Alright so... another 10 months... yeah I didn't expect us to take this long, not gonna lie. We work on so many stories sometimes that a few end up being forgotten for a while, but we try our best to get some chapters out when we remember them, while also focusing on our MAIN work.
Yeah, to remind you all, at the moment, the Rider stories are NOT the main focus, that honor goes to Digital Story, which currently has been on hiatus for almost three months now while we do some work on other stories.
And of course, I help out Timeless with Pokemon Retold to boot, and another secret project we keep working on nonstop.
And through all that, there's of course the stockpile of chapters we occasionally build up.
We have chapters for Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Hibiki, Kabuto, Den-O, Kiva, Double, Fourze, Gaim, Drive, a NEW version of Ex-Aid, Build, Zi-O, even Amazons, AND, on top of that, Zero-One and Saber, and we already have a plan for Revice to boot.
So yeah, we do a lot of work through each year, so understand when sometimes we only come back to one story much later.
Anyway, that's all I wanted to say, to give you all an idea of our workload a bit, but for now, enjoy the much awaited next chapter for Blade's own story.
Kensuke sighed as he closed the door to the guest room in his apartment, Nephrite visibly still asleep in the bed "He's still asleep, even after a couple of days." he said as he stepped back into the living room, the girls there, along with Naru who looked a bit nervous, and Shingo as well.
"So… we sure this guy is on our side now? I mean, he WAS trying to kill sis not that long ago." Shingo asked skeptically.
"I don't blame you for doubting him." Ami sighed "But we all saw him save Naru the other night."
"He was literally willing to die for her." Kelch's voice came from their communicators, as he wasn't able to make it today.
"Well… when you put it that way…" Shingo said with a sigh, deciding to take their word for it.
"More importantly with how long he's been asleep, are we sure he's okay?" Usagi frowned.
"No, we're not," Rei frowned. "But we can't exactly take him to a hospital. Masato Sanjoin was only his cover name. I doubt he'd actually show up on any database if we brought him to a hospital…"
"Don't worry, I put a call in earlier. The Tribe will be sending a Doctor to check on his condition. Considering he's physically healed as far as we can tell, it might be some side effect from turning him human," Kensuke sighed.
"Can they help?" Naru asked hopefully.
"No promises, but they SHOULD be able to at least tell us if there's something we missed," Kelch spoke up. "All four tribes have some of the best doctors to make sure nobody gets seriously sick. For my own tribe, that honor actually goes to my mother."
"Huh… pretty neat." Kensuke said with a blink as he looked down at the communicator, before looking back to everyone "Anyway, the doctor their sending over is a friend of my father's. He should be able to tell us if something's wrong with Nephrite, and he'll probably be here sometime tonight or tomorrow morning."
"That's good." Naru sighed in relief "I'm just really glad he didn't die… hopefully he can keep his promise now." she said, smiling a bit with a blush.
"I'm sure he will." Usagi smiled as she patted her friend's shoulder.
"Now then, as for our OTHER matter." Luna said, making everyone look at Naru a bit awkwardly.
"Right… do you have any idea what that power you used was? You've made a shield of some kind and you even seem to have a healing power." Rei asked.
"I'm not sure. I mean, everything's still so strange to me, what with finding out my best friend is a superhero, the man I love being an evil general, and me apparently having super powers now…" Naru admitted with a sigh.
"Yeah… guess that WOULD be a lot at once." Kensuke admitted.
"Well, there is ONE thing we can tell about her powers. They seem to be defensive in nature, and they share the same pink glow when active." Ami said "It's not much, but it's a better lead than none."
"Do you have any kind of equipment that could scan her?" Rei asked Kensuke.
"Not on hand no, but the doc's gonna be bringing something that could do the trick along with him, so we just have to wait for him to arrive." he said with a shrug.
"Hope we can get an answer then. And hopefully the dark kingdom's in shambles after losing another general." Shingo said hopefully.
"It DOES tend to take them a bit of time to start back up whenever we make them lose someone." Luna mused "I'd say we have a few more days of silence before anything else happens."
"At least they can't track Nephrite now that he's purified. I can't sense any evil energy from him like I could before." Rei said.
"Yeah, I'd rather not have them knocking at my door." Kensuke said with a sweat drop.
Everyone shared in the sweat drop. That would NOT be a pleasant experience by any stretch of the word.
"At any rate, for now all we can do is prepare for what comes next," Kensuke sighed.
"I really don't like how that's all we can do," Usagi sighed.
"We don't have any leads as to where the Dark Kingdom might be, and even if we did, just five of us attacking...that's far too reckless…" Ami frowned.
"I guess being superheroes isn't as easy as the shows and games make it look," Shingo sighed. He may not have been directly involved, but just listening to the strategy meetings made it clear that it wasn't as simple as fighting off whichever monster the Dark Kingdom sent their way.
The next day soon came and the Doctor that the Azure Dragon Tribe sent had arrived. As such everyone was gathered at his Apartment again, this time Kelch being present as well.
"So...what's the verdict, doc?" Kelch asked.
The Doctor finished up his diagnosis and turned to them. "The good news is that he should be fine. I can't find any physical injuries whatsoever, and as far as I can tell, this coma is a side effect of his purification. It seems due to his condition before the purification, his body is now trying to readjust to the internal changes it's gone through," the Doctor explained. "However, that also means I can't say for sure when he'll wake up, only that he will."
"Can you help him?" Naru asked worriedly.
