In the Dark Kingdom, Nephrite stood before Queen Beryl discussing his ideas of gathering energy.

"Jadeite was failing because he took energy from anyone and everyone he could," explained Nephrite. "But that's nothing more than a waste of time and effort."

"I see. Since you're in charge, I trust that you have a better plan than Nephrite?" asked Queen Beryl as she concentrated on her wand.

"Yes, I do," said Nephrite. "Unlike Jadeite, who kept on targeting people indiscriminately, I will obtain all the energy we need from just one single victim."

Queen Beryl raised a brow. "Really? And how will you accomplish that?"

"The stars govern the fate of every human in the world, defining the destiny for each one of them. It is also the same with their energy," said Nephrite. "There's a moment in every person's life when their energy level reaches their highest peak. Therefore, I will analyze the motions of the stars and then target the person whose energy is going to increase the most."

"Well, you certainly seem confident," snickered a voice from above him.

Nephrite turned around and looked up and behind him to find another man, who was another one of Queen Beryl's general's floating above him. He also wore the same outfit as Nephrite and Jadeite, but his trims were colored green. He also had peach blonde hair kept in a ponytail and emerald green eyes. When Nephrite saw this man, he was not amused.

"What do you want, Zoisite?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "And why are you even here?"

"I just thought I should warn you," said Zoisite with a sly grin. "That kind of overconfidence has brought down many, you know. Just ask Jadeite."

Nephrite wouldn't have it with this man. "Get lost," he growled. "When I do find that person whose energy will increase, I will infiltrate the human world and exploit their weaknesses. And just so we're clear, I certainly will not need any help from you!"

Zoisite chuckled mockingly. "That's funny because right now, I'm picturing you crawling back to Queen Beryl, battered, defeated, and in tears."

Nephrite looked at Zoisite with a threatening glare, ready to tear him a new one.

"My, my. How scary," said Zoisite as he disappeared in a veil of flower petals, leaving the throne room.

Queen Beryl then looked at Nephrite. "I'll leave the rest to you then, Nephrite," she said. "Do not fail me."

Nephrite gave a bow to her and then disappeared, setting off on his critical mission.

In a woodland area just outside of the city of Tokyo, a mansion stood. It was huge, ancient, and it seemed to have stood there for quite some time. This place was Nephrite's base of operations. As he stood in a big spacious, empty room, it darkened, and a projection of Earth surrounded by various stars appeared above him. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

"Stars that see all. Stars that know all," he said. "Oh, celestial orbs, grant me your mystic power."

The Earth at the center of the projection began to pulse with light. Then a beam of light shot from it, shining right in the middle of Nephrite's forehead, making a premonition of his first victim appear in his mind. It was a young girl wearing an outfit for tennis with blue eyes and brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"Yes. The noble archer Chiron is about to fire his arrow right into the center of the Milky Way," he thought. "And Sagittarius' target is you, Rui Saionji! Your energy shall be mine!"

The girl in question was preparing to practice for an upcoming tennis tournament inside the tennis courts. A crowd of students was watching and cheering her on, hoping that she would win even though it was only a practice match. Among them was Usagi, Naru, and Harusuke. The girl that Rui was facing set up the tennis ball threw it into the air, and hit the ball in her direction with a swing of her racket. At an incredible speed, Rui raced towards the direction where the ball was going and swung it hard, making the ball shoot towards the other side at an astonishing rate and force. The girl dove towards it with her racket, trying to send the ball back, but it was too quick for her, and she ended up missing it. Everyone cheered wildly, including Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru.

"Alright! She did it!" whooped Usagi and Naru.

"That was incredible!" commented Harusuke. "I've never seen anyone move that fast!"

"That was an awesome match, Sis!" called out Naru.

Rui looked back at Naru and smiled, and Naru waved. Usagi, on the other hand, looked at Naru a bit surprised.

"Hey! Naru! You never told me about that?!" she complained.

"Told you about what?" wondered Naru.

