AN: Oh hey, it's been awhile! But I finally bring you the next episode, episode fourteen! I hope everyone enjoys this one, as there's something very exciting coming next chapter that I'm very much looking forward to writing. As always, thanks for reading, and if you would be so kind, leaving a review once you're done would be very much appreciated! I'm always eager to hear your impressions, so please don't hesitate!

Until next time!

Sparkle Precure

Episode Fourteen

The Biggest Pinch is Time Management? Amethyst's Trap!

"To think that you would allow another one to appear underneath your watch... Garnet is going to be very disappointed in you, Moonstone."

Drawing in a long breath before she replied, Moonstone took a moment to steady herself. The words stung, for she knew that they were true. With this, there would be three Precure who had appeared while it was one of her own monsters rampaging. The fact that two had appeared to counter Amethyst's own apparently did not factor into the woman's words, nor did it even so much as enter Moonstone's mind.

She was venting to some degree, she knew. After all, her plan had involved the fact that among the Precures number, there was only one who could cleanse and purify the Dark Gem Monsters. Now that another had appeared, she would have to rethink her strategy- something that the violet haired woman doubtlessly did not look forward to doing.

Compared to her, Amethyst was a far more valuable asset to the Loveless. Though she knew not what her story was, she didn't need to to know that she had thrown away everything that would get in her way- something that she herself had yet to do. Things would surely be easier for her if she did, and yet...

She just couldn't bring herself to do it. Somewhere, deep in her heart, buried there, was a faint hope that perhaps things could still change. That perhaps, just perhaps, she could still save that person.

And if not her, maybe someone else.

"I'm aware." Moonstone said, steeling herself. "I will properly report the matter to him myself."

"Well, in that case, I suppose I'll let you off with that." Amethyst said after a moment, a glitter of knowledge in her eyes that spoke to the fact that she was fully aware that there was nothing she could say that would hurt worse than what he would. "But well, from the looks of things, it may only be that they'll have five members for a short while. Sooner or later, I'll get another chance."

"What do you mean by that?" Moonstone couldn't help but ask, blinking. "It seems as if the fifth found her resolve to join them."

"Yes, yes, for now, she has." Amethyst noted. "But I know that type. More than friendship, more than love, the most important thing to them is their dream. With just the right motivation... it'll only be a matter of time before she'll start rethinking her choice. Then we'll be back down to four before you know it."

"That may be so, but I don't think it will go as smoothly as you think, Amethyst." Moonstone warned, gathering up her courage to say so. "I think you're underestimating them."

"I don't think so." Narrowing her eyes, concealing her surprise that she was being spoken back to, Amethyst merely let out a faint laugh. "When it comes down to it, humans will always sacrifice things like love and friendship for the sake of their own future. It's only useful when it's actually useful for them."

"Let's see... maybe I should create a bit a trouble myself, to ensure things go smoothly." Amethyst mused, a dark glint to her eyes as a smile spread across her face. "I think I have just the plan. With any luck, I might be able to draw that Diamond girl out on her own as well."

Swallowing, Moonstone couldn't help but feel a cold bead of sweat prickle against the back of her neck, wondering what it was that she had in store. Whatever it was, she couldn't deny that there was a faint part of her that hoped they would be able to overcome it. Not just because they would prove the truth to her words, but because if they could, then...

After all, if she couldn't save that person... maybe they could.

"Might I have a word with you, Safu?"

That, Safu decided, was not a tone that harkened good things. Setting down her gym bag, she slowly turned on her heel to face her mother, having the vague impression that she knew what it was that she was so upset about. She didn't know where it was that she had heard about it from, but if there was one thing that she knew about her mother, it was that she had her ways of gathering intelligence.

"Y-yes, mom?" Forcing a smile on her face, Safu braced herself for what she was certain would come next.

"I heard that you were late to your last three practices." Folding her arms in front of her chest, a stern look settled on her mother's face. "That's no good!"

"I was only just a bit late, mom. Even Coach Hitomi didn't have a problem with it." Safu told her, holding up her hands. "I just had something to do at the time, so I ended up arriving a bit behind schedule, that's all."

"Something to do?" Her mother asked, arching her brows. "What would that be?"

"Ah, well that's..." Wondering what she should say in this situation, Safu racked her brain for an answer. After all, it wasn't as if she could tell her mother that the reason she had been late both times was because they had sensed the presence of a Dark Gem Monster. Being a Precure wasn't something that she could know about!

And all three times, they had been false alarms, with no monster, or even a single piece of Dark Gem Jewelry, anywhere in sight. That was more than a little worrisome, but the other four, most explicitly Nodoka, had assured her that she needn't worry about it herself- to leave all related groundwork to them. It was obvious that they were thinking about her, and in a way, she couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty.

