Getting in Shape

"Hey that's not fair!" Kaemon insisted

"What's not fair?" Shingo asked

"You keep using the same moves!"

"So do you Kaemon, I just actually use them well."

"I say it's gotta be cheat codes!"

"I call it intelligence. You might want to try it someday."

Kaemon growled as he clutched his controller. On the TV screen, a digital representation of Sailor V kicked at the monster Shingo controlled but the monster side-stepped the attack. Sailor V was then struck down by the monster's finishing move and yet another star was added to Shingo's victory list. Kaemon fell out of a sitting position and lay sprawled on the floor in despair. Shingo laughed and flashed a "V for victory" with his fingers.

"Maybe I should play as Sailor V" he said "It's just sad to see him lose this much."

"I'm just having a bad day" Kaemon replied. "Video games are one of my talents."

"Yeah, that will get you far in the world" Shingo replied sarcastically

"Ok now you're just trying to pick a fight" Kaemon said popping back up.

"We could settle it in another rematch" he said holding up a controller

Kaemon almost rose to the bait but at that moment Mrs. Tsukino entered the living room and said "That will have to be later, boys. Supper is on the table."

"Oh boy!" Kaemon declared as he popped up from the floor and sprinted to the table. Shingo exchanged a look with his mother and they both sighed. Kaemon took his place at the table and noticed that his dad was already seated.

"Is someone ready to eat?" Mr. Tsukino laughed

"You've known me for my entire fourteen years and you have to ask that question?"

"No, I guess I didn't" his father said with a smile as he adjusted his glasses.

"How was work, Dad?" Kaemon asked as Shingo sat down beside him and Mrs. Tsukino began to serve the meal.

"Busy" Mr. Tsukino answered as the family began to eat "As editor, I already had enough on my plate at the magazine but now there's a new superhero to follow."

Kaemon gagged slightly on his rice, but the only reaction was a smirk from Shingo and his mother telling him to slow down. He took a drink of tea and said, in what he hoped was an innocent voice, "Oh, do you mean Sailor Moon?"

"Yes indeed. He's only been spotted twice now but that's enough to stir up the media and the readers. Is he connected to Sailor V? Is he another form of Sailor V? There's so much mystery which only helps the speculation."

Kaemon suddenly became very aware of the golden pendant concealed under his shirt. He had wondered more than once if he should show it, and what it did, to his family. Thus far he'd decided to maintain the secret, but he wondered if that was right.

Mrs. Tsukino said to her husband "Superheroes do seem to be a thing these days, don't they Kenji? Sailor V, Sailor Moon…hmmm, I wonder why both are sailors?"

"That's a good point, Ikuko" Mr. Tsukino said to his wife "Both look more at home in the navy than in battle against monsters."

"They don't all look like that" Kaemon said in a low voice. The rest of the family stared inquisitively, and he said "Um, I heard that at the battle with the luck monster there was another hero who showed up, a lady hero."

"And just how would you know anything like that?" Shingo asked

"Uh, Nao told me. He was kind of groggy, but he glimpsed her" It was a lie, but he was already protecting a big secret "He said that she supported Sailor Moon in battle and was dressed very differently from him. Apparently, she was a bit sexy."

Kenji simply looked a bit surprised, but Ikuko furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure I like my little boy using words like 'sexy'."

"Come on Mom, I'm not that little."

"You certainly aren't" Shingo agreed

"Thanks Shin…wait, was that a compliment?"

"Sure! It's gotta be a record to have the largest waist size in your class."

Kaemon's jaw dropped while both parents looked stern "Shingo!" Ikuko said sharply "Apologize to your brother."

"Since when do you I need to apologize for telling the truth?"

"Since you framed the truth in such a rude way" Kenji replied

"Dad!" Kaemon shouted with a slight squeak in his voice

"I'm sorry son; that came out wrong."

"Mom, do you think I'm fat?"

"Of course, you're not fat" Ikuko said with a reassuring look "Mind you, you could be a bit more careful about what you eat."

"And how much" Shingo added

"You eat a lot too!" Kaemon snapped at him

"I'm a growing boy" Shingo answered innocently "I need my vitamins."

