Chapter Nineteen: Neptune's Challenge

The bubble pie had been pretty good.

Before they left Jellyfish Fields, Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob sat at King Jellyfish's table, on chairs, which Usagi wasn't used to since she sat on the floor to eat—Bikini Bottom had an American-like culture, with its dollars and chairs and the fish's love of big boats and houses—alongside the king, eating bubble pie. Thankfully, the bubble pie tasted like apples instead of soap. Usagi had gotten to the point where she didn't try to decipher Bikini Bottom anymore.

Her communicator buzzed.

Gulping down the piece of pie she'd been eating, Usagi answered. Her mama had scolded her many times for talking with her mouth full. "Hello?" Hope filled Usagi. Maybe the Outer Guardians or the cats had figured out how to communicate with her while she and her friends were in Bikini Bottom.

"Usagi-chan?"

"Rei-chan!" Usagi shot onto her feet. Her heart dropped a little since Luna hadn't spoken from the other end. "You're all right. Oh, it seems like it's been ages since I heard your voice. Wait, just because you called me doesn't mean that everything's okay. Is everything okay?"

Rei chuckled, a rare sound from her. "Yes, I'm okay. And so are Chibi-Usa-chan, Mamoru-san, and Patrick."

"Hello, Usagi and friends," Patrick said.

"Hi, Mama." Her daughter's voice was bright.

"My Usa…I've missed you."

Usagi wiped tears from her eyes. Hadn't realized how much she was worried about her friends and daughter since she was focused on getting through Jellyfish Fields.

SpongeBob jumped onto his feet, put his mouth to her communicator. "Patrick? Everyone? Hi."

"Hi, everyone," Ami said. "I'm glad you're doing well."

"Where are you?" Rei said. "We're waiting in front of SpongeBob's pineapple for the rest of you."

Usagi's brow furrowed. "Mina-chan and the others aren't there yet?"

"No. I called you all first."

"We're in Jellyfish Fields, eating bubble pie with King Jellyfish."

Silence on the other end.

"You're…you're doing what now?" Mamoru said as Patrick said, "Aw, and you didn't invite me? That's mean. You know I love pie, SpongeBob. And jellyfish."

"Sorry, Patrick. Maybe next time." SpongeBob winked at King Jellyfish, the king sitting with a pile of pies on his table, scarfing them down, plate and all. "The king owes us lots of favors."

"Bubble pie," Rei said flatly. "We're at the meeting spot worried about you and you're eating pie. A pie made from bubbles."

"That can't be good for your digestive system," Chibi-Usa said.

"R-right," Usagi said. Ami blushed, tucking her head. "We'll be there soon, though. Promise. There are these boxes that'll teleport us back to the beginning of Jellyfish Fields. So we'll be there in a few minutes. There's one next to where we are right now." Beside the tub stood a box. Did the king use it himself? Being quadruple the size of the box, it seemed like he wouldn't fit inside, but everything worked so differently here that King Jellyfish might be able to fit in the box without struggling.

"That must be our cue to go." SpongeBob waved at King Jellyfish. "It was nice spending time with you, Your Highness. Thanks for inviting us here."

After everything that had happened, Usagi was thankful, too. If robots devastated the Moon Kingdom, Usagi would want to be left alone for a little while. "Yes, thank you." She bowed. "We appreciate your hospitality, and I hope that Jellyfish Fields stays safe from now on." Doubt niggled in the corner of her head. That blue jellyfish seemed like trouble. Regardless, things had been quiet since most of the robots had been defeated, and Squidward had returned to his tiki ("No, SpongeBob, I don't want you to escort me," Squidward had said. "I've had enough of you for a lifetime." Usagi had walked with him instead and, seeing no one near SpongeBob's pineapple, returned to Jellyfish Fields, since the king wanted the Guardians and SpongeBob to join him for a pie party). Besides, forming a relationship with King Jellyfish was good in case they needed one another again.

Ami bowed as well. "Thank you, Your Highness. I enjoyed spending time with you." The polite thing to say, but Usagi thought Ami meant it. Even though the two teenagers couldn't understand what the king was saying, the king spoke with hand (or, in his case, stinger) gestures and buzzed animatedly, keeping Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob entertained.

The three walked to the box, the king buzzing goodbye. SpongeBob jumped in first, closing the box, its flaps popping open once the sponge had been teleported. Ami stepped inside next. Usagi was last. She jumped inside the box, which was bigger than it looked from the outside, fitting Usagi's nearly five-foot frame with some space to spare.

She closed the flaps and shut her eyes, not wanting to see whatever was happening to her as she was teleported. Felt like she was being jerked around. When the sensation stopped, she opened the box's flaps and then climbed out.

She, Ami, and SpongeBob stood at the entrance. SpongeBob whistled, and a taxi arrived within two seconds, even though no taxis had been wheeling around the Fields earlier.

The three rode back to SpongeBob's pineapple. Usagi ran out the taxi, embracing Mamoru and Chibi-Usa. She tried to put her head to Mamoru's solid chest, but her helmet bumped his suit. Couldn't wait for Ami to find a way to get rid of their suits so she could kiss Mamoru again.

Usagi gazed up at him. "I'm so glad to see you."

Mamoru reached in the familiar gesture he used to run his hand through Usagi's hair, but his hand ran over her helmet instead. He sighed.

Chibi-Usa embraced Usagi tighter. Usagi crouched to her daughter. "You took good care of Mamoru, didn't you?"

Chibi-Usa beamed, throwing her shoulders back. "Sure did. He was helpless without me."

Usagi looked her daughter up and down, even though she could see nothing but Chibi-Usa's head through the suit. "You took great care of yourself, too." Mamoru must've lived up to his name's meaning and protected Chibi-Usa with all his being.

Chibi-Usa shrunk back. "I-I'm 902 years old now. I'm not a kid anymore."

Must be some difference between 901 and 902 that Usagi didn't know about. Chibi-Usa was hiding something, though; she glanced everywhere but into Usagi's eyes.

Usagi cocked her head. "What's wrong?"

Chibi-Usa bit her lip. "Well…" She told Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob about Pegasus, who had saved her in the downtown area from a cannon shooting sinks (more bombastic than the cannon shooting pufferfish).

"I'm glad that he came to save you, Chibi-Usa. It looks like you have another protector."

"Pegasus?" SpongeBob said. "Like the legendary seahorse with wings, Pegasus?"

"Sort of," Chibi-Usa said. "I'm not exactly sure who Pegasus is, either. But he's a good person."

Pegasus had appeared to keep Chibi-Usa safe and was on the Guardians' side. If not, he would've let the sinks kill Chibi-Usa or would have intervened to let the sinks kill her.

"Other than the sink-shooting cannon," Ami said, "I'm guessing everything else went well?"

Rei tried to flip her hair, which she did often above ground, but her hand bumped her helmet. "I suppose."

Patrick grinned. "Rei and I slid down a chimney together. Just like that fat genie in the red suit."

"Santa Claus?" Chibi-Usa said.

"Bless you."

Rei almost reached toward Ami. Usagi kept a smile from snaking onto her face. Rei had missed Usagi and Ami more than she was letting on. Rei tried to be stoic all the time, an elegant person, but she didn't need to. Sometimes letting it all out was fine. Rei would become annoyed if Usagi pointed out her true feelings, but Usagi hugged her anyhow.

"Hey, stop that. You know I don't like to be touched." Rei tried to sound annoyed, but it didn't work. A smile tugged at her lips, begging to be unleashed.

Usagi tightened her embrace on her friend. "Nice to see you again too, Rei-chan."

Rei grumbled. She was trying hard to keep frowning, but she let herself smile. Maybe it was being separated from her friends. Maybe it was something in the water. Maybe it was the effect of being in this type of environment.

Whatever the reason, Usagi was happy to see Rei happy.

"It feels good to be almost all together again," Ami said.

"I wish we didn't have to separate anymore." SpongeBob balled a hand. "Let's do our best to stay together from now on."

Usagi didn't have the heart to tell SpongeBob that if they always stayed together, then they'd wouldn't accomplish much.

"Honestly, after what we went through in that city," Mamoru said to the Guardians around him, "all I've been convinced of is that Bikini Bottom is crazier than I thought."

Words of agreement from the rest of the Guardians.

"You guys are whispering again," SpongeBob said.

"Humans do some strange things," Patrick said. "Unless it's part of your superpowers."

"Our powers don't work that way, Patrick." Whatever way he thought they worked. Usagi didn't want to know what was happening in Patrick's head.

"Now we wait for Mako-chan, Mina-chan, and Sandy to come back," Chibi-Usa said. "They should be back in a few minutes.

So they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The sun began to sink over the horizon.

With a stick, Ami drew diagrams in the sand of the device that would allow land creatures to breathe and survive underwater without being affected by the pressure.

They kept waiting.

Usagi resisted the urge to pace in front of SpongeBob's house. Couldn't make anyone more nervous.

Usagi didn't want to call because what if they were in the middle of a fight with the robots, and the sound distracted them, caused them to be zapped or kicked or burned by tartar sauce?

Usagi's thoughts might be illogical to others, but they made sense to her, and that's all that mattered, because no one else was in Usagi Tsukino's head twenty-four hours, seven days a week, but Usagi Tsukino. Besides, no one else had dared to call, either. Maybe they were as illogical as she was.

A taxi drove near SpongeBob's pineapple and dropped off Minako and Makoto.

Usagi's heart leaped. Her legs were running before her brain processed that only Makoto and Minako were in front of her.

Sandy was not with them.

Regardless, Usagi threw her arms around her friends. Felt like they had been separated for an eternity.

Makoto squeezed Usagi back harder than Usagi anticipated, stealing all the oxygen out of Usagi. "Thank goodness none of you were lost."

Usagi drew back, partially from confusion, partially to keep herself from dying of asphyxiation. "Lost?"

" 'Captured' is a better word," Minako said.

Everyone froze. Chibi-Usa, Rei, and Ami had been rushing to hug their friends, but they stopped in mid-stride.

Minako rubbed the side of her helmet. " 'Better' isn't the better word here. I mean, not the most appropriate. I mean that 'captured' is a more appropriate word." She stuck out her tongue. "Sorry to burst this little reunion."

SpongeBob's face fell. "What happened to Sandy?" Poor sponge's eyes became watery. No, no, he couldn't cry.

Minako took a breath. Being the leader often meant bearing bad news. "Sandy, she was captured. By the robots." She cast her eyes to the ground. "And Makoto and I…couldn't save her."

"Why not?" Patrick said. The starfish wasn't as slow as Usagi had first thought, at least when it came to his friends.

Minako glared at the ground. "Because at a time like this, I was selfish and weak." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. As your leader, I should've been stronger."

"No." Makoto wrapped an arm around Minako. "We both failed."

"She's wrong. Okay, so we both might have failed, but it was mainly my fault. Because I rushed in without thinking. Because I was trying to be the leader and set an example for you all. Because I lost my powers, and now I'm plain Minako Aino, not Sailor Venus."

The wind was knocked out of Usagi. "You, you what?"

Minako faced Usagi. "Lost my powers!"

The sun dipped over the horizon, taking the last sliver of sunlight. Minako glared at Usagi. Usagi looked at her.

"Don't look at me like that." Minako grit her teeth. "I've brought this all on myself. On all of you. So don't pity me—blameme."

Usagi had never seen Minako lose her temper. Minako had always remained calm, never taking out her emotions on anybody. No matter what happened. Minako was the most resilient person she knew. But now…

Makoto tightened her embrace on Minako. "It's not your fault."

Minako shook her head. Her bluster was gone. She was letting it all out.

Usagi's eyes softened. "I'm glad you're not keeping secrets from us anymore, Mina-chan."

Minako opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Usagi said, "I don't blame you. None of us do. It's one of the things that happens, unfortunately, try as we might to keep it from happening." Goodness knew that Usagi had tried her hardest to save Chibi-Usa when she was Black Lady. Sometimes, effort alone didn't keep bad things from happening. "Some things are out of our control." Like Usagi becoming Sailor Moon. It was destiny, nothing to do with how Usagi behaved, the decisions she made. It just was.

Minako pursed her lips. "I get it. You all think I'm weak. That's why you're giving me this pep-up speech."

"No, Minako, that's not the case."

