEEP!*
Suddenly, before Dai could even start dialing, a transmission came through from the radio of his bike. Putting away his phone, Dai answers the radio.
[Dai, this is Ryō. Do you read me?]
"I'm here, what is it?"
[Unidentified Lifeform No. 37 has appeared. A camera at the center saw it flying around the Futaba corporation building. I'm currently in a helicopter giving chase.]
"Got it. I'm on my way," Dai said before grabbing and putting on his helmet and hopped on his bike. While he needed to find Pollun, the Grongi took priority right now. Hopefully, the girls would find the fairy while he was fighting. For now...
*VROOM!*
He has a job to do.
(With the girls)
"'Another Grongi has appeared, I'm my way to go take care of it. Continue the search without me'..." Nagisa read the text on her phone before frowning. "Dammit, why now?"
"Nagisa!" Hearing her name, Nagisa looks up to see Honoka running up to her.
"Any luck?" Nagisa asked but Honoka shook her head.
"What about you?" Honoka asked but Nagisa, like her, shook her head. "Then, what about Ichi-kun?"
"He hasn't found anything either. What's worse is another Grongi has appeared."
"What!?"
"I know, those guys have really bad timing."
"What should we do now-mepo?" Mepple asked from within his carrier. While it was important to find the prince, hearing that a new Grongi has appeared probably made the girls want to find and help Dai.
"I want to help Dai-kun, but he told us to focus on finding Pollun," Nagisa said before she looks around the area they were at. "But want kind of place would Pollun be at?" The city wasn't exactly small and with people and cars moving around, finding the fairy was like finding a needle in a haystack.
"Pollun is a very curious child-mipo," Mipple spoke up from her carrier. "Anything he sees in the Garden of Rainbows could easily catch his interest-mipo."
"This also makes him tough to take care of-mepo," Mepple added as if speaking from experience.
"If we're talking about what a child like Pollun would like best..." Nagisa began as she crosses her arms and thinks. After a moment of thinking, an idea pops into her head. "If we're talking about a child, then it's got to be...a cake store!"
Honoka blinks at her friend, wondering how she came to that conclusion.
"A cake store?"
"No mistake."
"Will that kind of simplistic thinking really work-mepo?" Mepple said, having doubts.
"Oh be quiet you," Nagisa said before explaining herself. "When I was little, I wouldn't move from the front of a cake store until my mom would buy some from me. If we're talking child-like behavior, then surely stuff like cakes would get someone like Pollun's attention."
"It seems like you were a handful even as a child-mepo."
"I thought I told you to be quiet!"
"Now, now, calm down," Honoka stepped in, hands up in a calming gesture. "In any case, let's go check to see if Pollun really is at any cake shops. If we're lucky, we'll find him and then go meet up with Ichi-kun to help."
"Right," Nagisa nodded before the two took off. While the news that the Grongi were active again concerned them, they couldn't just drop everything to go off fighting. If they did, that risks the chances of them finding Pollun later. They would just have to pray that their Rider friend would be alright alone.
'He'll be fine. Dai-kun's got access to his Rising powers. No way he'll lose,' Nagisa thought to herself, but she still found herself worrying.
(With Dai)
Driving as fast as possible, Dai sped down the road as he listened to his radio on his bike, listening for any new information. A beep alerted him as Nodoka's voice came through, informing all officers in the area.
[To all officers listening, we believe that No. 37, the flying Unidentified Lifeform, is heading from the Setagaya area in the direction of Shinjuku, having been spotted by patrol. All cars patrolling Shinjuku are to stay on alert.]
"So he's in Shinjuku..." Dai says to himself as his radio beeps again and Ryō's voice comes through.
[Dai! Where are you right now?]
"Near Yasukuni!"
[Perfect! Go to the top of the Hygeia Building.]
"Huh?"
[According to reports, it seems No. 37 is quickly flying around that building.]
"I see. You want me to use my Pegasus form to locate the soundwaves it makes while flying and snipe it, right?"
[Right. Can you do it?]
"I'll give it a shot! Meet you there!" Dai said before summoning the Arcle around his waist and shouts out. "Henshin!"
The Arcle pulses as a few seconds later, Dai assumes his Dragon form. As he speeds down the road, people on the sidewalks and in cars take notice of him as he drives past them. A few minutes later, Dai arrives at his destination.
Parking his bike, and ignoring the people taking pictures of him, Dai focuses power into his legs and jumps, reading the rooftop of a building in a single leap. Jumping again, Dai reaches the rooftop of the Hygeia Building, just in time as the helicopter Ryō was in soon appears.
"Ichijo-san!"
The man himself opens the door and carefully leans out, holding his gun in hand.
"Dai! Catch—!"
*SPARK!*
Ryō cries out in surprise when something hits the door next to him, causing him to drop his gun which, thankfully, lands not too far from Dai's position.
"He's here!" Dai looks up in alarm, trying to stop Buuro before quickly diving towards Ryō's dropped gun, grabbing it while barely dodging another dart.
Up in the sky, Buuro comes flying in, his blowgun up to his mouth, and sniping down at Dai.
Dai gets up and tries to change forms, but more of Buuro's darts forces Dai to run. Thanks to the increased speed Dragon form provides, Dai was able to dodge the incoming darts, albeit barely. But Dai wasn't the only one Buuro was attacking.
