Chapter 14: Breakpoint part 1

I do not own PMMM or Magia Record. PMMM is own by AniplexNA. Magia Record is owned by f4Samurai


For the better part of the last year, Tsuruno Yui had called herself the mightiest magical girl. Contracting to save her family restaurant, Tsuruno wished to win the lottery, believing that to be the smart wish. Win the lottery, invest the money into the family business to renovate it, hire some extra help, pay for her older sister to go study business abroad, and maybe get her dad into culinary school (her dad was self taught and only had her grandfather as a mentor), seemed like a great and well thought out wish.

If only she could have foreseen just how shitfaced her mother's side truly was. The shock when she came downstairs to find her father sobbing at the bar, holding a letter. Discovering the empty restaurant vault. Running to the airport only to watch the plane fly off. She blamed herself naturally. There was so many things she could have done. She could have deposited it instead listening to that black hearted grandmother's insistence to keep it as cash. She could have invested it immediately rather than waiting for labor costs to lower. And yet she didn't. And it was her fault. And sorta those greedy bitches who poisoned her family. Damned Tokiwas.

That one wish…the one wish to save her family…ended up destroying them. Yet Tsuruno pushed onwards. She realized, if she couldn't restore her family with money, maybe she could restore their fame. Armed with nothing but her fans, her soul gem, and, well, a rather extensive background in close quarters combat as taught by her grandfather, Tsuruno decided to make name for herself as "the Mightiest Magical Girl". She challenged every magical girl she could find. To her surprise, most magical girls she encountered barely understood strategy, stamina, and live combat. She began to have hope: perhaps she could be recognized as the mightiest magical girl. And then she would have them all be customers at Banbanzai! And the Yui's would regain their fame, as a magical girl friendly restaurant!

That dream was crushed when she ran into the bosses of the West. Kanae, Yachyio, Mifuyu, and Homura each flattened her in seconds. But Tsuruno Yui wasn't the "mightiest magical girl" for nothing! She recognized her faults and dedicated herself as their disciple, learning everything she could from them. Over the year, beating them became less important as finding a place where she could regularly interact with strong magical girls and destress a bit.

Being the mightiest magical girls meant being the mightiest friend as well. That was obvious! Homura was a loner but with enough mighty invitations, Tsuruno could feel the raven haired girl opening up. Yachiyo was firm but motherly. Mifuyu was the nice big sister that reminded her of her own sister. Kanae was cool and but kind and easy to get along with. And all the younger ones too. Momoko, Karin, Mami, Rena, and Hanna of course. For a wish that had been ruined by greed, she felt like this new group, this new "family", was worth the wish.

That was…until today.

"Miss Yui, your burns are healing very nicely and we believe you'll be good as new in a few days." The doctor explained, handing her a jar. "Just apply the ointment once every 4 hours and you should recover without any scars."

The "mightiest" nodded, taking the ointment. "And what about Hanna? And Kanae? And the other woman. Are they ok?"

The doctor glanced to the nurse, before signing, "Miss Yukino is fine. Her burns were much smaller than yours to be honest. Ms. Kihara is still in the ICU but should make a successful recovery. As for Miss Sarasa…she's ok as well but her vitals are all over the place. She's going to have to stay for a while longer."

"Thanks Doctor. Is it ok to see her?"

"Yes. She's just a few doors down. Your friends are with her now."

"Thank you. I'll go check in on them in a bit."

"No problem." The doctor smiled kindly, "You can stay here for a bit, but please clear the room soon."

Tsuruno nodded and waited for the doctor and nurse to leave before letting out a breath. Slouching down, she cupped her face in her hands as she tried to process her new revelations. Magical girls whose soul gems corrupted turned into witches…who in turn were hunted by magical girls. It didn't matter how mighty she was, or how good of a fighter she was. She was going to turn into a witch. What sort of wish was worth that?

Obviously Hanna didn't take it well. She had tried to kill herself. Mifuyu seemed worried as well. Kanae was trying to tough it out, but Tsuruno wasn't the mightiest observer for nothing.

"Mightiest." The brunette spat out, as though the very essence of the word sickened her, "What's the point of being mighty…if we're just going to become witches?"

