Kamen Rider Is the Villain in Pretty Cure

They were just blindly praying and begging Precure.

"Precure—please!"

"Time Fire, I'll never badmouth you again, please—"

"Precure!"

"Precure!!"

"Precure!!!"

Ash's teeth were almost grinding to dust, his fists clenched so tight they were digging into his palms, the sound clearly audible.

"Isn't that—enough!?"

Ash's earth-shattering roar, like a roused sleeping lion, instantly cleared the surrounding noise, drawing everyone's attention to him.

The man with twitching lips tore off the bandages wrapped around his face. His forehead was adorned with a patch of pale black short hair that stood up like a hedgehog, blowing freely in the wind.

He rarely got this emotional.

But that didn't mean he never did.

"Precure—Hana has done so much for you!"

"Isn't it enough by now!?"

[Extra] Case File 70: Uncontainable Rage and the Heart of Salvation

All eyes were now focused on the man standing on the hospital bed, his entire body wrapped in bandages like a mummy.

The man placed one foot on the bedside cabinet, but no one told him to get down, nor did anyone ask him to be quiet.

It was all because of the atmosphere that seemed to be heating up.

It was all because of the man's gradually exploding pressure that was almost suffocating.

Ash was furious.

Ash was angry.

Ash looked at the cowering turtles watching him, these idiots! He was so damn, unbelievably, incredibly angry!

"What are you doing!"

"She—she's not a soldier, not a police officer, with no responsibility or obligation, she's just a girl! Yet since she was thirteen, she's been protecting you alone for eight years, bearing all the pain and exhaustion!"

"Not 8 hours, not 8 days, not even 8 months, it's been EIGHT YEARS, EIGHT YEARS, you scoundrels!"

Ash, with red eyes, pointed at everyone's noses and unleashed a torrent of curses without a care.

"Let alone a girl who endured hardships but was afraid to go to a regular hospital for fear of worrying her family and friends! Even Ultraman Tiga protecting a planet for eight years would be flashing red lights!"

Watching a girl shed her last drop of blood for you... don't you have even a shred of human shame? Are all the men here just women who should be castrated!

You guys with those things down there, can you even call yourselves men? Do you still have balls?!

"She's safeguarding your future, cheering on those who despair and generate Rampage Energy, allowing you to rally again."

"She can't fight anymore, and she doesn't want to fight. She wants warmth too! She wants to rest! She needs help!"

"Even just a word of encouragement would be enough, she needs you now—What are you doing? Tell me, what are you doing!"

Ash, with wide, angry eyes, explosively tore off the bandages from his body and hands as if venting.

"You're praying, even now you're begging her to work overtime and save you useless people one more time, I spit—"

Disgusting, damn, I didn't even do this when I was the villain deliberately provoking the hero, it's truly disgusting!

"Your quality as humans is indeed top-notch compared to some other species, at least you haven't done the disgusting thing of backstabbing the person protecting you... but have you even had your human mettle castrated along with it?!"

Of course—I know that human weapons are useless against monsters born entirely from idealism, that humans can't do anything... right?!

"That blue woman—Yakushiji Saaya, upon seeing her friend, was able to awaken herself and break free from the Doomsday Monster's state. This means that Tomorrow Energy was never something exclusive to her, but a possibility that all of you should possess!"

"Then why can't you do it—"

Because you can't.

So you naturally do nothing?!

"God damn! For the sake of that poor woman, answer me!"

Everyone was struck dumb, not a single person could answer Ash's question.

Ash knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew how ridiculous he looked.

But he didn't care, and he didn't need to care about anything.

I'm angry, I'm venting, I'm making a fuss with people who have nothing to do with this? That's right, I damn well want to make a fuss for Hana, who said nothing and just silently bore everything!

"Patient over there—!"

Finally, someone broke the suffocating atmosphere that was nearing its limit. Several doctors rushed towards the area where the problem occurred.

"It's already this time, no matter what the problem is, even for that Precure, stop arguing!"

"Sir, please, your injuries... please return to your hospital bed!"

Ash took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh.

"Go find patients who need your help more,"

He tossed his crutch aside and, under the astonished gazes of the doctors, leaped out the window.

"I have other things to do."

I'm busy, no time to be injured.

For example, saving someone.

"Ash... Mr. Ash—?!"

Accompanied by the sound of a heavy object landing, a shocked yet familiar voice called out Ash's name along with a rustling sound from his hands.

"Nono... Kotori."

The bucket in her hand fell to the ground as she loosened her grip. The girl, her hair slightly disheveled, stared with her mouth agape at Ash, who had rolled and recovered, dressed only in a hospital gown.

I don't have an answer for you right now, so... I'm sorry.

"Wait, don't go!"

"Please, my sister—is she, isn't she!"

The tearful voice and the trembling, sincere emotion made Ash stop. Her tear-filled eyes, gazing at Ash, seemed to hold an unspoken answer.

"Is my sister Cure Yell?!"

After a moment of silence, under her gaze, which held both hope and despair, Ash nodded.

