On another day, the other guardians met up at Juuban Park while Usagi stayed with Mamoru at his apartment.

When they did, Harusuke, Chibiusa, and Makoto recounted the events from the other day to the others.

"So, to save Earth from the Dead Moon, we need this Golden Crystal?" asked Minako.

"That's right," nodded Makoto. "And it's not just the Earth. Elysion, Helios, and Mamoru, too."

"I just can't believe what's happening to them," murmured Ami. "To think that all of them ended up cursed by this Queen Nehelenia."

"Well, for the time being, Usagi's taking care of Mamoru," said Rei. "So the six of us need to do whatever we can to help her so she can fight and protect everyone."

"As things stand right now, we'll have to be even more careful than before," said Harusuke. "The Amazon Trio may be gone now, but there's a chance some new lackeys will show up and take their place. Normally, I'd say that we'll figure out how to deal with them, but truth be told, I kinda wish we had a bit more help."

"I know," sighed Makoto. "I'm even beginning to wish that Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna were still with us."

"Yeah. Hotaru, too," agreed Chibiusa.

"Yeah. But knowing those girls, if they found out about our situation, they would probably tell us to figure it out ourselves," said Rei. "Then again, they did say we would meet them again someday. I just wish they were here now."

"You know, that reminds me of something," said Ami. "Back when I saw that little mini version of me when I was in trouble, it made me wonder if that was them cheering us on."

"Well, I don't know about that," smiled Harusuke. "But it is something to think about."

Then he noticed Minako, who had been silent throughout their whole conversation.

"Hey, Minako. You doing OK?" he asked. "You've been strangely quiet."

Minako looked up. "O-Oh! Don't mind me. I was just thinking, is all," she replied.

Later in the evening, Minako walked back home.

Despite what she said to Harusuke earlier, she was, in truth, feeling a bit insecure, which came from mostly being the only one who hadn't powered up yet. And if she didn't, the red-bowed blonde thought she would likely become a liability to the team.

As soon as she came home, she decided to vent her worries to Artemis inside her room. Naturally, the white cat was quick to reassure her.

"There's no need to worry, Minako. I'm sure you'll grow stronger before you know it," the white feline said. "Everyone else did, and so will you. After all, you're the Sailor Guardians' leader. Your body is likely undergoing a build-up of power inside of you waiting to emerge as we speak."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. There's no sense in worrying," Minako spoke doubtfully. She then got up from her bed. "I'm going to go take a bath."

While she went to do so, Artemis couldn't help but feel concerned.

"I know I told her not to worry, but I'm a bit worried that she'll keep thinking about this until she tries to do something to prove she's worthy of it. And more than likely, it'll be like the pure heart incident all over again. If only there was some way to help her."

The white cat then started thinking of how to help his partner as he stared at the night sky through the window.

In the bath, Minako scrubbed and rinsed herself clean, trying to wash away her doubts, but it didn't work as she soon finished.

"I'm the Sailor Guadians' leader, huh?" she muttered absently. "Yeah. Artemis is right. I am the leader. I'm sure I'll get stronger."

But she still didn't feel so sure.

At the Dead Moon Circus Tent, the Amazon Quartet were passing the time scheming while practicing their routines. CereCere just so happened to be gazing at Fish Eye's mirror as she swung on a trapeze, which had shown her everything that had transpired a few moments ago at Minako's place. And what she heard delighted her along with her fellow amazons.

"Well, now. It seems one of those annoying guardians is having doubts about her place on the team," CereCere spoke snidely.

"That shouldn't be a surprise," PallaPalla scoffed snootily as she stood on a ball with one foot. "After all, there's a useless weakling in every group. Or, to put it better, there's a weak link to every chain and a rat in every litter."

"You know, I have been growing bored of our shows lately," said VesVes. "So why don't we use that girl to host a special circus event that will really spark up some nightmares? It'll make things a bit more fun."

"Oh, yeah! Totally!" agreed JunJun.

CereCere then called out into the darkness. "Xenotime! Zeolite!"

Two daggers came shooting down from above as a pair of twins appeared. They both wore one article of clothing: a checkered unitard, except one was black and white and the other was gray and white. They also looked exactly the same, pale-skinned with blonde hair styled in long ponytails with a pink end, while their faces were uncanny as they grinned.

"Just leave it us, Amazon Quartet," the twin in black and white said. "Rest assured, my brother and I won't disappoint you!"