The Doctor frowned. "Well...the only thing I can do is make sure he has the time to wake up," he said, and before long, Nephrite was hooked up to an IV and a few medical monitors to keep track of his health. "I can't do anything to help him awaken faster, but I can at least make sure his body doesn't waste away before he does."
"Guess that's all we can hope for at the moment." Kensuke sighed "Anyway doc, there's actually something else we need to do. We were hoping your equipment might be able to detect whatever is giving Naru her new powers inside of her body."
The doctor hummed in thought, before soon Naru was laying down on the couch, with the doctor moving a handheld device over her slowly, eventually stopping right above her stomach "It seems to be right here… some kind of glowing power source inside her body. It looks like some kind of pink crystal."
"Pink crystal?" Rei repeated with a blink.
"Well, obviously it's not the Silver Crystal then… maybe it's related though?" Ami wondered.
"Maybe… I vaguely remember something similar to this from long ago, but I can't exactly recall what." Luna said with a frown.
"All the technology of the Moon Kingdom...and they never learned how to stop memory loss," Kelch couldn't help but snort lightly.
Luna shot him a mildly annoyed look, but she couldn't help but agree with him. The gaps in her memory were VERY annoying.
"Is there anything you can tell us about the crystal?" Usagi asked, a little worried about why a crystal was inside Naru in the first place.
"It'll take time to come up with a clear answer regarding this Crystal," the Doctor frowned. "This is more a job for some of the scholars, but from what I do know about magic, the energy of this crystal seems to have a wavelength that matches up to defensive magic."
"Well, we were right about that much then." Ami said with a nod "It's something that gives Naru defensive and healing powers so she can protect. Now we just need to figure out WHY she has it."
Shingo hummed in thought "Well… this is a crazy idea, but what if Naru's like you all?"
"You mean a Scout?" Rei asked him.
"Well, no, I mean, someone from the Silver Millenium." he clarified.
"Huh… you know, it's possible. The only way we'd have to find out is if we could regain our memories from that time though." Usagi said with a frown.
"Still, that's a pretty good theory there," Kelch mused. "I mean, there's really nothing to say that the Queen stopped at JUST the Scouts. She was bound to have sent more people if she could."
"Something we'll hopefully find answers to in time," Rei sighed.
"So...what happens now?" Naru asked.
"For now, I suggest putting this on," the Doctor said, giving Naru a bracelet. "After the Tribe received the story of what happened, we felt it prudent to at least ensure the power isn't leaking out. This will block out the energy signature of the crystal, hopefully stopping anyone from finding you based on its energy signatures in the event someone becomes aware of it."
"Does that mean I won't be targeted anymore?" Naru asked hopefully.
"...no, I'm afraid all this does is ensure nobody can pick up on the energy of the crystal and thus target you for it. If they either target you by coincidence or for any other reason I'm afraid this won't protect you. Of course if you learn how to use the crystal, then you'll be able to defend yourself," he explained.
"...what does it say that I'd take that too?" Naru sighed.
"It says you're tired of your apparent bad luck with Youma, and frankly we don't blame you…" Usagi sweat dropped.
A few days later…
The Dark Kingdom was foreboding as always, but today there was an undertone of excitement that seemed to permeate the residents. The reason? In the last few days they'd been discreetly gathering energy and today Queen Beryl was offering it to their true leader. The energy flowed into the bizarre structure of sorts that seemed to act as a sort of bridge towards Metalia.
The structure seemed to come to life a little before a voice spoke. "The energy of humans has awakened me from my slumber," the voice of Metalia said.
"We have long been awaiting this day," Queen Beryl said with a bow.
"However…" Metalia said, causing Beryl to focus her attention. "Though I am awake, sleep continues to beckon to me. I need something more to truly awaken," she mused. "The Legendary Silver Crystal! Bring me the Legendary Silver Crystal and only then will my awakening be complete!"
"It shall be done," Beryl said, before she soon teleported to another section of the Dark Kingdom. When she arrived she soon called for her remaining two Generals to which they soon arrived as promptly as they could. The first was the familiar form of Zoisite, looking rather happy no doubt because it would likely be his turn to prove himself. The second was a man slightly taller than Zoisite, with long silver hair and wearing the same uniform, but with the front opened slightly, wearing a cape that hung off his shoulders.
"Zoisite, Kunzite," Queen Beryl said, addressing both of them. "The time has come. With the energy of humans Queen Metalia has begun her awakening. Now we must secure the Legendary Silver Crystal so that our great leader may truly awaken," she declared.
"Only say the word and we shall obtain it," Kunzite said.
Queen Beryl nodded before turning to Zoisite and holding up her crystal ball, which glowed darkly and soon ejected something that flew towards Zoisite who caught it. "This is...the Black Crystal," Zoisite said.
"Yes, though Nephrite may have created it, it required some modification for your next goal," Queen Beryl explained. "You are to locate and obtain the Rainbow Crystals."
"The Rainbow Crystals?" Zoisite blinked, feeling like he'd heard the term before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Noticing his slight confusion, Queen Beryl elaborated. "In our attack on the Moon Kingdom, our 7 most powerful Youma were among the invasion force. However, realizing their power, that accursed Queen Serenity sealed them all into the Silver Crystal. When the Moon Kingdom fell, in order to protect the Silver Crystal, it was split into the 7 Rainbow Crystals. Each crystal continues to restrain one of the Seven Great Youma who have been reborn as humans on this world."
