Kamen Rider Plays the Villain in Pretty Cure

"She's shaken."

Faced with Saya's violent turmoil, Ash's gaze beneath his goggles remained icy cold.

What was with all of them? Why did every single one seem to be hiding some unspeakable pain? Wasn't this supposed to be Hana's friends getting together? Were they some kind of gathering of defeated dogs?

He thought it over and over, but could not make sense of it, so he simply stopped thinking about it. While Saya was still stunned, Ash reached out and grabbed her trembling hand, bringing the V-Commander on his wrist close to his lips with the other.

"What are you trying to do?" Time Fire's actions tugged at Saya's already taut nerves. She instinctively tried to resist, only to remember that she could not resist that power at all.

Time Fire, standing so close, and the hand he was gradually raising left a trail of sparks in Saya's eyes.

"Saya!" The others in the distance sensed danger from that movement as well, but clearly, they had no room to stop Ash either.

The man raised his open hand. Something black flew in from afar, something like a needle, just as it was about to be caught by Ash.

"Hah—"

Saya saw her.

It was Hana.

A girl like a flower, with pink curled bangs covering her right eye. The white ribbon fluttering behind her left a trail through the air where flower petals seemed to dance.

Her cute cheerleader-like outfit made her not particularly tall figure look incomparably beautiful. Leaping through the air, the girl swung the longsword in her hand and cleaved the incoming needle in two.

"Cure Yell!"

The three people present immediately called out the newcomer's identity. She was the Pretty Cure they knew so well, the one they could trust at any time!

"Yo, Cure Yell, you came?" Ash was not particularly surprised by this Precure's appearance. If anything, he had been faintly looking forward to it. "Sorry, but the Doomsday Monster has already been dealt with. There's nothing for you to do here, so hurry home, crawl under the covers, and go to sleep—oh?"

Ash stopped his exaggerated gesture and even took a step back, because the "Melody Holy Sword" in Yell's hand was pointed at his throat.

"Oh my, what kind of greeting is that?"

"I know... I'm grateful that you defeated the Doomsday Monster for me. I'm grateful that you saved them." Cure Yell—Nono Hana—spoke with genuine gratitude, but her expression as she looked at the crimson warrior before her was impossibly complicated. Visible hostility and hope mingled on her face, as if she were expecting something, yet also feeling disappointed.

"But I can't accept what you did!"

"What did I do?"

"Don't play dumb!" Yell lowered her sword, though she kept it ready to respond to any attack. "What you did to Homare—you made it sound so nice, but you were only hurting others with your own self-righteous methods. Even if you truly meant well, you went way too far!"

"I don't think I did anything wrong... Maybe. Maybe you're right, and that's how it is." Ash did not refute her, but his right hand quietly moved to the holster at his waist. "But I have the power to do it, and I want to do it, so..."

"I can do whatever I want!"

Like a gunslinger drawing and firing at the appointed moment, he fired in Vulcan Cannon Mode. Three beam bullets shot toward Yell. The woman had no space left to dodge, and just as Ash believed he had victory in hand, his eyes widened.

Tomorrow Energy shone from Yell's hands. She simply raised both arms, swung them forward, and knocked the beams away!

Hana's physical abilities had begun to recover, and she gradually revealed the enormous power that could protect the entire world by herself.

Every shot fired from Ash's gun missed. The prepared Yell had already leaped above his head.

"If you think power is everything, then no matter what you intend to do, I'll deny your methods!"

Amid the woman's sharp cry, the Melody Holy Sword came down at the crimson warrior in a flash of sacred light. The warrior spun his gun halfway in his hand, and a steel blade thrust out from between the dinosaur gun's teeth, slashing toward the descending sword in a blazing radiance!

The crossed blades erupted with light, illuminating both their faces in an instant.

Side Story Case File 23: Fire's First Battle Against Yell!

"Clang—"

When the Melody Holy Sword collided with the DV Defender, when Tomorrow Energy clashed with blazing future technology, dreamlike and magnificent light burst forth. The power born from the past to protect the future and the power born from the future to protect the past—two forces from different worlds that had unexpectedly arrived at the same conclusion—began their first clash in this world.

The flying sparks illuminated the flame-shaped lenses of the red warrior, reflecting the graceful silhouette of the female warrior holding the high ground and striking down at Ash from above.

The ultra-high-performance computer linked directly to his nerves inside the helmet instantly completed hundreds of millions of calculations, listing every possible attack direction and analysis result for the female warrior before him.

Her right hand seemed unsteady. That was where she had been injured the last time they met. In that case, I have the advantage in strength!

"Face!"

With Ash's roar, his already powerful strength suddenly surged, instantly breaking the deadlock.

The premonition of facing a powerful enemy made the muscle fibers in Ash's arms tighten like twisted ropes. The energy stored in the Time Protection Bureau emblem at the center of his belt began to circulate at high speed. At his command, all the power flowing through his battle suit was directed into both arms, and the DV Defender, burning as if it would set the air ablaze, bore heavily down upon Yell's sword!