"Unlike the incompetent Amazon Trio," the twin in gray and white also spoke. "We'll not only be spreading our nightmares with the Lemures' help, but we'll make sure that Sailor Guardian knows the true meaning of nightmares."

And while the twins creepily laughed, they disappeared, setting off to fulfill their mission.

At the Tsukino residence, Usagi was getting ready for bed after coming home from Mamoru's place. She was about to go to her room when Harusuke came down along with Luna.

"Hey, Sis," Harusuke greeted. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm hanging in there," replied Usagi.

"And how's Mamoru?" asked Luna.

Usagi then frowned worriedly. "He's still coughing and spitting up some blood," she said. "But he's staying strong. However, I can't help but worry that he'll get worse."

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Harusuke apologized. "I know this has to be hard for you. I only wish there was something we can do to help."

Usagi shook her head. "No need to apologize," she said. "Like I said, I promised to stay by Mamo's side no matter what it takes. And I'm going to keep that promise."

"Make sure you're taking it easy as well," warned Luna. "There's a chance that we might need you should the need arise, and you might end up with the same curse as Mamoru."

"I know," Usagi smiled reassuringly. "I will."

Then, the ordango blonde yawned while her eyes got a bit droopy.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" suggested Harusuke. "You could use some after the day you had."

Usagi sleepily nodded. "Yeah. I'll take you up on that. Goodnight, you two."

She then sleepily trodded off to her room. As soon as she was gone, Luna spoke up.

"You know, it never ceases to amaze me how much Usagi's grown," the black cat murmured. "If her current self met with how she was in the past, you would think they were two different people."

"I know what you mean," said Harusuke. "But still… I can't imagine how stressed she is right now. With Mamoru being sick with a curse and after finding out that he, Helios, and the Earth are all suffering because of the Dead Moon, I'm surprised she hasn't gone charging into enemy territory."

"Let's not try and give her that idea," said Luna. "With the stakes being as they are, we must be careful with how we go against our enemy. Especially since they've already gone as far as to take over Elysion."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish there was something we can do to help Mamoru," said Harusuke. "But we have to find the Golden Crystal to do that. At least, that's what Helios told us. I don't suppose you know what or where that is, Luna?"

Luna shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't. I've never even heard of it until now. But perhaps there's some information about it in the archives at the Command Centre. It's worth looking into."

Harusuke nodded. "Please do so," he said. "Until then, I suppose I'll get to bed, too. No sense in worrying about fighting the enemy if I don't get some shuteye. Night, Luna."

The boy then walked to his room while waving goodnight to the feline.

But as soon as he walked into his room, he heard the sound of some scratching. At first, he was puzzled, but then he soon realized that the sound was coming from his window. Sure enough, as he came over to inspect, pulling aside the curtains, he found Artemis standing outside.

"Artemis, what brings you over at this hour?" wondered Harusuke as he pulled the window open.

"I came to talk to you," Artemis replied as he hopped inside. "It's about Minako."

The white cat then told Harusuke what Minako had told him while the boy listened.

"I see," Harusuke hummed as Artemis finished. "So, Minako's worried about slowing the team down and failing as the Sailor Guardians' leader because of not getting her crystal yet? Isn't this similar to how she wasn't targeted by the Death Busters before she eventually did?"

"Yes, and that's what I'm worried about," said Artemis. "I'm worried she'll do something reckless to prove her worth as a guardian and leader. I may have told her not to worry about it and that her time will come, but words can only do so much." He frowned as he looked sadly at the floor. "Not to mention that she's not the only one worried about being a liability. I'm afraid I haven't done enough for Minako as her partner."

"Why would you think that?" asked Harusuke.

"I mean, think about it, Harusuke," said Artemis. "I may have helped Minako become the woman she is today, but I'm not the best role model either. Not to mention, I'm not the strongest either. I just feel like I haven't been doing my fair share, you know?"

"Oh, come on, Artemis. You've done a lot of things to help," said Harusuke. "You stood your ground when you protected Luna against those animals when they were being controlled at that animal park. You also played a part in saving me when I was Dark Nova. And you even saved Luna back with that weird kangaroo Lemures."

"Yeah, but you seem to have forgotten that I got my tail whipped by those said animals and kittens at that," Artemis bemoaned. "Not to mention, I never would have had to save Luna if I hadn't gotten caught by that Lemures in the first place and ended up in a kangaroo costume."

