In the Dark Dimension, Jadeite was once again discussing plans with Queen Beryl to steal energy from the humans of Earth.

"Listen, Queen Beryl," said Jadeite. "So many human schoolchildren have been made miserable because they are being forced to study."

"Yes," said Queen Beryl. "I've heard reports that parents are so desperate for their children to succeed that they're even harder on their kids than any one of our monsters will be."

"Not only that, but some parents are willing to go unimaginable lengths just to get their children into a top-rated university," added Jadeite. "From preschool to high school, they'll stop at nothing to see that their children get the best education."

"I see," said Queen Beryl thoughtfully. "And what will happen if they leave a first-rate university?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Jadeite. "But I say we use this to our advantage."

"Very well then, Jadeite," said Queen Beryl. "Proceed."

"Yes, ma'am," said Jadeite.

He bowed before his queen and then vanished into the air.


Usagi was lounging around on the couch, laughing hysterically at a manga she was reading. Ikuko then came up to her.

"Usagi! What is all that laughing about?!" she demanded.

"Oh, hey, Mom!" said Usagi as she got up and showed her the manga she was reading. "You have to take a look at this! It's so funny!"

Ikuko did so, and she laughed too, along with Usagi, but then she quickly stopped turning serious.

"Now isn't the time to be laughing!" she said sternly. "I wanted to ask you about the practice test you and Harusuke did the other day. How did that go?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Mom," said Usagi. "The results won't be coming out till tomorrow, so there's no need to worry about that."

"Look, Usagi," said Ikuko, now looking somewhat sad. "I know I don't expect much from you when it comes to school, but please try not to fail, OK?"

"Come on, Mom!" wailed Usagi, who now was crying. "If there's a top of the class, there has to be a bottom too. So, I'm actually helping those top-class kids look good. No one in the world would suffer more than kids who get scolded for bad grades!"

"Oh, Usagi..." sighed Ikuko flatly. "You sure come up with the craziest arguments. Not only that, but your grades will make just about anyone burst into tears."

Then Harusuke came down the stairs. "Hey, Mom. Hey Usagi," he said. "What's going on?"

"Just Usagi being Usagi as usual," said Ikuko. "By the way, Harusuke, how did you do on your practice test?"

"I think I did pretty good," said Harusuke. "I know I won't get a hundred percent, but I'll get a good score. That doesn't mean I shouldn't stop studying, though."

"You see Usagi? Why can't you take a page from Harusuke's book?" asked Ikuko. "You don't see him slacking off."

Usagi puffed her cheeks. "That's because I'm not a genius like he is," she muttered.

"Oh, come on, Usagi. You know that's not true," said Harusuke. "I just study. That's it."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be doing your homework instead of reading manga, Usagi?" asked Ikuko.

Usagi gulped. "But... but... I don't get it, and I need some help!" she sputtered, thinking of an excuse.

Ikuko shook her head, sighing. "Honestly, it's no wonder you're failing," she said. She then turned to Harusuke. "Harusuke? Could you go upstairs and help Usagi with her homework if you're not busy?"

"Sure thing, Mom. I just finished my homework just now," said Harusuke. "I'd be glad to help."

"Kiss up," muttered Usagi.


In Usagi's room, Usagi was doing her homework under the watchful eye of Harusuke and Luna. Usagi whined with frustration.

"Stop your whining, Usagi," said Luna. "Education is crucial, you know."

"That's easy for you to say," grumped Usagi. "It must be nice being a cat. I wish I was a cat with nothing to do."

"What are you even talking about, Usagi?" deadpanned Harusuke as he got up, sharpening his pencil. "You know that's not true."

"That's right. Not to mention that I'm busy with stuff, too, you know. Like finding the Moon Princess," said Luna.

Harusuke and Luna just came back to the table when they saw Usagi reading a manga book on top of her school book. Usagi tried to hide it, but she was too late.

"Usagi! You were just reading that manga, weren't you?!" exclaimed Harusuke.

Usagi said nothing as she glanced away and whistled innocently.

"Oh, brother, If only your sister was as passionate about manga as something more meaningful like helping find the princess," Luna sighed to Harusuke. "Listen, Usagi, it's not only you and your brother's destiny to find the princess, but it's also your destiny to fight all the foes we come across as well."

"Luna's right, Usagi," said Harusuke. "Our responsibilities may be a bit hard and overwhelming, but we can't just ignore them."

"Aww, come on, I didn't exactly ask for this, you know!" Usagi groaned. "And besides, what exactly are these "foes" you keep talking about anyway, Luna?"

"You know evil beings that are not from this world," said Luna. "Like the monsters that you and Harusuke have been fighting."

"I think you're going to have to be a little more specific than that, Luna," said Harusuke. "To be honest, I'm a little curious myself about who these enemies are."

