### Chapter 92: The Arrival of Cure Ace
Time rewinds three minutes back.
“Why is this happening, Precure…”
Hiding behind a rock near the beach, two cans of chilled cola have already started to form icy dew on them in Akuri’s hands. Despite her body heat being completely sucked away by the cold drinks, she held onto them firmly, too tense to let go.
Now, her attention was completely captured by the fight scene on the beach. She could see Ash fighting fiercely with the Pretty Cure. The紫色 one has been defeated, and the battle seemed to only be escalating.
Why did this happen? Was it because of a ray fired by the Selfish King? But he didn’t seem injured at all.
Moreover, this stance was unlike anything she had seen before; it was mercilessly ready to obliterate the enemy.
“What should I do…”
Why are you like this!?
Akuri, who once was also a Pretty Cure but now lost her transformation ability, gnawed her fingers out of desperation. An ordinary person would find no use on a battlefield even if fully armed, let alone being a kid.
But just watching, the Pretty Cure girls would certainly be wiped out soon!
“Hey, what are you staring for!? It’s dangerous here—quick, leave!”
The voice from behind brought Akuri back to her senses. It was the princess of the Selfish Organization who had switched sides to the Pretty Cure. She seemed to have lost her abilities as well, left merely to watch like Akuri.
“You…..!” twice
Both spoke simultaneously yet paused immediately. They looked at the girl in front of them—while unknown to them, they felt a certain familiarity—and a sudden anger welled up.
“You——what are you still doing standing around? Are you an idiot?!”
Regina couldn’t contain herself anymore, shouting with uncontrollable emotion. Akuri, displaying adult-like maturity, placed her hands on her hips and responded calmly,
“And what are you doing standing there?!”
“I’m Mana, Precure’s partner. I am different from you!”
“Is that so? But don’t you lose all your abilities and can’t do anything?”
“You….how do you know?!”
Amid their squabble, Ai-chan flew over, visibly terrified.
“Oh, Ai-chan! Danger, quickly come over here!”
To Regina’s surprise, Ai-chan didn’t fly into her arms but instead changed direction when she saw Akuri, full of joy, and flew towards Akuri, the young student.
“Ai-chan!”
“Qbi~!”
Akuri also caught Ai-chan with a surprise-filled expression, leaving Regina bewildered.
“Do… you know Ai-chan?!”
“Of course!”
“She’s my lost partner sprite!
“But without the Royal Jewels, I cannot transform either…”
“The Royal Jewels? Well, I have some!”
Akuri widened her eyes; both put aside their initial distrust and decided to cooperate for the sake of the battling girls and Ash.
“Now, we’ve gathered the key for victory.”
Five Royal Jewels were in Akuri’s palm. Sensing her intentions, Ai-chan emitted a beam of light, summoning a dedicated transformation device—the Amour Palette. Akuri filled the device with the five jewels one by one, blending their colors into unique hues, and reflecting a red heart shape in Akuri’s eyes.
“You… Are you…?”
As someone who fought Pretty Cure before, Regina naturally perceived Akuri’s next move, which was why she was surprised, but quickly reacted.
“If you’re also Pretty Cure, please helpMana and save Ash!”
“I will.”
Akuri pressed the Royal Jewels inside the device, transforming with a dramatic command.
“Precure Dress Up!”
Seeing Akuri shrouded in glowing flames, Regina took a step backward, covering her heart, her eyes slightly unfocused.
How wonderful, how wonderful. But all I can do is watch, unable to do anything…
If only I could transform myself, I could help them!
If only I could be a Pretty Cure too…
Now, Akuri didn’t have time to consider Regina’s thoughts; she transformed after a long while.
Glowing petals enveloped her, bursting into blazing flames that wrapped around her without causing any harm. Instead, like the rebirth of a phoenix, the flames revitalized her form. The youthful figure of a student disappeared, giving way to a strikingly mature and towering figure. Adorned in pure white war attire adorned with fiery lines, her lips painted a crimson lipstick enhancing her allure as an adult figure.
Cure Ace, the girl with the heart of a child and the mind and body of an adult, made her grand entrance.
“Volley of Love, Cure Ace!”
Seeing this new Pretty Cure, Ash tilted his head, then recalled something.
“So, you’re the additional warrior of Pretty Cure?”
The additional warrior is a concept common in action series, arriving with combat prowess beyond regular team members, capable of matching top officers and even the main bosses.
Indeed, if this trend continues, Cure Ace would surely become one of the strongest characters in the story without being reduced to the same level as the others.
“If that’s true, I must be her stepping stone.”
Quite intriguing!
Facing a transformed Longya—a completely unfamiliar entity to him, ACE folded her fingers to form the “A” sign, pressing it to her chest and winking at Ash.
“Beauty is proof of justice, and a blink of an eye will pierce your heart!”
“Spoken well!” Ash even raised his hand to clap appreciatively.
“Let your power and beauty stir me even more!”
“But I’m curious… do you deserve the title of Ace (Ace)?”
Without speaking, ACE beckoned him closer.
“Just because I paint a little color doesn’t mean I open a dye shop, lady!”
Ash’s foot stepped on the ground, instantly crumbling it apart, leaving only an indistinct shadow. As his punch wrapped in fierce winds struck his target, ACE vanished, and a flaming fist passed through and ignited a blooming petal, causing burning ashes to fall from her arms.
“Behind you—!”
Confronting Ash’s back, ACE hit him with her elbow. Ash, without turning, thrust out his hand from under his armpit. The collision between the elbow strike and the palm strike produced a loud noise, pushing Regina and Ai-chan back slightly with the force.
“Not bad, not bad!”
This single exchange brought Ash a great deal of delight.
“Power, speed, reaction time, and technique… Cure Ace, your strength truly surpasses that of Cure Heart and the others.”
More importantly, everyone else seemed to want to awaken him, but a half-hearted attempt collided with full power, leading to his defeat quickly.
But this woman clearly came with the intention of defeating him entirely. Now, that’s what I call interesting!
“Come on, show me the true value of your ace card with everything you’ve got!”
“Experience it for yourself!”
Simultaneously taking low stances, Ash inserted his claw-like hand into the ground, sparks shooting out as ACE’s heels left marks in the surface.
Both moved, leaving behind streaks of afterimages! Their figures vanished instantly from the battlefield—the sole indication being the continuous explosion echoing in the air.