And then there was Karin. Her cute little Kohai looked like she was on the verge of exploding. The tears she wailed when she saw their bandaged friend hurt her so much. At least the coordinator had arrived and had immediately gotten to work healing the more magical side of Hanna's wounds. And all she could do was just watch. Watch as Hanna destroyed herself, watch as Karin went rampant in despair, watch as Mifuyu clung to Kanae in tears. There was nothing mighty about just watching.

But then again, what's the point of mightiness if it was never worth anything to start with?

She heard a knock at the door, but didn't answer. When the knock repeated, she glared at the door. "Leave me alone!"

The door opened to reveal a familiar blonde. "Tsuruno?"

Tsuruno's eyes darkened, "What?"

"Well…I was going to ask you if you were up to helping Yachiyo with the copy witch, but…obviously that's not going to happen." Kanae commented dryly. She turned to someone outside. "You're good to go. Tsuruno is going to stay here."

"Ok. Take care." Karin's voice called from outside.

Kanae watched the door for a minute before walking up to the brunette.

"Leave me alone." Tsuruno murmured, curling herself in a ball.

"Not going to happen."

Before Tsuruno could respond, a pair of strong hands grasped her shoulders and lifted the girl off the chair with ease.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The brunette protested but the blonde didn't respond as she used her enhanced strength to throw the "mightiest" over her shoulder.

"Pu-put me down!" Tsuruno tried to free herself from the veteran's grasp, but to no avail. She hated to admit it, but Kanae was much stronger than her physically and doing this with magical strength was as simple as lifting a sack of rice.

She glanced around in embarrassment as Kanae exited the room and paraded her down the hallway. Nurses and doctors paused their work to watch the spectacle to Tsuruno's chagrin. She covered her face with her hands, "Just…make it quick."

Kanae seemed to grunt in approval as her pace quickened. Tsuruno could only brace herself as she prayed the humiliation would end soon. The blonde seemed to pause at a door before opening it.

Tsuruno felt her body being lifted off Kanae's shoulder and placed onto a chair like a sack of potatoes. She opened her eyes to see a very concerned white haired girl watching her.

"Hi there Tsuruno." Mifuyu giggled, "thank you for dropping by."

Tsuruno groaned as she recovered. "Mifuyu, your girlfriend's shoulder is like a rock."

"It is very firm." Mifuyu agreed.

Tsuruno was about to retort when she heard a groan. She looked across the room to see a familiar violet haired girl lying on the hospital bed. "Hanna!"

The brunette rushed over to her side. The younger girl was covered in bandages, several of which were laced across her face. The girl's eyes were closed but Tsuruno could hear the faint breathing from her nostrils.

"She'll be fine." Another voice explained.

Tsuruno turned her head to see the silver haired coordinator sitting opposite to the bed. Mitama's eyes were drooping but alert. "The fire left quite a scar on her body, but this isn't the first time I've put a magical girl back together."

Tsuruno raised a brow at Mitama's comment. Mitama gave her a bitter smirk. "It's part of basic coordinator training. And you'll be grateful that I have it when you're cleaved in half and the only thing left is your intact soul gem."

Normally, Tsuruno would put in her mighty face on and exclaim how amazing Mitama was. But the grim and forlorn look on the coordinator!s face indicated that this was not a moment to be joking. "Thank you. Thank you for saving Hanna." Tsuruno bowed respectfully.

Mitama's eyes brightened. "It's no problem Miss Yui. In fact, I need to thank you. Had it not been for your grief seed, I would not have been able to save Miss Sarasa in time. The souls of magical girls are very fickle things and keeping them purified and cleansed does wonders to help me do my job."

That's right. Tsuruno's grief seed prevented Hanna from turning into a witch. What a forlorn and depressing thought. She looked at the peacefully sleeping patient and wondered what would have happened if she hadn't arrived there in time. All of her mightiness wouldn't have done a thing to save her. Only a single grief seed could. A single seed, a single sacrifice.

She felt a hand seize her own hand. "Hey!" Tsuruno felt a circular object touch her ring. Suddenly her mood lightened, as though heavy clouds had been cleared from her mind. She snapped out of her daze and looked down at a grief seed touching her ring.

She found herself looking into a pair of very serious eyes.

"Your soul gem was corrupting itself." Mitama explained, her tone dead serious. "When you feel bad and blame yourself, your negative emotions corrupt your soul gem and only hasten your witchification."

