Kamen Rider is playing the villain in Pretty Cure

Fortunately, the behavior that was slightly close to "hooliganism" was just a temporary impulse and flashed by. Ash quickly returned to normal and began his speech to her with his hands behind his back.

"I've always believed that there are only wrong names, but no wrong nicknames or battle names."

"Your battle name is Cure Fortune, right?"

So, does your destiny symbolize the past or the future? Is it the rope that binds you or the driving force that propels you forward?

Someone once said that a true warrior carries the weight of his own or someone else's "soul" on his weapon.

"I can feel the excessive heaviness of your fist, but it seems that this responsibility does not belong to you."

In other words—it's as if it was borrowed from someone.

You are overly immersed in this responsibility from "others". In that case, where is the self you should be showing?

"What's wrong? The battle you carry actually comes from someone else, from another part of you?"

A warrior fighting for others? Personally, I don't mind that tune anymore... But Fortune, you're too impatient, otherwise you wouldn't have been defeated so quickly by me.

"Are you going to pity me?!"

At this point, are you worried about me and are you going to act like a teacher at school and tell me what to do?!

Faced with Ash's arbitrary criticism from the perspective of a winner, the girl could no longer hold back the grievances rising in her heart and was about to argue with him.

"You defeated the people of the Phantom Kingdom, and then, regardless of whether it was a misunderstanding or not, you fought the lovely angels who came to support you without hesitation."

As if this kind of thing doesn't matter to you at all.

"And then, you chose to let the cute angel go when you were sure to win. Then, you constantly challenged and defeated other Pretty Cure girls, but you chose not to use force against me now... I don't know if you were trying to do me a favor or something, but—"

"Didn't the transformation device you used to do all this come from the one you forcibly took from the Princess Angel?!"

Thinking of this, Iona's anger suddenly doubled. She felt that her blood pressure, which had always been very healthy, began to rise rapidly.

Oh right, if that's the case, isn't this the same thing that "Princess Angel" started?!

"Cure Princess..." It's hard to imagine that Hikawa Iona, a cold and beautiful girl who is usually cold on the outside but warm on the inside in the eyes of her classmates, would repeat someone's name over and over again with resentment.

This unfortunate princess angel... not only did she commit such a heinous crime, but now she's brought in this unlucky star. What a misstep! Is it destined that she and I will clash?!

"Bingo!" Ash snapped his fingers, pleased that she had identified the real problem amidst all the contradictions. "You've learned to draw inferences from one instance. Not bad."

But, you clearly wanted to scold me, right? Why are you suddenly focusing on that Snow White now?

"Um..."

Rubbing his chin, Ash carefully looked at Iona in front of him with a gaze that could see through the eyepiece, and did not move until the girl began to feel uncomfortable all over.

For some reason, if the person in this armor is Ash, this protective suit with bright eyes and innocent appearance, originally used for exploration of the outer universe, now also exudes an unusual evil aura.

With careful observation and some recollection, Ash "smelled" a hint of unusual development.

"Oh~" Ash said thoughtfully, his tone casually testing her. "I took the transformation device because I couldn't bear to watch it anymore. But why do you care so much about her? Why... do you have a grudge against her?"

"......No."

The girl tilted her head to the side, and the shadow cast by her purple bangs obscured her gaze from Ash.

"That doesn't sound like you really don't have any. What? Are you afraid to look at me?"

No matter what Ash said, the girl kept shaking her head, making it impossible for him to see her clearly, as if her last act of stubbornness was to not look Ash in the eye.

"You're really bad at lying, which is kind of cute."

"...What do you care?"

The angry girl didn't know if she heard it or not, but one of her earlobes started to turn red.

"Well, let me explain...just make a guess." Similar things have happened too many times that Ash has witnessed, so even if the system has pruned away the specific memories of this part, Ash can easily find a similar sense of déjà vu.

"Snow White, she may not have done anything to actually wrong you. However, perhaps she accidentally did something that indirectly caused you unbearable harm?"

"So, you've suffered something unbearable, or something similar." Amidst the girl's incredulous gaze, Ash confidently continued his explanation. "You hate her immensely, but she didn't personally inflict the pain on you, so the kindness in your heart prevents you from directly venting your hatred on her."

"Is that right?"

Listening to the man's analysis in her ear, which was called speculation, the girl felt cold all over because she had no secrets from him.

Absolutely...unable to hide.

The girl now feels like she is being held in his hands, and he is peeling off the protective shell of her body layer by layer without any resistance until she is "naked" and exposed in front of him, feeling "ashamed".

Chapter 25 The So-Called Culprit

"So you really hated her, so you chose to 'take your anger out on her', right?"

How come you know so much? This is a one-sided account of the whole incident, right?

I have seen similar things many times, whether they are reversals or misunderstandings.

After their eyes met in mid-air, the girl, whose skirt was lifted up by Ash, was silent for a while and finally exploded again.

"What do you know about this!!!"

Since you are so knowledgeable and know everything, then I will tell you everything!

I don’t know if it was because of the feeling of being exposed that made the girl start to give up on herself. She didn’t realize that the ice on her body was gradually melting, allowing her to escape at any time. The girl just "poured" all the "background settings" to Yalexiu.

"The Phantom Empire that is now invading the entire world is precisely the world-shattering existence unleashed by that Princess Angel!"

"!"

In an instant, "That embarrassing thing is actually the mastermind?", "Isn't it even more embarrassing that I didn't see through her at all!", "When did Guangmei start playing the side of justice and is actually the enemy!" and all kinds of groundless speculations began to emerge from Ash's mind.

"She was originally the princess of the Blue Sky Kingdom, and she released the Phantom Empire that was sealed at that time." Fortunately, the information that the indignant girl explained later pulled Ash out of various extreme associations.