*Crack-Crack!*
"Gah!" Ryō cries out in alarm when the window in front of him suddenly forms cracks as Buuro's darts barely miss him. Outside, sparks appear all over the helicopter, a sign of Buuro's darts hitting the flying vehicle.
"It's too dangerous! I'm taking us back!" The pilot informs Ryō, about to turn the helicopter, but the man stops him.
"Wait! Provide cover first!" Ryō said as he looks down to see Dai still being pinned down by incoming darts.
Seeing this too, the pilot nods before positioning the helicopter over Dai, providing him cover.
"Ichijo-san!" Dai looks up in surprise before nodding in appreciation. Standing back up, the Rider soon shouts out. "Chou Henshin!"
As the helicopter takes more hits from Buuro, down below Dai's form soon changes from his blue Dragon form to his green Pegasus form. At the same time, the gun in Dai's hand transforms into the Pegasus Bowgun. Seeing this, Ryō motions for the pilot to get them out of here and the pilot was happy to oblige.
Silently thanking Ryō and the pilot, Dai extends his senses out, trying to locate the flying Grongi.
...
...
...
...
...flap-flap-flap...
*Ptoo!*
Eyes widening under his helmet, Dai quickly steps to the side, just barely dodging another incoming darts. But now he knew where Buuro was. Grabbing and pulling back the hammer of his weapon, Dai calls upon the golden power resting inside of him, and soon his form was surrounded by golden sparks.
For the most part, Dai's forms barely changed as the chest armor and gauntlets stayed green. But much like the last time he used this power, Dai's form turned golden. The edges of his gauntlet gained golden outlines as the Grongi character for 'Power' appeared on the back of his hands. Both the bottom outline and collar of his chest armor turned golden as did his left shoulder guard and the armband wrapped around his right arm which was both outlined in gold. The belt buckle that was the Arcle, much like how it was when Dai assumed Rising Titan, became golden as did the Amadam Stone held within. Finally, the barrel of the Pegasus Bowgun extended outward, looking as if a lightning bolt surrounded the barrel.
At last, Dai has assumed his new form, Rising Pegasus. Raising his newly transformed Rising Pegasus Bowgun, Dai aims and—!
*Ptoo!*
*PIERCE!*
One of Buuro's darts struck Dai's left arm, blowing a hole right through it!
"Guh...!" Now Dai was no stranger to pain, having been blown up and stabbed a few times as a Rider, however, this time was different.
Pegasus form, while weak in physical strength, made it up with enhanced senses, increasing things such as eyesight and hearing up to a thousand times their normal capacity. However, increasing one's senses made this form a double edge sword as not only were eyesight and hearing increased, but also taste, smell, touch...and pain.
"Gh...GAH!" The pain didn't flare through Dai's body, rather it surged like lightning as the Rider fell to his knees and almost dropped his weapon. Gritting and fighting through the pain that was (unfortunately)enhanced due to his increased senses, Dai ignores the blood spilling out of the hole in his arms and lifts up the Rising Pegasus Bowgun again only to drop down to his back when another dart hits a bit too close to him, causing him to jump which only flared the pain running through him further.
Up in the sky, Buuro smirks to himself as he watches the Rider shiver in pain and agony down on the ground. He lifts up his blowgun, ready to finish off the Rider when suddenly...
"D-Don't t-think...you've...WON!" Crying out, with the last of his strength, Dai locks onto Buuro's position and, using his right hand to support his injured left, raises the Pegasus Bowgun and fires. Unlike how the regular Pegasus Bowgun fires only one shot when in normal Pegasus form, the Rising Pegsus Bowgun instead fires multiple shots, sending at least 3 to 6 shots up at the flying Grongi.
Seeing the incoming bullets, Buuro quickly flies back, dodging most of the bullets but unfortunately for him, two shots clip his left wing, causing him to cry out in pain as the Grongi was sent spiraling downward.
As Buuro was free-falling, he takes a look at his left wing and sees cracks forming from the wounds. Knowing what he had to do to avoid destruction, the Grongi gritted his teeth, grabbed his injured wing...
*RIIIIIIIIP!*
And proceeded to rip it off!
"Curse you...Kuuga!" Cursing the Rider's name, Buuro abandons his ripped off wing and braces himself for a rough landing.
Back with Dai, the Rider drops his weapon, which soon reverts back into a regular gun, and falls to his back as the Rider degrades into his Growing form, holding his injured left arm.
"D-Damn..." Dai mutters under his helmet, having seen just before degrading that he was only able to clip the Grongi's wing. On the plus side, his body no longer felt like it was bathing in a tub of lighting times a thousand.
Taking a few minutes to recover, Dai undoes his transformation and gets back up to his feet. Looking at his left arm again, the hole Buuro's dart had punched through was already starting to close much to the Rider's surprise.
"Must be because of the Amadam Stone," Dai said, rubbing the red spot on his arm before moving it around to check if he could still use it, which he can much to his relief.
"Accelerated healing for the win," Dai laughed to himself for a bit before making his way to the exit, only to stop.
"What the hell...?" Dai raised an eyebrow as over the horizon, the Rider spotted dark clouds approaching the city.
