It was around evening in the town of Juuban. Usagi, Harusuke, Rei, and Ami were walking around a park admiring the scenery with Ami as their guide.
"Wow... it's so nice and quiet here," said Rei as she gazed into the lake.
"I'll say. This is the perfect place to have a date," agreed Usagi.
"Of course, you of all people would say that, Usagi," chuckled Harusuke. "But I will agree that this park is one of the most beautiful I've seen. Although I'm kinda surprised that you knew a place like this, Ami."
"Really? I guess I never told you," said Ami. "I sometimes come here to read on my way to cram school."
They soon came up to a man tending to the tulips in a flower garden. He was a bit old for his age and wore a gray button-down with tan pants, white shoes, and a white safari-style hat.
"Hello Mr. Kokuritsu," greeted Ami.
The man turned around, and when he saw Ami, he smiled warmly. "Ah. Ami. Good to see you," he said.
Ami then introduced him. "Guys, allow me to introduce an old friend of mine," she said. "This is Mr. Kunitachi Kokoritsu, the caretaker of this park."
"No way! Really?" gasped Usagi with wonder. "You're in charge of taking care of this whole enormous park all by yourself?"
Kunitachi's smile then turned into a sad frown. "Yes, I am, but... I'm afraid I won't be for much longer," he said.
"What do you mean?" asked Ami.
"The landowner of this park has sold it to a developer," Kunitachi continued sadly. "They plan to build a large business complex here."
The teenagers looked at Kunitachi, feeling surprised but at the same time feeling sorry for Kunitachi.
"That's such a shame," said Ami.
"I know. Especially for the wildlife that's living here," said Kunitachi. "Once this place is gone, the animals have no place to live. It makes you wonder where they'll go once this place is gone. It's quite the problem."
"It's too bad," said Usagi. "This is such a nice park."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" asked Harusuke. "Like, have you tried to reason with the developers or get a petition or something?"
Kunitachi shook his head. "Believe me, boy, I tried," he said. "But the developers wouldn't listen. Oh well, there's nothing we can do about it. So we'll have to accept it and move on."
And with that, Kunitachi sadly went back to tending his tulips while the teens watched on with worry. Rei, however, had other things going on in her mind.
"If this place is closing down," she thought. "Then I'd better find a date and enjoy it while I still can."
Meanwhile, Luna searched for Usagi and the others at the Game Center, unaware they were at the park, but she couldn't find them anywhere.
"Geez. Where did those kids go?" she wondered to herself. "I haven't seen them all day."
Then there was trouble. Luna wasn't looking where she was going and had walked into the street. As she did, a large truck came speeding toward her. Luna let out a shriek of terror, and it seemed that she was going to be roadkill, but at the last moment, someone whisked her away and got her back on the sidewalk just in time. Luna was dazed and confused, but luckily, she wasn't hurt.
She looked up, wondering who her rescuer was, and she was surprised to see that it was Mamoru. He was wearing a gray tracksuit with green sleeves.
"Are you alright?" asked Mamoru. "Thankfully, you don't look injured."
Just then, Usagi and the others came up, having to have seen everything.
"Luna! Thank goodness you're OK!" Usagi cried in relief as she took Luna into her arms. "Thank you so much for saving her!"
"Sure thing," said Mamoru. "But you should learn to keep a better eye on your cat, Bun-head. The roads can be pretty dangerous for animals if left alone."
Usagi then pouted in irritation. "And you should learn to stop calling me Bun-head!" she huffed. "I have a name, you know! It's Usagi! U-sa-gi! Got it?!"
"Now, now, take it easy, Sis," soothed Harusuke.
"He did save Luna's life, so maybe you can be a little more lenient with that?" asked Ami.
"And why are you two taking his side?!" Usagi grumped. "You'd be annoyed, too, if he gave you a silly name!"
Just then, Motoki came out of the Game Center.
"Hey, everyone! What's going on?" he asked. Then he saw Mamoru. "Oh! Hey Mamoru! It's you!"
"Hey there, Motoki," said the boy. "What's up?"
Usagi and the others were surprised by the exchange.
"Hold on, Motoki," Usagi said. "Do you two know each other?"
"Sure we do!" said Motoki brightly. "Mamoru and I go way back. He used to work here as a part-time worker before he got busy with school."
