Soaring Sky! Precure: Season 1, Episode 20 - The First Step Towards Mashiro's Dream (2023)

Mashiro reads a picture book to Ellee at home, ending with "happily ever after," and smiles warmly at Ellee's contentment.

Sora bursts in excitedly, showing Mashiro a flyer for a picture book contest, urging her to try making one since she reads them so well to Ellee.

Mashiro hesitates, feeling unsure about her drawing skills, but Sora encourages her gently, saying it looks fun.

At Pretty Holic, Ageha starts her new part-time job, noticing a coworker named Natsumi painting a pink-haired mermaid mural on the wall.

Mashiro visits Pretty Holic with Sora and sees the beautiful painting, feeling inspired by Natsumi's artistic talent.

Natsumi explains she's entering the same picture book contest, boosting Mashiro's interest further.

Back home, Mashiro decides to enter the contest and begins sketching ideas, but struggles to find inspiration, her face showing frustration.

The next day at school, Yoyo reveals her hidden interest in horseback riding to the group during lunch, surprising everyone as they chat casually.

After school, the girls go to Sorashido Park; Mashiro tries brainstorming picture book ideas while watching Ellee play.

Ellee grabs all the toys selfishly, refusing to share with other children, frustrating them and drawing parental glares.

Mashiro scolds Ellee gently, explaining that sharing makes everyone happy, using a picture book example, but Ellee cries and clings to her toys stubbornly.

Sora watches this, feeling guilty for pushing Mashiro into the contest too hard, as Mashiro looks exhausted from handling Ellee.

Sora approaches Mashiro privately on a park bench, apologizing sincerely for pressuring her and saying Mashiro doesn't need a special skill--she's great as she is.

Mashiro reassures Sora it's okay, but internally feels stuck on her picture book, her shoulders slumping in doubt.

Inspired by Ellee's selfishness, Mashiro gets a spark of an idea about a story teaching sharing, her eyes lighting up as she sketches quickly.

Over the next few days, Mashiro works intensely on her picture book at home, drawing late into the night, pages filling with colorful illustrations of a selfish character learning to share.

Sora checks on Mashiro repeatedly, worried she's overworking herself, but Mashiro smiles determinedly, committed to finishing for the contest deadline.

Meanwhile, Battamonda lurks in the shadows, having found the injured Captain Shalala in the woods after her sacrifice for Skyland, infusing her with Undergu Energy to keep her alive as a hostage.

Battamonda creates an illusion of Captain Shalala in peril to lure Sora out alone to an isolated area near the city outskirts.

Sora, recognizing the voice, rushes out by herself, transforming into Cure Sky upon arrival, determined to save her hero.

The illusion leads Sora to a Ranborg monster that mimics Captain Shalala's appearance more and more as the fight progresses, confusing Sora.

Cure Sky battles the Ranborg step by step: she dodges initial claw swipes, counters with Sky Punch to its chest, then leaps for an aerial kick, but the Ranborg regenerates quickly.

Sora hesitates as the Ranborg's face fully resembles Captain Shalala's, pleading weakly, causing Sora to pull her punches.

Battamonda reveals himself, explaining he holds the real Captain Shalala hostage inside the Ranborg's core, twisting her pain to fuel it.

Cure Sky freezes in horror, refusing to attack further, her fists trembling as she calls out to Captain Shalala.

The other girls--Mashiro, Tsubasa, and Ageha--arrive, sensing trouble, and transform into Cure Prism, Cure Wing, and Cure Butterfly, urging Sky to fight together.

Sky blocks their attacks desperately, yelling for them to stop, her voice breaking with despair as she protects the Ranborg.

Battamonda laughs, confirming the hostage situation, then retreats tactically with the Ranborg, leaving Sky collapsed on her knees.

Sora's Precure power fades away completely, her Sky Tact dropping as her conviction shatters, tears streaming down her face in utter devastation.

Back home, Mashiro finishes her picture book just in time, a heartfelt story about a selfish princess learning to share treasures with friends, mirroring Ellee's behavior.

Mashiro submits her book to the contest confidently, hugging Sora tightly, grateful for the push despite Sora's lingering gloom.

The group performs their first full team transformation sequence together: Sky starts but falters slightly; Prism, Wing, and Butterfly join seamlessly, their individual sequences cutting together in a unified display of light and color.

They confront a new Ranborg summoned in the city by remaining Undergu forces, this one with powers to manipulate shadows and illusions.

Cure Sky hangs back, powerless and watching sadly from the sidelines, her eyes filled with doubt.

Cure Prism leads the charge, firing Prism Shots to dispel shadows; Cure Wing flies high, using Wing Attack to slice through illusions step by step.

Cure Butterfly supports with Butterfly Press, pinning the Ranborg's limbs, then all three combine for a group finisher: Sky Mirage Tornado, purifying the Ranborg in a whirlwind of rainbow energy.

The monster explodes into dark energy particles, defeated cleanly without Sky's involvement.

Mashiro, still in civilian form nearby, watches the battle end, her picture book clutched tightly, feeling a step closer to her dream.

In the end credits, Cure Melody from a past season makes a brief cameo appearance, waving happily.

The Precures defeat the Ranbalt monster with a group attack, Mashiro finishes her picture book and submits it to the contest on time, though she doesn't win, and Ellee loves the story about sharing, leaving Mashiro happy with her first step toward her dream.

Now, let me take you through the ending of "The First Step Towards Mashiro's Dream," scene by scene, as the action unfolds in the skies above Sorashido City and back on the ground, painting every moment with the vivid energy of the battle, the characters' focused determination, and the quiet triumph that follows.

