The Moon, Mercury, and Manchester Chapter 6: Kicking It & Silverware, a sailor moon fanfic

Opening Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me what seems like eternity to update this, but I've only just got over some writer's block and some word processor problems—and this is another long chapter! Hope you find it worth the wait, though...

I woke up the next morning wondering slightly whether what had happened the previous night had actually occurred. When I looked out the window and saw the sun and then saw the TV still on recapping the previous night's match and battle, I grinned broadly.
On the TV, I could see former Barcelona and Team England striker Gary Lineker, now a top soccer analyst for the BBC, saying about the previous night, "Without question, this is the most memorable moment in not just English, but European and possibly world sport. You had two of the legendary Sailor Scouts plus two legendary clubs, Manchester United and Juventus, last night. You know that if Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Beckham, Del Piero, Davids, and the other stars of the Red Devils and the Old Lady (a nickname for Juventus) ever get together, it will make headlines across the sporting world. For them to team up in a decisive battle—football-style, no less—to end all decisive battles at a Wembley that was packed and at full volume last night and win is simply beyond brilliant."
My happiness helped wake me up a bit more, which was a good thing considering it was just past 8:00. Remembering I had to be back at Wembley for a debriefing with the rest of the team in two hours, I quickly dressed in a similar outfit to the previous day—my Nike sneakers, white socks going up to just above my ankles, gray wind pants, a gray long-sleeved Abercrombie shirt, and the red corduroy jacket (one thing I forgot to tell you—it can also be worn as a dress shirt because the back of it is a little longer, reminiscent of dress shirts) plus my Cubs cap. I had just finished pulling the cap on when Rio came knocking on the door to make sure I was awake.

"Oy, Carlo, you up?" I heard his voice asking through the door.
"Yeah." I replied. "Just give me a couple minutes."
Once we were in the hallway heading towards the elevators, I asked Rio, "Did you get any sleep at all after last night?"
"Hardly." He said. "I was so excited that I couldn't until the wee morning hours—and the supporters were still out there!"
"I know!" I said, nodding as we stepped into the elevator and began to descend towards the lobby. "I tell you what, it's not going to stop being crazy around here for a while..."
I was right. When the doors opened back up to reveal the lobby, I heard what sounded like a young British man yell, "Come and look! It's Rio and Carlo!"
I grinned, chuckled, and went a little red at the sound of it, while Rio only grinned because of his experience in the spotlight. People clustered around us quickly, and by the time we got down, we had a small bunch milling around us, so we got down to breakfast about 10 minutes later than planned.

I knew there would be more people yelling at us in praise than usual after what we had done, but it was then that it began to sink in that I wasn't just a high-schooler or even just a teenage star at Manchester United anymore—I was a teenager with the city of London in my debt. If there were any doubts that my life had changed forever over the past eight days, then that was the day they disappeared.
Proof of that came as we finished breakfast and flagged down a taxi to take us to Wembley. The driver, upon recognizing us, immediately told us that we didn't have to pay a shilling for him to take us to Wembley—rather, he just wanted to get our autographs and talk about what had happened the previous night. We regaled him until we got to the stadium, where he dropped us off and then almost sped off, tires screeching from his ecstasy.

Rio and I shared a laugh and then headed through the players' entrance down to the dressing room where we were having our "debriefing". Everyone was there as scheduled—the whole team in street clothing, plus Amy in a simple outfit: a dark blue knee-length skirt, a white long-sleeved shirt with no collar, and athletic shoes with no socks.
Once everyone was in, Coach Ferguson began in a casual but also authoritative voice. "Ordinarily, you know we would be heading back to Manchester today." He said, making me nod, before adding, "However, we should be aware that because of just what happened last night, some people may know may invite us to an important event of some sort, so our stay here has been extended until further notice. Other than that, I want to say 'well done' once again. When we leave, of course you're free to celebrate some more, and I know I may not have to say this, but let's please stay on our best behavior, because the last thing we need is a spot of bother after what we did."
We all nodded this time as he smiled at us before he said, "It shouldn't be too much, though, after all we've gone through, right?"
"No, sir." I said along with the others, who each responded with either that or a variant.
"Right. Is there anything else someone wants to bring up before we split up?" He asked.

"Actually, yes." David said, and he stepped forward, with me watching with curious intent.
"Keano, Giggsy, and I want to give Amy something on behalf of the team." He said, holding out what looked like a red paper box you'd find at a department store. "We had some people we know make it right after we left the ground last night." Then, anticipating what some of us were about to do, "In order to surprise you other lads a bit too, we're going to step outside while Amy puts it on. That's your one hint—it's clothing."
"Oh, blimey." Phillip said. "Okay, you heard Becks—everybody out!"

We stepped outside the dressing room, all of us (except for David, Ryan and Roy) wondering what on earth was in the box. Gary voiced our curiosity, asking Ryan, "What on earth is in it?"
"Oh, there's no way I'm going to spoil that surprise." Ryan replied with something of a mischievous grin.
"What we can tell you, though, is that it's our way of letting her know just where she stands with us." Roy said with a similar grin.
Just then, Amy called, "Okay, you can look now!"
I was the first to come back in as she made a little graceful turn so that we could size up the whole outfit and said, "Thanks so much, guys! I love this! What do you think?"

Everyone answered by either gasping, whistling, exclaiming something like "Wow!", having his jaw drop, or some combination of the above.
Amy was now clad in what had to be the coolest United uniform variation I had ever seen. It was modeled after a Japanese schoolgirl's uniform—with a few twists. The pleated skirt was white, and over the white long-sleeved shirt, she was now wearing a short-sleeved shirt based on our home jersey. It was red with the Nike logo towards the upper left (Nike is our uniform sponsor), the United emblem towards the upper right, and the Vodafone sponsor label below a gold bow tie. The sailor collar was white with black trim just like that on our uniforms, and it cut away at the back so that we could see the name Anderson and David's number 7 on the back in Premiership font. To top it off, the shirt had both Premiership and Champions League patches on the sleeves, with a Japanese flag added towards the end of the right sleeve just as it is on national team shirts.
Translation: Amy had received a Manchester United sailor suit from David, Ryan, and Roy, and it was the prettiest thing we'd seen her wear yet.
"Holy Mother of God!" I said.
"No way!" Rio exclaimed."Forget a swimsuit or a dress, because you look best in that!" Phillip said.
"Unbelievable!" Gary said. "It's fitting, though—you know you're one of us after what's happened this past week! Oy, Becks!" He turned towards David and asked, "It was your idea to give her your number, wasn't it?"
"It sure was." David said. Then, turning to Amy, he said, "Amy, let me tell you something. You probably know being the No. 7 for any team is an honor, but here at United, it's something more. Yes, I've had some part in it, but it's also because of those who came before us, like the man who wore it before I did—Eric Cantona. You may know him—he's a striker known as 'The King' who played for France. He was my role model at United, so that's another reason I don't so much as give a shirt with that number to just anybody."

I grinned at that revelation and at the sight of Amy in that uniform before Phillip asked with a smile on his face, "Are you sure you can't stay for a few minutes for some photos for United Magazine?"
"I'm afraid that's a no-can-do." I said, coming back to my senses enough to realize what that would incur but also earnestly laughing at the idea of Amy being a model for United Magazine. "I know tons of people would be looking at those pictures and liking them, but how many would make the jump and realize that it's really Sailor Mercury modeling for us?"
"You're right." Roy said, nodding half understandingly and half regretfully before perking back up and asking her, "You can get some photos with us just as mementos, though, right?"
"Sure I can!" She said brightly. "Anyone want to go first?"
"Let's put your lad in first." Gary said with a snicker. "Carlo?" He asked, turning to me.
"Um, Carlo?" Amy asked. "Do you have a moment before they start shooting?
"Yeah." I said, sensing that she was a bit timid. "What is it?"

Once I had finished following her outside the dressing room, she took a moment to reply before she answered, "There's something I think you should know, Carlo." She paused again, and then slowly said, "There's this boy back in Japan that I've started going out with a little more, and I think I really like him, so…I'm sorry if this is coming at the wrong time…"
I was astonished that she felt regretful at letting me know that. I found myself shaking my head before I looked at her meaningfully and said, "Look, Amy, it's okay. I gotta admit that I like you an awful lot, but I also know I didn't come to Europe to win a girl's heart. Besides, I don't try to swipe girls out from under guys' noses. I hope it works out between you and him." I added quickly, grinning sincerely at the end. "I was ready for that, too—I was telling the guys on Tuesday that with all you've got, you've got to have a boyfriend back home. Although I guess—and this comes from being around the guys—you've got me if something goes wrong." I smiled at her as I finished.
She smiled back and said, "Thanks for being so understanding, Carlo. But just to make sure I'm even with Serena..."
Oh, hello! I thought, feeling myself jolted. Before I could do anything else, though, Amy had tilted towards me and had given me a short kiss on the cheek. It felt...cool, if you'll excuse the expression—not just because it was cool to have the girl who is actually Sailor Mercury kissing me on the cheek (while decked out in that cool United/Japanese schoolgirl hybrid uniform, no less)—but also cool because when she kissed me, it was as if a bit of her calming aura flowed into me, making me feel as if all was right with the world.

