What happened at that time?
How long has passed?
Haruno Haruka didn't know this problem. The only thing he knew was that when he opened his eyes again... everything was different.
"Ash!"
Standing on an unknown land, the girl who had just woken up and subconsciously called out the name of the person in her heart looked around nervously.
No trace of Nan or the others was seen, and Puff was not found.
Could it be that I am the only one who got separated from everyone?
"I'm not your father, why are you shouting my name when you wake up?"
"Ash——It hurts!" Yao whimpered as he raised his head following the voice and bumped into something. Only when he carefully covered his head did he see clearly, Ash was above his head, standing upside down on the ceiling?
"If you are here, why don't you wake me up?" Especially Ash, who said this as if nothing had happened, made Yao blush with embarrassment.
"Because I saw you were sleeping so soundly, so I couldn't bear to wake you up... By the way, we are in the center of Fortress of Despair right now." After the daily teasing, Ash casually revealed the news that shocked her jaw. "The structure of this world is somewhat strange, so it seems that the general laws of physics do not apply here."
"Fortress of Despair? Isn't this the home of Dyspear!" Yao immediately became worried after thinking of this. "Where are the others? Did Ash find everyone?"
"I don't know." Ash hid the kivat who was so tired that he fell asleep under his shawl, and shook his head helplessly. "At this time, we have no room to worry about others. Instead of worrying pointlessly, we should trust them more."
"That's true... wait!"
Feeling something was wrong, Haruka looked down and found that the Princess skirt and battle suit she was wearing had somehow changed back into her original pink dress. Not only was the transformation lifted, but after groping around on her body for a while, she got another bad news.
My transformation prop is missing!?
"Disappeared?!"
The really anxious Haruka searched everywhere on her body but couldn't find any trace. She didn't even remember how she lost it, and she was almost crying.
"Ash, I'm sorry! I didn't notice it!" Such a big chain dropped in such a dangerous place, didn't I just become Ash's dragster? Just as she was thinking this, a gentle big hand covered her head.
"Have you lost your perfume bottle and key? Then you have to follow me closely until you find them again. After all..." Looking at her now and thinking of her boldness before, Ash couldn't help but smile teasingly. "You promised to protect me."
"When that happens, I'll leave it to you."
"Hmm...!"
Yao, who was silent for a while, nodded solemnly.
The next sound seemed to disappear between them, and there was no sound of two people's footsteps quietly ringing in the dark space they were exploring.
"Ash, I have something to tell you."
"Yao, I also have something to tell you."
Until they both said in unison, and then froze at the same time.
"You say it first."
"You say it first!"
Seeing the other's expression matching their own, the two of them laughed together for no reason.
This kind of time will definitely become a wonderful memory when you look back on it later.
Yao was very happy because she learned more about Ash.
Sure enough, it is completely different from what the woman named Catherine said. Even if she described how bad Ash was in the past, Ash now is just a human being with love and hope like us!
In that case...Ash!
Paying attention to the man who took the initiative to walk in front and act as the vanguard, Yao's eyes were as gentle as water.
'Princess...Cure Flora will definitely protect your dreams! '
'I swear in my heart! '
"Well, it's a pity that I thought about such a cool thing, but I don't know where the actual transformer is..."
"Haruka-chan, are you looking for this?"
"Ah, thank you!" Yao subconsciously thanked her and wanted to catch it, but saw the hand retracted again. She was stunned for a moment and looked up to see Catherine's smiling face again.
"It's you!" Ash drew his sword and chased after him without hesitation, while Catherine also ran away. "Stop!"
"Damn it, where are the people?!"
Ash has fought against enemies who can read minds, and Ash has also fought against enemies who can flash and teleport at will, but he has never fought against enemies who can achieve teleportation by relying solely on mind-reading abilities. The result of holding Haruka's hand and running around was that he drew his sword and looked around at a loss.
"Ash!" Looking at the environment full of darkness and thorns, Yao reminded him quickly as he remembered something. "Towa described it to me. I'm afraid Witch of Despair is nearby, so be careful!"
"If you lose the ability to transform, do you want me to face the strongest Dyspear alone and defeat us one by one? What a plan." Thinking of this greatest possibility, Ash, who clenched his weapon tightly and was nervous, sneered, "It seems that I have been defeated, but my sword is not at a disadvantage!"
Even if kivat seems to be so tired that she falls asleep, I am confident of defeating her with just a handful of "Zanvat Sword"!
But they led Yao across these thorns covered with desperate energy and seemed to come to some room surrounded by darkness. However, not only did they not find the intended enemy Dyspear, but they saw Catherine's back to them?
Trap? No matter what he is, give her a sword first before taking this opportunity!
"So you've eaten? If you haven't eaten, just take my sword!"
"Pfft!"
When he saw that he really stabbed the opponent with a sword, Ash was stunned.
However, when this "Catherine" showed his true form in front of them and transformed back into the same wide-eyed Dyspear, even Yao was confused.
Dyspear, who looked equally unbelievable, spat out a mouthful of blood, and the empty eyes under the gradually shattering mask were turning in thought.
In the end, she let Catherine lure the enemy into her territory. At the last moment, she absorbed all the energy of despair to release the true power of Dysdark, and then fought everyone in one breath and destroyed their hope.
Yeah? She did lure the enemy into her territory, but it wasn't the target that was caught in the trap, but the unsuspecting rear while she was absorbing the power.
