Hello, and Welcom to “Hanshen of Hearts”. I know, it’s been a good long while since my last two updates—and there’s a good reason for that! My computer was riddled with viruses and spyware and crashed (poor me…). Anyway, you know the rules: While Poke’mon and it’s characters are not copyrighted to me, the storyline and made-up characters in this story are. STEALING IS MEAN!! Last time, Misty was forced with the decision of saving Ash or losing her heart to a ronin fate. What does the future hold for Misty? Will she save Ash before the New Year’s end? Find out in today’s Hanshen.

 

Hanshen of Hearts:

                        Shirube Chronicles


 

            
Hanshen 3: A Love That Warms The Ice

      
Misty, May, and Pikachu stood behind Slowking patiently. The four were back in the ancient underground chamber where Ash had been kidnapped. Slowking had it’s back to them, facing the wall where the darkness had once spewed out of. Misty let out a sigh and stared to the ground. “A lot has happened ever since yesterday.” She thought to herself, “Ash was kidnapped by an enraged dark princess named Minako in this very underground room. She plans to use him to try to find the wandering heart of her lover. But since I have the Towamune, I can stop her from forcing Ash’s heart into the same fate. It was kinda’ scary, finding out that it may come down to me sacrificing my own heart to save Ash, but I can’t afford to hesitate now. With only today left and New Years right around the corner, I have to be strong for his sake.”  Misty grasped the hilt of Towamune a bit. “I’ll ask you once again, Misty,” Slowking spoke without turning its back from them, “Are you sure you want to go through with this. Once I let you through, there’s no turning back.” “Yes,” Misty said without hesitation. Slowking turned towards her and held its hand to her. Magically, Towamune shot from its sheath (surprising Misty) and landed hilt-first into its grip. “Ash was taken to the Realm of Ronin Hearts. It is in this world where all wandering hearts end up in. It is most likely that Minako took Ash to the top of her palace.” The Poke’mon then walked up to the wall and placed the sword blade into the crack where the darkness had flowed. A wind suddenly whipped around them and the walls of the underground ruins rumbled slightly. All the while, a light ran up the wall in a line, causing it to slide open like a pair of doors. The light from the other side forced Misty, May, and Pikachu to shield their eyes for a short while.

       When the rumbling and the rumbling and the wind stopped, Misty dared to take a peak. An entire world unfolded before her behind the ruin wall. It was made up of lush green and yellow fields dyed with the evening sun. Flowers of all sorts and colors painted various parts of the fields colorfully. In the distance, she could see a magnificent marble palace with a thin pillar that stretched up high into the clouds. Strange, ghastly wisps of energy free-floated through the air occasionally. “Here, Misty,” Slowking returned Towamune to its new owner, “Be careful; from here on, you two are on your own.” “Huh? You’re not coming with us?” May asked. “But what if we need you for something? You seem to know a lot about the Realm of Ronin Hearts.” Misty jumped in. Slowking shook his head, “You have everything you need to win. Just believe in your light and you will see through any darkness.” Misty was about to say something else, but Pikachu pulled on her leg and shook its head. Trying to convince Slowking to come would just take more of Ash’s time. “…fine then,” Misty folded her arms. She, May, and Pikachu walked up towards the threshold; as soon as Misty stepped into the other side, a cold feeling ran through her body. Still, she continued to walk onto the luscious fields with May and Pikachu behind her. “Good luck!” Slowking called back. “Pika-Pikaa!” Pikachu and the girls waved back. In a dim phase of light, the doors of the underground chamber melted into nothingness, looking as if it were never there. “This place is so beautiful…but I can’t help, but have this cold, dangerous feeling.” May said, rubbing her arm. “I feel the same way.” Misty told her. “Pikachu-Pika-Pika!” Pikachu pointed towards the palace with an excited frown. May and Misty nodded and started to walk across the ankle-high grass towards it.
 