Though I don't actually dislike you... I even feel a little sorry for you, you overworked mess. But I'm in an absolutely terrible mood right now! So, Cure-whatever-you-are, for the sake of clearing my head, just lose already!

"Face!"

Facing Ash's continued assault, Yell had nowhere to brace herself in midair. Unable to push off the ground, she was like a mayfly upon a vast raging ocean, liable to be thrown off the water's surface and drowned beneath the waves by that furious "power" at any moment!

But Cure Yell, Nono Hana, did not have anything as convenient as what Ash used. What she chose to rely on was the secret that had supported her through years of battle—the one thing, besides "miracles," that she could truly call her specialty as a Precure.

The proof that she had lived until now—strength!

"Face—what?!"

Ash's eyes widened. He had not expected this woman to suddenly redirect the sharp edge of her blade, sliding it along the edge of his DV Defender amid sparks and lightning. It was almost as if—

She had deliberately thrown herself into his blade.

What is she trying to do? Is she trying to get herself killed?! No, that makes no sense. Could it be some hidden technique I don't know about that needs to be used up close?

With the initiative in his hands, Ash cautiously adopted a defensive stance. That was not wrong, of course, but the fact remained that he took a sidestep back from Yell, causing his unstoppable assault to stall for a brief moment.

And that was the exact result Yell had been waiting for!

"You!"

Ash had not expected that, despite being as cautious as possible, she would still charge at him head-on. Completely unlike her small and cute first impression, Cure Yell was a warrior who dared to stake everything on a critical moment!

Yet it was already too late to strike her head-on. She forcefully took Ash's hasty attack, letting the blade cut a gash across her arm, but the pink warrior had already rushed close enough to stand almost nose-to-nose with him.

Ash's old strength had been spent, while his new strength had yet to arise. At such close range, the sword he had raised could no longer be used effectively. The situation had turned around. Yell abruptly raised her small head, half her face hidden behind her bangs, and then—

She viciously smashed it into the forehead of the red warrior before her!

The result of a flesh-and-blood head colliding with future special alloy was a decisive victory for the former. Ash flew backward in a bizarre posture, his head thrown back and his neck nearly snapping, like a sideways letter J, crashing through the wall behind him and kicking up thick clouds of dust.

"That hurt..."

Of course, Hana did not feel too good after using her fleshy forehead to ram an iron one either. She sat down rather ungracefully, both hands covering her slightly swollen and reddened forehead. Her two large eyes, reddened at the rims, were continuously moistened by tears gathering in the corners, but she stubbornly held them back.

That had been way too dangerous. She had only acted on the feeling that this was what she had to do, and it was really fortunate that it had worked in the end! But did that mean she had defeated him?

Looking toward the dust-filled area, Hana's mood visibly dropped further. In truth, she did not want to fight Time Fire at all.

After all, he was the second person who could defeat a Doomsday Monster. No matter his purpose, the fact that he had saved the world would not change... Becoming enemies with someone like that, let alone defeating him, was simply too painful, wasn't it?

Of course, Nono Hana did not regret what she had done either. What he had done to her friend was far too excessive. No matter his reasons, it was equally unbearable and unforgivable!

"Crash—"

Holding his head, Ash slowly walked out through the dust he himself had raised, much to Hana's surprise.

"Seriously, what was that just now?" With half his mind still spinning, Ash could not help wanting to complain about Hana's fighting style. But remembering that he had actually been knocked down by something like that, he was too embarrassed to say it aloud. "Is that the legendary warrior's fighting style? It really is..."

Kind of interesting!

"You over there, Precure—your name was Cure... what was it again?" Unable to remember for a moment, Ash immediately connected the smart visor built into his helmet to the internet and searched it up, giving his answer before Hana could sweat in embarrassment. "Cure Yell. When you attacked, you didn't waste time on inappropriate hesitation. You acted decisively. Not bad."

"Ah, don't be nervous. I'm not blaming you. I'm praising you, sincerely."

"Because you're an interesting woman."

Ash gave Hana a look of considerable appreciation. Until now, because she had appeared in what was practically a "half-crippled" state, he had always considered Nono Hana a defective product of a hero. For the first time, he felt that she had begun to shine.

And so, naturally, Ash's heart stirred.

"Mr. Time Fire!" Although Ash's helmet made it impossible for Hana to be certain he was male, she responded according to the voice she had heard. "No matter what, I hope you'll stop your cruel games with my frie... with ordinary people. There's no meaning in our fight at all. This is absolutely wrong!"

"Meaning? Why does there have to be meaning? A fight is a fight. Thinking about the meaning of fighting is just pointless excess. That won't do."

With a finger hooked through the DV Defender's trigger guard, Ash disdainfully spun the gun around.

"You finally showed me your will to fight, and I'm looking forward to seeing what your true strength is like."

"So if I want an answer, I have to respond to you too!"

Side Story Case File 24: Fire's Confession to a Flower

"Clang—!"

At the point where their two blades collided, piercing metallic cries and fierce sparks burst forth once more. The smile hidden beneath Ash's helmet grew brighter as he felt his life pounding again and again.

