CONTENT WARNING: MARTIAL ARTS VIOLENCE AND SOME LANGUAGE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The hour was appproaching.
At 5:00 sharp, the martial rhythmic gymnastics match would be held inside the boxing arena at Ichiban High.
Naturally, Rhythm was waiting for her opponent to arrive. Checking her stopwatch, she looked up and saw Susan Chan limping toward her. "Broken leg, huh?"
Susan said, "Actually, it was my ankle."
Rhythm said, "Ankle, huh? Well, too bad for you either way; I guess you're finished, huh?"
Susan said, "No. We're not finished yet."
Rhythm looked confused. "'We'?"
Ryan walked up to Rhythm as Susan said, "This is my second, Ryan Lee. I talked it over with Rica and Kelly, and we decided she was perfect for the job."
Rhythm scanned him up and down. She said, "Ryan Lee, huh? We meet again. I assure you, this will be the last time."
Ryan proceeded to talk with his hands.
"NOT TODAY."
OP: "Danzen! Futari wa Pretty Cure Dragon"
"La gara - The Tournament"
"Remember, Ryan," Susan said as Ryan got changed into the outfit he'd be wearing for the match, "don't let your guard down. Not for one second."
Ryan said, "Funny, I was just going to say the same thing to you."
Remembering how she got injured the night before, Susan said, "Well, it's a little late for that now."
Ryan said, "I kind of knew that…"
Suddenly, Susan spotted a small box of food nearby. She picked it up. "Holy shit… it's you again, Kendra."
The note said, "Some nourishment courtesy of the Black Blur. Приятного аппетита! (Bon appetit!)"
She carefully opened it and saw some berries. Closing the box, she threw it out the window. "Leaflets three, let it be."
Ryan asked, "What was that?"
Susan said, "Some poisonous berries. That girl sure loves playing dirty, doesn't she?"
Ryan said, "Berries white?"
Susan nodded. Ryan said, "Poisonous sight."
"WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THE MARTIAL RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS EXHIBITION MATCH, WHERE THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR ICHIBAN HIGH GOES UP AGAINST A RUSSIAN GIRL KNOWN TO THE STUDENTS, FOR HER SPEED, TENACITY, AND THE COLOR OF HER CLOTHES, AS THE BLACK BLUR! AND NOW, THE COMPETITORS! FROM THE RUSSIAN SCHOOL OF RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS, KENDRA COCOLOVA!"
Rhythm flipped onto the mat, clutching a black rose. Her opponent, Ryan Lee, awaited the announcement of his name. Susan, Rica, and Kelly flanked him. Susan wore a gym tracksuit, Rica wore a black leather jacket over a white T-shirt and blue jeans, and Kelly wore a karategi. As Ryan climbed into the ring, Rica said, "Go get 'er, Tiger."
"FROM ICHIBAN HIGH SCHOOL, IN FOR THE INJURED RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS SQUAD, A GIRL SKILLED AT THE SPORT, RYAN LEE!"
Ryan tumbled onto the ring and shifted his weight to his toes. Rhythm said, "You look ready to fight. Shall we?"
Ryan talked with his hands.
"BRING IT."
Kelly, who was maintaining the apparati for this match, threw Ryan a ribbon. He somehow managed to catch it despite not budging an inch from where he was standing. A cyborg girl gave Rhythm her own ribbon as the announcer continued speaking.
"BEFORE WE BEGIN, HERE ARE THE RULES: NO TIME LIMIT. NO BAREHANDED BLOWS. THE MATCH ENDS WHEN ONE CONTESTANT IS COMPLETELY KO'D. THE FIRST TO FALL FROM THE RING LOSES."
Ryan swung his ribbon in front of him as a warmup exercise. Rhythm noticed her robotic companion was trying to get into the ring, so she whipped her ribbon in her direction to shoo her away.
"THE MATCH WILL BEGIN NOW. ONE TWO THREE GO!"
Ryan and Rhythm started at each other with the ribbons. Rhythm whipped hers around, while Ryan gracefully swung his around.