I was soon brought back to reality, though, as I heard Gary yelling, "Oy, Carlo, we saw that! Well played!"
I looked at him and then at Amy before telling her, "Just give me a second."
She nodded and said, "No problem." With that, I headed back to the others for a moment.
"Did you make your move on her?" Ryan asked quietly.
"Quite the opposite." I said honestly, quickly filling them in on what Amy had told me. (Author's note: I am one of the people who think that Greg/Ryo will end up being Amy's husband whether we like it or not!)
"Oh." Gary said. "Still well-played, though—I know lads who would break down if she let them down that easy."
"Could we still get some shots of the two of you together?" David asked. "You two do look good together, you know, couple or not."
"I know she won't mind." I said, handing them my disposable camera. Amy and I then led the others out onto the field and spotted two seats in the front row where the armrest in between had been knocked off in the pandemonium of the previous night (it would be reinstalled by the next evening for reasons I'll reveal later), creating a bench of sorts.

I sat in the left seat, while Amy took the right seat. We were smiling for the guys and they were about to snap when I realized something.
"Wait a minute." I said. Turning to Amy, I whispered, "I don't mean to be rude, but can I get that hug that I got on Thursday night for the camera?"
"Sure!" Amy said with a smile.
With that, she took my cap off, laid it on a seat to the side, and then opened her arms invitingly. It was a terrific trip back in time to Thursday night—Amy soothing my soul as she smiled down on me and held me close as my head rested over her heart and I smiled with my eyes closed, looking more like a kid and less like a teen United up-and-comer turned standout. There was one vast difference, though, as the first hug on Thursday night was the most important hug I've ever known, whereas the reenactment, if you will, at Wembley was after we had come through the wire there less than 12 hours beforehand.
For a moment, I forgot where I was, not hearing the catcalls from the guys as we shared that hug again. Once they had snapped, David asked me, "Was that the hug the two of you had in Manchester last Wednesday?"
"Yeah." Then, realizing what he had just said, I asked, stunned, "How did you know?" Then it dawned on me: "Oh, yeah, that's right, you called me right after that!"
"Right in one." He said. He then me with a knowing look, "The most important hug you ever had, eh?"
"You bet it was." Ryan said, answering for me. "Carlo's a tough lad, but he needed Amy more than any of us. Hang on...what are they...whoa!"
"Look at this! They're getting too comfortable up there!" Gary yelled.

Amy had said, "Wait a minute..." and whispered something in my ear. I listened to her plan and gave her a broad grin and a nod, knowing that what we were about to do would accomplish its purpose: freak the guys out. We changed seats, and after a few seconds, it was as if we were asleep cheek-to-cheek as I supported Amy, who was lying on my lap with her legs stretched out over the next seat."Okay, you two, we've got the photos—or are you two not done cuddling up over there?" Roy asked.

"No, not yet..." Amy said, pretending to be groggy and making me laugh a bit before she started laughing too right before she said in a normal voice, "Just kidding, Roy—we are."
The guys couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, who's next to get a keepsake shot with the lovely Miss Anderson?" Gary asked loudly, laughing again at the end with the guys as Amy went slightly red but laughed sincerely as well.
Just before I came back down to the field, she asked, "Where are you headed after this?"
"Trafalgar Square." I said. "Just in the mood after last night, you know…"
"I see." She said before asking, "Do you mind if I come?"
"Oh, no, I don't." I replied fervently.

So after the guys had gotten their pictures with Amy, we split up for the day, with me and Amy taking a cab back towards the Savoy and getting off at Trafalgar Square. As we found our seats, I gazed up at the nearby statue of Lord Horatio Nelson sitting atop the column bearing his name.
It had been Nelson, an admiral, who had issued the famous message that David had quoted to the Royal Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar against Napoleon's French navy—"England expects every man to do his duty." Despite being outmanned and having to deliver a victory, the British indeed won the day—but Nelson was also killed that day. As I learned while over there, the anniversary of that battle is still a major date on the British calendar.

We didn't get much time to ourselves, though, as we spotted Serena and Filippo as we were about to sit down.
"Hey, Serena! Filippo! Over here!" Amy yelled as we both waved to beckon them over.
"Oh, hi, Amy!" Serena said, waving back, and she and Filippo headed over to the table where we were about to sit. Once they were there, we all sat down.
Filippo had Adidas sneakers, jeans, and a blue T-shirt with the Team Italy crest on it, while Serena had also recieved a new uniform modeled after a Japanese schoolgirl uniform—in this case, a Juventus one. It also had a white pleated skirt, and she was also wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, but in her case, the long-sleeved shirt was being worn under a short-sleeved shirt based on Juventus' home jersey: black and white pinstripes with the Juventus emblem towards the upper right and the Tamoil sponsor label below a gold bow tie, plus a white sailor collar with gold trim that cut away at the back to reveal the name Tsukino and the number 7. Also, similar to Amy's new United sailor suit shirt, Serena's shirt had both Serie A and Champions League patches on the sleeves and a Japanese flag added towards the end of the right sleeve.

"Wow, looks like we both got the royal treatment!" Serena said. "I love how they turned their uniforms into schoolgirl-style ones just for us!"
"Same here!" Amy said. "I'm glad they gave you No. 7 too!"
"Hey, it fits her like it fits you." Filippo said. "No disrespect to (Gianluca) Pessotto, but I never liked the idea of giving the No. 7 shirt to someone who plays defender basically all the time."
"Glad you both like it." I said fervently. Then, spotting Luna meowing in Serena's arms, I said, "Man, you take that cat places, don't you?"
"Yeah." Serena said. "She's the kind I'd absolutely hate to be without."
"I see what you mean." I said it casually enough, but the look I gave Serena and Amy told them I knew just what they were talking about.

"I tell you what, I still can't believe what happened last night! Especially with the crystals and the transformations and everything..." Filippo said fervently, looking skyward for a minute.
"Yeah, that's something I was wondering about." I said. "Last night, when Filippo and I fused the Yellow and Blue Rainbow Crystals into our armbands, it was like we were put into overdrive—phyisically for both of us, plus mentally for me and spiritually for Filippo, if you know what I'm saying. And of course I know those are duplicates of the originals, so every Crystal we saw last night apart from your Silver Imperium was an extra. What exactly was going on?"
"Well, the first think that comes to mind is 'something extremely fortunate', because if it weren't for those extra crystals, we wouldn't be here right now. Queen Beryl would still have been beaten, but she'd have taken me and very possibly Amy as well down with her by forcing me to use the Silver Imperium Crystal to its full power." Serena said seriously.
"I did not know that before last night—I just thought that when you transformed the second time, it was all over!" I said earnestly.
"It technically was. When the shield was knocked out, I knew she wouldn't win, but of course I didn't want her to get me too, much less in front of 90,000 people." Serena said, smiling again. "But let's get back to what you were asking about, because Filippo was asking me about that right when I spotted the two of you."

She took a moment and then said, "Amy and I talked about it after we had left Wembley last night, and our opinion is that the Rainbow Crystals can appear based on how much trust we have in the bearer and give power that same way." Serena said. "And yes, that power is derived from the essences of individual Scouts—me, Amy, and our friends, so what happened last night with you and Filippo, although it was the first time we'd ever seen it, wasn't that surprising. As for the Silver Imperium Crystal..." She paused for a minute and then added, "The way we see it, a duplicate can be drawn out of the the Silver Imperium Crystal if someone who we have a lot of faith in wills it out—and it does help if I'm wishing it out, too—and when it responds to its bearer, it turns him or her into the most powerful manifestation of himself or herself—which, in the case of David, Rio, Paul, Gary, Phillip, and Nicky, is their Team England form. Only the Moon Kingdom royal family can use its full powers, though, which is why they didn't opt for a blast like mine."
Filippo and I nodded as Serena paused before she spoke again.
"Fortunately, they wouldn't have needed to think of that. Another factor we had in our favor last night was that David already has so much natural skill with free kicks, so all the Silver Imperium Crystal had to do was improve his shooting by a few notches." She laughed and grinned here before adding, "I personally think it did more than that, and likewise, it enhanced Rio's aerial talents, Paul's ball-handling talents, and so forth."
"I tell you, I think it bumped them up by more than just a few notches." Filippo said. "I know that Beckham free kick was an absolute blur!"

"That's no lie." Serena said with a trademark big smile. "But despite that, I will say this: what I enjoyed more than anything last night wasn't that we beat Queen Beryl, that we did it in front of all those people at such a beautiful stadium in Wembley, or that I got to see David and the other Team England players transform and watch you two boys deliver. When the full Scout Team fights, our best strengths are unity, team chemistry, and heart. And last night, even though we hadn't all fought together and had even competed against each other at times, we really did pull together and fight as one against Queen Beryl. To make it short, what made me smile more than anything else was that we all showed what playing and fighting together is all about."
"No kidding!" I said fervently.
"Looks like Europe's already taken notice." Filippo said. "A few newspapers I've seen this morning have been hailing you, Amy, Carlo and Man U, and me and Juventus as the best team assembled on the face of the earth."