"Yes, I'm sure you get so many vitamins from pie!"

"You eat more pie than me...and cake...and ice cream..."

"Boys; that is enough!" Ikuko said in a tone so firm that even Kenji jumped "Must every family gathering turn into a bickering session?"

"Sorry Mom" the boys said looking sheepish

"Why can't we just have a family meal and talk about nice things?"

"Ok" Shingo said "We can talk about school and how I got an A on my last test. How are your grades, dear brother?"

Both parents simultaneously and sternly barked "Shingo!" while Kaemon looked ready to gouge his sibling's eyes out with his chopsticks.

After supper and his evening bath, Kaemon was finally free of Shingo. He flopped onto his bed and sighed. It wasn't easy having such a mean brother. Sure yeah, he ate a lot, and his grades weren't the best and he had other flaws…but Shingo shouldn't point them out!

Kaemon heard the window open, and he didn't even open his eyes as he said, "I'm buying a lock, Luna."

"Oh, no you're not" Luna replied "You know you love me."

Kaemon opened his eyes and looked at the black cat. "I don't know…you did turn my life upside down."

"I awoke you to your destiny."

"I need to get a new destiny then."

"Surely you are glad you saved your friends twice now?"

"Yeah" he turned his head to stare at the ceiling "Being Sailor Moon isn't all bad and I have done good, but I do wonder what's going to happen in the future."

"Overtime your mission parameters will expand but for now you need to focus on defeating the Dark Kingdom!"

"Mission what?"

"Parameters" Luna repeated with a sigh "Basically you'll have more duties in the days to come."

"Oh, be still my beating heart" Kaemon responded with slight eyeroll

"If nothing else it will be good for you, teach you more responsibility."

"Oh, not you too" Kaemon said in frustration "I've had enough this evening from Shingo about how fat I am."

"Well, he's not entirely wrong"

"What did you say?"

"You heard me" Luna sternly responded "For warrior of justice, you do eat a few too many snacks."

Kaemon sat up and tried to ignore how the waistband of his pajama bottoms felt a bit too tight. "Arggg! Why is everyone picking on me?"

"Sometimes we just call it as we see it" Luna snarked

"Oh, why don't you go away and let me sleep?"

"Fine but you really must take better care of yourself. Some actual training wouldn't be amiss…or exercise of some form."

"I get it, I get it. I don't need another lecture."

"Did you ever think that people lecture because they care?"

She slipped out of the window and Kaemon sat still for a second. Then he turned off the light and snuggled into bed.

"Alright kids, I hope you're ready to sweat!"

Kaemon yawned while the rest of the class stretched. He wasn't particularly fond of any class, but PE was certainly not at the top of his list. The teacher was a beefy man who liked to poke fun at weaker kids and Kaemon certainly qualified.

"Let's run some warmup laps…go!"

The class started off around the track and Kaemon almost instantly began to lag. The teacher told him to hustle, and he sped up a little. Up ahead he watched other boys like Nao effortlessly keeping proper pace and making good time. He was too busy grunting and groaning his way along to see a couple of boys shoot ahead of the pack. When the laps were finally over (the rest of the class having to wait on Kaemon) the teacher complimented them on their improvements.

"I don't know why you do so badly at laps" Nao said during this time.

"I know, right? I get lots of practice when late for school" Kaemon said while mentally adding 'and running from monsters.'

"That's really not the best practice but I guess it counts. Of course you do often still arrive late."

"Ok, ok I'm slow I get it."

"Sorry" Nao said with an apologetic expression.

"Ok class let's try some sit ups; divide into partners."

Kaemon and Nao paired up and Nao did great while Kaemon held his feet. It was not the same story when they switched. "Come on Kaemon, you can do it."

"I hate this! My stomach is screaming!"

"So are you, just calm down and focus."

"Ok" he continued to grunt a lot, but he made it through the exercises. Meanwhile the teacher was complimenting Honda and Shigeru, the boys who had excelled in the laps.

"Very nice hustle today boys. Your improvement is fantastic!"

