Little Sister: Part 1

"Little Sister: Part 1" (stylized as Little Sister: PΔrt 1) is the 19th episode of Tears of the Fallen.

Synopsis
The mysterious singing voice from Johto has appeared in Blackthorn City and says Ash is their big brother. It's a girl named Mairin Hoshiko. She happily tells Ash, Alain, and Dawn to follow her.

She takes them to a purple tree stump in the forest. Everyone is confused as to why it's purple and what's going on. Ash asks if she's really his younger sister. She confirms. Ash says his mom never mentioned her. She says she doesn't know his mom, and didn't even know Ash's name, followed by her asking for it. She asks them to follow her, exploring the city. Alain is skeptical of if it's safe to follow this girl around, with Ash saying to just follow her for now.

Mairin then says she's not related to Ash, but that she's still his little sister, furthering everyone's confusion. She takes them to a fair in Blackthorn city. Ash and Dawn join her, while Alain runs errands. Later, as they all eat, Alain angrily asks Mairin what is going on. The two of them argue, before Ash asking the same thing, which Mairin is happy to now answer. She says they're related in spirit, not by blood. The purple tree stump guided her to wait on him. This unusual stump appeared out of the ground around a week ago while she was digging, saying she guided to it by a "strange presence". It's then decided that Mairin will travel with them in Blackthorn City as they look for the Grass Plate, Midori, and fight any enemy that comes their way.

Basically, Mairin continues hanging with Ash all day, running around the city, exploring with so much energy. Dawn is usually left behind, looking on, both happy and sad. Later, Alain explains Dragon Manipulation.

Unexpected of the main group, Mairin says she isn't staying at the hotel with them, saying she has to return home. It's then revealed she stays in a foster home nearby, saying she's originally from Camphrier Town in the Kalos region. Her parents died in a car accident when she was only a few months old. Her babysitter at the time cared for her for a while, then placed Mairin in the foster home in Johto, since the one in Kalos didn't have an opening. Kids are usually adopted from there, but she says no one has ever wanted to adopt her. It was pointed out earlier that Mairin looks close to Ash's age, but a little younger. Her actual age is never mentioned.

They all go back to that purple tree stump that night. Mairin teaches Ash a saying that her parents said to her when she was younger, which she remembers due to her having excellent memory ever since she was a few months old. The saying is meant for them both to say parts of, responding to each other, followed by the last part being said by both of them in unison. She then teaches Ash the lyrics to that song he kept hearing her sing. It's actually a lullaby her parents sung to her when she was younger, also.

She then gets sad and looks at Ash. She begged Ash to not forget about her and to come back tomorrow. Ash gives her his word that he will.

Debuts

 * Mairin Hoshiko

Trivia

 * This, which includes the next two episodes, is Nocturnal Jay's favorite section of Tears of the Fallen so far, having planned this out ever since the beginning of the series.
 * There's an actual song that Nocturnal Jay composed just for this section of the story. It's the full instrumental version of the lullaby that Mairin always sung every now and then in the past several episodes. It's called Pretty Little Star.

Quotes

 * "Through all the pain, heartbreak, and despair, with your support, I'll always get by. Connections will form, and even faster they'll go, but I pray that we'll never say goodbye. As long as you're here, I'll never have to cry." -- the saying that Mairin's parents told her when she was younger and she taught to Ash.
 * "Then, she saw a star in the sky that night. And it gave her life and it kept things right. Then one night, that star flickered as the rain poured. And the pretty little star didn't shine any more." -- lyrics to Pretty Little Star.

Music

 * Tears of the Fallen Theme Song -- composed by Nocturnal Jay

Other Music By:

 * Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com)
 * Bensound
 * Purple Planet