Chapter Ten

The following Tuesday night, Jeddite was finishing up work on at least one more set, if not more than one more set, of monsters, just as carefully as he could here. For he was hoping to release them all the following day, when he eventually got the chance or chances to do so well enough. He'd decided to create them with the significant help of some equipment he'd secretly stolen from assorted corporate buildings since Skyhorse's last battle with many Arab terrorists four nights before. Jeddite had actually sneaked into assorted Jerusalem-area corporate buildings for the past two or so days. He'd then done so by secretly teleporting into them, by the way. And he'd stolen some equipment from them periodically. He'd then used them to create all of the necessary monsters, and their applicable cubes, of course.

As he was still finishing up that work on them, Valthusa suddenly teleported into his Jerusalem-area base of operations in an isolated part of The Dome of the Rock. When he realized this, he asked her, just as soon as he was sure it was safe enough, "What's the matter?"

"I have a message from Queen Beryl, Jeddite. She says that if you don't eliminate the Scouts the next time you release your monsters, she will depose you, and remove you from the mission you're on right now. And you will be terminated, in a manner of speaking, just like I said earlier, during our last meeting with each other. You will be forced to answer for your failures against the Scouts, and face the consequences of said failures, according to her. Then she will put Nephlyte in charge of the mission, once you're removed from the battle, it seems. Supposing, of course, that you get beaten this next time, that is."

"I have one more chance to beat the Scouts?"

"Yes, it seems so. Unfortunately, we who are supporting you currently will be unable to save you from that fate if you don't take out all the Scouts and their pesky allies, we believe, Jeddite. Even if we might actually prefer you to stay in charge of things here, that might very well be the case here."

"And if it is, will there be any future hope that I might be able to get out of Eternal Sleep, after she might put me in it?"

"I really don't know. But I don't think so, just so you know."

For a while longer, then, the two Negaversers conversed with each other and did whatever came to mind for each of them. Eventually, though, Valthusa had to depart from his presence again, of course. Before she left, she wished him complete success against the Scouts and their pesky allies, for the obvious reasons, though.

Little did either of them know that Jeddite's latest plan wouldn't succeed, at least not yet. But they'd eventually learn that in the very near future, after another one of his plans to gain sufficient amounts of energy for the Negaverse was dusted completely by the Scouts and their allies, for that matter. Just not immediately would they know that, of course.

Wednesday afternoon, right after school, Sylvia, Kiena, and Mary found themselves just outside the school's main entrance, talking with each other about their plans for the evening. They had often encountered each other over the past few days, in fact. The evening before, Mary had finally realized that she was also Sailor Trinity. And she realized it just before Kiena and Sylvia did so, for that matter.

She realized it when she encountered them while Sky and Ren were patrolling together in the local area. When she realized it, she then powered up and joined them on their current patrol shortly thereafter. After the three of them finished patrolling with each other, Sylvia eventually bought a suitably-colored and suitably-outfitted bicycle for Mary to use as needed in the future, plus the necessary license or licenses for that bicycle, of course.

Mary hadn't yet been to the cavern, but that'd happen when the three of them were able to get there well enough with each other in the future. Mary still wasn't old enough yet to have a driver's license, being only 13 at the current time. But in time, if she somehow managed to live long enough in her life, she might be able to have one in the future.

Mary said, "I was actually planning on going to a fashion show later on this very evening with my mother, Kiena and Sylvia. Not doing some riding or anything else, unless we were to go out to eat, of course."

"I see," said Sylvia. "You're hoping to see what the big fashion designers might be coming out with in the near future, if at all possible, right?"

"If I can, of course I'd like to, Sylvia."

They conversed just a bit longer with each other before starting to split when Mary walked off the school grounds toward her family's apartment building elsewhere in the city. But they didn't part before Sylvia secretly showed Mary how to turn her locket on so that it could track possible Scout-related activity. Among other things she secretly showed her before Mary parted from Sylvia and Kiena here, in fact. Sylvia and Kiena watched Mary leave the school grounds briefly, before heading toward their respective vehicles elsewhere on them. A few minutes later, for both of them, and they were both off the school's grounds as well.