The rest of the class mumbled but not so loudly the teacher could hear. They did more exercises with Honda and Shigeru topping the class (in almost everything Kaemon was at the bottom). Finally, gym class was over and the boys went to the changing rooms.

"Man, you guys were on fire today" a classmate told the pair

"Yeah, we sure were" Shigeru said with an arrogant smirk

Honda said, a little kindlier, "Thank you"

"Look at those muscles" another boy said, indicating the pair's now bare upper bodies. Others said the same and Kaemon looked down at his own body. He had stripped off his gym clothes and he looked unimpressive standing in his just his tighty whities. He even ruefully jiggled his belly a bit and Nao gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hey, they're them and you're you. Everybody is different."

"Yeah, but I wish I was their kind of different."

Honda had overheard this and said, "Why don't you come and work out with us after school then?"

"What?"

"Shigeru found this awesome gym and he invited me to go with him and it's done wonders."

"As you can plainly see" Shigeru added

"Anyway, it's not that far from here and the programs are great."

"I don't know…aren't fancy gyms expensive?"

"That's the best part; the rates aren't actually that bad and you can do a free trial to start."

"I just wonder if Kaemon is really going to put in the work to look as manly as us" Shigeru said

"Sure I will! I'll go today right after school. You'll come too, won't you Nao?"

"I am curious. Ok, I'll go. If nothing else, I can be there to keep you motivated."

"Is it that hard to think I could stick to an exercise program?"

Nao sheepishly shrugged and said, "Gotta be honest, just a little…but I'll be there to help."

"Great!"

"Now it's almost time for class."

"I know."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Kaemon blushed as he realized he was still in his underwear. He hurried into his clothes and joined the others on the way to class.

As soon as school let out, Honda and Shigeru led the way to the gym. Several kids from gym class had become interested and thus it was quite a party gathered outside of the fancy building. A sign over the door read "Morita's Gym: Sweat Your Way to Perfection!"

"Wow"

"Cool"

"I never knew this was here!"

"Well, it's no good looking at it" Honda said "Let's go in."

The boys filed in and were greeted by a tall man in shorts and a tank top that showed off his perfectly sculpted body. "Oh my, so many new faces. I'm Mr. Morita, the owner of this gym. I see Shigeru and Honda took seriously my suggestion of referring this place to their friends."

"Yes sir" they replied

"I imagine they probably also mentioned our free trial period so don't worry about money. Simply get your workout clothes on and prepare to sweat your way to a perfect body!"

In no time at all, the boys were warming up under the expert instruction of Mr. Morita. All over the place, other groups of people of all sorts and ages were receiving help from trainers wearing official Morita's Gym headbands. The boys were thrilled to get special attention from the owner and worked extra hard.

"That's it, get those muscles warmed up! Now let's head over to the equipment." He helped them get set up on various machines and weightlifting devices. He also told them to switch over after a short amount of time and thus soon everyone would experience the full workout. "I'll be coming back occasionally to check on you guys. Remember this is the first step to that perfect body you've always wanted!"

"This is actually kind of cool" Nao said as he glanced from his treadmill to Kaemon's. Kaemon nodded but was already breathing heavily. "Seriously? We've only just started."

"Give me a break" he said between deep breaths "I've already had one work out today."

"Well, if you get through this one, maybe tomorrow won't be so bad."

"Yeah maybe"

Soon it was time to switch, and Kaemon struggled with a weight machine. He sweated and groaned while his classmates kept glancing at him. Shigeru made a few comments but everyone else was too focused on working out to say anything.

Mr. Morita came by and blew his whistle. "You're doing great boys! Take a short breather and then get back to it."

Many responded enthusiastically as they all sat to rest their muscles. Kaemon said he needed to pee and wandered away. After a few minutes Shigeru said, "Who wants to bet he won't be back?"

Nao jumped to his friend's defense "Hey he came along, didn't he? I think he does want to get in shape."

"He may want to, but do you think he'll really stick with it? I know he's your friend but even you've got to admit he's a flake."

"And a whiner" another boy added

"Not to mention a pig. It's no wonder he tires easily with that bottomless appetite."