Harusuke could see that the white feline was growing more depressed than ever.

"Look, Artemis, I've been where you are," he said. "I ain't the best person to take advice from, but just as we have our strengths and weaknesses, the same can be said for you. There will be a time when there's something that only you can do. As you told Minako, it's only a matter of time and yours will come."

"You think so?" asked Artemis, cheering up a bit.

"Absolutely," smiled Harusuke.

He then gave the white feline a reassuring scratch behind his ear, which made him purr and feel better.

The next day, Harusuke, the Inner Guardians, and Artemis were heading back to the Dead Moon Circus to investigate again while staking out for trouble. It was a hot and sunny day, and the town seemed to have grown filthier than ever, even more trash littering the streets and the sidewalks.

"Man, it sure is a bit warm today," said Harusuke.

"Warm? More like sweltering," said Minako while wiping her brow.

"No kidding," said Makoto. "And Juuban seems to be growing worse by the day."

Then, as they walked on, they all noticed two men in the middle of the street. They were both very irate and were fighting, slugging each other back and forth.

"Geez. They're fighting?" Minako murmured. "I guess the heat's getting to everyone."

"Yeah. Hopefully, it's just the heat and not something else causing all this," said Harusuke. "But I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't just the heat."

Then, Minako noticed that Rei was carrying a familiar object in her hands. A particular hand mirror with the symbol of Neptune on it.

"Hey, Rei. Isn't that…?"

"Yeah. Michiru's mirror," smiled Rei. "I borrowed it from Chibiusa. These days, things have been rather unsettling lately, so I figured it could help us out by sharpening our senses. Maybe it can help us find the source of all this."

"Well, the circus is definitely one source," said Ami. "It's saturated Juuban with a strange air, and I doubt it's more than just the barrier. Maybe they're releasing strange brainwaves or something?"

Minako couldn't help but start thinking when Ami mentioned the barrier. "Hold on. Could that be why I haven't been able to get stronger? Maybe it's limiting my potential or something!"

"That's very interesting, Ami," Minako said to her. "Did you discover it all on your own?"

"Yes, I did," said Ami. "But I never would have been able to find out about it if it wasn't for Setsuna's program she sent me a while back."

"Wait, when was this?" asked Harusuke.

"Oh, not too long ago," replied Ami. "I got this random email in my mini-computer with her symbol, and it came with the program along with Setsuna telling me to use it well."

Then, a helicopter came hovering by. Hearing the whirring of its blades made Makoto look up and smile nostalgically.

"You know, whenever I hear a helicopter, I can't help but think about Haruka," she said. "It still amazes me that she knows how to drive all sorts of vehicles." She then playfully winked. "Maybe our research will be more effective if we used helicopters, too."

"Somehow, I doubt that would work, Mako," Artemis spoke wryly. "In case you haven't noticed, there aren't any helicopters we could borrow right now, and none of us even know how to pilot one."

"You know, that reminds me," said Harusuke. "How do you guys think Hotaru's been getting along? Call it my big brother's instinct talking, but I've been a bit worried ever since she's been reincarnated as a baby."

"Yeah, but I'm sure she's fine, Harusuke," said Rei. "Haruka and the others promised they would take care of her."

"I know, but sometimes I still can't help myself," said Harusuke. "Before she was reincarnated, she was a good kid and one of the bravest people I've ever met. Then again, she is a guardian and has always been strong-willed, so I'm probably fretting over nothing."

Throughout the conversation, Minako fell silent, feeling a slight sting from every comment about the Outer Guardians, until at that moment, she finally spoke up.

"That's six," she spoke coldly. "That's six times you've all mentioned them today alone. "There's no use talking about people who aren't here."

Everyone looked at Minako, puzzled, as she clenched her fists in irritation.

"We know that," reassured Makoto. "We were just missing them and saying it'd be great if they were here so we can count on them."

It was at that moment Minako finally snapped.

"So, what then?! I'm a useless leader! Is that what you mean?!" she burst out loudly.

Everyone was taken aback.

"No! We never said anything like that!" Ami said.

"Hey, Mina. Calm down," Harusuke interjected. "You're getting way too worked up."

"Yeah, and you're acting weird," added Rei.

"So what if I'm acting weird?!" Minako snapped angrily. "I'm just fine with being weird! And I can get worked up as much as I want!"

