Tricky Streetcat

**Tricky Streetcat**, also referred to as simply **Tricky**, is a character in *Magical Girl Policy*. She is a monster created by Platicore, designed to drain Investiture from people as well as battle the Spirit Guard. Initially disguised as a black cat Halloween decoration at a Poltergeist Halloween store, she reveals herself after failing to drain Angela. She appears in the "Black Cats" vignette.

## Appearance

Tricky Streetcat initially takes the form of a black cat Halloween decoration. She is capable of speaking with the same voice as her true form, but she normally releases a static-filled meow sound at about one-minute intervals as if it were coming from a speaker within the decoration. She uses her name in place of first person pronouns, can make cat sounds in addition to human ones, and often transforms words by incorporating "nya" (a cat's onomatopoeia in Japanese, equivalent to English's "meow").

Tricky Streetcat's true form resembles a black cat with a humanoid size and shape. She can stand on her hind legs, but usually moves about on all fours with a crouched stance.

It is assumed that, like Platicore's other monsters, her essence and Investiture are stored within a black pearl-like object in her body called an empathic capacitor.

## Personality

While disguised, Tricky Streetcat presents as an inanimate object that simply makes meows at regular intervals as designed, but it is implied she intentionally meows more often to annoy people, as she has a preference for the Investiture of frustrated or annoyed people. She is violent like other monsters, but notably possesses a protective side fueled by possessiveness, attacking Spirit Guard Valor in part because Valor will take Lauren away. As an early monster of Platicore's, Tricky Streetcat is said to be rather unintelligent overall. She also never mentions her master or reacts to his name, suggesting that she might not even have a sense of purpose beyond her hunger for Investiture.

## Abilities

Tricky Streetcat can transform between a seemingly inanimate cat decoration and her true form of a catlike humanoid.

Tricky Streetcat can drain Investiture from those nearby, even in her disguised form. Her effective range is far enough to reach Angela in the parking lot from the front of the store, though like other monsters, she is not equipped to properly handle the complex Investiture of a Spirit Guard, which she describes as having an unfamiliar taste. Her power is directly proportional to the amount of Investiture she has collected.

Tricky Streetcat is fast and flexible like a cat, and fights with her claws.

None of Tricky Streetcat's special moves are known.

## Biography

### Background

The year before the start of the series, an unfamiliar black cat decoration is placed at the front of a Poltergeist Halloween store and irritates both employees and customers with its frequent meowing, but nobody claims responsibility for putting it there. The decoration is the disguised form of Tricky Streetcat, who was presumably placed by Trace on behalf of Platicore. Tricky periodically drains Investiture from people nearby, and develops a fondness for the employee Lauren's frustration-flavored Investiture. On the third day of Tricky Streetcat's stay, a group of cheerleaders from SAU visit the shop, though one of them, Angela, has an Investiture that Tricky is unable to drain, which confuses the monster. Angela senses the draining power and splits off from the others in order to transform into Spirit Guard Valor and enter through the emergency exit. This prompts Tricky Streetcat to reveal her true form, with Valor stepping between her and the cheerleaders, who evacuate as ordered. Lauren is too shocked to move, and Tricky wants to capture Lauren and keep her for herself. Valor knocks the monster away and convinces Lauren to flee. Tricky Streetcat is subsequently defeated by Valor.

## Relationships

### Platicore's forces

Tricky Streetcat was created by Platicore and presumably deployed at Poltergeist Halloween by Trace. Unlike other monsters shown in the series, Tricky Streetcat makes no mention of her master even when Spirit Guard Valor brings him up. Combined with being one of his early monsters with low intelligence, it is possible that Tricky Streetcat is unaware of Platicore's existence.

### Lauren

Over the course of Tricky Streetcat's three-day stay at Poltergeist Halloween, she becomes attached to and possessive of the employee Lauren for having a good-tasting Investiture featuring frustration and annoyance. When Tricky Streetcat reveals her true form to battle Spirit Guard Valor, she attempts to capture Lauren before fighting the heroine, as she views Valor ordering the civilians to flee as tantamount to taking Lauren away.

### Angela Warrant

When Angela and a group of cheerleaders visit Poltergeist Halloween, the disguised Tricky Streetcat attempts to drain their Investiture. She is confused to find that Angela's has an unfamiliar taste, however, and is unable to take it. Angela senses this with her EKP and transforms into Spirit Guard Valor to battle the monster. Notably, Tricky Streetcat doesn't recognize Valor at all; it would appear that their battle occurred early enough in the Spirit Guard's career that Platicore and Trace did not have the information to give that would allow a monster to easily recognize a powered up Spirit Guard.