"AND THEY'RE OFF! AND IT LOOKS LIKE RYAN'S SWINGING HER RIBBON AROUND AS IF IT WAS LIGHTER THAN AIR! KENDRA, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS USING HER RIBBON AS A WHIP--AS IF THE CONTRAST BETWEEN PINK AND BLACK COULDN'T BE GREATER!"
Suddenly, Rhythm's ribbon struck Ryan hard, cutting through his leotard and striking his skin. Rica shouted, "Holy shit, she's trying to thrash him!"
Susan said, "I hope she doesn't use the damn thing all the time."
Kelly threw some clubs at Ryan, yelling, "Catch!"
Ryan dropped the ribbon and grabbed the clubs. Rhythm threw her ribbon aside, hitting a spectator as she took a pair of clubs from the robot girl. She thrust the clubs in Ryan's direction. He kept dodging them, and it was damn good that he did, too.
Because out of those clubs, every time they came at him, was something completely dangerous.
Knives.
Susan said, "Oh my God… are those clubs she's using switchblades in disguise?"
Rica saw the knives pop out and then come back in. She yelled, "Foul! FOUL! Do you see any knives in Kendra's clubs, ref? Do you!?"
The referee looked and squinted but couldn't make out a single blade. She said, "Calm down, Miss Watson; I'm sure she isn't trying to actually kill Miss Lee."
A frustrated Ryan threw his clubs at Rhythm to distract her and then proceeded to do a half-pirouette before marching over to where he had dropped his ribbon, picking it up, and throwing it at Rica. He then threw her around the ring, and she kicked Rhythm as she passed.
"RYAN JUST ROPED HER MANAGER INTO KICKING KENDRA! I'M GOING TO VERIFY WITH THE PANEL THAT IT'S A VALID MOVE!"
The panel made its judgment quickly.
"Well, Miss Lee didn't use her hands…"
"But the manager used her foot!"
"The rules say no barehanded attacks, right?"
"And the manager was wearing sneakers, so it couldn't possibly be barehanded, let alone barefooted."
"Fine."
"This panel hereby rules Ryan Lee's use of her manager for an attack VALID."
"AND IT TURNS OUT USING YOUR MANAGER IS A VALID ATTACK SO LONG AS SHE DOESN'T ATTACK WITH HER BARE HANDS!"
Rica said, "Pah! I know the rules. Did you think I'd ruin the limey's chances by using my fists of fury now?"
The two combatants started using their clubs again. On and on they continued fighting as the color commentary continued.
"AND KENDRA GOES AFTER RYAN WITH HER CLUBS! AND KENDRA SWINGS HER CLUBS! AND RYAN GETS A SCRATCH ON HER FACE, BARELY BEING KNIFED BY A MICRON! BUT A SCRATCH ON THE FACE ISN'T GOING TO STOP HER, NO!
"KENDRA CONTINUES JABBING THE DAMN THINGS AT HER, BUT SHE KEEPS BLOCKING WITH HER OWN CLUBS! IS THIS A STALEMATE ALREADY?
"TIRED OF BEING BLOCKED BECAUSE OF RYAN'S AGILITY, KENDRA CALLS FOR A HOOP, AND HER ROBOTIC FRIEND THROWS HER ONE! SHE THROWS IT AT RYAN, AND SHE DODGES!
"HOLY CRAP, ONE OF THE POSTS GOT ITS TIP KNOCKED OFF! THE HOOP'S A RAZOR BLADE, IF IT WASN'T ENOUGH OF AN INDICATOR THAT RYAN LEE'S GOT A FRESH RIP IN HER SKIRT!
"KENDRA CATCHES THE HOOP WITH HER RIBBON AND TRIES SWINGING IT AT RYAN TO TRY TO CUT HER UP A LOT MORE! BUT BEING THE RESOURCEFUL FIGHTER SHE IS, RYAN DUCKS UNDER AND BENDS BACKWARDS, THEN SHE KNOCKS THE HOOP AWAY WITH HER OWN RIBBON!"