Zoisite nodded, understanding what she wanted. "I see, so using the Black Crystal we shall find those seven and not only do we obtain the Rainbow Crystals, but in doing so we revive our greatest warriors. As expected of Queen Beryl, your plan is far greater than anything I would have thought up by myself."
Queen Beryl smirked a little at that, pleased that Zoisite understood his task. "Excellent. I expect great things from you, Zoisite."
"Leave it to me," Zoisite chuckled, before winding his arm up a little and tossing the Black Crystal forward with a 'Zoi!'. The crystal spun in the air for a moment before stopping at an upright position, glowing with dark energy as an image was soon projected over it, this image revealing a young man wearing a jacket and a cap, with glasses on his face, looking like he was playing with a machine of some type "So, our first Great Youma is within him? This should be quite easy." he said with a smirk.
"Just remember to be careful about the Scouts and Riders, they grow more experienced with each battle, and no doubt Nephrite might give them information, as we haven't confirmed his death." Kunzite told him seriously.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of being as careless as Jadeite and Nephrite," Zoisite reassured with a small smile before he soon vanished to carry out his mission.
The next morning saw a rather rare occurrence nowadays. Namely Usagi running as fast as she could. "I can't believe all of us forgot to reset the clocks!" Usagi gasped as she was running to school, Luna running alongside her.
"Well, it could have been worse. At least there's still a good chance you can make it in time," Luna said. "And if nothing else…" she trailed off right as Usagi leaped over a small bush without missing a beat. "It seems your double life has its own benefits."
"Think I should try out for the track team?" Usagi couldn't help but chuckle seeing as after all the fighting with Youma and Undead, basically leaping over hurdles would be easy enough.
Unfortunately her amusement made her not pay attention and when she turned the corner...she ran into someone, both of them falling to the ground with an 'ooof!'
"Sorry about that! I wasn't looking where I was going!" Usagi gasped.
"Hey! The heck you weren't girlie! Look what you did to my bro!" somebody said, causing her to look up as she was bowing her head, and realise that standing in front of her... were a trio of punks, two of them glaring at her and another on the ground and clutching his leg, moaning about the pain.
Usagi… just stared at them in deadpan 'If these guys aren't con men I'll eat my right shoe.'
"Hey! You listening?! You're gonna have to pay for this!" the shouting punk decided to add.
"I literally don't have any cash on me." she said dryly as she stood up.
The punk stared at her for a moment, before adopting a… lecherous grin "Well in that case, how about you pay us by coming with us and making a few films?" he said with a laugh as he started to reach out for her.
That was it for Usagi, she was ready to slap this jackass silly...only someone beat her to the punch. Quite literally on the punch part.
The guy with the lecherous grin had that grin wiped off his face when a fist crashed into his face, sending him flying back...oh hey, there's a tooth flying out too…
"People like you make me sick," the owner of the fist said, revealing to be a girl that was at least a full head taller than Usagi, with brown hair tied into a ponytail, some very notable rose shaped piercings on her ears, wearing a white and brown school uniform that had a far longer skirt than the one Usagi wore, going down to her calves.
"Who the hell are you?!" one of the punks gasped...specifically the one who was supposed to be in pain, having gotten on his feet.
"My, you heal very quickly considering you had a broken leg," the newcomer said. A somewhat amused smirk on her face at their apparent IQ...which considering the display was probably less than 2 digits.
The punks sputtered for a moment, but eventually came up with a response. "Shut up! You're the one who butted in you bitch!"
Yeah...REAL original.
That was a feeling the newcomer seemed to share as well. "If that's all you have to say, then I'll warn you only once. Leave."
"Like hell we're doing that!" the punks said before charging forward, even the one that had lost a tooth.
The girl sighed before she easily evaded them, swiftly countering with punches and kicks aiming for weak points she saw, knocking them over. When one of them tried to get behind her and grab her, she responded by grabbing him and throwing him over her shoulder, sending him flying right into his friends, causing all three to roll into a heap. "Had enough?" she asked, the tone making it clear there was a lot more where THAT came from.
"Shit! Run for it!" one of them gasped...and as it turns out they were actually smart enough to realize they were in over their heads, and ran away, tripping over themselves the whole way.
"Wow...she's strong," Usagi blinked. She and her friends may fight monsters, but they all had to transform to do it. She had a feeling this girl could probably give some of the Youma a run for their money.
"You ok?" the girl asked as she turned to Usagi with a smile.
"Oh! Yeah, perfectly fine!" Usagi said with a smile "Thanks for the help."
"No problem, they were total creeps anyway." the girl said with a chuckle "Anyway, see you." she said before turning around and leaving.
"See you!" Usagi said back to her.
Luna meanwhile, hummed in thought, looking at the girl curiously.
"Ah! Can't just stand around!" Usagi said suddenly before starting to run again.
It was a bit later in the day, around lunchtime, and Usagi was glad she'd managed to step into the classroom just before the bell rang this morning.
"That was really close." she said with a sigh as she walked around the courtyard, trying to find a good spot to sit down and eat.
However, as she searched, she noticed someone she hadn't expected to see again...at least not so soon. "Isn't that the same girl from before?" she blinked at seeing the very same girl from this morning eating her lunch by herself. "Is she a student here too?" Usagi wondered, watching from behind one of the trees.
"She is!"
"Ah!" Usagi said in surprise before hitting Umino on top of the head when he suddenly popped up in her face.
Of course the result was the glasses wearing boy clutching his head in pain from the hit "W-what was that for?" he asked after a moment.
"You surprised me! What were you expecting?!" she told him with a frown.