"You've got it wrong."

"No one said you were weak. No one even thinksyou're weak."

"Don't think of yourself as weak. You're as strong as you are as Sailor Venus."

"Your words mean nothing," Minako hissed. "I can see it in your eyes. You pity me. You've seen how far I've fallen. How I couldn't save one of our own." She dared look at a gaping SpongeBob and Patrick, the starfish seeming like he didn't quite understand what was happening.

"She doesn't look different than she did as Minako instead of Sailor Venus." Patrick fisted his hips. "Is she sure she lost her powers?"

Rei narrowed her eyes, muttering, "As sure as I am that you can be as thick as a wall sometimes, Patrick."

"Try using your powers," Patrick said. "You can do it, Minako. Go on, try it."

What timing.

A smile twisted Minako's face. "Okay. I'll try it." In her most high-pitched voice, Minako said, "Venus Love-Me Chain," emphasizing the wrong syllables, sounding like a mockery of Sailor Venus. Minako held out her hand into the distance, and the wind kept blowing.

"Don't give me any crap about Minako Aino having the same powers as Sailor Venus. Because Minako Aino tried to save Sandy without her powers. I tried so hard, and all I did was almost get turned into a robot myself. And, yeah, I let myself be captured because, hey, I thought Minako Aino was powerful enough to save Sandy, to let herself be taken to that lab where Sandy was taken—"

SpongeBob's eyebrows shot up. "Lab?"

"—but no, I wasn't. Makoto had to save me, because—"

"Because none of us could do it alone, Minako," Makoto said. "Why do you put everything on yourself?"

"I realize that I can't do everything alone, but that doesn't mean I don't feel…useless." Her voice became soft. Minako opened and closed her hands. "Useless…"

Instead of denying what was not true, Usagi took a different approach. "Why do you think you're useless?" Minako had saved the Guardians time and time again and had beaten Queen Beryl.

Minako peered up at Usagi. Where had the timid side of Minako Aino come from—losing her powers? Had she attached all of her identity to being Sailor Venus? "Because I couldn't save anyone without my powers. It's such a simple and obvious answer, Usagi."

"Just because you lost your powers doesn't mean you're useless."

Minako regarded Usagi. "That's easy to say when you've never lost yours. You're always the most powerful. You don't have to worry about losing yours."

"But I do." Usagi gestured toward the others. "All of us do." Minako couldn't think straight and was taking her anger out on others.

"Sandy was taken to a lab," SpongeBob said. Makoto stepped to him, talking to him and Patrick. Must be telling him about this lab. Ami, Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, Mamoru, and Rei also stepped closer.

"Please don't think that way, Mina-chan," Usagi said. "I promise that we'll find out what happened to you and fix it."

Minako nodded. "I know you will, Usagi-chan. You, you always do." Something flashed through her eyes—regret? She waved toward Makoto. "Go ahead, find out more about the lab Makoto's telling everyone about."

Minako wouldn't say another word about her feelings; she had said too much. Usagi joined the others.

"We don't know if this lab is where the robots are being created," Makoto said. "They could have built several around Bikini Bottom, and Minako, Sandy, and I happened to fall into one."

Ami rubbed her chin. "Underground is quite a location for a lab to be. Especially since you discovered it only because of quicksand. Usually, quicksand isn't as harmful as the quicksand you and the other fish fell into, Mako-chan. Quicksand leaves you stuck in it, but you can wiggle your way out, and it doesn't take you anywhere else, like underground." Her frown deepened. "What a sneaky place to hide a lab. The other labs must be in secret locations."

"Chum Bucket has a huge lab," SpongeBob said.

"It all ties back to Plankton," Rei said. "Small wonder."

"In this lab," Makoto said, "robots are built based on the fish taken there. If the robots are hurt, then the fish are hurt, too."

"That sounds like a problem," SpongeBob said. "Why Sandy, though?"

Makoto shrugged. "I guess they saw that Sandy could fight back against the robots and wanted to create a Sandy-bot that had her power. They've probably been searching for fish who would make powerful robots."

A smile grew on Patrick's face. "Pat-bot. Has a nice ring to it."

"Hope that you're never turned into a robot. The fish looked they were being tortured."

SpongeBob paled. "Tortured?" he squeaked.

Makoto winced. "Well, well, it didn't look that bad."

"That settles it." SpongeBob's voice deepened into its heroic one. "We're saving everyone from these labs, no matter what." In seconds, SpongeBob's attitude had whiplashed. At least SpongeBob didn't stay afraid or sad for long.

Lightning flashed, and the sky darkened. Way too quickly, even for a place like Bikini Bottom.

A gust of wind nearly knocked Usagi over. She gripped Mamoru's bicep, steadying herself. She loved any excuse to touch his muscles.

Clouds resembling the ones from above ground descended from the sky, opening and revealing a circular temple that looked like it had come from Ancient Greece.

A green merman, shirtless, pecs, abs, biceps bulging, flew out of the building and then out of the clouds. He grabbed the sides of the clouds and pulled them closed. He floated above the group, arms crossed. His fin wagged, a shockwave rippling behind the merman, bowling over civilians who stopped and stared, others who had been trying to run. A seashell crowned his head. His brown, wavy hair flowed down to mid-shoulder, his forked beard reaching his chest, his mustache curled at the ends.

This thing took pride in its appearance.

Another human-like creature, a merman, like the ones in the bedtime stories Usagi read to Chibi-Usa. In her stories, the merpeople had been nice. Hopefully, this one was nice, too. But based on his half-lidded eyes and frown, he didn't seem to be.

"King Neptune," SpongeBob breathed. "Straight from Atlantis itself."

Another king? Usagi shuddered. King Neptune did not seem as friendly as King Jellyfish had proven himself to be. And was King Neptune related to Sailor Neptune, or was he a separate being?

"I thought Atlantis was a myth," Ami said, more soft-spoken than usual.

"My Atlantis? A myth?" The king laughed, quaking Bikini Bottom. Laughs shouldn't shake the world. "Of course not. What made you think that?"

Ami kept her mouth shut.

King Neptune shot to Ami, pressed his face to her helmet. "I asked you a question, human, and I expect you to answer it."

"Because I'm not from around here," Ami said, voice softer than before, "and I know nothing and am ignorant."

King Neptune nodded, his nod causing Ami to nod. He drew back, crossing his arms. "A good, true answer." Another wise answer from Ami, playing dumb to appease this merman who thought he was a god.

"I am the god of the sea, Neptune." Lightning flashed in the background, right on cue. He behaved like a god because he was a god. Maybe. "My name must have reached your human land as well. Surely, all of you humans have heard of the legendary god, King Neptune?"

The Guardians and Tuxedo Mask bobbed their heads, answering in the affirmative. Didn't want to piss a god off, especially in Bikini Bottom. King Neptune's eyes roamed over each of them, taking them in.

King Neptune's eyes settled on Patrick. "Ah, the round pink fellow who dared defy me before. Do you dare defy me again?"

"I don't know," Patrick said. "Do you want me to defy you again?"

SpongeBob scrambled in front of Patrick, outstretching his arms in front of his friend. "Forgive him, Your Godliness. He knows not what he speaks of."

King Neptune laughed once more, rattling Usagi. Felt like her brain was knocking about her head, and her teeth chattered. If anything, it gave her another excuse to grab Mamoru's bicep, which was so big that she could feel it through the deep sea dive suit. Destiny had chosen well.

"All right, I won't strike you with a bolt of lightning this time, round pink starfish. But I have come here to ask for a favor. I suppose the proper term is to command you to do my will."

Usagi was getting the feeling that Neptune was a god. The way he talked, the way he opened and closed clouds, the way that he defied physics more than the other creatures in Bikini Bottom…

"See, my Poseidome has a bit of a problem. I've noticed that a foolish fish has unleashed robots upon Bikini Bottom. Normally, I couldn't care less, but a lesser god-in-training accidentally opened the way to Atlantis and let some of those robots into my city. I have punished the lesser god accordingly by striking him with lightning and forcing him to clean the bathrooms every day for a month. I have also made sure that those bathrooms are as dirty as possible by doing horrific things that should not be mentioned in front of the many ladies here."

What an awful punishment. Usagi hated cleaning her room, but cleaning the bathroom too… The things Shingo would do to the bathroom if Usagi was cleaning it instead of her mother.

"My wonderful Atlantis had been breached by the squirrel robot, who then proceeded to spray graffiti on my wonderful buildings and statues of myself and wrap clotheslines around the entrances to my temples, not letting my worshippers enter to bow down to me. And now, my powers are subsiding since they cannot worship me. I thrive on the praise of others. I wither without praise. I have already weakened much. I'm not even powerful enough to strike others with a powerful bolt of lightning, which is lucky for your round pink friend. It took much of my remaining strength to come here to ask for your help in vanquishing this squirrel-bot."

"Squirrel-bot…" Ami said under her breath.

"Sandy," Makoto whispered so that only SpongeBob, Patrick, Tuxedo Mask, and the other Guardians could hear her. Or so she thought.

Neptune leaned his ear toward Makoto, popped out a second ear in his hand and pointed that one toward Ami. "Ah, so you thought that I couldn't hear, could you? Even though I am a weakened god, I am still a god with excellent hearing, and you interrupted my speech. Normally, your interruption would warrant a punishment, but I can't think of any, and striking you with lightning would take more of my meager remaining energy."

Then why had he used his energy to make another ear when he had excellent hearing?

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, if my energy is being depleted, then I won't be able to rule Atlantis. I've done a good job of keeping my energy loss a secret from others, but they'll find out eventually, and then one of the lesser gods might attempt a coup. And I can't have that."

Patrick furrowed his brow. "A coup? Don't you mean a cup?"

"I'll forgive your interruption this time and your attempt to correct I, a god, who is perfect, knows all, and makes no mistakes. Your correction was wrong, by the way. I realize how ignorant you are and will explain for your benefit and for others who might not understand." His eyes drifted to Chibi-Usa, who straightened. She likely knew what a coup was; she'd seen many things in her lifetime. Chibi-Usa didn't let her pride talk. "A coup means that a lesser god will overthrow me, taking me down from my high place and stripping me of my power permanently. The world could fall into disarray if that happens. After all, I take good care of Bikini Bottom."

Not with these robots running around. He should've intervened and destroyed them before his power had been reduced. It took all of Usagi's strength to keep her expression stoic lest she anger this god. She was a naturally expressive person.

"It seems as though you know of this squirrel-bot. Tell me, what do you know of it?"

Minako stepped forward. "The robots have been making robots out of the fish around here, and it sounds like they've made a robot out of Sandy the squirrel, who was helping us defeat the robots. She was captured by the robots."

"I see." Neptune curled a finger through his mustache. "Since you were working with her, it's your fault she was captured."

Minako twitched.

"Therefore, it is your responsibility to defeat this squirrel-bot and save Atlantis."

It was indirectly Neptune's fault for not intervening and destroying the robots in the first place; as a god, he could do whatever he wanted. But Usagi said nothing, and her facial expression betrayed nothing. Maybe after they took care of the squirrel-bot and Neptune's powers were restored, he'd clear out the robots and whisk the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask to Japan. He'd be indebted to them for saving his city.

Neptune spread his hands, and lightning flashed. Wasn't Neptune too weak to use lightning? Maybe the lightning came of its own free will, not from Neptune. "Now, I will take you to my Poseidome, where the squirrel-bot is lying in wait for a challenger. And you all are the challengers. Come!"

Lightning flashed, and Usagi's world whitened. The bright light disappeared as quickly as it had come. Usagi and her friends stood in a boxing arena, just outside the ring. Not what she would've thought a Poseidome would look like. Not that she knew what a Poseidome was, but she didn't think it would look like this.

An audience surrounded the group, sitting in stands, their cheers deafening. Were all these fish cheering for Usagi and her friends?

"Hm, this isn't right." Neptune stroked his beard. "You must enter with gusto."

Entering in a bolt of lightning wasn't gusto?

"I believe that each competitor who fights has seconds, those who help the competitor heal between rounds, if I'm getting my sports right." Neptune nodded twice. "I want this match to be like those matches I see on television."

For a god who acted disinterested in the lives of fish, he seemed more invested than he liked to appear.

"Follow me. I'm afraid I'm out of energy to zap you to the locker room."