And before anyone else could stop her, Minako turned on her heel and took off.

"Mina! Wait!" Artemis shouted. "Come back here!"

But it was no use. Minako had already disappeared into the bustling crowd.

"What on Earth was that all about?" wondered Ami.

Then Harusuke realized. "Oh, no, you guys. I think we might have hurt Minako's feelings."

"How do you think we did that?" asked Rei. "All we did was talk about the Outer Guardians."

"Yeah, but that might have been precisely why she got upset," said Artemis.

Harusuke and Artemis then explained.

"So, that's why she got upset at us," murmured Rei.

"It does make sense now," said Ami. "She's been worried that she hasn't been a good leader and is holding us back, and hearing us talk about Haruka and the others made those insecurities worse."

"Not to mention she's the only one of us who hasn't gotten her crystal yet," said Makoto. "I kinda feel bad now."

"Same here," Harusuke spoke with a bit of remorse. "Even though Artemis told me the other day, I must have sounded insensitive."

"None of you could have known," soothed Artemis. "Try not to worry about it. But we'll need to find Minako. I'll look for her while you go to the Dead Moon Circus."

The white feline left while Harusuke, Ami, Rei, and Makoto watched him go.

Meanwhile, Minako kept running until she stopped by a bench beside a lamppost on a lonely street. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she cried.

"I'm the absolute worst!" she thought miserably. "How can I call myself a leader after that?! I'm a total failure!"

Then, as she took out a hankey and blew her nose while wiping her tears, she was approached from behind by a young man in a fancy white suit who was secretly one of the twins from the Dead Moon.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said. "Have you wanted to be a pop idol? If so, I would appreciate it if you came to audition."

He then handed her a business card that read: Dead Moon Entertainment. Mr. Xenotime. Upon seeing it, Minako immediately saw that this was obviously suspicious, the biggest hint being the name Dead Moon Entertainment. At first, she was going to turn it down, but then she had an idea.

"Yeah. I think I will," Minako said while taking the card. "Thank you."

But she didn't know that as she took the card, an ominous seal briefly flashed on it, and as she walked away, the guy watched her leave while flashing a devilish smirk on his face.

Later that night, Minako was primped, preened, and ready to go to the audition and was heading for the Dead Moon Circus tent. However, after finding out, Artemis was trying to dissuade her while following.

"Mina! You cannot be serious right now! You can't go to that audition! First of all, it's obviously a trap! Secondly, there's no way you're going in there alone! You're not strong enough!"

"Will you shut up, Artemis?!" Minako snapped. "I know that this is a trap! But I'm the leader, so it's up to me to take action, and this is my chance to show everyone what I'm made of!"

"Mina! You don't need to prove yourself! At least not like this!" Artemis objected. "You're already a good leader, and everyone knows that! But what you're doing right now isn't what a good leader should do!"

"Shut up!" Minako snapped. "I'm still going, and you can't stop me!"

And she stomped away, leaving Artemis behind without looking back, much to the cat's chagrin.

"I hope you're ready, Dead Moon! I'm Sailor Venus!" she thought while pumping herself up. "I'm coming for you with everything I got! With a little bit of self-interest mixed in!"

Minako soon arrived at the vicinity of the Dead Moon Circus. When she arrived, she saw that another large tent had been set up a few feet from the main one. Not only that, but many women were there to audition, too, much to her dismay. However, she also became all the more worried.

"I can't believe this many girls showed up!" she thought. "I'm not even sure if I can save them all. Maybe I should call the others."

But as quickly as she thought about doing so, she decided not to.

"No! I can't! I've already made up my mind to do this by myself! I can do this! You can do it, Minako!"

A bit later, she and the other women switched to their bathing suits as they entered the tent and were soon greeted by Xenotime, who stood before a large curtain.

"Welcome, ladies!" Xenotime greeted. "The audition will be held just beyond those curtains if you'll please follow me!"

All the women did so, and when they did, they were all welcomed to the startling sight of a jungle. It wasn't anything artificial or fake. The trees, dirt, and even the humid air all felt real.

Xenotime then reappeared. "Now then, let's get started!" he said. "But this won't be any ordinary audition! We'll be testing your survival skills based on a narrative! You will all be playing as the heroine, racing through the jungle until you reach your goal: the tower you see in the distance and rescue the children on top of it!"

