Kamen Rider is playing the villain in Pretty Cure

Running past Lei and Erika, Eddie was about to retrieve his dragon fencing sword when a beautiful figure stood in front of him.

"Miss, please move aside—"

Before Eddie could finish his words, Lily's hand had already grabbed his outstretched wrist and with a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw, she knocked him to the ground.

Eddie, who claimed to be an SCSO time traveler, was knocked to the ground in a single move by the local "native" Lily.

"Manager, what should we do with this guy?"

"Don't be too hard on him, Lily." Ash, who had just returned from the backstage dressing room with a blue jacket, casually threw it over Eddie's open-mouthed face. "He's just an amateurish, hot-blooded idiot, after all."

Ash found that his tolerance had increased a lot compared to before. In the past, he would have given such people a good beating.

"Who is the hot-blooded fool?"

"Whoever agrees is the one."

After putting on the coat and pants that Ash had kindly provided, he looked at Eddie, who finally looked a bit like a human being, sitting on the other side of the sofa, and silently exchanged glances with Ash, who had temporarily sent the others away.

"Um...thank you."

"Didn't your mother tell you?" Ash crossed his legs. "You have to be sincere when you thank someone."

"Stop making so much noise! ​​I was born in an orphanage, I don't know what kind of person my mother is!"

"Let's talk about something else." Ash shifted his stance, crossing his hands under his chin. "From what you've said (including what I've seen from my other identity), I can tell you're acting recklessly. I'm curious, what motivated you to do this?"

"I want to be a hero!" Eddie said, suddenly excited. "I want to prove to everyone that I can be a hero like the Commander! Gain everyone's unconditional approval!"

"You want to be a hero just to be famous?" Ash narrowed his eyes as he looked at Eddie who was still excited.

"Eddie, why don't you try to do something big?"

Chapter 52 What is a hero?

"Do...something big?"

"By the way, if you want to be a hero just for recognition and fame, then instead of mulling over how to be a hero, why don't you just be simple and direct?"

Seeing the flicker in Eddie's eyes, Ash began his own test.

"Like, go back and burn the SCSO to ash, overthrow your old boss in one fell swoop, or something like that," Ash continued, nearly laughing at Eddie's increasingly miserable expression. "You said you're not afraid of death fighting to become a hero. If you can accomplish these great things even at the risk of death, you'll definitely become more famous than even a hero, right?"

"Do something big, Eddie, do something big! GO!"

"Are you insulting me?!"

Eddie gritted his teeth, grabbed the coffee cup in front of him and threw it over. Seeing the guy in front of him dodging it nonchalantly, Eddie was completely furious.

I'm a magic bullet warrior of SCSO. The commander who gave me this treasure is the greatest hero. How could I do such a shameless thing!

"That's not who I want to be!" Eddie's shoulders trembled with anger, his eyes red as if he wanted to tear Ash apart a hundred times. "What do you mean? Are you actually in cahoots with that guy?!"

"But, that's what you said, right?" Ash dodged the spit that threatened to spray his face, suppressed his previously feigned smile, and his expression turned cold. "You said you wanted to be a hero, to prove yourself to everyone, to gain recognition."

Ash could probably guess the pressure he was under from the people around him, so he started to make a scene in order to prove himself.

It was the same when he was a kid, but the difference was that after he realized that resistance was futile, he no longer cared about the so-called bullshit pressure.

"Listen up, kid. If you're just looking for recognition, to protect yourself from being looked down upon, to boast about your own greatness, then why do you want to be a hero?"

"Why? Because anyone who's called a hero is truly remarkable!" Eddie seemed incredibly excited, his eagerness to prove himself making him look like an angry bull. "You see, I've seen living legends, and what they can do is just as remarkable as how they look! And haven't you seen special effects films? They celebrate the heroes' worthiness!"

"Hahahaha, I think you've been watching too many cartoons and comics and lost your mind!" Ash laughed heartily, clutching his stomach to make it look more like he was laughing. "You should watch less fantasy works that turn you into Don Quixote, my paranoid scout."

"That's not all fantasy, and I'm not Don Quixote—"

Ash raised his finger and tapped the dragon sword in front of them. The man's fingers tapped the magic bullet dragon that had no consciousness and no spirituality.