"Tsk, is that so? I thought..."

The first sentence you said made me think that Snow White was actually the mastermind behind the scenes, pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger.

Facing Ash, who seemed relieved to hear such explosive news, Iona was a little unsure whether she should continue speaking.

"In short, it was her recklessness that triggered a series of disasters in this world!"

"Oh."

Ash nodded as if he understood something. This could explain the hesitation that Snow White had shown when facing the Phantom Empire.

However, Hikawa Iona on the side didn't understand at all. Your reaction is too indifferent!

"Well, you all call me the destroyer of worlds, but do you know how many worlds I've been to?"

Ash shrugged helplessly as he explained for the girl.

An archaeologist accidentally dug up a coffin and found a living creature lying in it, or dug up a pyramid containing a giant, or even accidentally lifted an alien manhole cover, or even a little kid holding a toy camera could release a huge enemy that brings disaster to the earth and even threatens the entire universe... We have seen enough similar things, so let's get rid of them quickly.

Excluding those who intentionally unsealed the system, it's unrealistic to blame someone for something like this. Furthermore, the first person to unseal the system is often the first to suffer, so Snow White must have suffered quite a bit.

"At least." Ash, taking into account various previous experiences, spoke a fair word for Snow White. "She chose to face the trouble she had caused, to fight and stop it instead of turning a blind eye. That's quite commendable."

Is this the only thing the Pretty Cure, known for her ability to escape, didn't run away from? It seems I didn't misjudge her when I gave her the chance.

"But—" the girl, with sadness gradually filling her eyes, said angrily at the crucial moment. "Because of what she did, my sister also became a Pretty Cure to protect Hikari Hill!"

"And in order to protect me at that time, my sister—"

Tears of sorrow flowed slowly down the cheeks of the sad girl who couldn't speak any more.

"so."

At this point, Ash understood.

So, the bottom line is, your sister became Pretty Cure and died in battle. So, you do have reason to be angry at her.

"She fought and sacrificed for her family and to protect this world." Ash, with a heavy expression on his face, gradually became serious, patting the girl's shoulder in a comforting gesture as she looked at him with a hint of confusion. "Your sister is a warrior worthy of respect."

She must have fought to the bitter end, holding on to her dignity, for something important. Hmm... Such an undoubted "hero" is indeed the person Ash, who has admired since childhood, respects the most!

"Wait...."

Who sacrificed themselves? My sister was defeated and sealed, but she's not dead yet!

"But you have to understand—" Ash suddenly changed his tone, no longer acting frivolously, and spoke seriously to her. "The murderer of your sister is ultimately the Phantom Empire, not that princess."

It's sad, but that's war.

What is important is the priority and cannot be reversed.

"Once upon a time, I knew a purple warrior girl just like you." Perhaps to convince her, Ash told her the story of a black-spaghetti girl. "Like you, she was anxious to throw herself into battle and do even the smallest thing for someone important to her."

"But the harder she tried, the worse she got at it."

"Because it was this anxiety that caused her to neglect the truly important people around her: her friends who fought alongside her."

Are you like this?

"!"

The girl was instinctively shocked when she heard this, as it reminded her of a scene from the past.

At that time, she was invited by the pink "cute angel" to join the team to protect the hill of light.

But at that time, I didn't want to team up with an inexperienced newcomer, and I hated the "Princess Angel" who was traveling with her, so I refused without hesitation... Compared to the failed and shameful self now, is this a punishment for my arrogance?

"But I will continue to grow stronger and keep fighting!" The girl clutched the transformation device she inherited from her defeated sister. "For my sister, and because of the responsibility I inherited from her, I will defeat the invasion of the Phantom Empire and protect the future of Hikari Hill—"

"No."

Ash once again decisively denied the girl.

"In that case, doesn't your sister's fate have become something that binds you?"

I mean, the most important thing is your "self-reflection", but you still keep saying the same old things. What should I do? I'm very optimistic about her. Do I have to give her a drastic measure to make her awaken?

"This destiny is meaningless if it is not created by oneself."

"You can't protect the future if you're bound by the past."

Now you are anxiously trying to prove something to me.

"It's just like a child crying for help."

He stared at the stunned and astonished girl in front of him after being "defeated" by him, and followed his warning instinct out of the corner of his eye to see the red light gradually accumulating behind him. Ash suddenly had an idea and secretly stuffed a new card into his belt.

"Danger!"

Before the girl could react, Ash suddenly jumped up and hugged the girl with his body as a shield. The next moment, a violent red explosion filled the girl's eyes.

The violent vibration of the explosion made the brain buzz, and the ice and snow around her shattered like crystals and floated around her. The girl sat on the ground with her mouth wide open, looking at Ash who fell in front of her thighs with a charred back.

"W-why...?"

No, it's the enemy's?

"Didn't I tell you...?"

Ash in front of her raised his weak voice and smiled at her.

"You are now... no different from a child seeking help..."

Chapter 26: The Girl's Collapse and Burning Rage

"Danger, Iona!"

The things that happened in the past still make the girl breathless when she thinks about them, and the memories are still fresh.

On that ordinary night like any other, I, still an elementary school student, witnessed my sister, "Cure Tender", once the most powerful Pretty Cure in the world, being attacked by the enemy while trying to protect me, and was sealed in a mirror with screams.

“Sister—sister—sister!!!”

I once knelt on the ground, clutching the last remaining transformation device. No matter how much I cried or shouted, my strong and gentle sister could no longer respond to me, nor could she return to my side, to this home.

The person important to him was taken away by the people of the Phantom Empire in front of him.

When I was still a little kid, I swore that I must become strong to fight against the Phantom Empire and never let something like this happen again.

But now...

“Ahh…Ahhh…”