"You know what!" grumped Usagi. "The fact that you and Rui Saionji are sisters! How can you hide things from one of your best friends? So just for that, I'll punish you."

"Oh man, Usagi," sighed Naru. "Don't be so dumb."

Usagi's face then went red with anger. "Hey! It's not very nice to call people names either!" she snapped. "Don't be so mean!"

"She's right though, Usagi," said Harusuke. "You know as well as I do that Naru's an only child. I mean, both her and Rui even have different last names."

"Oh... right," said Usagi sheepishly. "But then... why do you keep calling her Sis, Naru?"

"You know... I'm curious to know too," said Harusuke. "Why is that, Naru?"

Naru then explained. "Well... her mother has been a long-time customer at our jewelry store," she said. "When we were little, Rui and I have always played together. We may have been one year apart, but she's always been looking out for me just like a real big sister would."

"Ah. So that's why Rui calls you Sis. I get it now," said Usagi.

"I must admit, that's pretty nice having a non-blood-related sister," said Harusuke.

Then there was a sudden roar of a car's engine catching the attention of all of the students, including Usagi, Harusuke, and Naru. A bright red flashy sports car then pulled up just outside the courts, and a young man wearing a fancy suit comprised of a pair of white pants with a yellow button-down with a blue overcoat stepped out of the car and came up to the fence, seeming to watch Rui practice. He was, of course, Nephrite, but nobody knew this yet. Upon seeing him, Usagi and Naru's eyes, along with most of the other girls, immediately turned into hearts feeling in love with the man while Harusuke raised a brow.

"Wow! What a hot guy!" they all squealed.

"Who the heck is that guy?" asked Harusuke. "And what's with the car and the fancy getup?"

"You don't know? He's the president of some new company that just opened up around here," explained a giddy girl.

"So he's super-rich then?" wondered Harusuke. "Doesn't seem all that to me."

Then with a great leap, the man jumped over the fence while doing a flip and landed right in court, making Rui and her practice partner look at him with surprise.

"Um... excuse sir," said Rui's partner. "But you can't just walk into the court right now!"

The man then turned to Rui. "Put your weight behind the ball," he said.

Rui looked at the man feeling puzzled.

Then the man turned to Rui's partner and walked over to her. He then held out his hand. "Please, may I borrow your racket?" he asked politely.

Rui's partner blushed madly and handed her a racket. "Um... sure. OK."

Nephrite then faced Rui with the racket in hand. "Now, serve the ball!" he ordered.

Rui tightened her racket, not backing down, as she served the ball using her signature swing. However, Nephrite quickly countered it by swinging his racket and hitting the ball with great force. Rui tried, but the ball hit her right at the wrist, knocking her racket out of her hand. Everyone who was watching was shocked as Rui held her wrist in pain.

"Oh no! Sis!" gasped Naru.

Nephrite then walked over to Rui. "That was so slow; a fly could've landed on it," he said. "Not to mention there was hardly any attack in your serve."

"Just... who are you?!" demanded Rui.

"My name is Masato Sanjoin," replied Nephrite. "I'm a tennis coach, and I can help you."

He then bent down to pick up Rui's racket. As he did, Nephrite surreptitiously placed a spell on it, implanting something inside. Then he handed it back to Rui.

"Focus on putting your weight behind the ball," he said to her. "Remember that."

"Um... OK," said Rui doubtfully.

Then Nephrite turned to the other tennis players. "I need someone to receive, please!" he said.

A young boy then came up. "Right here! I'll do it!" he said. "But... could you please go easy on me, Rui?"

Rui didn't respond. She just stood with her eyes glazed but focused. She threw the ball into the air and struck it with her racket with all of her strength. The ball shot through the air like it was a bullet. The boy tried countering, but the ball was too much as it struck into the base of his racket. The ball had so much speed and force that it knocked the poor boy flat on his back, and as it hit the ground, the ball dug into it, making a small hole. Usagi and the others were amazed, and Rui felt very pleased with herself. She turned beside her to thank Nephrite, but Nephrite had mysteriously disappeared to her surprise. He was now standing from above on the school's rooftop, unknown to her.