(Meanwhile, with Pollun)
"Popo..." Pollun was not having a good time, to put it lightly. Having woken up this morning, Pollun decided to explore the Garden of Light. He had been unable to while under the care of that scary man who merely destroyed his home, but the White Cure's house was a lot easier to sneak out of. And so he wandered around in his fairy form despite Mepple's warning about how staying in his true form would tire him out. But he was the Prince of Light and he's always loved like this. Only now did he start to see the problem.
After running away from people who thought he was a toy, a scary black cat out for his blood, and so on, Pollun was now tired and hungry, having forgotten to eat this morning.
"Mepple, Mipple, where you are?" Pollun muttered to himself, wanting to see his senior fairies. Of course, there was the problem of, "Where am I?" Looking around, he seemed to be under a railway. How'd he get here, the prince had no idea.
"Huh?" Suddenly, the fairy sensed something. Looking up, the fairy seemed to go into a daze as he muttered, "It's awakening-popo."
(Meanwhile)
Daguva watched as the typhoon he was summoning drew closer and closer to the city. A bead of sweat rolled down his face, showing how much energy he had spent to summon the incoming storm. Had he been in his Perfect state, such a feat would have cost little to no energy at all. Of course, he long since released his hold on the storm yet it was still coming. How was this possible? The answered lied in...
*CRASH!*
The sound of breaking glass and screams drew Daguva's attention as he turned his head in time to see the man he had been observing had suddenly broken into a run and crashed through the window, throwing himself into the air. And then, it happened.
The man's entire form changed. His suit, skin, and hair all fell apart as if the entire thing had been nothing but a shell from the beginning. White skin as pale as a corpse was hidden under a tight dark blue bodysuit that left nothing to the imagination and hugged a muscular frame. The man's hair was just as white as his skin as scar-like marking traveled up to pupilless eyes with the left one extending past the eye and up to the forehead.
Once the man's transformation had finished, there was a small, but noticeable change. For one thing, the window which the man had jumped through was fixed completely as if it had never been broken. Likewise, the man's co-workers acted as if a man hadn't just run off screaming and crashing through a window, almost as if they had completely forgotten about him. Lastly, instead of falling, the mysterious man instead floated upwards, hovering right above the city. Whatever the mysterious was, it was clear that he wasn't human.
Daguva smiled to himself as he watched the mysterious man cry to himself, using his powers to call forth the storm heading towards the city. Soon, raindrops started to fall until in the blink of an eye it started downpouring, forcing people to quickly take shelter.
"And now it's like this," Nagisa said as she and Honoka ran to find cover. Though she couldn't help but notice, "Isn't the weather changing too fast?"
"It's too much to be just an evening shower," Honoka said, also noticing how quickly the weather had changed. In fact, hadn't the weather reported that it was going to be sunny all week?
"This unnatural weather...hey, you don't think it's...?" Nagisa began as the thought of who was behind this made the scars on her back and stomach throb a little.
"Daguva," Honoka said, resisting the urge to hold her right arm as she came to the same conclusion as her friend.
The mysterious man continued to cry out, gritting his teeth as he concentrated on the storm over the city. He felt the winds surrounding him, entering into him. But it wasn't enough, it wasn't nearly enough. He needed more...
"More..." The man spoke for the first time, speaking through his clenched teeth as the winds grew fiercer. Down below, people cried out as some lost their umbrellas, papers and scraps were flying all over the place, cones and signs alike were knocked over, and so on.
"More...MORE!" The man screamed as the destructive force that made up this typhoon was sucked right into his body. Soon, once every last drop of wind and rain was absorbed did the man's body and muscles expanded, giving him the appearance of a bodybuilder now. At the same time, with the dark clouds and storms now gone, sunlight rain down through the clouds as the sun hung right over clear blue skies.
Daguva smiled to himself, completely dry as he looked up at the man with satisfaction.
"And so the first seed has sprouted...hm?" Daguva looked down, having noticed something below, something that wasn't human. Up in the sky, the mysterious man noticed it too.
Down below, looking up with fright was none other than Pollun who quickly took off into a run.
"Another one of those fairies?" Daguva said before noticing that the mysterious man had taken off, following after the fairy. "Hmm, I guess I'll let him handle it, let him stretch his legs."
With that, Daguva got up and walked away. Now wasn't the time to act. There was still a game going on and he didn't want to interrupt. For now, he'll check out one of those fast-food joints that were so popular with humans. Get himself those...what did Dorudo call them? Oh, right! French fries! And also a soda, though what kind should he get? Pepsi? Fanta? Ah, decisions, decisions...
(Back with Dai)
Sticking his head out to see if it was still raining, Dai walked out of the building and back to his TryChaser 2000 where to his surprise, Ryō was waiting for him.
"Ichijo-san!"
"Dai, are you alright?" Ryō asked, noticing how the boy was rubbing his left arm.
"I'm fine," Dai assured, looking at his arm to see that the wound was already starting to fade. "I managed to hit Buuro, but I don't think I finished him off. What about you? Buuro was attacking the helicopter you were in."
"Just a few scratches, I'll be fine."
"And the pilot?"
"He's fine too. I had him land at a nearby building when that storm suddenly hit," Ryō said, adjusting his glasses before moving back to the topic of Buuro. "If you managed to get him, then I'll have a search party look for him. You should also get that injury looked at by Tsubaki."