They each stopped at their own families' residences, as appropriate for them both. Kiena stayed longer at her family's residence than Sylvia did. For Sylvia stayed there only long enough to get herself some food and drink for herself, and change her clothes, basically. While Kiena decided to work on her current symphony for a while in her room.

After Sylvia got herself some food and drink to have that evening, and changed her clothes from her current school uniform to more casual clothes, she got herself a complete change of other clothes. She did that here so that she'd have something to wear after she rode Serenade for a while. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

She was gone from Wakefield Castle again by 4 pm, with all the necessary things with her again. Whether or not they were in her subspace pocket of sorts, in fact. When her sister Rebecca asked her where she was going, Sylvia said, "I'm going out for another ride with Serenade, Becky. I have no idea just when I might be back home tonight."

"Okay, Sylvia. Be careful. It seems that many terrorists have begun hunting for people and animals that seem to look like the Scouts and their allies that have been showing up around this area the last month or two, just so you know."

"So noted. I'll be as careful as I can, of course. But I'm not afraid of them, Rebecca. They'll get their just punishments if and whenever the need arises for them to, I'm sure."

"If you see Skyhorse or Renaissance, please let them know that assorted terrorist organizations have just put bounties on their heads and the heads of their allies, if you can."

"What do you mean?"

"Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad, for example, have put out bounties on them for at least a combined average of 100,000 or so American Dollars, if not more than that. For Skyhorse, they're offering at least a half million units of such currency for information leading to her capture or assassination, if I'm not too mistaken here, in fact. It seems that she's been quite dangerous to them and their cause of late, ever since she first tangled with them."

"I see, Becky. Of course I'll let the necessary people know, just as soon as I can, if I happen to meet up with them well enough for a long enough period of time."

"Good. Take care, and God bless, and all that, Sylvia."

Then Sylvia left Wakefield Castle behind again, and went to Sweet Musicalisti here, as was now quite usual for her in her life. A little while after getting there, she and Serenade were off the required grounds, and patrolling all over the local area. They patrolled for a while before Sylvia suddenly felt the need to power up.

As soon as she could do so well enough, and safely enough, she then did so. She soon detected a potential disturbance that a set of Jeddite's monsters might be about to cause. When she paged the other Scouts to let them know about that, they soon told her, "Skyhorse, two more potential disturbances are developing at the same time as the one you seem to have detected. We might not be able to stop them all at the same time."

"Please tell me where your potential disturbances are, girls," interjected Serenade, all of a sudden, without any warning. Ren and Trinity did so. He mentally triangulated the location of those potential disturbances, and then said, "They're going to make their last stand at the nearby International Airport, it seems. Trinity and Renaissance, deal with your potential disturbances as best as you can, and then meet us at the nearby International Airport as soon as you can. Isaiah, go with Renaissance, and help her out as much as possible. I'll do the same with Skyhorse, at least until the Pilgrim can show up, if I can."

"What about me, then, Serenade?" asked Trinity.

"You'll have to handle things as best as you can at the present time. Unfortunately, we don't yet have any other Scouts available to help you out here well enough, so you'll have to fight as best as you can alone. At least until I can get to you, or until you defeat those monsters, of course. May God protect you perfectly if you have to fight, Trinity. After you deal with the monsters that you'll have to fight, head as quickly as you can and as safely as you can for the airport, okay?"

"Understood, Serenade. Will do, if and whenever possible, of course." Seconds later, then, all the Scouts signed off. And they all began preparing to engage at least one set of monsters apiece, if not more than one apiece, wherever they might have to do that here.

A little while later, sometime around 5 pm or so local time, each of the Scouts were in the necessary places where they might have to fight against assorted monsters of Jeddite's creation. When they were there, they very briefly let each of their fellow Scouts know that, and waited for the proper times to show themselves in those very same places.

When the need arose for them to show themselves in those places, they did so. For the obvious reasons, they made very short and very direct speeches, before they began fighting each set of monsters as needed.