"Well…" Nao said slowly "I'll admit he's not the most refined person…"

"Oh, just say it" Shigeru said "Kaemon is pathetic! Hardly the ideal guy at all."

"I never said that!" Nao said but the rest continued to joke and chat about Kaemon until it was time to continue the workout. Everyone took their places and continued the regime, but Kaemon was nowhere in sight.

"Told you guys" Shigeru said with a smile

Nao glanced towards the restrooms with concern, but Mr. Morita came by. "Let's keep focusing Nao; you won't get that perfect body by daydreaming."

The words seemed to inspire him; he felt more determined to keep going. He'd check on Kaemon later.

Meanwhile, Kaemon was sitting on a bench outside the gym with a bag of vending machine snacks and a soda. He had been on his way back from the bathroom when he overheard the others talking about him. Ducking behind the exercise equipment, he heard all the insults, and he'd even heard Nao agreeing with the others. Rather than facing the group again, he'd sneaked out and decided to drown his feelings in food.

"I really am pathetic" he said as tears filled his eyes "I'm fat, I'm stupid, I'm lazy…everyone knows it. Nao knows it; he's probably just my friend because he feels sorry for me. I might as well give up now."

At this he chugged his soda and almost choked when a voice said "Talking to yourself? You really are a space case."

With difficulty, Kaemon swallowed the beverage and saw it was that annoying, black-haired girl again. She was giggling at the look on his face, and she laughed harder as he became angry.

"It's rude to laugh you know."

"I couldn't help it. The look on your face was priceless."

"I thought I was going to choke!"

"It would have been your own fault. A little self-control wouldn't hurt."

"Look I don't need a lecture right now. I already know…oh never mind!"

He crossed his arms and looked sullen. The girl softened and said "I heard some of what you said. Did something happen in there?" As she said this she gestured toward the gym.

"It's none of your business."

"Look, I know we don't really know each other but I hope you're not falling for this place's dumb ideas about perfection. Nobody is perfect and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Well…I suppose…"

"It's true you know. In fact, you're a prime example."

Kaemon's face brightened considerably "Yeah I guess you're…" He thought again about her words and said "Hey!"

"I got you to smile at least. See you later…and try to cheer up!"

"Who says I want to see you later?" He called but she was already on her way. He sat back on his bench chewing on her words to him…as well as his snacks.

"So, what did you do today?" Kenji asked Kaemon at supper

"He probably goofed off at the arcade all afternoon" Shingo said

"I asked your brother, not you Shingo"

"Well Dad, you might like to hear that I worked out after school."

The rest of the family looked shocked and Ikuko recovered first "Do you mean you played soccer with your friends?"

"Well, it was with friends from class…well some of them are friends…anyway we went to a gym."

"Did the scale break when you weighed in?" Shingo asked

"I didn't weigh in; it was a free trial to see if we liked the place."

"Did you like it?" Kenji asked

"Well…the place is great but…let's just say it wasn't the best first day."

"Why not?" Ikuko asked

"I ended up leaving a little early…I…" he hesitated and simply said "I realized that I have a long way to go."

"That's for sure" Shingo threw in

"I think this is very mature" Kenji said "although you really don't have to go to a fancy gym. Just making little adjustments to your daily life would do the trick."

"And if you really are committed to getting in shape, you won't be needing desert" Shingo said

"Don't touch my desert!" Kaemon shouted as struck a silly defensive pose.

The rest of the family laughed at this, and the conversation turned to other avenues. After the meal, Kaemon found his father in the living room and asked to have a word with him.

"Of course; what's on your mind?"

"What's the ideal of a perfect man?"

"Does this have to do with the sudden work out craze?"

"Sort of."

"Kaemon, you're still growing up and I'm sure you'll be a very fine man one day." Seeing his son's expression, he added "I didn't mean to imply that you aren't fine now. You may not be the strongest, fastest, or even the thinnest but people put way too much emphasis on those things anyway. In my work at the magazine, all over the media in fact, I see it all too much. I suggest you try to relax and remember that there are people who love you the way you are."