Usagi then looked back at Mamoru, wide-eyed at this revelation. "No way! You used to work for the arcade with Moktoki?!"
"Is it really that shocking to you, Bun-head?" asked Mamoru. "I only worked there because I needed money for school and experience. Although, that's a kind of tale better left behind."
Usagi then got an idea, which made her cheekily smirk at him. "Oh, yeah? Then, I guess that means I get to call you Part-Timer now, Part-Timer." she snarked.
But Mamoru chuckled. "Nice try, Bun-head. But it's going to take a lot more than that to get under my skin," he said while winking. "Although, the attempt was pretty cute."
Usagi felt her heart skip as she blushed, but not before sulkily pouting in frustration. "Stop teasing me, darn it!" she complained. "And stop calling me Bun-head!"
She then started pounding against Mamoru's chest with her fists, but they didn't have much punch behind, and to Mamoru and those watching her, they were more adorable than they were angry.
Meanwhile, Nephrite stood before his projection at the mansion, again using his powers to consult the stars.
"The stars see all, the stars know all," he said to himself. "Oh, celestial orbs, grant me your mystical power."
The projection of the Earth began to flash and once again fired a brightly colored beam of light right in the middle of Nephrite's forehead. He began to see another vision of his next target. K
"Albiero, also known as Beta Cygni, is now at its brightest for the first time in over a century. And the person whose energy will rise to its peak because of this is none other than Kunitachi Kokoritsu." Nephrite chuckled evilly. "Once his energy has reached its peak, I shall take it! For the sake of our Great Ruler!"
Usagi was playing the Sailor V game with Ami, and Luna was watching inside the Game Center. Usagi was doing well so far, but an unknown attack hit her, and she lost her last life, resulting in a game over.
"What?! It got me again," cried Usagi in frustration. "I'm gonna play again!"
"Usagi, should you be wasting your money like this?" asked Ami worriedly.
"You're right! Give me another quarter!" Usagi spoke while holding out her hand.
Ami and Luna sighed, exasperated. Meanwhile, Harususke and Rei were with Motoki while talking about Mamoru.
"So... you're telling us that Mamoru not only worked his butt off to get into that private school he attends, but he's living by himself, too?" asked Harusuke.
"Yeah. It's a pretty expensive condo, too," said Motoki. "Not to mention that his family's rich."
"Man, as if we don't have enough rich people around here," commented Harusuke.
"Wow. That's cool," said Rei with amazement. "He has to be pretty smart to get into such a good school like that."
Motoki was a little put off while Harusuke raised a brow.
"Yeah... I guess so," said Motoki. "Hey Rei, why do you want to know so much about Mamoru anyway?"
"Oh, nothing! No particular reason!" said Rei hastily as she blushed in embarrassment.
"Yeah. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're smitten with Mamoru," said Harusuke suspiciously.
Rei blushed an even darker shade of red. "What?! What are you talking about, Harusuke?! I'm not into him!" she said, utterly flustered.
Then she remembered the park that would be closed down, which gave her an idea and made her go into her little world. "Mamoru Chiba... He'd be the perfect boyfriend for me..." she thought.
She then placed her foot on a stool, making her strike a Captain Morgan pose while Harusuke and Motoki looked at her, more baffled by her behavior than ever.
"That's it! I've made up my mind!" Rei continued to herself. "I'm gonna go on a date with Mamoru at that park before it closes!"
Then, the stool that Rei had her foot on suddenly slipped, causing Rei to fall right to the floor, smacking her head. Harusuke and Motoki quickly rushed over.
"Rei! Are you OK?!" asked Motoki.
"Yeah. That looked like it hurt!" said Harusuke worriedly.
"No... not really..." whimpered Rei as she rolled on the floor, holding her head in pain.
Meanwhile, back at the park, Kunitachi was still there watching all the bulldozers and earthmovers destroy the park acre by acre.
"There must be some way to save this park and the wildlife it's gone," he said to himself. "But how?"
"Why can't you save it?" asked a voice. "You are against the construction of this complex, are you not?"
Kunitachi felt his heart jump and immediately turned around behind him to see that Nephrite was walking towards him under his human disguise.
"Wh-who are you?" he demanded, feeling a bit frightened. "Why are you here?"