Ryan proceeded to land on the ropes. Kelly picked up the clubs and threw them to Ryan, yelling, "Catch!"
Clubs in hand, Ryan turned to Kendra and started twirling the clubs aggressively. Kendra proceeded to summon a dozen clubs and attack him with all of them. Ryan blocked each and every one of them until Kelly threw a ball at him.
Ryan saw the ball coming his direction and whammed it toward Kendra, forcing her to drop the clubs.
Rica couldn't believe her eyes. "Do you believe it? Look at those clubs!"
Kelly asked, "Do you notice something strange about them?"
Rica said, "Of freaking course I do--I counted a full dozen of them being handled by the Black Blur simultaneously!"
Susan said, "Now I know another reason why they call her the Black Blur."
Rica said, "Yeah, they don't call her the Black Blur for nothing!"
Ryan walked over to where Rica was seated as the bell rang to end the first round. He proceeded to talk with his hands as Kelly sewed up the whip mark on his leotard and the rip on his skirt.
"YOU'D BEST BE PREPARED, RICA, BECAUSE I JUST MIGHT HAVE TO USE YOU FOR DEFENSE AGAIN."
Rica said, "Sure thing, limey!"
"I GUESS NOW I KNOW WHY SHE'S CALLED THE BLACK BLUR."
Rica said, "Yeah, it's like she thinks she's an amateur Vegas act or something. I mean, she's quite the foul player."
"I HAVE ONE MISSION HERE: TO AVENGE THE RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS SQUAD AFTER SHE TOOK THEM OUT JUST ONE WEEK BEFORE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT HER HERE."
Rica said, "I hope you win this one, limey."
Ryan climbed back into the ring.
EYECATCH
The color commentary continued.
"THINGS ARE GETTING A LOT MORE INTENSE AS KENDRA COCOLOVA AND RYAN LEE STARE EACH OTHER DOWN AT THE START OF THE SECOND ROUND. IT APPEARS TO BE A STALEMATE AS THEY CIRCLE THE RING FACING EACH OTHER, AT A SLOW AND SUSPENSEFUL PACE. I DO BELIEVE IT'S TIME TO PLAY SOME ITALIAN MUSIC, PEEPS."
At this, a music box tune started playing as the competitors circled the ring facing each other, at a slow and suspenseful pace. At the fifth double bass drumbeat, dramatic strings started underscoring the tune. The music box tune stopped at the thirteenth double bass drumbeat.
Shortly afterwards, a Spanish guitar was strummed rapidly. The same music box tune briefly played as the strings underscored it. The pattern continued with minor and only occasionally noticeable variance a few times before the strings played a dramatic stinger.
Suddenly, the lights turned off and started flashing rapidly around the area as a different tune was played on the organ. The lights were turned back on at the end of that tune as it played again, this time on a brass instrument with guitar and string backing. The tune repeated itself on the same brass instrument, only with the pitch an octave higher than before.
Afterwards, the music box tune played one last time with a bass drumroll in the middle and slowed to a stop before Ryan and Rhythm started fighting again.
They both threw their ribbons like a cowboy throws a lasso--Rhythm at the camera, and Ryan at Rica. The two collided within seconds.
"OH! A DEADLY CAMERA ASSAULT! A MANAGER BLOCK FROM RYAN LEE! AND THE MANAGER IS SMARTING! WHICH SHOULD BE, OF COURSE, NO SURPRISE."
"Dammit, Ry," Rica snapped, "why did you have to pit me against a camera--the camera that was shooting the match, no less?"
"COULD I BLOCK IT BY MYSELF?"
"You should've taken into account, of course, that the one shooting this production is my father!"
Ryan turned to the camera operator and did an apologetic bow. The camera operator said, "Couldn't be helped… your opponent snatched it from me. That said, to withstand what it just went through it has to be made of adamantium and diamond-resistant glass or something. Carry on."
Returning to the match, Ryan was met with a folding chair attached to Rhythm's ribbon. He swiftly responded with the table where the chair used to be.