Luna put a paw to her chin, thinking. "Well… to tell you the truth, I have no idea what they are either."

Usagi and Harusuke looked at the cat, a little surprised by her response.

"Wait a minute... you mean you have no idea either?" asked Harusuke incredulously. "You do realize that's not too reassuring here, Luna."

"No. I don't, but I do know that the enemy needs to be stopped," said Luna. "No matter what."

Usagi and Harusuke looked at each now feeling more confused than before.


Later that night, everyone was fast asleep. Everyone that is except for Luna.

She sneaked out of the house without waking anyone up and then walked all the way to the Game Center Crown. It was very dark and quiet.

Luna looked around, making sure that she wasn't followed, and then stepped in front of the closed entrance. The door opened, and she went inside. She then came up to one of the consoles for the Sailor V game, and the screen flashed on.

"Sailor V, the Game!" the game said.

"This is Codename Zero, Zero, Nine One, aka Luna," she responded.

She then placed her paw on the screen, which it scanned. The game then displayed a strange sound wave audio line.

"Passphrase: The rabbit on the moon is pounding rice cakes," continued Luna.

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

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

"Passphrase accepted. Welcome back, Luna," said the sound wave. "Have you found the princess yet?"

"Not yet," said Luna. "And I don't have any leads either. Not only that, but Sailor Moon's proving to be more unreliable than I expected her to be."

"Now, now. Don't complain," soothed the sound wave. "Besides, you got Solaris by her side, helping her out and keeping her together. Isn't that enough for now?"

"You're right," nodded Luna. "Sorry about that. By the way, I've been sensing a strange new energy lately."

Luna typed in a few things on the screen, and a picture of a young girl appeared. She was in her teens, about Usagi and Harusuke''s age, and had short dark blue hair and blue eyes. She also wore the same uniform Usagi did, which showed that she attended their school also.

"I believe that it's most likely coming from this girl," she said.

"Hmm... she could be a monster sent by the enemy or something else," said the sound wave. "Until then, speed up your investigation and keep an eye on her."

"Right," said Luna.


The following day at school, the practice exam results were posted, and everyone gathered around to see how they scored, particularly one name on that list. And that name was Ami Mizuno.

Harusuke, Usagi, Yumi, and Naru were hanging around outside of the classroom in the hall after just finding out about their scores. They watched as everyone talked about Ami being at the top of the exam scores.

"Looks like Ami made it to the top in our entire class as usual," said Naru.

"Not only that," said Yumi. "But she's also number one in the entire country!"

"The whole country!?" exclaimed Usagi and Naru.

Then Umino popped up. "Also, rumor has it that when her IQ was measured, they discovered that it was over three hundred!"

Naru then smacked Umino upside his head. "Umino! Don't sneak up on us like that, you idiot!"

"Three hundred?!" exclaimed Harusuke. "That's crazy! I knew she was smart, but I didn't know she was that smart."

"Yeah! She's practically a super genius," agreed Usagi.

Then something caught her eye. There, standing by the window, staring out through it, was the very girl they were talking about—the same girl with dark blue hair and blue eyes that Luna had been told to watch over the other night.

"Look, there she is now," observed Usagi.

"That also reminds me," said Umino. "I heard that she attends Crystal Seminar. The new cram school that was just built in Juuban."

"I heard about that," said Usagi. "Our Mom says that it costs a whole lot of money to get there."

"That's to be expected," said Naru. "After all, Ami's Mom is a doctor, and that kind of job makes a lot of money."

"So, in other words, that means she's rich enough to afford it," said Yumi.

"That may be so, but I heard she actually has a scholarship there, so she's attending for free," said Harusuke.

"Still just between us guys," said Yumi. "I don't really like her. She probably thinks she's all that just because she's smart. Do you know what I mean?"

"No kidding," said Naru. "I hate girls like that."

"I agree," Umino nodded.

"Now hold on you guys," said Harusuke. "Don't go judging people like that."

Harusuke and Usagi looked at each other and then at Ami. She then turned towards them as if she had overheard them talking about her. Usagi, seeing this, feigned innocence.

"Hey guys! What nice weather we're having!" she said, trying to change the subject.

"What are you talking about, Usagi?" wondered Harusuke.

Usagi then pinched him on his side, causing him to yelp in pain. "Shut it, Bro!"


After school, Usagi and Harusuke were walking home.

"Man... I wish I was one of the smart kids," said Usagi. "They got the easy life."

"You're only saying that because you failed a test for the umpteenth time," said Harusuke.

"Oh right..." said Usagi, paling slightly. "Mom's is gonna kill me..."

"Yup, she's gonna yell at you and then probably gonna sign you up for some cram school and make you pay for it yourself," teased Harusuke.

"Big Bro! Don't say that!" whined Usagi while slumping. "She just might actually do that!"