"Someone who is also against this," said Nephrite as he came up by Kunitachi's side. "Humans have stopped respecting nature and its environment almost entirely. You need to show those arrogant humans the fury that Mother Nature possesses."
"Me? But - why me?" puzzled Kunitachi.
Nephrite looked at the man and then held his hand over his head. "Because... it's your duty," he said.
Then, in a blinding flash of light, Nephrite cast a spell, inserting a monster inside Kunitachi's hat, causing the man to stumble. Nephrite then hid behind a tree, waiting to see what would happen.
Kunitachi, still feeling stunned, leaned against a tree for support, feeling very different. As he gazed at the bulldozers and earthmovers destroying his park, he then became furious and remembered Nephrite's words. It was time for someone to do something, and who better to do it than him?
At that moment, a swarm of butterflies blanketed the site. They appeared harmless, but then they began to swarm around the construction equipment, breaking the lights and the control panels of the earthmovers and bulldozers. The workers tried to shoo them away, but the butterflies were relentless and began harassing them. The workers then started to panic, unsure of what to do, and they ran away in fear.
Nephrite looked on with interest. "Using my monster's power, Kunitachi can control animals and insects in any way he desires," he said to himself. "And the more he uses that ability, the more his energy will increase."
He then walked away from the scene, chuckling evilly and disappearing into the forest.
The next day after school, Usagi and Harusuke were walking home eating ice cream. Harusuke ate in moderation while Usagi was eating hers at a quickening pace.
"Usagi, take it easy," chided Luna. "You're going to end up gaining weight again."
"Not to mention that you might get a brain freeze from eating so fast," said Harusuke.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," said Usagi. "Besides, I gotta hurry before it melts."
Then Luna saw something. "Hey, you guys, look! Isn't that Rei over there?" she asked.
Harusuke and Usagi looked; sure enough, it was Rei. She was standing behind a corner, looking giddy and seeming to be waiting for something.
"Hey, you're right! It is Rei! But what's she doing over there?" wondered Usagi.
"You got me," said Harusuke.
The three then went over, hiding behind a mailbox while watching Rei. In the distance, on the other side of the corner, they saw Mamoru, who happened to be walking down the sidewalk towards Rei. Then Rei suddenly ran out from behind the corner and tripped over a broken piece of sidewalk, making her fall flat on her face. To make things when worse, Mamoru happened to step on her head, making her let out a squeak of pain. Mamoru immediately jumped in surprise.
"Oh man, that looked like it hurt," said Luna.
"I don't know what Rei's up to," said Usagi. "But she sure is acting clumsy."
"Oh yeah? Well, look who's talking, Ms. Pot calling the kettle black," Harusuke quipped.
"Hey! Are you all right?!" asked Mamoru after lifting his foot.
"Yeah. I think I'm OK," said Rei as she lifted her head.
She was expecting Mamoru to help her to her feet, but he simply walked right past her.
"Alright then," he said. "Have a nice day."
Rei immediately got back on her feet and ran after Mamoru until she stopped him by hugging his arm. "Wait a second!" she gasped.
As soon as Mamoru saw Rei's face, he recognized her. "Wait a sec. Aren't you one of Bun-head's friends?" he asked.
"Yes. My name is Rei Hino," she said. "We met the other day at Dream Land. And also, please just call me Rei." She then gazed at Mamoru lovingly while he felt a little awkward. "You... didn't get hurt, did you?"
"Uhh... no. Of course not," said Mamoru.
"I'm so sorry about this trouble," said Rei. "Let me make it up to you by buying you some coffee."
Now Mamoru was confused. "Um... what are you sorry about?"
"For... uh... for making you step on my head," said Rei hastily, trying to maintain her calm.
Mamoru was still confused and awkward by Rei's advances, but he accepted Rei's offer. "Well, I guess I could join you," he said.
"Really? That's great!" said Rei happily.
And with that, Mamoru and Rei walked off to get some coffee, with Rei hugging Mamoru's arm, much to his chagrin. Harusuke and Luna felt very confused. Usagi, however, was deeply shocked.
"Just what does Rei think she's doing linking arms with Mamoru like that!" she said indignantly. "He's way too old for the likes of her and needs to find someone her age!"
