Chapter 149

Commencing the Joyful Training Session

Inside a dojo under the Yotsuba Conglomerate, everyone from the teachers to the students was given a temporary day off.

The official reason stated that maintenance for the day was necessary, but in reality, it was completely at the request of the young mistress. Currently, only Arisu in her training gear and the idle Ash were present in the dojo.

“Perseverance… hmm, so traditional.” Ash murmured as he scratched his chin, contemplating how things had come to this point.

“This is quite an unexpected development.”

When Arisu first mentioned wanting to challenge Ash, he initially expected some sort of dramatic confrontation or even a grand battle in a designated valley or warehouse. He felt it was high time they sparred.

However, Arisu’s request was quite formal, proposing that through combat, Ash would assist her with her “training,” which caught him off guard. Out of curiosity, Ash agreed and followed her here.

“From just asking, Mr. Ash seems to be quite amiable.”

A relaxed atmosphere replaced the earlier tension between them, and Arisu cheerfully engaged Ash in conversation once more.

This girl isn’t simple. Just seeing her still smile genuinely after all the conflicts, made Ash realize that she might be the toughest among the four.

She had a confrontation-like vibe going on, yet she could calmly ask for help, which was indeed surprising.

“What a bold move, entrusting the enemy to lead your training.”

“Given that you still want to fight Pretty Cure, this kind of arrangement works well.”

“You mean mutually beneficial, such a clever woman.”

Ash nodded, realizing it was true. If he considered the combat part as a training session, he could also fulfill his fighting desires while she wouldn’t just end up taking a beating; there would be mutual gain.

Of course, he had no intention of actually following her plan entirely.

“When one becomes aware of their weaknesses, naturally, they want to find ways to improve. Among people I know, the most impressive is Mr. Ash.”

“That’s undeniable.”

Seeing the straight answer from Arisu, the slight curve on Ash’s lips let her feel she had figured out how to communicate with him seriously.

After easing the mood, Arisu began explaining her reasons.

“We Pretty Cure are searching for a Royal Gem, a mysterious stone. Due to its power, even fiercer battles may ensue in the future, so I intend to train.”

Moreover, as a member of the Heart Beat Pretty Cure team relying on shields, I want to better protect Mana and the others!

Even a shield user has an offensive heart!

“You’re still part of the Selfish Organization. Won’t sharing information like this be considered aiding the enemy?”

With a hint of enjoyment at the prospect of seeing her flustered, Ash teased her.

“Not really. Even without me saying anything, Mr. Ash is bound to find out from Mana and Little Rikka anyway. After all, despite being an antagonist, your relationship with the Pretty Cures is quite good,” Arisu responded jovially, subtly laying the groundwork for her argument.

“You seem quite well-informed, but if it’s just to fight the Selfish Organization, you might not need to do this.”

In his experience, whether it’s Ultra Series, Kamen Riders, or Team Fighter, many have extensive training backgrounds. They train when they can’t defeat enemies, and to learn new techniques. It doesn’t matter if it’s reversing waterfalls, catching throwing stars blindfolded, or resisting car collisions; training solves everything.

But would such experiences apply to Pretty Cure?

This is so outdated, typical Showa tradition. Now it’s Reiwa… but we’re in Heisei, I guess.

“After all, neither Mamu nor Ira, along with their summoned Selfish Beasts, have presented much trouble to you yet, right?”

“Of course, because there are tough enemies to face, I want to train.”

Holding her face, Arisu smiled genuinely: “For example, imagine a Kamen Rider named Ryuga suddenly appearing as our enemy.”

“You’re certainly imaginative.”

Despite her words, laughter remained on Arisu’s face, making her even more terrifying—perhaps even frightening the small bear demon in her pocket.

Standing up, Ash pulled out a card holder from his pocket, aiming it at a mirror already prepared on the side to bring out the belt.

“Pardon me, Miss. I’ll make quick work of this.”

“But I won’t let that happen, Pretty Cure!”

The multicolored rainbow light emanating from Arisu obscured her form, then a shadow swiftly passed through, the light vanishing. Feeling something unnatural, Arisu leaned down and realized she hadn’t transformed into a Pretty Cure. She was still in her Yotsuba Arisu form.

The realization made her look around, seeing nothing in her hands. She looked up to see Lance struggling in Ash’s grasp.

“Why—Lance! Let me go!”

“Looking for this?” Ash shook her familiar in his hand, causing a few tears to fall.

Right as Arisu attempted to transform, Ash skillfully intervened, snatching away the familiar used as the transformation medium, rendering the Pretty Cure transformation futile.

“Lance!” Arisu exclaimed, calling out Ash’s name. “Mr. Ash, please release Lance.”

“Sure, if you beg me.”

“Please!”

Seeing the girl bow deeply without hesitation, Ash didn’t doubt that if it meant helping a friend, she’d do anything, even if it meant kneeling before him.

“How straightforward, to the point where one almost despises themselves.”

Deciding not to burden her further, Ash tossed the whirling transformation device back to Arisu, who had breathed a sigh of relief.

“Before completion, the whole body is vulnerable; someone like me could easily kill you on sight. So, what did you learn?”

Carrying Lance, Arisu took several steps back, distancing herself from Ash. As he approached, she backed away, and the smile on her face confirmed he wanted her to retreat.

“Precure LoveLink!”

“Henshin!”

A black shadow and radiant yellow energy collided in the mirror, contrasting dramatically. On one side of the dojo stood Ryuga, and on the other PrecureRosetta, their contrasting styles mirrored directly opposite each other.

“Tender Sunlight PrecureRosetta!”

As Arisu called out, her cute twin-tails bounced cheerily. This time, Ash chose not to interfere and watched her call out, rather than initiating victory moves.

“How unexpected, Mr. Ash not making a move.”

“Such tactics work only the first time, hence the name ‘First Encounter Kill.'”

Observing Arisu, Ash noted that she was fully focused on him, and any attack on his part would trigger a counterattack.

“To clarify, I’m not versed in educational methods.”

During his endless travels, Ash had trained in numerous arts, from Animal Fist to the Demon’s training method, Aura Energy, Power Fist, Ninjutsu— even attempting the Magic Ring Mage spells. He once possessed such a plethora of skills that it was almost tragic.

Though he mastered very few, obtaining merely a minuscule amount of special energies associated with those arts, thus limiting his ability to use equivalent superpowers.

However, his battle skills alone were passable, though not fully integrated.

Learning was one thing, teaching another. For education, Ash adopted one method: “beatings with a stick and more beatings.”

“I believe the best training involves getting hit and doing the hitting!”

“I will make sure you learn that lesson intimately,”