"That's right, Don Quixote thought he was the knight charging the giant. He at least knew what the knight wanted to do, but you."

"You're so stupid you don't know anything."

"You're just a guy who couldn't handle the pressure, so you set a naive goal for yourself and rushed around."

"I'm not a kid, I'm already 17 years old!" He was still talking tough, but his momentum was much weaker than when he first wanted to tear Ash to pieces.

"Really? Then have you ever thought about what your reckless behavior will bring to the world? Have you ever thought about what to do if the other party doesn't let you go but intends to take your life?"

"Or do you think the commander you want to be is this kind of person?"

"I......"

When the facts were right in front of him, and when Ash used the person he admired as an example, Eddie had to face the consequences of his recklessness.

"Okay, let's not talk about this for now. If you want to be a hero, I'll ask you a simple question." Ash let go of his hand and went back to lying leisurely on the sofa. "What do you think a hero is?"

"It's someone who is incredibly brave, who can defeat bad guys, and who can also help others!"

Hearing this man finally say something decent, Ash nodded. "You're right, but everyone has a different definition of a hero. There are many people who wouldn't consider themselves heroes even if they were doing what you're talking about."

"But if they can do this!" Eddie stood up again excitedly. "If they can do this, shouldn't they be respected and admired by everyone?"

"Should a person who helps others be trusted and recognized? He certainly should, but that's his luck, and it's never something he takes for granted."

"If you still think so, I can only tell you that heroes will not, and dare not hope to, do so, even if they do gain people's trust." When he said this, a serious aura that had never been seen before surged from behind Ash.

Because he saw all these things with his own eyes.

Eddie wanted to refute, but his heart vaguely told him that what the other party said was the truth.

But if I don't refute it, doesn't that mean everything I care about is wrong?!

Two completely different ideas collided with each other in his mind, and Eddie fell into a dilemma even more difficult than running naked on the street. After a moment, unable to give his own answer, he picked up the sword and keys on the table and walked out of the cafe without saying a word.

Ash didn't stop him, but just watched the other person's back as he left, and leisurely poured himself another cup of coffee.

"Manager, those great truths you told him, are you trying to make him a hero just like you did with Rei and Erika?"

With her hands on the back of Ash's sofa, Lily was thinking and worried at the same time. Even if the other party was indeed an exhibitionist, it was not a reason for him to recklessly sacrifice his life at the hands of the Desert Apostle.

"Lily, if you think this is the way things are going, you don't know me well enough." Ash lifted his coffee to his lips, letting his cool breath dissipate the warm air. He couldn't get enough of this delicious coffee. "I'm not a life guide. I'm just someone who can't even guide themselves. Even if I could point out the path forward for him, it wouldn't work unless he truly understood it."

"But for us, you've done good enough."

But Lily cared about more than that. Even though she said that she didn't want to have anything to do with the Pretty Cure's responsibilities anymore, she couldn't help but think about it and imagine the mystery of the so-called more powerful "darkness" from the outside world in that person's words.

If this were true, the Pretty Cure would not only have to fight against the Desert Apostles, but would they still be able to survive this difficult time?

The remaining half of the purple heart seed lay quietly in the palm of his hand.

Even if they win, how much damage will they suffer and how much will they lose, just like me...

"lily."

Hearing the store manager calling her name, Lily came out of her sad thoughts and met his eyes that were narrowed into a smile.

"It's okay, no matter what happens, I will handle it for you."

The words coming out of a man's mouth are always so reassuring when joking or unexpected.

"Oh, don't exaggerate too much."

Even though the attitude in her words seemed unfriendly, the curve of her mouth still betrayed Lily's mood at the moment.

"Want to go out for a walk?"

"If this isn't within the scope of the job, fine."

Chapter 53: "Hero" Disqualified

"Lei, are you still thinking about that man, about what he said about Timmons being a darkness from another world?"

Erika leaned on the railing, feeling the cool river breeze, with a comfortable expression on her face and her signature indifferent look.

"If you ask me, it's all good. Pretty Cure is beautiful and kind. God loves us so much, so he will never let us lose. Whether it's the Desert Apostle or Timmons, we just need to beat them all with a bang!"