"You know Usagi," said Luna. "That Mamoru guy doesn't seem that much older. I'd say he's probably around sixteen years old, considering he's in high school,"
"So there's not too big an age gap. It should be fine," said Harusuke. "Besides, it's not like it's a date or anything. I mean, they're just going to get coffee."
"What are you talking about?! There's an improper relationship going on here!" Usagi snapped. "My student handbook even says that something like this is unacceptable!"
"First of all, Rei doesn't even go to our school Usagi," said Harusuke. "Secondly, what does it even matter? It's none of our business what Rei does, and neither is who she goes with that matter."
"It is our business!" Usagi said stubbornly. "We've got to follow them! Come on, you guys!"
And before anyone could stop her, Usagi had raced ahead to pursue Rei and Mamoru.
"Oh, brother," sighed Luna. "I don't like where this is going."
"No kidding," said Harusuke, pinching his nose. "The way I see it, Usagi's got a mean case of the green-eyed monster and not the Dark Kingdom kind."
A few moments later, Usagi, Harusuke, and Luna followed Rei and Mamoru to a cafe. They bent down just below the windows so Rei and Mamoru wouldn't see them.
"Man... What could those two be talking about?" mumbled Usagi. "I wanna go in and see, but I don't have any money!"
"It's your fault for spending your allowance on ice cream," pointed out Luna.
Usagi then had an idea. "I know!" she said as she pulled out the Disguise Pen. "I'll just turn myself into a waitress and..."
"Oh no, you don't!" interrupted Harusuke, trying to take the pen. "You absolutely cannot do that!"
"And why not?" grumped Usagi, holding her pen away from him.
"You know why Usagi!" said Luna. "The Disguise Pen is only supposed to be used for good and Guardian business!"
"So? I'll be a good waitress," said Usagi. "And I'll only use it for just a little bit..."
"No way! I don't want a rerun of what happened back when Jadeite rigged that cruise ship!" said Harusuke sternly. "I've said it before, Usagi, and I'll repeat it-"
"Usagi? Harusuke? What are you two doing here?" asked a familiar voice behind them.
The three jumped and then turned around to find that Umino had suddenly appeared.
Usagi felt irritated upon seeing Umino. She was just about to tell Umino to go away, but then she suddenly had an idea, a sly idea. "Hey, Umino... Do you have any cash on you?" asked Usagi sweetly.
"Um... Yeah, I do," said Umino. "Why?"
Usagi then went beside Umino and whispered sweetly in his ear. "Then, how would you like to go on a date with me right now?"
Umino was surprised as he gasped with joy. "What?! Seriously?! Do you mean it?! Yes! I would love to!"
"Great!" smiled Usagi. "What do you say we go to that cafe right there?"
"You bet!" agreed Umino.
"Now, wait!" cried Harusuke indignantly. "You can't just-"
But it was no use. Umino and Usagi had walked into the cafe and were gone. Harusuke and Luna looked at each other and sighed, more exasperated than before.
"Usagi's gonna be using Umino to spy on Rei and Mamoru, isn't she?" groaned Harusuke.
"Without a doubt," said Luna. "I'm not gonna stick around and watch this..."
"Me either," said Harusuke.
And with that, the two of them walked away from the cafe.
Rei and Mamoru sat at a table by the window, sipping their coffee inside the cafe. Rei was trying her best to get into Mamoru's good graces so that she could go through the next phase of her plan.
"Do you want some sugar?" she asked.
"No thanks. I'm alright," replied Mamoru.
"Oh, that's alright," Rei said, blushing sheepishly. "I don't usually take sugar with my coffee either; it makes it taste gross. So, Mamoru, I was wondering if you have any free time today because I know this great place in Juuban Park. Would you like to go see it with me?"
"Sure. I don't mind," said Mamoru.
"Really?! Alright!" said Rei happily.
"This is great!" she thought to herself. "Everything's going just as planned!"
Not too far away, Usagi watched from another booth, trying to listen to Mamoru and Rei's conversation, but she couldn't hear anything they said.
"Darn it! I can't hear anything they're saying from over here either!" she complained. "I knew I should've gotten a closer booth!"
She then began sipping her juice from a straw, but she didn't know that Umino was drinking from the same cup from a different straw. As soon as she saw Umino, she immediately stopped drinking and let out a yelp of disgust and surprise.