"Nothing get's past you, huh?" Dai said before showing the man his arm. "It's fine though, it's already started healing. In any case, I need to go."
"Do you have something to do?"
"Yes. Remember that other fairy I mentioned yesterday? Well, he snuck out to roam the city. The girls and I are looking for him right now."
"I see..."
"I'll introduce him to you when I find him, but I really gotta go," Dai said as he grabbed his helmet.
"Well, considering you can't transform for two hours since you used your green form, it should be fine," Ryō said. "I'll contact you if my team and I find anything new."
"Thanks, Ichijo-san!" Dai said before he got on his bike and drove off, hiding his frown from the man as he sped down the road.
'That storm wasn't normal,' Dai thought to himself as he had a gut feeling that something bad was about to happen.
(With the girls, an hour later)
"Well, here it is," Nagisa said as she and Honoka walked up to a cake shop. "The cakes here are really good, I guarantee it."
"It's not too far from my house either," Honoka said as there was a good chance Pollun might be here, if not around the area.
"I'm still uneasy about that storm earlier," Nagisa said, unnerved by how fast the weather changed from rainy to sunny in a matter of seconds.
"Me too, but we gotta focus on Pollun for now," Honoka said, unconsciously holding her right arm. It was the only indication that, like Nagisa, she too was unnerved by the abnormal weather.
"Right," Nagia nodded. "So, shall we head in?"
Before Honoka could reply back, Mipple suddenly started shaking within her carrier.
"I can feel Pollun close by-mipo!"
"Really?"
"Well, that was easier than I thought," Nagisa commented. It wasn't like there was only one cake store in this entire city, but what were the chances of Pollun being at the first cake store they visited?
"Pollun is over there-mepo!" Mepple spoke, pointing towards the right of Nagisa and away from the cake store.
"No way, for real!?" Nagisa exclaimed in surprise. So the fairy prince wasn't at this cake store?
"In any case, we should go look," Honoka said before the two took off running.
(With Pollun)
Pollun was not in a good position right now. To put it both bluntly and literally, he was backed up against a wall, staring up in fright as the mysterious man had him cornered in a parking garage.
"Why?" The man spoke but the fairy was too frozen in fear to talk back. "Did you not hear me? I'm asking you why are you here in the Garden of Rainbows."
"Hey!"
*VROOM!*
Quickly, the mysterious man jumped back to avoid getting rammed by a speeding bike as none other than Dai now stood between him and Pollun.
"Pollun, are you alright?" Dai asked the fairy.
"It's you-popo..." Pollun looked u at Dai in surprise as if not expecting to be found by the Rider.
Taking off his helmet and getting off his bike, Dai turned and faced the mysterious man who stared back at him quizzingly.
"I thought I sensed something abnormal, but...who or what are you?" Dai asked the man while assuming a karate stance.
"You...You are..." The man said, speaking mostly to himself as he seemingly recognized Dai. Whatever memories were currently in his head, they seemed to trigger something in the man as he suddenly started growling and grunting. Visible veins can be seen popping out from his forehead while his muscles suddenly started moving erratically.
"What the heck?" Dai said, looking on in confusion as to what was happening to the man. He did know this much though, something bad was about to happen. "Pollun! Run!"
"Huh?"
"I said run!" Dai shouted at the fairy before he charged at the mysterious man. He couldn't transform for another half hour, but he'll be damned if he let harm come to the fairy prince.
Unfortunately, whatever was happening to the unknown man Dai was unable to stop as what can only be described as a dark wind burst out from the man's chest, hitting Dai dead on and sending the Rider flying back, as well as his bike, Pullon, and everything around them. In the end, once the winds died down, all that was left in front of the man was a literal path of destruction as the pavement was carved out, and cars laid on their side with broken glass littering the ground. But there was no sign of Dari or Pollun, just the mangled mess that used to be the TryChaser 2000.
'Note to self, visit Enokida-san later,' Dai thought to himself, hiding behind one of the wrecked cars that were toppled over as the Rider had Pollun in his arms with one hand over the fairy's mouth to prevent him from screaming thus giving away their position. Biting down tears for his poor bike, Dai looked down at Pollun and asked, "Are you alright?"
With his mouth covered up, Pollun could only nod his head.
"That's good," Dai smiled, relieved that he had been able to save the fairy before peaking out to see the unknown man walking around, no doubt suspecting that they were still alive and hiding. Looking back down to the fairy prince, Dai put a finger to his lips, silently telling the fairy to be quiet before the Rider started to move, planning on getting out of here as quietly as possible.
'If I can just reach the exit without him noticing, I can contact the girls,' Dai thought to himself as he carefully and quietly tiptoed around the parking lot, using the cars as hiding spots while also being careful not to step on any broken glass. Dai could feel Pollun sweating and shaking in his arms, but the Rider hugged the fairy to reassure him that everything was alright. It seemed to work as Pollun visibly calmed down a little, but was still nervous.
Quickly hiding behind another car, Dai peaks out to see the unknown man looking left and right as his back was turned. Looking down, Dai picked up a broken glass shard and, while holding his breath, chucked it as far as away as possible before quickly hiding again. Two seconds later, the sound of glass breaking alerted the man and in response, he sent out another blast of wind that destroyed more cars and kicked up smoke and dust in the air. Using this, Dai broke out into a run, making a break for the exit.
