Scylla and Charybdis bowed before Ceto, who sat upon her throne, looking down at them. Karkinos and Siren were there as well, standing side-by-side next to the two other generals.

"Lady Ceto," Scylla began, "We bring excellent news from our latest visit to the planet Earth."

"Out with it, then," Ceto said.

The two generals stood from their bow. Scylla looked toward Charybdis. "Show her."

Charybdis nodded as she retrieved the Gem of Tide and held it up high in the air to show everyone.

"It can't be," Karkinos said, his eyes widening.

"Is that..." Siren said, looking up.

"You found one of the Gems of Tide?" Ceto said, standing up.

"We did," Scylla said.

"The Pretty Cure were looking for it, too, but we got it!" Charybdis said.

Ceto approached the two of them. Charybdis lowered her hand that held the Gem of Tide and offered it to Ceto, who took it.

"Very well done, both of you," Ceto said. "I'm pleased. As a reward, you both may take the rest of the week off from your duties. You may use your free time however you would like."

"We thank you, Lady Ceto," Scylla said.

"Yeah, thank you," Charybdis added.

"I want the rest of the week off, too," Siren mumbled.

Karkinos gently placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to stay silent.

"In addition, my lady," Scylla began, "It would appear that exposure to a Gem of Tide creates a Hadalis that is stronger, faster, and overall far more powerful than an ordinary one. The Pretty Cure were unable to overcome our Hadalis, and they were defeated. We won't have to worry about them any longer."

"No way," Siren said.

Karkinos smirked. "Well done."

Ceto, however, didn't look pleased. "Oh, I wish that were true."

"I beg your pardon?" Scylla said.

"You forget the scouts I send to Earth," Ceto said. "The Pretty Cure were looked at by the people of Earth as their heroes. Had they been defeated, surely all of Earth would be mourning their passing. My scouts have reported nothing of the sort. The Pretty Cure still live."

"That makes sense," Charybdis said.

"Still, the information on a Gem powering up a Hadalis is useful," Ceto said. "Thank you for that, at least."

"Of course," Scylla said.

"I'd prefer not to use the Gem itself. If the Pretty Cure were to find a way to overcome a Hadalis powered up by it, that would mean losing another Gem to them," Ceto said, holding the Gem up to the light. "Its power can be used in other ways, however. I'll certainly think of something."

OP: "Swim! Splash! Precure!"

EPISODE 8:
"Spring Break! A friendship blooms!"

"It'll be warm and sunny all week, perfect spring break weather," The weatherman on TV said.

"Well, that's good, at least," Marie said.

"Come on, Marie," Natasha said, "Are you still feeling down about us getting beat?"

"It was over a week ago, now," Talia pointed out. The three of them were sitting together on the couch, with Onda and Costa between them.

"How can I not?" Marie said. "We failed at our duty. What if it happens again? We were lucky that time. It was just us, and there were no civilians around that could have gotten hurt. What if next time, people get hurt, and what if next time, one of us doesn't make it out alright, and what if-"

"Marie." Natasha reached out and gently took both of Marie's shoulders in her hands. "It looked like you were starting to panic there a little. Please try to calm down, I can't stand to see you like that."

"O-okay," Marie said. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to say sorry," Natasha said. "I can tell you've been thinking a lot about this. Stop thinking about what happened in the past and just focus on the now. It's our first day of spring break, and today, we're going to the aquarium and then to the beach. It's your two favorite places in the world!"

"My two favorite places in the world," Marie repeated, smiling a little.

"Aww, there's that smile I love!" Natasha said.

"It was only one battle, Marie," Costa said. "We're not mad at you. Abyss needs all the Gems of Tide together to have the seas under their command. Even if they manage to get all the others, they still won't work as long as we have the one we already have."

"That's true," Marie said. "I'm just a little worried. There haven't been any attacks since then. I wonder if Abyss is planning something."

"Hey, maybe they're on spring break, too," Natasha said with a shrug.

"Whatever happens, we'll be ready for them," Talia said. "We won't lose to them again."

