"That's not right." Yuko murmured in a low voice as he looked at these puppets who were determined to stand in front of him even if they made mistakes. "This battle with the evil Phantom Empire... are two completely different and wrong things!"
"..."
When her companions were at a loss what to do, Snow White noticed that the elastic cord hanging from the huge floor-to-ceiling curtains fell right next to her. Such a familiar scene reminded her of her time at the Blue Sky Kingdom.
"I still remember when I was a child, I wanted to sneak out of the castle to play. In order to get rid of the bodyguards and pursuers, I was like this——"
True to his word, when he pulled the rope forcefully according to his past memories, the unsupported curtain happened to cover the head of the astonished doll like a dragnet.
"Ash."
"Megumi."
Staring at the black striped code Rider leaning on the motorcycle, Hui felt a little complicated considering that she had been worried about his departure for a while, and she couldn't express the thoughts she wanted to express.
Speaking of which, this is obviously his step to help me at a critical moment, right? I thought that if it were me, I would definitely feel an extraordinary surprise here. Why do I feel so... awkward at this moment?
Don't I want him to help me? How strange.
"I... I didn't specifically ask you to help me? You said you would protect us."
"Hui, do you know that it's no longer popular to talk about being upright? And I don't control the attribute of tsundere at all."
"I'm sorry..."
What! The person who was so intimate and flirting in front of me was obviously about the same age as me, but I have never had a boyfriend!
As if sensing the irritated mood of the stomping feet behind them, several rag dolls Bad Beast, which had recovered from their nerves, flew towards them with an even more fierce attitude.
"Coming!"
"Well, which one is better to use this time?" Even in front of the eager enemy, Ash still opened the Rider card box calmly and picked out the cards. "Two people... two people... a double typhoon."
"[KamenRide (Kamen Ride) V3]"
Amidst the surprising sound of the typhoon, Ash, who was pedaling on the chest of one Bad Beast, reversed his body in mid-air and kicked the other one behind him flat. The spinning machine landed on the top scroll of the textile machine.
"Kamen Rider's..." Looking at Rider leaping up above his head, Yu carefully recalled the tokusatsu films he had watched on TV with the boys when he was a child, but he could not find a corresponding object among them. "I can't remember... could it be that my parents were watching Kamen Rider at that time?"
"The glory of heroes will not fade because of the changes of the times."
Standing on the top of the textile machine, the green wind Rider raised his hand and slowly crossed the bulging strengthened muscles on his chest and the snow-white face covered in the shape of a dragonfly. The raised V-shaped gesture and the windless and automatic white wind scarf on his neck declared his strong presence.
"The participation of V3 and the solution of V3 are called the immortal man!"
Anyway, it's one person's, so there's no problem in mixing up the lines!
"Kamen Rider V3——!"
The huge Rider name was even projected from behind him, making it unclear whether this was the Rider studio or the team studio.
"Bad Beast!"
The overly pretentious attitude completely annoyed the Bad Beasts below. These monsters screamed and flew towards the Rider above them, vowing to use the power of their Mugen resurrections to show this green and red little thing what a black hand is!
"Taku!"
Then he was completely wiped out by Rider's Showa uppercut, which was nothing fancy.
The hand knife in the form of two doors can easily knock out monsters that are bigger than itself. Even without the ability to fly, it can easily outfox and applaud the enemy with its jumping ability far exceeding any gymnast on the earth. Another roundhouse kick in mid-air knocked away two huge rag dolls. The combat ability of "No. 3" Rider, which surpassed No. 1 and No. 2, was fully displayed at this moment.
"It's really not a challenge at this level."
Rider, who hit people like a hanging painting, hammered a Bad Beast directly into the human-shaped crack on the wall. He stretched out his arms and jumped up using the double typhoons on his waist to blow away several Bad Beasts. At the same time, he was actually carefully observing the two girls left on the ground with the corner of his eye.
After all, wasn't the reason why he made such a high-profile appearance to draw attention to himself this time, just to give Kei, who was still worried, some time?
Although I almost know the ins and outs.
But there are some things that it would be better for her to understand in person.