As it was, she hadn't even found much time to speak with them further- they had one meeting after she had became a Precure, but beyond that, she hadn't been able to gather together with them since then. Though they had exchanged phone numbers, the one that she had spoken to the most was still Nodoka, whom she went to school with. While she had expected that much given her training schedule, she found it a bit disheartening.

Not only did she feel it got in the way of her duties as a Precure, it also seriously hindered her ability to get to know them better. If they were fighting together, shouldn't they be friends too?

"You can't even answer me, can you?" Letting out a long sigh, Maehata Minako could only shake her head. "And to think, you were the one who spent so much time arguing that you were serious about this. That's why we went out and found you such a coach in the first place, Safu! But now here you are, slacking off!"

"I'm not slacking off!" Feeling a surge of anger rising through her at her mother's words, Safu narrowed her eyes. "I'm just as serious about this as I've ever been, mom! Just because I was a bit late three times doesn't mean I'm not taking things seriously anymore! The Olympics are my dream, you know!"

"Dream, dream, you say, but do you really know how stacked the odds are against you? You're far from the only one dreaming." Planting her hands on her hips, Minako refused to break eye contact with her daughter. "Really, at your age, you should be busy studying, not chasing off after some impossible dream."

"It's not impossible!" Taking a step forward, Safu clenched her fists, trying to contain her temper. "Coach Hitomi says I have talent! She was there, you know! At the Olympics!"

"Yes, and she failed to even compete, in the end." Minako noted. "You were the one who promised me that you would do everything in your power to get there. I hardly call running late to three practices in a row working hard."

"Don't say such horrible things about Coach!" If anything, that was what angered her the most. She had always known that her mother's support of her dream was largely circumstantial- so it didn't really come to her as much of a surprise that she was reacting as she was. "And you're not the one who gets to decide if I'm being serious or not! Only I can!"

"All I'm saying is what it looks like." Letting out another long sigh, Minako finally looked away from her. "Well, if you're still as serious as you say, I expect to see no more lateness on your part, Safu. That's my final say in the matter."

"Then, I won't be!" Blurting out the words before she had cause to regret them, Safu picked up her gym bag once more, gripping the strap tight. She didn't like running late either, practice time being valuable as it was, but it wasn't like she could ignore the chance that a monster had appeared, either!

She had resolved herself to carry out her duties as a Precure- since she had accepted the mantle to save Saori, how would it reflect upon her if she were to reject it now? She didn't want to be that sort of person!

But even so... if she didn't do something about this soon, there was a chance that her mother might decide to yank it all from underneath her feet. So what if her dream had low odds of becoming reality? That was something that she would change herself, with her own power, not something for anyone else to decide!

If it was going to be like this, she should have gone with her father in the first place.

"You look a bit down today, Safu-chan."

"Ah, it's not really all that-!" Cutting herself short before she could say anything more, Safu let out a long sigh, letting her shoulders slump. It was better to talk about this, than keep it bottled up. "Yes, it's as you say, Nodoka-senpai. Actually, I argued with my mother yesterday."

"With your mother?" Nodoka asked. She'd first thought that it might have been about the recent false alarms- but it seemed like it was something closer to home than that. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard that much yet about Safu's parents. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm not sure if I can help, but at the very least, I'm willing to listen!"

"Maybe a little." Safu confessed, an almost sheepish, yet grateful smile on her face. "It's not really something I can talk to Saori about, after all."

She'd thought about it, but she got the feeling that the older girl would probably be concerned if she found out that she was keeping secrets. She wasn't really one that liked to lie all that much, so she'd rather avoid having to if she could, especially to someone so near and dear to her as her own childhood friend.

"Then, do you mean it has something to do with," nervously glancing around to make sure that no one was listening in on them, Nodoka leaned a bit closer to Safu, "...Precure business?"

"It's not unrelated, I guess." Safu told her. "Actually, because of the last three false alarms, I've been late to three practices in a row. Coach Hitomi doesn't really have an issue with it, but... as for my mom..."

"Is she strict, your mom?" Nodoka asked, leaning back at bit. "But I see.. it's true that it's a problem if you're running late to practice. I'm part of the going home club, so it's not a problem for me, but..."

"Mom's... well, I think she wishes that I would put more time into my studies, really." Safu confessed. "She really doesn't think that my dream is all that realistic, and though she supports it for now, I think really, she's just looking for a chance to take back that support. She's not usually a bad mother, she's just... really practical minded, I guess."

