Pastel*Rangers

Chapter 1 - Welcome to Japan

(Pastel*Palettes don't show up until chapter 2)

The skies above Japan are clear. Not a single cloud in sight. A lone airplane begins its descent into Japan international airport. Inside the plane, among the passengers, a girl sits, staring out the window. She's excited to visit Japan for the first time, though the circumstances behind this trip were rather... Odd. She recalls the conversation between her and her boss that led to this trip.

"You must be exhausted after defending the city. I think you deserve a break."

"Great, so how many days off do I get?"

"One week. But I know you, you're a hard worker. If I just give you days off, I know you'll be tempted to take action if a Negative attacks. So, we've decided to give you a proper vacation."

"A proper vacation? Wait what if a Negative attacks? You saw that wave of them last week, who's to say they won't come back?"

"Don't worry about that. We have very capable fighters here. If one manages to transform someone, I can Purify them myself."

"If you say so... Wait. What exactly do you mean by 'proper vacation'?"

"I mean we're sending you away so that you're not tempted to fight on your days off. Some time away should do wonders for you!"

"Well... Are you sure you guys can handle things without me?"

"Of course. We've been fighting these things since before you joined us. And like I said. You're not the only one with the power of Light."

"I still feel bad leaving you guys alone, but... Since you insist..."

"So, where in the world do you want to go?"

-Later that day-

Finally, a chance to sleep.

The girl opens the door to her hotel room and plops on the bed, arms sprawling outward. She attempts to close her eyes and drift to sleep when she is interrupted by an all too familiar noise. It's her stomach. It's growling. She hungers.

Ugh. I haven't eaten since boarding the plane. What's the fastest thing here... I remember seeing a convenience store on the way here. Some quick sushi sounds nice.

She slowly gets off the bed, and makes her way out of the hotel. As she walks to the store, she thinks about how this is the first vacation she's ever taken. She works in a maid café in America, though the café itself is just a front. Behind the scenes, they fight against creatures called Negatives that made a sudden appearance several years ago. The weaker ones can be defeated with blunt force, so just about anyone can fight them off, but they have been known to possess people who are emotionally vulnerable and transform them into a monster. When that happens, only someone with the power of Light can defeat them safely. Only three people have been shown to possess this power. Our main character, her boss, and a coworker of hers, who isn't a maid (or even involved in this story) but works as their handyman. Our temporarily unnamed main character arrives at her destination and grabs some food.

"Have a moca-tastic day~" the cashier says as the American pays for her food. With a bento box in hand, she starts walking back to the hotel.

As she walks back, she gets an eerily familiar feeling.

Impossible.

She turns around to see the familiar twig-like figure. Its coal black body staring at her. It was a Negative. And a big one.

So much for a vacation.

She gets into a battle stance as the Negative begins to crawl towards her. It gets close enough to lunge at her, and she dodges to the side and spin-kicks the monster's chest, sending it flying towards a wall. Seeing as it didn't disintegrate, she realizes it's one of the stronger ones.

Alright. I'll finish this quickly. I'm starting to get really hungry.

She stands in a wide pose and raises her arms up, then shouts.

"Transform!"

A swirl of light begins enveloping her, but it dissipates just as fast as it appears. She gets on her knees and clutches her stomach.

Ugh. I'm too hungry to transform.

The Negative manages to gets back on its twig-like feet. It looks around, as if it were sniffing the air despite not having a nose. It then stops, as if detecting something, and begins to scurry away.

Ugh. No. Come back...