"Kozumu."
"Don't come here!"
Finally, there was a chance for the two of them to get along with each other, but he was indeed strongly resisting her kindness. It's like... deliberately resisting yourself?
However, I have already experienced something similar once, so I won't be knocked down to the same extent a second time!
"Kozumu, do you know why we want to be friends with you?"
As expected by Hui, after hearing these words, You finally stopped his noisy and resisting reaction.
"It's not just because I like your dancing, we actually saw that when you were dancing, when you were in front of those puppets, that smile was definitely not a fake act of fun!"
After restraining the sudden anger she felt before, Hui tried to convey her thoughts to her seriously.
"You are like this, so it is natural for us to want to lend a helping hand to help you. It is probably because we sense this feeling from you!"
The girl who finally regained her smile and confidence looked up at Rider who was doing reverse jump and spin. "Yes, just like him! I also want to help you who need help!"
This time, this time my sincerity will never fail again.
"Cure Lovely... Megumi, can I call you that?" There was a sad expression in Yu's eyes after changing the name. "Actually, I can't dance."
"Huh?" The sudden heavyweight news disrupted Hui's confidence. "How is it possible? At the dance just now, Kozumu's ballet was the best dance I have ever seen! Even better than what I have seen on TV!"
"The original me is indeed like this." Hui wanted to know, so he commanded his ability to reflect a picture of his past. "Dancing has been my favorite since I was a child, and I practice diligently every day for this reason."
You, who is still young in the picture, has already gone through exercises that make Hui's scalp numb. However, the girl's smile has not diminished at all during such high-intensity training.
"That's right! What you have now must be the result of incomparable efforts. How can you say you can't jump!"
"Yeah... then one day, I suddenly couldn't move my feet and I couldn't dance anymore."
The figure in the picture sat abruptly on the ground. No matter how hard she tried, she could not move her legs and feet forward, and the original smile disappeared from her stiff face.
"The specific reason is unknown. No matter how much money my parents spent in the hospital and no matter how hard I tried, they couldn't move my legs. My classmates only came to visit me at the beginning, but gradually no one came. Now I don't even have any real friends."
The only ones left are the dolls my parents bought for me as my everlasting friends.
"Hui, do you know what is the most painful thing?" After confiding the dull past in his heart in one breath, Yi, whose tone was surprisingly relaxed, had already burst into tears. "Not only have I lost the happiness and happiness brought by the goals I once worked hard for... I have been here for so long that I almost forget what it feels like to be able to stand up and walk on my own."
"What, what's wrong...?" Hui was stunned and shook his head. Although he had encountered many difficulties both as Pretty Cure and as a student, if he thought about it from his perspective, Hui couldn't imagine what he would be like if he lost his legs.
In that case, I will no longer be able to help others... then what else can I do, what is left?
"That's how I know it, there are some things that can't be done that just can't be done..." After wiping away the tears on his face, You finally showed a happy expression again. "But, it's different now."
"It was the person you call Phantom Empire who saved me. A bad person does good deeds and helps others. Isn't this amazing?"
"But, Kozumu, do you believe him? He is obviously a bad person..." Hui, who felt the same for some reason, was very unconfident in what he said at this time, because... didn't he also believe in the "bad guy" now?
"So what if I believe it, so what if I don't believe it? No matter who he is, he has fulfilled my wish, hasn't he?"
Lifting up the ballet skirt, she stood on tiptoes and turned into a beautiful fairy again, dancing alone on the spot.
"As long as I stay in this kingdom created for me, I can dance. I can walk freely with these legs, and I can dance forever in front of everyone!"
This is already my destination!
"Or do you think it is more in line with your justice to defeat the enemy and let me continue to be a useless person who has lost my dream?"
Bad Beast, who was defeated by Ash at about the same time, happened to be resurrected after reading the CD on the loom. This monster with extremely fierce attack range naturally suppressed her and defeated Meishi, who had lost her mind.
"You said you were Pretty Cure who protects everyone's happiness, right?"