       Ash hung limply from the clock-like seal Minako had conjured up. His once chocolate eyes were now nearly completely drained of their lively color. The hands of the magical clock had shifted significantly (with the second hand still moving). Minako sat against the side of one of the fountains that decorated the room in the sky, musing at Ash’s nearly blanked daze. “The clock is ticking, Tsukako. Soon, you’ll be back here with me and free from that curse.” She seemed to speak to Ash. “Although,” Her eyes wandered to the side, “I’m not so sure what I’m going to do about that little girl. She seems kind, but I am worried she’ll get in my way. If anything goes wrong…” Minako stood up and looked back to Ash again. Her eyes wavered with a bit of concern, but still had a dark air about them, “I’ll have to wait a century for my chance to rise again….Perhaps I should pay that girl—Misty—a visit in a little while. After all, she deserves to know the entire situation before I have to end her for coming this far.” Minako turned and started to walk towards the middle of the room. As she did so, she gazed up at the starry sky above her with a saddened look on her face.

 
       May, Misty, and Pikachu came to a stop before the large purple-marble doors of the palace. Even though they had been walking for a while, the sun above did not move in the slightest. It felt as if time was moving and stopping at the same time. “Well, here’s square one.” May said to Misty. “It’s gonna’ take all of us to open this door. You can help on my side, Pikachu.” Pikachu nodded to Misty and all three started to pull on the door. A long, drawling creek issued forth from the tight hinges. Immediately, a smoky darkness began to pour from the inside. However, it seemed to pass by them harmlessly. “This darkness…” May began, “The beauty of this world is only skin-deep. The true nature of the Realm of Ronin Hearts is the complete opposite of what we’ve seen.” “It’s that darkness that’s making this door so hard to open.” Misty grunted, pulling as hard as she could on the grip handle. The doors slowly started to part to the sides. With just enough space to let them pass through, May, Misty, and Pikachu pushed beyond the entrance doors and into the castle.

       At first, it was dark, so Misty had to squint to see. “Pika-pika?” Pikachu dared to walk forward a little, waving its arms frantically until it bumped into Misty’s legs. “How are we supposed to go anywhere when we can’t see?” May growled, straining her eyes to try to see through the pitch black. As if answering her question, there was a quick flash that illuminated the entire area. “Whoaa…” Misty looked in awe. The three stood at the entrance of a wide corridor made completely of glass. The entire hallway seemed to be suspended in some kind of strange evening-painted space. “Pika…” Pikachu pressed its face to the glass to get a better look of the outside. “It’s so beautiful…” May joined the mouse Poke’mon. Misty didn’t get too close; it was hard to explain, but something about the corridor gave her a feeling of danger. “Something here…isn’t quite right—” BADUMP! “Uh?” Misty pulled Towamune from its sheath. The sword occasionally pulsated with a loud bumping noise. “To…Towamune? Is there really something here?” Misty gave the weapon a searching look. Its reacting had pulled May and Pikachu away from the window. “…Pikachu!” Pikachu suddenly got down on all fours dangerously, its cheeks sparking blue and yellow. “What’s up with you, Pikachu?” May asked. Misty saw them right after Pikachu; along the walls and the floor, puddles of shadows snaked their way around to them. When they were close enough to their victims, they rose up to take the form of large, hyena-like Poke’mon. From all around, puddles of shadow-liquid seemed to rise in the same kind of Poke’mon. They all bared their teeth and let out deep, dangerous growls. “What are those things?” May backed into her friends. She sweated and clenched her teeth nervously. Misty held Towamune up in front of her with one hand. “Obviously, someone doesn’t want us getting too close.” She said on her guard.

       “Wraaowww!” The Mightyena shadow replicas launched themselves forward, presenting their two rows of razor-sharp teeth. “Hah!” Misty swung her sword. Two of the Poke’mon her blade struck dispersed into fading shadows, but were quickly followed up by other comrades. “Beautifly, use Silver Wind to blow ‘em away!” May tossed one of her personal Poke’balls. The item burst open in a flash of white light, revealing her butterfly Poke’mon. “Beauty-flieeeee!” Beautifly flapped its wings heavily to produce a powerful, silvery wind that tore against the on-coming Mightyena. “Chuuu!” Pikachu shocked two Mightyena into fragments of darkness. More puddles ran along the ground and formed themselves just like before. “Grrr!” Misty growled, swinging her sword wildly. One after another, the three splattered the shadows deftly. However, their opponents ranks were quickly replaced each time a handsome number of their comrades were destroyed. “They keep coming back!” “Pika-pika!” May and Pikachu shrieked. “Ha!” Misty cut another shadow in two, “We have to run—we can’t win like this!” She shouted. Misty, May, Pikachu, and Beautifly finished off whoever was in front of them before turning around and heading down the glass corridor. As they ran, the Mightyena replicas darted right behind them. “Wraaa!” Two accelerated along the side wall. Misty’s blade began to bubble slightly; with a quick swing, she shattered her opponents into nothingness. “Hey, I’m getting good at this.” She grinned at her weapon.