"Okay, fair enough..." Umino conceded with a slight groan. "So, you're wondering about Makoto Kino?"
"Is that her name?" Usagi blinked.
"Yep. Makoto Kino is a recent transfer. She's in class 6 and has a lot of physical strength," Umino explained. "Rumor has it though that she was expelled from her previous school for getting into fights. Maybe not someone you'd want to get close to before verifying if those rumors are true or not," Umino said, reading from his notebook he kept for some reason...before realizing Usagi was already gone. "...or you can do that…"
Usagi looked at Makoto from her spot behind one of the bushes that the taller girl had sat in front of for a bit, before deciding to step out when the brunette took out her bento box "Hi there!"
The taller girl turned her head quickly in surprise, before blinking a bit at the sight of Usagi "It's you again… you go here?"
"Yeahp, and I just found out you transferred here. Makoto, right? I'm Usagi Tsukino. It's nice to meet you." Usagi said with a smile as she bowed.
Makoto smiled a bit "It's nice to meet you too Usagi." she said with a nod, before Usagi sat down next to her and took out her own bento box.
"If it's not too forward of a question, why do you still wear your old uniform instead of ours?" Usagi couldn't help but wonder.
"Oh, it's fine. It's just that I prefer this style over your school's style, that's all." Makoto said simply before she opened her bento box, and Usagi looked over at it a bit.
"Woah, that all looks so good! You're pretty lucky that your mom makes all that for you." Usagi couldn't help but say, missing the slight wince from Makoto.
"Ah… actually, I made it myself." Makoto admitted.
"Really?! That's even more amazing!" Usagi said, honestly impressed with how good of a cook Makoto must be.
Makoto chuckled a bit at the compliment. "Would you like to try some?" she asked.
"Really? Don't mind if I do," Usagi smiled, before taking one of the riceballs in the lunch box and tasting it. "Its really good," she said, enjoying the taste.
"Glad you like it," Makoto smiled, before frowning a little. "Hey Usagi, just wondering, is it normal for people around here to be...hard to approach?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Usagi asked, having opened her own lunch box and started eating.
"Well, every time I try talking to someone, they keep shying away from me for some reason," Makoto frowned.
"Ah...maybe they just need time to get used to you," Usagi sweat dropped, though she gave Umino a sideway glance, having a feeling he was contributing to that. "So...you busy after school?"
"Not particularly, why?" Makoto asked.
A few hours later saw Usagi bringing Makoto to the Arcade. "It's a popular hangout place. Plus a friend of mine works part time here," Usagi explained as they went in.
"Yo, Usagi," came Kensuke's voice. "If you're looking for Motoki he's out at the moment. If you're looking to try and beat your high score, there are a few cabinets open," he chuckled.
"Oh hey, speak of the devil." Usagi blinked "Hey Kensuke, come over here! I brought my new friend along." she called to him as she leaned around the game cabinets to look at him.
"New friend huh?" he said, smiling a bit, before heading towards her "So, who's this new fri-" he said, before stopping suddenly when his eyes fell on Makoto… and Usagi noticed his cheeks going red a bit.
"Um, it's nice to meet you." Makoto said, wondering why he suddenly stopped "I'm Makoto Kino. I just transferred to Usagi's school."
"Ah!" he suddenly snapped out of it… mostly because of Usagi pinching his arm "I'm Kensuke Inazuma. It's nice to meet you!" he said with a deep bow.
Meanwhile Usagi just stared at him dryly, already having a good idea what was going on.
The awkward introduction quickly passed, and for once Kensuke wasn't sure what to say...so he did the only thing he could think of...show Makoto to some of the games, to which she'd quickly started playing Sailor V. "Real smooth there…" he muttered to himself as he noticed Makoto was very much absorbed into the game. Even then, he smiled a little as he watched her play. He'd be sure to remember her...name...hang on a sec…
Before he could think on it more, Usagi pulled him aside a bit, away enough Makoto wouldn't hear them "Alright, what was all that?" she asked him in deadpan.
"Um… what was what?" he asked her with a blink.
"You went googly-eyed over her. I've NEVER seen you act like that with a girl before." she clarified.
"Ah… that… well…" he trailed off with a blush, looking away.
She sighed at that "Alright… what is it? It's pretty obvious SOMETHING about her is attractive to you."
He looked around a bit before leaning closer to her "I… really like tall girls. The closer to my height the better." he admitted to her.
Usagi blinked a few times at that "Huh… alright, didn't see that one coming." she admitted, before smiling up at him "Well, glad you DO have an interest in someone then. I'll try to help you out when I can."
He smiled at that "Thanks Usagi." he said, before looking a bit more serious "But, there IS something though… her name is Makoto Kino, yeah?"
"Yeah?" Usagi repeated.
"What's her name mean?" he asked her.
Usagi blinked a bit "Sincerity of Wood… wait a second… oh you're kidding me." she finished in deadpan
"Yeah, I think you just found a possible teammate," Kensuke said.
"Not that I'm really complaining, but it feels like everyone is just falling into our laps…" Usagi blinked.
"I guess it does feel like that sometimes." he chuckled, before looking over at Makoto as she just continued playing "Though… you won't hear me complaining about this one, that's for sure." he said with a bit of a blush.
Usagi chuckled at that, before she noticed the doors to the arcade opening, with Ami, Rei and Luna coming in, the cat being carried by Ami.
"Hey girls." Usagi said with a smile when they approached "Oh, did you meet the new transfer student at our school today Ami? She's just over there playing Sailor V." she said, pointing out Makoto.