"Yeah!" Natasha exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air.

The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation.

"Is that Ruth and Charlotte?" Talia asked.

"Most likely," Marie said. She raised her voice and called, "Jack! Charlotte's here!"

"Let her in!" Jack's voice called from upstairs.

Marie got up from the couch and ran to the front door, opening it up. Ruth and Charlotte were waiting behind it, as expected.

"Hello!" The both of them said at once.

"Hey, guys," Marie said with a small smile. "Come on in. Charlotte, Jack's upstairs. He'll be down in a bit, probably." She stepped aside to make room for them.

"Thanks," Charlotte said.

"Ruth, Marie's being all mopey," Natasha called from the couch. "Do something to cheer her up! She can't be feeling mopey during spring break."

"Is that so?" Ruth said, tapping a finger on her chin. "Did you hear, Marie? They say Shark Week is going to be early this year."

Marie immediately perked up. "It is?"

"Well, no, sorry to disappoint you," She said with a smile. "I knew that would work."

They all laughed.

"Am I really that predictable?" Marie said.

"Why are you feeling down, anyway?" Ruth asked. "Is it about our defeat?"

"Yeah," Marie said. "It was over a week ago, I know. I'm feeling a little better about it, but I just can't get it out of my mind."

"Wait, you guys were defeated?" Charlotte asked.

"We were," Talia said.

Ruth sighed. "It may have only been one battle, but..."

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs meant it was time to change the subject.

"You two should hide," Talia said to Onda and Costa.

Onda whipped her head around in a panic. "W-Where?"

"There's not time, come on!" Natasha said. With a yelp from the fairies, she shoved them back between the couch cushions.

Jack entered the room, and his eyes lit up when he saw Charlotte. "Lottie!"

"Jack!" Charlotte exclaimed. They flew into each other's arms and kissed.

"Ew, why do you two kiss like you're never going to see each other again?" Natasha said, making a disgusted face. "You see each other, like, every day. Go be straight somewhere else."

Jack and Charlotte parted.

"This is my house," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "I'm allowed to kiss my girlfriend in it."

Natasha playfully stuck her tongue out.

"Alright, alright, before you two get into a fistfight," Charlotte said, "Jack, we should get going. We don't want to miss the movie!"

"That's a good idea," Jack said.

Charlotte took him by the hand and pulled him toward the door. "My car's waiting outside," She said, before turning to the group and waving goodbye. "See you later, everybody! I hope you have a fun day!" Finally, the two of them left.

"They're gone, you two," Talia said to Onda and Costa. She reached into the cushions where Natasha had wedged them and pulled them out.

As soon as she was free, Costa flew up to Natasha, sticking a flipper out to her. "You ought to be more gentle with us!"

"Also, Nat, I know how embarrassing his PDA is, but please don't fight my brother," Marie said.

"Getting chewed out from all sides, huh?" Natasha said sheepishly. "Fine, but just because you both asked so nicely."

"Thank you." Marie turned to Ruth. "What did you bring?"

Ruth held out a beach bag. "Everything's in here. I have my bathing suit, a spare change of clothes in case mine get wet, sunscreen, towels, money-"

"Okay, okay, I got it," Marie said. "I just wanted to know if I should grab anything before we head out, but I should've known you'd have everything already."

Ruth laughed a bit. "I went a little overboard there, didn't I?"

"So organized!" Natasha said. "I'm just wearing my swimsuit underneath my clothes."

Talia gestured to the bag she held at her side. "I brought my suit and a towel, but all that's impressive."

"We're coming, too!" Onda said.

"Abyss hasn't appeared in a while, but it's better safe than sorry, right?" Costa said.

"Right," Marie said, and held out her bag. "Get in, you two."

The two fairies hopped inside the bag, huddling down next to each other.

Once they were inside, Marie stood up. "I think that should be everything. Should we get going?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Natasha said as she stood up as well.

The four of them stepped out onto the streets and began to walk.

