The baton of friendship! Reiko and Masaru's shared faith!

Narrator

Last time on Accepting Diversity Precure, Reiko secretly matchmade Madoka with her business friend Souta in hopes of boosting Madoka's social skills. Madoka does everything she can proving herself a good date to Souta, but things get crazy when Madoka's earrings get forced out and she is forced to fight injured. Even though the fight landed her in hospital, I think that's better than not fighting at all!

Story

"Yes yes 1-3," Izanagi-sensei said while clapping her hands. "The yearly sports meet is on the horizon. Akiyama-san, our class rep, will be the representative of our class for the first year baton relay. Akiyama-san, please choose three more representatives."

"Let's see...I want Asahina-san, Hanadera-san and Hase-san on my team."

The class broke into an uproar.

"I get why Hase and Asahina, but Hanadera?"

"Great. Selected to represent that one thing she's bad at, sports."

"I'm going to stop supporting her if she loses. You should too."

"Class, let's not make a big fuss over Akiyama's decision," Izanagi-sensei cautioned, before turning to Reiko. "Hanadera, it's your choice. You don't have to represent the class if you don't feel comfortable."

After thinking for a few minutes, Reiko agreed, much to everyone's shock. "When Akiyama-san selected me to be the representatives, I was very touched," Reiko explained confidently. "This is the first time in my life anyone actually saw me as important a friend enough to represent myself as a baton relay runner. It is an honour to run at Tayoseishi's biggest event. I will do my best."

"Alright, it's decided then," Izanagi-sensei declared. "Let's move onto the rest of the events before Music."

After school

When the school bell rang, Yuu asked, "Rei, do you want to join me to visit Mado-chan in hospital?"

"Sorry Yuu," Reiko replied apologetically. "I already promised Mai, her friend and Masaru to meet at the school field after school to practice for the baton relay. Tell her that we are down with that."

"That's a pity, but no problem. A promise is a promise after all. I'll get the message to her. See you tomorrow!" Yuu wheeled herself out of 1-3; Reiko walked to the toilet to change before meeting at the school field as promised. She was not going to let Mai down, since she used her only no-club day to prepare her for the event.

School field

After guiding her friends for warm-ups, Mai explained to her friends how the baton relay worked. She also covered what she was going to assist her friends in in preparation for the baton relay, before giving everyone a goal. After that, she loaned a baton from the PE store.

By luck, Masaru was right after Reiko. Reiko knew she had a very important role to play as she determined the team's victory to some extent. Furthermore, Masaru and Reiko were the second half of the race, so they carried even more of the team's final placing. Ironically, she was the only unathletic member of her team. She could make or break the team's placing.

Hence, Reiko ran each round like she meant it. However, she pulled the team down every single team. No matter what, their timing hovered around the 25-27 second range, far from what champions usually hold.

Many rounds later, the team finally brought their timing to 24 seconds, much to Mai's relief. After a quick debrief, Mai gave feedback for the day, and she assigned Reiko an important task—to dash everyday, anywhere she could.

Reiko agreed and bit her lips.

After training

"Is your coach really ok with you skipping practice for this?" Reiko asked out of concern.

"He's pretty chill about it," Masaru replied with a smile. "He knows this team is going to do their best to win. I'm going to prove it to him."

"He's really nice." After that, Reiko started running, only ordering Masaru to time her while trying to catch up with her. When they made it, Reiko realised she took 1 minute to reach their apartments, much to Reiko's disappointment.

"Come on Rei. It's not a short distance like at the tracks. You dashed for a kilometre from the playground to the apartments. Even though I'm much more athletic than you are, I can never have the drive you do."

Hearing this motivated Reiko. Every day, she practiced short distance runs everywhere she went. When she gets the time to practice during PE, around the normal playground when she takes Shizuku to the disability playground (if her parents are present) and even the journey to and from school since school was walking distance from home. She pressed on, despite how she discouraged she was thinking about how Masaru was always better at her at running...

Flashback

One PE lesson in sixth grade, Reiko was practicing for her final sports day in elementary school. She was practicing for the baton relay with the other classes. When the baton was passed to her, she recalled running as fast as she could, but remembered the commentary saying how her class was falling behind. As such, she forced herself to run even faster and suffered cramps, causing her to trip and fall, spraining her ankle in the process.

Everyone but Masaru broke out into laughter.

"You're so weak! You can't even finish your round of the baton relay without falling!"

"Kick 6-1 out of the relay! They're going to stain the school's good track and field reputation!"

"No, kick Reiko out of the school for not being able to run fast!"

-

She knew fate put her as the penultimate runner and Masaru as the final runner for a reason. Simply to traumatise her and make her lose again.