Minako looked up, and just as Xenotime said, she could see a giant metal tower in the distance, and on top of it were four children, all crying in fear. She couldn't help but be shocked.

"Why on Earth are there children on top of a place like that?!" she cried mentally.

"The winner will receive five hundred million yen in prize money and make their debut as an idol!" Xenotime went on. "Now then, let's get this started! Ready! Set! Go!"

At the sound of his go, all the women charged into the jungle, their greed for the promised rewards overtaking their judgment. So much so that they even started attacking each other, clawing, scratching, and pulling each other's hair.

While the chaos happened, JunJun watched from a tree, feeling very pleased.

"That's right. Get all that energy out," JunJun encouraged. "The Lemures will transform all that passion and your dreams into delicious nightmares."

Minako, the only unaffected, desperately tried to reason with everyone. "Please! Calm down, everyone!" she cried. "You're all acting crazy over this weird audition! Get out of the tent while you still can!"

She tried separating two of the women, only for them to shove her out of the way while snapping rudely at her.

"You shut up!"

"We're going to be idols, so get out of our way!"

And before Minako could try to stop them, they continued ahead, leaving her in the dust.

Then came more trouble. An ominous rumbling sound came from above, and when Minako looked up, she saw a few large boulders tumbling toward her from a cliff. But just as she shut her eyes, expecting to get crushed by them, someone swooped in and obliterated the boulders with a flurry of powerful punches.

Minako opened her eyes and saw that her rescuer was a familiar sailor guardian in green.

"Jupiter!" she gasped.

"Now you listen here, Mina!" admonished Sailor Jupiter. "Don't go around doing things on your own!"

Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, Solaris, and Artemis also arrived on the scene.

"Mercury! Mars! Solaris! Artemis!" Minako gasped again.

"That's right," said Sailor Mercury. "We have to stick together!"

Then, Nightmare Lemures came swarming out from the bushes, heading towards them.

"Guys, I want to scold Minako as much as you do, but we've got company!" Solaris warned.

"Mina! Transform!" shouted Artemis.

Minako nodded as she raised up her hand and shouted her transformation phrase.

"VENUS PLANET POWER, MAKE UP!"

However, nothing happened, much to the surprise of them all.

"VENUS PLANET POWER, MAKE UP!"

Minako tried again, but to no avail, much to her shock and disbelief as she felt even more dismayed.

"You're kidding me?! I can't transform now?! Just when I couldn't be any more useless! I'm only going to get in the way here!"

Then, she remembered the children she saw at the tower and the women.

"No! I won't give up! This isn't over! Not yet!"

"Listen, everyone! I'm going on ahead!" she then told the others. "You guys focus on the enemy!"

And she raced on ahead, disappearing into the bushes.

"Mina! Wait!" yelled Sailor Mars.

But before she or anyone else could pursue her, a shower of daggers shot down from above, cutting off their path. Then, Zeolite appeared, landing on the ground.

"Well, well. I see a few ladies who aren't here to audition," he said coolly. "And I'm sorry, but no men are allowed either."

With a snap of his fingers, more daggers suddenly appeared from around the guardians, hovering in the air.

"Now. you're all going to stay right where you are," Zeolite continued. "Or else that other guardian won't be spared. And I doubt she'll be able to survive after what my brother did to her."

"So that's it!" Sailor Jupiter snarled. "You sealed away Minako's powers!"

"And without them, she doesn't stand a chance!" Sailor Mars spoke worriedly.

Then, Solaris whispered to Artemis. "Artemis! Get ready to run!" he said. "Once you do, get to Mina fast!"

"Wait, what are you-?!" the white feline began to ask.

But then, Solaris grabbed Artemis by the scruff of his neck and chucked him as hard as he could, sending him flying past Zeolite and into the bushes while the white feline yowled in alarm.

Zeolite scowled in annoyance. "You'll pay for that!" he snarled. "Come, Nightmare Lemures, and devour the Guardians once and for all!"

Multiple Nightmare Lemures swarmed around them at his command while Zeolite's daggers hovered closer. Then, they began to drain the guardians' energy as they shocked them while the four heroes tried to stay strong.

Back with Minako, she was still running as fast as she could, desperately trying to reach the tower. She was still in shock from being unable to transform, but she didn't want to give up the fight, wanting to protect the innocents dragged into the enemy's scheme.