"I'll tell you what, of all the things that Amy and I would have dreamt of, I never expected we'd be called part of a great sports team, much less a great soccer team here in Europe." Serena said with a small laugh.
I smiled and shared in that laugh and then realized that I had the chance to do something that loads of people from athletes to students to business executives would gladly welcome the opportunity to do: ask the captain of the Sailor Scouts about the keys to leadership. My youth gave me one more thing aside from energy and friendliness: curiosity. That and the fact that I was also a sportswriter at Reynolds meant that I am certainly not one of the best people at holding in burning questions, and that was one case where I couldn't hold it in.
"Um, Serena, do you mind if I ask you something?" I asked.
"Sure, go ahead." She replied.
"Just a change of subject…what do you think is the best style of leading?"
"That's a very good question." She replied, smiling. "I think it depends on the situation most of the time. There are times when you need to say something and times when you need to show the way. I personally believe that everyone has the ability to lead, no matter how deeply buried it is inside. I also believe that once a person finds it that ability to lead, he or she can just follow his or her heart can be okay."
I took a moment to digest it, nodded, and then said, "I can certainly see where you're coming from." Then I added, "Is it okay if I change the subject and ask you something else?"
"Sure!" Serena said brightly. "What is it?"
"How long have you followed David?" I asked her.
"A long time." She and Amy said together.
"Because of his looks?" Filippo asked with a grin.
"Well, yes...partly." Serena replied a bit sheepishly.
"Then again, I guess, who doesn't?" I asked honestly with a laugh.
"Nobody." Filippo said, also laughing. "But I'm not saying Beckham's just a pretty boy, because what he did last night proved there's more to him than just that."
Serena smiled at him and then said, "Let me put it this way: I like how he looks and how he plays..."
"And the fact that he's married to a Spice Girl?" This time, it was me who was asking the question with a grin on my face.
"Well, that too, definitely." Serena replied with a laugh and another smile. "When I found out he was dating Posh, it was one of the best surprises of my life. What I'm trying to say, though, is that more than anything, I like him because I really think he's a fighter. I think it's only because I've lived a life as a Sailor Scout that I have an idea of the character he needed to come back from what happened in France in 1998." Her tone was very earnest as she finished.

"Oh, yeah." Filippo said, nodding.
"I tell you what, I hate just imagining what it felt like." I said just as earnestly, also nodding as my mind flashed back to that incident.
Against England's archrival Argentina in the 1998 World Cup's Sweet Sixteen in Marseille, David had hit perhaps the mother of all low points when he had gotten tackled and then, while on the ground, had lashed out at Argentina's then-skipper Diego Simeone. David had been sent off, and, when England had lost that game on penalties, had become a goat burned in effigy in some London streets. He had then spent four long years with that monkey on his back until England and Argentina met again at the World Cup, this time in a 2002 group stage match in Sapporo, the match that Amy had attended—with Serena, as it sounded. In that match, David, by then Team England's captain, battled hard despite having broken his foot against Spain's Deportivo La Coruña less than three months before the tournament, and when England won a penalty, he stepped up to the spot, faced his ghosts, and scored with a low blast right down the middle. It occurred to me then that Serena might have taken that last penalty in Barcelona as Sailor Moon low and hard as a sop to that. His goal turned out to be the match-winner as it finished Argentina 0, England 1. Not only that, but as it turned out still later, David had not only exorcised his ghosts, but he had helped put England into the Sweet Sixteen at Argentina's expense.

"Me too." Filippo said. "By the way, I've heard people talking about David possibly moving to Japan towards the end of his career."
"Me too." I said quickly. "Now that would be crazy. Can you imagine David in the J-League?"
"I know I'd love that." Serena replied. "And I don't want to sound selfish, but right now I'd like it if he joined Real Madrid so that I could see him play this summer in Tokyo. I wanted to see the Toyota Cup match against Palmeiras in 1999, but I couldn't get tickets. But part of me also wants him to stay because he means so much to Manchester and England."
Oh, let me explain quickly—the Toyota Cup is the name for the European/South American Cup, which takes place in Tokyo or Yokohama each December. It only has one match, but it's a big one. In it, the Champions League winner faces off against the winner of the Copa Libertadores in a battle of Europe's best against Central and South America's best. The winner is acknowledged as the best club in the world—an honor United won once in 1999 as their treble-winning team beat Brazil's Palmeiras in Tokyo. (Author's Note: The Toyota Cup has since been expanded to include the club champions of Asia, Africa, Oceania, and North America and the Caribbean.)
Back in the present, I said a bit uncomfortably, "Yeah…I've heard all that talk about him wanting to leave, and I get sick every time the subject comes up because I can't find myself thinking about Manchester United without thinking about him and vice versa, so I really can't fathom the prospect of him leaving—until the twilight of his career, that is."
"I know." Amy replied soothingly.
"Hey, Carlo, aren't those your friends over there?" Filippo asked, pointing behind me.

I turned around to see David and Ryan entering the square. "What? Oh, yeah! And isn't that Alessandro and Edgar over there?" I pointed to my left.
"Hey, it is!" He said. Lifting his head and standing up slightly, he called out to them in Italian, which prompted me to cup my right hand to my mouth and yell, "Hey, David! Ryan!"
"Oy, Carlo! Amy! Serena!" David called. "What is this, the teen afternoon out?" He said, coming up to the four of us and seeing Filippo was with us too.
"Something like that, although we'd like it if you hung out with us too." Serena replied.
"No problem—I was just asking. We figured Amy and Carlo would be here, but we weren't counting on you and young Dibari being here as well." David said. "Is this the first time in Trafalgar Square for all of you?"
"It sure is." Filippo said.
"Hey, David, Carlo, who are those four girls behind you?" Edgar asked. "I've got the feeling they're headed right for us."

"Let me see..." I said, turning around and squinting to look behind me and David. What I saw made me freeze for a minute and mouth, "Oh, Christ!"
I had frozen because I had recognized the girl who was second from the right and realized that for the third time in a week, I had met an Inner Sailor Scout in person—in this case, Mina Aino, who I knew was Sailor Venus. As a result, I couldn't help but wolf-whistle as I beheld her in a flippy orange knee-length skirt, sneakers (with no socks), and a red Arsenal long-sleeved button-down shirt that was tucked into the skirt.
Meanwhile, David hadn't spotted Mina yet because there were others that he knew already among those four. "Well, I'll be. It's Arsenal Ladies. That girl over on the far left, that's Leanne Champ—plays defender and midfielder for the England Ladies—and the one to her right is Angela Banks, a striker who's also played for England." He said, pointing out the ones he was referring to, the first a young blonde with hair down just past her shoulders and the second a brunette who looked on the line between young and middle-aged.
"You don't say..." I said, coming to my senses a bit as I squinted and tried to see who else was accompanying Mina.

If there was a world club championship that required clubs to field teams split as evenly as possible between men and women (example: 6 men and 5 women on the field or vice versa), Arsenal would be my pick to take it. Not only is their men's squad a regular title contender in England and in Europe, but their women's team also regularly wins competitions in England and is a European contender. As a matter of fact, they have averaged more than one major championship a year over the past half-decade or so if I remember correctly.
I would have been nothing but an admirer of theirs except for one thing: Manchester United-Arsenal is one of English soccer's equivalents of Duke-North Carolina. As a result, a number of us United players, were it not for the fact that we had helped save the city of London the night before, would have been tight-lipped.

David, in the meanwhile, had spotted Mina and had apparently been stunned as well. "Hang on...Amy, Serena, is that—?"
He got no further, as Mina ensured there was no ice with what she did next. Having just caught sight of Serena and Amy, she beamed even more and yelled, "Serena! Amy! Way to go last night!"
"Hey, take nothing away from what you did in Frankfurt, Mina! Nice going!" Serena yelled back as she and Amy ran towards Mina and they shared a group hug.
David, Ryan, Filippo, Alessandro, and Edgar were a little startled at first because they didn't know just who Mina was, while I was startled I knew who she was and was still a little stunned to see her in person.
"Oh, my gosh, you two look fantastic!" Mina exclaimed once they had separated for a bit. "I gotta ask the girls for—"
I inadvertently cut her off when I recognized the fourth girl in the group—my Reynolds classmate and teammate Devon Fitzgerald, who is pretty with brown corkscrew curls and is half a head shorter than me. I had forgotten in the heat of the past week and the shock of meeting Amy and Serena that Devon—a utility player who prefers midfielder or wing defender—was at Arsenal Ladies.
"Oh, my God!" I yelled. "Devon!"
"What?" Devon asked, puzzled at first. She then saw us and her eyes grew wide as she smiled and yelled, "Oh, Carlo! Filippo! This is too cool!"
"Hey, Devon!" Filippo shouted.
He, Devon, and I ended up having our own little scrum. I always love seeing classmates outside of school, and seeing Devon after we had fought in the previous night's battles and won was especially gratifying.