However...
"Hah!"
*WHOOSH!*
"What!?" Dai exclaimed in surprise when all the smoke was blasted away by the unknown man releasing more wind from his body. Immediately, he took notice of Dai and sent a blast of wind right at him.
'Oh, crapbaskets.' Knowing that he would be unable to dodge in time, Dai quickly turned his back to the man, using his body to shield Pollun as the blast of wind struck Dai's back full-on and the Rider let out a cry of pain as he was sent flying and crashing into a support pillar before falling to the ground.
"Popo!" Pollun cried out, no worse for wear thanks to Dai. Rather, the fairy was crying out in worry for the Rider.
"I'm fine..." Dai groaned out as he pushing himself up to his knees and looked down at Pollun, smiling. "What about you? You okay?"
"I...I'm okay-popo..."
"Hehe, that's good," Dai said with a toothy smile.
"Popo..." Pollun couldn't help but look up at the Rider in amazement. Despite going through so much pain for him, he was still smiling.
"Why?" Both Dai and Pollun looked up to see the unknown man walking towards them. "Why do you not transform?"
'This guy knows as I can transform?' Dai thought, raising an eyebrow at the man. 'This feeling I'm getting from him...it's like he's...'
"Dai-kun!" Suddenly, hearing his name, Dai turns his head to see both Nagisa and Honoka running towards him, having been drawn here by both their fairy partners.
"Girls!"
"He's got Pollun!" Honoka pointed out.
"Yeah, but who's that?" Nagisa said, pointing straight at the unknown man who turned to them.
"No way," Mepple spoke up from his carrier. "That guy, he's from the Dark Zone-mepo!"
"What? That can't be!" Honoka exclaimed. Last she checked, they had taken out all of their members plus the leader himself. But then again, remembering what the Queen had told the fairies...
"Could this guy be one of those Seeds of Darkness?" Nagisa said, coming to the same conclusion as her friend.
"You two..." The man spoke, seemingly recognizing the girls. Then, much like what happened with Dai, the man started growling as his muscles erratically moved. It was like the man was ready to burst from pure anger.
"What's going on?" Honoka thought out loud, wondering just what was happening to the man.
"I don't know, but this is our chance!" Nagisa said as she took Mepple out of his carrier. "Dai-kun! Get behind us!"
Nodding his head, Dai quickly ran behind the girls as they both held out their respective Lovely Communes and swiped their Queen cards.
"Duel Aurora Wave!"
Soon enough, the entire parking lot was bathed in light as soon enough, standing in place of the girls was...
"Hikari no shisha, Cure Black!"
"Hikari no shisha, Cure White!"
"Futari wa PreCure!"
"Yami no chikara no shimobetachi yo…"
"…Tottoto ouchi ni kaerinasai!"
Once the lights died down and the girls finished their introductions did Dai raise an eyebrow at them.
"So has this become a habit of yours or...?"
"Please don't comment," Nagisa said, fighting down a blush forming on her cheeks. As much as she hated to admit, at this point, this little introduction of theirs has become a habit, much to her charging. The last thing she needed was for someone to point it out.
"Ichi-kun, why aren't you transforming?" Honoka asked, noticing that Dai had not transformed with them.
"Sorry, but I used my Pegasus form earlier so I can't transform for another half hour," Dai explained while he held Pollun protectively in his arms. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to leave this up to you girls."
"Oh, well, in that case," Nagisa and Honoka both assumed fighting stances, ready to defend their friends and fight their new enemy. "Dai-kun! Take Pollun and hide someplace safe. We'll take care of this!"
"Right! Be careful, he's got these weird wind powers that'll do more than just blow you away," Dai said before he took Pollun and hid behind one of the many wrecked cars here, sticking close enough to watch the fight but far enough not to get caught up in the crossfire. Once out of the way, the girls focus back on the unknown man who seemed to still be struggling with the literal raging storm inside of him.
"So it was you two..." The man gritted out, recognizing the girls despite this being their first meeting. If his existence as one of the Seeds of Darkness was true, then the man must have recognized the girls via the Dark King's memories.
"Grrrr...!" Still seemingly struggling, whatever powers the man was trying to hold back finally broke through as a fierce blast of wind shot out from the man's chest, surprising the girls as they were blown back screaming.
"Girls—Whoa!" Dai cried out in worry until the blast of wind the unknown man sent out nearly flipped over the car he was hiding behind as a trail of destruction was carved right in front of the man. More cars were flipped over and broken glass laid everywhere as smoke and dust kicked up due to the man's surprise attack.
Another blast of wind dispelled the dust clouds around him, but the unknown man saw no signs of the Pretty Cures. Despite the power behind his attacks, the man knew that the Cures were far from defeated and began searching for them, looking around to find any possible hiding spots.
"Hah!" A cry was heard from above the man before he felt a boot slamming right into the back of his head courtesy of Honoka who had been hiding up on the ceiling. The man, however, tanked Honoka's surprise attack and grabbed the girl's leg before she could jump away. Honoka screamed as the man swung her around and was about to smash her into one of the support pillars until Nagisa came out of hiding, having hidden behind one of the knocked over cars, and kicked the arm holding Honoka, releasing the girl who flew out of his hands. The man spun around, trying to swat the girls, but they both jumped and flipped over the man's swing before jumping off of support pillars, using the momentum to spin around and knocked the man's legs over, flipping him over and sending him crashing down onto his back.