"Eh? Your mom does?" More than a little startled by this information, Nodoka almost blanched. "Then, because you've been helping us, that means..."

"Ah, no, no, it's not like that!" Quickly shaking her head, Safu gave her a smile. "I don't regret it, becoming a Precure, not at all! Besides, it's only been three practices so far. As long as I'm more careful, I don't think it will become a real problem."

"Besides, I'm too stubborn to give up on something so important to me just because my mother isn't willing to give me her full support." Safu reassured her, a bright smile crossing her face. "I'm tougher than that!"

"I see." Letting out a slight sigh of relief, Nodoka returned her smile. "You're right. But if you need our help for anything, don't hesitate to ask! Ah, actually, come to think of it..." Trailing off a bit, she placed a finger to her chin in thought, something just brushing at the edge of her mind. "I think Yuusei-kun's in a club himself, and a sports one at that. Why don't you ask him for some advice?"

"Yuusei-kun?" Safu asked, blinking a little, before it dawned on her who she meant. Outside of Nodoka, who she went to school with, she hadn't gotten much of a chance to really speak with the others too much just yet. "Ah, Kahaya-senpai, you mean. You're right, I could ask him."

"Yeah." Nodding her head, Nodoka patted her chest. "And as for the recent false alarms, you just leave that matter up to Naiya-chan and me! You just concentrate on proving you're serious to mom, okay?"

"If you say so, Nodoka-senpai." Safu told her, a slight frown on her face. "But I don't want to drag anyone down because of my schedule either. I joined you to help, not to just be helped."

"Well, it goes both ways, you know!" Nodoka told her, flashing her another smile, before springing back up to her feet. "Then, do you have Yuu-kun's number?"

"Yes, from when we all exchanged them back then." Safu told her, nodding her head. "Thanks, Nodoka-senpai."

"No, no, I'm just glad I could help!" Nodoka told her, giving her a smile. "I'll even talk to that mother of yours, if you need me to!"

"No, I don't think it'll quite come to that..." Safu reassured her, before getting to her feet herself. "Then, thank you again. I'll be sure to call Kahaya-senpai later."

It took him more than a moment to place the voice on the other end of the line. He hadn't yet had many chances to speak with the girl who had become the fifth Precure- the one who had taken on the name of Cure Sapphire.

"Ah, Maehata-san?" Resting his cellphone on his shoulder, Yuusei tucked away his belongings back into his locker. "It's rare for you to call me. Is there something that you need?"

"Nodoka-senpai said I should speak with you." Safu told him. "Is now a bad time?"

"Mmm, I was about to start practice, but I guess I have a few minutes to spare." Yuusei told her, a slight frown on his face as his gaze flickered towards the door, lifting a hand to respond to his fellow teammates. From the sound of it, it seemed as if she needed something from him. "What's up?"

Well, if Nodoka had told her to call him out of all of them, he could more or less make a guess.

"Actually, I was wondering how you made time for your Precure activities on top of everything else, Kahaya-senpai." Safu told him. "You're part of a sports club, aren't you? You must be busy with practice."

"Not as busy as you are, I imagine. Practicing to become an Olympic candidate and a normal high school sports club are two very different things, after all. I don't think I'd have the patience for something like that." Yuusei told her, shutting his locker. "And Yuusei is fine. There's two of us, after all."

"Then, Yuusei-senpai!" Her voice perking up a little, Safu quickly adapted. He did have a point, after all. "You can me Safu too, in that case. We're all going to be working together from now on, right?"

"I guess." Yuusei noted, taking a seat on the changing room bench, taking a moment to double check that everyone had already left. It wouldn't be good if someone overheard him. "Let's see, as for finding time... well, I'll admit, it's a challenge for me too. Especially with the recent false alarms. All the more so because they've all been happening over in Shiroyama."

"Ah, that's right, you live in the neighboring town, don't you?" Safu asked. "That must a pain, coming all the way over here."

"It sure is." Yuusei noted. "I just want to hurry up and find out the source of them, and take it down! But is there a reason you're asking me this so suddenly? Is your coach giving you grief or something like that? Mine's not fond of it, when I don't make it to practice."

"No, not my coach. My mother." Safu told him. "But you're right... maybe if we found out the source of the false alarms, they'd stop? I don't mind having to race off to go fight a real monster, that's one thing, but going out of our way and finding that there's nothing there is really a pain!"

"Right?" Letting out a faint snort, Yuusei couldn't help but grin. "But well, for the moment, if what you're worried about is that, why don't you let the rest of us handle it? If it's the real deal, we can contact you then, but there's no need for someone as busy as you to rush out for something that's not actually a real threat."