"TWO CAN PLAY AT THIS GAME, APPARENTLY--RYAN LEE COUNTERED A CHAIR WITH A TABLE! UH-OH, IT LOOKS LIKE KENDRA'S ABOUT TO PLAY WITH FIRE!"
Putting on a pair of safety goggles, Rhythm snagged a nearby flamethrower with the ribbon and suspended it in midair, aiming for the table. A jet of flame shot out, gradually increasing in length. Suddenly, Ryan dropped the table; it was made of metal and didn't burn as easily as wood, but the surface started to get scorching hot because the jet of flame had collided with it.
"RYAN MAY HAVE BEEN HIT BY HOT LEAD, BUT SHE CERTAINLY DOESN'T HAVE COLD FEET! IN FACT, SHE CONTINUES WITH THE RIBBON--DOUSING THE FIRE IT CAUGHT, OF COURSE, BY STOMPING HARD ON THE BURNING SPOTS, IT DOESN'T LOOK TOO DAMAGED--AS KENDRA TURNS OFF THE FLAMETHROWER AND THROWS IT ASIDE.
"AND THE ROBOT GIRL CALLS FOR SOME YOU-KNOW-WHAT, AND A NEARBY AUDIENCE MEMBER THROWS A BUCKETFUL ONTO HER! GOOD THING, OF COURSE, THAT THE ROBOT GIRL HAPPENS TO BE WATERPROOF!
"THAT SAID, THE STALEMATE CONTINUES AS NEITHER SIDE YIELDS. RIBBONS ARE FLYING, EXCITEMENT AIN'T DYING, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THE HELL WILL HAPPEN NEXT!"
Suddenly, Rhythm walked over to her cyborg friend and grabbed a laser gun. She said, "I disapprove of the man who used this sort of weapon, the same basket case I hear you burned alive at the mortuary, but because the man was bad doesn't make this weapon bad!"
A laser shot out aimed at Ryan's foot, forcing him to pirouette in order to dodge it.
"RYAN MUST'VE BEEN AROUND LASERS BEFORE, BECAUSE SHE DODGED THAT ONE ALL TOO QUICKLY! LASERS, AFTER ALL, ARE HOT STUFF, AND I MEAN LITERALLY! YOU GET A LASER TO THE FOOT, AND YOU'RE OUT OF THE PICTURE FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AT THE VERY LEAST! IT'S JUST THAT PIERCING!"
Rhythm said, "You sure know how to dodge lasers. Dodge THIS!"
Rhythm shot a laser directly at the chest. It struck Ryan, and he collapsed.
"RYAN LEE HAS BEEN SHOT! SHE TOOK A DIRECT HIT TO THE CHEST! IS IT ALL OVER FOR HER? HERE NOW IS THE REFEREE FOR THE COUNT!"
The referee stepped up to the combatants. "One… two… three… four… five…"
Rica was visibly worried. "Please get up, Ryan…"
"Six… seven… eight… nine…"
ED: "YMCA"
Next episode: "Vittoria - Victory"
Voice actors[]
Japanese[]
- Yuki Tokiwa as Hiroshi Lee/Cure Dragon
- Nana Mizuki as Ran Chan/Cure Fortune
- Mariko Kouda as Kaori Chiba
- Ayana Taketatsu as Hyoushi/Kendra Cocolova
- Tomokazu Sugita as Satoshi Watanabe
- Miyuki Sawashiro as Rica Watanabe
- Additional voices:
- Yoko Hikasa
- Aya Hirano
- Haruna Ikezawa
- Mamiko Noto
- Chiwa Saito
English[]
- Rupert Grint as Ryan Lee/Cure Dragon
- Britt McKillip as Susan Chan/Cure Fortune
- Cyndy Preston as Kelly Chiba
- Colleen O'Shaugnessey as Rhythm/Kendra Cocolova
- Jerry Jewell as Ashley Watson
- Chloe Grace Moretz as Rica Watson
- Additional voices:
- Leah Clark
- Morgan Garrett
- Cherami Leigh
- Trina Nishimura
- Monica Rial