"I'll tell you something—I'm very happy for those three, because they really played and fought like adults rather than kids." Serena said as Amy nodded.
"Me too." Mina said, also nodding. She then added, "I know you couldn't make it, but you missed a great one in Frankfurt, you guys. The girls beat up on Frankfurt and then we blew the Negaverse force there out of the stadium." She beamed and looked at Devon, Leanne, and Angela with fierce pride.
"Probably a diversionary assault." Amy explained quietly to the boys, all of whom nodded.
"Well, me, Amy, Juventus, and Manchester United were too busy giving Queen Beryl a party on the other side of town and no mistake!" Serena said, still glowing and giving Amy, me, Filippo, David, Alessandro, Ryan, and Edgar a similar look of fierce pride.
"I don't doubt it! I looked on the sports cover of the Telegraph on the way over here and saw the photo of Sailor Moon kissing you at midfield—that was so cute!" Devon said, smiling broadly.
I felt myself going red as I grinned.

Meanwhile, Leanne and Angela were chatting excitedly about the previous night with David, their Team England colleague, before chatting with Ryan. When they began chatting with Alessandro and Edgar, I took the opportunity to introduce Mina to Ryan and David.
"Ryan, David," I said quietly but with a big grin, "Mina Aino—Sailor Venus."
"Hi, Mina." They said.
"Afternoon, lads." Mina said in a very authentic-sounding British accent.
"Honored to meet you." David added as he and Ryan grinned and chuckled at Mina's British accent, before he also asked, "Where'd you get the good accent?"
"She lived in London for a little bit." I said, and Mina nodded.
"Let me guess...in Highbury?" David asked.
"Yep!" Mina said. "A good neighborhood, in my opinion."
"So let me guess…Arsenal became your favorite club while you were over here?" I asked, knowing the answer.
"Oh, yes. They were good and they were the home team, so how could I resist? I was something of a fan of the 'old guard'—Tony Adams, David Seaman, you know—although I definitely like Thierry Henry too…" She was smiling, but then she frowned slightly and added, "But I can't believe that they released Junichi Inamoto after what he did at the World Cup!"
"Yeah, I really couldn't understand that." Filippo said earnestly. "Inamoto came alive at the World Cup, didn't he, Carlo?"
"Oh, yeah." I said fervently. "Second goal against Belgium, the lone goal and some relentless play against Russia—you be the judge. At least he got to stay in London—he signed with Fulham after the World Cup and then they won the Intertoto Cup."
As continued to chat and relaxed some more, someone with a boombox was playing Will Smith's "Block Party". I had heard it before, and knowing what was in it made me smile and think, "Oh, yeah..." because I knew how appropriate it was. Sure enough, I soon heard,

Nine o'clock with all my crew
At ten o'clock we roll on through
Don't know what you gonna do
But whatever you do, hit the block party tonight
All the ladies hangin' out with friends
Don't be late or you won't get in
Party's back, from beginning to end
Everybody tell a friend that the block party's tonight...

"Oy, look!" Ryan said just after Mina and Filippo excused themselves temporarily to use a restroom.
Amy had picked up a soccer ball that had been just rolling around and was walking towards the center of the square not far away from us.
"Wonder what she's gonna do with it." I said.
"Looks like she's going to freestyle with it." David told us.
"I think you're right." I said with a sudden shot of anticipation. In all of our scrimmages, Amy, as I have said, flashed her share of moves—but for practical reasons, which in soccer means "to beat the defender"—but we had never seen what she could do when the one aim was to have fun and get stylish.
"I have just two words for you—'look out.' I saw some footage of her from Manchester and I know she's awesome." Devon said.
"She sure is." Edgar said, nodding.
As Amy reached the center, the music changed to the Rockwilder remix of Destiny's Child's Bootylicious, so I heard the intro as Amy reached the center:

Kelly—can you handle this?
Michelle—can you handle this?
Beyoncé—can you handle this?
I don't think you can handle this!
My boy Roc (Author's note—reference to Jay-Z), can you handle this?
My girl Missy—can you handle this?
DC—can you handle this?
My ghettos, you can't handle this!

As the song started in earnest, Amy flicked it up and started to juggle. She started off easy enough, but then began to throw in some moves, including a couple of "up-and-under" tricks, in which she flicked the ball up, jumped so that one foot passed over the ball, and then landed in time to keep the ball alive as Kelly Rowland began,

Better move, 'cause we've arrived
Looking sexy, looking fly
We're the baddest chicks of chicks inside
DJ, jam tonight
Spotted me, a tender thing
There you are—come on, baby
Don't you want to boogie with me?
Can you handle, handle me?

"I tell you, she'd make a great Japanese international if she put her mind to it!" David said.
"That's a fact." Leanne said. "Look at how fluid she is!"
"I have to love that—she's got flow and she's turning it on out there!" Edgar said with a grin—which I knew was a glowing endorsement because he's a street soccer king turned professional. "Wait a minute…here comes Serena!"
Serena had arrived in the center. Amy, seeing her, grinned broadly and shot a volley pass over to her without missing a beat. She took it and then started to make her mark on things. I knew she wasn't enormously skilled physically, so I wasn't expecting the world out of her. However, to my delight, time with Juventus had indeed improved her skills—quite a bit. While her juggling still wasn't as fluid as Amy's, she looked better than quite a few of the others I had seen freestyling in parks around London and Manchester. Perhaps fittingly, she got into the thick of things as Beyoncé Knowles started singing,

You gotta do much better
If you gon' dance with me tonight
You gotta work your jelly
If you gon' dance with me tonight
'Cause I don't think they're ready for that jelly for them boys
I don't think they're ready for that jelly for them boys
I don't think they're ready for that jelly
Beyoncé, Michelle, and Kelly—it's time for takeoff

"Oh, my God, look at that!" I yelled.
Amy had just taken a pass from Serena and popped it up with her right heel after she brought her right leg around her back before continuing that spin and flicking it back to Serena with the outside of her right foot. Serena caught it with a right shoulder stall before bringing it down into a left knee stall and then a terrific right-leg "stork", in which she wrapped her right leg around the ball so that it was trapped between her hamstring and calf before she passed it back to Amy.
"No question about it—she's improved ever since Barcelona." David said, clapping.
"No kidding—and I think that might be an understatement!" I said. The music had been going through its chorus:

I don't think you're ready for this jelly
I don't think you're ready for this jelly
I don't think you're ready for this
'Cause my body's too bootylicious for you, babe
I don't think you're ready for this jelly
I don't think you're ready for this jelly
I don't think you're ready for this
'Cause my body's too bootylicious for you, babe
I shake my jelly at every chance
When I whip with my hips you slip into a trance
I hope you can handle all this jelly that I have
Now let's cut a rug while we shake our (pause)

They were absolutely starting to tear it up out there, so I was very surprised when they stopped for a moment and headed towards the side. Even more surprising was that they headed right for me. As they headed for me, Kelly had started singing again,

I'm about to break you off
H-Town going hard
Lead my hips, slap my thighs
Swing my hair, squint my eyes
Lookin' hot and smellin' good
Groovin' like I'm from the 'hood
Look over my shoulder—I'll blow you a kiss
Can you handle, handle this?

"Do you want to come in and join us?" She asked, holding out her hand.
I found myself wincing. My father had taught me to always accept girls' requests to dance, but I was still apprehensive.
In this case, though, it wasn't just my father's advice or the fact that it was Amy and Serena asking that was pushing me in—it was the calls from my friends.
"Come on, Carlo, don't turn them down!" Devon yelled.
"Take them dancing, you lad! Go on, Carlo!" David said.
It was at that moment that I more or less decided, Oh, what on earth. I grinned at everyone before facing Serena and Amy. Sweeping off my cap and bowing (this was England, after all), I said, "You're on."
"There you go!" Ryan yelled. Turning to the others, he said, "Hold on to your hats!"
As the crowd cheered, Serena half-giggled and half-laughed, still smiling, before they took hold of their skirts and curtsied. Right after that, they took me by the arms and led me out as Beyoncé began singing again,

You gotta do much better
If you gon' dance with me tonight
You gotta work your jelly
If you gon' dance with me tonight
Read my lips carefully if you like what you see
Move, so groove—can you handle me?
By the looks I got you shook up and scared of me
Hook up your seat belt, it's time for takeoff