"Thanks Dad, I think I get it."

Kenji gave Kaemon a reassuring hug "Anytime Son."

The next morning was the first day of the weekend. After a lazy morning, Kaemon strolled down to the arcade. He was a little surprised Nao hadn't called him to do something but then again, he was busy with soccer and everything, so it wasn't that out of the ordinary. He played a few rounds at the arcade, but his allowance was stretching a little bit thin. He was also bummed that Unazuki wasn't working today.

After a little while, Kaemon left the arcade and began to wander the sidewalks wondering what to do next. He soon realized that Luna was walking beside him. Knowing the crowds would mask their conversation as long as they weren't obvious, he glanced at her and said, "Still stalking me I see."

"Enough to see you're finally starting to take better care of yourself…sort of."

"What do you mean by sort of?"

"You didn't seem to like your brother's suggestion of giving up desert."

"You are one creepy cat. Do you have the house bugged or something?"

"No not bugged. I was simply outside the window at suppertime. I am supposed to watch over you and help you become a fine hero after all."

"Yeah, but it's still creepy."

"Would you rather I move in like a normal housecat?"

"It would mean at least I know where you are rather than you always surprising me. Where do you sleep anyway? Who feeds you?"

"I get by" she answered vaguely "Getting back to the point; I think you're on the right track by getting in shape. I just hope you can really stick with it."

"Does everybody have to throw that stuff in?"

"We're just being honest. You told your family you didn't stick around at the gym so that's not a point in your favor."

"Well, everyone was being mean…"

"Do you have any idea how childish that sounds?"

"Yes! I get it Luna." He stuck his hands in his jeans pockets and sulked as he went on "I'm a child, I'm fat, I'm…"

"Ok, ok Kaemon calm down. I didn't mean all of that. I'm just trying to help you."

"Ha!" His sulking grew worse, and his face reddened a little as he said, "You don't care about me, you care about Sailor Moon!"

"Wow, you are upset." Luna responded in a softer tone "Yes I want you to focus on the mission but who said I didn't care about you? I do care you know."

He hung his head and mumbled "Sorry."

"That's ok. If you recognize all of that, you can work on it."

"It's not easy."

"I didn't say it was but getting in shape is a good start."

"Ok. I'm off to the park."

"The park? Why not the gym?"

Kaemon mentally pictured his classmates talking about him and didn't want to run the risk of facing them right now. "Oh…it's just such a nice day."

"Well, my schedule is wide open so I think I'll come along and supervise."

"So little trust" he said half joking.

The boy and the cat spend all afternoon in the park. Luna made suggestions such as running laps or attempting chin ups on the provided equipment. Kaemon whined and took frequent rests but to his credit he stuck with it.

"I am so tired" he whined as he flopped onto a bench and lay down.

"It wasn't bad for a start"

"A start? Ugh, I hate exercise!"

"Well, you better get used to it."

"Yeah yeah, but right now I just want to go home and eat."

"Go easy on the desert" Luna said with a wink

"Ugh!"

Monday morning found Kaemon slumped in his desk feeling tired and sore. He was debating if getting up on time had really been worth it (more sleep sounded nice) when Nao showed up.

"Hey Kaemon! How was your weekend?"

"Tiring"

"Awesome! Mine too!"

"Huh?"

"The guys and I went to the gym this weekend. Twice! It was awesome! I'm already getting in shape."

"That quickly?"

"Yep, I'm just amazing I guess."

"I guess you are."

Shigeru came into the room and said, "Hey Kaemon, how was your lazy weekend?"

"Lazy? I did my own workouts."

"Lifting the TV remote doesn't count."

"I worked out in the park. I would have come with you guys, but no one invited me."

Nao said, "Well I didn't think it was your thing."

"Translation" Shigeru said "We didn't want to put up with your quitter attitude."

Thankfully, Miss Haruna came in and started class, so the discussion was cut off there. Kaemon continued to fume but as the day went on, he noticed that many of the class, Nao and Shigeru included, seemed a bit run down. They never acknowledged it, in fact they seemed ready to leap up and do jumping jacks, but their bodies told a different story.

