Last Time: Sakura and her friends successfully recovered the Thunder Crystal and Sailor Jupiter revealed her identity to Sakura. The infamous Doctor Octopus landed and was given an offer: find the crystals and rule Japan. Xander made contact with his spaceship and was given specific instructions: wait until the moment before Sakura pieces the eight crystals and steal them. And now a Bear is roaming downtown. It's time for Sakura to make her move again.


Hunt For the Crystals: Episode 4


Sakura was in a hurry to get to Madison's front gate. When she got there…it was a different story. She wasn't in such a hurry anymore. Because sure enough, Madison had a new costume ready for Sakura. Madison dragged Sakura to the nearby van and gently coaxed her inside. Sakura found one costume hanging right in the middle and when she saw it…she sweatdropped.

Sakura changed (albeit reluctantly) into her new costume and threw the van door open. Madison squealed and had her camera out. Eriol and Lita exchanged inquisitive glances. Li raised an eyebrow. Kero and Suppi…just stared in amazement. Sakura wore a yellow spandex costume with black stripes on the back. There was a yellow hat with two small pointy ears on top. All in all, it made Sakura look like…a Pikachu.

Sakura held up… "Madison…was the tail really necessary?"

"I think the tail makes you look cute," Madison grinned. "It completes the ensemble."

Kero looked into the camera. "I don't think downtown has much time left. We'd better get moving."

Madison reached into her purse. "Wait! I have one more thing!"

Madison took out a small pink mask that she put over Sakura's eyes. She took out another mask, a green one, and walked over to Li. She put it over his face, leaving more quizzical stares.

"What's this for, Madison?" Li asked.

"We have to be realistic, Li," Madison explained. "There's a bear all over downtown. It's got the public's eye. We have to disguise ourselves."

"Wasn't the costume disguise enough?" Eriol smirked.

"You know what I mean," Madison frowned. "We have to make sure we're not recognized…or else we might blow our secret."

It hadn't hit Sakura until this moment. Eight years later and Sakura was still keeping secrets. But Madison made a valid point. At least the Clow Cards were somewhat inconspicuous. These crystals were out in public and creating a disturbance. Sakura had to do something. She was the only one who could stand up to this menace.

"Then we're all ready," Sakura said. "Let's go."

Everyone stepped out…except for Lita. Everyone turned back as if to ask what she was waiting for.

Lita held up a small wand-like pen. "Give me a minute."


~--------------------~


By this time, the streets of downtown had been cleared. Then he found his target. It was a bear, but this wasn't the average bear. The Bear was a bright brown and had what looked like a crystal imprinted on its back. It looked to be an unusual Bear…a Bear containing one of the eight crystals. It obviously had a special power, but Doctor Octopus was confident he could handle it…sort of.

THIS was the simple task The Kingpin had called him for? It obviously wasn't going to be easy, but the rewards would be plentiful. If it was true that the eight crystals would grant one wish…then that wish would belong to Doc Ock. Forget what Fisk wanted. This was OCK'S chance to take over the world. HIS chance to rule supreme over the entire world.

Ock had the incantation ready. All that remained was to weaken this Bear. So he walked down that street.

"Hey, Bear!"

The Bear turned around and faced Ock. Doc Ock removed his brown trench coat to reveal the four metal tentacles strapped to his back.

"I believe it is time to see which is the superior being: the Bear or the Octopus?"

Ock quickly lunged one of his metal tentacles at the Bear. Unfortunately, the Bear caught it…and pulled Ock towards it. The Bear stood upright and lifted Doc Ock in the air and spun him around. Then the Bear threw Doctor Octopus…HIGH into the air. Ock flew until he finally landed ten blocks away from where the Bear had tossed him. Ock stayed down on the ground momentarily, weakly lifting an arm.

"Obviously…the Bear…represents…Strength…ugh…"

Ock let his arm down. Maybe he would be better off catching his breath.


~--------------------~


Sakura and her friends slowly made their way down the now-abandoned street. Sakura had her wand primed and ready for action, but there wasn't much of it going on at the moment. It felt like a ghost town and Sakura could feel the cold wind brushing against her arms and she shivered. But things weren't silent for long. Sakura suddenly heard the roaring of a large Bear. The Bear looked like it had a bright brown coat, but also had a crystal imprinted on its back.

It was obvious they'd need a strategy. No one could just rush in and immediately rush this enormous Bear. But Sailor Jupiter did just that. She ran right in the Bear's path.

"Hold it, Bear! You're not going anywhere!"

The Bear angrily stood upright and picked up Jupiter. Then it tossed her straight into the air…HIGH into the air. Jupiter almost went out of sight…before she came falling straight down. Sakura realized that her new friend would hit VERY hard, so she reached for one of her cards.

"Float Card! Break Jupiter's fall! Float Card! Release and dispel!"

The screaming Sailor Jupiter was saved just in the nick of time. Jupiter slowly descended until she landed safely on the ground. But she was practically white with fear. It was as if she was scared to death.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice quivering. "I felt like I was launched out of a cannon."

Eriol looked at the Bear out in the distance. "I think we have our Strength Crystal. A Strength Bear."