"Rui Saioji. The more you use that racket, the more your energy will increase," he said to himself, smirking. "And the more I can steal."

Rui continued playing against the other male players, defeating one after another with her newly found ability. Soon, all the boys she beat couldn't help but be terrified of her. Yet, Rui felt even more proud of herself than before.

"This feels awesome!" she said to herself.

Everyone who was outside of the court was amazed, including Usagi.

"She's awesome!" she said with amazement.

"I'll say," said Harusuke. "She's stronger than she ever was before!"

Naru, however, was feeling a bit worried. "I don't know. Something doesn't feel right," she said to herself. "Rui seems... different."

Later that night, Luna was at the Game Center again, standing in front of the Sailor V game.

"Codename zero-zero-nine-one, this is Luna," she said as she placed her paw on the screen. "Passphrase: 'The rabbit on the moon is pounding rice cakes.' "

"The moon's rice cakes are sticky," responded the sound wave.

"And they puff up when you toast them, as well," finished Luna.

"I have good news for you, Luna," said the sound wave. "We've uncovered information regarding the enemy we're up against."

"Are you certain about that?" asked Luna.

"Yes. The enemy's organization is named "The Dark Kingdom," said the sound wave. "They're trying to collect human energy."

"I've been meaning to ask you," said Luna. "Why would they want human energy?"

"I'm not sure," replied the sound wave. "We're still unclear as to what the enemy's master plan is. But whatever it is, I'm sure that it would be bad for us. So make sure that you and the Guardians do whatever you can to stop them at any cost."

"Understood," said Luna.

The next day, Luna and the Guardians all met up at the Hikawa Shrine to discuss the new information Luna obtained.

"The Dark Kingdom, huh?" said Rei.

"That sounds like a fitting name," said Harusuke. "Although it sounds pretty typical."

"We need to prepare ourselves for when we face them," said Ami.

"Well, I say we bust in there and crush those evil jerks!" said Rei.

"But... we're not capable of doing that yet, Rei," said Ami.

"Yeah. It's not like we can just march right in and beat those guys all up and claim victory," said Harusuke. "We practically know next to nothing about them other than their organization's name."

"I'm afraid Harusuke and Ami are right," agreed Luna. "You all need to prepare for that confrontation by studying and training yourselves."

"Wait, I have an idea!" said Usagi brightly. "Why don't we train using tennis?! There's this cool and hot tennis coach named Masato Sanjoin, and maybe he could help us out!"

Everyone all gave Usagi a blank stare.

"Dagnabbit Usagi," sighed Harusuke pinching his nose. "It figures you'd be thinking about that guy at a time like this."

"So, does this mean you've given up on Tuxedo Mask?" asked Rei, slyly smirking.

Usagi then gasped and became very deep in thought. "That's right," she said. "Who do I choose then?"

"You know, I'm happy that Ami, Rei, and Harusuke are a part of this team," sighed Luna. "Because if it was just you, Usagi, I get the feeling the Dark Kingdom would have taken away all of humanity's energy a long time ago."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" asked Usagi indignantly.

"She means that there was probably a mix-up with you being a guardian," said Rei.

"What?! How could you guys say that?!" cried Usagi how feeling upset.

"Now hold on, you two," said Harusuke. "Don't you think you're being a little too hard on Usagi?"

"That's right," said Ami. "Especially since she's been a big help time and time again."

Usagi's eyes sparkled, and she immediately hugged her brother and her blue-haired friend. "Oh, Harusuke! Ami! Thank you! You two are the only people who understand me!" she cried. "So what do you say the three of us go play some tennis?"

"Uhh... sorry, but I'll have to pass," said Ami. "I have to go cram school."

"And tennis isn't my thing," said Harusuke. "So you can count me out too."

