Beryl was none too pleased with her generals. Even though Zoicite had managed to get another crystal they were still two crystals short. And as it seemed to Beryl Tuxedo Mask was their biggest problem at the moment. He was in control of the two remaining crystals. Somehow they needed to get the remaining crystals from the formal clad warrior if they were ever to gain control of the Silver Imperium Crystal and eventually the entire world.
As Beryl sat in her throne Zoicite knelt before her. Beryl had called an audience with the general to discuss what he had planned on doing about Tuxedo Mask. The dark queen was very upset at how things had turned out and wanted answers for the actions of the general in charge of the current mission. But before she confronted the effeminate general Beryl watched the final moments of Zoicite's predecessor Nephlite in her crystal ball.
"We are two crystals short Zoicite. You have promised me time and time again that you would get those crystals from Tuxedo Mask. You were lucky to have gotten the one from the Senshi but that doesn't mean I am pleased with your performance so far. You have caused us to loose every single one of our shadows and now our enemy still retains two of those crystals. Explain yourself Zoicite." Beryl said quite angry at the effeminate general.
"I realize I have yet to get the remaining crystals but I assure you my queen I have formulated a plan to get them from cape boy. It seems Tuxedo Mask is quite eager to assist the Senshi in their battles. If I can somehow draw him out then I can get the two crystals he holds from him."
"You'd better because you are up to your last chance. If you fail me one more time you'll face the same end Jedite and Nephlite faced." Beryl sneered at him.
Zoicite was about to answer his queen when Malachite appeared in the throne room and knelt before Beryl. Malachite then rose to his feet and addressed his queen.
"My queen I shall separate Tuxedo Mask from the Senshi so they will be easier to destroy." Malachite said.
"You do that Malachite and see to it you do not fail me." Beryl told him.
"Yes my queen." Malachite replied.
Zoicite wasn't too happy about Malachite offering to get involved in the plan to get the crystals from Tuxedo Mask. Concern for his life partner overrode his duty to his queen and Zoicite voiced his concern over Malachite's eager volunteering for the mission.
"My queen I would gladly throw away my life for Malachite so we do not have to risk loosing another general." Zoicite said.
"Fine then the two of you can come op with some sort of way to work together to get the crystals from Tuxedo Mask." Beryl told them.
"Yes my queen." They both replied.
With that the two life partners left the throne room to put their plans into action.
********
The bank was busy on that Monday afternoon when the oversized thug in a ski mask burst in demanding all the cash they had. The sight of the robber was one thing but when he pulled out a good sized gun everyone in the bank began to panic. And as the frightened tellers were busy filling up his bags with all the cash they could something flew through the air and hit the robber in the back of the head. At the robber's feet was a crescent shaped boomerang. Turning around the robber saw a tall woman dressed in a very short stylized version of a female school uniform. The uniform was purple and white with pink bows. But the most distinguishing feature of the woman was her two buns with ponytails coming out of them on the top of her head.
"Who are you?" the robber demanded to know.
"I'm Sailor Moon and you're going down crook." The woman announced.
With that the pseudo Sailor Moon in purple sent a roundhouse kick right to the robber's head knocking him to the ground. It was by this time the police and the local news channel appeared on the scene and when the police arrested the robber and the cameras were on the pseudo Sailor Moon did everything she could to get the publicity.
"Excuse me miss but can you tell me who you are?" the female reporter asked her.
"I am Sailor Moon defender of justice and protector of the innocent." The pseudo Sailor Moon replied to the reporter.
"Do you have any words for our audience out there Sailor Moon?" The reporter wanted to know.
"Remember citizens of Tokyo that I, Sailor Moon, will bring any and all evil doers to justice." She said into the microphone.
********
Luna sat in the lounge in Kinmoko Hall watching the local news channel's coverage of the bank robbery attempt. At first she thought it was going to be another story where the police arrived just in time to stop the robber from getting away with any money but when she heard the anchor say something about one of the Senshi being there Luna listened intently.
"We go now to Yuka Toriyama." The male anchor said.
"I'm standing outside the Azabu-Juban branch of the Tokyo National Bank where earlier today a robbery attempt was thwarted by Tokyo's newest hero Sailor Moon. Eyewitnesses say the blonde Senshi knocked the gun the robber had out of his hands through the use of a carefully placed roundhouse kick. When asked to give a statement Sailor Moon had this to say." Yuka reported.
The video of Sailor Moon then appeared on the television screen.
"Remember citizens of Tokyo that I, Sailor Moon, will bring any and all evil doers to justice." Sailor Moon said for everyone to see.
Luna couldn't believe what she was seeing. Sailor Moon had not only stopped a bank robber, for which Luna was proud of, but she also stuck around to get interview by the press. Luna knew Sailor Moon could handle a bank robber but she didn't think it was in Sailor Moon's nature to actually seek out publicity for herself. She knew Usagi and the female Saiyan wasn't that type of person. And after looking a bit more carefully at the Sailor Moon on the screen Luna knew something was wrong. The person she saw wasn't really Sailor Moon.
********
Guardians of the Earth
Episode 19: The Fake Sailor Moon
********
Usagi and Makoto were spending a perfect spring afternoon together having fun throughout the district. Usagi had received her allowance from her parents and was intent on spending it on something that would keep her belly satisfied for the next hour. And so as the girls walked along the streets of the Mintako ward Usagi happily went through a bag of crepes.
********
Mamoru was spending his afternoon in one of Tokyo's largest department stores looking through the book section. Outside the window on the floor he was on two window washers stood on a window washing platform washing the windows of the department store. The two men were going about their business without a care in the world when something flew through the air and sliced one of the ropes suspending the platform from the pulley system on the roof.