"Oh, come on, Usagi. I was only kidding," apologized Harusuke.

As they continued to walk, going around the corner, Usagi tugged at Harusuke's shoulder, noticing something.

"Hey, Harusuke, look," she said, pointing.

Just ahead of them was Ami, who was walking by herself.

Just then, something jumped out from a wall next to her, leaping into the air, dove straight at her, and landed on her shoulder. That something turned out to be Luna.

Ami was surprised, but upon seeing the cat, Ami couldn't help but give Luna a loving scratch on her chin.

"Well, hello there, kitty," she said as she petted her. "You're so soft... if I didn't live in a condo, I'd take you home. I'd love to have a cute kitty like you."

Harusuke and Usagi looked at each other, and they couldn't help but smile. They then approached her.

"Hey Luna!" called Usagi. "Come here, girl."

Luna saw Usagi and Harusuke. Then, she got off Ami and trotted over to Usagi, who kneeled down and picked her up.

"Sorry about that. I hope our cat didn't scare you too much," said Harusuke.

"Are you both the owners of that cat?" asked Ami.

"Yup," said Usagi.

"I must admit when she came down and landed on me," said Ami. "For a second, I thought that she might have been an angel."

"An angel? Luna?" wondered Usagi. Then she smiled. "What a cute thing to say..." she thought.

"I don't know about Luna being an angel," said Harusuke. "But I can say that Luna's a very unique cat in her own way."

Then Harusuke and Usagi introduced themselves as they walked with Ami.

"By the way, you're Ami Mizuno from Class 5, right? I'm Usagi Tsukino from Class 1," she introduced.

"And I'm Harusuke Tsukino, also from Class 1 and Usagi's older brother," he said. "Nice to meet you."

"You as well," said Ami.

Usagi pointed to Luna and introduced her, too. "This little furball who you already met is called Luna."

"Luna, huh? That means moon in some languages, right?" Ami asked.

"Wow, you're really a genius," Usagi said, very impressed. "You're the first person who noticed it right away."

Ami blushed bright red from the compliment. Then Luna spoke to Harusuke and Usagi low enough so she wouldn't hear.

"Listen, you two," she whispered. "Be very careful with this girl. She might actually be a monster sent by the enemy."

"What? Ami?" wondered Harusuke. "Why do you say that?"

Before Luna could answer, Usagi laughed as she petted Luna on her head. "Oh, come on, Luna! Don't be silly!"

Ami was puzzled. "What's so funny, Usagi?" she wondered.

Usagi and Harusuke froze, worried that Ami might have heard Luna talking. Usagi quickly covered Luna's mouth, causing Harusuke's eyes to widen.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" she said, laughing awkwardly. Then, she came up with an idea to distract Ami from the situation. "Hey, Ami. Do you want to play some video games with us?" she asked.

"Sure," said Ami. "But I've never actually played one before."

"No worries! Big Bro and I will show you how," said Usagi as she gave Harusuke a glance. "Right?"

"Um... sure," said Harusuke hesitantly. "But you would be better for teaching her Usagi. I would rather stand and watch."

"Then it's settled," said Usagi. "Let's go!"

Then Usagi, who was holding Luna by her mouth all this time, had finally let go. Luna growled and glared at Usagi, having to have almost been suffocated.

"Just relax, Luna," she whispered. "You're just imagining things."


At the Game Center, Usagi was playing the Sailor V game as a demonstration for Ami. Ami and Harusuke watched as Usagi blasted monsters and enemies back and forth, pressing the buttons relentlessly. However, she soon lost her last life, and she ended up with a score of 6850.

"Whew. I guess that wasn't too bad," said Usagi. "The buttons may have been a little sticky, but that's how it's done." She turned to Ami. "Now it's your turn, Ami. Are you ready to give it a try? It's really fun."

"But it looks kinda hard," said Ami doubtfully.

"Don't worry about it," said Harusuke. "It's a lot easier than you think it is. All you need to do is blast any monsters and baddies that come your way. Just do your best."

"Don't feel too bad if you get five hundred points on your first try, though," said Usagi.

Ami then took her turn on the Sailor V game. As she blasted one monster or baddie after another, her score soon reached five hundred.

"Way to go! You're pretty good!" said Usagi.

"You think so?" asked Ami as she continued pressing the buttons.

Her score continued to climb higher and higher until it reached one thousand, then two thousand, and then three thousand. Soon enough, her score even surpassed Usagi's score. Usagi was at first happy for Ami for doing so well, but then her look slowly turned to disbelief. Harusuke's mouth even hung open as Ami's score then exceeded past ten thousand. Then, as Ami's score reached twenty thousand, a crowd of people formed around watching Ami play. They were all amazed.

"This is incredible!" cried a boy. "Her score's even higher than the all-time high score!"

