KidsWBYungsta Presents Looney Tunes & Sailor Moon: Sailor Space Jam! – Chp. 8: The Return of Kaolinite and Romance Blossoms
KidsWBYungsta Presents Looney Tunes & Sailor Moon: Sailor Space Jam! – Chp. 8: "The Return of Kaolinite and Romance Blossoms"
KidsWBYungsta Presents Looney Tunes & Sailor Moon: Sailor Space Jam!
Chapter 08: "The Return of Kaolinite and Romance Blossoms"
A/N: Welcome back to the Sailor Space Jam, ladies and gentlemen! Things are currently looking up for the Looney Tunes and the Sailor Guardians as they have recently revived the MonStars to play for their basketball team! However, there is a catch to this: although the Nerdlucks have returned to being the all-star MonStars, their basketball skills haven't been awakened yet and they will only get their superstar-level abilities back by training for the Ultimate Game. However, they do have the support of the Looney Tunes and the Sailor Guardians, so all hope is not lost! Meanwhile, the other MonStars find themselves crushing on four of the Inner Guardians, though they have no idea how to express their feelings at the moment. However, Bugs and Usagi finally become aware that Michiru knew of Bupkus' crush on her the whole time, which leads to the two rabbits—well, a metaphorical rabbit and an actual rabbit, to make things clear—try to find a way to help Bupkus admit his feelings to Michiru without getting on Haruka's bad side. All while this is happening, Bugs and Usagi also try to come up with a plan on how the Tunes could bring Jimmy Butler into Looney Tune Land with the hopes of him lending a hand for the Ultimate Game. What advantage will the Witches 5 get before the Ultimate Game? How will the Sailor Guardians react upon hearing about Bupkus' crush on Sailor Neptune? Well, let's "toon" back into the story and find out, folks!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Looney Tunes or Sailor Moon characters who appear in this story as they appear under the ownership of their respective companies: Warner Bros. Animation and Toei Animation. Also, the story will be set in the year of 2016, 20 years after the release of the original Space Jam.
Dedication: A tip of the hat to NBA legend Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny as his Jordan Brand alter-ego, Hare Jordan, and the 20th anniversary of the 1996 Warner Bros. film, Space Jam. Oh, and special thanks to fellow FanFic writer, ChelleNorlund, for some much-needed advice for this chapter! I really appreciate it!
KidsWBYungsta Presents Looney Tunes & Sailor Moon: Sailor Space Jam! – Chapter 08: The Return of Kaolinite and Romance Blossoms
Date: Friday, November 4, 2016 – Moron Mountain Intergalactic Universe / Swackhammer's Main Office – Moron Mountain, Outer Space
While Chibi-Usa and Hotaru were getting familiarized with the Looney Tunes and the MonStars through the Sailor Guardians, Swackhammer was busy working on a personal playbook that he could use for the Witches 5 when they play the basketball game against the Looney Tunes next Friday. In order to come up with the plays for the upcoming challenge, Swackhammer decided to watch a wide variety of NBA games from the '80s era to the present day, taking notes of the skills of such prominent players as Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Blake Griffin and Allen Iverson, just to name a few. Just as he was taking the notes, he looked up when he saw Kaolinite walk into his office, sporting a grin on her face as Swackhammer just turned to the audience and said, "Well, look who finally came back on the scene after taking a break since Chapter 3!"
Swackhammer then turned back to Kaolinite and cleared his throat as he said, "Well, well, well, Kaolinite! Such a surprise to see you back on the scene since you left Looney Tune Land with the Witches 5 on Halloween night ..."
"The girls said that they had to iron out their own bugs in order to prepare for the Ultimate Game against the Looney Tunes and the Sailor Guardians, so I had a feeling they would eventually call me back with some updates at hand," Kaolinite said while smirking at the green Moron Mountain owner.
Swackhammer squinted his eyes and raised an eyebrow at Kaolinite as he said, "Well ... have you heard anything from the girls yet?"
