Chapter 18: Fight Like A Girl!

MIRACLE GIRL KAKERU

FIGHT LIKE A GIRL !

CHAPTER 18 OF THE MANGA

The day after a big snowfall of about a foot of snow, five of the boys in the same class at school are at the park, having a 'knock-down, drag-out' snowball fight. Sho is one of the boys having the time of his life in the snow. And because of that, the naturally suspicious girl who is the Class Chairperson, named Akane, is hiding behind a large tree, and watching all that goes on. What has come to be burning in her heart, and she just has to know, is whether or not Sho, the boy in her class, who came to school dressed as a girl recently, and Shouko, a girl she met a while ago at the Mall (actually Kakeru using a fake name) are the same person ? She is going to find out, even if 'it kills her'! The 'bad boy', Sasaki, drifts away from the group, as he is preparing to whamp someone with a snowball with a rock at the center. Nasty boy ! However, Sasaki gets 'scared out of his wits' when a monster appears out of a huge pile of snow, and screams at Sasaki, as well as the other boys. The monster looks somewhat like the dead tree monster that Kakeru saw some time ago; that was the first time she had seen a monster (see Chapter 1). The monster shouts their name, "Magnum Boss"! This breaks up the snowball fight, as all the boys, as well as the girl behind the tree, have their attention fixed upon what the monster is going to do next.

Sasaki yells for everyone to scatter. Everyone 'hightails it out' into different directions, away from the immediate presence of the monster. Sho heads for the women's restroom in the park. Unfortunately, one of the boys, Yu, trips and lands face first into the snow. Now down on the ground, the monster comes upon Yu, and proclaims that he will begin his feast with you ! Yu turns and looks up at the monster with an almightly fear and lothing. Meanwhile, outside the women's restroom, next to a wall that hides the view, Sho goes through the Henshin, and transforms into Kakeru, the Battle Maiden, now in her battle costume. She is set up to access her Girl Power and confront the monster, nevertheless, Kakeru feels a little different somehow. She accends to the roof of the restroom building, and calls out to the monster. The monster breaks off of zeroing in of Yu, and looks up at where the voice had just come from. Indeed, all of the boys, plus the Chairperson, look up at the roof of the restroom building.

The monster belts out, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU ?"

The Chairperson tells herself that a Miracle Girl came, after all !

Hayato loudly exclaims, "From where she is standing on the roof, *I can see her panties !*"

From sitting on the ground, in the snow, Yu looks up and observes, "*She is showing her white panties to everyone !*"

Kakeru yells out loudly in her feminine voice, "I AM THE GIRL OF THE NORTH ! I WILL PROTECT THE PEOPLE IN MY TERRITORY !"

Kakeru jumps down from the roof, with her split dress and mini-skirt blowing upward, further showing everyone her pure white panties. But as Kakeru lands, a wave of queazyness rolls over her. What gives ? Kakeru takes note that she has an audience now; the boys, the Chairperson, and the monster. This has never happened before, she being called upon to perform in front of all these people, plus the monster itself. Her self-confidence takes a hit, as she becomes apprehensive about what is about to happen in front of everyone. Kakeru imperceptibly checks her access to Girl Power, and surprisingly finds that the amount of Power available to her is wildly fluctuating up and down. Will she have enough Power to battle this monster ? Her self-esteem takes another plunge, as she feels that her Power will only be enough for defense, nothing more. Bad ! Very bad ! About this time, a little distance away, Rin and Umi-Neko come out of teleportation, and immediately access the situation (Umi-Neko can teleport, and telecommunicate, too!).

Upon seeing the Battle Maiden land in front of him, the monster pompously declares that you must be the New Girl that all the monsters in the Guild have been talking about. **"HA!** *Step right up and meet your doom, little girl ! I'll thoughly and completely humiliate you, before I snuff you out !"* For some unknown reason, this comment upsets Kakeru further. The monster sends out his tentacles to encircle Kakeru. Kakeru is slow to react, as the tentacles wrap her tightly around her arms and mid-section. Too late ! She tries to call up her Girl Power, but it is insufficient to break the tentacle bonds. The monster lifts up Kakeru to directly in front of him, to take a closer look at her.