Then, Motoki came up, and when he saw what was going on, he was impressed.

"Whoa! That's amazing!" he said. "Just incredible!"

Then Ami looked at her watch, checking the time.

That one tiny opening gave one of the monsters in the game a chance. It blasted Sailor V, and then the words "Game Over" appeared on the screen, also flashing Ami's score, which was over one hundred thousand.

"Oh no! Look at the time!" cried Ami. "I have to go!"

She pushed her way through the crowd and tried making a dash for the door, grabbing her book bag, but then she dropped it on the floor, spilling its contents. Luckily, Harusuke and Usagi were there to help pick them up for her.

"To where?" asked Harusuke. "Do you have some kind of class?"

"Yes. I do," said Ami. "A cram class I take right after school. I go there every day."

"I'm so sorry," Usagi apologized. "I didn't realize that you had Cram School." Then she registered what Ami just said, causing her to yelp. "Wait... every day!?"

"Yes. Studying is the only thing I'm good at," said Ami. "So, I have to make sure I try my best to get good grades."

"Sounds difficult," said Harusuke. "But I can understand in a way."

"Anyway, I gotta get going," said Ami. "I'll see you two later! It was fun!"

"Bye, Ami!" said Usagi and Harusuke

They both then watched as Ami left the Game Center, dashing away.

"Man... It's like she lives in a whole different world," said Usagi.

"A world that's way beyond what we could comprehend," said Harusuke.

Then Motoki came up to them, causing Usagi to blush slightly and grin as she swooned.

"Hey Motoki!" she said. "What's up?"

"Hey there, you two," said Motoki. "You two got a second?"

"Sure. Anything for you," said Usagi dreamily.

Moktoki then held up the Disguise Pen. "Here, Usagi, you dropped this when you were helping that girl pick up her things earlier," he said. "Thought it might be important to you."

Usagi went red as she felt around her pockets before shyly laughing as she took back her pen. "Y-Yeah, sure. Thank you, Motoki."

Motoki was puzzled, wondering why Usagi was acting so strangely, while Harusuke said nothing.


At the Crystal Seminar, Ami arrived on time and was not late. She made her way to her desk past other students who were clicking away on their computers, studying math, English, and many other subjects.

Ami sat at her desk, put on her glasses, and soon joined in on the studying by solving some math problems.

Then Ami felt a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to look up. A young woman with short brunette hair and glasses stood above her.

"Miss Mizuno, I'm pleased with how hard you've been studying," the woman said. "But now, I would like for you to start using this."

She then handed Ami a case that contained a disc.

"I heard that you've been studying to become a doctor," the woman continued. "If you want to make your dream a reality, you should use this exclusive Crystal Seminar study disc every day. "

"Sure thing, ma'am," said Ami.

"Make sure to study hard," said the woman. "After all, you're one of our highest achievers, and we expect you to be a good role model for our students."

Ami then inserted the disc into her computer, booted up the program, and was soon studying once again. But as she did, some unknown waves began to emit from the screen, and her eyes became vacant as they turned into an ominous green.


Back at Juuban Middle, in the boy's locker room, Harusuke had just finished getting into his P.E. clothes and was getting ready to head outside for class. But as he was about to head out the door, another boy happened to walk past him, muttering something to himself.

"The formula for pi is the ratio of the circumference of its diameter, but can't be expressed as a decimal, but the twenty numbers that matter are 3.1415926535.."

Harusuke couldn't help but be puzzled while surprised he was reciting such a formula. "What's the matter with that guy?" he wondered out loud.

"I guess he must be studying," said a brunette boy. "After all, he does go to the Crystal Seminar now."

"Crystal Seminar?" repeated Harusuke in thought. "That's the school Ami goes to."

"Now that you mention it, it seems like everyone's been going there," said a blonde boy. "A few other guys in my class go there, too."

"I didn't think it was that popular," said Harusuke. "Is it honestly that good?"

"Supposedly, the lessons they teach there are all taught by a computer program through a disc," explained the brunette. "From what I hear, it's so much fun that people take the disc home with them."

"Is that so?" Harusuke hummed thoughtfully.


A little bit later, Usagi, Harusuke, Naru, and Yumi, having just finished another class, were walking down the hall together for their break.

"Hey, you guys want to go get ice cream later?" asked Naru.

"That sounds great!" concurred Yumi.

"Count me in, too!" agreed Usagi. "And Big Bro can pick up the tab!"

"Hey! I object to that, Usagi!" Harusuke barked. "I'm not your personal bank, so I would appreciate it if you - !"

Usagi then gasped, interrupting him. "Hey, I know! Let's invite Ami! I bet she would love to have ice cream with us!"

And before Harusuke or anyone else could say anything, Usagi dashed away to find Ami.

Harusuke sighed. "Good grief. Sometimes I wonder if she ignores me on purpose," he huffed.