Inside the department store Mamoru noticed the rope being cut out of the corner of his eye. He turned his full attention to watch one of the window washers frantically try and keep his end of the platform from tipping any further. But his attempt went in vain as he slipped off and was now suspending in mid air by his safety harness. As he tried to pull himself up something shot through the air once again and sliced the rope on the harness.
The window washer began to fall towards the street below but before anything disastrous could happen the pseudo Sailor Moon came and saved the man. Mamoru couldn't believe his eyes Sailor Moon, or someone looking like her, had cut the ropes on the harness just so she could save the window washer.
"Sailor Moon wouldn't do something like that would she?" he asked himself.
Down on the streets below the crowd of people outside the department store saw what was happening and stopped to watch the scene unfold itself.
"Isn't that the girl who stopped the bank robber?" one woman wondered.
"Yeah that's Sailor Moon. She said she'd protect the city from evil." A man told her.
All throughout the crowd similar conversations were taking place. No one could believe what they were seeing, actual proof that the Senshi were real. And by this time Makoto and Usagi happened to walk by the department store and noticed the crowd outside.
"Excuse me sir but can you tell me what's going on here?" Makoto asked a man near them.
"Sure can. Sailor Moon just saved a window washer from falling to the ground." He told her.
"Did you say Sailor Moon?" Makoto wanted to know.
"Yep, and earlier this afternoon she stopped a bank robber. It was all over the news." He replied.
Usagi couldn't believe what she was hearing or seeing for that matter. She knew exactly where she was earlier that afternoon in the middle of gym class trying to not let her teacher or the other students in her class see her Saiyan abilities. She didn't have the time to be out stopping bank robbers. And she knew darn well she wouldn't stick around to be on the news. She had that promise to keep to Gohan and that included staying away from the TV cameras.
"I can't believe someone would go around saying they're Sailor Moon. No one asked me if they could use the name. I should take them up on copyright charges." Usagi complained.
Makoto knew if Usagi continued to complain about the pseudo Sailor Moon she would blow their cover as Senshi. Using some quick thinking the Thunder Senshi decided to suggest they get in contact with the other Senshi and Luna.
"Maybe we should call Luna and the others to let them know about the other Sailor Moon." Makoto suggested.
But before anything could be done about the pseudo Sailor Moon she left the scene before the reporters could show up.
Off in the distance near a building by the department store a girl no older than Usagi and Makoto stood watching the scene unfold itself. The girl had long blonde hair with a big red bow in the back. Next to her was a white cat with a golden crescent on its forehead. As she watched the crowd the blonde caught sight of the angry Usagi. Glancing up at the roof of the department store she saw the pseudo Sailor Moon leave the scene of the rescue. Then she took another good look at Usagi.
"What's she doing down here? She should be up there shouldn't she?" the girl said surprised by what she had just seen.
"It seems we have a serious problem here." Her companion replied.
********
Malachite stood on one of the docks near Tokyo Bay. It was now time for his part of the plan to begin. Beryl's lead general had chosen the docks and the surrounding area to spring his trap. With the use of a pseudo Sailor Moon Malachite was ensured that he would be able to trap either the Senshi or Tuxedo Mask. Malachite knew that only Tuxedo Mask and the Senshi would be fast enough.
"Soon we shall have Tuxedo Mask and the Senshi trapped and the crystals shall belong to the Dark Kingdom. They alone are the only ones who can follow the speed of my Sailor Moon." He said.
********
Usagi and Makoto met up with Luna and the other Senshi at the docks in the bay. The pair had followed the pseudo Sailor Moon to docks trying to see where she went. But by the time they had arrived there she was nowhere to be found. Usagi could tell the pseudo Sailor Moon was either a very skilled martial artist or an alien like her because she was going at a pace so fast that Makoto was having problems keeping up with her.
"Did you see where she went?" Ami asked them.
"No she ducked into the shadows making it hard for us to see where she went." Makoto said.
"I saw the report on the news about Sailor Moon busting the bank robber earlier this afternoon." Rei said, "I didn't think she was such a glory hog."
"Usagi was with me in gym class around the time the robbery attempt took place. And besides she doesn't like showing off for the cameras." Makoto told Rei.
"I still say its copyright infringement." Usagi griped.
"Maybe we should find out what this pseudo Sailor Moon is up to before we begin to pass judgment on her." Ami told them.
Luna had to agree with Ami. For all they knew this pseudo Sailor Moon could be either the new Senshi they were waiting on or the princess.
"Ami is right we don't know if she is our friend or our foe." Luna said.
Usagi sighed and tried to keep her anger in check. The female Saiyan thought it was unfair that another Sailor Moon would be going around using her name without her permission. Even if it wasn't copyright infringement Usagi felt she should still get some money out of the deal.
"She used my name without my permission; I should at least get some royalties out of this!" Usagi yelled quite angry over what was happening.
"Whoa, calm down girl." Makoto said trying to get Usagi to ease up.
But before anyone else could comment on the situation they heard a loud scream from off in the distance. Running in the direction of the scream they saw the fake Sailor Moon hanging from a rope off of a hook and pulley system connected to one of the warehouses. Standing above the pseudo Sailor Moon was a man with long white hair, dark skin, a great body, blue eyes, and general's uniform of the Dark Kingdom. One look at the situation and Usagi wanted to leap into the air and pound the guy.
Usagi was about to take flight when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turing around she saw Ami looking at her with great concern on her face.
"Usagi I wouldn't go up there if I were you. It could be a trap for all we know." Ami said.
"I know but I just can't stand to see Sailor Moon any Sailor Moon that way." Usagi replied.
"Then I guess we have no choice but to do this the right way." Rei said.
With that said everyone pulled out their henshin devices and prepared to transform.
"Mercury Power!"
"Mars Power!"
"Jupiter Power!"
"Moon Prism Power!"
One by one the four girls were surrounded by light and energy and one by one each of them were transformed into their respective Senshi guise. When the light had faded four Senshi stood in their place.