"I'll tell you this much: the girls have confirmed that they have stolen the talent of five NBA players—LeBron James, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin, to be exact," Kaolinite said while sporting a devious smirk on her face.
"Excellent! I guess things are going according to plan, aren't they?" Swackhammer said to Kaolinite while sporting a devious smile himself.
Kaolinite could express her excitement in a subdued fashion, so as to not jinx themselves before the Ultimate Game next Friday. Kaolinite then walked up to Swackhammer and said, "You could say that, Swackhammer. I guess you are in the process of creating a playbook for the Witches 5, huh?"
"What gave it away?" Swackhammer asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "The videos of the various NBA games or the fact that I was writing in this playbook?"
Kaolinite then smirked at Swackhammer as she just giggled to herself and said to the Moron Mountain owner, "Oh ... just a woman's intuition, I guess."
"Indeed," Swackhammer said quietly.
"So, is there anything else I could do for the team?" Kaolinite asked.
Swackhammer thought about what role Kaolinite could serve for the Witches 5's basketball team—he thought about utilizing her as a bench player for the team, but he didn't know how that would work out; he considered making her the cheerleader / mascot for the girls, but it would only cause the other team to laugh in response and might embarrass the Witches 5 indirectly. Suddenly, Swackhammer finally got the perfect position for Kaolinite in his mind as he looked up at her and said, "Say, Kaolinite ... how would you like to serve as the assistant coach for the Witches 5's basketball team?"
"Really? You want me to serve as the assistant coach for the girls?" Kaolinite asked in a tone of interest. "What's in it for me, Swackhammer?"
Swackhammer only raised an eyebrow in response, thinking about what could engage her interest in the role of assistant coach for the Witches 5, then it finally came to him as he cleared his throat and said, "Well ... if you take this gig as the assistant coach and if the Witches 5 win this basketball game over the Looney Tunes and the Sailor Guardians, I will give you co-ownership of Moron Mountain! How does that sound?"
"Co-ownership of Moron Mountain, eh?" Kaolinite said while raising an eyebrow and sporting a smirk. "Is that all you've got for me?"
"Well, the perks will keep coming once we get those Looney Tunes and Sailor Guardians as the new mascots and all-star attractions for Moron Mountain!" Swackhammer said with a devious smirk. "Just stick with me for the time being and things will be looking bright in your future, Ms. Kaolinite!"
"Alright, Swackhammer, I'll take the gig," Kaolinite said as she shook hands with Swackhammer. "I just hope the girls manage to pull off an easy win over the Tune Squad next Friday. Besides, I'm sure they'll have their own tricks up their sleeves to counteract what those Looney Tunes and Sailor Guardians have in their arsenal by that time ..."
"I hope so, because I don't want to resort to any desperate measures to get those Looney Tunes and Sailor Guardians up here on Moron Mountain," Swackhammer said as he walked back to his desk and continued working on his playbook for the Ultimate Game.
Before Kaolinite left Swackhammer to deal with this playbook business, she decided to check out what he had in store for the Witches 5 in the Ultimate Game, so she walked up to Swackhammer's desk and took a look at the playbook in question. When Swackhammer noticed that Kaolinite was still hanging around his office and checking out what he was doing, Kaolinite just brushed it off and playfully said, "Oh, just making sure that you didn't have your desperate measures written into this playbook."
Swackhammer could only roll his eyes as he said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah ..."
Date: Friday, November 4, 2016 – Warner Bros. Rucker Park – Looney Tune Land, Animation Multiverse
Back in Looney Tune Land, the MonStars were still feeling somewhat downtrodden that their superstar-level basketball skills haven't been awakened since they had permanently returned to their basketball-playing selves from 20 years earlier. As if that wasn't enough, Bupkus had found himself crushing on Sailor Neptune, which almost led to a humiliating situation when Nawt was this close to revealing his crush in front of her girlfriend, Sailor Uranus, leaving Bupkus in a bit of a personal dilemma.