Gathering quietly and hiding quietly, Emiru crouched behind a bush and tugged on the sleeves of her two friends, who were not quite themselves. Her gaze was nailed to the constantly shifting battlefield.

Still as a mountain, fierce as fire—that was Time Fire on the field. Even without relying on that terrifying mechanical dinosaur, the red warrior's combat skill still filled them with shock and fear. Every descending blade, every punch and kick he threw seemed capable of shattering everything in the world, including easily taking their lives.

Only now did they realize just how much Time Fire had held back against them.

Yet in the face of such a savage assault, Cure Yell, whom they knew so much better, endured like a lone unmoving boat in a raging storm. The pink warrior's flowerlike figure vanished in an instant amid the scorching rain of blades. When she reappeared, she had already slid behind him, glowing with invincible Tomorrow Energy as she slapped a palm against the man's back.

Yell was still holding on. Yell was still attacking!

"As expected of Cure Yell, everyone's guardian!" With her arms crossed over her chest, Emiru's eyes shone with undisguised adoration. "It's a shame Hana-senpai ran off somewhere and got separated from us. Otherwise, I'd really want her to witness Miss Yell's heroic splendor too!"

"Did Miss Yell save us?"

"Her hand... Could it be..."

Other than Homare, who vaguely sensed something and could not help frowning, everyone else immediately brightened. After all, they were familiar beyond words with this Pretty Cure who had protected them for eight years, and their trust in her needed no explanation.

It was not only them. As the Doomsday Monster's shattered remains dissipated into the wind along with its energy, people gradually emerged from the shelters and were stunned by the sight of the two fighting.

Naturally, the overwhelming majority immediately stood on Yell's side.

"Go, Cure Yell!"

"Don't let that red bully look down on you!"

"We'll always support you, Yell! Only you are a true hero!"

"Yeah! Cure Yell turned defense into offense and sent that red bastard flying!"

"Cure Yell is the best!"

Of course, Time Fire's supporters occasionally spoke up from within the crowd as well.

"Nonsense! How did Time Fire get pushed back by Cure Yell? He could suppress her last time!"

"Lord Time Fire! I'm your fan! Keep it up, this city really still needs you to protect it—ah! You Yell fans, don't hit people! Ah—don't hit my face!"

Ash swept his gaze over the people around him and frowned irritably at the noise. But before he could say anything, Yell noticed the man's small movement and stepped forward, blocking his view.

This woman... wants to protect those ordinary people? Seriously, this is supposed to be our one-on-one fight... yet she keeps doing unnecessary things!

"Cure Yell, what do you fight for?!"

Their clashing blades separated. In full view of everyone, Ash opened his arms toward Yell as though he wanted to embrace her.

Ash had no intention of stopping. He had merely chosen another form of confrontation.

"Is it for everyone's expectations? Is it to protect this beautiful world?" As Ash's impassioned words fell one after another, the girl slightly lowered her body, swallowed, and gripped the smooth hilt in her hand even tighter. "Is it to protect the people most important to you? For justice, for survival? Or... because you want to play the role of a savior who rescues all living things?!"

"You've already been doing it for eight years, haven't you? There's no one more suited to it than you!"

"I don't know..."

"Hah—!" Rather than the fierce rebuttal he had expected, her answer abruptly stopped Ash's words. He seemed unable to believe his ears, but right in front of him, Yell repeated herself once more.

"I said—I don't know!" Yell's eyes showed no sign of being shaken by Ash's words. On the contrary, with a lion hidden in her gaze, she struck back at the man with her own beliefs! "When I first gained this power, I wondered why it had to be me. There are plenty of people stronger than me, people more suited to this power! But gradually, I understood!"

"It wasn't this power that chose me. I needed the power of this legendary warrior!"

Sometimes, after I struggled through a hard battle and defeated a Doomsday Monster, I would wonder whether someone like me had become a little closer to the beautiful, mature older sister I admired in my heart.

Facing Ash, who seemed to want to speak but stopped himself, Yell—Nono Hana—continued to declare loudly, "I don't fight because of those reasons. I fight simply because I want to. Whether it's protecting the world, whether it's protecting someone important, that's all there is to it!"

Not to gain anything, not to wait for anything!

"You can call it self-satisfaction or laugh at me for being an idiot! But I believe that what only I can do must be what I should do!"

Nono Hana's heartfelt words rang all the way into the sky. Surrounded by an utterly astonished crowd, witnessed by the mechanical dinosaur gradually fading from sight, the silent Ash slowly raised his head. Then came a series of crisp claps, followed by laughter so wide-mouthed it could not be contained.

"That counts as a reason... Hahahahaha!" Ash kept clapping, until his final clap landed against his own face.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm not laughing at you. How could I call you an idiot? But this is just—hahahahaha!"

As Nono Hana watched Ash laugh uproariously, maliciously wondering whether he had suddenly gone mad and becoming wary because of it, she heard Ash leisurely say something extremely strange next.