Tsuruno gasped in surprise. "What?"

Mifuyu gasped in shock, "So when we feel upset or down, we're adding to our corruption?"

Mitama nodded, "Which is why it is imperative that you deal with your emotions quickly, else it cost you another grief seed."

She huffed with her arms crossed, "By the way, that was my extra grief seed. You'll need to pay me for that."

Tsuruno nodded jerkily. "Of course. Thank you. I don't have a grief seed on me now, but I can hunt one for you soon."

Mitama's frown softened and she sighed. "Right then. Be sure that you do. Anyways, I've done all that I can for Miss Sarasa. Rest and time will be her best healer now. Take care."

With that, the coordinator stood up and exited the room. Tsuruno watched her leave before turning to Mifuyu. "Umm…Mifuyu, Kanae?"

They nodded.

"I'm sorry." Tsuruno bowed. "I was moody and angry."

Kanae smiled bitterly, "It's fine Tsuruno. We understand."

"But we need to stick together ok?" Mifuyu added. "If you're ever down, don't hesitate to talk to us."

Tsuruno smiled, feeling a sense of relief. "I guess even the mightiest need friends."

Kanae and Mifuyu chuckled before they heard a light groan.

One look was all it took.

"She's waking up."


The first thing Hanna saw was a bright light glaring into her eyes. Her eyes squinted as she tried to block out the light. A pair of shadows blocked out the light as her eyes adjusted. She could make out two familiar faces.

"Hanna?" A white haired girl spoke, "Are you awake?"

The violet haired girl stared at the two in surprise. The last thing she remembered was standing before Kanae and the brunette girl before the furnace…exploded. So…she failed. She obviously wasn't a witch. And Kanae and Mifuyu were there.

"I…You saved me."

The blonde smiled, "Yes…"

Hanna felt a pair of arms grab her body. "Hanna!"

Hanna stiffly cranked her head back to see the 'mightiest' brunette. "Oh, you're here too."

"I'm not just here!" Tsuruno protested, "We were worried about you!"

Hanna stared at the girl incredulously. "But why?"

"Because you're our friend!" Tsuruno answered, like it was obvious.

"But…I pushed you all away." Hanna rationalized, "I even tried to blow up an orphanage. There should be no reason why you should be worried abo-"

"Will you shut up and listen to us!" Mifuyu's voice interjected.

Hanna's eyes widened as she twisted her head towards the white haired girl. The girl's eyes were red and teary but a frown crossed her face. "You don't get to vanish on us do you hear me?

"You're our friend! You'll never be able to push us away that easily!" Mifuyu yelled, "I'm appalled that you even think I would hate you so!"

"Just because you had a bad evening doesn't mean we won't stop being your friend." Kanae added, "We all had a bad evening. This new reality we live in is a harsh one. You being upset is completely understandable. Please don't think that we would stop caring for you just because you were upset."

"And the orphanage unblew itself up." Tsuruno added offhandedly.

Hanna's eyes widened. "What?"

Kanae sighed, "We're not too sure what happened ourselves. But the point is that everyone is fine."

Hanna rolled her eyes, "So…it was all for nothing?"

Mifuyu shook her head. "You idiot. You made us worry about you and all you care about is whether you actually blew up the orphanage?"

Hanna frowned. "So what happens next?"

"You'll be staying here." Kanae announced. "Mitama saw to your injuries but you'll need time to recover."

"And when you get back, you're going to have a big talking to by Yachiyo." Mifuyu added, "You made her very worried."

"That sounds scary." Tsuruno muttered.

Hanna couldn't help it. She chuckled. "I can't believe you girls." She should have died that evening. Everyone should have abandoned her. But now she was alive with three of her…friends…around her. They…cared about her.

Mifuyu and Kanae smiled warmly. "Welcome back Hanna. You're here to stay."

Hanna frowned. "So where is everyone else?"

Their smiles darkened. "Yachiyo found the copy witch. They're fighting it was we speak."


Karin dived through Shinsei ward, her hat billowing through the wind. Shielding her eyes, Karin squinted her eyes as she peered at her phone, the GPS guiding her towards her mentor's location.

