Debuu-t

 “Chubby but stable; Debuu has entered the chat!”

The high, energetic voice, like something out of a toy commercial, had come from the shimmering black bug. Out of the swelling sphere of blue energy, it had appeared. Inês had never seen anything like it: it looked like a rhinoceros beetle, but was the size of a small plushie; it had big, blue eyes, much too big for its head, and wings like a delicate butterfly.

“Pure hearts detected!” it yelped.

Also, it talked.

Mouths agape, the four teens were speechless.

Flapping its graceful wings, the beetle hovered in the shrine's direction, a few centimeters off the ground. It had the flight of a bumblebee; jerky and unpredictable. With every movement, its hardened shell caught and reverberated the light around it. It seemed like, wherever it went, the snow couldn't reach it. It sat its rotund body on the handrail and looked at each kid with a benevolent smile.

“How grateful I am to the four of you!” it said. “But before I continue, let me introduce myself properly: my name is Debuu, I am the guardian of the Shining Hearts Pure magic!”

Debuu's grin persisted, as did the group's silence. For a moment, you could only hear the wind blow.

“Right.” continued Debuu. “So, you were brought here because you've been chosen to become the new Shining Hearts Sentai PurePure, the heroes our realm needs to vanquish evil and remain safe!”

Debuu batted its impressive lashes, his mouth still stuck in a (now uneasy) smile.

“I can see you're having some difficulty coping with the reality of the situation, but rest assured that everything I'm telling you is very much true. Now, you don't have to accept your destiny as the sentai, but without you, this world is in grave danger.”

Inês, who was still sitting down, turned to look back at the other three. Jin was stoic; she couldn't tell what he might have been thinking. Lucía's lower jaw seemed to be hanging dangerously low, and her expression could only be described as stupefied. Marcel had regained his composure and seemed to be weighing Debuu's words carefully.

She looked forward again. The beetle was smiling at her; the type of smile a kind teacher would give a dunce who's trying their best. Inês tried to smile, too, but it might have looked off, because the beetle made a face.

Debuu cleared its throat. “The Sun will be setting soon and the weather won't be getting any warmer, it never does! What do you guys say I take y'all to a nice ryokan where you can relax, change into warmer clothes, and eat some food?”

The prospect of wearing more than a linen shirt in a snowstorm was alluring to her. Inês got up and turned to the rest of the group.

“What do you think?” she asked them.

“I don't know.” answered Jin. “What if prison rules apply?”

“Prison rules?” asked Lucía.

“Like, what if we accept something from it, and then we're indebted?”

“We don't have anything to give.” said Inês.

“Just our bodies.” replied Jin.

“Guys, I don't think that's where this is going.” interjected Marcel. “Remember how we all got here in the first place? The truck, the song… That's not normal, right? Maybe there's something to it? Maybe we should hear the bug out.”

The four exchanged wary looks. Marcel stepped forward to Debuu.

“Before we agree to follow you, can you tell us how we got here and why?”

Debuu tilted its head.

“Of course! All ya had to do was ask!” he replied cheerfully. “You were chosen by Truck-kun for your pure hearts! Each of you has a love of Japan and a moral character that's unrivaled! You were the perfect people to become the Shining Hearts Sentai PurePure!”

“Pure hearts, what does that even mean?! Also, what are the… Shining Hearts Sentai PurePure?” asked Jin with a shiver, as if saying that name made him physically ill.

“The guardians of this realm!” answered Debuu.

“And this place is…?” continued Lucía.

“Why, this is Japan, of course!”

The groupe exchanged another set of looks.

“Why did we have to get hit by a truck to get here, though?” asked Marcel.

“Would a plane ticket have been too expensive?” ironized Jin.

“Haha! No. It's just that a plane wouldn't be able to get here.” Debuu replied “See, this is Japan in the Sengoku era. In other words: you've traveled back to feudal times!”

Lucía's legs gave out from under her. Jin was able to catch her just in time before she hit her head on the deck. Her normally tan olive skin looked scarily pale.

“Guys, I just had the weirdest dream.” she said as her eyes slowly opened up. “There was this talking bug, and…”

Debuu hovered over her, inspecting her face with a concerned expression; shimmering with every wing flap. Lucía shrieked.

“Wait…” she started. “So, are we really back in the Middle Ages?”

“Actually, the Sengoku period took place mostly during the European early modern period.” said Marcel.

Jin and Inês gave him a shared reproachful look.

“Thanks so much for the historical note!” said Lucía as she got up with Inês' help. “But, I guess I'll have all the time in the world to learn the difference, now.”

“Friends, friends!” pleaded Debuu. “I know emotions are high right now, but there's no need to fight among yourselves. On the contrary, you should be forging bonds that will last a lifetime! You'll need them to fight the real adversaries you'll face later on.”

“What adversaries?” asked Inês, shivering from the cold.

“What do you say we talk about it someplace warm?” proposed the bug. “You can come check the place out and if you don't like it you can leave, but I think you'll love it.”

Inês and Lucía were huddled together. Both of them were in dire need of warmth. Jin didn't trust anything Debuu had said, but he didn't want the girls to freeze, so he acquiesced. Marcel didn't need convincing, he thought something must've brought the four of them there for a reason, a good one. And so, the group agreed to follow the little talking insect.