********
Malachite watched the lights of the city from his perch on top of the warehouse. In his opinion the lights represented all that was good and pure in the world and he wanted to do away with that. He thought the lights were a waste of energy and should be put to better use.
"What a waste of light. I want to see the darkness." He said to the city.
"I won't let you! That's a bad habit to tie up girls like that." Sailor Moon said from below.
Then out of the shadows stepped the four Senshi.
"I am the sailor suited soldier Sailor Moon…"Sailor Moon began.
"And we're the Sailor Senshi…" the others added.
"And in the name of the moon we shall punish you." Sailor Moon finished.
But before the Senshi could do anything Malachite erected a large dome of pure black energy around the Senshi. Mars tried to destroy the dome with her attack mere second after the barrier was up.
"Mars Fire Ignite!" she called out.
The swirling flames struck the dome but were unable to cause any damage. Once they touched the side of the dome they were sucked up by the dark energy becoming a part of the dome. Jupiter had seen what had happened and decided to give it a go.
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out.
Like the attack sent by Mars Jupiter's thunder struck the side of the dome and was sucked in by the dark energy.
Not wanting to waste a lot of energy Sailor Moon sent forth a simple Ki blast at the dome. She had figured since the attacks sent out by Mars and Jupiter were physical that maybe energy would be the way to go. But like the too previous attacks the Ki blast soon became a part of the dome.
From his perch above the dome Malachite saw the futile attempts the Senshi had made. Each attack did nothing to weaken or even destroy the dome of dark energy. Malachite figured if what he saw was the best the Senshi could do then there would be no trouble in destroying them.
"Is that the strength of the Senshi?" he questioned them.
Then with a wave of his hand Malachite caused the dome to begin to shrink in size forcing the Senshi to huddle together.
********
Like the Senshi Tuxedo Mask had followed the pseudo Sailor Moon to the docks. By the time he had arrived Tuxedo Mask felt as though he were walking into a trap. And as he looked around the docks he spotted the pseudo Sailor Moon handing from one of the warehouses. Leaping into action Tuxedo Mask saved the pseudo Sailor Moon. Like Usagi Tuxedo Mask couldn't stand to see anyone in trouble. Once he had the pseudo Sailor Moon securely in his arms Tuxedo Mask took to the roofs.
After a few moments of running on the rooftops Tuxedo Mask stopped at a nearby building to see if the pseudo Sailor Moon had been hurt at all. But the moment he stopped the pseudo Sailor Moon pulled out a large crystal shard and jammed it into Tuxedo Mask's shoulder. The formal clad warrior cried out in pain dropping the pseudo Sailor Moon. The moment she hit the ground Sailor Moon pulled off her costume revealing herself to be the other dark general the effeminate Zoicite.
"Zoicite! I should have known." Tuxedo Mask said.
"Your number is up cape boy!" Zoicite said before dropping into a fighting stance.
The dark general lunged at the dapper defender and failed to make contact for the injured Tuxedo Mask leapt back and made a hasty retreat.
Once out of the area Tuxedo Mask tried to find a place where he could hide from the effeminate general and check out his injured shoulder.
********
The barrier surrounding the Senshi kept getting smaller and smaller with each passing moment. If something wasn't done to destroy the dark dome surrounding them the Senshi would be crushed by the rapidly closing dome. Sailor Moon didn't want to run the risk of hurting her friends and fellow Senshi with a Ki blast so she held off any attacks. Mars felt the same way and also held off attacking the dome with her fire. But something had to be done and soon the tiny space was becoming more and more difficult to stand in comfortably. The Senshi were now literally almost on top of one another.
Willing to risk any damage Jupiter decided to give her attack another try.
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out.
Like her prior attempt Jupiter's thunder quickly became a part of the dark dome around them.
Malachite saw the Senshi making their attempt at escaping the dome and began to laugh.
"Try all you like but it is impossible to break the barrier." Malachite said.
********
It was a game of cat and mouse with Zoicite as the cat and Tuxedo Mask as the mouse. And like every game of cat and mouse Zoicite was trying to flush Tuxedo Mask out of hiding.
"It's no use hiding. You might as well show yourself." Zoicite said.
As the effeminate general scanned the area he caught sight of Tuxedo Mask running from one building to the next out of the corner of his eye. Pulling out his sword Zoicite lunged towards Tuxedo Mask. The formal clad warrior blocked the sword with his cane and in the process his mask fell off his face. Desperately Tuxedo Mask tried to put it back on his face.
********
From her throne room deep within the Dark Kingdom Beryl watched the fight between Zoicite and Tuxedo Mask in her crystal ball. As she watched the scene unfold Beryl saw the mask fall off Tuxedo Mask's face. At first she couldn't place it but something about the man behind the mask in the tuxedo struck a chord with her. She had seen his face somewhere before but she could quite place where or when. Then it hit her like a bolt out of the blue. The young man in the tuxedo was a dead ringer for Endymoin prince of the Earth.
"So Prince Endymoin is alive. I'll have to change my plans for him." Beryl said into the darkness.
********
Zoicite prepared to finish off Tuxedo Mask with his sword and brought the blade up to strike the dapper defender head on. But before he could make the finishing move a shadow appeared in a nearby alley between the warehouses and a feminine voice cried out.
"Crescent Beam!" the voice called out.
Mere moments after the voice rang out a beam of intense energy shot through the warehouse district and hit Zoicite in the hand. The attack was enough of a distraction to allow Tuxedo Mask to escape from the area. Zoicite saw the retreating form of the dapper defender and became angry that he got away.
"Kuso! Beryl is going to have my head for this." He yelled.
Zoicite knew Malachite needed to be informed about what had happened right away and left to go find him. Once the effeminate general joined up with the leader of the Dark Kingdom Malachite began wondering what he was doing there.