"Actually, Luna wanted to talk about that." Ami said, with Luna nodding.
"This morning, when you first met the girl, I sensed something strange about her, but also familiar at the same time." Luna explained.
Usagi and Kensuke shared a look at that "I think we might be right then."
"About what?" Rei asked.
"We think she's one of us." Usagi said simply.
Luna blinked at that, considering it "Well… actually now that you mention it… it DID feel similar to when we found Ami and Rei."
"Then there's her name. Jupiter IS known as the Wood Planet in some cases, so…" Kensuke trailed off.
"The question is how are we going to bring it up to her?" Ami frowned.
"With our luck? I expect a Youma or Undead to solve that problem for us…" Kensuke sweat dropped.
Everyone just shared an awkward chuckle, remembering that yes...every other time someone awakened, it always involved a Youma at the very least.
However, before anyone else could continue talking, a sudden commotion drew everyone's attention. Turning, they saw what appeared to be a crowd gathered at the Crane Game in the Arcade.
"What's going on over there?" Rei blinked.
"Let's find out," Kensuke said, and as it so happened, Makoto had also finished playing her game...seeing as she'd lost again, and had decided enough was enough for now.
"Wonder what's got everyone so interested in the Crane Game," Makoto voiced the general question as they got closer and saw someone...basically cleaning out the Crane Game.
"Wow, didn't think Crane Game Joe would be paying us a visit," Kensuke sighed.
"You know this guy?" Usagi asked.
"Know OF him is more like it," Kensuke sighed. "I'd better make a call to management. We'll probably need to refill the Crane Game soon if the rumors are true…"
"With that, the group went towards the crane machine, seeing Joe from up close, and he looked… pretty normal actually, dressed in a plain shirt and jeans with a jacket over them, some glasses, and a backwards cap on his head.
And right next to him on the floor was a bag full of stuffed toys from the crane game.
"Ok yeah, definitely making a call to management later." Kensuke said dryly.
"Is he really that good?" Ami asked.
"Cleans out entire Crane Games from what I hear," Kensuke sighed before taking a closer look.
Joe didn't seem to notice him at all, seemingly laser focused on the game he was playing. When he pressed the button to make the claw go down, he continued to be super focused, then something odd happened. Right as the claw was about to grab something, he pressed a hand against the glass...and Kensuke swore he felt 'something'...right before a pair of dolls floated up, not so much that people would easily notice, but enough so that HE could notice, being aware that the world isn't as simple as most thought.
Realizing that, Kensuke glared a bit. He would have a word with Joe...when nobody was around. As such, he could do nothing as Joe claimed his technically ill gotten prizes and put them in the bag with the rest of said ill gotten prizes. Seemingly satisfied with this for now, he turned to leave.
As he did though, Makoto noticed him on the way out...and she blushed. "He reminds me of my Senpai…" she said...in the kind of tone that was pretty easy to guess.
"Well...there's another reason for me not to like the guy," Kensuke muttered in annoyance.
A while later and the sun was starting to go down. Joe was walking down the streets, looking pretty damn proud of himself. What he didn't realize though was that he was being followed.
First by Makoto, whom was following him because of his resemblance to her senpai. Second by Kensuke, who wanted to have a few choice words with him. And third by Usagi… who was mostly just curious about what was going on, Luna walking next to her.
"I don't really think teenage drama should be our priority right now." Luna said, as they had left Ami and Rei behind, the two opting to go take care of their homework back at their respective homes for now.
"Eh, I think it's interesting. Besides, think of it like making sure our potential new member is doing fine." Usagi said with a shrug.
"Well… I suppose when you put it that way…" Luna trailed off with a sigh.
They continued with the tailing for a while, but as Joe decided to take a small shortcut by jumping over a divider and going to a lower road, he dropped one of his prizes and picked it up. However when he looked forward again, a figure suddenly coalesced from what appeared to be flower petals, revealing to be Zoisite. "Found you," Zoisite smirked.
Unsurprisingly Joe gasped in shock and stumbled back.
"This will be over quickly," Zoisite said, before rearing back and… "Zoi!" he threw the Black Crystal forward, which rotated in the air for a bit before stopping and releasing waves of energy. The moment they hit Joe, he gasped, stopping for a moment...before he felt an unimaginable pressure go through his body causing him to shout in pain. Before long a hole appeared in his chest, and from the void inside, what appeared to be red colored gemstone appeared though it seemed to flicker in and out of existence.
"Stop it right there!" came Makoto's voice, catching Zoisite's attention, right before he was forced to evade as Makoto landed on the spot he used to be. "It's not nice to pick on those weaker than you," she said with a small smirk, Zoisite frowned as he'd been forced to cut off the energy of the Black Crystal, leaving Joe to fall to his knees in exhaustion, clutching his chest where the hole had closed off.
"This is none of your business," Zoisite frowned. "If you don't want to get hurt, you'll get out of my way."
"Sorry, I don't make a habit of listening to what people like you say," Makoto said before she charged forward, aiming several punches and strikes for Zoisite, but he easily evaded each of them. Zoisite smirked a bit as he continued to easily evade her, not even opening his eyes until Makoto grabbed one of her earrings and used it as a projectile. Acting on instinct, Zoisite evaded the projectile...which was exactly what Makoto was aiming for and immediately struck where Zoisite had ended up, hitting him right in the face.