The scene opens in the midst of the intense battle against the massive Ranbalt monster, a hulking beast summoned by the villain who had kidnapped Ellee earlier to disrupt Mashiro's work. Cure Sky (Sora), Cure Prism (Mashiro), Cure Wing (Tsubasa), and Cure Butterfly (Ageha) are transformed in their full group sequence for the first time this season, their individual sparkling transformations cutting together seamlessly as they leap into formation high in the air. The monster charges with its unique power, firing chaotic energy blasts that scatter the team, but they regroup with precise teamwork, dodging and countering in mid-air flips and dives. Cure Sky calls out strategies, her athletic heroism shining as she leads the charge, while Cure Prism grips her Sky Mirage tightly, her face set with resolve amid the wind-whipped chaos.

They execute an RPG-style tactic, positioning themselves strategically around the beast--Sora and Tsubasa flanking from the sides, Ageha providing supportive bursts from below, and Mashiro channeling her prism energy from the front. The monster roars and swings massive limbs, nearly clipping Ageha, but she rolls away with a grin, her energetic spirit unbroken. Mashiro hesitates for a split second, her mind flashing to her unfinished book and Ellee's safety, but Sora shouts encouragement, reigniting her focus. Together, they unleash their combined final attack, a radiant "Pretty Cure Sky Punch" variant infused with group power, colorful energy beams converging like a fantasy spell to engulf and shatter the monster in a explosive burst of light and particles, purifying it completely as it dissolves into the sky.

The team lands gracefully on a nearby rooftop, de-transforming back to their civilian selves amid cheers and high-fives. Sora immediately apologizes to Mashiro, her face flushed with guilt for having pushed her too hard into the contest earlier, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as Mashiro smiles reassuringly, shaking her head--no hard feelings, just gratitude for the nudge. Tsubasa nods approvingly, his calm demeanor hiding quiet pride in the team's coordination, while Ageha laughs it off, ruffling Ellee's hair now safely returned. Ellee, the toddler princess, clings to Mashiro's leg, her earlier selfish tantrum forgotten in wide-eyed awe at the victory.

Cut to the next day at the picture book contest deadline. Mashiro, exhausted but beaming, rushes to the submission venue with her freshly completed book in hand--a heartfelt story inspired by Ellee's selfishness, featuring a character named "L" who learns to share with a toddler, illustrated with warm, simple paintings of skies, friends, and everyday joys. She slides it into the entry box just in time, her hands steady despite the all-nighter montage of frantic drawing and writing that flashes in her memory.

Later, the results are announced: Mashiro does not win the contest, her entry passed over by the judges. But as she stands there with her friends, a small pang of disappointment crosses her gentle face, quickly replaced by warmth when Ellee toddles up clutching the book, eyes sparkling as she babbles happily about the story, hugging it close and mimicking the sharing lesson with a toy. Sora wraps an arm around Mashiro, whispering that she's already perfect as she is, while the group surrounds her in support, their bond tighter than ever.

In this closing stretch, each main character's fate solidifies their path forward. Mashiro, the focal gentle soul, emerges fulfilled, her book complete and cherished by Ellee, marking her first confident step toward discovering her dream in storytelling or art, no longer doubting her "unique skills." Sora, the heroic pusher, reconciles her well-meaning intensity, her friendship with Mashiro deepened through apology and mutual understanding. Ageha, the vibrant part-timer, continues thriving at Pretty Holic, her energy bolstering the team without change. Tsubasa, the thoughtful flyer, reveals a hidden love for horseback riding in casual post-battle chat, but remains steadily supportive as ever. Ellee, the spoiled princess toddler, softens slightly through the story's influence, happily reunited and cared for. The villains retreat defeated for now, the sky clear, setting up future outings as the group walks home laughing under the soaring blue.

No, there is no post-credits scene in Soaring Sky! Precure season 1 episode 20, "The First Step Towards Mashiro's Dream."

The episode features a standard end credits sequence with a cameo appearance by Cure Melody, as noted in detailed recaps and trope analyses. These sources distinguish credits content from any additional post-credits material, with no mentions of scenes playing after the credits roll. Reviews and episode breakdowns focus on the main story, battle, and credits cameo without referencing post-credits teases typical in some Precure episodes. TV Tropes explicitly highlights the Cure Melody cameo in the end credits for this episode, confirming it as pre-credits or during-credits content only.

Mashiro is inspired to enter the picture book contest after reading multiple picture books to Ellee and seeing a painting of a mermaid by a Pretty Holic employee, with Sora giving her the gentle nudge to participate.

Ellee's selfish behavior serves as the spark Mashiro needs to overcome her struggle with inspiration for the picture book.

The Ranborg in this episode has a pretty interesting power, as noted in reviews, during the full group transformation sequence where the Cures fight it after Mashiro's story development.

With everyone's encouragement, Mashiro enters the picture book contest and creates a picture book to teach a lesson, marking her first step towards her dream.

Yoyo is revealed to have hidden depths, specifically an interest in horseback riding, which is a departure from her usual character traits.

Yes, this episode of Soaring Sky! Precure is family-friendly, rated TV-PG and suitable for its target audience of children, with typical magical girl elements.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects for children or sensitive viewers include: - A standard Precure monster battle sequence with cartoonish action, energy blasts, and a creature that gets purified (non-graphic defeat, no blood or gore). - Mild emotional tension from a character feeling stressed or overworked while pursuing a personal goal, leading to brief moments of self-doubt and concern from friends. - Predictable conflict resolution that some might find underwhelming, but nothing violent or scary beyond franchise norms.