"Zoicite what brings you here?" Malachite wanted to know.
"Tuxedo Mask got away from me." Zoicite told him.
"I'm disappointed you let that cape boy get away Zoicite." Malachite said.
"It wasn't my fault that he got away someone blasted me." Zoicite explained.
Zoicite then took a look in the direction Malachite's attention was focused and saw the Senshi trapped inside a very tiny dark energy barrier. The barrier had shrunk in size to the point where the Senshi were unable to breathe very well. Zoicite decided to take advantage of the situation and use the Senshi to bring out Tuxedo Mask.
"Tuxedo Mask if you want to save the Sailor Senshi bring your crystals and come out." Zoicite yelled into the night air.
"Tuxedo Mask don't listen to him. Don't come out." Sailor Moon cried out.
It seemed as though Tuxedo Mask didn't listen to what Sailor Moon had said for the formally clad warrior appeared anyway.
"Alright Zoicite what do you want?" Tuxedo Mask demanded to know.
"There's no hope anymore. You should all just give up now." Zoicite said to both the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask with a sneer.
Once again a feminine voice called out into the night sky.
"No matter how hard it is, you shouldn't give up." The girl's voice said.
Then out of nowhere a shadowy figure appeared and stepped into the light of the warehouse lights. The figure turned out to be a girl with long blonde hair dressed in a sailor fuku in colors of orange, blue, and yellow. On her feet was a pair of orange heels with a buckle around the ankle. Around her waist was a long chain made of hearts. In her hair the girl wore a large red bow. But on her face was the most distinguishing features were a red mask and a golden crescent on her forehead. The girl was none other than Sailor V the original sailor suited warrior.
Sailor V pulled the chain off her waist and sent her energy into the golden hearts. When her Ki had fully charged the chain Sailor V made her move.
"Love Me Chain!" she called out.
The Ki filled chain struck Malachite in the hands causing him to loose his concentration on the barrier. The dark energy dome dissipated freeing the Senshi who were trapped within.
The moment Sailor Moon and the other Senshi were out of the dark barrier the odango haired Senshi took a good look at their savior and recognized her as Sailor V.
"Sailor V. You're Sailor V-chan right?" Sailor Moon wanted to know.
It was at that moment that a white cat with a crescent moon on his forehead stepped out of the shadows and joined Sailor V by her side.
"Sailor V is Sailor Venus." The cat said with a male voice.
Luna took a good look at the white lunar feline and immediately recognized him as her fellow guardian and advisor to the Senshi and their princess Artimes.
"Artimes it's you." Luna said.
Zoicite saw the gathering of Senshi bellow and decided to redeem himself by taking them on. He wouldn't need Malachite to assist him in such a simple task for he knew the Senshi were nothing compared to him. And what he had seen of Sailor Moon Zoicite believed all she was capable of were a few well place punches and s healing attack. The effeminate general was unaware of her true potential.
"I'm going to take on the Senshi myself Malachite. You can leave. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Someone still needs to get the last two crystals from Tuxedo Mask." Zoicite said.
But before anything could be done a voice out of nowhere filled the night air.
"Malachite, Zoicite our plans have changed. Return to me at once." The voice of Beryl commanded them.
"Yes my queen." Malachite replied.
With that both generals teleported out of the warehouse district and back to the Dark Kingdom to await further instructions from their queen.
After seeing Zoicite and his companion teleport from the scene Sailor Moon looked around the area for Tuxedo Mask to let him know everything was alright. But as she looked around the warehouse docks Sailor Moon was unable to find Tuxedo Mask anywhere.
********
Sailor Venus and Artimes stood facing Luna and the Senshi. The newest Senshi had smile on her face as did her feline partner. Both Venus and Artimes knew the time had come for the princess to be revealed. All that they needed now was the Silver Imperium Crystal. The plan Central had ordered them to carry out was working like a charm.
"The five Senshi and the two cats have gathered. Everything is ready." Artimes said.
Luna and the four Senshi didn't quite understand what Artimes had meant by his cryptic remark. The only person who understood what Artimes meant was Venus.
Sailor Moon stood there studying Venus. She looked the newest Senshi over taking in every detail of her appearance and her unique Ki signature. The Senshi before them looked a lot like the Senshi portrayed on the posters advertising the Sailor V game at the Crown Game Parlor. The beautiful Senshi before them had a regal yet gentle air about her that almost seemed royal. Sailor Moon began to wonder if Venus was their princess.
"Are you the princess?" Sailor Moon asked Venus.
The only answer Sailor Moon received was a smile from Sailor Venus.
********
Kimiko Yamato sat before her computer in her studio apartment. The message displayed on the screen brought a smile to her face for it simply said the five have been reunited. Kimiko knew what was to happen next one of the five would be revealed as the true princess of the Moon Kingdom. Soon the heir to a great kingdom would take her place in the universe.
"The time has come and soon Sailor Moon will know the truth." Kimiko said.
********
Another episode is finished. Okay I'll admit this one is a bit shorter than the last one but it sets up two of the most important episodes in the entire series. The stage is now set and all the players have been revealed. Venus has arrived and as we all know original Sailor Moon timeline dictates Venus should attend high school with Usagi and the others while Rei attends TA. I'm still disappointed at the lack of reviews on FF.net and I still need them desperately.
And now for a brief explanation about Sailor Venus. The look I used was more manga inspired than anime which is why she has the love me chain around her waist. As for the attacks they happen to be a mixture of manga and anime and will remain that way for the rest of the series.
So now that the Senshi are all together what happens next? The exciting two part conclusion to the rainbow crystal arc begins. The Senshi learn a bit about their duties as protectors of the princess and her role as guardian of the Earth. There's another new student at Juban Prep and she happens to Sailor Venus. And when the Senshi try to get together for a meeting Usagi goes missing. Why is she following Mamoru around town and what will happen to them when they become trapped inside the Starlight Tower? The answers to those questions and more will be revealed in the long awaited episode twenty Princess Revealed Part One.