"But what if it is, and I can't get to you in time?" Safu asked, worry clear in her voice. "You all have been saying leave it to us all this time, but I don't really like the idea of dumping the work on you!"

"Well, don't think of it that way. It's not like it's a burden, it's just part of our job." Yuusei said simply. "Besides, it gives that Blondie something to do. For a leader, it sure does feel like she doesn't always pull her own weight outside of fighting sometimes."

"But-!"

"Oi, Yuu, are you coming to practice or what?"

"Yeah, just give me a sec!" Glancing up from his phone call, Yuusei flashed a quick grin at his teammate. "It's really fine, Safu-san. Part of being on a team is relying on other people to do things sometimes. I'm part of the basketball team myself, so you can trust me on that."

"Even if you say that..." Safu trailed off a little, the pout almost evident in her voice. He did have a point, she guessed, and it would probably help a little if she didn't run off for nothing. Letting out a short sigh, she resolved herself to accepted the advice she had been given. "I guess you're right! I've never really worked on a team before, so I don't really know about things like that."

"Well, you're doing a better job of it than Blondie, at least." Yuusei noted. "Anyways, don't worry about it. If you have problems with your mother, we can all put our heads together later to come up with a good excuse."

"That would probably help." Safu said. "Though I don't really like lying."

"Better than getting her involved, right?" Yuusei shrugged, popping open his locker again. "I had better go though, Safu-san. If you need anything else from me, don't hesitate to give me a call."

"I will! Thanks, Yuusei-senpai!"

Naiya-chan's checking out the situation right now! Will contact you if something comes up!

"Safu? Is something wrong?" The sound of her coach's voice quickly caught her attention, and Safu quickly exited out of Nodoka's mail, her breath nearly catching in her throat. Although there was nothing in it that needed to be hidden, she was rather new to this keeping secrets thing, and couldn't help but be nervous.

She was rather new to teamwork too- though he hadn't said it in so many words, she could tell that there was a difference between someone used to playing a team sport, and someone whose sport was a more solitary one. Perhaps it would be for the best to listen to his words of advice, though she still couldn't deny that she felt as if she were only being something of a burden.

"Ah, no, it's nothing, Coach." Safu said, shaking her head, tucking her phone back away in her bag. "Just a mail from a friend, that's all."

"From Saori-chan?" Carefully uncapping the top of her water bottle with the same hand in which she held it, her only hand, really, Katsu Hitomi gave her student a soft smile. "You must be worried about her, seeing as she collapsed the other day. Is she doing fine now?"

"Did she tell you that? Ah, and yes, she's doing fine now." Safu asked, before shaking her head, trying not to let her eyes stray towards the woman's right arm- or what little of it was left. She'd long since gotten used to the sight, but with her mother's words from earlier ringing in her head, she couldn't help but dwell on it once more. "No, it's not her. It's another friend of mine, actually! I just met her recently, but the two of us are on really good terms already."

At least, she hoped. Come to think of it, while she got along well with her classmates, aside from Saori, she didn't really have anyone that she could actually call a close friend.

"Eh, is that so?" Hitomi asked, her smile only growing, a pleased light flickering in her gray eyes. "That's good to hear. Was she perhaps that girl who spoke with you at your performance the other day?"

"Ah, you remember?" Safu asked, before nodding her head, feeling a smile light up her face. "That's right, that's her. Her name is Nodoka, and she's a high school student at my school."

"Then, no wonder you've seemed a bit busy lately." Hitomi told her. "If you've made a new friend, it can't be helped."

"Ah... yeah, I suppose it's something like that." Safu said, slowly nodding her head. "I'm sorry. It's not like I've meant to arrive late, but..."

"No, no, don't worry about it." Hitomi told her, shaking her head. "Practice is important, but so are friends. But if you're worried about that mother of yours giving you trouble, you needn't. I see just as much potential in you as others saw in me back in the day, so even if she comes and tells me my services are no longer needed, I think maybe I'll just pretend I didn't hear her."

"Really?!" Eyes lighting up at this, Safu took a step forward. She hadn't even told her the problem, but she'd already known what it was... that was her coach for you! "Thanks, Coach!"

"Don't worry about it. I know you're more serious than anyone about this, Safu." Hitomi told her. "Now then, shall we get back to practice?"

"Yes!"

"So, remind me again as to why this entire task ended up falling on me?"

"Because we need to get to the root of these false alarms before they get any worse, and you're the one with the most free time." Pearl simply noted, not even sparing a glance back towards the blonde. "It wasn't as if you had any plans today either, Naiya."