Madison glanced at Sakura. "What do we always do when faced with a situation like this, Sakura?"

Sakura's face brightened. "A challenge!"

Sakura calmly walked towards the huge Bear, but Li didn't look confident. Li quickly tried to catch up to Sakura, but she wasn't stopping for anything.

"Sakura…I know this is what you always do when faced with this situation, but think about it. Has it ever actually WORKED before?"

Sakura stopped in her tracks and shot Li a cold glare. "I can do it this time! I'm sure of it!"

"How do you even know the Bear will cooperate?" Eriol pointed out.

Sakura didn't know that answer for sure. All she could do was assume (and hope) that the Strength Bear had a big ego. Sakura walked over to the rampaging Bear and tried to stop his destruction.

"Stop, Bear!"

The Bear turned around and let out a fierce roar. Just as it did with Jupiter, the Bear picked up Sakura and hurled her straight into the air. Sakura suddenly looked down to see how far the ground beneath her was. It would be a long fall and a hard drop. As Sakura began falling, she reached in for her saving grace.

"Fly!"

Sakura saved herself by flying on her wand just before she hit the pavement. Rather than take her chances with the surly Bear, Sakura flew back to her friends.

"Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought," Sakura said with a sweatdrop.

"Any other ideas?" Kero asked.

Sakura glanced at the Bear again. "I may not be able to challenge it. But I can still beat it at its own game."

Li looked on skeptically. "Sakura…you don't mean…"

Sakura reached in for another card. "Power Card! Let your power flow through me! Power! Release and dispel!"

When Power released, Sakura was flowing with the auras of the Power Card and of herself. As her pink aura glowed, Sakura walked down the street and approached the Bear once more.

"Stand by," was all Sakura told her friends. She might need help on this one and she needed her friends to be ready to help.

Sakura struck first. She swung her empowered wand at the Bear and momentarily knocked it down. The Bear got up and glared at Sakura with a fire in its eyes. Sakura had enraged it further.

The fight was about to begin.


~--------------------~


Xander stood by in the alley and saw this brave Earth girl just approach the Strength Bear. There seemed to be no fear in her eyes and she seemed to know exactly what she was getting into. What surprised him was how boldly she swung her wand at the Bear. What surprised him even more was the fact that she knocked it down.

There indeed was something strange about her. She wasn't an average Earth girl. She DID possess some kind of magic. Maybe it was something Shuma should know about. Maybe her powers could benefit Xander's civilization.

No. First and foremost, Xander had but one task. He had to get these crystals from her. But before he struck…he had to let this 'Sakura' get the crystals first. The Strength Bear had a menacing look in its eyes, though.

Could she possibly overcome that thing?


~--------------------~


Doctor Octopus didn't bother to get up. That Bear, obviously representing the Strength Crystal, packed an enormous punch. None of the other freaks and misfits he had ever encountered possessed that kind of power. Just then, something started to nudge Ock in the chest. It was Wilson Fisk, The Kingpin, poking at Ock with a stick.

"No sleeping on the job," Fisk growled.

"I wasn't sleeping," Ock scowled. "You'd be lying down, too, if you went flying hundreds of feet in the air. That thing's a menace, Fisk. What did you sign me up for?"

"Did you think this would be EASY?" The Kingpin pointed out. "Just remember the reward in case you're having second thoughts. Now on your feet! That Bear couldn't have gone far."

Doc Ock reluctantly picked himself up. This wasn't going to be his best day. He didn't picture himself going after an ancient entity in the form of a Strength Bear.


~--------------------~


The fight was on.

The Bear tried to lift Sakura into the air by her wand, but Sakura had a surprise for it. Sakura wasn't going up. In fact, Sakura was trying to lift the BEAR into the air. But it was a stalemate so far and both of them just struggled to hold on to the wand.

Much to her amazement, though, Sakura could feel the Bear starting to get the upper hand. Sakura began to sweat as she was getting fatigued. She looked back at her friends.

"Guys! Help!"

Sakura could feel the Bear's breath on her face. It was winning this test of strength. But help finally arrived. The Bear was tackled by Keroberos, now in his true form. It gave Sakura a chance to recover from the shock of being overpowered.

Keroberos tried to move in, but Bear grabbed him by the neck and tossed him through a brick wall. Spinel Sun, also in his true form, tried to strike as well, but also got tossed through a wall. The Bear wasn't going down and wasn't letting up. That's when a bolt of lightning struck the Bear right on the back from above.

Sakura looked up to see Jupiter perched on a street lamp. She used her Thunder spell to momentarily stun the Bear, but it didn't knock him out. In fact, the Bear was now moving towards the street lamp.

Li tried to stop it. "Now, element: Wind!"

Li's Wind spell didn't stop the Bear, either. It was only slowing it down and it continued stalking towards the street lamp. Jupiter looked for a place to jump, but quickly realized that the only way to go was down…and down wasn't the best place to go.

"Sakura!!" Madison cried out.

"Use Sleep!!" Eriol added.

Sakura almost couldn't believe herself for not thinking of that. Sakura quickly unleashed Sleep. "Sleep Card! Knock out that Bear! Sleep Card! Release and dispel!"