While the monster takes time to inspect and seemingly toy with her, Kakeru tries to recoupe some respect from the demoralized view of herself. She surmises that if she has enough Girl Power, she could break free and 'slice and dice' this monster to a bloody mess, just like the male super-heros would do on cable TV. But what would the audience think of that ? Would they be so shocked and surprised that she would do such a thing ? Would her actions be so revolting that they would think badly of her, even feel sorry for the monster ? Is that what is causing her Girl Power to be so unreliable today ? Trying to use vile, brutal, toxic masculinity to fight the monster ? As Kakeru becomes even more perplexed, a voice is heard inside her head. It is the voice of Umi-Neko. Apparently, he can telecommunicate. Kakeru never knew that he could do that. Umi-Neko has just one message for Kakeru, that begins repeating inside her mind---

"Fight like a girl ! FIGHT LIKE A GIRL !! **FIGHT LIKE A GIRL !!!**

Kakeru thinks to herself; What does that mean ? Yet, hasn't Rin always told her that by doing girl things, she will become ever more powerful ? Meaning actually doing things the way that a girl would do, *even when battling a monster ???* The monster tightens his grip on Kakeru, causing her to cry out in pain. However, a flashback jolts her back to her senses, as she remembers what it might mean to "Fight like a girl!"

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FLASHBACK

For quite some time now, Sora would get up early every Sunday morning to watch her favorite cable TV program, Lovely Cure (Pretty Cure). Many times Sho would get up and watch the program with her. Sho was impressed with the fighting skill of the two girls, but noticed that they had a different fighting style from his favorite superhero, Kamen Rider. The two dispatched their monsters and enemies, but with different styles of fighting. Kamen Rider would "fight like a manly man" with brute force, but the Lovely Cure girls would "fight like girls" with a touch of understanding. (End Flashback)

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*"THAT'S IT !!!"*, Kakeru silently exclaims to herself. Umi-Neko is telling me to fight like the girls on Lovely Cure. I just have to remember how the Lovely Cure girls did that ! Another wave of pain shudders through her body, as Kakeru tries to clear her mind for this new battle tatic. She then notes that just by thinking about how to 'fight like a girl', her Girl Power reserve just shot upward, and is staying up. Kakeru thinks for a few moments, than speaks to the monster---

"Take it easy with the welcoming bear hug ! We hardly know each other. If you are not going to be gentle, I'm going to have to free myself !"

The monster bellows out, "WHAT'S UP WITH YOU ALL OF A SUDDEN ? *I'LL SQUISH YOU LIKE A ROTTEN TOMATO, AND YOUR BLOOD WILL SPLATTER ALL OVER THE PEOPLE WATCHING US !"*

Kakeru points out that is not a nice thing to do to a cute little girl. Kakeru checks her reserve of Girl Power, and she has accumulated enough at this time to break her bonds. *The girl's fighting style is working !* Kakeru commands the Power to help her, and the monster's tentacles snap apart, become limp, and fall off of Kakeru. The monster withdraws his tentacles, and in a foul mood, yells curses at Kakeru. He says that he will grab her and wring her blood out like dirty water out of a soiled towel. Kakeru reminds the monster if he wants to be nice, we can have a sit-down and talk about all that is on his mind. The monster once again extends his tentacles toward Kakeru. Kakeru sees them coming, and remarks that maybe the monster would like to see up close her pretty hair barrettes ? Kakeru hovers her hand over her large barrettes, and they detach from her twin tails, morph into ninja stars, and begin spinning. Her ninja stars circle the monster, cutting through their tentacles and having the ends of the tentacles drop off. The ninja stars then return to being Kakeru's twin tail barrettes. The monster becomes infuriated. He vows to do bad, horrible physical things to Kakeru, and than beat her into a bloody pulp. Kakeru remarks that raw, naked violence never accomplished anything; at least not anything really important.