Bugs noticed how downtrodden the MonStars were looking, which led to Daffy walking up to the rabbit and saying, "Hey, Bugs, what's up with the MonStars? How did they go from being all smiles to feeling like a group of jaded, cynical washouts in the span of one chapter?"
"I guess they're still upset about the fact that their basketball skills haven't awakened within themselves yet," Bugs said while munching on a carrot. "Well, that and I think Bupkus might have an extra burden on his head right now."
Daffy just shot a confused glance at Bugs for a moment as he tried to process what he just said about Bupkus, saying, "Wait a minute, what happened with Bupkus now?"
"I guess he was still embarrassed about his first encounter with Sailor Neptune earlier," Bugs said, then he whispered to Daffy, "Ya know, I think Bupkus might have a crush on Sailor Neptune."
Daffy's eyes widened in response as he just turned to Bugs with a look that says, "Wait a minute, did he just say what I think he just said?"
"Bugs, did you just say that Bupkus—Bupkus, of all people—has a crush on ... Sailor Neptune?" Daffy asked as he raised his eyebrows.
Bugs summarily nodded his head in response, which only led to riotous laughter from Daffy, who was saying, "Oh, are you serious, Bugs? This is too rich!"
Bugs just sighed and shook his head as he said, "Come on, Daffy, Bupkus is already going through a lot right now. He really likes her, you know."
"Come on, Bugs! Why is Bupkus scared to be open about his crush on Sailor Neptune? He's supposed to be the ladies' man of the MonStars!" Daffy said, holding back laughter while wiping away a tear of joy. "Now, all of a sudden, he's scared to be honest about his feelings?"
"Daffy, this is different," Bugs said sternly. "I think Bupkus would've been open about his crush on Sailor Neptune if it wasn't for one thing."
"What, are you talking about the shipping wars that are going to come out of this?" Daffy said in a sarcastic tone.
"N—well, yes, by a technicality, but ... I think he might be concerned about how Sailor Uranus is going to react to hearing about Bupkus' crush," Bugs explained.
Daffy then got himself back together as he cleared his throat and said, "Wait a minute, why would he be worried about how Sailor Uranus is going to react? I'm sure she would understand, right? Right?"
Bugs then sighed as he walked over to Daffy and whispered, "Eh, Daffy, you know that Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune are in a relationship, right?"
After hearing this revelation from Bugs, Daffy's eyes widened in simultaneous shock and surprise as he looked over to Haruka and Michiru, then he looked at Bugs and said, "Wait, you mean to tell me that Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune are in a relationship?"
"Yeah," Bugs said with a light nod of his head.
"Wow ... how did we not catch this earlier?" Daffy asked curiously while rubbing his chin.
"I thought I told you about this the day after the meeting," Bugs said. "You weren't paying attention, were you?"
"Hey, basketball fever was running high around Looney Tune Land since we laid down this basketball challenge against the Witches 5!" Daffy said in an annoyed tone. "I thought one of the Sailor Guardians would've told us about that when they first arrived here!"
Bugs just rolled his eyes as he turned to the MonStars and said, "Hey, Daffy, follow me, I think I have an idea."
While Bugs and Daffy were walking up to the MonStars, Nawt was busy listening to some music on his iPod Touch as he just sighed and said, "Well, this is rather unprecendented."
"What do you mean, Nawt?" Pound asked in a confused tone.
"I mean the fact that our basketball skills haven't awakened in our MonStar forms yet," Nawt said. "I really wanted to impress our new teammates today with our dazzling display of basketball expertise."
"Hey, don't worry, Nawt," Blanko said in a reassurring tone. "Once we go through our training regimen in preparation for this basketball game, we'll return to being the all-star MonStars once again."
Bang smirked at Blanko and said, "That's right, Blanko! I just hope our skills would be enough to impress the Sailor Guardians on our team."
"Yeah ... especially Sailor Neptune," Bupkus said to himself with a sigh, but he noticed that the other MonStars overheard what he said. "Oh, you heard that, didn't y'all?"
"Bupkus, you know we're hanging around in the same vincinity, right?" Pound asked while raising an eyebrow.