Zoisite gasped as he was sent stumbling back. However, before he could recover he heard a shout, making him turn to the source… and received a boot to the face, courtesy of Kensuke who'd jumped in the air to hit him in a flying kick, sending Zoisite flying back.
Kensuke landed, standing next to Makoto who looked at him in surprise "The kid may be using a dirty trick, but I'm not about to let some Dark Kingdom croney pull something evil on him." he said seriously as he cracked his knuckles for emphasis.
Zoisite growled before noticing the blood at the side of his mouth. "How dare you injure my precious face," he snarled. "I'll remember this!" he said before vanishing.
"Sure, that's what the last two guys said, and one of them isn't around anymore," Kensuke muttered under his breath, before turning to Makoto. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Makoto nodded, before quickly looking at Joe. "But whatever that person did to him, he looks like he's in pain," she frowned.
"Right…" Kensuke sighed a little. "Let's get him somewhere he can at least catch his breath."
"Hey, is everyone okay?!" Usagi shouted, having reached the scene shortly before Zoisite left.
"We're okay!" Makoto said with a small smile as Usagi went down to them.
"Well… I suppose since we're here…" Kensuke trailed off, going up to Joe, the young man looking up at him.
"What do you want?" he said while panting "Just leave me alone, I didn't ask for your help."
"Not what I'm here to talk about." Kensuke said, before pulling Joe to his feet "I know you're cheating at the crane games, I SAW you use some kind of power to make the toys float into the claw."
"Oh yeah? You saw that? You must be going insane man." Joe said snidely.
In response, Kensuke narrowed his eyes… before a green aura appeared around him, one Joe could see as rhinoceros beetles started flying out of the woodworks and surrounding him "Pull the other leg man, you're not the only guy who's got a cheat code on him." he said, glad that his Undead partner was willing to play along to stop the fooling around.
Joe looked at the large amount of beetles in shock, something shared by Makoto, before the glasses wearing young man looked back to Kensuke "Alright, fine. I've got a power, I can levitate small objects a bit. Happy?"
"Yeah, because that means I can say this easily." Kensuke said with a light grin "Use that power again, and I'll make sure every arcade in the country bans you."
Joe wanted to try and call that a bluff...but between the pain he was feeling and the 'look' that Kensuke was giving him...he just gulped and nodded quickly. Not like it'd cause him any real issues to not cheat…
"Good. That's all I needed to say really. So long as you don't use that power, you're still welcome to the arcade." Kensuke said with a smile as he instantly had Change Beetle cut off the aura, the rhinoceros beetles flying away at that.
"Um… is your friend always like that?" Makoto asked Usagi in slight concern.
"Naw, this is just a… special case." Usagi said, not wanting Makoto to see him in a bad light.
"Anyway, how about we go find you a spot to rest after that crazy guy tried to attack you huh?" Kensuke said, immediately focusing on what was ACTUALLY important.
"I… yeah, alright… good point." Joe said with a sigh, deciding not to argue with what was probably the most intimidating arcade worker he'd ever met.
The group quickly found a small cafe for Joe to rest in, though at Kensuke's insistence, he went for one of the back booths rather than one that was right at the window. Did he think that that would stop the Dark Kingdom from finding him? Not really, but why make it easier for them?
"So...if you don't mind me asking, what was Kensuke talking about earlier?" Makoto asked, as currently she was sitting at the same table as Joe with Kensuke by her side.
"Well, since you heard that guess there's no point in hiding it," Joe shrugged, before he held out his hand to a nearby ashtray which soon floated into the air a little before quickly settling back down. "As you can see, I'm someone with special abilities. Though I didn't think I'd run into someone else with them."
"Well we exist," Kensuke shrugged.
"So that's how you managed to win all the time at the Crane Game," Makoto said in understanding. "Still...doesn't that make it cheating."
"It is cheating," Kensuke grumbled.
"Well I personally thought it was no different than using personal talent," Joe shrugged.
"Okay, I won't deny the point there, but it's a problem for business if you basically clear out the games because of that," Kensuke sighed. "More importantly, you'd better be careful. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that person before was with whoever has been sending out the Monsters lately. If they wanted something with you I doubt they're gonna just give up after that," he frowned.
"I'll keep that in mind," Joe said. "But if you don't mind I'd like to be by myself right now. Coffee always tastes better when I drink it by myself."
"Wow, is that the thanks we get for helping you?" Kensuke said dryly.
"Yeah, yeah, sure, thanks." Joe said, waving them off.
Makoto let out a sigh at that… though not of the disappointed kind, Kensuke glancing at her to see her giving a certain look to Joe, making him grind his teeth a bit as he looked away.
Joe also noticed the look, raising an eyebrow at her "Why are you looking at me like that? If you're trying to be cute or something don't bother, tall girls can't be cute, especially when they've got monster strength like a gorilla."
A very loud creaking noise could suddenly be heard as Kensuke gripped the table at that, while Makoto's face morphed into one of sadness "I… I just-"
"Don't bother with a jackass like him, Makoto." Kensuke said, standing up and taking her hand "Let's just go." he said, pulling her along, though not before throwing a murderous glare at Joe, who shivered in fear as the two passed, and was about to return to his coffee… until he noticed something on the table that made him pale.
Four holes that perfectly fit the size of Kensuke's fingers, going right through the bottom of the table.
"I am… NEVER going to that arcade ever again." he said faintly.
Once they were outside, Kensuke finally let go of Makoto. "Sorry about that," he said, referring to taking her hand so suddenly. "But listening to that guy was really pissing me off. Especially with how disrespectful he was."