"My dad and mom actually had a premonition about this. My sister always came home injured, and she'd sneak out late at night. Every time there was a Doomsday Monster disaster, she'd tell us to go on ahead, but... if that's the case!"

If my sister is Cure Yell, then she must be in there!

Looking towards the ultimate Doomsday Monster engulfing the world, Kotori could no longer hold back. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, tears streaming uncontrollably through her fingers as she covered her face.

"Our dad... three days ago, to help an employee, was hit on the head by falling debris. He's still in critical condition..."

"Mom is almost exhausted from taking care of Dad, so I thought I absolutely had to find my sister, at least so she could see him one last time..."

"Why, why—Sister! Dad! Waaah—Ugh!"

"Your sister is still alive."

Hearing this, the sobbing Kotori immediately looked up. The man crouched down to her level, his eyes burning with a steely resolve.

"I promise you."

The man pointed to the sky, shrouded in dark clouds.

"The sun will shine in the sky again."

"Nono Hana will return to your family."

Because.

I am the flame that burns everything.

"I will pull her out of the darkness."

[Extra]Case File 71 Resolving Personal Conflicts

Ash, now clad in a hospital gown, walked briskly down the street, much like a character after the yellow fever in Resident Evil, one hand supporting his waist.

On the once bustling streets, under the dim light of this eternal night, not a single person could be seen. The streets and roadsides were a mess of abandoned luggage and haphazardly parked vehicles, clearly indicating that the owners had fled in a panic.

"This is truly... a scene straight out of the apocalypse."

Due to the high moral standards of the populace, humanity, having not experienced war for centuries, no longer required armies. Thus, apart from the police maintaining basic order, people had no other defensive forces. This was also why, after eight years, with Doomsday Monster incidents becoming a global norm, no one had attempted to find other solutions.

After all, as long as there were Pretty Cures, we could rest easy... Ash almost laughed at the absurdity.

"In other worlds, at times like this, even when there are no other options, at least a few planes should be crashing from the sky..."

Ash looked up at the sky. The current sky, filled with dark clouds and the twilight of eternal night, was a clear sign of Rampage Energy's overwhelming victory.

"Tomorrow Energy, the source for Pretty Cures, comes from the vitality and hope in people's hearts for a beautiful future. Conversely, Rampage Energy stems from the despair generated when people feel weary of an uncertain future."

"If both are powers born from the human spirit, then perhaps eradicating all humans could also effectively curb the spread of Rampage Energy."

Casually grabbing a couple of candies from a store to replenish his energy, Ash's mind raced as he calmly planned a truly terrifying course of action.

"Humanity has no army. If we use V-Rex, the chance of eliminating everyone within three days is over 90%..."

After a moment of quantum mechanical calculation for indecisive situations, Ash concluded that this approach was viable. Just as he was about to raise his wrist, he paused for a moment, then shook his head and lowered it.

"No, even Hana right now would cry."

But if I don't do this, it means.

Saving the world and saving Nono Hana are essentially the same thing. The entire world can only rely on me.

Finally approaching the place where it all began, as the darkness intensified, Ash also saw a police blockade ahead.

"Sir!" A police officer standing guard behind a police car exclaimed in surprise as he saw a man in a hospital gown hurrying towards them, immediately blocking his path. "Please leave here quickly! The area ahead is within the range of that Doomsday Monster's abilities, it's dangerous!"

"Danger is precisely what I'm looking for. Move aside."

"How is that possible!" The police officer continued to block Ash's path sternly. "Sir, you're still a patient. No matter what happened ahead, please hurry back. The Doomsday Monster's influence is still expanding, but before that, I can't let any more people suffer!"

"It seems there are still people with courage in this world."

If I can know this, I can already have hope for the future of this world.

"You will definitely become a good police officer in the future."

After speaking, Ash gently leaned the young police officer, who had fainted from the abdominal punch, into the passenger seat. At the same time, he put on the blue-gray uniform, complete with equipment and a sash, that the officer had "generously gifted" him. After rummaging through the storage compartment, Ash found a red beret, which he lightly patted and placed on his head. It fit perfectly.

"Alright, next is…"

Just as Ash was about to step into the darkness, he stopped. He unholstered the gun at his waist and, like a Western cowboy in American martial arts, instantly drew his revolver and aimed behind him. Under his gaze, as dangerous as a falcon's, a young man with a dejected expression walked out with his hands raised.

It was that stalker who had been following Nono Hana. I had beaten him up a few days ago, and the marks from that encounter hadn't even had time to disappear yet.

"What, you saw my embarrassing moment and now you're here to mock me?"

"So what if I mock you?" The man's eye twitched from his still swollen, purplish-blue left eye. "I truly had high hopes for you, but time has led everything to its predetermined conclusion. What I said, did you ever listen to me—"

"Bang!"

Smoke billowed from the barrel of the police revolver. The bullet grazed his scalp and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

"Do you know why I have such strong animosity towards you?"

The still smoking, scorching muzzle was pointed directly at his forehead.

"It's not just because you're a pervert who's been stalking my Hana. It's your way of speaking. I couldn't stand it from the beginning."

"Hana isn't yours either," the man said, dropping a bombshell that made his expression twist slightly.