Bupkus just rolled his eyes and sighed heatedly as Nawt walked up to him and said, "Hey, come on, man, you don't have to be embarrassed. Listen, I wasn't try to reveal your crush to Sailor Neptune out of malice, you know? I just wanted to help you get closer to her, that's all."
Bupkus smiled at Nawt and exchanged high-fives with him as he laughed lightly and said, "I understand, Nawt, but did you really have to tell her in front of Sailor Uranus?"
"Why were you worried about that part, though?" Nawt said in a confused tone. "You thought she was going to fly off the handle and beat me up or something crazy like that?"
Bupkus just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Hey, you never know what could happen, Nawt."
"Eh, what's up, MonStars?" Bugs said while munching on a carrot as he and Daffy approached the MonStars.
The MonStars all stood up and walked up to Bugs and Daffy, exchanging high-fives with the two Looney Tunes as Pound said, "Hey, Bugs, what's going on?"
"Nothing much, doc," Bugs said. "I, eh, couldn't help but notice that you guys are still down and out about your basketball skills."
The MonStars all gave sad sighs in response as Blanko said, "Yeah, you got that right, Bugs. I guess you could read our minds from afar, huh?"
"I wish I had that ability myself, so I could find out what all of you Tunes really think about me," Daffy said under his breath, then he sensed the cold stare from Bugs as he said in a defensive tone, "What? I was just kidding, Bugs! Why does everything have to become a federal case with you all of a sudden?!"
Bugs just rolled his eyes and sighed as he looked up at the MonStars and said, "Listen, docs, I'm sure Jimmy Butler would be willing to help us train for the upcoming basketball game against the Witches 5 when we bring him down here, but I could set up some special basketball practice sessions, allowing you guys to pair up with the Sailor Guardians."
"You could?" Bupkus asked.
"You would?" Nawt asked in a surprised tone.
"Yes, but based on your reactions, maybe I should!" Bugs said with a smile while taking a bite from his carrot.
Suddenly, Daffy grabbed Bugs by his shoulder and said frantically, "Wait a minute, hold the phone here! Special basketball practice sessions with the Sailor Guardians? Bugs, do you think those Sailor Guardians could handle the MonStars at this moment? What if the MonStars' skills actually awaken during one of those sessions and they end up doing to them what they did to us in the original Ultimate Game back in 1996?!"
Bugs just coolly took a bite out of his carrot and said to the screwball duck, "Cool your jets, Daffy, I highly doubt anything like that would happen during one of those practice sessions. Besides, I don't think the MonStars would be that malicious."
"Yeah, you are literally referring to a group of superpowered and intergalactic cartoon characters whose leader almost crushed your own girlfriend to take her out of the game, but he could've easily killed you just from his weight alone!" Daffy said in a tone that was slowly but surely becoming increasingly erratic.
"Daffy, you know I take offense to that, right?" Pound said in a slightly-annoyed tone.
"Come on, Daffy, you know we wouldn't hurt those girls," Nawt said to Daffy in a reassuring tone. "Besides, those girls are strong and savvy enough to stay out of trouble. If trouble was to come around, I'm sure they would just punish said troublemakers in the name of the Moon or something like that."
"I don't know about this, Bugs ... are you su—no, are you positive these special practice sessions between the Sailor Guardians and the MonStars will not end in disaster?" Daffy asked while raising an eyebrow at the de facto leader of the Looney Tunes.
"Daffy, listen, those girls practically saved the entire universe from impending doom five times for five straight seasons," Bugs said to Daffy in a reassuring while munching on a carrot. "I think they could handle training the MonStars in these special practice sessions."
"Well, who would be willing to step up and train these guys for certain one-on-one drills? You know, when it comes to playing defense and playing perimeter offense?" Daffy asked curiously.
"Well ... you know, Daffy, that's a good question," Bugs said to the duck, then he looked up at the MonStars and said, "Hey, fellas, do you have any ideas of who you want to work with when you are practicing your defense and offense for certain one-on-one sessions?"