       The end of the corridor pulled into their view quickly. The sound of splashing water issued with a thin layer of mist up ahead. “It’s a—” “—waterfall!” The girls exclaimed. The blue water crashed down from the wall above. Upon closer inspection, flat, thin stones protruded from the water in a ladder-like formation. “No choice but to climb!” Misty picked up the slack in her run and leapt into the air; she grasped one of the wet rocks as firmly as she could and proceeded to pull herself up. While Pikachu and Beautifly found no problem in scaling the watery cliff, May nearly slipped on her way up. “Raaaaaa!” The Mightyena leapt after them with their teeth and claws poised. “Piiiikachuuuu!” Pikachu’s body burst with bolts of lightning. The shadow-replicas that were struck let out a canine whimper as they plummeted backwards. “Howwwwl!!” “Get-back!” Misty swung Towamune’s glowing blade; the shadows dispersed into vanishing fragments. “Beautifly, use Silver Wind!” May shouted. The butterfly Poke’mon flapped its wings heavily, producing a shiny silvery wind. The air cut against their pursuers harshly, shattering them.

       Misty was the first to pull up to the top of the waterfall. Beyond it lay another shorter corridor with a door blocking off another room. Thank God; an exit!” May shouted. Misty was the first to pull open the door, allowing her friends to go in before she shut it behind herself.

       “Huh…huh…huh…” The group panted as they sat on the cold marble floor. The room they were in was more like a dark aquarium this time. The walls were a vision of under the ocean, filled with various forms of marine life. But the pitch-black ceiling gave the area a dark feel to it. “Great job, Beautifly. Return to your Poke’ball.” May called back her Poke’mon. After she caught her breath, Misty rose to her feet and gazed around the room cautiously. She couldn’t quite explain it, but another dark feeling had snuck its way to her. “Misty…?” May dared to ask. Pikachu’s ears perked up; it could sense the darkness too. “Perceptive…except for the head-banded girl.” “Hey!” May jumped up. There was a loud snap; the floor lit up with the blue symbol of a winged heart. At the far end of the room, a spotlight fell down atop a spiraling staircase. Misty grasped the hilt of her sword. “Something’s coming,” She frowned. The sound of footsteps issued from above. Minako’s long black hair swayed elegantly as she took her sweet time traveling down the stairs. Misty let out a low growl; this had been the second time she had seen the princess of darkness face to face. Angry and eager, she was ready to finish it off right then and there. “Greetings,” Minako spoke as she continued to walk down slowly, “Welcome to my palace, Hanshen of Hearts.” “Hanshen—what?” Misty raised an eyebrow. Minako stopped mid-way on the staircase with her hand resting on the guard rail. She giggled a little, but the dull expression of her face never changed, “Just as I figured. You have traveled so deep into this situation, yet you don’t have the slightest clue of what’s truly going on.” “And what do you mean by that?!” Misty dared to take a step forward. “…you are the Hanshen of Hearts. The sword you hold is proof of that. You are one who possesses the eye to see through the darkness; the power of your heart serves as a beacon to those who are lost. Just as I do, you wield the power to guide ronin hearts back to the light. However, don’t think that this power or that silly little sword will stop me; that boy’s heart is perfect for finding my lover’s own ronin heart. You have come so far, that I’m feeling generous; turn back and you won’t have to risk your heart or your life.”