"Being a big brother must be tough, eh?" said Naru.


In the library, Ami was over by the computers, having finished studying on it. She was packing her things and getting ready to leave when Usagi approached her.

"Heya, Ami!" Usagi greeted happily. "So this is where you've been."

"O-oh! Hello, Usagi," Ami greeted back.

"Say, me and the others were going to go out for ice cream a little later. You wanna come with us?" Usagi offered.

Ami was briefly surprised before her face lit up as she smiled happily. But as she was about to give her answer, the words of her teacher from the other day suddenly flashed in her mind. When it did, her smile vanished, and her eyes became dull, entering in a strange trance.

At that moment, Harusuke arrived, and just as he did, he saw the look on Ami's face and was quick to scowl at Usagi, believing she was being rude.

"Hey, Usagi. What's going on here?" he asked. "You didn't say anything weird to make Ami uncomfortable, did you?"

"What are you talking about, Bro?!" Usagi objected. "I didn't do anything of the sort!"

Then, Ami quickly packed up her school bag and bowed apologetically. "She was just asking me if I wanted to go out for ice cream with her," she said politely. "But I'm afraid I can't. I have to go study."

And before the Tsukino siblings could say anything more, Ami left.

Usagi then whispered to Harusuke. "Hey, Bro. Ami was acting weird just now. She looked so happy when I asked her out for ice cream, but then she suddenly acted like she was in a hurry."

"Is that so?" murmured Harusuke. "That does seem to be a bit strange."

Then Usagi's eyes fell upon something next to the computer. It was the same Crystal Seminar disc that was given to her by her teacher.

"It looks like Ami left her disc behind," murmured Usagi.

"Guess she was in such a hurry; she must have forgotten it," said Harusuke. "We should get it back to her. I think the Crystal Seminar is somewhere downtown."

"Good idea," agreed Usagi. "This way, it'll be a chance to check up on her."


Soon, the two Tsukino siblings, with Luna in tow, were walking downtown in search of Crystal Seminar. But as they did, they happened to notice a crowd of students standing just beside the avenue. Standing among them was Ami's teacher, who was handing out flyers.

"Join Crystal Seminar today with no enrollment fee!" she called out. "Earn better grades and reach your potential with our state-of-the-art PC study program!"

"Free, huh?" murmured Harusuke. "Seems too good to be true if you ask me."

"But that would explain why it's so popular," said Usagi. "Can't get a better price than free."

The woman then approached them and gave them a flyer, too. "Here you go. Feel free to give our new product a try," she said.

Usagi and Harusuke inspected the flyer and were surprised to see that Ami was on it.

"Well, well. It looks like Ami's the poster girl for Crystal Seminar," observed Harusuke. "It would make sense, considering that she's always there."

But Usagi frowned. "Yeah, but that's a bit too weird for me," she said.

She then crumpled up the flyer and prepared to throw it behind her back.

Luna was quick to criticize. "Hey! Usagi! You shouldn't litter!"

But Usagi had already thrown it back, sending it flying into the air.

It soon fell down and landed right on top of the head of someone who happened to be close by them. It turned out to be the casually dressed boy.

"Hey! Bunhead!" he called out with some irritation.

The moment Usagi heard the words Bun-head, she immediately turned around while Harusuke sighed.

"Oh brother, here we go again," sighed Harusuke.

"You again?!" scowled Usagi. "What are you doing here?!"

The casually dressed boy then approached and placed the crumpled flyer into Usagi's hand. When his hand touched hers, Usagi felt her heart skip a beat while her face turned pink.

"You shouldn't be littering like that," the boy admonished. "And for the record, I'm not a garbage can."

Usagi stammered. "S-sorry. I didn't see you!" she apologized.

"W-Wait! What's going on?!" Usagi wondered in her thoughts. "Why is my heart pounding?!"

The casually dressed boy then glanced at Luna. "That aside...was that cat just talking to you just now?"

Harusuke, Usagi, and Luna immediately gulped, and their faces froze with horror. There was a long silence. Then Harusuke and Usagi burst into forced laughter.

"That's impossible! I've never heard of such a thing? Right, Big Bro?" Usagi forced.

"Yeah! I mean, come on, a cat talking? Cats can't talk!" added Harusuke.

Luna let out a meow in agreement. Then, the three of them dashed away as fast as their feet could carry them.

They didn't stop running until they reached the gate of their house before resting to catch their breath.

"Oh man, that was close!" said Luna. "It would have been bad if he found out I talked!"

"I'll say!" panted Harusuke. "But thankfully, we managed to dodge that bullet." Then he suddenly remembered. "Oh, man! We were in such a panic that we forgot to give the disc back!"

"It's because of that stupid guy!" growled Usagi. "Geez, he's been a pain in the neck! Now, what'll we do? Ami's probably going nuts for not having it."