Not quite, I thought with a grin.
I turned my cap backward so that I could head properly if need be (and yes, to look a little cooler), took the ball, and started off.
I knew that because Amy and Serena had done a good job of strutting their stuff earlier, I had to deliver with a gem of my own. I started off slow like they did to get into my own rhythm, and then I began to get loose as I threw in some up-and-unders and then a very difficult move: the "quasi", in which you flick the ball up and then catch and hold the ball with the back of your neck. Judging from the cheers and encouraging yells from the crowd and my friends—including Amy and Serena—it did the trick. From there, I went into a right foot stall.
"Serena!" I yelled.
She faced me and nodded to indicate she was ready to get a pass. From that right foot stall before I flicked it back up enough for me to volley a high pass to Serena, who took it of her chest and kept it going, throwing in a standing over-under and then another right knee stall—"easy enough for me to learn because with it, I can trap the ball against my hip or my chest", as she told me later—before she passed it on to Amy, who ratcheted things up even further by ending her latest segment by doing a variation of the "flip side" as she flipped it over her head, turnied around, and then volleyed it back to me with the next touch.
"There you go, you lot! Turn on the style!" David yelled, clapping.
"Yeah, way to turn it up!" Leanne yelled as the small crowd began getting even louder.
"Keep it going, guys! Don't stop!" Devon shouted.
She needn't have worried. We had no intention of stopping as the music reached its chorus again:

I only turned it up more when I got even more psyched as Missy Elliott added some rap. When I heard it, I told myself, Time to get crazy! I went ahead and just started jiving—that is, I started using my best moves, including some work with the ball on the ground as if I was trying to beat an invisible defender, and Amy and Serena followed, with Amy flashing an fluid but vicious out-in crossover juggle right out of a barnsey and Serena doing a top-to-bottom combo—a head juggle, a shoulder juggle, a knee juggle, and then a foot juggle—with a right-leg stork at the end. Judging from the growing yells from the crowd, we were about to make someone lose his or her mind.

You're not ready—how many times I say you're not ready?
Watch my booty shake like a fat lady's belly
My style's so stank I better bank
You gon' smell me—oh, you smell me
Smells like money when I come runnin'—whoa!
Missy keep it comin'—whoa!
Rockwilder drum-drummin'—Destiny got the whole word freakin' something
Now we killin' something
Somebody better warn ya
Bey, Michelle, and Kelly put that jelly on ya
Rockin' Missy be hot like California
Why don't you sing the hook, why don't ya? Now, here we go…

Our finish, which came as Michelle Williams was singing, was equally stylish. I started it off with a standing left-foot up-and-under and then threw in a crossover juggle and a big right-foot pop-up before I turned a bit and volley passed to Serena with my right heel. Serena then flashed another hard move—the "bubble gum", where you lean back as much as you can and perform a shoulder stall. She then heaved it off her shoulder and back into the air, where Amy caught it with a perfect quasi.
Then, surprisingly, she began to stand up while still gripping the ball with the back of her neck. "Serena, Carlo, get over here, quick! Hold it up!" She yelled, beckoning us over.
Suddenly, it hit us what she was asking us to do. Rushing over to her, we turned our backs and then positioned ourselves so that the ball was trapped between all three of our necks in a tripod of sorts. Once it was locked up, nobody had to tell us what to do next. It was a freestyle with two Sailor Scouts, so all three of us knew we had to strike final poses as a last flourish. And that we did, with mine being simply turning my cap back around and pulling it down a bit while keeping my thumb and index finger on the bill.

Move your body up and down
Make your booty touch the ground
I can't help but wonder why
Is my vibe too vibalicious for you, babe?

"Yeah!" Edgar roared as the crowd that had gathered cheered and clapped. "That's how you let it hang out!"
"Whoo-hoo!" Devon cheered. "Way to go!"
"I tell you, someone's gone mad out there." Ryan said with a big grin.
Incredibly enough, it wasn't the only soccer we had that afternoon. The square had a lot of open room that day even though a lot of people were there, so I played that afternoon and early evening, much to my happiness, alongside the others against some locals in a series of no-goalkeeper games that had smaller goals to make up for that.
It was especially fun playing with Serena, Amy, and Mina as well as my friends—both because they're terrific people and it's definitely not every day you get to play pickup soccer in Trafalgar Square with some old and new friends, particularly three very special new ones in Serena, Amy, and Mina. It also gave me a look at Serena's and Mina's soccer skills.
Serena is a central midfielder who is still developing in terms of talent—as she put it, "I'm not a jock, but I'm not a total wimp, either"—but she has a heart and a mindset that everyone who follows soccer, especially English-style subscribers like me, David, and Coach Ferguson, love to see: "run hard from the first whistle until the last and battle continuously." She even got the winning goal in one game when she fought her way past a defender and rose up to head in a cross from Devon with almost no time left.
Meanwhile, Mina's volleyball experience means she's very good at volleying—including a header that ranks with the best of them. That, plus her good work rate and entertainer's spirit, means she's like Alessandro, Rivaldo or Francesco Totti—someone with a lot of flash and talent at either attacking midfielder or striker.

It had started to get dark by the time we finished with that, so we split up to head back to our hotels, with Serena, Amy, and Mina heading off by themselves.
"One more thing…" Serena told us. "Tell everybody, 'Don't go to dinner yet.'"
"What for?" I asked.
"You'll find out as soon as you get back to your hotels." Amy said.
So David, Ryan, and I were wondering what on earth Serena, Amy, and Mina had planned for us as we made the short walk from Trafalgar Square back to the Savoy.
When we arrived, as they'd promised, our questions began to be answered. As we approached the front desk, Gary met us, dressed surprisingly in wingtips, khaki dress pants, a white dress shirt tucked into the pants, and a red and white United tie.
"What's going on, Gaz?" David asked, approaching his best friend with me and Ryan hot on his heels. "What are the girls up to?"
"Something that sounds massive. Get dressed, quickly!" He said urgently. He turned to the man behind the front desk and asked, "Oy, Joe, do you have their letters?"
"Yes, I do!" He said, handing white envelopes with gold accents to me, Ryan, and David.
I took the envelope, opened it, and gazed down at the pretty script that read,

To The Addressee:

Please come to dinner with us and a few others tonight. We won't disclose the location just now, but we're sure you won't mind. There are also a few things we want to give you before we sit down, but I'm sure you won't mind that either when all is said and done. Your clothes are in your hotel room closets and the bus will be ready at 8:00 outside the hotel.

Sincerely,
Princess Serenity and Princess Mercury

"Oh, my God…" I said. Then, realizing that left us just an hour to get ready, I said, "Meet you back down here soon!" Before I went up, though, something else came up.
"Hey, who else recieved these?" I asked the man behind the front desk.
"Keano, Butty, Scholesey, Phil Neville, Ruud, Ole, and Fergie." He said, grinning.
"Thanks!" I said. With that, after I had said "See you later" to the others again, I was heading up to get dressed.

At 8:00, we were dressed up and boarding the same team bus that had taken us to and from Wembley the previous night.
My friends wore various-colored dress shirts, ties, black jackets with the United emblem on them, khaki dress pants, and black socks and shoes. My outfit also included black socks and shoes, but that was it in terms of similarities to my teammates' suits. In my closet instead of a suit had been a white "barong Tagalog", a semi-transparent decorated Filipino dress shirt (the sight of which had put a good grin on my face), with an undershirt to go underneath that plus black pants. Wearing a "barong Tagalog" in a place like England is definitely not the most comfortable thing, but the recent relatively favorable weather definitely made it bearable. The egotistical part of me brought up the thought that I looked like some prince out of the Far East, and I grinned as that thought surfaced.
"Where do you think we're going?" I asked the team when we were all seated.
"I don't know, but it sounds like it'll be terrific!" Phillip said.
"You chaps won't have to wait much longer to find out—we're almost there!" The driver called jovially from the front.
"Wait a moment." David said. "This is the route to Buckingham Palace!"
"We're not going there, are we?" I asked, jolted by the prospect of having an audience with not only Princess Serenity and Princess Mercury, but also the Queen.
"It's hard to believe, but I think that's where we're going tonight!" Gary said.
"You're right! Look out there—it's a reception!" Paul yelled.
"What?" David, Ruud, and I all asked almost simultaneously, shocked.
"Take a look!" Paul said, pointing towards the front windows as I could see the palace come into view through the front windows.