Looking at the leisurely waves in the river, Lei shook her head: "No, I'm thinking about our business."

"us?"

"Mr. Eddie said he wanted to be a hero because he had a hero idol." Lei thought of Lily's words to them earlier, which she still vividly remembered. "So I'm thinking, we're actually just like him, because we once saw the Moonlight Angel in a dream, and we want Lily's approval and validation..."

"Lei." Calling her friend's name, Erika tugged at the corner of Lei's clothes and gently pulled him over, allowing his cherry-pink eyes to meet her own sea-blue eyes.

"Rei, do you still remember the first time you transformed into Pretty Cure and what your first battle was about?"

"Because...Scorpion Lina of the Desert Apostles was hunting Siflei and the others." Lei nodded her chin, her eyes hidden behind her lenses as she began to recall. "At that time, Erika also lost her heart flower and became a desert monster."

Lei remembered.

Although I was very scared and even ran away in the first battle...but I wanted to help Siflei and Erika, so in the end I fought for my life and successfully purified the desert monster.

Thinking about it now, even though I have become powerful, these things still seem as unreal as a dream.

"I was so dazed at the time that I can't remember anything." Erika rarely put away her funny expression, and her gentle look made Lei unbelievable that the person in front of her was actually Erika. "But I still remember how scared I was at the time. When I was so scared that I wanted a hero to save me, it was Cure Blossom who came, and it was Lei who saved me!"

"To me, Lei is my hero! I will never waver, and Lei doesn't need to prove anything to anyone!"

Knowing that her friend just needed some encouragement beneath her seemingly wimpy exterior, Erika flashed her own cheerful smile until Rei, blushing slightly, shyly looked away.

"Erika, thank you."

It's so nice to be able to move to Hope Flower Market from somewhere else and become friends with Erika!

But what Erika said, being praised for being awesome or something, it's really embarrassing...

As the girls were awkwardly adjusting their glasses and adjusting their mentality, they saw a familiar figure that they had seen not long ago walking past them from behind.

And that figure looked very decadent.

“Why…?”

With his head lowered and his waist bent like an old man who needs a cane, Eddie wandered aimlessly on the street, not caring about being recognized.

He thought he was speeding on the path of justice, and even though he lacked talent and guidance, as long as he put in more effort and courage, he could solve evil and problems together.

However, after Ash peeled off all his fig leaves, he realized how difficult the road to becoming a hero was.

First of all, he was no match for Timmons, no matter in terms of strength, technique, or even his mentality.

Secondly, if we look into the facts, he is just imitating the people he admires.

If he doesn't become a hero, no one will recognize him. Not only that, the trouble he caused by stealing authority without considering the consequences will be blamed on the commander and adoptive father, bringing shame to him.

If this arbitrary act also ends in failure, the good woman who has always believed in him and whom he likes will definitely leave because of his uselessness!

After pulling off all the disguises, he didn't want to admit that he was such a despicable guy.

But if he still had a little bit of self-respect as a member of SCSO and some last bit of shame as a human being, he would have to admit it.

"I...can't be a hero."

As if he had lost all his strength, Eddie sat on the lawn by the river, with the dragon fencing sword that had power but no spirituality placed aside.

But if I don't become a hero, what else can I do?

Can't do anything?

"Oh, I found a listless child~"

The playful female voice coming from behind broke Eddie's self-immersed world. Scorpion Lina standing behind him could see the withered flower in his heart.

Although they look a little different, as long as the soul is withered, the Desert Apostles can take advantage of it.

"What the-what did you do!"

Eddie quickly grabbed the sword and reached for the key box at his waist, but he was still a step too late.

"Flower of the Heart, come out!"

“Quack!”

The magic bullet key fell on the grass, and Eddie overturned twice in one day.

Throw the trembling Eddie sealed in the crystal ball from the bottom of the crystal. The heart flower sealed in the crystal and about to wither is the most suitable prop for making desert monsters.

"Well, what is this?"

Seeing the Dragon-Slaying Sword falling at her feet, Scorpion Lina remembered what the other party seemed to be planning to do with this thing when he discovered her.