Shimizu Youko

**Youko Shimizu** (清水洋子) is one of the main four characters in Mystic Tale! Pretty Cure. A loud, proud, confident girl, she bears the key of the jellyfish as Cure Heartache (キュアハートエイク). She is Piripiri's successor.

## Personality

Youko is a name known throughout the town of Nadashi. A confident, loud girl, Youko holds herself in high regards. She doesn't let anyone talk her down. She is a person who has strong logic and will always advocate for being un-apologetically yourself.

Unbeknownst to her, she at times has trouble being her real self. She locks things deep inside her mind, to the point where she cannot even realize they are there.

She can come off as snobby, and is currently trying to be a nicer person.

## Cure Heartache

**"My genuine, realest truth, Cure Heartache!"**
私の本物の、本当の真実、キュアハートエイク!
*Watashi no honmono no, hontō no shinjitsu, kyuahātoeiku!*

**Cure Heartache** (キュアハートエイク*)* is Youko's alter ego, representing the Sea Wasp Jellyfish. She twists her mystic key into her mystic lock in order to transform. The former holder of the key and lock was Piripiri. She is more defensive compared to the other Cures, summoning jelly-like platforms and shields in order to avoid attacks.

### **Attacks**

* **Princess Jellyfish** (クラゲ姫; *Kuragehime*): Heartache's main finisher. She points her scythe towards the Corrupted Tale and zaps them with a strong current of electricity. Pink light engulfs it and purifies it.
* **Daybreak Stinger** (でえブレークスティンガー): An offensive attack. Her hands summon currents of electricity which she can use to punch her opponents with. It can also damage anything she touches, as long as its weak to electricity.
* **Jelly Dishout** (ゼリー・ディッシュアウト): An attack where Heartache uses electric jelly-like shapes to trap her opponents in. Its severity of damage depends on how much electricity she puts in the jelly.

### **Takeover**

In takeover (when Piripiri gains control of Cure Heartaches's body), she becomes more floaty in body language and offensive. A storm will begin to pour whilst Heartache fights. She may appear gentle, but she packs a violent punch. She will be more forward and close-combat oriented. Out of the four, Heartache's takeover is the most stable, as Piripiri and Youko have a stable relationship that connects the two well.

## Appearance

As a civilian, Youko sports long, curly blonde hair that reaches below her butt and brown eyes. She tends to wear her hair in various hairstyles throughout the series, though it is usually in some form of a ponytail. Her key is located on her neck, attached to a pink pearl necklace. She is usually seen wearing clothing you'd see in more expensive clothing stores.

As Cure Heartache, her hair becomes more springy and light pink, with her eyes becoming pink as well. Her ears become longer and pointer, with heart shaped earrings on either side. She wears a pink tube top with white frills at both the top and bottom of it, with three white heart buttons going down the middle. Her skirt represents that of a jellyfish, being puffy and bouncy. At the back of her skirt lay a few more frilly layers that reach to just above her ankles. She wears dark pink tights and gloves, with white fishnets above her socks and frilly sleeves that cover the top of her gloves. Pearls adorn her arms, ankles, and everywhere else on her outfit, but mostly fall from her skirt. She has a beaded tiara with a pink jewel sitting in its middle.

She stands at 5'9"ft/175cm and weighs around 118lbs/54kg. She has a lean body type and is noted to wear peach-colored makeup and hooped earrings when not in school. She also likes to draw a tiny heart on the left side of her cheek with brown eyeliner.

## Etymology

* **Youko** (洋子) - *You* (洋) means "ocean". *Ko* (子) means "child".
* **Shimizu** (清水) - Means "pure water".
* **Heartache** - Means emotional anguish or grief, typically caused by the loss or absence of someone loved. In this context, it's referring to how sea wasp jellyfish can give people heart attacks.

## Trivia

* She goes to Starbucks (or Moonbucks, in MT world) every morning before school. Her specific order is a Strawberry Frappuccino Blended Crème with almond milk, a shot of espresso, banana, and chocolate drizzle.
* She is a part of the drama club and various sports clubs, but her favorite is baseball.
	+ She is noted to help multiple clubs with events, games, musicals/plays, and other miscellaneous things.
* She has ADHD.