The MonStars thought about it for a moment, then Pound said to the rabbit while rubbing his chin, "Well, Bugs, I was thinking about practicing with Sailor Mars. I think her determination would serve as a good motivator."
"Sailor Mars, huh? I'm surprised you didn't go with Sailor Moon, Pound," Bugs said in a lightly-surprised tone. "After all, she is the leader of the Sailor Guardians, you know."
"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to think outside of the box, Bugs," Pound said with a smile. "Besides, she does seem like a pretty cool girl."
Daffy was about to make a comment about how Pound sounded like he was crushing on Sailor Mars, but he was interrupted by Bugs adding, "That, and she seems to have the fire and desire that would match your large and in charge personality."
Before Daffy could add his two cents on the matter of Pound pairing up with Sailor Mars, he was once again interrupted, this time by Bang saying to Bugs, "You know something, Bugs? I think I would like to have Sailor Jupiter serve as my practice partner."
"Sailor Jupiter, eh? Alright, I'll add that combo to the list," Bugs said as he turned his eyes to Nawt, then he asked, "Say, Nawt, who would you like to practice with?"
"Sign me up for Sailor Mercury, Bugs," Nawt said with a smile while shrugging his shoulders. "I want to see how her analyst skills would translate to the court."
"Alright then," Bugs said, then he looked up at Blanko and said, "Blanko, what about you?"
Blanko took notice of Minako from afar, then he said, "Uh ... do you think you could have Sailor Venus serve as my practice partner, Bugs?"
"Eh, I'll keep that in mind, doc," Bugs said, then he looked at Bupkus and said, "Hey, Bupkus, I'll have you working with Sailor Neptune for these practice sessions. After I talk to the girls about this, I think you, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune and I need to have a conversation."
"A conversation? A conversation about what?" Bupkus asked in a confused tone while raising an eyebrow.
Bugs just smirked at the purple MonStar as he winked at him and said, "Oh, you'll find out soon enough, doc."
Bugs and Daffy then walked back to the other Looney Tunes and the Sailor Guardians as Yakko walked up to them and said, "Hey, guys, how are the MonStars feeling right now?"
"They were feeling downtrodden earlier, but they're starting to feel a lot better," Bugs said as he took another look at the MonStars.
"You think their skills will be ready and fine-tuned by the Ultimate Game next Friday?" Wakko asked curiously.
"Well, yeah, as long as we manage to bring Jimmy Butler here into Looney Tune Land, but just in case, I might need to implement some one-on-one practice sessions between the MonStars and some of the Sailor Guardians," Bugs explained to the two Warner Brothers.
"One-on-one practice sessions? How did you come up with that, Bugs?" Yakko asked.
"Eh, I thought the MonStars would feel more stimulated if they had the support of the Sailor Guardians," Bugs explained while munching on a carrot. "Plus, I think it would make for a good bonding experience."
"You never did something like that when Lola joined our team 20 years earlier," Daffy muttered under his breath, receiving yet another glare from Bugs in response.
"Anyway, who are the MonStars going to partner up with?" Yakko said. "Surely, you had the format set up already, right?"
"Well, I had to ask the MonStars to see who they would prefer working with and the answers were pretty interesting," Bugs said.
"Who did they choose?" Yakko asked.
"Well, Pound chose Sailor Mars as his practice partner, Bang wanted to team up with Sailor Jupiter, Nawt said he wanted to work with Sailor Mercury, Blanko is going to team up with Sailor Venus and Bupkus ... well, it should be obvious who he's going to work with," Bugs said while raising his eyebrows.
"Sailor Neptune," Yakko and Wakko said without skipping a beat.
"I guess you were aware about his crush, too, huh?" Daffy asked.
"It was clearly obvious when Sailor Neptune became acquainted with him in his Nerdluck form," Wakko said. "I can only imagine how she would react once she becomes aware of his crush on her."
Bugs and Daffy then walked up to the Sailor Guardians, who were still sitting on the bleachers with the other Looney Tunes, Chibi-Usa and Hotaru, and called out to the main Guardians, saying, "Hey, ladies, do you mind if I talk to y'all for a moment, please?"