By this time, the Bear had a grip on the street lamp and was literally bending it with its bare (or is it Bear) hands. Before the Bear could lunge for Jupiter, though, the ever-familiar blue dust started falling upon the Bear…and it started to get drowsy. The Bear finally collapsed…and fell asleep.

Immediately after the Bear fell asleep, Eriol ran up to it. "Return to thy form which thou should be…Strength Crystal!"

The hibernating Strength Bear was then changed into its crystal form: a brown crystal. Eriol took the crystal and handed it to Sakura. It was a long fight, but it was finally over.

"Is everyone all right?" Sakura asked concernedly.

Keroberos finally rose out of the rubble of the shattered brick wall and Spinel Sun did the same. They had been rocked by the impact, but were otherwise fine. They returned to their false forms.

"I feel like I was hit by a train," Kero said, rubbing his head painfully.

"It was more powerful than I thought," Suppi added. "I didn't think anything could possess more strength than the Power Card."

Sakura winced at that thought. She just changed the subject. "So…everyone's ok, right?"

Li pointed down. "Uh…Sakura?"

Sakura looked down and let out a soft yelp. It looked like everyone didn't come out completely unscathed. It appeared that Sleep didn't just take out the Bear. Sailor Jupiter was on the ground…and she was out like a light.

Eriol sweatdropped. "This is just great. We all know how potent Sleep can be. It could be hours before she wakes up."

Madison selflessly tried to lend a hand. "We should help her up." Unfortunately, Jupiter was heavier than they thought. "Um…could somebody help me?"

Li shot Sakura a wry grin. "Better use Power again."


~--------------------~


Xander saw the whole thing. To say he was amazed would be an understatement. The Earth girl had proven once again that she possessed great power as she had taken down the Strength Bear using her magical cards.

The task was done and everyone began to walk away from the scene. But Xander just stood there watching. It would be a huge risk to just attempt to take the crystals from right under her nose.

Who knows? Maybe she was up to this task. Maybe this Earth girl known as 'Sakura' COULD collect all eight crystals. Xander had to hope so.

He had to take those eight crystals. The future of his people depended on it.


~--------------------~


Doctor Octopus led the way to where he last saw that ferocious Bear. He was ready for a rematch. Ock wasn't a stupid man. He was crafty and intelligent. He would simply outthink the Strength Bear and then take it down.

But to his displeasure, Ock reached an electronics store with a television turned to the news. The Kingpin stopped to observe this and saw something that displeased them both indeed.

It seemed that the disaster had been averted and that the Bear was gone.

"What happened?" Ock demanded. "How could it be gone?"

Fisk just glowered. "Somebody beat us to it."

Ock continued watching and saw a helicopter zooming in on the scene earlier. There were quite a few people lining up to take on the Strength Bear. One of them was perched on a street lamp, wearing what could only be described as a green schoolgirl's uniform and a tiara on her forehead. Another had an unusual green robe…like one of those ceremonial Chinese robes. And the one attacking the Bear…the one holding the wand…was a masked girl dressed like a Pikachu. Ock could also make out two others standing at a distance and what appeared to be two other beasts stuck in the rubble of a brick wall.

"Who are THEY supposed to be?" Ock scoffed.

Fisk scowled. "Competition. I knew someone else would be going after those crystals."

"But they're young people," Ock pointed out. "How could they do what *I* couldn't?"

"They're obviously stronger than they look," Fisk answered.

"They don't look so tough," Ock grinned. "I shall crush them and take what belongs to us."

"That won't be necessary…yet," Fisk said. "You forget, Doctor, that there are still SIX crystals waiting for us. We shall collect those first…and if these kids stand in our way…THEN you can crush them."

Ock ground his tentacles together. "It would be my pleasure."


~--------------------~


Sakura just kept waiting. It was a miracle that her father and brother hadn't come home yet, because it was long walk back having to carry Jupiter. Sakura dropped Jupiter on her bed and just waited. Sleep couldn't be rushed, though. All Sakura could do was wait it out. Finally, it appeared that Jupiter was waking up. She moaned softly and opened her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Sakura asked.

Jupiter sat up. "What hit me? I thought the Bear ate me or something."

Sakura scratched her head sheepishly. "Um…I might have…accidentally hit you with…the Sleep Card."

Jupiter blinked. "Sleep Card? You have a Sleep Card? Whoa…there IS a lot I don't know about you."

Sakura smiled. "We could get to know each other a little better. We have the rest of the day to ourselves. And there IS a lot I want to know about you. Just…let me get in the shower first. We'll talk after I clean myself up."

"I'd like that, Sakura," Jupiter said cheerfully.

Sakura took a nearby towel and walked into her bathroom. She closed the door behind just as she saw a flash of light. Sakura didn't make anything of it.

It was probably Jupiter just…changing back.


~--------------------~


Next Time: Sakura and Lita begin to bond…but will their night of getting acquainted be interrupted? (I think we ALL know the answer to that.) Where will the next Crystal Beast be hidden? And what form will it take? And who will be the next to search for the remaining crystals?


Any comments? Go ahead and mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below. I want to know what you think!