       “I’ll never turn back!” Misty shouted up to Minako, “I won’t leave and I won’t give up. I may not understand Hanshen of Hearts, but I do know that I can never let you get away with taking Ash away. I’ll protect hearts instead of abusing my power like you did!” Even Minako’s smile had a dark air about it. It made Pikachu take a nervous step back. “Pity…I was hoping you’d heed me. Now I have to get rid of you. Little girl, you still don’t’ understand what being Hanshen of Hearts means. It’s an unpredictable fate—you could lose it all.” “I’ll chance it to get Ash back.” Misty answered up. She hadn’t an ounce of fear in her body. The only thing she wanted to do was kick Minako’s sorry butt. The expression on Minako’s face went serious as she gazed at Misty. “…something about this girl…seems so familiar…is this light…the light I have…turned away from? I feel for this girl, for she may suffer the same fate as me…” “Fine then. But remember: when the New Year’s clock strikes twelve, Ash’s fate will be sealed.” With that, Minako turned her back to Misty, May, and Pikachu. She waved her hand and her body vanished in random bars of light. “Sh-she’s gone? Just like that? What the heck was all that about?” May put her hands on her hips. Misty’s gaze remained transfixed on the spiral staircase before her. “….Hanshen of Hearts? I serve as a beacon for lost hearts…..?”  Misty shook her head. Was that what it was truly about? Had she and Ash been put through all of this simply because fate or destiny wanted to test out their new Hanshen of Hearts? “Misty, are you okay?” “Huh?” Misty snapped back to reality with May. “Erm, yeah—I’m fine. Anyway, we should keep working our way upwards. No sense in wasting time when we’re so close.” Misty tried not to speak with an irritable voice. But even as she walked towards the staircase, her friends could sense the uneasiness inside her. “Pika…” Pikachu followed her on all fours quietly. “Hanshen of Hearts…” Misty repeated in her head.

       The group of three ascended the spiral staircase to a large oak door. “Terrific; more doors, rooms, and surprises. This witch is procrastinating!” Misty shouted as she kicked the door open. Then, she noticed her two friends, who hadn’t dared to go up the last five steps to her. “Why are you two way back there?” “No reason,” “Pika-pika,” May and Pikachu sweated anime style. Misty shook her head and walked into the room anyway. However, she couldn’t really see much of the inside. BAM! “Ahh!” May jumped when the door shut behind her. She pulled against the silver handle, but the door didn’t budge in the slightest. Even Pikachu tried to pull with the same bit of luck. There was a snapping sound as lights from above lit up the marble room before them. This time, the walls were decorated with the same space scenery they had witnessed in the main corridor. The room was as big as an arena with a single door at the end. The floor in the middle of the room lit up with the exact same symbol found in Minako’s room; all around the room, a frosty wind blew from the walls. “What the hell?” Misty got on her guard, grasping the hilt of her sword. “That cold air—it’s coming from everywhere!” May clenched her fists. “Piiikaa!” Pikachu’s cheeks sparked dangerously. The sub-zero wind spiraled into the symbol on the floor, resulting in a split second of dead silence; the calm before the storm. Misty sweated a little nervously, but was still ready for anything that might come out. First, a large, clawed arm of solid ice popped out and gripped the ground around the symbol. Another arm helped to pull up the creature’s buff icy body. The creature’s raspy breathing let out puffs of frigid air with each exhale. “What’s that?!” May shouted. WRAAAAAA!! With its body fully emerged, the golem of ice let out a wall-rumbling roar.

       “No time to waste!” Misty darted forward while pulling Towamune out of the hilt. The ice golem’s chest let out a blast of frost; the air transformed into sharp sickles of ice that plowed towards Misty sharply. “Chuuu!” Pikachu’s great aim melted the icicles, allowing Misty to continue her advance. “Myaaaa!” CLANG! Misty’s bubbling blade rebounded off of the golem’s thick arm without leaving so much as a scratch. “Aww…” Misty clenched her fist in disbelief. “Combusten,” May pulled a different poke’ball from her belt, “Use Flamethrower on that ice monster—melt it completely!” Combusten released from its poke’ball with its beak already starting to flame; it spat a stream of fire fiercely and swiftly. The ice golem’s arm plummeted forward. The flames were forced into every direction except onto its enemy. Not a drop of melted water fell to the floor. “WRAAAA!” The golem’s breath forced another shot of ice sickles at May in spite for trying to burn it. “Aiii!!” “Com-busten!” SKWE-SKWE-SKWE! Combusten scooped up its trainer just in time for her to miss being skewered. “This is crazy!” Misty held her sword down at a side angle with both hands. The aquamarine blade glowed as billions of bubbles began to flow from it. The golem turned Misty’s way immediately, as if it could sense her power rising. Misty’s Cerulean eyes literally sparked while she concentrated on forcing out the power hidden deep within her heart. “Daifunsui Bubbles!” Misty leapt forward and swung her sword blade fiercely; an array of destructive bubbles spiraled from Towamune at its master’s will. “Wrraa!!” A thin wave of ice-blue energy shot from the ice golem’s body and all of the bubbles flying through the air froze instantly. They all shattered to the ground like glass without so much as a puff of smoke, let alone exploding. “Ah!” Everyone gasped in disbelief. Not one attack was able to scratch its sturdy, frozen surface.
      