Her ability is indeed ineffective on her without a soul, but does that mean that her indirect ability to affect her image in the eyes of others is also ineffective?
But what Dyspear can't figure out no matter how much he thinks about it is, why?
Is that what it's for... harming others but not benefiting oneself?
"Don't you think it's great?" The real Catherine walked out of the darkness on the other side and smiled with her. "The desperate witch has a joke-like ending of absolute despair, which is very fitting."
"Terrible, woman."
Dyspear, who died with hatred, fell to the ground, and the body that was almost divided into two parts began to gradually dissipate together with the dark blood.
The person who couldn't believe it the most was Haruno Haruka, who had always been against her.
Is she dead?
As the biggest enemy of Pretty Cure, the final boss of Dysdark died like a joke when he didn't even show his true strength?
Are you kidding?
"Ash~" killed Dyspear, and Catherine, who was very happy, took the initiative to greet him enthusiastically. "It's great to have you here, it's been so long!"
"Long time no see, you have become a king and have such great power." The unpredictable woman continued to praise him happily. "Now that I'm so promising, I won't let you go this time."
"You-!"
Ash, who was also in disbelief and was so angry that his hair floated like a Saiyan, roared and pointed the sword at her. "Whose is it?"
"Why do you know who I am? Why do you think you are so familiar with me inside and outside your words!?"
This level cannot be achieved by just reading the memory!
"Why do you act like you know me well!!!"
I don't understand, I don't understand! Unexpectedly, something in his heart made Ash extremely irritable.
"Can't you remember? I have always remembered you very clearly~"
"So what are you-"
"Aren't you going to make sure for yourself?"
Ash, who was speechless and furious, raised his sword and slashed straight at Catherine!
Catherine managed to deflect the sharp blade at the last moment, but the power of the aftermath was enough to cut through the "false mask" that she had been covering up.
"..."
When the lightly swung pink hair quietly passed over the bridge of Ash's nose, it took away all the man's sight.
"...?"
"Ash...?" Yao behind him shouted Ash's name in disbelief.
Because she saw that Ash, who was maintaining the slashing motion, was trembling at this moment.
The evil-minded and powerful Ash, who was always brave and bold, and who had been actively blocking them in front of them, actually started to tremble.
Until she heard him say that word.
"Mom...?"
Chapter 199 Mother
"Hu-ha!"
After losing its light, "Demon Emperor Sword" was nailed into the ground. Ash, who was breathing rapidly, used his trembling hands as a fulcrum to hold tightly, and his free hand was pressed tightly on both sides of his temples.
When I was a child, I also thought that it would be nice if my mother was the one who took me away when my parents divorced.
Her face, her beautiful body, and her confident and gentle smile have not changed at all from the mother in my memory who I loved and admired more than my father.
The starting point of my journey was when I faced the disheartened reality. I was a "second grader" and thought that there was no one in the world who could understand my genius, so I didn't need to miss them. So he made an agreement with the "system" by chance and embarked on a journey through the world of countless heroes.
Of course, it is impossible to say that when I look back as I grow up and wake up, I don't feel regret for the relatives I left behind in the past.
These are indeed things I have thought about. But... I never imagined that there would be such a reunion, but it was achieved in this form.
head...
My head hurts so much!
"Eh?"
On the other side, Haruka made a sound that he couldn't understand at all.
Mom... Mom?
Catherine, is Ash's... mother?
Not only Ash, who was at the center of the incident, but also Haruno Haruka, who was watching from the sidelines, almost gave up thinking due to the excessive amount of information at this moment.
This is the worst and most evil enemy they have ever encountered since they became Pretty Cure, and now the pink-haired Miss Catherine is called "Mom" by Ash?
This word made Yao Yao couldn't help but think of her mother who was always caring for her and would silently support her dreams... No, she couldn't think of going together!
"Wait a minute, are you really Ash's mother?" During the anxious inquiry, the girl even used honorifics in her sentences, and Catherine's eyes lit up when she noticed this.
"Ah~ Sometimes lying is not as beautiful as telling the truth."
She took out the glasses from her arms and put them on the bridge of her nose. They tasted the delicious food and were shocked. Her golden eyes, which were somewhat similar to Ashu, were shining brightly behind her. "Since he was born during my ten-month pregnancy, of course I am his biological mother. If you want to marry him, you have to call me mom."
Oops, just thinking about this makes me burst into laughter~
"In that case, why do you want to become Ash's enemy! And why do you want to stand on our opposite side——?"
For the first time in Yao's heart, there was such resistance to the beautiful title "mother".
Mother is a relative! If they are relatives, shouldn't they be caring for each other?
"Ah ah~ don't you think that you who believe in miracles from the bottom of your heart and your son who is confident that he is invincible and powerful are a little too self-righteous and arrogant?" She walked slowly and slowly on the spot, and she calmly changed her position around the remains of Witch of Despair on the ground. "So I was a little unhappy, so I did it."
"Not happy?"
Just because of... this reason?
The absurdity that was too far away from the three views she knew made the wide-eyed girl tremble. Unlike Ash, who was unable to accept the reality, she was trembling with anger because of this unreasonableness.
Ash He obviously... hasn't seen his relatives for a long time!
"Obviously this should be a touching reunion, but seeing Ash, your mother, is clearly in pain now!"