All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!

First Kisses?

AThe Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story

In The South Courtyard Of The Rainbow Springs Palace

Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon

November 19, 986

A few days later, at most, then, the Princesses began to train with each other in the RSP, as often as they could do so, if they'd not begun doing so already. It was just past local dawn, after all of them had eaten their respective breakfasts at a minimum of two or three tables not long before then. The Earth had set about an hour, at most, in the sky above their heads. And the Sun had begun showing in it around the time that it did, if not exactly when it did so. They hadn't yet been joined by Sylvia on that side of the Moon, in fact. But by then, they'd all received a message from Queen Serenity within the past twelve hours that told them all, essentially, that Sylvia had indeed retrieved the required message canister before anyone else in her part of Earth did. The latest message from Serenity also said to them that Sylvia would come to the Moon again, the first chance she got to do that. But only after she could first try to make sure that all three of her siblings could also come to the Moon for at least a little while. Sylvia didn't know just how soon that'd be possible, of course. But she did tell Serenity that she'd come there as soon as she could, if at all possible for her, with all of her other siblings. She didn't know yet either exactly how she'd somehow manage to make it possible for her siblings to finally go to the Moon with her, for that matter. But she still did say in her latest message to Serenity that she'd see what she could do to make it possible for her to bring them with her to the Moon, somehow.

Serena was rather glad to hear that Sylvia had replied quite quickly to Serenity's last message to her, and that she'd somehow sent back a considerably long reply to it, of course. And she hoped that Sylvia would once again be able to come back to the Moon. But this time that she'd be able to do so with all her siblings coming along with her. Unlike the last time that she'd been on the Moon some time before.

Sylvia had two sisters and a brother. All who were likely younger than her, if what the people from the Moon Kingdom already knew about her was sufficiently accurate, of course. Her sisters were Princesses from Israel, and her brother was, by logical extension, a Prince from there as well. Her sisters were the Princesses Rebecca and Martha. While her brother was Prince Ulysses, who was also often called simply enough, just "Uly" by people.

Little did Sylvia even know that she, at least, of her parents' children, might be on the Moon when the Negaverse came to conquer or destroy it. If she even knew it yet, of course. And little did she even know that any or all of her siblings might be on it as well at that time, or that Rolando might be there then too. Also if she even knew it yet. Only time would then eventually tell who'd be on the Moon when the Negaverse came to either conquer or destroy it. And if the Negaverse did so, then who'd be lost of those people then on it, if any of those people would be lost on it, and who'd somehow survive of those then on it. If everyone then on the Moon wasn't saved somehow, at such a time, any time at all in the future.

It'd been Amy and Raye who'd found that message canister somewhere in one of the RSP's gardens, as they'd been walking in it, about a day or two after they'd just returned to it for the first time in quite a while. It took both of them and Lita, at least, to get it easily enough out of the ground somewhere in that garden. For that canister had buried itself about 80 or so of its total length into the ground there. They all brought it to Serena's chambers there. Where a short meeting soon was held, of course, so that they could all see what Serenity had just sent them in that same canister. Some time later, then, they all retired. For it was now getting rather late that very day. And the Earth was almost about to rise in the skies above the RSP, because of that very fact.

It was now within two days, at most, after that message canister's arrival that Serenity had just sent them not long after she'd returned to the Moon's Moon City side alone. And it was now just after local dawn, as already stated.

Serena soon decided it was about time that they start training again in the RSP. Even though, of course, she'd have preferred to train somewhere on the Moon's Moon City side, if she and her fellow Scouts had to train at all. After every one of the now-present Scouts had consumed as much food as they each wanted for their respective breakfasts, and had waited for an hour after finishing that food, and taking care of the necessary dirty dishes, Serena had her fellow Scouts transform into their respective Scout states, as she did the same.

That done, she chose up pairs of Scouts to compete against each other. And the odd one out at the current time, because of the fact that Sylvia hadn't yet arrived on the Moon's other side, if she even would, was Dorothy Catherine Gallenski. D.C. Gallenski was actually Junior Sailor Neptune Gamma whenever she was in her own Scout state. Everyone else, then, paired up with another Scout here. Even Junior Sailor Moon, in fact.

Mercury, who was also known as Amy Lynne Anderson, ended up facing Pluto Alpha, who was otherwise known as Deborah Caroline Meyers. Mars, who was also known as Raye Erica Hino, faced off against Saturn Alpha, who was also Jacqueline Henrietta Tompkins. Jupiter, who was also Lita Valerie McKinley, paired off with Uranus Alpha, who was also Ariel Melinda Herschel. Venus, who was also Mina Joyce Abernathy, met Jupiter Beta, who was also Lita's cousin Beatrice Daphne Kirby. Corona, who was also Destiny Anne Moon, then took on Venus Beta, who was also Aurora Clarissa Abernathy. Eclipse, who was also Bethany Rachel Moon, did the same for Mercury Beta, who was also Chloe Cordelia Anderson. Pluto Beta, who was also Susan Frances Meyers, took on Mars Beta, who was also Bridget Blossom Hino. Uranus Beta, who was also Alexis Carla Herschel, paired up with Uranus Gamma, who was also her younger sister Gwendolyn Portia Zoe Herschel, and who was often called just Winnie by people in her life who knew her well enough in it. Neptune Beta, who was also Michelle Philomena Gallenski, met up with Pluto Gamma, who was also Tracy Amelia Meyers. Saturn Beta, who was also Hannah Brenda Tompkins, found herself paired up with Saturn Gamma, who was also her younger sister Estella Florence Tompkins. That then meant, of course, that Moon, who was the only other Scout currently left on her team of Scouts, would have to face Neptune Alpha. Junior Sailor Neptune Alpha was also Poruzuka Charlotte Gallenski.