With the man now downed, the girls jumped up to attack again, but the man caught them by surprise by releasing more wind from his chest, sending the girls flying upwards and hitting the ceiling above. Stunned, as the girls fell down the man quickly got up to his feet and punched the girls once they were within range, knocking them both back as they crashed against one of the many wrecked cars around.
"Popo!" A cry of worry from Pollun alerted the man and he turned to see nothing but more wrecked cars. No doubt, Dai and the fairy were hiding somewhere.
"Oi! I told you to be quiet!' Dai whispered to the fairy prince while covering the said fairy's mouth. Peaking out a little from his hiding spot, Dai's eyes widen when the unknown man trusted both his hands out and sent a blast of wind in their direction.
"Oh shit!" Dai, after covering Pollun's ears first, cursed before he quickly leaped out from his hiding spot, attempting to dodge the incoming wind blast, but got caught as the shockwave accompanying the blast sent the Rider flying and knocking Pollun out of his hands.
"Popo!"
"Pollun!" Dai cried out as he quickly reached out and managed to grab the fairy before hugging him in his arms, using his body as a cushion for the fairy as he slammed right into a support pillar hard enough to almost knock the wind out of him.
"Dai-kun!" Nagisa, having recovered and gotten back up, cried out in worry. While hurt, the Rider gave his usual thumbs up to tell her that he was alright. Pollun, however, laid unconscious in the Rider's arms. Just seeing that cause anger to rise within Nagisa as she and Honoka both glared right at the Seed of Darkness.
"You...attacking not only our friend but someone so young...!" Nagisa began, balling her fists in anger.
"It's unforgivable!" Honoka exclaimed, sharing the same anger as her friend as they both clasped hands.
"Black Thunder!"
"White Thunder!"
*BOOM!*
From the sky, despite being in a parking garage, the usual pair of black and white thunderbolts rain down and land in the girls' raised hands. Tightly gripping their hands together, the girls thrust their hands towards Illkubo and shout their signature finisher.
"Purikyua no utsukushiki tamashī ga…"
"... Jaaku na kokoro wo uchikudaku!"
"Pretty Cure Marble Screw!"
Black and white energy blasts out from the girls' outstretched hands and towards the 'Seed.' Seeing the attack, he once again unleashes the dark energy inside of him, forms it into a sphere the size of him, and sends out to counter the Marble Screw. Both attacks meet and soon there was a power struggle as both sides fought to overtake the other. At first, it seems the girls would win, but the man sends out more energy to his attack, empowering it enough where it seemed to drill right through the Marble Screw. While surprised, the girls did not give up.
"Not yet..."
"We're not done yet!"
*Spark!*
Unknown to both of the girls, their eyes briefly flash gold, and suddenly, the power of their Marble Screw increases! Soon, both sides were locked in a stalemate, struggling once again to overtake the other side, until...
*BOOM!*
An explosion occurs between the two attacks, canceling them both as smoke obscure everything in sight. Coughing due to inhaling smoke, the girls waved their arms around in order to disperse the smoke around them which did a few seconds later, letting them see that the explosion had pretty much sent any cars nearby flying as some were even lying against a few walls, though there was no sign of the unknown man anywhere.
"He's gone, Honoka pointed out, looking around to spot any sign of the Seed of Darkness with no luck.
"Yeah," Nagisa nodded her head before realizing, "Wait, where's Dai-kun and Pollun?"
"Over here!" Emerging from behind a knocked over car, Dai stood up with Pollun still in his arms.
"Dai-kun! Pollun!" Nagisa cried out as the girls rushed over to the Rider's side.
"Are you two alright?" Honoka asked, looking for any signs of injury on either of them.
"We're fine," Dai assured them before looking down at Pollun in his arms who was slowly regaining conscious. "Are you alright, Pollun?"
"Y-Yes," Pollun said, tearing up a little now that the whole experience was over. "T-Thank you for s-saving me-popo. I was so scared-popo."
"Hey now, no crying, it's alright," Dai said, patting the fairy in his arms gently which seemed to calm him down.
"I'm glad the both of you are alright," Honoka said, smiling before she turns and looks at all of the destruction around them. "Still, all this destruction...so that was one of the Seeds of Darkness..."
"He was tough, that's for sure," Nagisa said, frowning at all the cars in a wreck around them. It was like a tornado had passed by here. Considering the type of powers the man had displayed, such a description didn't seem that far off.
"At least the worst is over."
*BEEP...BEEP...BEEP!*
"Or not..." Nagisa said, she and everyone else turning their heads to Dai's wrecked TryChaser 2000. "Me and my big mouth."
Passing Pollun over to Honoka real quick, Dai ran over to his bike and answered the radio.
"Dai here."
[Dai! No. 37's been spotted. Meet me near the Sumida Bridge.]
"On it," Dai said before the call ended. After that Dai looked at the condition of his bike and frowned.
"Another Grongi?" Dai turned around to face the girls who overheard his conversation.