"Hold on, you two," said Luna. "This could be a good opportunity. Let's go to Usagi's room. If I recall correctly, she has a laptop."

"But what for Luna?" wondered Harusuke.

"I wanna check out what's on that disc," said Luna.

"Do you think it's got something suspicious on it?" Usagi asked. "Well, let me just say right now, I barely know anything about computers, so either you or Harusuke will have to figure it out."

The three then went up to Usagi's room and popped the disc into her laptop. From there, Luna inspected it, typing away at the keyboard with her paws.

"Wow. You sure know how to use a computer, Luna," said Usagi. "You're pretty amazing..."

"It's not big a deal," said Luna. "Everybody should be able to use a computer nowadays."

Then, suddenly, as Luna opened the files on the disc, a strange high-pitched sound began coming from the computer. Usagi and Harusuke covered their ears.

"What is that awful noise!?" cried Usagi.

"It's so loud!" yelled Harusuke.

Then a familiar, fiendish voice came from the computer.

"Give us all of your knowledge and mental energy! Offer it all to our great ruler and, in doing so, become our servant!"

"I know that voice!" cried Harusuke. "That's Jadeite!"

"I should have known! This is a brainwashing program!" cried Luna. "I knew it from the moment I sensed that girl you two were with that something was off! Your friend Ami is a monster serving Jadeite!"

"No way! It can't be true!" said Usagi.

"Well, given the fact that this disc was in her possession and her behavior, it makes sense!" said Harusuke. "As much as I hate to say it, but I have to agree with Luna! Everything about Crystal Seminar is nothing but a big scheme!"


Moments later, the three stood in an alley just outside the Crystal Seminar building, which was a tall skyscraper.

"So, this is Crystal Seminar," said Harusuke. "It certainly looks pretty impressive."

"I still don't believe it," Usagi said stubbornly. "What if this is some kind of mistake or something? Ami could be in trouble!"

"Mistake or not, we have to get in there and stop the enemy's plans," said Luna.

"I agree," said Harusuke. "Now hurry, Usagi. Let's use the Disguise Pen!"

Usagi was still worried, but she nodded firmly and held up the Disguise Pen while Harusuke touched it.

"MOON POWER! Make me look like a doctor from the university hospital!"

"SOLAR POWER! Make me look like a teacher from the university hospital!"

Usagi now had short hair and wore teal high heels, a one-piece skirt, and a long white lab coat. Harusuke wore black shoes with gray dress pants, a green button-down shirt, and a striped tie, and had long hair.

The two of them, along with Luna, then raced inside, going up the stairs until they burst into the classroom where Ami and the other students were.

"Everyone! Step away from your computers right now!" cried Usagi.

"Yes! Those computers are draining your energy!" yelled Harusuke.

All the students were weak and tired, groaning and moaning. Then the teacher stood up, glaring at the two.

"Who are you two?" she demanded. "You can't just interrupt everyone while they're studying!"

"Uh, we're doctors!" Usagi stammered out. "And it's come to my attention that these students are very sick, and I know why!"

Usagi then saw Ami, who stared blankly at her with dead green eyes, just as hypnotized as the rest of the students. When she did, the ordango blonde whipped out the computer disc.

"Ami! This teacher's nothing but a fake and is using you!" she went on. "I know because I cracked the code on your special disc! There's a brainwashing program hidden in its programming!"

Bot Harusuke and Luna glanced flatly at her. "Way to take all the credit," they quipped internally.

"A-Anyway, we're evacuating these students right now!" said Harusuke. "And whatever scheme you got going on ends here, lady!"

The teacher scowled angrily at them. Then, she suddenly grabbed Ami, pulling her up from her desk and clasping her hand over her mouth. Then, she transformed into her monster appearance. She was red-skinned, tall, and had only one piece of clothing: a black dress.

"I am the monster of knowledge known as Garoben," she cackled. "And soon, I will gather all the mental energy from all these students, including this girl, and offer it up to the great ruler!

"No way... That woman was the monster!" cried Harusuke. "That means...!"

"Ami wasn't the monster after all!" finished Usagi. She turned to Luna. "You hear that, you suspicious cat?!" she barked crossly. "I told you so!"

"No kidding..." said Luna, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, I'm glad," said Harusuke, also feeling sheepish. "I never really thought that she was the monster anyway..."

"But you agreed with her!" snapped Usagi. "That makes you just as guilty!"

"Never mind that now!" Luna cried. "Both of you need to transform!"

Both Usagi and Harusuke looked at the black cat incredulously at this.

"You want us to transform?!" exclaimed Usagi. "Right in front of Ami?!"

"If we do, she'll know who we are!" pointed out Harusuke.

"It'll be fine! Just do it!" urged Luna.