The group did so at once. They had been whipped enough by this god without his touching them.

Usagi glanced at Minako, whose shoulders were high. Tense from her outburst earlier. Hopefully, Minako wouldn't let her emotions control her during this fight.

A flash from Neptune's eyes opened the door (hadn't Neptune just said he didn't want to use any of his powers and that he didn't have any more energy?), and the group entered the locker room, which stunk of sweat.

"There are rules to this game," Neptune said. "This squirrel-bot inflicted damage on my wonderful Atlantis, so I would like some entertainment to be wrung out of this. If it looks like you're about to lose—I can't have that, or else I will look like a fool for not choosing the lesser gods to defeat this robot but puny, weak humans and fish instead—then I will change the rules to favor you. But only two people or fish at a time can enter the ring and fight the robot. Think carefully about who would work best together.

"I no longer have any interest in helping you prepare for this match. As far as I'm concerned, you can prepare yourselves while I take a much-needed massage and mani-pedi. All this lying around and not being praised has made me very tired." Another flash of lightning, and Neptune was gone.

"Selfish son of a bitch," Makoto growled.

SpongeBob and Patrick gasped, backing away from Makoto.

"She said one of the naughty words," SpongeBob said. "I'm telling Mr. Krabs when we get back."

"C'mon, you two are men," Minako said. "You can take a little cuss word every once in a while. Besides, what Mako-chan said was true."

SpongeBob tapped his chin. "I don't even know the meaning of that word, but it sounds pretty nice. Maybe it's one of those nice naughty words."

"More importantly," Mamoru said (he didn't sound irritated. Was he used to SpongeBob and Patrick by now?), "how do we prepare ourselves for this match?"

Ami sighed. "I wish I had that device that would let us survive underwater without our suits. This fight would go much more smoothly."

"Your inventing this thing will defy all physics," Makoto said. "Of course it'll take a while."

"I was hoping it would be done, at the very least, before we encountered a giant robot, like it seems we're about to do."

"The suits don't matter," Minako said. "We can fight back. We will fight back. And we'll save Sandy."

The group agreed. Thank goodness Minako wasn't putting the fight all on herself.

Chibi-Usa snapped her fingers. "Maybe Helios will come again. Or, um, not." She twiddled her thumbs. "I mean, I don't want him to come and be defeated by this robot. Maybe he's not powerful enough to beat a giant squirrel robot as strong as Sandy. And his horn might not break through the robot."

"I wanna play first." Patrick raised his hand. "Can I go in first? Please, please?"

SpongeBob cracked his knuckles, stretched his arms. "No, I'll fight first. We aren't hindered by those suits that the rest of you are wearing, and I know Sandy's attacks inside and out. After all, I've fought against her in kah-rah-tae, so I can anticipate her attacks. As long as the robots haven't programmed this Sandy-bot to do anything weird." He nudged Patrick. "Besides, I can warm her up for you, Patrick. And by warm up, I mean weaken."

"As long as I get to play."

"Who should pair up with whom," Rei said, "and who shouldn't fight?"

Everyone was silent. No one wanted to address the elephant in the room—that Minako couldn't fight because she didn't have powers.

"All right, you chickens," Minako said. "Since all of you are too afraid that you'll hurt my feelings if you say it, then I will. I won't participate because my powers aren't working."

The group remained silent, but everyone sunk with relief.

"I won't go, either," Rei said. "I don't want my powers to go haywire, and they're weaker down here. It isn't the time to test anything."

"Your attacks worked pretty well downtown," Mamoru said.

Rei winced. "I caused a lot of trouble while I was attacking, Mamoru-san."

Patrick pouted. "But I wanted to play with you, Rei."

Rei stared at Patrick. Didn't seem as enthused about playing with Patrick as Patrick was about playing with her. Her expression melted into a smile. "I'm flattered, Patrick, truly. But I don't want to hurt you."

"I won't let you hurt yourself. I'll protect you from yourself."

Rei's smile broadened. "To be honest, you frustrate me sometimes, but I think we could work well together, ironically enough. Okay, Patrick and I will team up. And if it doesn't go well, we could switch out once the round is over."

Good point. They could change combinations as they saw fit.

"I'll pair up with SpongeBob," Ami said. "We use similar attacks, and we didn't get to practice in Jellyfish Fields—I suppose we should've practiced combining our attacks instead of eating bubble pie—but we're both smart enough to figure out how to attack together. And my attacks are amplified here."

"Sounds good to me," SpongeBob said. "You all right with that, Patrick?"

Patrick snored and then, before anyone could wake him, he startled awake, snorting. "Yes, yes, I'm awake, yes, SpongeBob, of course I want the cake."

"That's Patrick-speak for, 'I'm fine with that, SpongeBob.'"

SpongeBob and Patrick must be such good friends that they'd created their own language.

"Uh-huh…" Chibi-Usa turned to Usagi. "Anyhow, we transform together, we share an attack… I think it makes sense if we team up."

"Agreed." Usagi wanted to protect her daughter, prove that she was as capable of protecting others as Mamoru was.

"I'll switch out with any of you," Makoto said. "Lightning works especially well on these robots."

"I'll do the same," Mamoru said. "I have only one attack, but I can still fight well." Not that anyone ever doubted Mamoru.

Makoto punched the palm of her hand. "All right. We have our combinations."

Lightning flashed, knocking down a painting of Neptune from the wall. King Neptune appeared from the lightning. What the hell had happened to being out of energy? "I hope you all are ready, because I have lost patience and I am ready, which is all that matters." Neptune's eyes flashed, and the dressing room door ripped off its hinges, revealing the boxing ring. "Go! With style and gusto!"

"Coming out of the red corner…" The announcer's voice echoed. Usagi couldn't see where the announcer was.

The group remained where they were.

The announcer cleared his throat. "I said, coming out of the red corner!"

"I think we should move," Makoto said.

So they moved.

They didn't move gracefully or intimidatingly, but they moved and managed to make their way outside. Usagi and Chibi-Usa tripped over each other's feet in an attempt to move closer to Mamoru. The group crowded in the small hallway leading to the lights, the audience, the ring. The robot.

Instead of a rock song like that played during entrances in real boxing matches, the song that played with a mish-mosh of a sea-like melody that didn't sound intimidating at all. The song wasn't painting SpongeBob, Usagi, and the rest of the group in a tough light. It wasn't helping Usagi's confidence, either, making her feel like a little girl instead of a powerful Guardian.

Minako walked ahead with sure, heavy-footed steps, steel-faced.

"Look at them go, folks," the announcer said. Now Usagi could see the fish clad in a suit and tie. In front of him, a microphone hung by a wire from the ceiling. "With such conviction. Such poise."

Usagi slipped and nearly fell facedown, tripping Makoto, who stumbled. Tripping Minako, who stumbled, facial expression remaining stoic.

Despite the absurdity of it all, this situation was serious. If Minako was taking it so seriously… But her seriousness could be a result of guilt.

Today was not the day for Minako to be dominated by her emotions.

The group waddled into the ring, clambering between the ropes, Mamoru climbing in first and then helping the rest of the group into the ring to prevent further embarrassment. Usagi panted. She had to start running or jumping or something for exercise.

The announcer fish stood outside of the ring, near the ropes. Was that fish standing? Usagi peered to look. It was standing on its fin, head pointed upward, toward the microphone. The most realistic-looking fish (realistic in the sense that the announcer looked like fish in humans' photos) that the group had seen.

King Neptune floated beside the ring, hands perched on his hips.

The audience booed.

"In this corner," the announcer said over the boos, the catcalls, the insults, "a small square guy, a round pink guy, and their little human friends."

"That small square guy is the one who caused this whole robot mess," someone in the crowd shouted. The boos became louder, and SpongeBob deflated.

"He's a traitor to the whole fish race, bringing those humans over here."

The crowd chanted, "Trait-or. Trait-or." SpongeBob folded into himself.

Makoto ground her teeth. Minako and Mamoru kept their expressions stony, Mamoru setting his jaw. Did the audience have to bring these things up at a time like this?

"Don't let them get to you, SpongeBob," Usagi said. "They don't matter right now. It's only us against the robot. We're the only ones who can save Sandy."

SpongeBob averted his gaze to the mat.

"And in this corner…"

A squirrel-bot quadruple Mamoru's size broke through the doorframe at the opposite end of the Poseidome, it was so large, a gaggle of Fodders, G-Loves, and Ham-mers at its sides, some running ahead of it but being crushed by its paws.

"How dare you?" Neptune barked. "I'd shock you with my powerful lightning, but I've commanded this group to defeat you, so I'll have to settle for whatever fearsome punishment they have in store for you."

On all-fours, the squirrel-bot charged toward the boxing ring, its paws imprinting the metal floor, quaking the ground with each step it took. A grin split its face, green radar-like eyed aglow. Its mouth resembled loudspeakers, buck teeth in the middle of its speakers, like the real Sandy. An antenna sat atop its helmet instead of a flower.

"…a giant robot shaped like a squirrel," the announcer finished. The crowd kept booing, but for SpongeBob, their chants of "Trait-or" filling the Poseidome. SpongeBob covered two of his holes. Shut his eyes, slumping to the floor.

SpongeBob was in no condition to fight first.

"Listen, Ami-chan," Makoto said, "like I said earlier, electricity is pretty effective against these robots. Combined with your water attacks, we can defeat this robot quickly. The only thing is, Sandy, wherever she is, might feel the effects of our attacks, too. I don't want anything awful to happen to her."

"Let's try to find her and save her before we go after the robot," Ami said. "I wonder if she's still in one of those vats in that lab."

Minako cringed. "That's a long way to go to save her. But we have to save her, so we have to go there and at least check. Maybe a few of us can leave the Poseidome for a while—"

"Absolutely not." Neptune spread his arms. Minako whipped around, daring to scowl at the god. But the god didn't have many of his powers left, thanks to his vanity and ego not being caressed like a baby. "I brought you here myself, and you shall not leave until you defeat this robot."

Usagi no longer cared if Neptune was a god or not. She would find her way out of the Poseidome, out of Atlantis, to save Sandy.

"If it eases your nerves a bit, I did see a live squirrel—well, sleeping squirrel—thrown inside the robot earlier by other devilish robots."

"That's stupid," Rei said, "to put her in there."

"These robots know what they're doing. That squirrel-bot became ten times stronger after the squirrel was put inside, learning how to lasso and use karate and wrestle."

Ami cupped her chin. "Does that mean that the closer Sandy is to the robot, the more powerful it is?"

"Cease all this useless speculation and planning." Neptune thrust an arm to the ring. "It is time to go and fight."

Ami and Makoto nodded at each other. Makoto boosted Ami into the ring and then Makoto jumped in. Hopefully, after Robo-Sandy was defeated, the robots would think twice about capturing the Guardians or their friends.

Because the Guardians would not be merciful.

Ami stood before Robo-Sandy, Makoto standing beside her, a sure-footed presence in the face of this giant robot.

The referee stood in the middle, looking between and the Robo-Sandy. "The rules were explained to you in the locker room. I want a good, clean fight, folks. Keep yourself guarded at all times."

Ami and Makoto nodded. Robo-Sandy buzzed. A sound of understanding?

"Tap gloves."

Ami and Makoto remained where they were, not daring to near the robot. Trying to tap gloves with Robo-Sandy might result in getting punched.

On two legs, Robo-Sandy ran to the middle of the ring, near the referee. With its paw, it karate-chopped the referee onto the mat and then swatted him sideways, through a poster of Robo-Sandy. Were fish cheering for Robo-Sandy, believing SpongeBob was a traitor and wanting to see the sponge punished?

The bell rang. A clock reading, "3:00"—three minutes—began to count down.

They had three minutes to defeat Robo-Sandy. Maybe more if King Neptune was merciful.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," Chibi-Usa said behind her, "but wouldn't it be better if we fought without rules and restrictions, like without that clock? We could fight to exhaustion, and that would make things more entertaining for you."

"Possibly," King Neptune said, "but I would also like to see as many of you fight as possible and study your abilities." A shriek from Chibi-Usa. Ami and Makoto looked over their shoulders. King Neptune had pressed his face into Chibi-Usa's, making her fall onto her bottom. Mamoru, Usagi, and the rest of the Guardians surrounded Chibi-Usa, ready to defend her if King Neptune snapped. "In other words, don't question me because I know perfectly well what I'm doing."