"Yeah. I need to get to Sumida Bridge, but without a ride, I won't make it," Dai said, frowning. He needed to wait for another 15 minutes before he could transform again and by then, even if he used Dragon form's speed, he'll still be late. So what to do?
...
...
...
"...say, girls," Dai spoke up, an idea forming in his head after a few moments of thinking.
"What is it?" Honoka said.
"How fast are you girls exactly?"
"How fast are we?" Nagisa raised an eyebrow at that question before gesturing to their current state. "You mean when we're transformed like this?"
"We've never really bothered to check," Honoka said. Both girls knew that as Cures, they were stronger and faster than any normal man on Earth, but exactly how strong and fast were they?
"Well, now's a good time as any to find out," Dai said, smirking. The girls themselves including the fairies all tilted their heads in confusion, wondering what the Rider was planning.
(Minutes Later)
In nearly half an hour later, Ryō in his car reached Sumida Bridge. Looking around, the man tried to spot any sign of Dai but found no sign of the Rider. Was he running late?
*THUD!*
"Whoa!" Ryō cried out in surprise when it felt like something had landed right on top of his car. Looking up in confusion, Ryō lowered the window and was about to stick out his head when Honoka's head appeared above. "What the-!?"
"Domo(Hello), Ichijo-san," Honoka greeted the man upside down as the Cure was currently on top of the man's car. "Sorry if I surprised you, but, uh, can I have your gun?"
"...what?" Was Ryō's brilliant response. What else was he supposed to say when a 14-year-old suddenly lands on your car and asks for a gun?
"Ichi-kun needs it."
"Dai? Where is he?"
*knock-knock*
Hearing a knock coming from his left, Ryō turns and sees Nagisa running next to his car with Dai himself piggyback riding on the girl while holding Pollun in his arms.
"Sorry, I'm late!" Dai said.
Ryō himself just blinked at the strange sight before turning back to Honoka and handing her his gun.
"Thank you," Honoka said before jumping off the man's car and over the bridge, landing right next to the river bank. Seconds later, Nagisa too jumped off the bridge and joined her.
"Huff...huff...didn't know I could run that fast..." Nagisa said, huffing and puffing as Dai got off of her.
"Thanks for carrying me, I hope I wasn't too heavy," Dai said as he handed Pollun over to Nagisa.
"No, it's fine," Nagisa said, having no problem at all carrying Dai thanks to her enhanced strength.
"Ichi-kun, here," Honoka said, handing Dai Ryō's gun while mentally thinking to herself how the gun was heavier than she thought.
"Tha—"
*Spark!*
Before Dai could thank the Cure, the gun was suddenly shot out of the Honoka's hand. The trio all jumped in surprise and looked to see that a feather dart was embedded into the barrel of the gun.
"Shit! He's here!" Dai exclaimed as he and the girls quickly took off running, snatching the gun off the ground and running under the bridge to take cover.
"Where is he?" Nagisa asked, peaking out only to snap her head back when a feather dart grazed by her head, leaving a small scratch on her forehead.
Up in the air, Buuro, now with a newly grown left wing, waited patiently for Dai to come out of hiding, wanting revenge for last time.
"You can hide, but you'll only delay the inevitable, Kuuga!"
With his blowgun to his mouth, the Owl-type Grongi waited with the patience of a pro assassin, waiting for the chance to snipe his target.
"Don't peak out like that, he's in the air," Dai said before summoning the Arcle around his belt. "Henshin!"
Going through the hand motions, Dai soon assumed his Pegasus form. Removing the feathered dart embedded in the gun in his hands, he then held it up for the others to see it turn into the Pegasus Bowgun. The girls and their fairies then gasped when golden sparks surrounded Dai's form before his form changed once again, becoming for the second time today...
"Rising Pegasus..." Nagisa whispered out, recognizing the form from Dai's journal.
"Stay here," Dai told the girls before lifting up his Rising Pegasus Bowgun and ran outside. He didn't stop running as immediately he was beset by attacks from the skies. As he ran, Dai focused his senses outwards, trying to locate Burro's position.
...
...
...
...
...
*...flap...flap...*
'Gotcha!' Dai thought, pinpointing the Grongi's position. Looking up with his enhanced eyesight, the Rider spotted the owl reloading his blowgun. Taking this chance, Dai pulls back the hammer of his bowgun, aims, and fires a total of six shots.
From Dai's perspective, Buuro quickly moves out of the way, successfully dodging the first three shots only for the last three to hit their marks as Buuro was shot in the leg, stomach, and chest. With his enhanced hearing, Dai could make out Buuro screaming as the flying Grongi fell to his death, but never reached the ground as cracks reached the Grongi's buckle and...
*BOOM!*
*BOOOOM!*
*BOOOOOOOOOM!*
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
Multiple explosions soon occurred, looking almost like fireworks as the explosions were loud enough and big enough for everyone in the city to notice and see.
"Holy..." Nagisa breathed out as she and Honoka looked up into the sky in disbelief, shocked at the size of the explosion happening right above the city. Once the explosions had ceased, the two looked down at the Rider who looked back and gave them his signature thumbs up.
"Mission Accomplished."