Kakeru then calls up one of her battle tools. It looks like a royal scepter, with wings on the sides near the top, and a heart shaped crystal at the very top of the vertical shaft. She twrills it like a baton, as she earnestly speaks to the angry monster.

"The power of love is the proof of a genuine girl Battle Maiden. The feelings of her love is proof of righteous justice. I won't accept any bad behavior from you, Magnum Boss, or anyone else. Here my plea to peacefully settle all matters of your concern. The ally of justice, and the keeper of Girl Power, has come down from the North, to offer you help, or offer to put you out of your misery. Choose for yourself, monster, what you want to do !"

The monster barks back at Kakeru, saying not to make him laugh ! On the contrary, he will be the one to humiliate you, and then do many nasty intimate things to you. They don't call me a first-class pervert and a sly, insiped pedo for nothing ! Then I'll banish you to your own death, *just like I did to the previous Miracle Girl of the North !!!* Visably shaken at hearing that, nevertheless, Kakeru insists that we settle this properly, Monster vs. Battle Maiden, in a friendly game of Jan-Ken (rock, paper, sissors)! If you, Magnum Boss, win at Jan-Ken, you can do anything you want with me, 'no holds barred'! If I win, I will eraticate you with my Shining Thunder, one of my very own Special Moves ! You game ? Let's go, then ! *GAME ON !!!*

The two square off facing one another. Kakeru begins the countdown. During the countdown, the monster comes to the realization that because his tentacles were cut off, he can only throw down "Paper". This he does, as Kakeru throws down "Sissors"! Kakeru tells the monster that it is too bad for him, *he lost*! She checks her access to Girl Power. The Power is now enough to lift up Tokyo Tower and throw it into the Sea of Japan ! Kakeru takes her battle stance, and shouts out---

"LAST CHANCE ! STOP ALL YOUR BAD BEHAVIOR, AND LIVE, OR EMBRACE YOUR BADNESS AND MEET YOUR END !"

The monster sends out an deadly energy blast toward Kakeru. Kakeru shouts---

***SHINING THUNDER***

Kakeru brandishes her wooden Bokken Sword, and a huge lightening bolt comes out, meets the monster's energy blast, consumes it, and then strikes the monster. A fireball erupts, and brilliant, white light consumes the monster. The monster explodes like a fireworks sky rocket. When the smoke and dust clear, all that is left of where the monster was is a hole in the snow and ground big enough to drop a washing machine and dryer into, plus the snow all around has instantly melted. Suddenly, the wings on Kakeru's boots grow much larger, and begin to lift her up into the air. She turns to look at the audience, saying---

"Know the Heavens, Know the Earth, Know Yourself, and Know that the Girl of the North will always protect her section of the city !"

And with that, Kakeru is whisked away toward the horizon. Everyone is silent, except for Chairperson Akane, who tells herself that she can't believe what she has just seen ! Over the next several days, Akane becomes even more confused and bewildered as to just who these people are that she has interacted with recently. There is Sho, the typical boy who has a masculine personality and traits. There is the 'new and improved' Sho who has recently embraced feminine behavior and traits, even coming to school dressed in girl's clothing. There is Shouko, the girl at the Mall who bears a striking resemblence to a female Sho, and who dresses in super cute little girl fashion (see Chapter 14). And finally, there is Kakeru, the Battle Maiden, who at times acts like the male Sho, but at other times, like the other day, acts all cute and feminine. What gives with all of this ??? I have to know !

Back at the Hideout, a couple of days after Kakeru's confrontation with Magnum Boss, The three girls are watching the replay of a recording that Rin had taken during Kakeru's battle with the monster. The three are disecting the battle strategy and interchange of shouts and threats that occured. Kakeru is across the room, her hands over her face, silently wishing that all of the video would just disappear, or that the floor would just open up and swallow her. Umi-Neko, completely disinterested, is asleep on his perch.

(End Chapter 18)

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