As Beryl sat in her throne Zoicite knelt before her. Beryl had called an audience with the general to discuss what he had planned on doing about Tuxedo Mask. The dark queen was very upset at how things had turned out and wanted answers for the actions of the general in charge of the current mission. But before she confronted the effeminate general Beryl watched the final moments of Zoicite's predecessor Nephlite in her crystal ball.
"We are two crystals short Zoicite. You have promised me time and time again that you would get those crystals from Tuxedo Mask. You were lucky to have gotten the one from the Senshi but that doesn't mean I am pleased with your performance so far. You have caused us to loose every single one of our shadows and now our enemy still retains two of those crystals. Explain yourself Zoicite." Beryl said quite angry at the effeminate general.
"I realize I have yet to get the remaining crystals but I assure you my queen I have formulated a plan to get them from cape boy. It seems Tuxedo Mask is quite eager to assist the Senshi in their battles. If I can somehow draw him out then I can get the two crystals he holds from him."
"You'd better because you are up to your last chance. If you fail me one more time you'll face the same end Jedite and Nephlite faced." Beryl sneered at him.
Zoicite was about to answer his queen when Malachite appeared in the throne room and knelt before Beryl. Malachite then rose to his feet and addressed his queen.
"My queen I shall separate Tuxedo Mask from the Senshi so they will be easier to destroy." Malachite said.
"You do that Malachite and see to it you do not fail me." Beryl told him.
"Yes my queen." Malachite replied.
Zoicite wasn't too happy about Malachite offering to get involved in the plan to get the crystals from Tuxedo Mask. Concern for his life partner overrode his duty to his queen and Zoicite voiced his concern over Malachite's eager volunteering for the mission.
"My queen I would gladly throw away my life for Malachite so we do not have to risk loosing another general." Zoicite said.
"Fine then the two of you can come op with some sort of way to work together to get the crystals from Tuxedo Mask." Beryl told them.
"Yes my queen." They both replied.
With that the two life partners left the throne room to put their plans into action.
********
The bank was busy on that Monday afternoon when the oversized thug in a ski mask burst in demanding all the cash they had. The sight of the robber was one thing but when he pulled out a good sized gun everyone in the bank began to panic. And as the frightened tellers were busy filling up his bags with all the cash they could something flew through the air and hit the robber in the back of the head. At the robber's feet was a crescent shaped boomerang. Turning around the robber saw a tall woman dressed in a very short stylized version of a female school uniform. The uniform was purple and white with pink bows. But the most distinguishing feature of the woman was her two buns with ponytails coming out of them on the top of her head.
"Who are you?" the robber demanded to know.
"I'm Sailor Moon and you're going down crook." The woman announced.
With that the pseudo Sailor Moon in purple sent a roundhouse kick right to the robber's head knocking him to the ground. It was by this time the police and the local news channel appeared on the scene and when the police arrested the robber and the cameras were on the pseudo Sailor Moon did everything she could to get the publicity.
"Excuse me miss but can you tell me who you are?" the female reporter asked her.
"I am Sailor Moon defender of justice and protector of the innocent." The pseudo Sailor Moon replied to the reporter.
"Do you have any words for our audience out there Sailor Moon?" The reporter wanted to know.
"Remember citizens of Tokyo that I, Sailor Moon, will bring any and all evil doers to justice." She said into the microphone.
********
Luna sat in the lounge in Kinmoko Hall watching the local news channel's coverage of the bank robbery attempt. At first she thought it was going to be another story where the police arrived just in time to stop the robber from getting away with any money but when she heard the anchor say something about one of the Senshi being there Luna listened intently.
"We go now to Yuka Toriyama." The male anchor said.
"I'm standing outside the Azabu-Juban branch of the Tokyo National Bank where earlier today a robbery attempt was thwarted by Tokyo's newest hero Sailor Moon. Eyewitnesses say the blonde Senshi knocked the gun the robber had out of his hands through the use of a carefully placed roundhouse kick. When asked to give a statement Sailor Moon had this to say." Yuka reported.
The video of Sailor Moon then appeared on the television screen.
"Remember citizens of Tokyo that I, Sailor Moon, will bring any and all evil doers to justice." Sailor Moon said for everyone to see.
Luna couldn't believe what she was seeing. Sailor Moon had not only stopped a bank robber, for which Luna was proud of, but she also stuck around to get interview by the press. Luna knew Sailor Moon could handle a bank robber but she didn't think it was in Sailor Moon's nature to actually seek out publicity for herself. She knew Usagi and the female Saiyan wasn't that type of person. And after looking a bit more carefully at the Sailor Moon on the screen Luna knew something was wrong. The person she saw wasn't really Sailor Moon.
********
Guardians of the Earth
Episode 19: The Fake Sailor Moon
********
Usagi and Makoto were spending a perfect spring afternoon together having fun throughout the district. Usagi had received her allowance from her parents and was intent on spending it on something that would keep her belly satisfied for the next hour. And so as the girls walked along the streets of the Mintako ward Usagi happily went through a bag of crepes.
********
Mamoru was spending his afternoon in one of Tokyo's largest department stores looking through the book section. Outside the window on the floor he was on two window washers stood on a window washing platform washing the windows of the department store. The two men were going about their business without a care in the world when something flew through the air and sliced one of the ropes suspending the platform from the pulley system on the roof.
Inside the department store Mamoru noticed the rope being cut out of the corner of his eye. He turned his full attention to watch one of the window washers frantically try and keep his end of the platform from tipping any further. But his attempt went in vain as he slipped off and was now suspending in mid air by his safety harness. As he tried to pull himself up something shot through the air once again and sliced the rope on the harness.