After Moon had chosen the pairings between each pair of her fellow Scouts that'd be competing at the current time with each other, including herself, she sent each of those pairs to different areas of the RSP's grounds. That was so they could all train far enough away from any other pairs who were also doing the same, but still close enough to allow monitoring equipment to actually let her and all the other Scouts know if any trouble showed up in the RSP's area. This monitoring equipment would monitor their training sessions with each other, for all the obvious reasons. And just to be sure that everything was exactly how it should go during those same training sessions, Luna and Artemis would have voice-activated pendants hanging from collars around their own necks. Just as each Scout would have power lockets somewhere on each of their uniforms. Or if certain trouble would arise anywhere near enough to where they each were, Luna and Artemis would hopefully enough somehow be able to let the Scouts know of it as soon as possible, if they could even do so then at all in time. Periodically, if not constantly, while Luna and Artemis were monitoring all the training sessions between the Scouts, they'd have the Scouts check in with them, of course, and vice versa. Or at least whenever there were at least two or three Scouts who weren't currently training with each other, and training sessions were still going on at such times, they'd do so, if they possibly could do that at all, in fact.

Periodically, Moon would alter the assigned pairings for the required training sessions. This was so that every single one of the Scouts on one team would hopefully be able to practice enough against all the members of the other team of Scouts, and vice versa. If that was even possible while they were all still on the Moon's Rainbow Springs side. It might eventually turn out not to be the case, for some trouble might arise that might make that at least partly impossible. But Moon, and so many others with her at the current time, all hoped that wouldn't actually turn out to be the case at all. Or at least not for a very long time, if ever, of course.

Then, as soon as Moon and Neptune Alpha had confirmed that all their teams' currently-competing Scouts were all ready to begin training again as Scouts, Moon said, "Let the competitions between us all now begin, if none of you object to us all doing so now."

No objections came back from any of the other Scouts who were spread out now all over the RSP's grounds. So Moon soon said, "I now order the training sessions to begin, as required by Serenity earlier, as soon as we were adjusted well enough to being on this side of the Moon. That time has now come for all of us who are to now begin competing with each other here. And it'll eventually come for Neptune Gamma, if and when Skyhorse ever shows up here to train with us as well. Let the training sessions begin, and I and Neptune Alpha both wish you well in them. God willing, of course. Today's training sessions are to end one hour before Earthrise. So we should now all begin, so that we have at least enough time for us all to train in here before then. Begin training now. Moon out."

When she said that, she closed her communications channel, so she could begin training with Neptune Alpha. For at least the next ten to twenty minutes, then, she and Neptune Alpha warmed themselves up by testing each other with attacks that they'd normally use against their opponents with more power and accuracy. Granted, their powers were all diminished to at least some degree. But they were still at least a little powerful, just the same. As they warmed up, they also periodically bumped up the intensity of those attacks to at least some degree. And they did this at least until each of those attacks that they'd been using to warm up with each other was as powerful as it could be, under the current situation, for either of them or any of their fellow Scouts. As they did that, the same thing was also happening all over the grounds with all the other Scouts who were currently competing with each other here.

They trained with each other for a while, until they both got at least a little hungry. Which happened about twenty or so minutes before local midday. When they were so hungry that they couldn't concentrate much on their training session with each other, they soon stopped firing various attacks at each other. Then Moon called up the rest of the Scouts who were currently training with each other. And she said, "Scouts, be in the main dining hall of the palace within an hour. I feel it's almost time for our lunch period." She and Neptune Alpha awaited the replies of their fellow Scouts for a while. And once they came, Moon said, "Begin cooling-down procedures now with each other. Be in the main dining hall as ordered at the necessary time, for lunch. No debate. This is an order, on my authority both as a Sailor Scout and as Moon Princess Serena Ruth Teresa Hope Rose Moon. Moon out."

Then she and Neptune Alpha began the required cooling-down procedures with each other, so that they wouldn't hurt themselves by unnecessarily ending their training sessions too quickly. It took at least a little while, of course, for them to do so. And it took almost as long, if not at least as long, for them to do that as it had for them to originally warm themselves up with each other some time before, as well. But eventually, they were both sufficiently cooled down after they'd just trained with each other for a while. And once they were both cooled down enough to suit each other well enough here, Moon said, "Neptune Alpha, that was a rather good training session with you just now, I think."

"You weren't too bad yourself, Moon. You sure handle your Silver Moon Star Blast well enough. You took care of a lot of my drones that I had opposing you with it. How did you do with it on Ozotov IV?"

"Well enough, I suppose. I believe that I took out at least a few hundred or a few thousand Negaversers with it, when we were fighting against them there."

"Too bad I couldn't have been there to see it."

"Well, you were elsewhere, if I'm not mistaken, Neptune Alpha. I'm not exactly sure where, but I just know that you were. Your fellow Neptunian Sailor Scout Neptune Beta did rather well during our recent adventure there, I think."

"Figures. She has that Mini-Ball Deep Submerge attack that she quite often uses in concert with Uranus Beta's Mini-World Shaking Blast attack, I think, Moon. I've heard that both of those attacks are often quite powerful in their respective natures."

"Correct, Neptune Alpha. I think we now need to transform out of our respective Scout states here, for all the obvious reasons. I'm quite hungry and thirsty, in fact. And from the current looks of you right now, you are too, Neptune Alpha. If we're both actually going to get something to eat soon enough, we better exit our Scout states right now."

So Neptune Alpha powered down. Then Moon did the same thing just a few moments later. After they both did so, they soon parted, once Serena told her by when she'd have to be in the RSP's main dining hall. And they both went to their respective chambers in that palace, so that they could get ready for their lunch period, of course.

I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first three chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!