Both Harusuke and Usagi looked at each other, but they plucked up courage, giving each other a nod before they shouted their phrases.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"

"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE ON!"


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 blue collar with white stripes. Next, Usagi crosses her arms as more pink ribbons cover them, turning into long white gloves. Then, the pink ribbons wrap around Usagi's legs and turn into 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, a gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, and 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.

Transformation sequence: Harusuke.

Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it in the air. Next, the symbol of the sun starts to shine on Harusuke's head as golden yellow and silver light envelop his body. First, the sun appears above him, shining its light upon him. Then, while Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips formed around his body. After that, the light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appeared on his legs with silver hexagon knee pads. Next, the light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appeared on his hands going up to his wrists. Then, a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, crashing into his chest and making a golden piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers his head, exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Finally, Harusuke's eyes open, and he strikes his signature pose as the symbol of the sun appears behind him.


"Listen up, you evil hag!" said Sailor Moon. "Gifted minds are to better mankind! You took advantage of them by tempting their thirst for knowledge!"

"And we won't allow you to use them for your own evil ends!" said Solaris. "Or brainwash them any longer!"

"I'm the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!"

"And now, in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"

Garoben smirked as she waved her hand, and test papers appeared above her, shooting at Solaris and Sailor Moon. The two of them dodged as the papers pierced through the wall behind them.

Upon seeing a paper just inches away from her face, Sailor Moon became frightened.

"I can't do this anymore!" she wailed. "I'm scared!"

Sailor Moon then started crying, but in response, the red hairpieces in her hair began to shine. Just like before, her voice became a powerful ultrasonic wave, causing windows to explode and shatter while Solaris and Luna covered their ears. But unlike the time with Morga, Garoben was unbothered.

"Are those ultrasonic waves supposed to affect me?" the monster mocked. "That won't work!"

"Then how about this?!" Solaris yelled.

He dashed toward her and lifted his leg, attempting to kick her, but then some of the students moved in front of him, blocking his way and causing Solaris to falter. As soon as he did, the brainwashed students all dogpiled on him, pinning him to the floor.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Solaris snapped as he tried to shake them off. "Get off of me!"

Garoben cackled before returning her attention to Sailor Moon. With a wave of her hand, she conjured another array of papers and, with her powers, changed them into balls before sending them in her direction. Sailor Moon cried in pain as every bullet assaulted her with quick yet powerful blows before sending her slamming into the wall. Just as she did, Garoben sent more papers at her, this time making them flat as they stuck to her like stickers, effectively pinning her.

"I-I can't move!" Sailor Moon cried weakly.

Garoben cackled in triumph, seeing her enemies pinned and at her mercy. Then, while grabbing Ami by her head, having not let go of her, she forced her face to the computer screen.

"As for you, offer up your genius mental energy to me!" she hissed.

"Ami, no!" cried Solaris as he struggled. "Let her go!"

"Don't hurt her!" shouted Sailor Moon.

It seemed that Ami was going to have her energy drained as well, but for some reason, it didn't. Garoben pressed Ami's head harder into the screen, but nothing still happened.

"What's going on?! Why isn't it draining her energy?!" demanded Garoben. Then she realized. "Wait! I know! You stopped using the disc, didn't you!"

Then, the light returned to Ami's eyes, the green in them reverting back to their blue luster.

"Yes, I did!" she spoke in defiance. "Studying should be done on your own without the help of machines!"

"Curse your impudence!" said Garoben angrily.

She squeezed Ami's head in anger, making her wince in pain. But then suddenly, at that moment, a strange, glowing symbol appeared in the middle of Ami's forehead. It was a heart with a small plus at the point, two lines on each of the curves, and a blue color.

Sailor Moon, Solaris, Luna, and even Garobenn were surprised upon seeing it.

"And what is this?" wondered Garoben.

"Sailor Moon! Do you see what I see?!" gasped Solaris as he pushed back a boy. "What is that symbol?!"

"I don't know!" replied Sailor Moon.

Luna then gasped, realizing. "That's it! The energy I sensed from her wasn't because she was a monster! Ami's a guardian just like Usagi and Harusuke!"

The black cat did a backflip, releasing a sparkle trail once again. This time, another pen appeared. It was bright blue with a gold cap and an engraved symbol that looked just like the one on Ami's forehead.

The mark on Ami's forehead then stopped glowing and faded away. Then Garoben pushed her to the floor.

"Fine then! I'll just take your entire brain instead!" she growled.

She then transformed her hand into an ax, making Ami shiver in fear. Garoben brought her ax over her head and prepared to strike, but then Luna came holding the pen in her mouth, tossing it toward her as it landed in front of her.

"Ami! Quickly!" Luna shouted. "Shout out the words, Mercury Power, Make up!"