The window washer began to fall towards the street below but before anything disastrous could happen the pseudo Sailor Moon came and saved the man. Mamoru couldn't believe his eyes Sailor Moon, or someone looking like her, had cut the ropes on the harness just so she could save the window washer.
"Sailor Moon wouldn't do something like that would she?" he asked himself.
Down on the streets below the crowd of people outside the department store saw what was happening and stopped to watch the scene unfold itself.
"Isn't that the girl who stopped the bank robber?" one woman wondered.
"Yeah that's Sailor Moon. She said she'd protect the city from evil." A man told her.
All throughout the crowd similar conversations were taking place. No one could believe what they were seeing, actual proof that the Senshi were real. And by this time Makoto and Usagi happened to walk by the department store and noticed the crowd outside.
"Excuse me sir but can you tell me what's going on here?" Makoto asked a man near them.
"Sure can. Sailor Moon just saved a window washer from falling to the ground." He told her.
"Did you say Sailor Moon?" Makoto wanted to know.
"Yep, and earlier this afternoon she stopped a bank robber. It was all over the news." He replied.
Usagi couldn't believe what she was hearing or seeing for that matter. She knew exactly where she was earlier that afternoon in the middle of gym class trying to not let her teacher or the other students in her class see her Saiyan abilities. She didn't have the time to be out stopping bank robbers. And she knew darn well she wouldn't stick around to be on the news. She had that promise to keep to Gohan and that included staying away from the TV cameras.
"I can't believe someone would go around saying they're Sailor Moon. No one asked me if they could use the name. I should take them up on copyright charges." Usagi complained.
Makoto knew if Usagi continued to complain about the pseudo Sailor Moon she would blow their cover as Senshi. Using some quick thinking the Thunder Senshi decided to suggest they get in contact with the other Senshi and Luna.
"Maybe we should call Luna and the others to let them know about the other Sailor Moon." Makoto suggested.
But before anything could be done about the pseudo Sailor Moon she left the scene before the reporters could show up.
Off in the distance near a building by the department store a girl no older than Usagi and Makoto stood watching the scene unfold itself. The girl had long blonde hair with a big red bow in the back. Next to her was a white cat with a golden crescent on its forehead. As she watched the crowd the blonde caught sight of the angry Usagi. Glancing up at the roof of the department store she saw the pseudo Sailor Moon leave the scene of the rescue. Then she took another good look at Usagi.
"What's she doing down here? She should be up there shouldn't she?" the girl said surprised by what she had just seen.
"It seems we have a serious problem here." Her companion replied.
********
Malachite stood on one of the docks near Tokyo Bay. It was now time for his part of the plan to begin. Beryl's lead general had chosen the docks and the surrounding area to spring his trap. With the use of a pseudo Sailor Moon Malachite was ensured that he would be able to trap either the Senshi or Tuxedo Mask. Malachite knew that only Tuxedo Mask and the Senshi would be fast enough.
"Soon we shall have Tuxedo Mask and the Senshi trapped and the crystals shall belong to the Dark Kingdom. They alone are the only ones who can follow the speed of my Sailor Moon." He said.
********
Usagi and Makoto met up with Luna and the other Senshi at the docks in the bay. The pair had followed the pseudo Sailor Moon to docks trying to see where she went. But by the time they had arrived there she was nowhere to be found. Usagi could tell the pseudo Sailor Moon was either a very skilled martial artist or an alien like her because she was going at a pace so fast that Makoto was having problems keeping up with her.
"Did you see where she went?" Ami asked them.
"No she ducked into the shadows making it hard for us to see where she went." Makoto said.
"I saw the report on the news about Sailor Moon busting the bank robber earlier this afternoon." Rei said, "I didn't think she was such a glory hog."
"Usagi was with me in gym class around the time the robbery attempt took place. And besides she doesn't like showing off for the cameras." Makoto told Rei.
"I still say its copyright infringement." Usagi griped.
"Maybe we should find out what this pseudo Sailor Moon is up to before we begin to pass judgment on her." Ami told them.
Luna had to agree with Ami. For all they knew this pseudo Sailor Moon could be either the new Senshi they were waiting on or the princess.
"Ami is right we don't know if she is our friend or our foe." Luna said.
Usagi sighed and tried to keep her anger in check. The female Saiyan thought it was unfair that another Sailor Moon would be going around using her name without her permission. Even if it wasn't copyright infringement Usagi felt she should still get some money out of the deal.
"She used my name without my permission; I should at least get some royalties out of this!" Usagi yelled quite angry over what was happening.
"Whoa, calm down girl." Makoto said trying to get Usagi to ease up.
But before anyone else could comment on the situation they heard a loud scream from off in the distance. Running in the direction of the scream they saw the fake Sailor Moon hanging from a rope off of a hook and pulley system connected to one of the warehouses. Standing above the pseudo Sailor Moon was a man with long white hair, dark skin, a great body, blue eyes, and general's uniform of the Dark Kingdom. One look at the situation and Usagi wanted to leap into the air and pound the guy.
Usagi was about to take flight when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turing around she saw Ami looking at her with great concern on her face.
"Usagi I wouldn't go up there if I were you. It could be a trap for all we know." Ami said.
"I know but I just can't stand to see Sailor Moon any Sailor Moon that way." Usagi replied.
"Then I guess we have no choice but to do this the right way." Rei said.
With that said everyone pulled out their henshin devices and prepared to transform.
"Mercury Power!"
"Mars Power!"
"Jupiter Power!"
"Moon Prism Power!"
One by one the four girls were surrounded by light and energy and one by one each of them were transformed into their respective Senshi guise. When the light had faded four Senshi stood in their place.
********
Malachite watched the lights of the city from his perch on top of the warehouse. In his opinion the lights represented all that was good and pure in the world and he wanted to do away with that. He thought the lights were a waste of energy and should be put to better use.