"So, we're hitting the aquarium first, then heading to the beach, right?" Talia asked.

"That's right," Marie said.

"We do this every year," Ruth said. "For the first time, we're having a fourth person joining in on the yearly tradition!"

"Heck yeah!" Natasha said. "Are you excited, Talia?"

"Are you kidding me?" Talia said. "I'm stoked!"

Marie smiled as she looked back at Talia. "Today is gonna be gre-" She began, but she was interrupted when she ran right into someone, knocking them over. Marie looked to see who she had just walked into. It was an unfamiliar, pale-skinned girl with short, light brown hair and eyes in a similar color.

"Ow," The girl said.

Marie gasped when she realized what she had done. "Oh, oh no, I-I'm so, so sorry, t-that was entirely my fault, I w-w-wasn't looking where I was going, and..." She stiffly stuck out a hand for the girl to grab onto. "Here. Let me help you up."

"Oh, uh, it's fine," The girl said. She took the hand Marie offered and pulled herself up. "Thanks."

Good, she wasn't mad. Marie was relieved. "Uh, you're welcome."

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but did you girls say you were going to the aquarium?" The girl asked.

"Yes, why?" Ruth said.

"I'm headed there, too," The girl said. "I just moved here, so I don't know the area very well. I'm a little lost. Could you show me the way?"

"Of course!" Ruth said, smiling.

"Hey, since we're going to the same place, we might as well walk together!" Natasha said. She looked between Marie and Talia. "Is that okay with you two?"

"Oh, um, sure," Marie said. "Since she's new here, it's a nice way to make her feel welcome, right?"

"And you're paying her back for walking straight into her," Talia said. She and Marie laughed a bit at that.

"Exactly!" Natasha said. "So, new girl, what do you say?"

The new girl smiled. "That sounds great!"

"It's settled, then," Ruth said.

"Oh, by the way, what are your names?" The girl asked.

"They call me Natasha!"

"I'm Ruth Hansen."

"My name is Talia Fontaine."

"And I'm Marie."

"Our turn," Ruth said. "What's your name?"

"My name is Sarah," The girl said. "Sarah Smith."

Siren didn't know what to expect when Ceto asked to speak to her. It was unusual. What could she have to say that was relevant only to Siren, and none of the other generals? Karkinos still insisted on coming with her. Siren was a bit annoyed he didn't think she was capable of going on her own- sure, he had taken care of her all her life, but she wasn't a little kid anymore- but she didn't try to argue with him.

When she saw the two of them entering her throne room together, Ceto raised an eyebrow. "Karkinos," She said, "I didn't ask for you to be present."

"I know, my lady," Karkinos said, bowing his head slightly. "I feel that anything you have to say to Siren, it's important that I hear it, as well."

Siren just rolled her eyes.

"You need to let her be more independent," Ceto said. "But for now, you may stay. Siren?"

"Y-yes, my lady?" Siren said.

"Come here, child," Ceto said. "I have something for you."

Siren stepped up to the throne, a bit nervous. As she approached, Ceto stood up, and held something out. It was a necklace, a small black pendant hanging on a simple chain.

"Consider this a gift," Ceto said. "Take it, and put it on."

Siren held out her hand and Ceto dropped the necklace into it.

"A necklace?" Siren said as she put it on. "Why? Does it do anything?"

"Why don't you find out?" Ceto said. "Whisper the word 'switch' to it, and see what happens."

Siren looked down at the necklace, grabbing and holding the pendant between her thumb and index finger. "Switch?" The pendant immediately responded. It began to glow slightly and a dark, opaque bubble formed around Siren. The bubble popped, and Siren was still there, but she looked different. Her black hair and dark purple eyes had changed, both to a light brown color. Her Abyssal general's uniform and armor had disappeared, replaced by an ordinary blouse, a skirt with leggings underneath, and a pair of sandals on her feet. Her appearance had completely changed. Those she was close to would likely know who she was, but to others, she was unrecognizable.

Karkinos' eyes widened. "What? Lady Ceto, what is this?"

