Ash had considered that she might attack without a word the moment they met again; after all, that was indeed her personality. But whether it was a punch or a kick, anything would have been fine—except this straightforward, head-down hammer blow had caught him completely off guard.
"Cough—should I be grateful that you at least didn't welcome me with an ass punch like Erika did? Cough!"
No, that was wrong. He was already a man with such a grown-up daughter! Hastily wrenching his derailed train of thought back on track, Ash performed a backward roll that showed no trace of estrangement despite their long separation. Half-crouching with one hand braced against the ground, the Burning Driver gleamed at his waist!
"So this is how you greet me after so long? Then I won't hold back either! Henshin!"
Though transforming or not made little difference when his opponent was the Supreme Angel, Ash still struck a pose first, intending to see how Primum would react. Then...
"Puca? Puca... Puca!"
Hugging her rabbit ears in her arms, "Primum," who for some reason looked extremely flustered, seemed desperate to explain something to Ash. Yet all that came from her mouth was incomprehensible "Pucas," making her visibly even more anxious.
"You mean... I shouldn't hesitate and should attack with everything I have? Fine! Then I won't hold back—!"
"Puca... Pucacacacaca!!"
At that shrill, sky-piercing change in pitch, Ash forcibly halted the foot he had been about to use to leap into a Rider Kick.
"You're not Primum." Lowering his fist helplessly, Ash noted that while her appearance and armor were almost exactly identical, there was one thing he could not be mistaken about. "You transformed from Puca, didn't you?"
"Pu... Puca?"
She cautiously raised her pitiful, tear-filled face, seemingly wondering how Ash had figured