We scrambled towards the front of the bus, and when we got there, our jaws dropped as we beheld just what had happened to the palace courtyard, which we were able to survey both with our own eyes and through a couple of screens that had been set up outside. It had turned, basically, into a brightly lit pavilion that felt half like Buckingham Palace and half like an arena. Three banks of seats had been set up in the courtyard. Each bank appeared to be allocated to a particular team (for example, the United section was the bank in the center.) The fact that amazed us was that we could tell which section was for which team because each section was packed with fans in stadium attire. With the added fact that there were also fans leaning out of the courtyard windows (my guess is the royal family decided to make exceptions and allow them to do that on that night), it was a crowd that didn't feel unlike the crowd from the previous night at Wembley. I noticed that among the crowd were the special custom flags for each of our teams as associated with the Sailor Scouts (if you know what I'm saying)—the Guerrieri di Torino for Juventus, the Guardians of Manchester of us, and the 1st Highbury Valkyrie Artillery (a play on the "Gunners" nickname applied to Arsenal.)
The sight on the stage was a mix between fantasy and reality in terms of the dignitaries who were there. The five Inner Sailor Scouts stood on it in princess form, each wearing an appropriately colored dress. For example, Princess Serenity was in her famous gold-trimmed white gown, while Amy's/Sailor Mercury's princess self, Princess Mercury, looked charming herself in a sky blue dress.
On either side of the Scouts were six more great dignitaries, this time of our world: Queen Elizabeth II, Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Bersculoni, UEFA president Leonnart Johannsen, and FIFA president Sepp Blatter, along with London Mayor Ken Livingstone. To add even more of a regal air to it, another detachment of Buckingham Palace guards surrounded them.
Behind the stage was a sort of old-fashioned touch: five banners hung on the palace façade. One was a black banner with the pinstriped Juventus emblem, while another was red with Manchester United's trademark red and gold "red devil" emblem and yet another was also red, only with Arsenal's red and white emblem with a cannon in the center of a shield. The last two were especially dignified, as one was white with the crest of the House of Windsor—the British Royal Family—on it in blue and red, while another was white with the Sailor Scout emblem on it in gold. The Sailor Scout emblem is made up of Sailor Moon's disguise pen silhouette set in front of a white-winged gold heart that is in turn set in front of a silver sword. Below the heart is "Sailor Scouts" and above it is "Amor et Iustitia", which is Latin for "Love and Justice." On either side of those banners were the flags of England, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, France, the United States, the Netherlands, Norway, and the Czech Republic.

The bus had come to a stop in front of the gate to the courtyard by now. Still absolutely shocked at the scene, we got off the bus and quickly lined up single-file. Rio led us into the courtyard as the crowd, particularly the United crowd, really started to let us hear it. One girl jumped out of our section, grabbed him, and kissed him on the cheek—and she wasn't the only one to jump out at us.
An usher in front of Rio, though, was able to get us to our seats at the front of our section, and I took my seat between Phillip and David, waving along with some of the others. To our left, I could see the Juventus players in suits, and to our right, I could see the Arsenal Ladies players in ladies' suits, with one or two exceptions in dresses, including Devon—all of them standing up to applaud and cheer us as we came in, to my delight.
The two rows behind each row of official team members were also filled with family members—for example, Victoria and young Brooklyn Beckham, David's and her firstborn son, plus Rio's younger brother Anton from West Ham United. My family wasn't able to make it because my parents had some pressing business at work and couldn't get a plane, but my parents had called me in the locker room after the battle and let me know they couldn't be prouder—which I was definitely glad to hear. Take my word for it—kudos from Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, my teammates—by which I mean my United and Juventus teammates—and over 90,000 fans is very nice, but it's not quite the same without kudos from your family.
Looking up again, I could see two things: one, that there wasn't a person on stage that wasn't smiling at us, and two, that Princess Serenity had stepped to a podium with a microphone attached to it, which meant that the crowd kept going for a few more seconds and then fell silent.

"I'm not exactly a talented public speaker, so I'm going to cut to the chase." She said, smiling making all of us laugh before she gathered her voice and said, "Tonight, because of incredible events that have transpired over the past eight days, we are pleased to award the Sailor Scout Award For Sporting Valor team commendation to a team based on Planet Earth for the first time—or, rather, for the first three times. A round of applause, please, for Manchester United, Juventus, and Arsenal Ladies."
The crowd obliged with loud cheers before eventually quieting down and allowing Princess Serenity to continue,
"To each team to be honored tonight, even though this success is unique, success is nothing new—numerous titles domestically and internationally, plus so many of their players being chosen to represent their countries. Also, many, if not all of us, understand that everyone has a case of 'do or die' sometime in their lifetime. However, chances are it's not literally 'do this or die.' That said, how do you practice for an actual 'victory or death' scenario where you literally have to fight for your life?"
There was a pause, during which no sound was heard before she continued,
"The answer is by surviving such scenarios a lot—a luxury that none of these three teams had. But that didn't stop them from volunteering themselves to face that situation—granted, with our help—" She paused as some of us in the crowd laughed before she added, "and coming through with flying colors. How we'll be able to repay them is beyond me, but we can start by giving them something special here tonight. I understand that here in Europe, whether a season can be considered a success is measured by how many cups and trophies a team wins in a year. Well, if there are any doubts over these teams contributions making their seasons into successes, I personally believe we ought to not hear them after tonight because of what these teams are getting tonight."

As she finished, two Buckingham Palace guards appeared carrying something large and shiny towards the stage.
"Oh, my word!" Ryan yelled.
"A cup! It's a ruddy cup!" Roy shouted, getting to his feet to see just what it was.
It was almost an exact replica of the European Club Champions' Cup (the Champions League trophy)—tall and silver—but two outspread pearl-white wings were affixed to it with one on either handle. The cup itself was also filled with flowers—roses, lilies, and golden carnations towards the rim in a show of the United colors, and then five especially beautiful flowers in the center. I suspected that the five princesses had each contributed a flower to it, for among those five flowers, there was one pink, one blue, one red, one green, and one orange. On the front was also a ruby plaque face molded to the cup's shape, with two emblems embossed on it in garnet-one the Sailor Scout emblem and the other emblem the Manchester United emblem with its trademark red devil. On the plaque face, also in pearl-white, were words I couldn't quite make out yet.
Princess Serenity was speaking again: "Each team here will take home one of these, beginning with Manchester United. However, there are twelve people whose contributions stood out and whose names are on this cup. When your name is called, I would ask that you please come to the stage. There is something we would like to give each of you as well. Princess Mercury, if you will, the first name, if you please."

With that, Princess Mercury came to the podium as Princess Serenity stepped aside and some music started to play. At the same time, the team award trophy was set down on a plinth in the center of the stage. She looked down at what must have been a list in front of her, smiled, and read the first name:
"From England, David Robert Joseph Beckham."
Not surprisingly, the square erupted with the United section in the lead. In addition, it only took ten seconds or so for them—and, amazingly, the fans in the Arsenal Ladies and Juventus sections—to unite in the chant we had heard the previous night of "One David Beckham, there's only one David Beckham…"
David got up and gave us a smile before he marched to the stairs to the stage, where an attendant was waiting with an English flag in his hands. When David arrived, the attendant signaled him to stop, and then he tied the flag around David's neck like a scarf before motioning to him to ascend the steps, during which a guard made the announcement, "All spectators are welcome to cheer the honorees, but please remain silent when they ascend the stage until they reach the platform." In the meantime, I looked to the right and momentarily and found that other guards had brought a wooden case lined with velvet to the stage and that Princess Mercury was pulling something out of it and handing it to Princess Serenity.
"Medals?" I asked Rio quietly, grinning more broadly at the thought.
"That's what it looks like!" Rio replied, also grinning.
The crowd fell silent as David ascended the stage. He shook hands with Mayor Livingstone, both Prime Ministers, Mr. Blatter, and Mr. Johannsen in that order and then faced Princess Serenity, who, as Rio had speculated, had a gold medal in her hands. He bent over slightly to let her slip the medal over his neck, then straightened up and beamed. He was about to shake her hand when she opened her arms and beamed back. He took the invitation and gave her a hug—and found her hugging him back. After getting congratulations and hugs from the other Princess Inners, he ascended a raised platform at the back of the stage just as the crowd was given the signal that they were allowed to cheer again, and they obliged by breaking out into roars again.

Roy was next, followed by Ryan. It was terrific to watch my friends go up on stage and get rewarded like that—although it was certainly even more fun when my turn arrived as Princess Mercury, who was smiling as she was when she read each name on the list, then read and said, "From the United States of America by way of the Philippines, Phillip Carlo Carlos Santos."
I grinned broadly as I high-fived both Gary and Rio before standing up as my turn came up to get raucous cheers from the whole courtyard. When I was walking up to the small set of stairs, I heard Filippo yell, "Belissimo, ragazzo mio!"
I grinned at him and yelled, "Grazie!" Right after that, Devon yelled from the Arsenal Ladies front row, "Yeah, way to go, Carlo!"
"Thanks!" I called to her, waving at her and then the others before reaching the foot of the stairs leading to the stage. It was just then that I suddenly realized that David's chant had come up—with a twist. "One Carlo Santos, there's only one Carlo Santos…"
Something from what I had heard some on the street say that day hit home for me as I heard that chant and froze for a moment.
Some talked about us becoming legends after last night…I thought, …Can I actually list myself among them?
The other voice in my head replied, I guess so…I mean, you and your teammates just saved the city of London—maybe even the world and maybe even the universe, and you've won the Sailor Scout Award For Sporting Honor! Go ahead and get up there!
"Oh, stop it, you guys." I said, shaking my head and chuckling, but also smiling and bowing to the audience to acknowledge them. "I'm so unimportant…" I tried to say, adopting my Bugs Bunny imitation again. I soon realized, however, that they didn't have ears for any of that that evening.