But as she made her way, she happened to stumble upon the participants she had seen before. However, they were all lying on the ground unconscious, just as another group of Nightmare Lemures had finished draining them before flying away.

As they did, Minako scowled in disapproval, growing all the more determined. "How dare they take advantage of their dreams?! All they wanted was to become stars! I won't let them get away with this! I'll save everyone!"

She then pressed on until she finally arrived at the tower. She quickly climbed up the ladder and soon reached the platform where the children still sat, crying.

"Don't worry, kids! I'm here to help you!" Minako spoke, trying to calm them down. "Everything's going to be OK!"

But as she kneeled down and reached out to try and comfort them, all of the children disappeared in a black cloud, which turned out to be another swarm of Nightmare Lemures.

"Oh, no! It was a trick!"

Then, a dagger shot down, narrowly missing her hair, causing her to jump back in surprise. Just as she did, more came falling, each one narrowly missing her yet also pinning her to the ground.

Xenotime then appeared in his original attire. "Congratulations, you win!" he chirped. "You managed to make it through the jungle and rescued the children at the top! Not too shabby for a black sheep sailor guardian! Now you're one step away from becoming a superstar! All you need to do is a special scavenger hunt for us for the last part of the audition!"

With a devilish grin and a snap of his fingers, the Nightmare Lemures swarmed around Minako and began putting her under their spell while draining.

"No! Get away from me!" Minako cried as she tried to move.

But, of course, her words fell upon deaf ears, and she soon began to feel weak before falling unconscious.

"You're now a member of the Dead Moon," Xenotime said. "Go back to your friends, get the legendary Silver Crystal, and bring it back for our beloved queen!"

He snapped his fingers again, making the daggers disappear, and now, under his spell, Minako sat up from where she lay in a daze as her lips turned into a malicious smirk.

"Yes," she acknowledged. "The Silver Crystal will soon belong to the Dead Moon."

But before she could set out to complete her mission, a familiar yowl rang out as Artemis came bolting from seemingly nowhere and pounced right toward Minako.

"Mina! Snap out of it!"

The white feline furiously scratched her face enough for her to immediately return to her senses.

"A-Artemis?! What are you doing here?!"

Before Artemis could answer, Xenotime, who had become very annoyed by this development, stomped his foot, which activated a trap door that opened underneath Minako. Minako started to fall, but she managed to grab onto the edge to save herself.

Artemis quickly grabbed her hand with his paws, desperately clinging to her. "Just hang on, Mina!" he winced. "I got you!"

"No, Artemis! Let me go!" Minako cried. "If I fall, I'll take you with me, and I can't even transform to save us! Just forget me!"

"There's no way in hell I'm doing that!" Artemis shouted bravely. "I'm not giving up, and neither should you!"

"But I'm useless now!" Minako shouted. "I've failed as a leader, and now I've become a failure as a Guardian! I can't even transform now! I'm useless! At least if I fall, you can save yourself!"

"Will you stop attacking yourself?! None of that is true at all!" Artemis suddenly yelled. "If you want to talk about being a failure, then I failed you as a partner! I know I was the one who trained you, but that's all I've done! I've never contributed to anything but causing you trouble! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I was the reason you can't transform!"

Minako stared at the white cat in surprise, unable to speak.

"But you… you're not a terrible leader, nor are you a failure!" Artemis continued. "You've always proudly led the guardians with pride, even when you've made mistakes. You've always fought the good fight and shouldered the responsibilities. And even when Sailor Moon inadvertently became leader afterward when she awakened as the princess, you still supported her and the guardians! Those qualities are why everyone looks up to you! Sure, the others admire the Outer Guardians, but they admire you just as much, and they always will because you're Sailor Venus, the leader of the Inner Guardians! And no matter what happens, I'll always have your back and be here for you because you're my partner!"

Minako's eyes began welling with tears, feeling touched by Artemis's words.

Xenotime, on the other hand, was rather annoyed. "I've had enough of this silly drivel," he huffed in annoyance. "Time for you to exit the stage, furball."

He snapped his finger again, and a large boulder appeared above Artemis.

"Artemis! Watch out!" Minako cried in alarm.

But her warning came all too late as the boulder hit its mark with a loud thud, causing the platform to shake. There was a long silence as Minako stared at the boulder with horror as a thin trickle of red blood ran down her arm.

"ARTEMIS, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Even with the impact of the boulder, Minako still miraculously managed to hold on, but she was wracked with grief as he began to weep, her heart aching in sorrow as she started losing her grip.

