Forty-Fourth Chapter – Seeking the Arrivals
“This is…?”
Ash looked at the flyer in his hand with a pixelated photo, lost in thought.
Early Sunday morning, as soon as Ash opened the shop, he saw a police officer approaching. Mistakenly thinking that he had been exposed for hiring child labor, Ash quickly called Lei and Erika to take off their uniforms, only to be nearly slapped by them out of misunderstanding.
Instead of being asked about water meter checks, the police officer, looking严肃 (serious), distributed flyers to every household and store nearby. Now, he was explaining the severity of the matter to Ash and his friends.
“Is this, a wanted poster?”
Although it was a wanted poster, Ash found it hard to keep a straight face when seeing the person in the flyer running so stylishly, even though their face was pixelated.
“Eh, could this person be a fugitive?”
Lei, feeling scared, edged closer to Erika. As a peaceful little town, Hopeflower City rarely encountered supernatural events like invasions by Desert Apostles. The most common accidents were traffic accidents. Even if there were crimes, they were usually minor ones like pickpockets. For Lei, “running away” on the wanted poster seemed both unfamiliar and frightening.
“Yes!” After running to several houses, the committed police officer finally stopped to rest, drinking some water that Ash gave him before continuing to explain the situation.
“This person was discovered last night by our night patrol officers. When they found him, he had no clothes on and tried to assault a woman at the parking lot. After our officers called out to him, he didn’t stop but chose to run away. Finally, by some unknown means, he actually managed to escape.”
“We judge that this exhibitionist should not have left Hopeflower City; he might still be hiding somewhere. So, if you see any suspicious person, immediately call the police.”
“What times we live in.”
Lily put down the wanted poster, her expression showing a natural woman’s disgust. She wouldn’t mind personally escorting this guy to the police station if she bumped into him on the street.
Taking the menu from Lily, the police officer glanced seriously at Lei and Erika.
“Especially you two girls, be extremely careful of strangers these days! Don’t go home alone after school if possible. It’s said that such perverts often target children. You must prioritize your own safety!”
“Yes, we will be careful…!”
Hearing the police officer’s stern tone, Lei nodded immediately, even if she had only seen the person’s face through a photo.
Though Lei possessed the identity of a Pretty Cure, her true personality still leaned towards that of a normal girl. Even so, she was still fearful.
“That’s right, this kind of person loves targeting shy children like Lei!”
Seeing Lei’s fear, Erika, feeling mischievous, laughed unpleasantly and approached from behind with a creepy smile.
“Once Lei leaves the brave Erika, someone like this would hide behind Lei while wearing a coat, then suddenly pull it open—”
“Yahya— Erika—!”
Imitating the description, Erika chuckled and pulled up the bottom of her jacket. Perhaps it was the blue-haired dolt, but Lei screamed like a rabbit, hiding behind Ash trembling.
“Lei should be braver. But don’t worry; as long as Erika is around—Agh!”
“Don’t joke around with Lei.” Ash tapped Erika’s head lightly as a warning. “I think anyone who likes to run around carelessly could be a target too.”
“Humph~ If anyone dares to attack me, I’ll settle him with a good kick!”
“Manager,” the police officer put down the menu, pointing to the name marked in bold red at the top. “Bring me the [Mars Power], please.”
Suddenly, everyone’s eyes in the café turned to him.
“OK!” Ash patted Lei’s head, leaping over the glasses-wearing girl who had covered her head and knelt on the ground, speaking loudly. “One [Mars Power] coffee, coming right up! Please wait a moment!”
With a shocked look, Erika mulled it over for a while and felt it was better to tell him about it.
“Um, officer sir, the coffees here can be… Well, very bitter!”
“It’s fine, kid; you don’t understand adult needs—actually, I like bitter coffee.”
Smelling the aroma of the coffee, the police officer thought he hadn’t come to the wrong place as he took a sip.
“……”
Looking at the police officer slumped on the table with vacant eyes, even Lily couldn’t help but sigh and close her eyes.
“Manager, are you assaulting an officer?”
“Don’t be silly; he just drank so well that he passed out from the taste.”
Adjusting the police officer’s position to look like he was sleepy and tired, Ash had already prepared excuses when he noticed a notification pop up from the corner of his eye.
[It’s him.]
“What?!”
His pupils slightly shrinking, Ash hurriedly distanced himself from the snoring police officer.
Such skill! To find me so quickly yet I didn’t sense anything at all? Damn it. If we fight here, Rei and others are around, won’t that ruin my plan completely?
[No, it’s him.]
The virtual screen slowly moved in front of Ash, the red arrow pointing to the person in the wanted poster with a pixelated face.
“Wake up, superhero, Burn!”
Driving through the city streets in the Mechanical Creator, Ash hummed a tune as he shifted gears.
“Ya-le-ya-le, this is unexpectedly something, this person… really interesting.”
It made sense that a target aimed at me would usually set traps luring me in, unless they’re confident in their strength. That’s a strategy even I could consider more appropriate.
So, what does this high-profile ‘entrance’ mean? Is it a declaration of war against me?
Never did I expect to confront a ‘flasher’ someday; Ash felt his villain reputation was compromised.
Looking around through the motorcycle helmet, Ash searched for any suspicious person from possible angles.
But it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack from the crowd. Thankfully, even with another identity, he could call for help.
“Hey, is it Little Dark?”
Desert Apostles generally didn’t use mobile phones, so Ash modified toys liked by Little Dark to facilitate communication when necessary.
“Wei, zai ma? Yes, connected.”
Seeing the Q version of Shadowmoon, which kept shouting “I am the King of Creation!”, Erika pressed the button on her belt to answer the call.
“Oh, that was fast. I knew you liked it a lot… Good, good. Today, I’m not here for fun, it’s to—”
While Ash was focused on the conversation, he drove his motorcycle around the corner where a black figure suddenly dashed out. Due to distraction, Ash reacted slower and was caught off guard, falling onto the ground with his bike.
“I won’t help you… Timons?”
On the other side, the sentence of Dark Pretty Cure was cut short by a loud noise, causing her figure to rise suddenly.
“Timons!”
No word from that man came, but all she could hear was the dull thump of the collision and the harsh sound of metal scraping the ground.
“I’m the one—”
The Shadowmoon doll deeply indented into Erika’s hand.
Putting down the partly flattened Shadowmoon, Erika walked out quickly, expressionless.
“Damn—”
The black costume scratched the edges, and Ash scrambled up clumsily but swiftly after rolling on the ground.
“At last, I’ve found you, scoundrel!”
The masked figure rolled in the opposite direction, a young voice emerged from one side.
He’s discovered me… It seems he intentionally pretended to be a fool to surprise me when I was off guard. This guy has some skills. There’s going to be a tough battle!
Who is the enemy, where is he?! If my target is me, I hope the foe is at least a level comparable to a grim reaper. No match is what truly annoys me.
“Huh, that’s impressive, but I wonder how you found me.”
The Tiemon Drive and Kayin were ready, with the evil emblem already in hand, prepared for any sudden attack.
“Why not!?”
The person in the blackout pointed at Ash with full force, the proud voice filled with confidence.
“You’re the only one wearing a mask wandering aimlessly in the street. Looks like you aren’t a nice guy!”