"What a waste of light. I want to see the darkness." He said to the city.
"I won't let you! That's a bad habit to tie up girls like that." Sailor Moon said from below.
Then out of the shadows stepped the four Senshi.
"I am the sailor suited soldier Sailor Moon…"Sailor Moon began.
"And we're the Sailor Senshi…" the others added.
"And in the name of the moon we shall punish you." Sailor Moon finished.
But before the Senshi could do anything Malachite erected a large dome of pure black energy around the Senshi. Mars tried to destroy the dome with her attack mere second after the barrier was up.
"Mars Fire Ignite!" she called out.
The swirling flames struck the dome but were unable to cause any damage. Once they touched the side of the dome they were sucked up by the dark energy becoming a part of the dome. Jupiter had seen what had happened and decided to give it a go.
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out.
Like the attack sent by Mars Jupiter's thunder struck the side of the dome and was sucked in by the dark energy.
Not wanting to waste a lot of energy Sailor Moon sent forth a simple Ki blast at the dome. She had figured since the attacks sent out by Mars and Jupiter were physical that maybe energy would be the way to go. But like the too previous attacks the Ki blast soon became a part of the dome.
From his perch above the dome Malachite saw the futile attempts the Senshi had made. Each attack did nothing to weaken or even destroy the dome of dark energy. Malachite figured if what he saw was the best the Senshi could do then there would be no trouble in destroying them.
"Is that the strength of the Senshi?" he questioned them.
Then with a wave of his hand Malachite caused the dome to begin to shrink in size forcing the Senshi to huddle together.
********
Like the Senshi Tuxedo Mask had followed the pseudo Sailor Moon to the docks. By the time he had arrived Tuxedo Mask felt as though he were walking into a trap. And as he looked around the docks he spotted the pseudo Sailor Moon handing from one of the warehouses. Leaping into action Tuxedo Mask saved the pseudo Sailor Moon. Like Usagi Tuxedo Mask couldn't stand to see anyone in trouble. Once he had the pseudo Sailor Moon securely in his arms Tuxedo Mask took to the roofs.
After a few moments of running on the rooftops Tuxedo Mask stopped at a nearby building to see if the pseudo Sailor Moon had been hurt at all. But the moment he stopped the pseudo Sailor Moon pulled out a large crystal shard and jammed it into Tuxedo Mask's shoulder. The formal clad warrior cried out in pain dropping the pseudo Sailor Moon. The moment she hit the ground Sailor Moon pulled off her costume revealing herself to be the other dark general the effeminate Zoicite.
"Zoicite! I should have known." Tuxedo Mask said.
"Your number is up cape boy!" Zoicite said before dropping into a fighting stance.
The dark general lunged at the dapper defender and failed to make contact for the injured Tuxedo Mask leapt back and made a hasty retreat.
Once out of the area Tuxedo Mask tried to find a place where he could hide from the effeminate general and check out his injured shoulder.
********
The barrier surrounding the Senshi kept getting smaller and smaller with each passing moment. If something wasn't done to destroy the dark dome surrounding them the Senshi would be crushed by the rapidly closing dome. Sailor Moon didn't want to run the risk of hurting her friends and fellow Senshi with a Ki blast so she held off any attacks. Mars felt the same way and also held off attacking the dome with her fire. But something had to be done and soon the tiny space was becoming more and more difficult to stand in comfortably. The Senshi were now literally almost on top of one another.
Willing to risk any damage Jupiter decided to give her attack another try.
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter called out.
Like her prior attempt Jupiter's thunder quickly became a part of the dark dome around them.
Malachite saw the Senshi making their attempt at escaping the dome and began to laugh.
"Try all you like but it is impossible to break the barrier." Malachite said.
********
It was a game of cat and mouse with Zoicite as the cat and Tuxedo Mask as the mouse. And like every game of cat and mouse Zoicite was trying to flush Tuxedo Mask out of hiding.
"It's no use hiding. You might as well show yourself." Zoicite said.
As the effeminate general scanned the area he caught sight of Tuxedo Mask running from one building to the next out of the corner of his eye. Pulling out his sword Zoicite lunged towards Tuxedo Mask. The formal clad warrior blocked the sword with his cane and in the process his mask fell off his face. Desperately Tuxedo Mask tried to put it back on his face.
********
From her throne room deep within the Dark Kingdom Beryl watched the fight between Zoicite and Tuxedo Mask in her crystal ball. As she watched the scene unfold Beryl saw the mask fall off Tuxedo Mask's face. At first she couldn't place it but something about the man behind the mask in the tuxedo struck a chord with her. She had seen his face somewhere before but she could quite place where or when. Then it hit her like a bolt out of the blue. The young man in the tuxedo was a dead ringer for Endymoin prince of the Earth.
"So Prince Endymoin is alive. I'll have to change my plans for him." Beryl said into the darkness.
********
Zoicite prepared to finish off Tuxedo Mask with his sword and brought the blade up to strike the dapper defender head on. But before he could make the finishing move a shadow appeared in a nearby alley between the warehouses and a feminine voice cried out.
"Crescent Beam!" the voice called out.
Mere moments after the voice rang out a beam of intense energy shot through the warehouse district and hit Zoicite in the hand. The attack was enough of a distraction to allow Tuxedo Mask to escape from the area. Zoicite saw the retreating form of the dapper defender and became angry that he got away.
"Kuso! Beryl is going to have my head for this." He yelled.
Zoicite knew Malachite needed to be informed about what had happened right away and left to go find him. Once the effeminate general joined up with the leader of the Dark Kingdom Malachite began wondering what he was doing there.
"Zoicite what brings you here?" Malachite wanted to know.
"Tuxedo Mask got away from me." Zoicite told him.
"I'm disappointed you let that cape boy get away Zoicite." Malachite said.