Makoto blinked, a little surprised by his words. After all...this honestly was the first time someone stood up for her. "I...its honestly okay…" she sighed. "Guess he really does remind me of my Senpai."
Kensuke frowned at that "Your senpai said something that rude to you?" he asked her.
"Yeah… said I was too tall for him." Makoto said with a nod.
"Well… he had a pretty stupid reason then." Kensuke said simply.
Makoto smiled a bit at that, nodding "Thanks."
Kensuke couldn't help but smile back a bit, glad to see that he could cheer her up a little, especially after Joe's completely uncalled for words. He also idly noticed Usagi peeking around a nearby corner, having apparently seen what he'd just done, and flashed him a thumbs up which just made him smile more.
However, before anything else could happen, there was the sound of shouting, and they turned around to see that Zoisite was inside of the Cafe, with Joe scrambling to get away.
"What the hell?! We were literally only gone for 2 minutes!" Kensuke gasped, as Joe came scrambling out of the cafe, while Zoisite...well...Kensuke and Makoto had to quickly get out of the way lest the broken glass get them.
"You're not getting away THIS time," Zoisite smirked.
"W-what do you want with me?! I'm just some random guy!" Joe gasped, terrified.
"Random? Hardly. In fact, you're supposed to be on our side," Zoisite said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kensuke blinked, having managed to hear that, but his question made Zoisite send a wave of energy at him and Makoto, sending them tumbling back. Yeah, he was NOT interested in another interruption.
Once they were out of the way, he looked to where Joe was… only to see him running more, making him sigh "It never ends with humans." he said, before chasing after him.
After a few minutes, evening had turned to night, and Joe had managed to reach a small park… except Zoisite suddenly appeared in front of him "Enough of this little game." he said, before he threw the Black Crystal forward again, the energy waves assaulting Joe once more who screamed in pain as once again the hole opened in his chest and the red crystal appeared, before being drawn out and flying into Zoisite's hand.
"One down, six more to go," Zoisite smirked as the Black Crystal went back to his hand.
"I don't know what that was, but you'd better put that back!" came Kensuke's voice as he and Makoto reached the scene, having been running after them.
"What he said!" came Usagi's voice, before everyone turned and saw her as Sailor Moon. "Return what you've stolen at once!"
Zoisite just chuckled at that. "You're a little late, Sailor Moon," he said.
"Who are you?! Other than the third General!" Sailor Moon demanded.
"Ah yes, this is the first time we've met properly. Allow me to introduce myself then," Zoisite chuckled. "Indeed I am the third of the Dark Kingdom's Four Generals. Zoisite," he said as he floated into the air, settling on a sitting position. "Now as much as I'd like to deal with you I have places I need to be," he said, before turning to Joe. "I'll leave her to you, Gesen." And with that he vanished.
"There he goes," Kensuke frowned.
"But...what was he talking about at the end there? Who's Gesen?" Makoto asked.
As if to answer her question, Joe clutched his chest in pain, before he shouted out as a tornado seemed to surround him, his body glowing behind it, before the tornado suddenly broke, revealing…
"What the hell?!" Kensuke gasped in shock.
"What just happened?!" Makoto added.
"He just got turned into a Youma!" Sailor Moon gasped as they looked at the transformed Joe.
His body was red in color, with several silver armor parts over himself, specifically on his right foot, left knee, right thigh, waist, left bicep, left chest area, right shoulder, and right forearm, while his head was white in color with red eyes visible behind a black visor.
The Youma, Gesen, didn't waste any time, immediately identifying his enemies, before pressing a button on his gauntlet… which made a large, spiked hammer appear and extend out on a long pole.
"Duck for cover!" Kensuke said quickly as Gesen swung the hammer down, before he started targeting Sailor Moon specifically, forcing her to constantly move around to avoid the hammer.
"This isn't my day!" she said while diving under the hammer, before looking up and her eyes widened as it was about to drop down on her.
Before it could however, Gesen suddenly let out a shout of surprise as… Makoto lifted him over her head "I'm a big fan of Sailor Moon you jerk, so don't you dare hurt her!" right at that declaration a green light emitted from her forehead...revealing the symbol of Jupiter.
"Looks like our guess was right!" Luna said, right as Makoto threw Gesen right into a bush.
Everyone was left blinking a little since this was literally the first time any of them had seen someone bodily throw a Youma while in civilian form no less. However, they quickly regained their bearings. "Well, since that much is confirmed," Kensuke said before pulling out his belt and putting it on. "Guess no point in holding back," he said before grabbing the handle. "Henshin!"
"TURN UP!"
Gesen quickly regained his footing and pressed the button on his gauntlet again, this time manifesting what looked like a crane game claw, before extending it, once again aiming at Sailor Moon. "Dunno what your fixation on her is beyond the obvious, but not happening!" Blade said, before lashing out with his Blay Rouzer, cutting off the claw, causing Gesen to growl in anger.
Makoto for her part was taken completely by surprise to see that Kensuke was Blade, but she quickly regained her wits seeing as the monster was still here. "I'll help too!" she said, looking ready to fight but…
"Wait!" Luna said, causing her to turn and well...okay...she was getting tired of the surprise conga tonight, cause seeing Usagi's cat could talk...yeah… "You are also one of the Sailor Scouts!" Luna said quickly as she pushed forward the new Transformation Pen, this one colored green. "Take this Henshin Pen and call out 'Jupiter Power, Make Up'!" she instructed.