Ceto handed Siren a hand mirror. She stared at her reflection, amazed.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Ceto said. "It was one of my first ideas for how to use the Gem of Tide. I made it with a combination of my magic and some of the Gem's power."

"It is incredible, but I don't get it," Siren said. "What's the point? What do you want me to use this for?"

"Siren, you're 15 years old, are you not?" Ceto said. "You're close in age to the Pretty Cure."

"Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with this?" Siren asked.

"That makes you the perfect candidate for getting close to the Pretty Cure," Ceto said. "With this power, this disguise, you can befriend them. You can learn their strengths and their weaknesses. You can get us information that will ensure our victory."

"Lady Ceto, this-" Karkinos began.

Ceto held up a hand, looking at Karkinos angrily. "Silence!" She roared. She looked back at Siren. "This is an important job. Do you accept?"

"I-" Siren tried to speak up, but she was interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Lady Ceto, but no," Karkinos said. "This is too dangerous. What would happen to Siren if the Pretty Cure were to discover her identity? I won't allow her to-"

This time, Siren was the one interrupting. She spun on her heels to face him, before shouting, "Karkinos, shut up!"

Karkinos looked shocked. "Siren?"

"Every time! You're always like this!" Siren yelled. "I'm not some kind of weak and defenseless kid, and I'm sick and tired of you treating me like one! You trained me to become a general, you know. If you're so afraid of me doing anything you think is too dangerous, why did you even bother training me?"

Ceto didn't say anything. She only looked at Siren, a small smile on her face, as if she was impressed by Siren's rant.

"You're not going to make decisions for me anymore," Siren said, before turning back to Ceto. "Lady Ceto, I accept."

"Excellent," Ceto said.

Siren gripped her pendant again. "Switch," She whispered. Like last time, it glowed and surrounded her in a bubble, and when it popped, she was back to her normal appearance. She bowed before Ceto and said, "Thank you for the gift." She stood back up and finally walked out of the throne room, not giving Karkinos even a single glance as she did so.

Karkinos watched her leave, and sighed softly. "She's right," He said with a frown. "I do treat her like she's weak."

"So headstrong and willful," Ceto said. "She reminds me of myself, when I was a younger woman."

"Maybe, but being a leader has forced you to calm yourself," Karkinos said. "I was hoping being a general would have done the same for Siren."

"You should be proud," Ceto said. "She's going to do great things."

For the next week, Siren hardly left the palace's library. If she was going to fit in as an ordinary citizen of Earth, she would have to do research. She found any book about Earth she could and spent long hours reading them from cover to cover. She picked out a name for herself- she liked 'Sarah' and 'Smith', both of which were common names. She read as much as she could in as little time as she could, and now she felt she was ready to put her research into practice.

Eyecatch 1: Marie, Natasha, Talia and Ruth are all in beachwear, chasing Onda and Costa along the beach. Marie, however, trips on a rock and falls right on her face. The others laugh and help her up as the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears in the corner.

Eyecatch 2: Standing in a line, the girls all hold oyster shells in their hands. One by one, they open them up. Marie opens hers up, nothing, Natasha, nothing, Ruth, nothing, but when Talia opens hers up, inside is a sparkling pearl. The others look at her while she proudly smiles, and the Precure Ocean Splash logo appears.

They made small talk as they walked.

"So, Sarah," Ruth said, "Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale."

The pendant had disguised most of Sarah's obviously Abyssal features, but her skintone was something that couldn't be changed, leaving her looking pale as a ghost. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I just have, uh," Sarah said, thinking quickly. What was the condition called? She remembered reading about it during her research. It was on the tip of her tongue. "I'm anime."

That made all four of them pause. Oh, no. What did she say?

"You're anime?" Talia said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hi, anime!" Natasha said. "Can I be manga, then?"

"Uh, do you mean you're anemic?" Marie asked.

Anemic. Right. That was the word. "Yeah, yeah, that's what I meant," Sarah said. "I said it wrong. Thanks."

