Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 3: War games.
Episode 51: Swords and blasters.

By Razor Knight
Last update: May 8, 2013
Last edited: June 2, 2017

A few hours after the battle, the group was once again meeting, and they were all thinking the same thing.

"That Game Master guy's just a pest," Karin said.

Terry nodded. "Or he's just fooling around. I know there's some games with characters which could be a challenge for us."

Chie smiled. "There are Dragon Ball games."

"But knowing him, he'll just send Tapper to attack the city," Kage said, "serving drinks of doom!" He stood up and made a pose as he said that last word.

"Why couldn't I get a more normal boyfriend?" Hotaru muttered.

Kage smiled at her. "You just called me-"

Hotaru blushed slightly. "Guess I did."

Venus and Dragon Venus were, meanwhile, trying something out. "I tell you, Mina, we won't be able to get it right with just a little practice."

Venus was recovering her breath. "Let's try it once more. Venus..." She went through the motions of her Crescent Beam attack, shooting a rather large ball of light at the Dragon.

Dragon Venus held his book up, and the light was absorbed by it. "... Light..." he smiled as Venus run past him, and he brought the book down, opening it at a seemingly random page. As he did, the light ball shot forwards, but it was visibly larger, and brighter.

Venus saw the ball rushing at her and reached back, touching it. As she did, however, the ball started throbbing. "... Expl- Ack!" The ball exploded close to her, sending her crashing to the ground.

Terry was awed by them, but he wouldn't say that out loud. Those two had only tried their link for one hour, and were already close to figuring it out. "Ami, have any logical explanation for that?"

"I suppose they've been together for longer than we have, and-"

"Explo- Ow!"

"-they know each other's skills better."

"Exp- Shit!"

Terry sighed as Venus landed close to him in a heap. "Need help?"

"I almost got it," Venus said dismissively as she stood up.

"Fine, be like that," Terry muttered.

Venus sighed. "Uh, sorry, I'm just upset. I can't figure out what's missing."

"What's there to be upset about," Terry mused, "when you've nearly completed that link in a couple hours, while it took me and Ami a month?" He looked at her and smiled. "And here's a tip, it's not something you're missing, it's that you have too much of something."

Venus stared at him confusedly. "Uh, yeah, that helps."

"'The answer's worth a lot more if you get it through the sweat of your brow,'" Dragon Venus said.

Venus nodded. "Okay, let's try this one more time." Again, they went through the motions they could see in their minds, but Venus was, once again, sent flying as the ball of light exploded. Wasn't she good enough? Wasn't she fast enough? She thought about it for a few seconds before smiling. "Oh, I get it!"

"Maybe we should stop for the day," Dragon Venus said. Venus didn't look quite fit anymore, and it was natural, as she had been hit by that light ball at least ten times already.

"No, I swear I know what I was doing wrong."

"But-"

"Brad, trust me."

The Dragon sighed as Venus walked past him. "Okay, one last time."

"Venus..."

"...Light..."

Venus rushed by once more, but the Dragon knew it was different this time. Instead of rushing past the ball, she followed it, and then leapt at it, kicking it with all her might. "Explosion!"

The end result was that the ball was sent forwards at high speed, and exploded in a shower of light bolts as it hit the wall, doing visible damage to the area around the explosion.

"Yeah! We did it!"

Terry smiled. "She could be a good football player. Nice legs."

"Gust!"

Terry picked himself off the ground. "Ow. Didn't mean it that way, Diamond."

Venus sighed. "Brad, don't be a pest. He's not hurting anyone."

Dragon Venus shrugged. "Fine. And I'll agree with him in both things he said."

"Even though they are both in Twilight level, that link has the power of a Star-level attack," Aiko commented.

Venus smiled at Terry. "Thanks for the help."

"Sometimes, to see the solution to a problem, you have to look at it from the outside," Terry said.

"However," Ami said, "these aren't attacks we can use all the time. They require more than one person, both have to be synchronized for it to work, and the enemy could disrupt them rather easily."