Skyhorse and Serenade had soon found themselves opposing about four dozen monsters of assorted sizes, shapes, and appearances. For most of the next hour or two, then, they fought those monsters. And they both took them out periodically with their weapons and anything else they could fight them with at that time. No matter what it was. Eventually, though, as expected, the Pilgrim showed up near them both, and fought alongside Skyhorse against the remaining monsters near enough to where she and Serenade now were. Thereby allowing Serenade to leave the scene in order to try to help out Sailor Trinity with her own still-raging battle against at least another twenty or so more of Jeddite's created monsters, of course.

It took until about 6:50 pm local time for Skyhorse and the Pilgrim to finish off the remaining monsters in their current location as needed. With that done, they then began running with each other as quickly as they could to another location closer to the International Airport where Jeddite was evidently planning to make his last stand against the Scouts. After about ten or fifteen minutes more of running to that next battle location, they arrived in that place, and engaged another set of monsters apparently numbering thirty or so, more or less. To eliminate them all quite completely took Skyhorse and the Pilgrim until about 7:25 pm local time, more or less. When they eliminated those monsters as well, they headed straight for the airport, not detecting any more monsters they'd have to fight on the way there, in fact. They had both taken some hits for themselves in both engagements. Most of those hits having been ones that she periodically had taken before he'd joined her part of the battle, of course.

They both arrived at the airport on foot sometime around 7:35 or so, local time. And they were very glad to see that their allies had somehow managed to survive battling against at least several hundred, if not at least a thousand, monsters between them all in several engagements apiece. But Ren and the others had all taken at least a few hits apiece in the process of fighting monsters in those same engagements, as well, for the obvious reasons, of course.

When they got to the airport, and made their ways to one of its runways there, Jeddite suddenly materialized in front of them with at least a few hundred more monsters that he'd created since the entire battle had begun. When they all asked who he was, he said, "My name is Jeddite. I serve the Negaverse. Prepare to meet your doom, Sailor Scouts and friends!"

"Are you the one who's been releasing all these monsters in the area?" asked Skyhorse.

"As a matter of fact, I am. And I will destroy you pesky Scouts and your allies!"

"Not likely! Prepare to die, yourself, and prepare to meet your doom!" replied Skyhorse.

"If I don't beat you, I'm likely going to meet my doom, by the hands of Queen Beryl! So I must defeat you!"

"God will give us the victory! You shall not destroy us!" shouted Renaissance.

"We destroyed the Moon Kingdom long ago. And we will destroy your world, Satan willing, eventually."

"Never will your foul Negaverse destroy Earth, for God will never allow it," said Trinity.

"Prepare to be terminated, you pests! Monsters, attack!"

Seconds later, all the monsters who were then present began attacking the Scouts and their allies. Led by General Jeddite, of course. It wasn't a very easy fight for the Scouts and their allies to fight, in fact. But they still fought it here, for all the obvious reasons. Periodically, even while each of them took some more hits to themselves, they all still took out monsters as best as they could, and whenever they could. By 8:55 pm local time, they already had taken out about 700 monsters of assorted sizes and appearances, more or less. But they still had at least another hundred or so to deal with. Not to mention Jeddite, as well.

It took them all about another half an hour or so to eliminate the rest of Jeddite's monsters, before they were finally alone with him, among the ashes, et cetera, of those monsters. And Jeddite began running away from them. While he was doing so, they pursued him quite intent on ridding the world of him. But he slipped away from them before they could catch him, by slipping into a nearby hangar's restroom area without them seeing where he had gone. He began to teleport back to his base in the Jerusalem area, but before he could get there, he was diverted, because Beryl had located him, and grabbed him up before he could keep her from doing so.

Jeddite soon found himself rather unexpectedly materializing in front of Queen Beryl and her throne in the Negaverse. He quite earnestly begged for mercy and more chances against the Scouts from her, but she was totally unwilling to listen to him. So she punished him by putting him in a crystal of some sort and sentencing him to Eternal Sleep in that crystal.

After she did that, she soon said, "Nephlyte, you are now in charge of Jeddite's former mission. See that you do not fail us like he did against the Scouts and their allies. We must release Metallia, so that we can conquer or destroy this world as the need arises in the future."