"Right, moving on, then," Ruth said. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from New York," Sarah answered. That answer was easier. She knew New York was a large, significant city.

"Oh, cool!" Natasha said. "I'm a little disappointed you don't have the accent, though. I love New York accents!"

Sarah pouted at that. "What, do you think I'm lying?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" Natasha said. "Sorry, chill out."

Sarah took a deep breath. "Sorry," She said. Gotta control your temper around them, She thought to herself.

"Okay, my turn to ask a question," Natasha said. "When's your birthday?"

Now, her birthday was complicated. Since her real parents had died when she was only a baby, she never knew what the exact date was. They had decided instead to celebrate her birthday on the day Karkinos had found her. "December 25th," Sarah said.

"Awesome, another holiday birthday!" Natasha said. "We all have holiday birthdays. I was born on Halloween, Talia was born on St. Patrick's Day, Ruth was born on Valentine's Day, and Marie was born on the Fourth of July!"

"When I was really young, I thought the fireworks were for me," Marie said with a little chuckle.

"That's cool," Sarah said. She hadn't actually done much research on the holidays of Earth. She didn't think it would be very important. She knew spring break existed because of some sort of egg-related holiday, but that was about as much as she knew. "So, is it okay if I ask you girls some quest-"

"We're here!" Marie interrupted, her eyes lighting up as she ran ahead.

"Oh," Sarah said. She crossed her arms, a bit annoyed. Oh well, she thought. I can always get information out of them later.

With spring break in full swing, there was a massive crowd filling the Shore City Aquarium's halls.

"Um, shouldn't we get a map?" Talia asked.

Marie was already going on ahead, not even bothering to stop and grab a map.

"We don't need one," Ruth said.

"Yeah, Marie knows this place like the back of her hand," Natasha added.

"Impressive," Sarah said.

"Plus, her dad works here," Ruth pointed out.

"Yeah, but he's on a trip right now," Marie said. "He's in the Caribbean, tagging and releasing tiger sharks. One day, I'll go on one of those trips with him."

Sarah nodded, making a mental note of the information. Targeting one of the Pretty Cure's family members could be a good idea. The large volume of people who visited the aquarium could also make it an ideal place to summon a Hadalis. Marie's father may not have been in that day, but she could keep it in mind for another time.

"Marie, slow down!" Talia called.

Lost in her thoughts, Sarah almost hadn't noticed how far ahead of the group Marie had gotten- and in the huge crowd they found themselves in, catching up to her was not an easy feat.

"It's better for us to just let her go," Ruth said. "This is where she belongs and there's no stopping her. We'll catch up to her eventually."

Finally, they all made it to their destination together. As always, Marie's first destination was the shark exhibit.

"Oh, wow," Talia said, taking in the sight.

"Have you never been here before?" Ruth asked her.

"No," Talia said. "I've just never had to chance to. I wish I had, now."

"It's something you never get tired of," Ruth said with a smile. Then, she turned to Sarah. "What do you think?"

"I've never seen anything like this before," Sarah answered. Admittedly, she hadn't been expecting much from an aquarium, but the size of number of species of the exhibit had surprised her.

Marie was standing apart from everyone, closer to the tank itself. Natasha went up to stand next to her.

Marie turned her head to look at who had come up to her, before looking back to the sharks, the look of wonder on her face clear. She started pointing to the different sharks that were swimming around. "That's a nurse shark, and over there's a sandbar shark," She said. "It's so beautiful, don't you think? It just takes my breath away every time."

Natasha's gaze was locked on Marie. "Yeah, I agree."

"Are you sure you're not tired?" Ruth asked. "We were walking around in there for a good few hours."

"I'm fine, I promise," Sarah said. "Where are we going next?"

"To the beach!" Natasha exclaimed. "It'll be crowded, but it'll be worth it."

"If we can even find a place to set up our spot," Marie said.

"You know, I could get you all into the beach by my family's resort," Talia suggested. "Since that stretch of the beach is private and only for use by guests, it won't be as busy. What do you think?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Ruth said. "You'd do that for us?"