The Guardians then stepped off of the bleachers, leaving Chibi-Usa and Hotaru to become better acquainted with the other Looney Tunes, and walked up to Bugs and Daffy as Rei asked, "What did you need us for, Bugs?"
"Are you aware that the MonStars are crushing on you?" Daffy said before receiving a smack upside the head from Bugs. "OW! What'd I do? What'd I do?!"
"The MonStars have crushes on us?" Rei said as she blushed for a bit.
"I'm sure that's not why Bugs called us up here, Rei," Usagi said, placing a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Daffy just gets into one of those moods where he speaks up at the wrong possible moment."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, sister?!" Daffy said in a shocked tone.
"I'm just being honest, Daffy!" Usagi said defensively.
Bugs just rolled his eyes and cleared his throat as he said, "Anyway, ladies, I called you all up here because I have a special assignment for you: see, the MonStars are still feeling down about not having their basketball skills awakened yet, so I decided to implement some one-on-one practice sessions in the days leading up to the Ultimate Game."
"Wait, Bugs, aren't we all going to practice with Jimmy Butler?" Usagi asked curiously.
"Well, that's the plan anyway, but these sessions are going to occur in the mornings before we practice with Jimmy during the evening hours," Bugs explained. "So, I decided to ask the MonStars who they wanted to work with for these practice sessions and, well ... the results were interesting, to say the least."
"What do you mean by that, Bugs?" Makoto asked curiously while raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I wrote down the practice pairings on this clipboard here, so you girls can see who you are going to work with," Bugs said as he handed the clipboard to the girls.
"When did you get a clipboard?" Daffy asked Bugs in a confused tone.
"Don't worry about it," Bugs said.
When the girls were reading the pairings for the one-on-one practice sessions, they seemed interested about the MonStar they were going to be working with, then Usagi walked up to Bugs and said, "Hey, Bugs, were you intending to have me work with one of the MonStars on occcasion?"
"Actually, while I was talking to the MonStars, I did have that part in consideration," Bugs said with a smile. "Honestly, I didn't ask them about this at first because I only wanted to know who they intended to work with, but I was wondering ... Usagi, would you like to step in and work with Nawt if Ami happens to be unavailable at the time?"
Usagi then turned to Ami and said, "Ami, you wouldn't mind if I worked with Nawt for certain one-on-one sessions, would you?"
Ami just smiled in response as she said, "Oh, uh ... sure, Usagi, that sounds reasonable."
"Well, it's a deal, Bugs," Usagi said as she turned back to Bugs with a smile.
"Excellent!" Bugs said. "Alright, so you'll be rotating with Ami in helping Nawt, I'll have Haruka rotate with Michiru in practicing with Bupkus and I'll see if I can get Setsuna to rotate with Rei in practicing with Pound."
"I hope this is for the benefit of the basketball team, Cupid," Daffy said under his breath, inciting another moment of eye-rolling from Bugs.
Bugs then turned to Usagi and said, "Eh, actually, Usagi, that reminds me. Do you mind if I talk to you about something ... privately?"
"Uh, sure," Usagi said. "Where do you wanna go?"
"How about we stop by the Warner Bros. Café?" Bugs said. "I have a question I gotta ask you about Bupkus."
Usagi looked confused for a moment as she said, "A question about Bupkus? What's wrong with Bupkus?"
"I'll tell you all about it when we get up there," Bugs said as he led Usagi to the Warner Bros. Café.
Date: Friday, November 4, 2016 – The Warner Bros. Café on the Warner Bros. Boardwalk – Looney Tune Land, Animation Multiverse
Once they finally arrived at the Warner Bros. Café, Usagi and Bugs sat across from each other at one of the outdoor tables as they both had a cup of coffee. Usagi then looked at Bugs and said, "So, Bugs, what did you want to talk about?"