Meanwhile, Luna and Harusuke were walking back towards the house, not wanting to do with Usagi's scheme.
"Man, am I glad we got away when we did," said Luna.
"No kidding," said Harusuke. "I love Usagi, but there's no way that I'm gonna be a part of her hair-brained scheme this time."
"And I do feel kinda sorry for poor Umino," added Luna. "That poor boy thinks he's going on a date with Usagi."
"Yeah, and all because Usagi's getting in Rei's business about being with Mamoru," said Harusuke. "Rei's free to go with whichever boy she wants. I mean, sure, Mamoru's a tad bit strange, and he always calls Usagi Bun-head, but it doesn't seem malicious. Besides, with all the times she's bumped into him, one would think she's been doing it on purpose."
"Speaking of Rei, I'm surprised that you're taking this so calmly, Harusuke," said Luna. "I would have thought that even you'd be a little worried about those two being together."
Harusuke felt puzzled. "What would give you that idea, Luna?"
"Don't you have some interest in Rei? I mean, after all, she did proclaim her love to you and even kissed you on the cheek a while back," said Luna teasingly
Harusuke then remembered and blushed. "Hey! That was because she was under the influence of a monster at the time!" he said. "It wasn't her back there! Not to mention Ami was the same way, too!"
"No need to get defensive, Harusuke," chuckled Luna. "I was only teasing."
Before Harusuke could protest, he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. Ami was by herself, looking deep in thought and worried about something. Harusuke and Luna came up to her.
"Hey Ami!" said Luna.
Ami looked up. "Oh. Hi Luna. Hi Harusuke," she said absently.
Harusuke could see that Ami was worried about something. "Hey, Ami. Is there something wrong?" he asked. "You look a little blue. No pun intended."
"Well... you see... it's like this," said Ami. "You know how I introduced you all to Mr. Kokoritsu yesterday?"
Harusuke and Luna nodded.
"Well... I just heard about this today," continued Ami. "The construction company that's supposed to be taking down the park has mysteriously quit."
"What? But isn't that great news, Ami?" asked Harusuke. "The park's not gonna be torn down now."
"I know, but... that's not what's bothering me, " said Ami. "It has to do with Mr. Kokoritsu."
Kunitachi had just left after talking to an associate of the company. The associate had just told him that all the construction workers had quit shutting down the project, and because of that, the park would now stay where it was, with Kunitachi still as its caretaker. Ami happened to overhear and was happy. When their meeting was over, Ami went over to Kunitachi to congratulate him, but Kunitachi glared at Ami, seeming to be in an angry mood.
"From now on, I don't want you lot coming to the park for no good reason," he said. "You don't deserve the gifts that Mother Nature has to offer! Now get out!"
"No way! The park manager said that?" asked Luna.
"Yeah, he's never been that strict before," said Ami. "I wonder what happened to him."
"It does seem a little strange that he would say those things after yesterday," said Harusuke. "Not to mention that all the construction workers would just suddenly quit. Maybe we should go check on Mr. Kokoritsu and see if he's alright."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Ami. "I mean, I don't wanna be a bother to him."
"Come on Ami," said Harusuke. "Mr. Kokoritsu's your friend. Besides, the park is something for everyone to enjoy, and he can't just kick everyone out just because he says we don't deserve it. We all have a right to go into that park, and he can't say anything otherwise."
Ami then gave a small smile. "Alright then," she said. "Let's go."
Soon, the three arrived at the park looking for Kunitachi. They saw a young man walk past them as they walked along the path. He had short, wavy black hair, wore a white button-down with a blue tie and teal pants, and smoked a cigarette. He was the associate Kunitachi had spoken to earlier.
"Oh, brother," he sighed to himself, sounding annoyed. "This park project's starting to bug me. Especially with the unreliable construction company. Do they expect me to believe that insects and animals attacked them? Come on."
He took the cigarette out of his mouth, dropped it to the ground, and walked away. Then suddenly, from the trees and bushes, a swarm of squirrels pounced on the man and attacked him. The man let out a scream of terror, and he took off running out of the park.
"I'm sorry!" he shrieked. "I won't come to this park ever again!"
When the man was out of the park, other squirrels appeared, their eyes glowing in a bright red. Ami, Harusuke, and Luna had seen everything and were spooked.