It was the same at PE. They acted cocky and really pushed themselves. At first they were top of the class but they burnt out quickly.

"Just the healthy fatigue of exercise. We experience it all the time at soccer practice." Shigeru said, "A perfect body doesn't come easily."

"There's no such thing as perfect" Kaemon said but many boys just sneered.

"Of course that's what you'd say."

He fumed but couldn't help noticing that even Nao, who was already the star of the soccer team, had progressed very quickly in a very short time. Also, in the changing room everyone was looking so thin and fit. Maybe, just maybe, he could stand going back to Morita's Gym…

"Glad to see you back" Mr. Morita said to Kaemon that afternoon

"Yeah, just don't slow us down or anything" Shigeru said

No one, not even Nao said anything, and they simply began the workout. Kaemon was determined to show them and pushed himself to the limit. After a short time, he was more than ready for his first break, but everyone kept going.

"Wasn't…(huff) there a (huff puff) a break last time?" he asked between his attempts at catching his breath.

"Breaks are for newbies and wimps!" Shigeru answered. He was sweating like a pig but moving like a blur on his treadmill.

"Perfection takes dedication" Honda added

"Well, I'm sorry but I just can't go on like this" Kaemon stepped away from the exercise equipment and wobbled over to lean against the wall.

"See this is why no one invited you" Shigeru sneered

Nao gave a halfhearted look of apology but just kept working out. Kaemon was hurt and angry; despite his lack of energy, he stood up and said "I'm off for a snack."

"Snacks aren't good" Nao said "I already regret eating so much earlier."

"It was your normal lunch."

"That much? Man, I'll never get in shape."

"You guys are crazy!" Kaemon declared as he stomped off. He ignored the comments from the others and went to the locker room to get cleaned up and changed. He was done with this place.

When he came out after a long and relaxing shower, he saw the boys being led to a back room by Mr. Morita. "A proper cool down is important after all."

"Yeah, I always feel so relaxed after the cooldown session" Nao said

Kaemon wondered what kind of cool down they were talking about. "Probably a massage or something…actually that doesn't sound bad. Maybe I could sneak in without being noticed."

He followed the group and was frozen in shock when he cracked the door open for a peak. The boys were all sitting in a semi-circle while Mr. Morita held his hands up to a crystal ball in the ceiling. The boys were slumped over unconscious in their chairs with waves of some sort of energy flowing out of them into the crystal.

"This is the best plan yet; we're harvesting so much human energy! Humans are so prone to obsession; brainwashing is almost a waste of time" he gym owner laughed.

"Oh no" Kaemon whispered. Morita looked around but he'd already shut the door and backed away. "What do I do? I can't even call Luna or that pretty magician lady, Masked something or other." He vigorously shook his head and said, "Get a hold of yourself, Kaemon, your friends need you."

Back inside the large energy absorption room, Morita had returned to his task. He was just trying to think which group he would drain next when the door slammed open. He turned to see a young man in a sailor suit silhouetted there.

"How dare you take advantage of human desires and insecurities like this? You promise perfection and it only leads to trouble. We have enough of that in the world without villains like you adding to it. I am Sailor Moon, the handsome soldier who fights for truth and justice, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

"I was wondering if I'd see you. Now I get the chance to add your energy to the pot." As he said this, Morita began to buff up even more and his eyes turned a sick red. His hair reshaped into stringy mullet and small horns grew from his forehead. He said "I am the monster Undō. You don't stand a chance against me."

Kaemon gulped but stood his ground. Undō lunged at him, and he dodged to the side. The bulky creature slammed into the wall. Kaemon quickly manifested his boomerang, but it was knocked from his hand. He turned to see one a trio of the personal trainers behind him with glowing eyes.

"Are they monsters too or just brainwashed?"

Undō laughed and said, "You hero types are so weak; refusing to attack for fear of hurting an innocent."

"I'll just have to deal with you first then" he replied, sounding a lot braver than he felt.