Back at the courts, Rui was still practicing her swings going up against one player after another. At this point, Nephrite's influence had changed her making her more and more aggressive towards her fellow players. Some of them were either scared of her or couldn't even play anyone. Rui had just recently beaten a girl by breaking her racket. She smirked with pride as she stomped on the girl's broken racket.

"Rui... maybe... we should stop..." begged the girl.

"What's the matter? I brought you a spare racket, so let's continue," said Rui. "Get back up on your feet."

Naru, watching Rui's strange new behavior, now felt worried. "Something's wrong with Sis," she said to herself. "She's never acted like this before now."

Later that day, Naru called Usagi to discuss her worry over Rui. She had just poured some tea, and she, along with the Tsukinos, was sitting on the floor.

"Thanks for coming over on such short notice, Usagi," said Naru. "Sorry for the trouble."

"Don't worry about it," said Usagi. "I'm glad to help. So, what's up?"

"I don't know, but... it's Sis. She's been acting very strangely over the past couple of days," said Naru. "For some reason, she's become a lot more aggressive when she plays tennis and not in a good way. Out of all the times we've spent together, she's never acted like this. It's - as if she's become a different person."

"Do you think that she could be on edge because of the big tournament coming up?" asked Usagi.

"That's what I first thought, too," said Naru. "But... I'm starting to get the feeling that it's more than that. I even asked her about what was going on."

Naru walked up to Rui, hoping to talk to her.

"Hey, Sis? Are - you feeling OK?" she asked. "You know... if something is bothering you..."

Rui then turned around and glared at Naru. "This has nothing to do with you," she said coldly. "Leave me alone."

Naru gasped, unsure how to respond, and felt hurt. "Oh, OK. Sorry about that," she said.

"I've never seen Sis act that way toward me before," continued Naru. "It makes me wonder if something terrible happened to make her act that way. She won't even say a word to me..." Naru's eyes began to fill with tears until they began trickling down her cheeks. "What could have happened to her?" she wept. "What could have happened to Sis?"

Usagi could see how worried Naru was and felt sorry for her. She then got a tissue and then gave it to Naru.

"There, There, Naru," she soothed. "It'll be OK. In fact, why don't we do some digging and find out what's going on? Then, I can help you."

"Usagi... are you sure?" sniffed Naru.

"Of course, I will," said Usagi. "Don't worry; we'll figure it out together."

Usagi and Naru then walked to a tennis school where Rui attended. It was getting dark.

"So is this where Rui goes to get tennis lessons?" asked Usagi.

"Yes. Sis comes here to train every day after school is over," explained Naru.

As Usagi gazed at the front entrance of the gates, she was beginning to feel a little worried.

"I'm starting to get a bad feeling," she thought to herself. "Could a monster behind all this?" Then an idea popped into her head which made her smirk slyly. "Wait a sec... if a monster is behind all of this, and if I do a good job here, I'll be able to prove to Luna and Rei how valuable I am, and it'll shove their words down their throats!"

Naru looked at Usagi feeling puzzled by her strange grin. "Usagi? Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" said Usagi shaking her head.

Then suddenly, they heard a cry of pain. They immediately rushed through the gates to find that Rui was torturing two boys that were supposedly pros at the courts. One boy was down to the ground while the other stood trembling in fear. She had a sinister look in her eyes, and she squeezed the ball in her hand.

"What's the matter, boys? I thought that you both were supposed to be pros?" she taunted. "What kind of pros can't even return a serve like that?"

"Oh, come on! Give us a break!" cried one of the pros.

Rui wasn't listening. She gripped her ball and raised it about to serve again when Usagi and Naru rushed in, stepping between her and the pro players. The pro players seizing their chance took off running.

"Move out of the way!" Rui barked.

"No way, Sis! Not until you stop acting like this!" yelled Naru.

"Get out of the way, Naru!" yelled Rui, who was now getting madder than ever.

"I won't!" said Naru firmly.

"Naru's just worried about you, Rui!" said Usagi. "Please, you have to listen to her!"