What a god, making things hard for his enjoyment.

Three metallic stomps echoed throughout the arena, and a shadow darkened Ami and Makoto. Robo-Sandy stood over them, poised to chop both Guardians in half. The robot jumped, arm coming down alongside its body.

Ami and Makoto ran in opposite directions. Robo-Sandy slammed onto the mat, a shockwave knocking Ami onto her back. Robo-Sandy blocked Makoto, so she couldn't see what had happened to her fellow Guardian. Ami pushed herself onto her feet, only for Robo-Sandy to smack its forearm into Ami's upper torso, felling her onto her back once more, saliva spraying from her mouth and splattering on her helmet.

She was not going to be useless like she had been against King Jellyfish and the robots.

"Shine Snow Illusion!" Water blasted out from her hands and froze into ice, smashing into the robot, ice shards cracking the robot's helmet. Robo-Sandy recoiled, staggering backward, wheeling its arms. The helmet kept cracking, and Ami kept shooting; maybe the robot wouldn't be able to survive without its helmet.

"A blast of ice is giving the robot trouble," the announcer said. "How will it fight back?"

Robo-Sandy swiveled around, its back to Ami and Makoto. Sailor Jupiter hovered in the air, aiming her hands at the robot, electricity crackling within, growing. She threw the ball of electricity toward the robot's head.

The robot plucked its head off its neck, Jupiter's electricity whizzing between its neck and its head, exploding against the wall, debris falling, a cry coming from Neptune. Robo-Sandy threw its head into the crowd, where its head bowled over several fish. Robo-Sandy's body jumped, facing Sailors Mercury and Jupiter. It gestured toward itself, like it was saying, "Come and get me now."

"Apparently, the robot has decided to fight back by turning its back and taking off its head. A brilliant strategy."

What the robot had done was foolish. With its head was turned, it couldn't see. Unless there was a genius to the robot's move that Ami didn't realize.

"I have an idea, Mako-chan. I'll fly to the robot's head and shatter its helmet. Could you stay here and distract it for me, please?"

"Sure thing."

Ami gathered energy, a light blue aura surrounding her, and then took to the air. The helmet had stilled…until someone in the stands holding a bag of popcorn tripped over his own feet and tumbled down, the popcorn swirling behind him. The fish rolled into the robot's helmet, propelling Robo-Sandy's head downward. Ami gasped. That head was moving much faster than physics dictated that it should; in fact, physics dictated that that fish shouldn't have been heavy enough to move that head. But physics didn't work in Bikini Bottom.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt," the announcer said. "I felt that from over here. Quite an attack from an innocent fish who needn't involve himself in these affairs." He blew his nose, the horn-like noise louder than the fish's hollers and cheers. "What a selfless sacrifice, inserting himself into such a dangerous, unpredictable situation, even though the fight's been taken outside the ring. According to King Neptune, fighting outside the ring is legal."

"Hey," the referee said from wherever he had ended up. "I'm the ref here. I'm supposed to announce the rules."

"Excuse me?" Neptune boomed.

"Uh, I mean, I'm the little insignificant guy here. I'm supposed to shut up and be quiet and bow down to the almighty King Neptune."

If fighting outside the ring was allowed, and the ring couldn't protect the audience, then what was the point of having a ring?

The head barreled toward the announcer and King Neptune, Robo-Sandy's body spinning. The god's eyes bulged. Neptune snapped his fingers and disappeared in lightning (what had happened to him being too weak to tie his shoes?).

"A giant robot squirrel's head rolling towards me," the announcer said. "What a way for Johnny Elaine to go, crushed between—"

With the announcer narrating his own death, he couldn't move out of the way. Ami dove to the announcer fish, used all her strength to heave the announcer away from the head, which clanged on the side of the ring, the microphone's wire tangling around the head. Ami placed the announcer in the stands. Another microphone descended from the ceiling.

"Johnny's been saved by this generous human whose name we ought to learn," the announcer said.

The other fish didn't know their names yet? To be fair, Ami hadn't learned their names, either. But she couldn't stroke on her ego. Had to focus on saving the others.

Ami launched Shine Aqua Illusion onto the helmet. Combined with the electricity from the microphone and the water conducting that electricity, the head was shocked, electricity darting around it.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

More electricity surrounded the helmet, shot up to the ceiling, where a square orange scoreboard was suspended, reading, "Robot Sandy: -5" and "Team SpongeBob and his Little Human Friends: +5." The time on the scoreboard also continued to count down. Only a minute and a half left in the round.

"Ah, nice electric ball flying thing move from the human in that weird green costume that can't offer much protection," the announcer said. In a way, he was right. The Guardians' miniskirts weren't protective, although they were durable, withstanding many an enemy's beams and flames. In all of Mercury's fights, her miniskirt had never been burnt or ripped off.

The scoreboard creaked. Robo-Sandy's body ran to its head, grabbed it, rolled it on the mat, dissolving the electricity despite Mercury and Jupiter continuing to launch their attacks. The mat must be made of rubber. The body pulled back one of the ring's ropes and snapped it, the rope blurring. White-hot pain flashed through Mercury's torso, and she and Jupiter flew backward, Jupiter hollering. The Guardians crashed into the stands, Ami falling on someone, the fish's carton of popcorn flipping through the air and landing on Ami's helmet, popcorn raining in her vision.

"Hey, get your own box o' popcorn," the fish behind her said. What on earth made that fish think that, in a life-or-death situation, Ami would be concerned with popcorn?

"Keep going, guys!" Chibi-Usa called.

"Right, don't give up," Usagi said.

"You can do it," Rei said.

Robo-Sandy, having put out the electricity, propped the helmet back on its shoulders. It jumped toward Mercury and Jupiter. Toward the audience.

"Seems that the robot has recovered its head," the announcer said. "Its fighting could become that much more effective."

All the fish screamed and scattered, the fish behind Ami kicking the back of Ami's helmet as he scrambled to get away. Ami didn't blame them for not trying to help Ami or Makoto.

Robo-Sandy spread its arms and legs like an eagle. About to crush them.

"Not if I can help it," Sailor Jupiter said, like she had read Ami's mind. Makoto stood, raising her hands. Ami copied Jupiter's stance.

"Shine Snow Illusion!" Ice shards hailed onto Robo-Sandy, Ami pulsing more energy into her attack. Her energy, combined with her attacks being more effective in Bikini Bottom, encased the robot in ice. Unfortunately, the laws of physics in Bikini Bottom were not bent enough so that Robo-Sandy stopped in midair.

Robo-Sandy crushed the stairs and the seats, ice shards flying, knocking fish upside their heads, freezing them in mid-stride.

Jupiter kept her hands aimed at Robo-Sandy, glanced at the fish. Reluctant to launch more attacks because she was afraid that her electricity would spread to the fish.

The crowd began to boo once more, and chants of "Trait-or!" echoed throughout the Poseidome.

"A surprising turn of events. Now the audience believes the human in blue to be a traitor." The announcer was venturing into Captain Obvious territory.

Ami stepped back, biting her lip. She hadn't meant to… She didn't think her stronger attacks would hurt the civilians.

Robo-Sandy flailed, kicking other fish, sending them flying through signs. It was like a scene out of an action novel, fish flying, screams and boos echoing, chants accusing Ami and Makoto of being traitors welling up.

Ami refused to allow these fish to believe she, Makoto, or SpongeBob were traitors.

"Shine Aqua Illusion," she whispered. Less pressurized jetstreams of water flew from her hands, and she spun in a circle, drenching and melting the frozen fish. The ones who had been in mid-stride kept moving like they'd never been frozen. The boos and chants died down, replaced with cheers. Thank goodness these fish seemed to change their minds easily—or their easily changed minds would end up being to Ami and her friends' detriment, perhaps in the next few minutes if they accidentally hurt the fish again.

"And the blue human has saved everyone," Johnny said. "Nice move."

Jupiter grabbed one of Robo-Sandy's arms, stilling that arm. Jupiter ground her teeth, lifting Robo-Sandy a foot off the ground (had Jupiter gotten stronger?) and shoved the robot backward. It was a small shove—a large shove for Makoto, but a weak one for the robot—but a weak shove was all it took for Robo-Sandy to tumble backward, the aisles and stands near the robot clear thanks to Robo-Sandy almost crushing everyone earlier. Robo-Sandy crashed into the arena, and the scoreboard above rattled, creaked, bounced off Robo-Sandy's stomach, rolling into the corner of the ring.

The bell rang.

"That's the end of round one," Johnny said.

"Everyone, go back to your neutral corners," the referee said. Where had he ended up?

Ami and Makoto ran back to their friends, Mamoru and Minako putting two stools in the corner. Ami and Makoto dropped onto the stools. Ami hadn't realized how much Robo-Sandy had taken out of her in those three minutes. She had a newfound respect for boxers.

Ami peered up. Robo-Sandy collapsed, on its buttocks, in its corner, not waiting for a stool to be put down. Smaller robots hurried to the holes in Robo-Sandy's body, the scorched parts of its torso where the electrocution had done its damage, to its cracked helmet. Their hands blurred, nuts and bolts scattering, as the robots repaired as much damage as possible before the next round began.

SpongeBob put a cold compress to Ami's forehead. Felt good, even though she hadn't been hit there directly. "How you feeling?"

"Good," Ami said. Which was the truth.

Makoto heaved out a breath. "Same here. I feel like I could go another round."

SpongeBob's eyes lit up. "I just might take you up on that offer."

"But I won't take your place, SpongeBob. You need to get out there and fight."

SpongeBob's pupils contracted, and he focused on Robo-Sandy. He gulped. "M-me?" His voice had heightened by several octaves.

"Yes, you. The audience may not believe in you, but we do. You need to prove them wrong."

"And if you noticed," Ami said, "after I saved the fish, they started cheering for me instead of booing."

SpongeBob nodded slowly. "I did notice that. Man, here I was all ready to give you a pep talk, and here you are giving me a pep talk instead." His voice deepened into that heroic voice, a wind that affected only SpongeBob blowing. "But I shall give you that pep talk anyhow. Hold this compress."

Ami did.

SpongeBob massaged her shoulders. For a sponge with small hands, his massage relaxed her as much as a professional massager's would. "What're ya doin' out there?" His voice sounded rough, scratchy like a trainer's. "I saw the way that robot took advantage of you. That was a terrible opening, just terrible, Ami. Watcha gotta do is always be on guard. Always. And let those fists and attacks fly. You may be shy when you talk to people, but you can't be shy in the ring, because the ring is not the same as talking. Got it?"

Ami couldn't help but giggle. "Got it."

"What're you gigglin' about? This is serious business."

A smile snaked onto Makoto's face.

SpongeBob whipped his head toward Makoto. "And what're you smilin' about? You were just as bad at some points. What were you doin' in the middle o' that fight, lettin' Ami take on all the responsibility instead of letting your attacks fly? You were hovering there, not doing a thing. Support your teammate."

"I was." Anger ran underneath Makoto's voice. If SpongeBob wasn't her friend, if he wasn't adorable, she would've shouted at him; she hated being accused of not being strong enough to protect her friends.

SpongeBob took his hand off Ami's shoulder for a moment to wag a finger in front of Makoto's face. Makoto drew back, scowling. "Don't you back-sass me, young lady. And don't make that face, neither. I'm your trainer, so listen to me."

"Looks like SpongeBob grew a pair," Minako said under her breath. Rei snickered.

Usagi covered Chibi-Usa's ears. "There are innocent children here."

"So," Makoto said, "since you've found the courage to yell at us and give us all this advice, you should take your own and go out there and fight yourself. Use that same energy you used to yell at us out there in the ring."

SpongeBob's voice heightened several octaves once more, like he'd been hit where his grown pair was. "Uh, I don't think so." He pointed toward the entrance. "Actually, I'd better get back to the pineapple to feed Gary. I'll cheer you on from the comfort and, most importantly, the safety of my own home." He scrambled, legs wheeling in a blur, in an attempt to run. Neptune flew before him, his appearance making SpongeBob yelp and fall onto his back.

"I don't think so," Neptune said. "I summoned you here for a purpose, and you will stay here until your purpose is fulfilled."