"I will endeavor to eliminate the pests that seek to keep us from doing what we need to do here, of course, Queen Beryl."

"Leave me now, and begin preparing for your first battle against those infernal Scouts."

"As you wish. If I might make a suggestion, before I start work on my first monster, though, Queen Beryl?"

"Yes, I'm listening."

"I suggest we start trying to create Scouts of our own to fight the Scouts that are giving us problems, if and whenever possible."

"That might be worth looking into. In the meantime, begin preparing monsters to fight against our enemies, Nephlyte."

"Right away, then, Queen Beryl." Negaverse General Nephlyte then teleported away, and began searching for a suitable enough place to work out of in the Jerusalem local area. He chose not to work out of the exact same place in it that Jeddite had worked out of, in fact. But he still eventually stole all of Jeddite's notes, equipment, and other items that he was actually able to get his hands on from there. Valthusa most definitely tried to prevent him from doing so at all, while Jeddite was still meeting with Beryl. But she was unable to do so completely, before Nephlyte soon destroyed her all by himself. She kept him from getting at least some things of Jeddite's, but not most of them. At least for the time being, if not forever, anyway.

After the Scouts and their allies realized Jeddite had gotten away from them well enough, Skyhorse said, "I wish we could have gotten him for all the trouble that he caused around here the last month or two."

"So do I, and I'm sure the others here would all tend to agree with you, Skyhorse," said Renaissance, a few seconds after Sylvia said that here. "It might have been good to know our enemy was unable to escape before we destroyed them. I wonder where he is now, and if we'll ever see him again in the future. If not, then I wonder who's going to take over for our enemies, in terms of causing trouble for us, of course."

They generally conversed a while longer with each other, before then parting from each other as they saw fit to at the current time. The last two of them to do so who were human, at least, were Skyhorse and Renaissance. Skyhorse and Renaissance parted after they got to where Kiena/Ren had earlier parked her Spiritseeker, and after Ren got behind its wheel, when they both felt the need to do so. Sky watched Ren then drive off. And after she did so here, she eventually brought Serenade back to Sweet Musicalisti. That was so she could take care of them as was then necessary, given the fact that they'd both just been part of several engagements earlier that day, of course.

They arrived back at Sweet Musicalisti around 10 pm local time, after they'd patrolled around the area a bit more with each other. By the time that they returned to Sweet Musicalisti's grounds again, Sky had secretly powered down, and become just Sylvia Wakefield again. From just after they got back there to about 10:30 pm or so, she then attended to Serenade as their mutual situation required her to attend to him. With at least a little help from Reuben and Timothy, if and wherever possible and necessary, in fact.

After he was set for the night, Sylvia briefly left him again, for the obvious reasons. She did what she then had to do elsewhere on the stable's complex, before briefly returning to him again. Sylvia returned to the outside of his stall around 10:45. After she did so, they briefly conversed in secret with each other, before she left him for the rest of the night.

She returned home around 11:30, after briefly stopping at a Chinese restaurant and a grocery store between Sweet Musicalisti and Wakefield Castle. First she stopped at the Chinese restaurant to pick up some requested items that her siblings and parents had asked to try to pick up after her riding time with Serenade. And she then stopped at the grocery store to pick up some things mainly for herself. Especially because of the engagements that she'd just had to fight against assorted Negaverse-related monsters, of course.

She dropped off the necessary food and beverages in the Wakefields' kitchen, and got herself some other food and drinks to bring to her own room. Sylvia went to her room for the rest of the night by 11:40 pm, and attended to her various hurts for a while before doing anything else there. After she attended to them as best as she could at the current time, she then worked on her homework for a while. Sylvia did so until the work that needed to be done before the following day of school was completed sufficiently well. That took her to about 12:50 in the morning. After she finished her homework that was going to be due on the following day of school, she prepared her clothes for the following day of it. It took her a few minutes to do that, and then she began preparing for bed. By 1, then, she was in her bed, reading or writing in her journal. By 1:30, she turned out the nearest light to her at that time, and went to sleep. As had happened for her many times before, more dreams of the past soon came her way again, after she was quite soundly asleep in her bed here.