       It happened so fast; the golem rushed forward like lightning and before Misty knew it, she could feel its icy claws clasping around her arms. “Misty!” “Pika!” May and Pikachu shouted. “Lemme’ go! Put me down right now—I’m tire of being picked up in this stupid fic!” Misty repeatedly struck the golem with Towamune. She managed to chip minute shards of ice from the surface, but that was all. “Now swallow her!” A voice—Minako’s voice—sounded from the air around them. “Swallow?”  Misty freaked, driving Towamune’s hilt into her enemy’s arm. The golem opened it’s seemingly small mouth. Misty’s eyes trembled; the golem’s mouth started to become bigger and bigger, opening up like a black hole. A frigid wind spiraled around the room again. But this time, the air made its way into the golem’s steady-opening mouth. Misty sweated; the hole was now big enough to suck her up in one move. “Daifunsui Bubbles!” She panicked her blade into the golem’s arm. The bursting bubbles blasted against its arm doing little damage. The wind rushed in Misty’s ears and she was hurled into the spiraling darkness. “Miiiistyyyy!”
 

       “Uhaa…” Misty moaned as she began to stir. The whole left side of her body was pressed against something soft and cold. Her body felt a little numb, but she felt she was powerful enough to sit up. As Misty rose, she brushed the slushing snow from her face. “….Snow?!” Misty’s eyes snapped open, but her vision was temporarily blind-sided by the blizzard blowing around her. She sat in a vast snowy wasteland with no sign of life aside from her. The wind blew the dunes of snow like a wild sandstorm in a desert. “…May?! Pikachu?!” Misty called, but the rushing blizzard answered her back with a lonely moan. She didn’t have to call out again; she knew that she was all alone. “Probably one of Minako’s tricks.” Misty scuffed. She tried to rise to her feet, but her numb legs wobbled and refused to hold her.  This time, she used her sword to prop herself up. “Oof!” She plopped back into the snow. “It’s so cold…I can’t even walk to get out of here. What am I going to do.” She gave the ground a sad look, “If I can’t move, then how am I going to save Ash? I have to move!” “Don’t worry about it, Misty. It’s gonna’ be okay.” “Huh?” Misty’s eyes trembled. A hand slowly fell into her vision and she felt her entire body tremble. Her heart began to skip beats in combination with an anxious feeling. Her cerulean eyes rose to meet up with Ash’s.

       “Need a hand, Misty?” Ash smiled to her. Misty’s voice caught. She gently put her hand in his and allowed him to raise her off her feet. “A…Ash?” She managed to squeak, “But…how?” “How’d I get away? C’mon, Misty; you should know me better than that. Minako was no match for me.” Ash said confidently. Misty’s eyes could barely fight back the tears and they came rolling down her cheek. Now her heart felt heavy and she had to hide her eyes beneath her bangs. “No match, huh?” She asked lowly, “Then I guess you really didn’t *hic* need me to save you after all. I was…just in the way.” She looked away from him. “No, no—that’s not true at all. Misty, you were the reason why I was able to get away from Minako. I…” Ash started to blush, “I really wanted to see you again.” Misty let out a small gasp as Ash pulled her into his arms. The warm feel of his body was heavenly. She couldn’t help but blush and rest comfortably against him. The two fell onto their knees back into the snow. Even though there was a blizzard blowing, they both felt pretty warm.


       “Hmmm….” Max leaned against the window, staring out into the late-afternoon distance. It wasn’t hard to tell that he was worried about his sister and friends. “There, that should do it.” Brock said after applying a fresh new bandage to Musou’s wound. “Thank you, Brock.” Musou’s voice sounded sincere, but his facial expression didn’t change. “I wonder how May is doing.” Max let out a sigh. Brock carried on scooping up the medical kit he had strolled on the floor. “Don’t worry, Max. Those three will be alright and bring back Ash safely.” He said. “She will as long as she believes in her heart and continues to seek the light.” Musou said flatly. SWI—CLACK! Suddenly, everyone’s eyes turned towards the furuma entrance door that came sliding open. In the entrance, Slowking stood with his hand still on the door. A very serious look was in his eyes. No one said a word, but rather spoke with their eyes.