"There's always a catch," Terry admitted.

"Usagi, it's good that you're taking your studies seriously, but you're hardly ever home lately."

Usagi nodded. "Sorry."

Ikuko smiled. "It's okay, I'm proud of you, but I sometimes miss the times where you would be just slacking around here."

Usagi looked out the window. She wished she could tell her mother about what she was doing when she wasn't studying, but...

Ikuko shook her head. "Oh, what am I saying? If I keep saying that, you may go back to being-"

"I won't," Usagi said with a smile. "I like this Usagi, not the one I was one year ago."

"Me too," Ikuko said, then saw Usagi walk to the door. "Where are you going?"

"Out for a walk. Don't worry, I'm fine, I just need some time alone."

Ikuko sighed as Usagi left. "It's my job to worry."

Luna had listened to all of it, and was also a bit worried. Was the constant fighting wearing Usagi out? She wished she could help her more, but-

"What will we do about that kid, Luna?"

"Meow?" Luna looked up at Ikuko.

"Sometimes I feel like she's not telling me the whole truth... But that can't be right, Usagi's always been honest with us." Ikuko smiled at Luna. "Eh, look at me, talking to a cat. As if you could underst-" She stopped as Luna rubbed her head against her leg. "Perhaps you can understand what I say, after all."

And I understand a lot more than you think, Luna thought with a mental frown.

Usagi didn't have a destination in mind, and she was only paying enough attention to her surroundings to avoid being hit by a car, or walking into people. She was good at hiding it from her friends, but she was growing tired. Tired of seeing her friends getting hurt, tired of having to be on edge all the time. There hadn't been any attacks in three days, but those short breaks just weren't enough. And yet, she knew she had to keep going. She wouldn't abandon her friends.

"You know, with that face you're making, I almost confused you with someone else."

Usagi looked to the side and flinched. Hana was walking besides her, how long had she been-

"You didn't seem to notice I was here, for two blocks," Hana said. "Did anything bad happen?"

"No, nothing..."

"I don't need my powers to know you're upset, and it's not about 'nothing.'"

Usagi stopped walking and stared at Hana. "I don't want you to worry about me, you've got a lot to deal with already."

"You said you could be my friend, you told me I could talk to you when I needed someone to talk to. Right now, I'll tell you the same thing."

The blonde looked down for a few seconds, then nodded. "It's just that... I've been a Senshi for a year, and I'm already sick of it. I don't see how I could last until-" she stopped as she realized Hana couldn't possibly know about that place.

"Crystal Tokyo," Hana said. Usagi stared at her in shock, so she smiled. "Terry told me about it." She looked up to the sky. "Perhaps I shouldn't be talking to him that much, it may look like-"

"I... Had a crush on him too," Usagi admitted. "And I'm sure Ami knew it. You may have been a lot closer to him than I was, but I think Ami won't mind him talking to you."

Hana nodded. "I know. In any case, you shouldn't focus on the negative things. The fighting, the stress, those things come and go. Think about what you won from all that fighting, about what you have now, what will stay with you after all the fighting is done."

The blonde smiled. "Thanks to these powers I met all my friends, I stopped being so lazy and careless..."

"Terry told me you had grown a lot from how you were back when he met you."

"That's probably true." She paused for a few seconds, then looked at Hana. "You know, you're as kind and strong as Terry told me. You will surely find-"

Hana grimaced. "Perhaps I don't want to find anyone."

"That's something only you can decide."

"But who knows... Is any of your friends free?"

Usagi shook her head. "No, all the guys are with someone."

"That's too bad," Hana said.

Usagi looked at the taller girl. "Unless you don't mind if it's a girl."

Hana stopped walking and stared at Usagi. "I..."

Usagi gasped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend-"

"It's not that. It's just that I never even thought about it. Never had to. But are there girls in your group like that?"

"Aki and Maria, and also Karin and Chie. I was quite shocked when I found out."

Hana looked up to the sky. "Heh. Well, I don't know, I'll try knowing you all more before I make up my mind. Terry's moved on already, so for his sake and mine, I think I can do it, too."