"It hurts! My chest hurts so much! I'm so sorry, Artemis! You were always with me, even at my lowest! But now… you're gone! And I couldn't do anything to save you! Please forgive me!"

Then, just as her hand was about to slip from the edge, she felt something grab her hand, followed by a rumbling from above. Minako looked up and saw a sight that shocked her enough to snap her out of her grief as she gasped.

Holding her hand while lifting the boulder was a young man with long white hair dressed in white with a familiar crescent moon mark in the middle of his forehead.

"Sorry to disappoint you!" the man spoke out. "But I'm not finished yet!"

Minako recognized him immediately upon hearing him speak, but she couldn't believe it.

"A-Artemis?!"

The male hefted the boulder out of the way and quickly pulled Minako up.

Xenotime couldn't help but be surprised when he saw this. "Impossible!" he gasped. "I thought he was just a talking cat!"

Artemis glared at Xenotime before grabbing the boulder with a single hand. "Here! You can have this back!" he yelled as he launched the boulder at him.

Xenotime let out a startled shriek as he jumped out of the way, just as the boulder crashed into where he once stood, causing him to cling to a metal beam flusteredly.

Artemis then gave his attention to Minako, who still stared at him in bewilderment.

"A-Artemis? I-Is that you?" she couldn't help but ask while pointing. "B-But… how are you a human? I thought you were a cat."

Artemis looked at himself. "I don't know," he replied. "To be honest, I'm as surprised as you are. One minute, I was holding on to you, desperate but wanting to protect you, and then the next, I'm like this."

"Either way… you were incredible," Minako murmured as she smiled. "And you even look incredible, too."

Artemis scratched his cheek. "Oh, come on. It wasn't that big a deal."

Minako then shook her head as she hugged her friend. "No. You saved my life and also my confidence. You were right. I don't even know why I was feeling so doubtful in the first place."

She stepped back from him, her heart brimming with determination.

"I'm the leader of the Sailor Guardians, sworn to protect Princess Serenity and Prince Taiyou! The others may admire the Outer Guardians, but they still look up to me and count on me! And I can't afford to let them down! I must be as strong a leader as everyone believes me to be and protect those I cherish!"

Artemis smiled while nodding in agreement.

At that moment, another voice was heard.

"Well, it's about time you realized that."

Artemis and Minako looked around until an orange sphere of light mysteriously appeared between them. Inside it was a miniature Sailor Venus.

"I-I don't believe it!" gasped Minako. "C-Could you be…?"

"That's right. I'm the other you, Princess Venus," smiled the mini Sailor Venus. "And it's an honor to finally meet you."

Then, Minako's body briefly shone in dark purple before bursting into a beautiful sheen of bright orange as power surged through her body, much to her and Artemis' amazement.

"I-I can feel power filling my body!" Minako thought. "And my connection with Artemis is even stronger than before!"

"You couldn't transform because your powers were sealed by the enemy," explained the mini Sailor Venus. "But now, that shouldn't be a problem now that your powers have been awakened."

A honey-yellow heart-shaped crystal then appeared in Minako's hands.

"Mina! That's your Venus Crystal!" Artemis spoke happily. "Now you can transform!"

The mini Sailor Venus then floated away, beginning to disappear. But not before saying a few parting words.

"Never forget to have faith in yourself as a leader, Princess Venus. After all, it's up to you to protect your team and lead them to victory."

As soon as she was gone, Xenotime finally managed to recover but was angry, his sights set on both Artemis and Minako when he saw them. However, Minako was ready to fight, and with her new Venus Crystal in her hand, she shouted her new phrase.

"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

Transformation Sequence: Minako

The planet Venus and its symbol appear as Minako puts her hand up, fingernails sparkling in bright orange. Next, her body becomes silhouetted in shining marigold orange as she skates around while a ribbon of light with stars erupts from her fingers on her right hand, trailing behind her. Minakos then stops as the ribbon swirls around her body while standing in place, holding up her hand. As she stops, a yellow circle appears below her, which explodes into several yellow stars, revealing Minako in her Sailor Uniform like before, but with some changes. Her collar only bore one white stripe, her choker now had a yellow star with an orange gemstone in the center, her shoulder pads became like Super Sailor Moon and Chibi Moon's, and the back waist bow was enlarged and lengthened.