 
       Misty’s body didn’t feel numb anymore. As a matter of fact, she felt perfectly normal if not blissful at the moment. Ash never let her go or loosen his grip. His cheek rested against her head gingerly. Misty smiled, and yet…something about that warm feeling was foreign and different. She couldn’t quite place it, so she had overlooked it a while ago. “Misty,” “Yes?” “You know I can never leave you. I can’t because…I love you.” “Huh?!” Misty’s eyes widened. SWII-SPSH! “Ah!” Ash’s eyes widened in pain after a sudden glare of moving metal. Misty let him fall to the snow beside him with Towamune as well. “You,” Misty hid her eyes beneath her bangs, “Are not Ash. I tried to sense your heart…but I couldn’t. And I can’t ignore that. Nice try, Minako.” The Ash-imposter let out a shriek. Its body went up in a whirling black smoke, blending in with the blizzard until the darkness eclipsed everything.

 
       “Misty, wake up—please!” May sounded as if she was panicking. Misty’s eyes slowly opened. Her ears became alert to a shrieking sound immediately. Her body was bouncing—May and Combusten had been carrying her the entire time! The ice golem let out a painful shriek as its body fired sharp ice sickles wildly. “Eh…you can put me down now.” Misty said. “Okay,” May sweated nervously, but put Misty down anyway. Misty held her blade at an angle with both hands again. “It’s weaker—I can feel it. Don’t think you’ll survive after tricking me like that.” She thought to herself. Towamune’s blade bubbled wildly. “Daifunsui Bubbles!” She swung her sword once and the bubbles bolted from the sword in a crescent shape. “Wraaaa!” The ice golem fell into two pieces. Steam sprayed from its body as it melted away into a puddle of water. “Hmph!” Misty replaced her sword in the sheath with a triumphant grin. “…o-kay…” May blinked, “So, what happened to you back there? It’s like you just conked out or something.” “Eh…” Misty scratched her cheek. She couldn’t really bring herself to tell May what really went down in that winter wasteland. How she nearly fell for the physical charms of her crush. “Let’s just move on. We can’t stick around. And besides,” She looked back to her, Pikachu, and Combusten, “I can’t really explain it, but…I feel that Ash is near here.” “Okay, then! No time to lose!” May punched the air. “Pikachu!” Pikachu copied her. The four darted across the marble floor and up to the door at the end. This time, there was a button on the side that allowed the threshold to open. Pikachu jumped up and pressed it; a dinging sound issued as the door slid open. “It’s an elevator.” Misty blinked. “Guess she got tired of using stairs and waterfalls.” May stepped inside. Since there was only one button on the inside, Misty had no choice but to push it. The door shut and the elevator started to rise.
 

       “Well now, she’s gotten a lot farther than I expected. Her youth obviously does not restrict her heart as much as others.” Minako touched the water in the fountain that she sat on. Ash was still bound to the magic clock and remained as lifeless as ever. Minako gazed over at him with a grin, “It doesn’t matter, though. She won’t be able to stop me.” The princess rose to her feet, running her hand along the water until she passed the fountain. She stopped in front of Ash and held out her palm. “Okay, Tsukako, it’s time to awaken and come back to me. I will finally free you from the lonely fate that has befallen you. And then,” Her eyes went soft, though they still retained that glimmer of darkness, “You and I can be together again.” Minako put her other hand over her chest where her heart was and closed her eyes. She concentrated—concentrated her deep desire to be with her lost lover—with a look of immense concentration on her face. In no time at all, beads of sharp light gathered towards her open palm. As they grouped together, they formed in the shape of a heart. A wild wind whipped around the pillar-top room at her willing energy. Beads of light flowed from out of the rippling fountain and made their way to Ash. They came to a halt in front of Ash’s heart. “…Arrrgg!!” Ash’s face frowned with disdain. Even though he was unconscious, he could feel the lights as they passed beyond the barrier of his skin and into his body. He could feel them pushing his him away from his body. “…No! No! Stop it!” His thoughts raced. He tried to push himself back into his body, but the lights—which were beginning to increase in number—pushed against him even harder. “And….break!” Minako’s eyes shot open and she closed her palm like lightning. From the beautiful sky above, one of the stars flashed; it bolted down and slammed into Ash’s body fiercely.