"And you should give Ami a chance. She's not a bad girl."

"I know that," Hana said. "I-"

"Usagi!"

Usagi looked back and smiled. "Hi, Mako."

Mako smiled, and then looked at Hana. "Hey, what are you two up to?"

"Just talking," Hana said. "I think I know why you guys stay close to this girl, though."

Mako nodded at that. "She could befriend a rock, and I don't mean that as an insult."

"By the way, Terry told me you're the strongest of the group. Stronger than him, even?"

"Uh, I just know how to hit hard, that's all."

"Just need someone to tell you where to hit, or to teach you how to choose your targets," Hana said.

"Eh, guess you're right."

Suddenly, Hana flinched and looked back. "Not to switch topics or anything, but Game Master is back."

"Huh?" Usagi turned around and saw a small creature leisurely floating their way. It looked like some sort of ugly jellyfish. "I just know I've seen those somewhere."

"It's a metroid," Hana said.

"Oh, right. I saw Umino playing that game once."

"Seriously, one of those bugs? That will be hardly worth our time." Mako mused. As soon as she had said that, two dozen metroids appeared around them. "... Nice one, universe."

Hana looked around. There were civilians in the area, that would make things harder for them. "We can't fight them without changing for the party."

Usagi was about to say something, when she noticed her surroundings had changed, they were now inside an alley. "Wha-"

Mako flinched. "Ugh. Next time you do that, please warn me."

"Sorry, but now you can transform," Hana, or rather Nova, said.

Usagi smiled. "Right."

After changing, the trio rushed out of the alley, noticing there were even more metroids than before. They started fighting the creatures, Moon used her weapons, Jupiter used her mallet (which she could, Moon noticed, throw and recall much like her chakrams, though its movements were heavier and slower,) and Nova was using psi blasts.

"Those are impressive trick you have, but they won't work on us."

Moon looked back and saw a couple figures had appeared. One looked like a ninja, while the other was wearing an orange armor with a red helm, his (her?) eyes visible through a green visor. "Huh, those must be the game bosses."

"The armored girl is Samus Aran, she usually fights against metroids, but I don't think Game Master gives a damn about who's good and bad in those videogames. No idea about the other one, though."

"Name's Ryu Hayabusa, and I'm here to exterminate you."

"Dream on. Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

The ninja stared at the dragon dismissively. "Begone!"

Moon blinked in shock. The man had unsheated his sword for a second, using it to create a gust of wind, which cut Jupiter's dragon in half. "What the heck..."

Two figures appeared right next to the ninja, and they looked exactly like him. "Time to die, Jupiter!"

Moon flinched as Jupiter tried to fight the three ninja. "We have to help-"

"Worry about yourself."

Nova saw Samus turn into a ball (how did she even fit there, anyhow?) and roll to them. Samus didn't hit either of them, however, and she was confused for a split second, but then saw something right on their feet. A bomb? "Shit."

Moon tried to stand up, but the attack had stunned her. She saw Jupiter was getting quite a beating from the ninja, and Samus was ready to jump in. She also noticed Nova was lying on the ground near her. "Hana!"

"I'll be... Fine," Nova said weakly.

Moon frowned and produced her communicator. "Aiko!"

The girl appeared in her comm. "What's the matter, Moon?"

"Have you told the others about this fight?" She didn't need to ask if the girl had detected it, but why hadn't anyone reached them yet?

"Nobody's at the base right now, and from my scans I could tell you would have no problem fighting those-"

"Damn it!" Moon shouted. "No problem, you say? Nova is hurt, Jupiter is being kicked around by our foes, and I don't know if I can help either of them! How can that be no problem?"

Aiko stared at her, her face as emotionless as usual. "Are you saying I shouldn't trust my sensors?"

Moon sighed. She wished Aiko was human, that way she would understand why she was angry at her. But it was pointless to be mad at-

"I can see you're upset, and I will make sure such a mistake never happens again."