"Just shut up!" roared Rui as she gripped her racket, emitting a powerful aura. "Get out of my way!"

With a mighty swing of her racket, she unleashed a massive shock wave of energy, sending Usagi and Naru flying into the bushes. Not too far away, Nephrite, who had seen everything, saw his chance.

"Her energy is at its peak!" he thought. "Now Tesuni! Arise and drain all of her energy!"

At that moment, Rui's racket began to glow in a strange light, and from it, a peculiar ghoul came out and then grabbed Rui draining her energy entirely. All Rui could do was stand there frozen, unable to move. The ghoul had become a monster, tall in appearance, wore a black bodysuit with a broad red-feathered collar extending to her shoulders, and had dreadful white skin with pointed ears, green pupilless eyes, and box-like brown hair.

Usagi gasped. "I knew it! It's a monster!"

She quickly looked at Naru and saw that she was unconscious. Then she promptly hid behind the corner and prepared to transform.

"All right then, time to prove myself!" Usagi said to herself. "MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

Transformation Sequence: Usagi

Usagi's body shone with rainbow-colored light as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it flashed pink and pink ribbons shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a collar that was blue with white stripes. Next, Usagi crosses her arms, and more pink ribbons wrap around them, turning into long white gloves. The pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a tiny gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead, and a gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose as the Moon shines behind her in the background.

"Now, all your energy belongs to me as well as the great ruler!" cackled Tesuni evilly.

"Stop right there!" said a voice. "Monsters like you aren't allowed to score an ace!"

Tesuni turned and saw that our hero had arrived on the scene.

"How dare you use tennis for your evil ends?! Even Navratilova would be upset!" she continued. "I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Heh. Whatever," scoffed Tesuni, not impressed.

She made a racket made of fire with a dark ball of energy form in her hand. She launched the dark ball right at Sailor Moon with a mighty swing. Sailor Moon tried to run away, but it was too late. The dark ball of energy hit her square in the back. The next thing Sailor Moon knew, she was encased in a giant tennis ball. She appeared to be a girl in a mascot costume. Sailor Moon tried to get back up, but all the guardian could do was roll around. Tesuni chuckled as she walked up to her and then used some telekinesis to make Sailor Moon float up into the air until she was high above the court.

"Hey! Put me down!" shrieked Sailor Moon.

"You asked for it!" smiled Tesuni.

Sailor Moon then found herself dropping to the ground, making her shriek even more. Then when she hit the ground, she began to bounce uncontrollably all over the court, unable to stop herself.

"I should have asked the others to help!" she cried as she bounced. "Why'd I have to go and prove myself?!"

"Too bad for you, kid!" smirked Tesuni. "But it serves you right!"

Sailor Moon continued to bounce all over the courts being able to stop herself until finally, she stopped. She felt very dizzy and very bruised. Tesuni was about to send her bouncing again when something shot right past her cheek, scraping her cheek.

"Who did that?!" she demanded.

She turned around and saw the very person. There calmly sitting on a bench, was Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Moon was happy to see him while Tesuni was cross.

"Leave now; otherwise, you'll end up just like her," she growled.

Tuxedo Mask got up. "That looks like a lot of fun," he smirked. "Mind if I join her?"

Tesuni then chuckled. "Fine then! I'll show you just how fun it is!" she cackled as she served a dark ball at Tuxedo Mask.

Tuxedo Mask immediately jumped up into the air and took out a cane. He took careful aim, and then it extended until it hit Tesuni right in the sternum of her chest hard, making her fall flat on her back hard on the ground. At the same time, the ball around Sailor Moon had disappeared.

"Yay! Way to go, Tuxedo Mask!" cheered Sailor Moon. "Thank you for saving me!"

Tuxedo Mask then landed next to Sailor Moon as Tesuni struggled to her feet. "Stay on your guard, Sailor Moon," he said. "It's not over yet, so get ready!"