Present day

That flashback replayed again during track practice one day. However, she thankfully shut it off and ran with all her strength. She managed to pass the baton to Masaru in no time and watched him run off from there, letting the autumn wind blow her brown hair.

By then, 1-3 had come second. Everyone cheered but Reiko sighed. "We didn't get first..." she mumbled in frustration.

"That's because you're just traumatised by the past. Being unable to finish the baton relay first but instead last," Masaru reminded.

"He's right," Mai added on. "But is that even true?"

"Yes. That was the way our last sports meet in elementary school ended. And she was always reminded of it. That's why she doesn't want it to happen again."

"Makes a lot of sense. As long as you do what you do I don't see placing as an issue."

Reiko nodded in acknowledgment.

Narrator

It looks like Reiko is working really hard, both for the sports match and coming to terms with her own past! What a heartening scene! Let's hope things go smoothly from here

Two weeks later

Story

"What is the point coming to terms with your own past when you are doing something related to it?" Ijime-O muttered in disagreement. "Why don't you run away from everything that reminds you of your past?"

(Cut to school field)

The 31st Tayoseishi Private Academy sports meet was a wild start. Pop music blared in the background and colourful flags swayed in the air. The entire stadium was abuzz with chatter and footsteps as everyone got ready for the day ahead.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the long awaited sports meet of 2022!" The emcee announced, and the entire stadium broke into cheers. "Today our students and teachers face against one another as they see who is the best at each kind of sport. We're starting with..."

"Villian cheers!" Ijime-O bellowed.

Everyone freaked out and the cures gathered together to band against Ijime-O, preparing their transformation devices to face him. Ijime-O had just made a shot put ball Sabetsuta!

Transformation

Locking the InfiniJewels into the InfiniMo, Masaru removed his glasses while Reiko took off her headband. Yuu sprung out from her wheelchair and slowly saw herself stand in the presence of gravity in the first time. She then looked up to the sky and the InfiniMo and InfiniJewel came to her hands. Tapping their shoulders next to one another, they chorused, "Precure, accept my difference!"

Waving her phone in the air, Yuu released it before curling up into a ball, gaining her green dress. She admired her feet as if taking in the fact she can walk again, before clasping her hands and closing her eyes. Masaru and Reiko  then went back to each other and bumped each other's heads for their new hairstyle. The trio's InfiniMos went to the side of their outfit, their weapons were summoned and landed on their hands and the trio jumped down to pose.

Madoka swiped the brush across the makeup pad. She did her eyeshadow before opening her eyes and screamed, "Precure, make my difference!"

Throwing the makeup brush into the air, Madoka then threw her glasses away. In the process, she picked up some eyeshadow and placed it on her lips, before swiping the lipstick away. This formed her gloves.

Looking up, Madoka swiped her fingers across her shoulders, forming her crop top. She sent the magical power to her legs, forming her new skirt and heels. To top it off, Madoka curled herself into a ball and gained pigtails. Her makeup mirror was kept at the side before she joined her juniors in a pose.

"Embracing everyone for their true selves, I'm Cure Embrace!"

"Respecting others for their strengths, I'm Cure Respect!"

"Uniting love and peace once more, I'm Cure Harmony!"

"I'll accept you no matter what! I'm Cure Accepting!"

"Three plus one is more than four! That's what differences do! Go, Accepting Diversity Precure!"

Story

"You know what to do, my biggie shot out ballie," Ijime-O commanded. "Finish them!"

"Sabetsuta!" The monster echoed through the stadium. Madoka ran through the long jump pole and grabbed it, gathering her magical power and getting ready to wack the Sabetsuta with the magically charged pole. However, the wacking wasn't enough to defeat the Sabetsuta.

Attack

Inserting the Double Power Jewel into the InfiniBoard, Reiko and Masaru held their hands together and raised the other hand, screaming, "Dress up! Accept Me Spell!" The duo transformed into their Accepting Forms and stood together while posing, chorusing, "Accepting Forms!"

Holding the board, Reiko commanded, "InfiniBoard, lend us your power!"

"Power lent," the InfiniBoard echoed and in the air, two special wands sprouted out, landing in Reiko and Masaru's hands. They gazed at their wands in doubt at first but eventually looked at each other in determination and pressed the button to the wand anyway and stood back to back.

"Charging our differences up! Precure, Double Electrifying Zap!" The duo chorused. Pink and red lightning shot out from their respective wands but it was only enough to give the Sabetsuta a small shock.

Story

Detransforming back into their initial forms, Yuu decided to launch her attack at the Sabetsuta.

Attack

Placing her InfiniJewel into her InfiniMo, Yuu released it and put her hands on her chest. She said, "Precure, accept my difference!" and that was all it took to get her next upgrade.