"You could say that in a way that's a little nicer." The irony of her own words seemingly flying over her head, Naiya's brows knitted together. And it wasn't as if she didn't have any plans- she had wanted to go spy on Hirata's practice today too! But well... saying something like that out loud was too embarrassing, so it couldn't be helped. "Well, the false alarms are a serious pain in the ass though, so I guess it can't be helped."

"That's the spirit." Pearl said. "I'd ask questions myself, but being unable to be seen by normal humans is something of a drawback when it comes to that."

"Well, even if they could see you, I'm sure something like a talking platypus would probably only give them a fright. They might mistake you for one of the monsters, just real small~!" Naiya quipped. "So? What is it that you want me to look for exactly?"

"Any signs of suspicious activity, or suspicious people." Pearl told her, brushing off the comment with a faint twitch. She hadn't taken this form because she wanted it! "The Loveless are clearly up to something, and it's our job to find out what, and to put a stop to it. My senses have never been wrong like this before, so there must be something behind these false alarms."

"Maybe you just need to fine tune 'em?" Naiya suggested.

One wouldn't think that a platypus would be able to glare so well, but it would seem on that, she was mistaken. Heaving a sigh, Naiya folded her arms in front of her chest, quirking a brow. "Alright, alright, I'll ask around. But don't regret me being the one you asked to do it."

"I think you've been getting a bit better lately, actually." Pearl noted, trying to mask the fact that she didn't fully believe in her own words. Really, she'd love to have Nodoka along with them, but it would seem as if she had a family commitment that she simply couldn't get out of today- and there was even less of a point of asking someone as withdrawn as Ruriiro to help than there was Naiya.

Besides, the two of them working together... she was almost certain that neither of them was quite ready for that, not just yet.

"Then why do you look so unconvinced?" Naiya couldn't help but ask. She never would have thought that she would have become good at determining the various facial expressions of a platypus, and yet, here she was.

"I'm not." Pearl lied, turning her head back away from her. "You're just imagining it. Now, come on. If we ask around in the locations we got the two false alarms from, we're certain to turn something up before long."

"Yes, yes, as you command~!" Tucking her hands into the pockets of her skirt, Naiya cast an eye around the area. Even if she told her to look, it wasn't as if she could sense anything anyways- but she supposed with Pearl here, it didn't really make a difference whether she did or didn't.

Speaking of Pearl, though... that was something bugging her. It had nothing to do with the platypus herself, but rather, something that felt vaguely related to her that was nagging at the back of her mind. But as for what that might be...

"What is it, Naiya? Did you think of something?" Pearl asked, not missing the way the dyed blonde had suddenly stilled.

"No, it's not that, it's just..." Biting the bottom of her lip, her brows furrowing together in though, Naiya shook her head. "I was just wondering... back when we fought the monster that was created from the ring that Nodoka had been given, didn't it form on it's own?"

"Because she threw it away before it had the chance to ensnare her. If she wasn't a Precure, I don't know if that would have actually worked." Pearl said, nodding her head. "What of it?"

"No, I was wondering if it would be possible to purposefully create a Dark Gem Monster like that." Naiya told her, folding her arms in front of her chest. Come to think of it, there was something else that was bothering her too, but she couldn't put her finger on that either right this second.

"I suppose it might be." Pearl mused. "Now that you mention it, I had been considering it for awhile now, why it is that Amethyst's monsters seem to come forward at a much faster rate than Moonstone's. If she's imbuing them with her own hatred beforehand, it's possible that she might be able to create one out of just the jewel. I'd imagine it would take quite a bit of energy, though."

And quite a bit hatred, at that. But given what she had seen of her... it wasn't hard to imagine her capable.

"Then, maybe that's the culprit?" Naiya asked. "You know, if it's just the gem by itself, it's probably not that big, right? But a monster is still a monster, so you'd probably sense it all the same."

"No, no, even if that was the case, it wouldn't just disappear when we got here." Pearl told her, shaking her head. "And I don't think it could keep itself hidden for so long. Besides, if it were too small, it would be too easy to beat. Even just you or Sapphire alone would be able to do it. Even if that was the case, what would be the purpose?"

"The purpose..." As she glanced around the street, Naiya got the feeling more and more that she understood what the source of her nagging feeling was. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

"What's that?" Pearl asked, before she turned on her heels, the fur on her back prickling upwards. That presence was...!

"Yeah." Nodding her head, folding her arms in front of her chest, Naiya turned on her heel just in time to watch one of the manhole covers burst forth from the street, the sound of two more bursting open just at the edge of her hearing. Whatever was coming, there wasn't just one of them. She had thought this place was awfully deserted for this time of day, and it would seem that her instincts had proven correct.

"It's probably a trap."