When I stood up straight again, the attendant had both the American and Philippine flags ready in his hands and tied them around my neck right before I ascended the steps and the crowd respectfully fell silent again.
Like David, I was directed to Mayor Livingstone and Prime Ministers Blair and Bersculoni first, and I grinned as I received congratulations from them—in Bersculoni's case, in a strong Italian accent—and then took the plaudits from Mr. Johannsen and Mr. Blatter. I really appreciated Mr. Bersculoni being a class act when we met him, since his position didn't make it the easiest job. To be specific, aside from being the man who runs Italy, Mr. Bersculoni was and is also the owner of AC Milan, Italy's most successful club at European level and one of the two possible opponents along with crosstown rivals Inter Milan for either Juventus or United in the Champions League finale. Translation: He was gracious to us when two of the three teams being honored could be the team to deny his beloved Milan a Champions League trophy.
It was at that point that I found myself thinking something that I had thought a lot before we had come up to the stage. I'm not supposed to be doing this. I thought. I'm only a high school sophomore, for the love of Mike! I'm only 15! I'm not supposed to be shaking hands with Silvio Bersculoni and Tony Blair, am I?
Meanwhile, the vocals had started up on the music. As it turned out, it was Live For Love United by a French group called Love United. I had heard it before on the 2002 World Cup album and had enjoyed it, which meant I was all too happy that it was playing after our fans had apparently designated this as the Scout/United joint theme song as "Guardians Of Manchester" while using the song title as our motto on the emblem.

Have you ever dreamed of playing for the biggest team there is on earth?
Have you ever planned of dreaming large? The time is now and you are the star
Football is traveling in your direction, you give it all your attention
Pick it up and pass it on, that's what's gonna make us strong

Next, I shook hands with a smiling Queen Elizabeth. I was then directed towards Princess Serenity, who I saw was receiving my medal from Princess Mercury, who had taken it out of its case. My smile widened as I faced her.
I instinctively bent over, felt Princess Serenity drape the medal around my neck, straightened up, grasped the medal, and turned it so that its front was facing me.
It was a gold medal with a pearl five-point star inscribed on it with Sailor Moon's disguise pen silhouette in the center. At each of the five points was a symbol of one of the five Inner Sailor Scouts, which meant that there was a topaz crescent moon, a ruby Mars sign, a citrine Venus sign, an emerald Jupiter sign, and a sapphire Mercury sign. (By the way, I didn't look at the straps until later, but they matched our club colors (for example, the straps for my teammates' and my medals were red with white writing reading "Sailor Scout Award For Sporting Honor".)
I looked up with a huge smile on my face and found Princess Serenity's smile matching it, if not outdoing it, as she opened her arms. With that, we shared a huge hug, which included me resting my head on her shoulder.

We will live for love united, we will give for love united
For moments like this, for all those we've missed
We will live for love united, come together undivided
We will stand up for all the people of the world...

Now this cannot be happening! I thought frantically. I'm up onstage with the Inner Sailor Scouts in princess form at an awards ceremony—as a 15-year-old high school sophomore? This can't be right, can it?!
That thought rolled off my tongue as I said, "Oh, man!" while chuckling slightly.
"How do you feel?" Princess Serenity asked me.
"Well, there's a part of me that still can't believe we did it. Thank you so much."
"Believe it." She told me earnestly. "And believe me when I say we won't forget what you and your teammates did."
Once she had said that, she put her arms back to her sides and nodded at Princess Mercury. All three of us were smiling broadly as I walked over to Princess Mercury, who opened her arms. I took the invitation and embraced her firmly.
"Oh, man..." I said again. "This is just incredible..."
Princess Mercury chuckled and then said earnestly, "I've said this to every one of your teammates who have gone before you, I'll tell it to you, and I'll tell it to your teammates who will also be up here tonight: 'I'm very proud of you.'"
Once she had let given me a quick squeeze before letting me go, I became curious about the inscription on the front of the cup. Peeking around the plinth at the ruby plaque that had been molded to the face of the trophy, I could see that the pearl-white writing read,

The Sailor Scout Award For Sporting Honor
Team Commendation

Awarded To
Manchester United Football Club
Manchester, England, Great Britain/United Kingdom
April 10, 2003

Individual Commendation Winners
David Beckham
Roy Keane
Ryan Giggs
Phillip Carlo Santos
Paul Scholes
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Rio Ferdinand
Gary Neville
Phillip Neville
Nicky Butt
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Sir Alex Ferguson (Coach)

I then turned towards Princess Venus. "Oh, boy…" was the next thing to come out of my mouth as she hugged me.
"Having fun yet tonight?" She asked.
"Definitely." I replied fervently.
"That's great." She said. Then she told me meaningfully, "Remember, nobody will be able to take this away from you or anyone who went through this with you. Congratulations."
I smiled at her and she smiled back before I got my chance to meet Princess Mars and Princess Jupiter. I first went up to Princess Mars, trying to stand up straight and be composed as I extended my hand and said, "Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty."
"Oh, you don't have to say that to us." She told me with a laugh as she shook my hand before giving me a hug and telling me, "I like the spirit you and your friends displayed out there. You guys should be proud of yourselves."
"You showed a lot of grace under pressure out there, Carlo." She said, smiling back as I shook her hand. "Tell me…are you taking martial arts?"
"I'm a first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do." I said truthfully. I owe quite a bit of my character and stamina to my training in Tae Kwon Do, by the way.
"Not bad at all!" She said, grinning before giving me a hug (not too tight, thank God!) and saying, "Well done. You really earned your place up here tonight."
I smiled at her, said "Thanks", and stepped up onto the raised platform with David, Paul, and Ryan as Ruud was called to the stage.

As Ruud had the sky blue, white, and orange of the Netherlands wrapped around his neck and as he received his medal and took his turn on stage followed by Rio and then Gary—who kissed the team award cup before joining us on the platform—I noticed a growing trend as each of us took our turns at center stage: we were gracious throughout and gave good hugs to each of the Scouts, but we saved our biggest hugs for Princess Mercury and Princess Serenity. Only logical—only right given what they in particular did for us, I thought. The previous night, when I had been interviewed after I had changed out of my uniform, a reporter had asked each of us what we thought of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury. My reply was, "Oh, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury were simply unbelievable. Whenever we needed encouragement, they responded with those terrific smiles—and a few choice words. Whenever we needed a big play, they helped us come up with it. And what's more, if we needed a sacrifice, they'd have provided that too."
Phillip was third to last, and as he hugged Princess Mercury, I was astonished to see him begin to shed tears of joy. I had long known from experience as a fan that soccer is a sport that can make a grown man cry, player or not, but I had never seen a soccer-related breakdown in person, so it was always astonishing to watch. He managed to turn to Princess Serenity before collapsing into her. I could see David, Paul, and some of the others smiling as she held him close like a true friend as he embraced her and sobbed into her left shoulder, letting his tears leak down her neck into her gown—all because he was almost brought to his knees by the realization of what we had done, as he would tell me later.
"You okay, Phil?" I asked once he was up on the platform.
"Yeah…I just can't thank those two enough!" He said, pointing at Princess Serenity and Princess Mercury. His face was still shining, but now he was also smiling.
I looked at him in the eyes and said meaningfully, "Hey, none of us can, but remember, you've earned the right to be up here tonight!" I then smiled and he smiled back as Nicky joined us, followed by Ole draped in the Norwegian flag.

Princess Mercury, still smiling like those of us up on stage, then read the last name off the list: "And last but not least, from Scotland, the team coach, Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson."
One thing that I forgot to mention back while we were training for the semifinals and our second battle was that he had helped Amy outline our training regimen—among other things—and his pregame talk the previous night had been the perfect tonesetter. When he received his medal, he made as if he was going to shake hands with Princess Serenity, but when she took his hand, she also embraced him and pulled him in close too.

Once he was up with us, Princess Mercury asked, "Will a United representative please come forward to accept the trophy?"
Everyone looked at Roy. As you may know, soccer is one of those sports where the victorious team captain traditionally accepts the trophy and is the first to raise it.
"I may be United skipper, but Becks's captain of the Guardians of Manchester." Roy said. "Go on, get up there!"
David laughed, grinned, and said, "Thanks, Keano." He then stepped forward off the raised part of the stage as the United section continued to keep up the noise. At the same time, Paul, Phillip, and a few of the others started bouncing up and down on the balls of their feet. For some reason, that let me know that we were not going to accept the team award like soccer players receiving a major honor of state, but like soccer players accepting a major soccer honor. I grinned broadly as I realized just what that meant. As Princess Serenity picked up her scepter and seemingly readied it, I could see that again, there was not one of us onstage who wasn't smiling.
Once David and Princess Mercury were on opposite sides of the plinth and Princess Serenity was behind it facing the crowd, Princess Serenity raised her scepter and fired several red, white, and gold sparks into the air above us. We watched them rise before they burst over us and the crowd. Those bursts seemed to multiply extremely quickly, causing a cascading shower of lights in the United colors. Princess Mercury's and David's eyes then met, and she took the trophy and handed it to him.