As she did, her mind raced. Only minutes after arriving at the coordinator's, she had received that desperate phone call. Hanna had been involved in a massive explosion in Sankyou ward. Responding immediately, Karin had whisked up the silver haired coordinator and flew her across town to the hospital.

One look at the girls told Karin everything. Hanna was behind the explosion. Kyubey had warned her about that; that magical girls who learn the truth tend to act irrationally. And so Hanna tried to blow herself up. Karin shuddered as she wondered what else her teammates might do. But there was no time for those thoughts. The copying witch had been found, and they needed to defeat it before it caused an all out war in kamihama.

Up ahead, she spotted a large gathering of girls. Her magic senses were exploding with the sheer volume of magic emanating in a single zone.

Bringing her scythe down, the magical girl brought her flight to a slow descent, lowering down until her feet touched the ground.

Yachiyo was the first to notice her and wave out to her.

"You made it." She greeted, "welcome back."

The purple haired girl hopped off her scythe and nodded, "Hanna is making a steady recovery, but Kanae and Mifuyu are staying with her.

"Oh and Tsuruno too." She added.

Yachiyo understood, "That's fine. I think we've gathered a sufficient force."

Karin looked around and realized how many girls had gathered. A total of 13 magical girls were gathered around the entrance to the labyrinth. Some Karin recognized, such as Momoko's squad, Kanagi, Hinano, and Tsukuyo. But there were plenty Karin had only heard rumors of. The silver haired beauty Masara Kagami, Tsukuyo's twin Tsukasa Amane, and self proclaimed joker Ayaka Mariko. This must have be the biggest gathering of magical girls ever.

"There's so many of us." Karin muttered in disbelief.

Meiyui smirked. "This will truly be a exciting challenge."


The plan was simple. Homura would use her shield to freeze time while leading the strike team into the labyrinth. They would get as close as possible to the witch before resuming time to gang up on the witch.

But as any plan is, the reality is much harder than what the plan suggests.

Homura for one, hadn't realized just how taxing leading 13 magical girls in a frozen timescape would be.

"To think Akemi had such an ability," Tsukuyo Akatsuki muttered, glancing around the labyrinth.

All around them familiars of the witch, taking a variety of forms, stood frozen within the labyrinth.

"Yes Nee-San," Tsuaksa Amane agreed, "Akemi has definitely earned the title as the enforcer of the West."

The two giggled slightly. "Née!"

Homura wanted to shoot a glare at the two but kept her mind focused on the task at hand. Any distractions would prove fatal and would ruin their plan.

Yachiyo caught the hint and glared back at the twins. "Homura needs to remained focused, so if you could shut your mouths."

The sisters nodded and kept quiet. The slow train of magical girls continued their descent into the labyrinth. Homura glanced at her soul gem. The way her magic was being depleted, she wasn't sure if they would make it to the witch. But if she could get them far enough, they could easily fight the rest of the way.

"So this magic stops time from working, but only so long as we hold hands?" Another girl muttered, "So if we let go, we would immediately be frozen in time."

Yachiyo shot the girl a glare, but the girl payed no mind. "Which means, that if I was to let go and then reconnect over and over again, that would be a real time stopper! What a joke!"

Meiyui shot a glare at the girl, a black haired girl with her hair tied in twin tails. "What…what was that supposed to be?"

"Shush!" Yachiyo fired.

That's when the two girls heard a chuckle from the front. Slowly the two blunettes turned around to see Homura Akemi, cool collected raven haired beauty, snicker. "T-time stopper. Hehe time stopper. If Sayaka had…time stopper!"

The two's eyes widened in shock as they tried to stop her, but it was too late. Homura burst out laughing as she tried to contain her giggles. Almost immediately, the grey space began to colorize as time resumed.

The jokester Ayaka Mariko thrust her (rather nonexistent) chest in pride. "I did it! Someone actually laughed at my jokes! That proves I am funny Hinano!"

Hinano glanced around her as a roar broke out, the witch's familiars noticing their presence. "Ayaka! This is the worst time to be funny! Now we're all going to die!"

"But I was funny! Right?"

"Dammit Ayaka!"


Note:
Yes, Ayaka Mariko's ability to turn any and everything into a joke can turn Homura's timestop magic into a joke. That's how freaking busted Ayaka's comedy magic is.