You deliberately stopped dancing and kept raising his hands, narrowing his eyes and looking at the dejected Pretty Cure across from him.
Pretty Cure can Mugen become stronger for the sake of their hearts, and this strength is also true for them in turn.
"Then, just for my happiness, lose."
I can't hold on anymore!
Cure Lovely fell to the ground as the wall behind her was blasted open. Megumi, who returned from the dissipated light and was wrapped in the light coat, felt weak all over.
"I... lost..."
The damage she suffered was not enough to make her fall completely, but the girl knew that the reason why she even transformed was because she... lost in her heart.
She was defeated, not by the reasons and reasons of You, but by her own heart - the story she described was really too lethal to herself at this time.
"Kozumu... I want to help you, but can you really be happy like this?"
"Help me? Then I ask you, can you be happy like this?"
"I..."
Facing this rhetorical question, Hui, who was lying on the ground, was speechless.
"If it's not Phantom Empire, but Pretty Cure, can it heal my feet and let me stand up?"
"This..."
Seeing that Hui was still speechless, and thinking of the way she had proudly praised Haikou when she first came here, she felt very angry.
"If you can't do anything and don't know anything! Don't say such cruel words that you want to help me!"
The tattered puppet Bad Beast who walked up to Kei raised his palm and condensed the miniature light that could turn humans into dolls.
"You say you can achieve happiness by working hard, but you have obviously failed... if you don't even feel happy yourself!"
"How is it possible to make everyone happy?"
As a result, I actually can't do anything?
"Already... no way..."
The moment before the gathering dark light is about to swallow the girl.
Rider Kick fell from the sky with its feet, kicking the puppet's open arms into cotton crumbs flying in the sky.
"V3—"
The double typhoons on the waist exerted their full power, causing Ash to move from the falling posture to a graceful two-footed stand, reverse jump out of thin air, turn around in a big turn, and kick Bad Beast again!
"Reversal Kick!"
Kamen Rider, who stepped on the monster that he had kicked into a pillow, clasped his hands on his chest, looked down at Qi at his feet.
"You said it was because Phantom Empire's cadres gave you freedom, so you became his?"
"What if I say, I can also heal your leg?"
"Huh?"
The girl, who was not expecting the answer, opened her mouth wide and stared blankly at Kamen Rider, who was standing among countless flying feathers.
Chapter 166 Precure is a good person, Ash is not
"You said it was because it gave you legs, so you stood on its side to help scheme against Hui and the others."
Rider stood in front of Hui with his arms folded, and the white scarf around his neck was blowing in the wind. Kamen Rider exuded an amazing aura from all over his body.
"Then what would you do if I said I could give you a new life?"
People with sinister intentions who use moral issues to force people with higher moral standards than themselves are the ones that Ash despises the most now... Well, if you think about it carefully, I was also such a person in the past.
Alas... it's all because of the mistakes I made when I was young.
"What, are you going to kneel down and lick my shoes? In that case, it's not like I can't consider forgiving you."
Neither Hui nor You were mentally prepared for Ash's aggressive speech. Of course, what was completely different from them was Ash who stood straight with his chest raised. Even through the red mask, they could feel Ash's self-confidence.
"You--don't make fun of me so brazenly here!"
You, who was still feeling guilty for his violent words towards Hui, immediately turned around and glared at Ash.
You are indeed very good at fighting, but you can't be good at everything. He said he could heal my legs and so on... Obviously my parents have been to so many doctors but couldn't do anything, so how could you do it?
What is destined to disappoint you is that even if her tragedy is enough to entangle the moral heart of a righteous hero, it is not that useful to Ash, who is extremely flexible in rice noodles.
"Because I am Kamen Rider."
He could tell what the girl was thinking at a glance, and Ash's deliberate and determined tone made her even more confused.
Rider pointed his open hand in the direction of the girl, and grasped it tightly as if holding something invisible. "Power, wealth, desire, violence—these can all be quantified virtually as the only [force]."
"Although it is a very crude statement, in fact, no matter what entanglement and painful choices are faced, and all the helpless separation and abandonment, it can be interpreted as the lack of strength of the person involved."