Have you ever dreamed of flying high? Looking down from heaven with God's eyes?
You know we could use some intervention, children needing your protection
It's not enough to sing their song—lift the cup and pass it on

Several things happened all at once when Princess Mercury handed the trophy to David. He gripped it more tightly and thrust it over his head high into the air, the whole courtyard went berserk with the United section being the loudest, everyone onstage apart from our team beamed at us, and my teammates and I began to cheer our hearts out, absolutely euphoric.
I also began bounding up and down in place on the balls of my feet like a kangaroo, roaring, "Yeah! United! United!" at the top of my lungs. Even Coach Ferguson was yelling.
It looked for all the world like a major international trophy presentation, only we were in formal clothes instead of uniforms, the shower of light replaced the confetti, this was the courtyard of Buckingham Palace instead of a stadium, and it was Princess Serenity handing us our trophy instead of Mr. Johannsen or Mr. Blatter.
All around me, I could see and hear my teammates roaring with joy, the princess Scouts smiling broadly at us, the Juventus and Arsenal Ladies players and fan sections graciously cheering us loudly as if we were really their teammates, the shimmering lights in United colors cascading onto the stage, and our section plus those fans hanging out of the windows cheering their heads off and making the noise level seem like the level of a full house at Old Trafford or Wembley. I had the feeling that I was not the only United player who had felt nothing like this before—and that's even though there were more than a few players on that 1999 treble-winning squad who were still there! All the while, the music continued playing,

Once we got back into our seats after some interviews and some autographs, we watched Juventus and Arsenal Ladies receive their medals and trophies. I remember cheering wildly for friends both old and new as they, including Filippo and Devon, were also decorated.
Finally, Princess Serenity said, "However, this evening does not end here. Mr. Blatter has informed me that there is an announcement he would like to make, so I would like to hand over the podium to him to make it right now."
He took the stage to some applause before he said, "Thank you, Your Royal Highness. Before I go on, I would like you to applaud Princess Serenity and her colleagues up here, as well as Arsenal Ladies, Juventus, and Manchester United, because they truly are some special teams, both by themselves and together."
With grins, we allowed ourselves a round of applause as he smiled before he finished,
"So special that tonight, I am pleased to ask the Sailor Scouts, Juventus, Manchester United, and Arsenal Ladies if I, Leonnart, and our colleagues at FIFA and UEFA can help the footballing world and the world as a whole celebrate these victories with another battle: a celebratory match at Wembley tomorrow night between a united Juventus/Manchester United/Arsenal Ladies side—unless, of course, the Sailor Scouts wish to participate as well—" He indicated the five young princesses onstage here as we laughed and applauded "—and a World XI. We at FIFA have been contacting some of the absolute best male and female players in the world, and we have a full side in London at the moment."

The term 'XI' (as in the Roman numeral for 11, referring to the number of players in a soccer squad) comes up a bit in soccer outside of the United States, as it is the international term used to describe an all-star soccer team. Fans in Europe and elsewhere vote on their weekly XIs based on weekend domestic league performances and such, and the Team of the Tournament named at major competitions involving national teams. FIFA also often assembles a World XI that is used for special matches. I heard of one such team doing a peace match in the Balkans, and more recently, they played against Real Madrid to help Real celebrate its centenary (the 100th anniversary of its founding.)
At Mr. Blatter's words, the crowd went wild and began to chant for Princess Serenity and the rest of us to take him up on the offer.
"That sounds like a terrific idea, Mr. Blatter—if the players want to go ahead with it." Princess Serenity replied with a smile. "What do you say?" She asked, looking first at the Juventus delegation, then us, then the Arsenal Ladies delegation. Edgar stood up and started clapping with a smile on his face, and within twenty seconds, the rest of us had joined him.
She smiled at us before continuing, "One more point—the celebration is a celebratory match. That night is for the players, so even though there is a possibility that we might take the field, as of right now so we will only be helping with the coaching—if Coaches Lippi (in reference to Juventus' coach, Marcelo Lippi), Ferguson, and Akers (Arsenal Ladies was and is coached by Vic Akers) consent to it."
The crowd made yet more noise, this time understanding applause as appreciation for Princess Serenity's decision.
Mr. Blatter smiled, nodded appreciatively, and asked her, "Do you have any ideas for a team name, Your Highness?"
"Not exactly," She answered, before turning to the audience and saying, "But someone in the crowd might. Anyone who wants to suggest a name, please stand."

A man who looked like he was in his 20s in the row behind us and my friends' families in the United section was one of those who stood up, and an attendant handed him a microphone. He said in a British accent, "I would say the 'Saviors Of London,' Your Majesty, but that wouldn't be doing justice, would it? I mean, nothing at all against old London Town, but it wasn't the only place at risk last night, was it?"
"I suppose not." Princess Serenity said.
"Well, to that end, I say we call it the 'Sailor Scout XI'. I mean, we already have the Prime Minister's XI and the Patron's XI in cricket, so why not do a variation of that with the Sailor Scout XI?"
"That certainly sounds all right to me." Princess Serenity said, smiling at him. "Is that okay with the rest of you?" She asked the crowd at large.
"Yeah, sure!" I said amidst all the various expressions of assent.
"I like that!" I heard Devon piping up.

Once the ceremony concluded shortly afterwards, we had something of a photo shoot with each other and those we knew in the crowd. I grinned as the three decorated teens—myself, Devon, and Filippo (much to our amusement, we had been labeled "The Three Protegés" of Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Venus)—had a photo taken with the trophies and our medals alongside Queen Elizabeth, Princess Serenity, both Prime Ministers, Mayor Livingstone, and the other princess Scouts.
After we were all done, the royals, dignitaries, and guards beckoned us inside for a private dinner and party—with only a small amount of conscientious media allowed. We had a good dinner, laughed, and chatted about various things, including the battles and the continuing celebrations now scheduled for the next night, and even danced a bit (there was a room that they allotted for that, and a jazz band was there that evening) Most of all, we got a chance to relax like just like normal people while still enjoying the company of each other and people like Princess Serenity and Tony Blair.

I had just finished dancing first with Princess Mercury to a jazz version of Music Of The Heart by N' Sync and Gloria Estefan, then with Princess Serenity to Jump, Jive, And Wail (both as a result of playful joshing by some of the other players similar to what had happened at Trafalgar Square) and finally with Devon to a tune that I hadn't heard before and was talking to Prime Minister Blair with a glass of Pepsi in my hand about what he and President Bush had been talking about in terms of Iraq (I had to do it, being the student that I am) when my phone rang.
"Hang on, Mr. Blair." I said, grinning at him as he nodded understandingly and grinned back.
I looked at my phone screen and found that the call was from Dad. We chatted for a bit, and then he asked me, "Sounds like there's a bunch of noise over there. What's going on?"
"Uh, long story." I said, grinning more broadly. "You won't believe this, but…"

In the next chapter—"The Celebratory Matches":
Led by Sailor Moon, the Sailor Scouts as honorary captains and coaches lead not one Manchester United/Arsenal Ladies/Juventus team out at Wembley for a single celebratory match, but three unified squads for three matches! How do the Sailor Scout XIs stack up against the rest of the best of the world? And the Scouts decide to take the field as players! It's not the most dramatic chapter, but it also promises to be can't-miss!

Closing Author's Notes: Congratulations to Alessandro, Gianluca, Coach Lippi, and the rest of Team Italy on their fourth World Cup win, congratulations to Roy on his being named Sunderland head coach, and Rest In Peace, George Best. For those of you not familiar with United's history, he was a Northern Irishman who played for United starting at age 17 and who was so skilled that he has drawn comparisons to some of the greatest players of all time, including Brazil's Pelé and Argentina's Diego Maradona—and who also passed away on the last Tuesday of this past November after multiple organ failure in a hospital in west London.
Also, less than four months ago, Juventus' front office was convicted of match-fixing and the club was relegated to Serie B. Let me make it clear that I still believe Juventus is an honorable club, and therefore ask that you do not consider that verdict as you read this.
Last but not least, some kudos I should have doled out long ago. Congratulations to David, the newly-honored Lord Sebastian Coe KBE (Knight Commander of the British Empire), and company. Early in July 2005, London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics—the first Olympiad in the United Kingdom since 1948. Lord Coe, a two-time Olympic track gold medalist in the 1500-meter, was the bid leader and David was a bid ambassador, meaning the two of them are now also involved in helping get the Games ready over the next six and a half years. Best of luck to them.

Original Version (released before April 2003)
Block Party—Will Smith
Bootylicious (Rockwilder Remix)—Destiny's Child featuring Missy Elliott
Live For Love United—Love United

Modern Version
Rock Your Body—Justin Timberlake
So Sexy—Twista featuring R. Kelly
It's Like That (Y'all)—Mariah Carey featuring Jadakiss
Shortie Like Mine—Bow Wow featuring Chris Brown & Johnta Austin