"What in the world?!" exclaimed Ami.
"Those squirrels just attacked that guy!" said Harusuke. "I know squirrels are wild animals, but I don't think they're supposed to be that wild!"
"Those squirrels have evil energy!" said Luna. "This has to be the work of the Dark Kingdom!"
"Oh no... Then, if that's true," gasped Ami. "Then they must have gotten to Mr. Kokoritsu too!"
"That would explain his sudden change in behavior and this!" said Harusuke. "We've got to find him right away so we can help him!"
In the middle of a lake at the park, Rei and Mamoru enjoyed admiring the scenery in a rowboat.
"Wow. I never knew that a park like this existed," said Mamoru with wonder.
"Yeah, but it's gonna be torn down soon, which is very unfortunate," said Rei sadly. "They're gonna turn it into some kind of office complex."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Mamoru. "It's such a nice park, though, filled with natural beauty."
"You think so?" puzzled Rei.
"Of course I do," said Mamoru. "I also believe that we humans must take better care of Mother Nature."
Rei was surprised to see Mamoru so passionate about the park, making her even more smitten with him.
Located behind a tree in a secluded area close by at shore, Usagi was still spying on Rei and Mamoru, now feeling more livid than before upon seeing the two in a rowboat.
"Just what could those two be talking about out there?!" she growled, her hand balled into a fist. "I need to find a way to get closer to them!"
Oblivious to Usagi's true intentions, Umino blushed bright red, thinking that Usagi had other ideas.
"Usagi... you're being very bold by bringing me to this place," he gushed. "I mean... we're middle school students and should take it slow... but then again, a smooch wouldn't hurt either!"
He then turned around and puckered his lips, expecting a kiss from Usagi, but to his surprise, Usagi had disappeared, leaving him all alone.
"What the! Usagi, where'd you go?!" he cried. "What about the smooching?!"
Ami, Harusuke, and Luna were running around searching for Kunitachi, but then they heard a rustling of bushes coming from behind them. So they turned around to find that Usagi had suddenly appeared, just coming out of the bushes.
"Usagi!" cried Ami as she, Harusuke, and Luna ran up to her.
"Hey, you guys! I didn't realize you were here too!" said Usagi brightly. "Let me take a wild guess; I'll bet you guys were worried about those two being alone together, too, aren't you?"
"Would you stop talking nonsense?!" snapped Luna angrily. "We have a serious problem!"
"She's right! This isn't the time to be playing spies!" added Harusuke.
"Usagi, something terrible is going on in this park!" said Ami.
"Something bad? Like what?" asked Usagi.
She would soon get her answer, for Kunitachi suddenly appeared, and he was not happy to see them.
"You again?!" he growled. "All you ungrateful humans, abusing the gifts that Mother Nature has given you! The only way to make up your insolence is with your deaths!"
Sensing that Kunitachi's energy was at its peak from afar, Nephrite immediately took action. "Now's the time!" he thought. "Petasos! Do it now!"
A strange symbol appeared on Kunitachi's hat, and just like before, a black ghoul came out and drained all of the energy from Kunitachi. The teens and Luna could only gasp in horror as the ghoul took shape and became a monster. She was purple-skinned, had long pointed ears, dark brown eyes, green leaves on her wrists, a light green lower body, an amber-brown corset of some sort, and long green hair.
"It's a monster!" cried Harusuke.
"Hear me, animals of the park!" proclaimed Petasos. "Attack the humans! Do it for the sake of the Dark Kingdom!"
A swarm of birds burst out from the trees and prepared to attack at her command.
To make things even worse, Kunitachi had become a deathly white, and his hair, having to be revealed to be brown, had turned into a ghastly white color.
"Oh no! Mr. Kokoritsu!" gasped Ami horror stricken. Then, that horror quickly changed into anger. "Unforgivable! You'll pay for this!" she cried as she whipped out her transformation pen. "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 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.
"Come on, Usagi!" Harusuke spoke urgently to Usagi. "Let's go too!
"Yeah! Stop standing there and transform already!" said Luna.
"I know that! Geez!" complained Usagi.
Then, the two siblings transformed, too.
"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.
Back at the lake, Mamoru suddenly gasped, feeling a sharp pain go through his mind, making him groan.