Putting her hands in front of her chest, she gathered enough light to form a medium sized ball. She then placed it on her hands and brought it back. As she prepared to throw it, she screamed, "I'm throwing my change to your face! Precure, Harmony Throw!" She hurled the ball into the Sabetsuta's face, only for it to bounce on the Sabetsuta (very ironic for a shot put ball).

Story

"So do you think is all you got, Precure? Tsk. I thought you four would do better now that you all are a team," Ijime-O mocked.

Reiko released her Love Chain and looped both Sabetsuta and villain. "That's because you can't shut your big mouth up," Reiko pointed out directly.

She then drew her sword and started beating the two monsters up with all her might with her Love Sword. There and then, she gave Ijime-O a knowingly useless pep talk about how the past doesn't define the present. Eventually, she miraculously plunged through the shot put and defeated the Sabetsuta on the spot. She then proceeded to do what she had to do next.

Attack

Placing her InfiniJewel into her InfiniMo, Reiko released it and put her hands on her chest. She said, "Precure, accept my difference!" and that was all it took to get her next upgrade.

"Embrace Tambourine!" She screamed and the Embrace Tambourine came to her. She hit her tambourine twice, once on each side before making a pirouette. She then jumped up and glided to the villains with her tambourine. "I'm going to embrace you and me together! Precure, Embrace Tambourine Attack!" She then hugged the Sabetsuta and the Sabetsuta dissolved away. Finally, she finished her attack by playing 8 beats on her tambourine and posing, not before declaring, "Tambourine Dance? It's a wrap!"

Story

She got the Strawberry Jewel, and as per normal, she kept it in her pocket, promising herself to keep the Jewel in the Jewel album after the sports meet was over and then on that note, she returned to her allocated seat.

Two hours later

The much-awaited baton relay series started. Reiko and her friends proceeded to get ready at their final positions. On the way, Mai ran up to Reiko and told her, "Rei so remember to pace yourself and focus. Your past doesn't define the future. You have been improving a lot."

"Thanks," Reiko replied and they got to their positions.

The starting pistol was then banged and Mai ran as fast as she could. She led the class and then soon the baton was passed to the second runner. When the commentator declared Reiko's class passed the baton to the second runner, she got herself ready. This time, before she started, she filled herself with a lot of positive remarks, from how she wasn't alone anymore to how she wasn't going to let her past define her present.

After the baton was passed to her, Reiko charged forward and did her best. However, 1-3 lagged behind. Reiko did not think about what the commentator said and just did her best to push herself forward from the runners in first and second place. With everyone having her back, Reiko knew she was invincible and she pushed herself to the end, passing Masaru the baton in second place.

Mai watched the scoreboard from a distance and broke into a smile shortly after. She knew Reiko had taken her pre-race advice to heart, and the results were showing.

Masaru then dashed with everything he got with Reiko watching him from behind. However, halfway to the finish line, Reiko and Mai realised Masaru on the ground. Reiko immediately freaked out and dashed to his side, helping him up and checking on his injuries.

"Are you sure you want me to finish the race?" Masaru asked in skepticism. "My leg hurts and I'm unsure how bad my injuries are."

"Masa-kun, do you even want to give up when we're 50m away from the finish line?" Reiko replied while supporting Masaru. "We may be the last two classes but I'd rather be the last in this way rather than being the last because of me!"

Hence, Masaru and Reiko hobbled to the finish line together. Once the fifth class reached the finish line, all eyes were on Masaru and Reiko.

3-1 area

"What is this class?" Onpu asked.

"1-3," Madoka replied. She smiled and started clapping and chanting, "1-3!" The entire stadium followed as they supported Masaru and Reiko through the last lap of the race. When they passed the finish line, both saw their class placing last and confetti sprayed on them.

Reiko watched the rain of confetti fall on her as she thought about how something similiar happened in sixth grade...

Flashback

When Reiko came in last, she saw her class being scrawled in 6th position. Masaru acknowledged her effort but the first two runners went up to her and started laughing at her. "What's up with that try hard attitude?" One of the runners asked in scorn, before imitating the way she ran.

Present Day

This time, however, she saw the first two runners smiling at her. "You chose to do the right thing," Mai admitted. "I know you really didn't want last because of trauma but this time; you chose to put your trauma aside and focus on friendship. I can't name another person our age that'd do something like this."

"You think so?" Reiko asked in doubt. "You still thinking about the livestream?"*

"I don't think anyone will remember the livestream after this." She showed Reiko her phone. "You ok with me uploading this online?"

"Why?"

"I want to make an edit of you from badmouthing your siblings to helping someone to the finish line. Show the world how much you've grown as a person and that business owners don't always care about their business."

"You're so sweet. I'd love if you did that!" She then guided Masaru to the first aid area as the track cleared for the second years' race.

(2890 words)

*- see "Reiko's frustrations! What is familial love, really?"