The symbol of Venus briefly flashed in the middle of Minako's forehead before her tiara materialized. Her transformation finished; she smiled while jumping back and assuming her final pose, her sign and a harp symbol appearing in the background against an orange background filled with stars.

"Protected by Venus, the planet of beauty, Guardian of Beauty!" she spoke with conviction. "I'm Sailor Venus! Now, allow me to punish you with love!"

Xenotime was shocked. "N-No! That's impossible! You shouldn't be able to transform!" he cried while pointing. "I sealed away your powers!"

"All right, "Mr. Xenotime!" Sailor Venus spoke with a scowl. "You tried to torment me and exploit my dreams just so you can make me scum like you! So get ready to face the ultimate punishment from the goddess of love and beauty!"

No sooner than that statement, a chain appeared around her waist. But unlike the previous one, the beads were replaced with roses while the links were hearts.

"Is this…?" Sailor Venus gasped while amazed.

She then heard the voice of her other self in her mind.

"Yes. That's your Whip of Love, your new weapon."

Sailor Venus then unfurled her chain and started twirling it around, making it dance around her body as it began to shine bright orange. Sensing the attack, Xenotime made multiple daggers appear in his hands and threw them in her direction. But as he did, Sailor Venus kissed the palm of her hand, making a heart made of energy appear, and flung it while calling out the name of a new attack.

"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"

As she launched the heart, the Whip of Love trailed after it as if it were alive and using it as a beacon. The attack canceled out all of the daggers, and before Xenotime could defend himself, he was blasted and struck by the assault, which destroyed him instantly.

Zeolite then joined the fray, having seen the whole thing, and was livid with vengeance enough to leave Solaris and the others and go straight for Sailor Venus.

"How dare you?!" he shrieked as he threw his daggers.

But Sailor Venus, unintimidated, avoided them all with ease while unleashing her Love and Beauty Shock again, taking out Zeolite in another one-hit knockout.

Upon both of their destruction, the entire jungle faded away, leaving the guardians and the participants standing in an empty lot.

Sailor Venus and Artemis soon rejoined the others, the others of which were relieved to see them.

"Sailor Venus! You did it!" Sailor Mars. "You were able to transform!"

"Sorry if I made you all worry," apologized Sailor Venus as she winked while making a peace sign. "But everything's OK now. But I never would have been able to if it wasn't for Artemis."

Artemis then scratched his cheek. "Come on, Mina. You're making me embarrassed over here. Besides, you did all the work."

Upon speaking, Solaris and the others couldn't help but stare as they double-took at his current appearance.

"Wait a second… That voice!" gasped Sailor Mercury.

"No way! It can't be!" Solaris also cried in surprise.

"Artemis?!" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter. "Since when has he been a human?!"

"And why does he look drop-dead gorgeous?!" cried Sailor Mars.

Artemis could only laugh wryly, but before he could explain, he faltered while stumbling. Then, he reverted to his feline form in a quick burst of bright light.

"Well, look at that, he's back to normal," said Solaris.

Sailor Venus scooped him up into her arms. "Are you all right, Artemis?"

"I'm all right," replied the cat. "I'm just tired, is all. Although, I wish I could have stayed as a human a bit longer. Sorry for causing you trouble again."

Minako smiled as she gently squeezed him while nuzzling. "No need to apologize," she said kindly. "Go ahead and rest. You've earned it after contributing so much today. And for the record, it's no trouble at all. After all, you're my precious partner."

Artemis gave Minako a look of surprise before smiling back at her.

"Come on, you guys. Let's get out of here," Sailor Venus spoke to the others. "I'll explain what happened on the way."

The rest of the guardians obliged as they followed.

As they did, JunJun watched them leave with a scowl.

"Damn it, they beat us again," she complained. "Looks like we lost our juggling daggers act, and I doubt Zirconia and the others will be happy when they find out."

She then disappeared to go tell everyone the bad news.

Inside her hidden space, Zirconia stood alone with Zircon.

She was a bit exhausted but was smirking with triumph.

"Finally. It took a bit more time than I expected, but it's finally been completed," Zirconia panted, wiping her brow. "Now, with this, all of our enemies will fall, and the Silver Crystal and Pegasus will soon be ours!"

Above her was the same crystal from before, only now, the crystal had now turned black as a glowing violet circle with a slit in the middle shone brightly on its surface.