"Well, like I said, I wanted to talk to you about Bupkus," Bugs said as he dipped his carrot in his coffee and took a bite from it. "Did you notice how he was feeling shy when he first laid eyes on Michiru earlier today?"
"Yeah," Usagi said while nodding her head. "I wonder why he was so shy in the first place. Isn't he considered to be the ladies' man of the MonStars?"
"Well, sure, but I guess it depends on what his confidence is like at the time," Bugs said while shrugging his shoulders. "Anyway, I noticed that his face shined red like a tomato when he first saw her in his MonStar form and I thought it was pretty weird how he rushed up and stopped Nawt from talking to Michiru about his feelings."
Usagi started to piece everything together, then she gasped in amazement as she turned to Bugs and said, "Wait a minute! Bugs, are you trying to tell me that ..."
Bugs then nodded his head and said, "Yes, Usagi, I'm telling you that Bupkus actually has a crush on Michiru a.k.a. Sailor Neptune."
Usagi just stared at Bugs in surprise for what felt like a minute or two, nothing but awkward silence between the Rabbit of the Moon and the leading rabbit of Warner Bros. ... that is, until Usagi finally broke the silence with a squeal of joy as she said, "Bugs, that's so adorable! I never would've expected Bupkus to have a crush on Michiru."
Bugs just gave a small smile in response as he said, "Well, it's good to know that you're cool about it."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Usagi asked.
"Well, Usagi, I think Bupkus really wanted to express his true feelings to Michiru earlier today, but something in my mind tells me he didn't want to cause any problems in Haruka and Michiru's relationship," Bugs explained as he took another bite of his carrot. "I seriously wonder how, just how is Bupkus going to reveal his crush to Michiru that wouldn't lead to him getting on the wrong side of Haruka or making a complete fool of himself in front of your fellow Sailor Guardians or your fellow MonStars?"
"Actually, Bugs, I think I had a feeling that Bupkus had a crush on me since I first met him," a voice said, causing Bugs and Usagi to look around their surroundings to find the source of said voice.
"Usagi, did you hear that?" Bugs asked Usagi as he continued to check his surroundings.
Usagi looked around for a moment, then she stopped to see the source of the mysterious voice standing right behind Bugs the whole time. Usagi could only giggle for a bit, causing Bugs to turn back to her and stare at her in confusion until the answer finally became obvious as he said, "Usagi, she's standing right behind me the whole time, wasn't she?"
Usagi nodded her head while she lightly giggled to herself as Bugs turned to see Michiru face-to-face. Bugs just gave a small smile as he took another bite of his carrot and said, "Oh, heh-heh ... eh, what's up, Michiru?"
"Nothing," Michiru said as she took a seat at the table where Bugs and Usagi were sitting. "So, I guess you two were talking about Bupkus' crush on me, huh?"
"Yeah, so you were aware of his crush on you the whole time, Michiru?" Usagi said to Michiru, who could only blush and giggle in response.
Bugs could only raise an eyebrow as he said, "You knew about it the whole time, didn't ya?"
Michiru just smirked at the rabbit until she finally said, "Of course I knew."
Usagi just sighed lovingly in response as Bugs said, "Hmm ... y'know, Michiru, you seem to be taking this pretty well."
"Well ... to be honest with you two, I'm having some mixed feelings about this," Michiru said, much to the surprise of both Bugs and Usagi.
"Why, Michiru?" Usagi asked curiously. "Don't you think it's cute that you have one of the MonStars crushing on you?"
"Define what you mean by 'cute', then come back to me," Bugs said, muttering under his breath.
Once Bugs made this comment, however, Michiru and Usagi turned to the Looney Tunes rabbit and stared at him in confusion. Bugs could only chuckle awkwardly as he cleared his throat and said, "Ehh ... just disregard that little comment of mine, please continue."
"O ... kay, so ... anyway, Michiru, why are you having mixed feelings about Bupkus' crush?" Usagi said, trying to get the conversation back on track.