Makoto was still a little confused, but nodded all the same and picked up the pen. "Jupiter Power, Make Up!" she called out as she lifted up the pen, and lightning came out from it, covering her body as her clothes were soon replaced with a similar uniform to the other girls, except with a green skirt, collar, green edges on the long gloves, small green boots on her feet, a green gem in her tiara, and soft pink bows "Sailor Jupiter!"
"Looks like we were right on the money!" Blade grinned behind his mask.
"Woah! This is not how I expected my day to go," Jupiter couldn't help but say, not that she was complaining.
"Glad to have you on the team though!" Sailor Moon grinned.
Gesen however didn't share in their joy, as he immediately pressed the button on his gauntlet again, manifesting ANOTHER crane claw and sent it forward, this time aimed at Jupiter who quickly evaded. Acting quickly she began gathering energy, the knowledge coming to her instinctually. Crossing her arms, an antenna extended from her tiara and acted as a focus point for the electricity that was being generated before full on calling down lightning to her. "Supreme Thunder!" she called out, sending the electricity right at Gesen and well…
"Wow, didn't know Youma could dance so well," Blade snorted at the effects of the electricity on the Youma, but rather than being shocked extra crispy, Gesen was still standing...albeit looking very much worse for wear.
"This ones stronger than other Youma we've faced!" Moon gasped, seeing as that attack was at least if not more powerful than Mars's Fire Soul and that move had taken out its own share of Youma.
"In that case one more time!" Jupiter frowned.
"I'll help too," Blade added, already going for his cards.
"Wait!" Luna shouted, stopping them. "He still has his human heart! We need to purify him if we want to save him!"
"Got it!" Sailor Moon nodded before she pulled out the Moon Stick and activated it. "Moon Healing...Escalation!" she called out, the healing waves of energy washing over Gesen, purifying him and after a few moments…
"Refresh!" Gesen shouted...in Joe's voice as his body glowed white...and for some reason was in a 'banzai!' pose, before the light subsided, and soon revealed Joe who soon fell to the ground. Unconscious, but definitely back to normal.
"Well, glad that's taken care of." Blade sighed in relief.
"Indeed, and now we have all of the Sailor Scouts gathered." Luna said.
"I'm still a bit lost honestly." Jupiter admitted sheepishly, before she looked at Sailor Moon and blinked a few times "Wait… Usagi?"
"Oh, yeah, I guess the glamour would fade for you now huh?" Usagi said with a chuckle.
"Usagi." Luna said seriously, earning their attention "Now that we've got all the Sailor Scouts, it's time for you to take up the role of their leader."
"Wait, hold on, leader?" Sailor Moon said in surprise "You sure I'm fit for that? I've only been at it for a few months!"
"It's your duty. I didn't mention this before, but whoever holds the Moon Stick is the leader of the Sailor Scouts. And now we must redouble our efforts to find the Princess." Luna explained.
"Right… we still haven't located her." Blade said "But… then there's that crystal that Zoisite took from Joe's body. What was that?"
"That… I'm not sure." Luna sighed "But whatever it is, we can't let the Dark Kingdom get any more."
Minutes later found the group back at the arcade, obviously untransformed now… and Makoto was angrily mashing buttons on one of the games.
"Well… at least she's got a good way to take out her frustration." Kensuke said with a sweatdrop as he watched Makoto play angrily while muttering under her breath, able to pick up some random words like 'jerk' and 'wimp'.
"Better than some other girls I know, that's for sure." Usagi said with a nervous laugh while Luna sweatdropped in her arms.
"Oh, hey Usagi." Motoki said as he suddenly approached them "I didn't know you were here tonight."
"Oh, yeah, I've been running around a bit." Usagi said with a small laugh.
"That so? Oh! Did you hear about how Crane Game Joe was here earlier?" Motoki asked her.
"I saw him, he was a cheating hack." Kensuke said "Told him if he cheated again I'd have him banned from every arcade around."
"Is that so? And here I was hoping he was actually skilled." Motoki said with a sigh.
"Oh, right, before I forget, let me introduce you to my new friend. This is Makoto." Usagi said, gesturing to the brunette, before she turned to look at her "Mako-" she started to speak to the brunette… only to notice the look on her face which could be best described as… dreamy "Oh what now?"
"He's just like my senpai…" Makoto said while looking at Motoki, who just looked confused, as Kensuke froze suddenly.
"I thought that Joe guy looked like your senpai!" Usagi said incredulously.
"But he sounds just like him…" Makoto trailed off with a blush.
"Honestly…" Usagi sighed at that as she slumped.
"Unbelievable…" Luna added with her own sigh.
"Motoki…" Kensuke said lowly, before grabbing his coworker's shoulders "You have… no idea how angry I am right now…"
"Huh? Why's that?" Motoki said with a confused blink.
"Honestly… you clueless idiot!" Kensuke groaned and started shaking him by the shoulders.
And there's the chapter!
Makoto has finally made her debut and joined the group.
And the first Rainbow Crystal has been taken by the Dark Kingdom, mostly because the group don't really know about them yet.
Also... yeah, Kensuke is crushing on Makoto.
I'm sure a lot of you saw it coming a mile away, thunder and thunder and all that.
But yeah, that's how it's gonna go.
Anyway, before I go, here's the card count... that hasn't changed at all.
Rouze Card Count:
Blade:
Spade: Ace, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10
Club: 3
Chalice:
Heart: Ace, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
Diamond: 2
Garren:
Diamond: Ace, 6