"I'd like to see that" the monster laughed as the training guys gathered around him. One had clenched fists, another was holding a hand weight, and the third had a jump rope. As he was processing this, the jump rope guy flicked it at him like a whip. Kaemon jumped to the side with a scream and bumped right into fist guy. He tried to grab Kaemon in a bear hug, but the hero dropped and crawled between the trainer's legs.

"Maybe being a bit short isn't so bad" he said as he popped up and scanned around for his boomerang. It had landed on the floor near the chairs with his still unconscious classmates. Kaemon ran for it but was tripped by one of the trainers sticking their foot out. "Really? Grown men using a schoolboy trick."

A pair of feet appeared before him and Undō said "Well if you're tired of tricks, I could just kill you."

"No thanks" Kaemon said with a fearful smile before rolling away.

He popped up just in time to see the hand weight slam down next to him. He then cried out as the jump rope struck his back. It wrapped around his legs and almost tripped him again as he struggled to stand up. He saw Undō punch down at him and he just managed to scuttle away. He saw the monster had left a sizeable hole in the floor and his eyes grew wide.

"You're a slippery little worm" the monster commented "but you're just delaying the inevitable."

Kaemon knew that Undō was probably right. He was just struggling to survive with no Luna, no masked lady, just his own rather pathetic guts. He wanted to simply curl up and cry, but he knew Nao and the others needed him. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't give up.

"Sorry about this" he said as the trainer with the weight came near him. Kaemon kicked the man right between the legs and the assailant curled up in pain, dropping his weapon. It hit the ground with a heavy thud and Kaemon picked it up.

"Take this, Undō" he said as he quickly stepped away from the other trainers. He gathered up his strength and hurled the object at the monster's head. Undō dodged but the weight instead hit the crystal ball in the ceiling. It shattered in a flash of light and the strange aura from earlier flowed back into the boys in the chairs.

"You stupid worm!" Undō screamed in rage "I'll tear you to pieces"

He ran at Kaemon like a raging bull and the Sailor Solider jumped to the side. The monster plowed right into the trainers, and they ended up in a tangled pile. Kaemon quickly picked his way through the crystal pieces on the floor and retrieved his boomerang.

"Hey Undō!" The monster partially detached himself from the others and turned to face him "Moon Boomerang Action!"

The beast swore but couldn't step aside quickly because he was still standing in the middle of the struggling trainers. The boomerang sliced through the screaming monster, and he crumbled into sand. Seconds later the headbands on the trainers crumbled as well.

"What?"

"Why are we on the floor?"

"Ow" the one who had wielded the weight said, still being a little careful with his movements.

At the same time, the boys were waking up and were equally confused. Sailor Moon struck a heroic pose and said "A monster hijacked this gym and was brainwashing you all to collect your energy. All is well now, and I am off to fight more evil."

Sailor Moon ran from the room. Most people were talking about cool Sailor Moon was, but Shigeru added "Off to fight more evil? That sounds kind of dorky."

"I'm really sorry for the past few days, Kaemon."

"It's ok, Nao. You guys were brainwashed." Kaemon was sitting shirtless in his room talking on the phone. The wound on his back still stung like crazy but was healing rapidly.

"I still feel kind of bad for how we talked about you. I had no idea you heard all of that."

"I also heard that you were the least mean and even defended me. I reacted badly too. It's all good, dude."

"Awesome! Anyway, I need to go. See you at school tomorrow."

"Unfortunately…I mean the school part, of course. See you then."

He hung up and lay down on his front. He looked up to see Luna sitting at the head of his bed and jumped but only slightly.

"You should just move in, you're always here anyway."

"Maybe" Luna said "Today you should be happy. I'm here to congratulate you on handling the battle all by yourself."

"I thought I was going to wet my pants, I was so scared."

"You didn't let that stop you though. You just might be a great hero after all…someday."

"And someday you may learn that brutal honestly isn't always necessary!"

Luna just smiled and said "I call it like I see it. Right now, I see a boy who needs to finish his homework and get some rest."

"I forgot about the homework" Kaemon moaned as he facepalmed.

"Well un-forget, we can't have a hero of justice stuck in detention."

He just groaned and buried his head in his arms.