Michiru just sighed sadly as she said, "Well, don't get me wrong, Usagi: I think Bupkus seems to be a nice guy. I mean, it seems that he and the other MonStars have changed for the better since they broke away from their old boss, Swackhammer. I mean, how long have they been staying here in Looney Tune Land anyway, Bugs?"
"About 20 years, give or take," Bugs said without skipping a beat.
"Right," Michiru said. "Anyway, I think it's really sweet to know that Bupkus does have some feelings for me, but I don't know how Haruka would react to hearing about his crush."
"Why? What do you think she's going to do?" Usagi asked.
"Well ... to be honest, I don't know," Michiru said while shrugging her shoulders. "I have a feeling she might take this crush the wrong way and think of Bupkus as a romantic rival."
"Oh ..." Usagi said. "I see where you're going with this."
"Yeah, I just hope Haruka would be understanding about Bupkus' crush on me," Michiru said. "I don't want the Tunes to go through any drama before this basketball game coming up."
"Hey, I don't think you should worry about us too much, Michiru," Bugs said in a reassuring tone. "After all, we've been through a whole lot worse."
"This is different, though, Bugs!" Michiru said as she gave a sad sigh in response. "How am I going to be able to establish some common ground between Bupkus and Haruka that won't lead to any friction between the two of them?"
Bugs thought about the situation for a moment, then he said, "Hey, Michiru, you leave everything to me. I'll try to clear things up between Bupkus and Haruka if this crush becomes known amongst the Tune Squad."
"Are you sure you can handle this, Bugs?" Michiru asked in a concerned tone.
Bugs just gave a warm smile in response as he placed a hand on Michiru's shoulder and said in a reassuring tone, "Hey, don't worry, Michiru, just trust me on this. I promise I'll have this situation cleared up."
Michiru then hugged Bugs as she whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Bugs."
"Aw, think nothin' of it, Sailor Neptune," Bugs said with a warm smile. "It's the least I could do."
Usagi smiled sweetly at Bugs as she walked up to the rabbit and said, "You know, Bugs, you seem to be more kindhearted than you realize."
"Yeah, I guess," Bugs said as a small smile appared on his face.
After Michiru and Bugs broke away from their hug, Bugs then said, "Alright, now that we have the plan for the relationship situation set up, I guess we have to focus on another big deal."
"What's that?" Michiru asked while raising an eyebrow.
"How are we going to bring Jimmy Butler here into Looney Tune Land?" Bugs asked while rubbing his chin.
"Couldn't you just drag him through a golf hole like you did with Michael Jordan?" Usagi asked curiously.
"Maybe," Bugs said while shrugging his shoulders. "I was just wondering when would he play golf and what would be the right time to get him? Y'know, I think I need to talk to Wile E. Coyote about this; I have a feeling he might come up with a gizmo that could have Jimmy show up here in Looney Tune Land without a wild ride in the process."
It feels like a five-chapter stretch since we last heard from Kaolinite and a seven-chapter stretch since we heard from Mr. Swackhammer, doesn't it? Anyway, it seems as though Swackhammer has found a position that Kaolinite could serve for the Witches 5's basketball team, though it seems that the 'assistant coach' ploy might be a cover-up for something bigger in hindsight ...
Meanwhile, the MonStars are still rather downtrodden about not having their basketball skills back in their system yet, but Bugs Bunny hopes to remedy that by setting up a series of special practice sessions with the Sailor Guardians, hoping that the MonStars would not only get their skills back by next Friday, but they would become better-acquainted with the Sailor Guardians. Not only that, but Bugs has to serve as a mediator for a supposed Bupkus/Michiru/Haruka love triangle that might occur if a certain crush is taken out of context in the next few days and he has to come up with a plan to bring Jimmy Butler into Looney Tune Land with the help of Wile E. Coyote.
What does Swackhammer really have in store for Kaolinite for the Ultimate Game? How will Haruka react once she finally gets word of Bupkus' crush on Michiru? What plan does Bugs and Wile E. have in store for recruiting Jimmy Butler to serve as a player-coach / team co-captain for the Tune Squad? "Stay Tooned" for the next chapter to find out, folks!