SpongeBob gulped thrice. "Yes, Your Godliness."

"Good. You all are doing a fine job at keeping myself and my audience entertained. And this is being broadcast all over Bikini Bottom so, if I'm enjoying this spectacle, I'm sure all the lowly citizens who believe singing dogs are entertaining are also enjoying the show." He returned to his spot near Johnny.

Makoto grit her teeth. "He thinks this is all entertaining? This is life or death for us." SpongeBob nodded rapidly.

"And he called it a spectacle," Usagi said, "like this is a circus instead of a fight to save his Poseidome and Atlantis." Her face grew wistful, her eyes becoming distant. "It'd be a shame if Atlantis were destroyed as soon as we discovered it."

It sure would. Ami had to keep records of the Poseidome and Atlantis somehow. If only she had a camera. Could her Mercury Goggle take pictures?

"But it is entertaining, and it is like going to a circus," Patrick said. "It's like playing a game. Actually, I wanna play next."

SpongeBob's face brightened; he'd found an escape route. Pushing Patrick forward, he said, "Yes, let Patrick play next. I'll play after him, promise." He cracked his knuckles, touched his toes. "I need to warm up first." If he was lucky, then Patrick and Rei would end it, and he wouldn't need to fight at all.

Rei looked the sponge up and down, focusing on his bubble wand. "I bet you do."

"It's okay to be scared, SpongeBob," Chibi-Usa said. "I'm scared a lot of the time. But remember, you're going in with a partner, not alone."

"Yeah. I guess I need to remember that." His eyes shifted. He was still uncertain, still unconfident.

Rei released a breath. "Fine. Patrick and I will go next."

Good idea. Patrick had a lot of energy that could be put to destructive use. With Patrick, they could knock out Robo-Sandy in the next round.

Or the idea might not be so good. Patrick could let his playful thinking best him, causing him to make mistakes that he wouldn't make if he were taking the fight seriously.

A whistle blew. "Seconds out!" The referee had recovered and stood near King Neptune, perhaps hoping to be saved or teleported in case any paws threatened to punch or slap him again. Too bad the referee didn't realize what type of god Neptune was.

Ami and Makoto stood, Mamoru and Minako pulling the stools out of the ring. Both Guardians jumped from the ring, and Rei and Patrick replaced them, Rei climbing inside, Patrick jumping inside, propping Rei onto her feet. Rei didn't scowl like she usually did when others touched her. Was she warming up to Patrick, or was she tolerating his antics?

"Good luck," Ami said. Because with Patrick on Rei's side, who knew how the fight would play out?

The smaller robots scurried out from Robo-Sandy like the cockroaches they were, leaving the robot, Rei, and Patrick inside the ring.

The rings were much smaller in real life than they appeared to be on television. Not that Rei watched television much. On the rare occasions when she did, mostly at Usagi's house (seemed like Usagi spent most of her time watching mind-draining television and playing video games to escape from the burden and responsibility of being the Moon Princess), and she'd happened to see boxing on, the rings looked big. Not the case in real life, where only a few human-sized steps would land her near her opponent. Perhaps because the audience came to see a bloody, intense fight, and the boxing authorities wanted to make it difficult to escape from opponents.

The referee remained near King Neptune. The god pushed the referee forward, the referee falling flat on his face.

"What're you standing around for?" King Neptune said. "I didn't summon you to stand next to me the whole night. Get in there and be a referee."

"Yes, Mr. God, sir, yes." The referee scrambled, his feet struggling to gain purchase on the ground, slipping a few times before standing. He hesitated, gulping at Robo-Sandy, the robot flipping onto its feet, quaking the ground, staggering not only Rei and Patrick but also the audience. Several audience members fell. The fish who Ami had run into earlier, having bought another bucket of popcorn, fell, his popcorn falling and rolling down the stairs, the fish chasing the popcorn, reaching for it. Never mind that he was running toward the dangerous ring. Foolish fish.

If there was a chance that Robo-Sandy wouldn't interpret her move as an assault and attack her, Rei would help the referee inside the ring. His getting slapped was enough abuse, and he didn't need verbal abuse from Neptune to go with it. Neptune was an insufferable bastard.

The referee clambered inside, shaking. Walked haltingly toward Robo-Sandy, gulping in time with every step he took. Rei edged forward. If need be, she would save the referee.

The referee looked to Rei and Patrick. "Are you ready?"

"To play?" Patrick bounced up and down. "Of course. I wanted to play as soon as I saw this strange-looking robot." He scratched his head. "It looks awfully familiar, but I can't quite place who it looks like."

When Rei thought that he had said the most stupid thing he would ever say, Patrick exceeded her expectations and topped the most stupid thing he said before.

The referee's eyes moved to Rei. "Are you?"

"Yes." Rei glared at Robo-Sandy. The fire burning within her was leaping, ready to burst, mostly at the smaller robots that had accompanied Robo-Sandy. They were responsible for bringing Robo-Sandy here, for capturing Sandy and doing who-knew-what to her. Rei hadn't even been there when Sandy was captured, but she was as angry as Minako and Makoto were. "Yes" was an understatement. Rei wanted to burn these robots alive.

The referee mechanically turned toward Robo-Sandy. "A-a-a-a—"

Someone rang the bell. Robo-Sandy stepped to the referee in two strides. Rei took off her glove and aimed, but Robo-Sandy kicked the referee into the ring's ropes behind Rei and Patrick, the referee shooting past Rei and Patrick in a blur. The referee sprung off the ropes, blurring past Rei and Patrick once more.

"Spur-ring!" the announcer said unnecessarily. "The robot couldn't wait for that bell to ring. It's raring to fight."

Robo-Sandy kicked the referee toward Rei and Patrick.

"Catch him, Patrick," Rei said. "It's part of the game the robot wants you to play."

Patrick's eyes lit up. "Game?" The starfish jumped in front of the referee and caught him, lifting the referee above his head. "Yay, we're playing 'Catch.' I love this game." He lifted the referee over his head. "Back to you, Mr. or Mrs. Robot. I can't tell whether you're a boy or a girl."

"No, Patrick," Rei said. "Give him to the announcer guy instead. He wants to play, too."

"I didn't hear him say the magic words."

A vein popped onto Rei's forehead. "And what are the magic words?" she ground out between grit teeth.

"Alakazama—"

Robo-Sandy thrust itself onto the ground, quaking the ring more vigorously than before.

"Blooo!" Patrick finished, losing grip of the referee. The referee fell onto Patrick's head, knocking the starfish down onto Rei. They toppled in a heap.

Had Rei been in her right mind when she agreed to work with him, or was she willing to be frustrated and gain a desire to hurt Patrick herself?

The referee scurried off Rei and Patrick, flipping both onto their backs, and then leaped out of the ring, telling Neptune, "They were gonna kill me, Your Highness."

The robot's shadow fell over Rei and Patrick. Thanks to Patrick messing around, Rei and Patrick were about to be crushed.

But Rei's glove was still off. The fire because of the robots' capturing Sandy and Patrick's stupidity was gnawing her insides. Had to get out now.

"Mars Snake Fire!" Fire burst out of Rei's hands, narrow like a snake. The fire snake wrapped around Robo-Sandy's arms, binding them, heating its suit so that Robo-Sandy's suit reddened. The robot screamed, a tinny noise echoing throughout the arena. The audience covered their nonexistent ears.

"An awful noise emanates from the robot as the human's fire wraps around it," the announcer said. "That's gotta sting."

Rei scowled. My attack more than stings, you simpleton. The announcer couldn't imagine how deadly Sailor Mars' attacks were.

"Ooh, it glows," Patrick said, the fire reflected in his eyes, crackling. "How pretty."

Her attacks were too deadly to be pretty.

In its agony, Robo-Sandy staggered, tripped over its own feet, fell toward Rei and Patrick.

Even Patrick couldn't catch a giant robot. "Come on, Patrick, we have to run."

Patrick held out both hands. He was going to try and catch a robot that was five times larger than him. "No, I can catch her. Besides, you guys said that Sandy might be hurt every time you guys hurt her or something, right? Then I want to make sure that she doesn't get hurt as badly."

Rei's expression softened. "I thought you thought this was a game."

"Yeah, but—"

Robo-Sandy descended. If Patrick couldn't catch the robot, then Rei would be crushed, too. Still, she remained in place. She couldn't leave Patrick after his realization that everything might not be a game.

"I'll help." Rei held out her hands even though she didn't have one muscle that was strong enough to catch this robot.

Patrick brightened. "Yay, we're playing together. I was gonna ask if you wanted to join me."

Sandy fell. On Rei's arms first, since hers were longer than Patrick's. Her arms buckled, threatening to snap off their sockets.

Was this going to be the worst mistake Rei made? She liked to think of herself as a rational person; she never did things like trying to catch a giant robot that she obviously couldn't catch.

"Rei-chan, no!"

"Rei, what're you doing?"

Rei's knees buckled next, and she collapsed to her knees. All the willpower in the world couldn't keep her up.

Maybe her own stupidity was the price of being in Patrick's company.

She hadn't thought through her pushing against a giant robot. Now her friends might try to jump in the ring to help her, defying King Neptune's rules. Despite what the god said, he was powerful enough to fry her friends into charred caricatures of themselves.

Patrick was teaching her something, too. She wasn't quite sure what it was—to loosen up a bit?

Putting herself in a life-threatening situation wasn't her idea of loosening up. It was the epitome of stupidity.

The robot slammed onto the palms of Patrick's hands. Patrick groaned, veins popping his narrow, empty-seeming head. The first time she had seen him strain.

"You're…playing…a great…game…" Patrick ground out. "But your turn's over, Mr. or Mrs. Robot. It's my turn now." His biceps swelled, veins popping from his biceps, weaving down his arms. Patrick pushed, taking most of the burden from Rei.

Despite Patrick's power, the starfish needed Rei's help. Power wasn't Rei's strong suit. Fire was.

And the fire in her was leaping, thanks to Patrick's concern for her.

The attack came out; Rei didn't have a name for it. The fire represented her love toward her friends.

Her friends included the Sailor Team. Included Mamoru.

Included SpongeBob. Included Sandy.

Even Patrick.

The flames didn't seem to be weakened by Bikini Bottom. A narrow train of flames, like Mars Snake Fire, but breaking up into several smaller fireballs, like Burning Mandala, exploded in succession on Robo-Sandy's upper chest. Robo-Sandy reeled backward, screaming. Patrick pushed the robot back farther.

Sandy's scream emerged from the robot's scream, mixing with the robot's scream.

Patrick gasped, his power faltering. "Sandy."

The robot began to fall forward once more.

Rei forced a laugh, hoping her laugh sounded convincing. "It's just a game, Patrick, a game, remember? Sandy can't feel our attacks as much as it sounds like she can." Which probably wasn't true, but Patrick needed to fight at his full power.

"Ah, that's right. Let's play some more." Patrick shoved. Robo-Sandy slammed on its back, flailing, its head snapping off and rolling. The starfish pointed at the head. "Look at it go." He ran toward the head, Rei wanting to keel over and catch her breath and make sure her arms were attached.

The thing was, she probably would do something as daring and reckless as catching a robot with her bare hands if her friends were in danger.

Was supporting her friends stupid?

Rei couldn't think about such a question in the heat of battle. Patrick picked up Robo-Sandy's head, looking around. His eyes settled on the fallen scoreboard in the corner of the ring. He looked from the head, to the scoreboard, and back.

"Looks like it should be plugged in there." He threw the head to the scoreboard's wires, the wires plugging into the head. Electricity surrounded the head. Robo-Sandy writhed, its head and body reddening.

Here was a chance to find and rescue Sandy.

Rei would start searching inside the robot. Quickly, before it recovered its head.

Robo-Sandy's body spun in place, outstretching its arms.

Rei sped toward Robo-Sandy. Robo-Sandy's body stopped, facing its head. It gestured toward its head, which flew toward its neck.

Rei gaped. What had these smaller robots installed Robo-Sandy with to make parts of its body able to fly?

Nevertheless, Rei channeled more energy, pushing herself to fly faster. Hovered in front of the head, near a hole in its neck leading to the inside. A faint, eerie glow lit the inside, but the glow wasn't bright enough for her to see Sandy.