(Later)
After reporting back to Ryō as well as telling him that the TryChaser needed to be repaired, the policeman congratulated them on a job well done and agreed to take the kids home, having dropped off Dai and Nagisa first before leaving with Honoka. Nighttime had descended as the two were now in the girl's room.
"Today sure was hectic," Dai commented as he sat down at the table while Nagisa sat down at her desk chair and the fairies were currently on the bed with one of them currently hopping up and down.
"Yeah, in more ways than one," Nagisa said, leaning back on her chair. "At this point, that's pretty much the norm around here."
"Dai! Let's play-popo!"
"This one, on the other hand, is still energetic as ever," Nagisa said as the fairy was trying to get the Rider to play with him. "Weren't you just crying not too long ago?"
"Forgot all about it-popo!"
"Oi, I don't think that's something you should easily forget," Dai commented, but smiled in amusement nonetheless.
"Shouldn't you have left with Mipple to Honoka's place-mepo?" Mepple said.
"I'll go back later-popo. But first I want to play-popo. Even you can play, Mepple-popo!"
"'Even you can play, Mepple'-mepo?" Mepple repeated before practically exploding on Pollun. "And what's that supposed to mean-mepo!?"
"Wah!" Crying out, Pollun quickly jumped and hid behind Dai. "Save me, Dai! Mepple's bullying me-popo!"
"Who's bullying you-mepo!?" Mepple exclaimed as he transformed into his true form and started chasing the fairy prince around the room. "Come 'ere-mepo!"
"No way-popo!"
"Matte(Wait)-mepo!"
"You're too slow-popo!"
"What was that-mepo!?"
"Oh great, now's there two of them," Nagisa said, right eye twitching in annoyance as she watched the fairies run around in her room.
"It's never a dull moment with these guys around, that's for sure," Dai said as he started laughing.
Despite how the Rider was acting, both he and Nagisa were thinking about today's events. Not too long after being told about the Seeds of Darkness did they happen to run into one. Not only that, but the appearance of the Owl Grongi told Dai that the Go Group had arrived in this city, signaling the start of the Gegeru semi-finals. In more ways than one, it was gonna get even more hectic from here on out. While Dai tried to stay calm, Nagisa was anything but.
"Mou...Arienai(I can't believe this)!"
And...done! Well, that was easier than I expected. Goes to show what happens when you're slightly motivated. I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter, as well as the new opening I made. It was come and go with me for a few scenes, but all in all, I think the chapter turned out alright, but what do you people think?
With the Seeds of Darkness beginning to sprout and the Go Group here for the Gegeru, things are shaping up to be quite intense for our heroes. Of course, at this point, this is nothing new for them. But anyway, that's all the time I have for today. This has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out.
And of course, as always, here's...
Pretty Cure: Rider Fun Facts
"Hello, minna-san! Good afternoon-mepo!" Mepple greeted the audience as he, Mipple, Pollun, and the girls appeared on stage. "Mepple here and welcome back for another exciting segment of Pretty Cure: Rider Fun Facts-mepo!"
"So we're finally here, the second arc of the story," Nagisa said, hands on her hips as she takes it all in.
"We've sure come a long way," Honoka add in, pleased with how far the story's come.
"Hey, hey! What are we gonna talk about today-popo?" Pollun asked, excited to be back after so long.
"What else? Today we're looking at Dai's newest form, the Rising Pegasus-mepo!" Mepple said as the Rider's upgraded green form appeared on-screen wielding his signature weapon.
"As we all know, Pegasus form is very strong physically, and that hasn't changed even when upgraded into its Rising state-mipo," Mipple explained. "According to the Rider wiki, Rising Pegasus' Punching Power only measures up to about 1.5 tons while his Kicking Power is about 4.5 tons-mipo. Even his maximum jumping height has only increased to about 20 meters."
"It also looks like his running speed hasn't increased either," Honoka pointed out.
"To compare, even Kuuga's base Mighty form is still stronger in terms of physical strength-mipo."
"Eh~? Doesn't that mean this form is weak-popo?" Pollun said.
"Don't say that. Pegasus form may be weak physically, but that's not where its strengths lie," Nagisa said.
"That's right," Mipple nodded before explaining. "Pegasus form's greatest strength has always been its increased senses. While we don't know if Kuuga's senses are increased further while in Rising state, we do know that the amount of time he can use the form has increased by 30 seconds, for a total of 1 minute and 30 seconds-mipo."
"Not only that, but the Pegasus Bowgun has been upgraded to the Rising Pegasus Bowgun-mepo," Mepple stepped in to explain. "With its lengthed barrel, the Rising Bowgun can shoot more times when compared to the regular bowgun before-mepo. And that's not all-mepo. This form's finisher is the Rising Blast Pegasus, in which Kuuga fires a large volley of shots in quick succession at a target, increasing the chances of him hitting his enemies should he ever miss his first shot-mepo."
"Sugoi(Amazing)-popo..." Pollun breathed out, looking at the green form in a new light.
"I can see how this form is better than his base one," Nagisa commented, impressed.
"Yep," Mepple nodded before turning back to the audience. "Well, that's all the time we have folks. Tune in next time for the group to face their next Seed of Darkness as well as Dai achieving another new form-mepo! Until then, bye-bye-mepo!"
As the others wave goodbye, the title for the next episode appears.
Next Time: Regine Appears! No Matter What, Never Give Up!