"Of course I would!" Talia smiled.

"It's a plan, then!" Marie said.

Natasha pumped a fist in the air. "Talia, you rule!"

"Wait, I don't have a bathing suit," Sarah said.

"And we're in Shore City," Natasha pointed out. "There's places to buy one everywhere."

"I don't have any money with me, either," Sarah said, frowning.

"No need to worry," Talia said. "I can pay for it."

"You'd really do that for me?" Sarah said. "But that's your money..."

"Please, the money really doesn't matter to me." Talia pointed to a nearby shop as they walked by it. "You're going to go in there, and pick out any suit you want, and I'm going to pay for it. I won't take no for an answer."

"Well... Alright," Sarah said.

The girls all followed Sarah inside, eager to see what she would pick out. It didn't take long before something caught her eye, and she went to try it on.

"I like this," Sarah said as she stepped out of the changing room. She had picked out a one piece, all purple, with a halter strap and a seashell pattern.

"Cute!" Natasha and Marie said at the same time.

"It suits you," Ruth said. "Pun not intended."

"Is this the one you want?" Talia asked her.

"Yes, I think so," Sarah said.

"I like it, too," Talia said. "Let's go pay for it!"

Sarah's eyes grew wide as they entered the lobby of the Fontaine Grande Resort. "Wow... Fancy..."

Natasha was looking around amazed, too. "Almost feels like I'm dirtying the place just by existing in it!"

"Good afternoon, Miss Talia," The receptionist greeted. Thomas, his name tag read.

"Hello, Thomas," Talia said, gesturing to the group. "They're all with me. It won't be a problem if we use the beach today, right?"

"It won't, but there is something else-"

"Talia?"

Talia jumped, and turned around. "Oh... Mom."

"You're Talia's mom?" Ruth said.

"Catherine Fontaine, thank you," The woman said. "What's this I hear about you using the beach, Talia?"

Talia pouted. "You didn't hear anything," She said, clenching her hands into fists. "These are my friends, and we're just going to use the pool. That's all."

"Friends? Since when do you have any friends?" Catherine said. "I thought you said nobody at your school wanted to talk to you."

"They don't," Talia said. "They go to a different school than mine."

"Interesting," Catherine said, before turning her head to Thomas. "Is what she said true?"

"Yes, ma'am," Thomas said. "Talia was only asking if it was alright for her and her friends to use the pool. I told her it was, it is not?"

"It is," Catherine said. "Keep an eye on her for me, will you? And Talia, dear," She reached and pat her on the head, "it's nice to see you making friends. Have a nice day, all of you." Before anyone could answer, she walked out the front door, entered a waiting car, and was driven away.

"Thomas, if my parents ask-" Talia began.

"You and your friends were using the pool," He finishes. "Have a wonderful time, Miss Talia and friends."

"W-what was that all about?" Marie asked.

"My parents are just a little strict," Talia said. "Don't worry about it. Let's just get on with our day."

Sarah, however, crossed her arms and was scowling. "You can't let her tell you what to do like that!" She said. "If someone tries to tell me what I can and can't do, I fight them with all I can!"

Everyone stared at her, surprised by her sudden outburst.

Sarah suddenly felt very embarrassed once she realized they were all looking at her. Relax, it wasn't even directed at you this time. "Or, yeah, let's just get on with our day.

The girls made their way to the changing rooms. Marie wore a pink one piece with ruffled fabric around the bottom, forming a skirt. Natasha wore a blue tankini top with board shorts. Talia wore a white one piece with a light purple sarong wrapped around her waist, along with a large sunhat, while Ruth's suit was a simple green monokini. They made their way out onto the beach, setting their towels and bags down.

Ruth stretched. "Here we are! The sun, the sand, the waves. You can't help but love it!"

"I've been waiting for this all day!" Natasha said, grabbing Marie by the arm. "Come on!"

Marie feigned words of protest as Natasha dragged her by the arm into the ocean, her fake annoyance being interrupted once the waves hit them. "Cold! It's really cold!"