Rei pulled off her other glove. Flames sparked in her hands. "Burning Man—"

A ball of pink caught her eye.

Patrick was climbing up Robo-Sandy's body, grabbing crevices in the robot's armored suit.

"I'll save ya, Rei." Patrick grunted, pushing himself near the acorn on Robo-Sandy's suit. "I won't let the bad head hit ya."

Rei appreciated Patrick's heartfelt gesture, but not his idiocy.

Fire burst from Rei's hands, spreading into smaller balls of flame and exploding on the robot's flying head. The head didn't stop flying, and its body stomped its feet. Losing his balance, Patrick hollered, spiraling off the robot and slamming to the mat. Rei could hear the thud from yards away.

Patrick groaned. "What beautiful hot wings you have, sir."

Yup, Patrick was done.

The robot flailed, smacking Rei toward the head. Rei crashed into the side of the helmet, stars exploding in her vision. The audience gasped, cringed.

"Oooh!" the announcer said. "That's gotta sting even more."

Oh, yes, it stung. They must be paying the announcer a ton of money to point out the obvious.

The heat from Rei's own attack combined with her getting hit by a giant head did not create a pleasant sensation.

Rei careened backward, spinning.

Despite her pain, she hoped the round wouldn't end. She had a lot to teach this robot.

Rei parted her eyes as she flew toward the scattering audience. Robo-Sandy caught its head but then dropped it, toward Patrick, stomping harder from the heat. Unless he got his mind off hot wings, the starfish would be crushed.

Patrick remained as still as the dead. Showed no sign of waking up anytime soon.

"Hey, Patrick," Rei shouted. "I have pizza."

Patrick's bloodshot eyes shot open. "Pizza?" His eyes settled on the flying head.

"Allyouhavetodoisdodgethathead." If she had said it any slower, then the head would crush the starfish.

"Do I get a bonus prize if I catch it?"

Before Rei could say that the head would burn his arms off so he wouldn't be able to enjoy any bonus prizes, Patrick outstretched his arms and caught the head.

"Do I get two pizzas and roast beef if I throw it?" Patrick threw the head into Robo-Sandy's torso, barreling the robot onto the ground, its fingers touching the scoreboard's wires. It writhed once more.

"Nice move by Patrick and, I guess, his human friend wearing a miniskirt, who I supposed helped too."

Of course Rei had helped. Was the announcer deaf?

Pain burst on Rei's back, knocking the wind from her. She had landed on the stairs of the audience stands. Now she had to get inside Robo-Sandy and save Sandy and destroy the robot, all while Robo-Sandy was incapacitated, and the Guardians, SpongeBob, and Patrick would win.

Rei flew toward Robo-Sandy. Time to finish the fight and rescue Sandy.

The bell rang.

"Time!" the referee said.

Rei groaned. She was almostthere. If she wasn't afraid King Neptune would strike her with lightning, then she'd break the rules and save Sandy anyhow. Because saving Sandy didn't matter if she lost her own life in the process to a lazy god.

"Ah, and the referee calls time just as it seems like this match was about over," the announcer said. Thanks for rubbing it in her face. "Saved by the bell for the robot. Not so much for this strange human female and the round starfish."

The referee pointed to each corner. "Go back to your neutral corners."

Rei landed, walked back to her corner, Patrick falling in step beside her. They both collapsed onto the stools that Minako and Mamoru placed under them; they couldn't have put them down fast enough. Rei hadn't realized how tired she was. But she should've expected the tiredness that crushed her like a weight. After all, along with Patrick, she had fought a fifty-foot tall robot.

Along with Patrick. A few hours ago, walking with Patrick seemed impossible without her strangling the starfish. Now, fighting was (almost) no problem.

She smiled at the starfish. "Good job, Patrick. We fought well together." He had unlocked her hidden stupidity mode, but they had almost won.

"Fighting?" Patrick placed a finger on his chin. "I thought we were playing a game to save Sandy from the evil monkey man from the ninth dimension."

Rei's smile broadened. "Sure." She had gotten used to Patrick by now, and she wasn't going to change him, so she might as well enjoy him. And she was genuinely enjoying him. Dare she say that she wouldn't mind spending an afternoon with him. Their conversations would be…something to behold, but they'd have fun together.

"And where's my two pizzas with roast beef?"

"I'll give them to you tomorrow."

SpongeBob ran behind Patrick, throwing a cold compress over his head, making it look like he was wearing a dunce cap. "All righty, then, good job out there." He tossed his head toward Ami and Makoto. "You certainly did better than those two maggots."

"Insulting us when we're standing right here…" Ami said.

"But they must've been an example to you, an example not to be that bad. So you did better. And you almost won." SpongeBob thrust his head into Rei's face, veins protruding from his neck, and yelled, "But almost isn't good enough," blowing back Rei's hair, spittle splattering on her face.

Rei gave SpongeBob a look that was as sharp as a sword. The fire in her was about to leap out. Not because of a desire to protect, but because of anger at SpongeBob's invading her personal space.

SpongeBob must've seen the look on her face, because he drew back, placing his hands and knees on the mat and saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Please don't burn my face off. I was just having some fun. I didn't mean any of it." He hugged her leg. "Please, have mercy upon me," he sobbed against her leg.

Rei broke into a smile, her anger and fire evaporating. "I won't burn you, SpongeBob." Despite his and Patrick's quirks, she liked them without understanding why. Rei could see why Squidward seemed to not like them, but at the same time… Rei shouldn't like SpongeBob and Patrick. They weren't her type of people—fish. But she did. She wanted to put her all into protecting and helping them fight the robots.

When she first landed in Bikini Bottom and found out about the robots devastating their land, if she had had a chance to return to Japan, then she would've taken it, thinking that the fish here could handle their own business while the Guardians and Mamoru tended to their own. But now, she wasn't so sure. She might've decided to stay in Bikini Bottom, leaving the Dead Moon Circus to the Outer Guardians.

If only she could've rescued Sandy. She would always be indebted to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy for saving her and her friends' lives.

She wished she could finish the fight, but it was better if someone who was fresh and energetic went.

The smaller robots worked to repair Robo-Sandy, the giant robot slumped in the stool. Robo-Sandy didn't have long to last now.

Whoever went next would finish the fight.

SpongeBob wasn't ready.

He wasn't sure he would ever be, fighting against Robo-Sandy, with its powerful attacks that had given the superhero-like Guardians trouble.

Especially fighting when his attacks would harm Sandy. How could he find the courage, the wherewithal to fight Robo-Sandy? Despite their own reservations, the Guardians and Patrick had fought the robot, but SpongeBob had the most reservations out of all of them.

SpongeBob trembled. What business did a small sponge like him have, going up against a giant robot?

Well, he had challenged a god before, the god in question summoning him because of his fry cooking skills. But before, he was doing what he did best. Although he loved kah-rah-tae, SpongeBob wasn't a fighter. He only chopped boards and occasionally sparred with Sandy. All he had was his bubble wand that wouldn't stand a chance against a robot the size of Godzilla.

A hand on his shoulder caused him to jump.

Usagi knelt beside him. "Hi, SpongeBob. How're you feeling? You fell silent all of a sudden."

He'd been courageous enough to criticize his friends, even if his acting as a second was for fun. "Well, if I recall, I did forget to feed Gary this morning." He really had forgotten to feed Gary. "But Gary's resourceful. He does pay the electric bill, so he should be able to fend for himself."

"Pay the electric bill?" Ami sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't look too much into it."

"I've learned not to look too much into a lot of things around here," Mamoru said.

"I did ask how you were feeling," Usagi said, "not whether you forgot to feed Gary."

SpongeBob tapped his fingers together. "Well, I do feel a little tired. I mean, we've been running around all day. And you know what, I feel…uh, kinda scared about facing this giant robot next. Because you all told me I had to. But I'm not warmed up yet, so maybe one of you should go first."

"I don't think so. You have to face your fears. Besides, Sandy would be offended if you didn't try to save her."

"Of course," Chibi-Usa said, "I think she'd understand if you didn't fight because you were afraid to hurt her. But I think she wouldn't mind if you hurt her to save her, if that makes sense."

"It does." SpongeBob watched the smaller robots tear nuts and bolts from Robo-Sandy in an attempt to repair it in the meager amount one minute before the next round began. Were they hurting Sandy, too, by ripping off parts of Robo-Sandy's body and throwing those nuts and bolts to the floor?

He knew better than to keep using excuses when his friend was in danger.

"Okay. I'll go." Getting out the words rattled his jaw, like his body didn't want to say them. Afraid of what would follow his words—being squished, electrocuted, torn into two, or something that was unmentionable to children.

"Great!" Usagi looked ahead, something unlocking in her eyes that SpongeBob couldn't place. "I'll help you." Her voice lost its warmth.

"You sound kinda scary," SpongeBob said. Her emotion-devoid voice wasn't helping SpongeBob's nerves.

Her eyes lit up, became full of warmth once more, as did her voice. "Oh. I'm sorry. It happens sometimes."

SpongeBob blinked at Usagi. The Guardian had been nothing but nice since she came, and now, her voice, her eyes, her body language were the first signs of anger that the sponge had seen.

He shouldn't worry about Usagi's emotions much. Usagi would never hurt anyone unless that someone was a robot.

The referee blew his whistle. "Seconds out!"

"I'll cheer as loud as I can from here," Minako said. "Go finish this."

"Patrick and I would've beaten that robot and saved Sandy if the bell didn't ring," Rei said. "That robot can't have been completely repaired by now."

"Go on, you guys," Patrick said. "Go be heroes and save the world."

"There's no way you'll lose," Chibi-Usa said. "Especially by combining your powers."

SpongeBob straightened. Yes, he could do this. With Usagi, they'd save Sandy and Atlantis.

He was ready.

The referee stomped on the floor. "Seconds out! Seconds out!"

"We heard you the first time," Minako barked.

SpongeBob's friends jumped out the ring, Mamoru and Minako taking the stools. Usagi remained so close that SpongeBob could feel her warmth.

SpongeBob stepped farther into the ring, toward its middle, and the audience began to boo, chanting, "Trait-or." But SpongeBob didn't let himself feel badly this time. Ami hadn't, and she'd proven the audience wrong. So had Usagi and Ami by helping Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff in Jellyfish Fields.

If his heroes could do it, so could SpongeBob.

Best of all, he wasn't alone.

"Folks, this stellar match is almost over," the announcer said. "Not because there are a certain number of rounds, but because the robot's been so badly damaged that I wouldn't be surprised if it could last only one more round."

Robo-Sandy jumped onto its feet, the robots behind it scrambling onto the floor. The robot seemed to be one-hundred percent repaired, as vigorous as it had been at the beginning of the fight.

"Calm down, SpongeBob," Usagi said. "Everyone's with you, cheering you on."

SpongeBob heard his friends above the boos, the cries accusing him of being a traitor. His friends were cheering for SpongeBob and Usagi. Despite them being few compared to the audience members, his friends' cheers permeated above the audiences' boos.

SpongeBob lifted his head, looking at Robo-Sandy, raising his bubble wand. He was more than ready.

The bell rang. SpongeBob swallowed down the fear that threatened to paralyze him.

Robo-Sandy charged.

Backward.

Away from SpongeBob and Usagi.

"What is it doing?" Usagi remained on guard, SpongeBob could see from her high shoulders, her tight grip on Moon Kaleidoscope. Stood and awaited Robo-Sandy's next move. SpongeBob did the same.

Robo-Sandy jumped backward, into the ropes, and then sprung forward, its boots and hands extending, wires bridging the gap between its shoulders and its boots and hands, its arms and legs parallel from each other.

"Spur-ring!" Johnny said. "The old clothesline move."

SpongeBob readied himself to jump. Usagi lifted SpongeBob by the arms, flew him above the robot. Robo-Sandy released one of its hands from the ropes, and its hand snapped up, smacking SpongeBob and Usagi. They careened into the ceiling, crashing into one of the lights, Usagi grunting, her back taking the brunt of the blow. Light flashed in SpongeBob's vision. Shards pierced SpongeBob—he couldn't feel dull physical attacks, but he could feel cuts and sharp objects. The shards stuck into him and, based on Usagi's hitching breath, Usagi as well. SpongeBob cried out.