"Right!" acknowledged Sailor Moon sounding determined, but inside she was giddy with love. "I can't believe I get to fight with Tuxedo Mask!"

"Curse you!" growled Tesuni. "Take this!"

She created another ball with her racket, this time being a fireball, and launched it at the two. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon immediately jumped out of the way dodging the blast. Tesuni then fired a volley of fireballs, making them shoot all around. Sailor Moon ran left and right, avoiding them all, but then she tripped and fell flat on her face. Tesuni saw this opening and fired a giant fireball at her. Sailor Moon looked in time to see it right on top of her, but luckily Tuxedo Mask swooped in and carried her out of the way just in time. As they flew into the air, Sailor Moon couldn't help but feel moved and admired by how Tuxedo Mask looked.

"Let's end this match together with our next move," Tuxedo Mask said.

"Right!" said Sailor Moon snapping out of her daze.

As they landed on the ground, Tesuni fired another fireball, but Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask dodged the attack with grace. Tuxedo Mask then saw an opening and threw a rose right, aiming right for her face. With its petals stuck all over Tesuni's face, she tried to get the petals off, but she couldn't.

"Now Sailor Moon!" yelled Tuxedo Mask.

Then suddenly, Tuxedo Mask was wracked with pain, causing him to fall to his knees. Sailor Moon was just about to attack, but then she saw Tuxedo Mask on the ground. Feeling worried, she immediately began to rush over to him.

"Tuxedo Mask, are you alright?!" she cried worriedly.

"I'm fine!" Tuxedo Mask yelled. "Don't worry about me! Destroy that monster before it's too late!"

Sailor Moon was worried, but she knew that dealing with the monster came first. So she took off her tiara, making it transform into a disc, and then aimed at Tesuni.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

Sailor Moon launched her disc, making it zip towards right at Tesuni. Tesuni had finally got some of the petals off to see again, only to see that Sailor Moon's Moon Tiara Action was coming right for her. Then the attack hit Tesuni piercing right through her.

Solaris, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Luna had arrived in time to see Tesuni disappear into nothingness and the energy she was returned to Rui. They were amazed.

"Well, what do you know?" murmured Sailor Mars.

"Sailor Moon did it!" smiled Mercury. "Sailor Moon destroyed that monster all by herself!"

"Unbelievable! I didn't think she had it in her," said Solaris. "But still... I'm proud of her all the same!"

"It seems she's finally starting to act like a guardian in her own right," chuckled Luna.

Sailor Moon looked back towards Tuxedo Mask to thank him for helping, but she was surprised to see that he had disappeared. She felt worried. "I hope Tuxedo Mask is OK," she said to herself. "He looked pretty bad."

The next day, Naru, Harusuke, and Usagi were back at the tennis courts watching Rui. She had finally returned to her old self and played just as she always was.

"I just talked to Sis the other day, and it seems that she doesn't remember a thing about what happened during the last few days," said Naru. "I wonder what happened?"

"Well, what does it matter as long as she's doing OK?" smiled Usagi.

"I agree," said Harusuke. "It's as they say, 'Don't fix it if it ain't broke.' "

Rui then came up to the three. "Hey, Naru. Do you want to play a set with me?" she asked.

Naru smiled. "Sure! That sounds like a lot of fun! But go easy on me, OK?"

As Naru and Rui went off to play, Usagi and Harusuke stood by and watched. Usagi sighed dreamily. "Oh, wouldn't it be great if I could play tennis with Tuxedo Mask?"

Harusuke sighed. "I... don't see that happening, Usagi," he said.

Then suddenly they heard Naru. "Usagi! Harusuke! Look out!" she shrieked.

Before Harusuke and Usagi could respond, a tennis ball smacked Usagi right in the middle of her face. Usagi, now having a red mark on her face, dizzily fell to the ground.

"Wah! Usagi!" shrieked Harusuke.

"Are you OK?! Pull yourself together!" cried Naru.

But all Usagi could utter in response was a dizzy moan as she passed out unconscious.