"It always is this early in the year!" Natasha exclaimed. "Grin and bear it! It feels good!"

Ruth laughed as she watched them, before turning to Talia and Sarah. "So, what do you say we join them?"

Talia nodded, moving to untie her sarong. As it fell into the sand, it exposed a huge, curved scar along her right leg. Ruth and Sarah's eyes met, as if to confirm what they both saw. However, both of them thought better of asking Talia about it.

"Well, the ocean awaits!" Talia said, dashing toward the water. She dove straight through an oncoming wave.

Onda's head poked out of Marie's bag, sat down in the sand. "I wanna go swimming, too!"

"Onda, get back inside!" Costa said.

"What was that?" Sarah said.

"Nothing!" Ruth said. "I think it might've been those kids over there. Go on without me. I've got something I need to take care of first."

"Okay," Sarah said, resisting the urge to laugh. If only you knew.

As Sarah made her way toward the water, she could hear Ruth saying "You two need to stay quiet!"

The sun was setting. Wrapped in towels, their hair wet and all over the place after their day, the girls had abandoned the resort's private stretch of the beach in favor of walking Shore City's boardwalk, now alive with activity.

"Talia, you were amazing!" Natasha said. "I've never seen someone bodysurf like that before. You're a real natural!"

"I just do what feels natural," Talia said.

"Meanwhile, Sarah and I just got bowled over by all the waves," Ruth said, laughing slightly. "You had a good time still, right?"

"Of course I did," Sarah said. "Everyone... Thank you."

"We had a good time, too," Marie said.

"I think it's about time I got going, though," Sarah said.

"Do you need any help getting home?" Talia asked her.

"No, I know the way, thank you," Sarah answered.

"What's your number?" Natasha said. "I swear I'm not trying to pick you up. Just trying to keep in contact!"

"My number?"

"Cellphone, or...?" Natasha said.

"Oh, I don't have one," Sarah said. "I'm sure you'll see me around, though. You go to Short City High School, right? That's where I'm starting, once the break is over."

"We'll be glad to see you there, then," Marie said.

"I hope so," Sarah said. "Well, goodbye, everyone!"

The girls all said their goodbyes, and Sarah went on her way. Once she was a safe distance away from them, she quickly glanced around to make no one was watching, and ducked into an alleyway.

"Switch."

Sarah became Siren once again.

"Sarah..." Ruth said. "It seemed like she had some trouble letting her guard down around us, don't you think?"

"She might just be shy, like I am," Marie said.

"Either way, she seems nice," Talia said.

"I know I like her," Natasha said. "Maybe a little touchy, but not too much. It's not a big deal."

"In any case, I do want to see more of her," Ruth said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Just then, Onda and Costa poked their heads out of Marie's bag.

"Careful, both of you," Marie told them. "There's still a lot of people around."

"They're back!" Onda said.

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked.

"Look up." Costa pointed a flipper toward a nearby building. Atop it, Siren stood.

"Long time no see!" Siren held up her Hadal Vial and uncorked it. When she passed her free hand over the top, several droplets of the dark liquid contained within floated out and began drifting in the air around her hand. "Rise from the depths... Hadalis!" Siren sent the drops toward an ice cream stand. The man working the stand, along with several people lined up waiting to buy ice cream, began to run, but weren't fast enough. As the Hadalis was created, they all collapsed on the ground. Others collapsed around them as well. Those who were far enough away from the immediate area knew they only thing they could do was run.

Marie gulped as she looked up at the Hadalis, before feeling a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay," Natasha said. "It won't beat us again."

"We stand together," Ruth said.

Marie nodded, renewed determination visible on her face.

"Pretty Cure, Tidal Power!"

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of bravery... Making a splash, Cure Coral!"

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of strength... Making waves, Cure Storm!"

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of confidence... Diving in, Cure Pearl!"

"The defender of the sea with an ocean of intelligence... Swimming in, Cure Kelp!"