Usagi and SpongeBob began to fall, Usagi holding strong to SpongeBob. Releasing itself from the ropes, Robo-Sandy flipped onto its hands and karate-kicked the duo. SpongeBob and Usagi shrieked into the opposing wall. Robo-Sandy laughed.

The audience below SpongeBob and Usagi scattered, not daring to get in the way of the fight again. One audience member said, "The traitor is trying to get us all killed and destroy Atlantis. That's why he's losing."

SpongeBob wouldn't let their insults eat away at him. He and Usagi slid down the wall. Usagi flew, unhooking one of her arms from SpongeBob's underarms.

"Rainbow Moon Heartache!" Her shout made SpongeBob's ears ring. Maybe the louder they shouted, the more powerful their attacks were. SpongeBob ought to try shouting louder sometime.

Hearts spiraled from Usagi's Moon Kaleidoscope, smashing through the robot's helmet, through Robo-Sandy's speaker-like mouth, cutting off the robot's laugh. The shards of its helmet hailed to the floor, leaving its head bare.

"It's an opening," Rei shouted. "One of you can go inside and break it from there and rescue Sandy while the other stays outside and distracts the robot."

"You go inside since you can fly and I can't," SpongeBob said. "I'll keep this robot busy."

Usagi nodded. "Okay. You can do it." She flew toward the mat.

Robo-Sandy gripped the sides of its head and popped it off. It hurled the head toward the duo.

"I can do it." SpongeBob blew into his bubble wand, waved it over his head, creating a jet-propelled helmet that rocketed him out of Usagi's grip, into the steel-like head. He accordioned against the head and then fell toward the mat. He blew bubbles over his feet.

Meanwhile, Usagi flew as fast as she could, unleashing another Rainbow Moon Heartache, the hearts spiraling into Robo-Sandy's upper torso, felling the robot onto its back, below SpongeBob. The sponge bashed his bubble feet onto its torso, denting the steel.

SpongeBob remained on Robo-Sandy. Attacking at close-range might be more effective.

Usagi's tiara, which she had regained once de-transforming and transforming again into Sailor Moon, turned end-over-end, slamming into the robot's torso, near SpongeBob, but the steel wasn't dented. A second later, Usagi floated beside SpongeBob, snatching her tiara.

An idea popped into his head. "Here." He blew a bubble around the tiara. "Try hitting it now."

Usagi's expression filled with disbelief and then she squared her face once more. "It might work, based on everything that's happened down here so far."

Robo-Sandy flailed, SpongeBob struggling to keep balance. Usagi threw her tiara, and the tiara stuck into Robo-Sandy's upper torso. The gem in her tiara glowed.

"Moon Twilight Flash!"

A beam struck through Robo-Sandy, shooting out Robo-Sandy's back, through the mat, jolting the arena.

"Oooh!" Johnny said. "A devastating combination flashing bubble thing attack from the human lady and SpongeBob."

Wires stuck out the hole left from Usagi's attack, electricity crackling around the robot. In the stands, where the head had landed, the head jerked about. The audience members had abandoned the area in which the head resided.

Chibi-Usa paled. "Is it gonna explode? What if Sandy's in there?" Her jaw dropped. "She might blow up right along with it."

"We have to save her before that happens," SpongeBob said.

Usagi was gone.

She had flown toward the robot's opening. Despite the electricity around it, it karate-chopped Usagi and karate-kicked SpongeBob, sending them barreling backward.

The electricity intensified.

"It looks like this match is just about over." The announcer sounded relieved, but panic was crushing SpongeBob. The robot's explosion could spell the end for Sandy.

Minako had to do something. SpongeBob and Usagi were having a hard time getting inside this robot, whose defense mechanism kicked into high-gear now that exploding was imminent, ironically enough. Maybe the smaller robots had designed Robo-Sandy with a mechanism that activated when it was going to explode so that others would be caught in the blast, too.

Minako couldn't fight at all.

Usagi flew once more. SpongeBob blew into his bubble wand, creating a jet-powered helmet, propelling himself. Robo-Sandy's head floated before them and blocked their way. How the hell?

Regardless, they might not be able to make it in time to save Sandy before the robot exploded.

So Minako had to be reckless one more time. Thankfully, she'd have her friends on her side.

She'd tell her friends first, not jump into the fray without warning. She wouldn't let her being powerless get in the way of her saving Sandy, especially when Sandy being captured was partially her fault.

Minako told her friends, "I'm going. Don't try to stop me. You're either coming with me or staying here. But you're not stopping me." She was expecting Makoto to manhandle her back, but her friend didn't.

Minako ran forward. Neptune appeared before her in a bolt of lightning. "Didn't I command you all that only two go in at a time?"

"Screw that!" Minako slid under Neptune's fin, Neptune's eyes bulging. She grabbed the rope and then flipped, head-over-heels. Landed on the mat. She'd be damned if she let a self-obsessed god's silly rules cost her friend.

The robot's head left a hole where its neck was. Minako veered toward the hole, ignoring the electricity as best she could, because if she focused on it, then she would make herself hesitate with fear; hesitation could be fatal for Sandy.

Robo-Sandy had knocked Usagi and SpongeBob back when they tried to get inside. If the robot did the same to Minako, then she'd be killed. But she didn't care. She had to try.

Minako neared the hole in the robot's neck. The robot's arm moved in a blur, only for lightning to strike its arm, stilling it. Minako glanced back. Electricity crackled around Makoto's raised arm. She had launched one of her own attacks.

"That's it!" Neptune roared, shaking the Poseidome. "I forbid any of you from interfering. The next one of you who tries will face my wrath."

By the time Neptune started shouting, Minako had entered the hole.

She ran through almost complete darkness, the lights from the Poseidome illuminating the way through the robot. She dodged hanging wires; didn't want to entangle herself in one of them and expedite its exploding.

The area brightened, opening into a wide-open area. Jet-propelled platforms swung around the area, perhaps to make it harder for trespassers to traverse.

More jumping. Minako was thankful that she participated in gymnastics and volleyball in school. Finally, something school was good for.

Arms and legs outstretched, Sandy hung in the middle of the robot, eyes open but blank. Ropes attached to the platform on which she hung, resembling nerve endings, were tied around each of her wrists and ankles. She flailed in time with the robot.

A Viking helmet crowned Sandy's own. Maybe the helmet was brainwashing her to unconsciously control the robot and attack her friends. Seemed like she could feel the Guardians', SpongeBob's, and Patrick's attacks, too; scars and scratches covered her body, unless those marks had been the robots' faults.

But here Sandy was. And here Minako was to save her.

The robot's eyes were transparent so that Minako could see what was happening outside. The robot stared at the ceiling, which wasn't much help right now.

Duplicatotrons stood on the ledges lining the edge of the robot, shooting Chucks.

Minako reached the end of the walkway and jumped to a floating platform. The Chucks hurled water missiles, but Minako jumped once more, landing onto the next platform. Two more and then she'd reach Sandy.

She ran to the end of the circular platform, jumped. The Chucks pelted missiles. She couldn't steer herself in midair, so whatever happened, happened. She kept her eyes on Sandy. Only her friend mattered.

One missile exploded on Minako. Water covered her vision, launched Minako sideways. She slammed onto the ledge of a platform, where one of the Duplicatotrons stood. Staggering to her feet, she punched the machine. It powered down, its sign reading "Duplicatotron 1000" falling off. Electricity crackled around it.

Minako didn't move.

The machine exploded, propelling Minako back toward where she needed to be, toward Sandy. Heat seared her, but she ignored the pain. Her side slammed onto the platform, and she slid, nearly falling off the platform but grabbing its ledge, dangling by both hands. Another missile exploded right in front of her, but she tightened her grip, allowing the water to drench her, the wind from the missile threatening to throw her off the platform, but she held fast. Because if she didn't… There was nothing below her. She didn't know where she'd end up, if she'd be able to get back up to help Sandy.

She climbed onto the surface. Sandy chopped her hand, and another explosion rocked Minako, this explosion coming from outside. Sandy recoiled, yelping, jerking in her harnesses, wanting to break free. The robot must've tried to chop another one of Minako's friends, but Minako's friends had retaliated.

Minako ran to Sandy, tore off the Viking helmet, but Sandy didn't awaken. She gripped one of the harnesses keeping Sandy captive.

The inside of Robo-Sandy flashed red and white, nearly blinding Minako.

"Defense activated," a female robotic voice said. She lost her breath. Weren't the Chucks and Duplicatotrons enough of a defense mechanism?

Minako pulled. Had to hurry more. The fiber snapped, and Sandy's arm hung down. One down, more than Minako could count to go.

She grabbed two fibers at once with both hands. Pulled, snapping them off.

Below, a steaming, red liquid bubbled. Red anything was almost never good.

At the other end of the robot, the wall slid open, darkness inside. A screeching noise echoed throughout the hollow robot, becoming louder as the seconds passed.

The liquid brightened. Moving faster than she anticipated.

Minako pulled the next fibers off, pulled others off, kept pulling them off, tugging, biting one and snapping that off to go faster, head throbbing from the strain. She grabbed, tugged, not snapping the fibers. Were these fibers becoming tougher the more she pulled off, another part of the robot's defense mechanism?

More heat began to sear Minako. The liquid below was lava, threatening to burn her alive.

Veins on Minako's arms bulged, and she pulled like she had never pulled before. The fibers snapped.

Minako ran to the last quadrant of fibers, kneeling to reach them. Pulled with her hands, clamped her teeth over one and pulled. Sandy sagged onto the ground.

The lava below burst forth.

Putting in all of her energy, Minako gave one final pull.

The rest of the fibers snapped.

Before Sandy could hit the ground, Minako swept Sandy into her arms and jumped, nanoseconds before the lava melted the platform where Minako and Sandy had been. Minako landed on the next platform and jumped onto the next one, the next one, kept jumping until she reached the walkway.

The lava behind her fell, plopping into the darkness. Minako glanced back, sprinting toward the entrance. Fire jetted forth from the open wall. Minako's eyes widened.

She ran faster than she thought she was capable of.

Her feet slammed on the metal walkway, echoing. Her track and gymnastics coach would be proud to see her moving so fast. Death was a strong motivator.

The flames closed in. Despite Minako's speed, the flames moved faster than Minako was running.

A faint light glowed in the distance. The exit.

Those flames were getting so close that they burned her back, threatened to melt her deep sea dive suit.

Minako jumped, flipping onto her back and sliding on the floor. She released a howl; her back had been burned by the flames, and sliding on her back was intensifying the pain. The slick walkway quickened her, moving her faster than she had been running. The light grew brighter and brighter, but the flames came closer and closer, the heat searing her front and, since she hugged Sandy to the front of her body, Sandy by extension. She couldn't fight against the flames. Had to get out.

Wrapping one arm across Sandy, she used her open arm to push herself, quickening her pace, the flames making her explode into sweat. She howled louder, a noise she didn't know she could make. No suitors would want to touch her if they heard her making this primal noise.

Minako emerged in the light, rolling onto the mat, the fire jetting above her, enflaming the ring's ropes. Didn't give herself a second to rest but scrambled onto her feet, jumping down from the mat, laying Sandy on the floor. She swiveled, facing the robot. Her legs shook, but the adrenaline wouldn't let them give out on her.

The rest of her friends and the smaller robots had entered the ring. Despite King Neptune's warnings, they were all fighting. Neptune's face had reddened, but he regarded them all quietly, either because of weakened powers, curiosity, or a realization that, with all the Guardians, sea creatures, and Mamoru working together, he wouldn't be able to defeat them, no matter the extent of his powers.

And if they were stronger than a god, then they were stronger than a giant robot.

Robo-Sandy fell, limp. The electricity around it became more plentiful, nearly covering the robot.

The robot sat up, swung its arm. It could still move without Sandy inside it.

"I'm gonna try one more time. Here goes." SpongeBob wheeled his arm like he was bowling, and a bubble bowling ball formed in his hand. He threw the ball, pierced through the robot's arm. The robot shattered. Broken.

More electricity surrounded it.

"It's gonna explode." Chibi-Usa whipped his head around the arena. "Where do we go? Where do we take everyone else?"

"Not on my freshly waxed floors, it won't." Neptune flew over Robo-Sandy, spreading his arms, expanding a bubble between his arms that encompassed the robot.