Ami picked up the pen and jumped to her feet just as Garoben brought down her ax. She was afraid, but she quickly summoned up her courage and did what she was told.

"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!


Transformation Sequence: Ami

The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. The symbol begins to spin around as it glows while Ami is enveloped in a blue light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as a stream of blue water begins to emit from it, forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body, creating a mist of water that forms the rest of her uniform, the exact same as Sailor Moon's, but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves are blue and bright blue. She turns around and then strikes her signature pose.


"I knew it!" gasped Luna. "Ami's the second guardian, Sailor Mercury!"

Sailor Moon and Solaris gaped at this new scout with wide eyes filled with wonder.

"No way! Ami's a guardian too!?" gawked Sailor Moon.

Solaris was shocked to see Sailor Mercury, too, but then suddenly, he saw something in his mind. He saw a large white castle under a starry sky, then a shadow of a young man bowing before a woman and a man carrying a sword, letting out a battle cry, leaping into battle.

"What... the heck was that?!" he wondered.

Garoben, not intimidated in the slightest by a new fo,e raised her ax to swing at Sailor Mercury.

"Quickly! Use your Bubble Spray attack!" shouted Luna.

Sailor Mercury held out her hands, creating a teal ball of energy, and then crossed her arms. The ball hovered above her crossed forearms, growing bigger and bigger until Ami threw out her arms, spreading them and unleashing a blast of bubbles that created a mist that spread throughout the room.

"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"

"What? What is this?!" wondered Garoben.

She looked around in the mist, trying to find Sailor Mercury, but she was nowhere to be seen. Then the temperature began to drop, and Garoben started to shiver. The people she was controlling even froze in their tracks and fell to the floor unconscious.

"Damn it!" cursed Garoben.

Then she saw Sailor Mercury, who appeared right behind her. Garoben immediately reacted by thrusting her ax straight at her, but it was revealed to be an illusion, and she had actually stabbed a computer instead.

"Nice try, but you missed!" called Sailor Mercury. "Sailor Moon! Solaris! Now's your chance!"

Solaris was able to get himself free from the people who pinned him, but Sailor Moon was still stuck to the wall.

"I can't get free!" she cried. "Someone help me!"

Upon hearing Sailor Moon cry out, Garoben then lunged in her direction, intending to impale her with her axe. But then, someone jumped through one of the broken windows, rapidly slashed at the papers that held Sailor Moon, ripping them and setting her free, scooped her up, and carried her to safety, managing to avoid the axe as it struck the wall.

At first, Sailor Moon was surprised, but as she looked up, she was elated and shocked to see that she was in the arms of her rescuer, who turned out to be Tuxedo Mask.

"Tuxedo Mask! He saved me again!" Sailor Moon gasped in her thoughts.

Tuxedo Mask then spoke to Sailor Moon as he set her back on her feet. "Hurry, Sailor Moon! Finish the fight!" he urged. "Don't let your friend's help go to waste!"

"R-Right!" acknowledged Sailor Moon. "Solaris!"

"You got it!" said Solaris as he aimed in the mist. "SOLAR BINDING!"

He shot a beam of light that wrapped around Garoben and bound her tightly. Then, Sailor Moon removed her tiara and then flung it at Garoben.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The attack pierced right through Garoben, and in a burst of light, she was destroyed, turning into a pile of ash. The students then started to regain consciousness, and they were back to normal. Sailor Mercury looked at her new self, still trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Wow," she murmured. "Am... am I...?"

"That's right, Ami," said Luna. "You're the second Sailor Guardian, Sailor Mercury."

"Sailor Mercury? That's awesome!" said Sailor Moon as she came up to her. "You really saved us back there."

"I'll say," said Solaris, smiling. "Thanks a bunch for that."

Then, Sailor Moon looked around and noticed that Tuxedo Mask had wisely disappeared.

"Hold on, where did Tuxedo Mask go?" she wondered. "I wanted to thank him, too."

No one had any idea.


After that, Usagi. Harusuke, Ami, and Luna all met up outside on the roof of Crystal Seminar.

"I'm sorry for mistaking you for a monster," said Luna.

"Oh, it's OK," soothed Ami. "It's only natural that you would suspect me after finding that disk."

"But I never would have guessed that you were one of us," said Usagi. "Now things will be better than ever with you here. Right, Luna?"

"That's for sure," replied Luna.

"Especially when it comes to tests," squealed Usagi.

"What was that Usagi?" asked Harusuke.

"Um, nothing!" said Usagi, shaking her head. "Don't mind me!"

"In any case, welcome to the team, Ami," said Harusuke. "It'll be a pleasure to have you fight with us."

"Thank you very much," smiled Ami. "The pleasure's all mine. Let's all work together to fight the bad guys."

Then, she, Harusuke, and Usagi shook hands, signaling that now there would be three heroes who would fight for the sake of justice.