That was her way of saying sorry, Moon realized. "Just try to get everyone here as soon as possible."

"Fire Sentry."

A column of fire rose from the ground, shooting fire blasts at the few remaining metroids, and also knocking Samus and Hayabusa back. Moon looked up to see Warwitch floating down calmly. "Good timing, Yuki."

Warwitch looked at Nova. "She looks quite beaten."

"That armor girl used some kind of bomb, it almost knocked me out, so the damage must be a lot worse for her."

"Help Jupiter first..." Nova said weakly.

Jupiter was getting knocked around by her two foes, but frowned as she heard that. "Warwitch, get them back on their feet, I can handle these goons."

"But-" Moon started.

"I may not be as smart as Ami or as powerful as you, but I will still protect my friends," Jupiter said.

Samus took a step back as lightning arcs started running up and down Jupiter's body. "What is that?"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

The ninja snorted as the transformation ended. "Getting a new suit will not help you, Jupiter!"

Jupiter smiled as the ninja run to her. That's just what she needed. "Jupiter..." She rose one leg up above her head, as electricity gathered around it, and her fists. "... Volt..." She suddenly brought her leg down, stomping the ground hard enough to crack the concrete, and several beams of electricity shot from the ground around her. "... Trap!" She swung her fists down, punching the ground with them, and the beams around her shot out, creating a large sphere of electricity, and trapping the ninja within.

Warwitch was healing Nova, but turned as she sensed the power leaking from Jupiter. "That's just awesome."

Jupiter saw the ninja fall to the ground and then vanish. "Dead already?" She then looked at Samus and smiled. "You're next."

Samus started shooting at Jupiter with her blaster arm, but Jupiter dodged each blast easily. The lightning Senshi then leapt over Samus, kicking backwards as she landed, and sending Samus crashing down. Samus rapidly turned into a ball, but Jupiter's smirk told her that might not have been the best idea.

Jupiter kicked Samus up, who hit against a wall, bouncing back and straight at Jupiter. The armored woman got ready to summon another bomb, but didn't see Jupiter had summoned her hammer. "Down you go!" Jupiter shouted as she swung her hammer, pinning Samus into the concrete, then she smirked. "Thunder Smash!" The hammer charged up with electricity, and Jupiter smashed Samus with it. A short explosion later, all that was left of Samus were bits of her armor. "Hmph, she looked tougher in the games."

"Mako, watch-"

It all happened quite fast. Moon and Nova both noticed Hayabusa rushing at Jupiter from behind, but while Moon only shouted a warning, Warwitch's healing let Nova do a lot more. Jupiter turned to see the ninja staring at her in shock, then he looked down. Jupiter also looked down and flinched, the ninja's torso was mostly gone. As he slumped to the ground, Jupiter realized what had happened. "Thanks, Hana."

"You're welcome," Nova said.

Mars, Venus, Saturn and Mira appeared near them. "Huh? Where are the enemies?"

"Just done dealing with them," Jupiter said.

"So, Aiko called us for naught?"

Moon sighed. "We got quite a beating, but fortunately Warwitch was near. I told Aiko to get some reinforcements-"

"Shouldn't she have done that from the start?"

"She said she had considered these foes weak enough for us to take on."

Mars noticed Moon's scowl. "Usagi, Aiko is just a computer. Or a computer program. Anyhow, what I mean is-"

"I know, Rei. It's pointless to be mad at her."

"Still," Venus said, "you know the saying, to err is only human, so I think Aiko's a bit human."

Saturn looked at her. "Wait, you got the saying right. Strange."

"Huh? I always get them right," Venus said, proudly. The others sighed in defeat.

A/N: For those who don't know him, Ryu Hayabusa is from Ninja Gaiden. I liked him in the original saga, but after "Boobs or Alive" and "Devil May Ninja" (or "Dead or Alive" and the modern "Ninja Gaiden" games, but I like my nicknames for them better,) I find it hard to see him as a cool guy anymore.

Samus is Samus, she's always going to be awesome, but I was tempted to have her fight "Justin Bailey."