"It wasn't my fault that he got away someone blasted me." Zoicite explained.
Zoicite then took a look in the direction Malachite's attention was focused and saw the Senshi trapped inside a very tiny dark energy barrier. The barrier had shrunk in size to the point where the Senshi were unable to breathe very well. Zoicite decided to take advantage of the situation and use the Senshi to bring out Tuxedo Mask.
"Tuxedo Mask if you want to save the Sailor Senshi bring your crystals and come out." Zoicite yelled into the night air.
"Tuxedo Mask don't listen to him. Don't come out." Sailor Moon cried out.
It seemed as though Tuxedo Mask didn't listen to what Sailor Moon had said for the formally clad warrior appeared anyway.
"Alright Zoicite what do you want?" Tuxedo Mask demanded to know.
"There's no hope anymore. You should all just give up now." Zoicite said to both the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask with a sneer.
Once again a feminine voice called out into the night sky.
"No matter how hard it is, you shouldn't give up." The girl's voice said.
Then out of nowhere a shadowy figure appeared and stepped into the light of the warehouse lights. The figure turned out to be a girl with long blonde hair dressed in a sailor fuku in colors of orange, blue, and yellow. On her feet was a pair of orange heels with a buckle around the ankle. Around her waist was a long chain made of hearts. In her hair the girl wore a large red bow. But on her face was the most distinguishing features were a red mask and a golden crescent on her forehead. The girl was none other than Sailor V the original sailor suited warrior.
Sailor V pulled the chain off her waist and sent her energy into the golden hearts. When her Ki had fully charged the chain Sailor V made her move.
"Love Me Chain!" she called out.
The Ki filled chain struck Malachite in the hands causing him to loose his concentration on the barrier. The dark energy dome dissipated freeing the Senshi who were trapped within.
The moment Sailor Moon and the other Senshi were out of the dark barrier the odango haired Senshi took a good look at their savior and recognized her as Sailor V.
"Sailor V. You're Sailor V-chan right?" Sailor Moon wanted to know.
It was at that moment that a white cat with a crescent moon on his forehead stepped out of the shadows and joined Sailor V by her side.
"Sailor V is Sailor Venus." The cat said with a male voice.
Luna took a good look at the white lunar feline and immediately recognized him as her fellow guardian and advisor to the Senshi and their princess Artimes.
"Artimes it's you." Luna said.
Zoicite saw the gathering of Senshi bellow and decided to redeem himself by taking them on. He wouldn't need Malachite to assist him in such a simple task for he knew the Senshi were nothing compared to him. And what he had seen of Sailor Moon Zoicite believed all she was capable of were a few well place punches and s healing attack. The effeminate general was unaware of her true potential.
"I'm going to take on the Senshi myself Malachite. You can leave. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Someone still needs to get the last two crystals from Tuxedo Mask." Zoicite said.
But before anything could be done a voice out of nowhere filled the night air.
"Malachite, Zoicite our plans have changed. Return to me at once." The voice of Beryl commanded them.
"Yes my queen." Malachite replied.
With that both generals teleported out of the warehouse district and back to the Dark Kingdom to await further instructions from their queen.
After seeing Zoicite and his companion teleport from the scene Sailor Moon looked around the area for Tuxedo Mask to let him know everything was alright. But as she looked around the warehouse docks Sailor Moon was unable to find Tuxedo Mask anywhere.
********
Sailor Venus and Artimes stood facing Luna and the Senshi. The newest Senshi had smile on her face as did her feline partner. Both Venus and Artimes knew the time had come for the princess to be revealed. All that they needed now was the Silver Imperium Crystal. The plan Central had ordered them to carry out was working like a charm.
"The five Senshi and the two cats have gathered. Everything is ready." Artimes said.
Luna and the four Senshi didn't quite understand what Artimes had meant by his cryptic remark. The only person who understood what Artimes meant was Venus.
Sailor Moon stood there studying Venus. She looked the newest Senshi over taking in every detail of her appearance and her unique Ki signature. The Senshi before them looked a lot like the Senshi portrayed on the posters advertising the Sailor V game at the Crown Game Parlor. The beautiful Senshi before them had a regal yet gentle air about her that almost seemed royal. Sailor Moon began to wonder if Venus was their princess.
"Are you the princess?" Sailor Moon asked Venus.
The only answer Sailor Moon received was a smile from Sailor Venus.
********
Kimiko Yamato sat before her computer in her studio apartment. The message displayed on the screen brought a smile to her face for it simply said the five have been reunited. Kimiko knew what was to happen next one of the five would be revealed as the true princess of the Moon Kingdom. Soon the heir to a great kingdom would take her place in the universe.
"The time has come and soon Sailor Moon will know the truth." Kimiko said.
********
Another episode is finished. Okay I'll admit this one is a bit shorter than the last one but it sets up two of the most important episodes in the entire series. The stage is now set and all the players have been revealed. Venus has arrived and as we all know original Sailor Moon timeline dictates Venus should attend high school with Usagi and the others while Rei attends TA. I'm still disappointed at the lack of reviews on FF.net and I still need them desperately.
And now for a brief explanation about Sailor Venus. The look I used was more manga inspired than anime which is why she has the love me chain around her waist. As for the attacks they happen to be a mixture of manga and anime and will remain that way for the rest of the series.
So now that the Senshi are all together what happens next? The exciting two part conclusion to the rainbow crystal arc begins. The Senshi learn a bit about their duties as protectors of the princess and her role as guardian of the Earth. There's another new student at Juban Prep and she happens to Sailor Venus. And when the Senshi try to get together for a meeting Usagi goes missing. Why is she following Mamoru around town and what will happen to them when they become trapped inside the Starlight Tower? The answers to those questions and more will be revealed in the long awaited episode twenty Princess Revealed Part One.