The robot exploded, the explosion contained in the bubble, rattling Neptune. He grinded his teeth, sweat breaking from his forehead. The smoke inside the bubble faded, leaving the robot's remnants, the acorn from its suit the only part intact.

Neptune had either saved everyone or cared only about his Poseidome. Regardless of the god's intent and motivation, the results were the same. Robo-Sandy had been defeated, and Sandy had been saved.

The bell rang three times, signifying the end of the match.

The crowd shot onto their feet, their applause and cheers deafening. Gone were their doubts about the humans, SpongeBob, and Patrick, replaced with trust. Even if they believed that SpongeBob caused the robot problem, they knew that he and his friends were doing a damn good job fixing it.

"This match is over." Johnny laughed. "What a match. We've seen teamwork, tears, stupidity, and recklessness. What do you think, King Neptune?"

Neptune pulled back his arm, retracting the bubble inside his hand. "Even though they defied my commands, it was a rather entertaining match. You humans exceeded my expectations. And so did you, SpongeBob and round pink fellow. In fact, I won't strike any of you with lightning for daring to defy me."

"I don't know what 'exceeding inspections' means," Patrick said, "but it sure does sound nice."

Relief touched Minako. Thank goodness this god wasn't planning on striking any of them with lightning after fighting a giant squirrel-bot. Minako, untransformed, probably wouldn't survive. Or she'd suffer some embarrassment, compliments of the rules of Bikini Bottom.

Sandy's eyes popped open, glazed. She blinked, squinting from the Poseidome's lights. Minako sat, still holding Sandy.

"What in tarnation just happened?" Sandy said. "I remember being taken to this lab, and then nothing." Her face fell. "Augh, I feel like I've been run over by a stampede of bulls." Sandy's pain was the smaller robots' fault. Minako looked at where the smaller robots had been. Scorch marks remained in their corner, and other scorch marks were scattered across the mat. The smaller robots must've started fighting the Guardians only to be destroyed.

Minako and Makoto took turns explaining what had happened. As she listened, Sandy remained stone-faced.

Minako ended the retelling by saying, "You don't…blame us, do you?"

Sandy let herself out of Minako's arms and stood. "Why would I? All of y'all saved me. And you, Minako, you ran inside this giant robot that was about to explode and carried me out yourself. All without your fancy li'l powers."

Minako's heart filled with warmth. Yeah. She had.

So…she hadn't needed them. All this time, Minako Aino was enough.

Yes, she had tried to fight without her powers, but she needed her friends to help her. She had tried to fight like she was an island when she wasn't.

Her powers were dependent on others, not Minako Aino alone.

A white-golden glow encased her. Chibi-Usa and Usagi gasped, SpongeBob's and Patrick's eyes becoming as wide as plates. Minako illuminated the Poseidome, her light shining on all the fish, the Poseidome's lights.

Her transformation pen floated out of her suit's pocket and hovered before her, Artemis reflected in it. Her white cat, her own Guardian, was with her, even if he was thousands of miles away.

"I finally got through to you."

"Artemis!" Minako said. He must have a million questions. Finally, they could communicate with each other, and Minako could let Artemis know what happened and not to worry like the worrywart he was.

Most importantly, she could tell him how much she missed him.

"Minako, I can't keep this communication up for long. I know that you've been taken somewhere far away, but not much else."

"We're at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean," Minako said quickly. Needed to tell him as much as she could in the limited amount of time they had together.

Artemis' eyes widened. He turned his head, coughed once. "I'll ask about the story later, but apparently, my powers were able to combine with yours so we can communicate briefly."

White-golden light also engulfed him. His and Minako's powers were feeding off each other. Even though Minako couldn't transform, she and Artemis were linked.

"My own powers finally became powerful enough so I could communicate with you," Artemis said. "I'm sorry that I wasn't powerful enough before, and I'm sorry that I'm still not powerful enough to talk with you for a longer period of time." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to be with you and help you in the, the Pacific Ocean." He smiled broadly. "For now, this should be enough until I can be by your side again."

The top of her pen slid open, and a crystal popped out, floated before Minako, glowing in the white-golden light.

"We created this together, Minako. And with the rest of the Guardians helping you." Artemis clenched his paws. "Whatever mission you have in the Pacific Ocean, I promise that I'll support you. And once we're reunited with each other, I won't leave your side again. No matter what."

Minako took the crystal, held it to her brooch. More power spread throughout her body, filling Minako with energy, erasing her fatigue.

"It's your Venus Crystal. With this, you can transform again and become even more powerful than you are now."

Minako could feel his love through it. "Thank you, Artemis. I don't know what I'd do without you." Artemis' love and concern for her had given him the power to reach her from thousands of miles away. Her friends' teamwork, love, and need for one another were encompassed in this crystal. With them, she didn't need her powers. She could do anything.

The words came forth. "Venus Crystal Power, Make-up!" A trail of stars spiraled around her, the golden light becoming blinding. But she didn't shut her eyes as the sailor suit surrounded her, the skirt replacing her school uniform, the bow tying itself in the back of her skirt, another bow on her chest tying itself. The sailor suit filled her with more power than ever.

Thanks to her friends, she was more powerful than she had ever been. She couldn't have transformed without them.

I am Super Sailor Venus.

Patrick picked his nose. "You look exactly the same."

"But she's different, Patrick, can't you tell?" SpongeBob said. "I can feel her powers from here. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy never powered up like that." SpongeBob could sense her powers? He was right, though; she felt different, leagues away from the Minako who had fallen in Bikini Bottom almost a day ago.

"Uh, no, I can't feel anything." Patrick was as thick as cinderblock; a car could mow him down, and he'd feel nothing.

Artemis gawked at SpongeBob and Patrick.

"Artemis, it's impolite to stare," Minako said.

The cat shook his head, cleared his throat. "That's something I would usually tell you."

"It's okay. You couldn't help it."

"True. I'm guessing that these two are a long story as well."

"Everything here is a long story."

"As I was saying…" Artemis grinned. "Your strength, it makes me stronger, Minako. Please remember that no matter what, as long as you have your friends to help you, everything will work out. And our strengths feed off each other." Artemis' tail waved. "I'll work on helping you however I can, Minako. I'll definitely see you soon."

Minako's heart settled. "Yeah. Bye for now, Artemis."

Artemis faded. Leaving only Minako, the first Guardian, other than Sailors Moon and Chibi-Moon, to receive her crystal and a power-up.

Minako almost collapsed, but Makoto and Sandy held her arms, keeping her up.

"Aw, guys, you should let me down," Minako said, eyes half-lidded, sleep threatening to sweep her away. "It's way too late at night to stay up any longer."

"We'll never let you down, gal," Sandy said. "Not after you saved me the way you did."

"How touching." Let out a yawn. "But I could really use a bed." Not even transforming had renewed her strength from outjumping and outrunning lava and flames. Who knew?

"Even you humans weren't worthless in this fight to save my Poseidome," Neptune said. "Now, while the little sponge and the round pink fellow might be appeased by this Golden Spatula…" He snapped his fingers, and a Golden Spatula appeared in his hands, hovered into SpongeBob's hands, the sponge's and starfish's eyes gleaming. "…you might not be so lucky. Despite your spectacular display of prowess today, those suits were holding you back." He hovered above them. Minako resisted the urge to move away. With her friends, she could fight a god. "I will remedy your troubles so that the suits hold you back no more." Light flashed, seemed like the light was coming from right around Minako. But then she realized that she was being electrocuted. She didn't feel pain. Instead, her suit snapped in half and clanged to the mat.

No pressure crushed her, and she could breathe. She moved, light, unrestricted. The rest of her friends, except Sandy, had been released from their suits, too.

"I have given you the power to breathe and survive underwater." Neptune fisted his hips. "As a thank-you for saving my Poseidome and, in turn, saving all of Atlantis from the robots."

"Your Godliness, if you don't mind me asking," Minako said, "what about Sandy? She's always been in a suit, too."

"She was the cause of all this trouble. If anything, I should punish her." He pointed his fingers at Sandy.

Sandy planted her feet. "Now wait just a horn-tootin' minute. God or not, I don't care. Them robots capturing me was not my fault, not Makoto's or Minako's faults, not anybody's faults. So don't you go punishin' anyone but those darn robots. You could destroy all those robots right now, you're so powerful."

"I will ignore your questioning of my authority because you called me powerful, rightfully so." King Neptune rubbed his chin. "I could destroy them all right now. But I choose not to meddle in the affairs of the lowly; it is not a god's job."

Uh-huh. So it was a god's job to do nothing but look pretty. Nice.

"But…" Neptune's eyes grew distant. "Ever since SpongeBob bested me at making krabby patties, I've realized that I lack something. That I don't know everything, that I don't know as much as I think I do. All of you have been showing me and teaching me since these robots have come. I want to learn from you all, through your goal of defeating these robots. That is why I don't intervene."

Ami cocked her head. "Teaching a god?"

Usagi's mouth parted. Minako didn't know what to think, either. What did King Neptune mean? Was his first answer just bravado?

"Squirrel," Neptune said, "as long as you atone for your sin of almost destroying my Poseidome by defeating the rest of the robots, you will be forgiven. But if not"—he flexed— "you will face my wrath."

"No, not Sandy," SpongeBob said, then remembered himself and added quickly, "Your Godliness. Please. Consider it part of another thank-you if you don't punish Sandy if she can't get rid of the robots."

Makoto stood in front of Sandy. "And if you punish her, you'll have to punish me, too, because it was my fault she was captured."

Minako stepped in front of Sandy. "And my fault that she wasn't saved."

"And if you attack one of us," Usagi said, stepping in front of her fellow Guardians, SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy, "then you've attacked all of us."

Neptune stared at SpongeBob. SpongeBob stayed in front of Sandy, Golden Spatula raised. The god regarded each of the Guardians, Tuxedo Mask, Patrick, Sandy, Robo-Sandy's scattered fragments.

"I do like you. And you've bested me at making krabby patties." Casting his half-lidded, apathetic eyes to the Guardians, he said, "Your dedication is admirable." He wiped his eyes—a tear from the god, shed for the lowly humans and sea creatures? "See? You've brought a tear to my eye, something that no one has ever done before. Oh, what dedication." Lightning flashed in his hand, leaving a handkerchief; he blew his nose inside. "Oh, what friendship. I suppose I can spare the squirrel." He looked at Sandy. "Consider yourself forgiven. But if you attack my Poseidome again, I will not forgive you, no matter who vouches for you."

"Thank you so much," Sandy said.

Neptune jabbed a finger at Sandy. "Rude one, this is. Even though she's talking to a god, she doesn't address me properly."

"Your Godliness," Sandy said, monotone.

"We have to work on the delivery, but that's better." Neptune turned. "Now, I bid you adieu. I expect you all to destroy these robots and defend Atlantis. I have the utmost faith that you will, based on what you showed me today and SpongeBob's new attack, which I command him to call the Bubble Bowl, in my honor."

SpongeBob bowed. "Yes, Your Godliness." Naming an attack for a god, even though the god had done nothing for him. Must be SpongeBob's gullibility talking.

"Good luck, my little pawns."

"Thank you for getting rid of these suits," Chibi-Usa said. "It's much appreciated."

"Ah, this little one knows how to worship a god." He patted Chibi-Usa's head, the Guardian hiccupping with each pat. "Perhaps one day you can join all my worshippers in Atlantis and worship me all day long. It would be much more fulfilling than the life you currently lead."

Sure.

Clouds appeared, descended from the ceiling. Neptune grabbed the sides of the clouds and pulled the clouds open, revealing Bikini Bottom. With his hands, he produced another cloud, gesturing for the group to stand on it. The group clambered on the cloud, and it flew into Bikini Bottom, near Sandy's treedome. Waving and giving the group a rare smile, King Neptune pulled closed the cloud and the way to the legendary Atlantis.

"Wow," was all Ami could say. "Wow" was all Minako was thinking. They had discovered Atlantis, a place that people had been trying to find for centuries. They had defeated a fifty-foot-tall robot. They had defied a god. The more time Minako spent in Bikini Bottom, the more unbelievable it became.

But when Minako turned around, she almost couldn't speak at the sight that was almost more unbelievable than what she had just been through.

"Holy sh…" Couldn't finish the word.

Things were going to become much more interesting.