"With hope and power as vast as the ocean!" All four Cures spoke together, getting into their respective poses. "We are Pretty Cure Ocean Splash!"

Onda clapped her flippers together. "Yeah! Pretty Cure Ocean Splash is back!"

"Had a nice break, Pretty Cure?" Siren called. "Let's see if you've gotten rusty in your time off! Hadalis, attack!"

The Hadalis held up one of its cannon-like arms, and from it, began shooting huge scoops of ice cream like bullets.

"Woah!" Kelp said, leaping out of the way of one scoop. "I'm lactose intolerant!"

"And something tells me this ice cream isn't dairy free!" Storm shouted, running out of the way of a line of scoops.

"Everyone, keep moving!" Coral shouted out. "Don't stop or it'll get you!"

Kelp ran and jumped toward the Hadalis, ready to punch it, but it extended its umbrella out at her like a shield, and her fist bounced off harmlessly. Pearl followed after, trying to give it a kick, but was similarly blocked by its umbrella.

"Someone throw me at it!" Storm shouted.

"This had better work," Coral said. She hoisted Storm up over her head. "Ready, aim..."

Storm extended both fists forward. "Fire!"

With all her strength, Coral threw Storm toward the Hadalis, and while this seemed to knock it off balance slightly, it still failed to do anything to its umbrella.

"It's no use," Pearl said. "It just blocks all of our attacks!"

"And it looks like it's getting ready for another round of ice cream," Kelp said.

"I've got an idea," Coral said. "It follows us with those shots and we need to keep moving- Everyone, run circles around it!"

Everyone nodded. As the flurry of ice cream shots began, they circled around the Hadalis to them, as Coral had suggested. To follow them, the Hadalis began circling, faster, and faster, and they noted it seemed to be becoming very dizzy and confused.

"How long are you all going to play this game?" Siren grumbled.

"Attack it, now, everyone!" Coral shouted. "From all different directions!"

All four of the Cures leaped high into the air, all ready to kick it as hard as they could. Even if it weren't dizzy, the Hadalis could have only used its umbrella to block one of them- but in its confused state, it couldn't even seem to make a decision which to block. All four kicks connected, and the Hadalis was knocked off its feet onto the ground.

"There we go!" Storm said.

"It's all yours, Coral!" Kelp shouted.

Coral nodded.

"Pretty Cure, Coral Splash!"

Coral's cool waters washed over the Hadalis, purifying it and transforming it back into an ordinary ice cream stand. Those who had collapsed began to rise, and all around them, applause began. Pretty Cure Ocean Splash had saved the people of Shore City once again.

Coral looked up at Siren with an almost smug look on her face. "Have you given up yet?"

At first, Siren looked as angry as she usually did- before surprisingly, it passed, and she just gave Coral the same smug look. "You win this time, Pretty Cure," She said, "But soon, I'll know all your secrets. All your weaknesses. And then... You'll never defeat us again." And with that, Siren formed a bubble around her. When it popped, she was gone.

The Cures all looked at each other.

"What did she mean by that?" Pearl said.

Storm just shrugged.

"Don't listen to her," Costa said as she and her sister flew up. "It was only a threat. She's just trying to scare you."

Kelp nodded. "That's what I think."

"We knew you all could do it!" Onda said triumphantly. "Pretty Cure Ocean Splash is invincible! Beaten once, but never again!"

The Cures all grinned and pumped their fists in the air at that. Coral, however, still had what Siren had said on her mind. She kept looking back to where she had been standing atop the building, wondering.

ED: Ride~The~Waves

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

Talia: Does Ruth seem a little depressed about something?

Natasha: Well, yeah, but she never really talks about her feelings with us.

Talia: So she just bottles up all her emotions? That isn't good.

Ruth: Are you guys... Talking about me?

Talia: We were just wondering, are you alright?

Ruth: What, me? Oh, I'm fine. Just fine. Don't worry about it.

Marie: Oh, Ruth... Next time on Pretty Cure Ocean Splash: Please talk to us! Cure Kelp's new power! Let the waves rush over you!