"Mamoru?! Are you OK? What's wrong?!" asked Rei, feeling concerned.
Then she heard the fluttering of wings and the squawks of birds. She looked back to see that the birds that Petasos had summoned were flying straight at them.
"Look out!" cried Mamoru as he covered Rei to protect her.
The birds shot right past, seeming to attack them, causing the boat to capsize with Mamoru and Rei with it.
Back with our three heroes, a swarm of butterflies attacked Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Solaris, while squirrels attacked Luna. They tried their best to fend them off, but they kept on coming. Sailor Mercury then used her attack.
"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY!"
Thanks to her unleashing a wave of bubbles and creating a mist, Sailor Mercury's attack weakened and calmed down the butterflies and squirrels, making them drop harmlessly to the ground. Sailor Mercury then glared at Petasos.
"We've stopped the animals, and now we're gonna stop you!" Sailor Mercury said fiercely.
"Wow! Sailor Mercury's all fired up!" said Sailor Moon in amazement.
"I'll say," said Solaris. "Remind me not to get her mad.
"In that case, why don't you try this?!" hissed Petasos as her hand changed into a strange flower, opening up to reveal a ball of vines. "HAND FLOWER!"
She then shot the ball at Sailor Moon. The ball of vines then exploded into a net, ensnaring Sailor Moon. Then, before Sailor Mercury and Solaris could react, Petasos attacked Sailor Mercury next.
"PETASOS ROPE!"
Her hair transformed into vines and wrapped around Sailor Mercury, forcing her back. Solaris then dashed straight at Petasos.
"You monster!" he yelled. "You let my friend go right now!"
"I don't think so!" smirked Petasos. "HAND FLOWER!"
She fired her attack at Solaris, but he managed to jump out of the way. "Nice try, but I ain't falling for a trick like that!"
Petasos growled in annoyance. Then she smirked again. She again prepared to fire her hand Flower, but she had another target in mind this time. Kunitachi. Solaris saw this and immediately raced in front of him, allowing the net to trap him as well.
Meanwhile, Rei and Mamoru managed to make it to dry land.
"Rei? Are you alright?" panted Mamoru.
"I'm fine," choked Rei. "What about you?"
"I'm alright," said Mamoru, smiling. "Just a little wet, that's all."
Rei was relieved, but that was short-lived as she suddenly sensed something. Something evil.
"What an intense evil aura..." she thought to herself. "That could only mean one thing..." She then turned to Mamoru. "Listen, I have to go do something. You stay here, alright?"
Sailor Mercury winced in agony as the vines grew tighter and tighter around her body, and there was no one else to help her. Solaris and Sailor Moon were still entangled in vines while Luna lay dazed from her scuffle with the squirrels.
Petasos cackled in triumph. "I'll get rid of you first."
The vines tightened even more, making Sailor Mercury yelp in agony. Then, when she opened an eye, she saw Kunitachi lying on the ground unconscious. She then glared at Petasos, refusing to give in.
"I can't give up... not now," she thought to herself. "I have to save Mr. Kokoritsu!"
She fought against the vines, trying to break free of them. Then, at that moment -
"MARS FIRE SOUL!"
A fireball then came flying, burning through the vines and setting the three heroes free. Sailor Mercury and Solaris managed to break the vines thanks to the fire, but Sailor Moon, on the other hand, was frantic as the vines caught fire. Petasos then retracted her vines, turning them back to her hair.
"Hot, hot, hot!" Sailor Moon screamed as she managed to get the vines off of her before she caught fire.
Sailor Mars then jumped on the scene.
"Sorry I'm late, you guys," she said. "Are you all OK?"
"We're OK," said Solaris. "Thanks a lot, Mars."
"Speak for yourself!" Sailor Moon snapped indignantly. "Couldn't you've come up with a better way to free us than that?! You almost set me on fire!"
"That's a fine way to thank someone who saved your life!" Rei snapped back. Then she saw Petasos. "So you're the one who interrupted my date!"
"You'll pay for taking advantage of Mr. Kokoritsu's kindness!" said Sailor Mercury.
"And for turning a beautiful park into a place of evil!" said Sailor Mars.
"And for manipulating the wildlife for your twisted ways!" said Solaris.
"And now, in the name of the moon, we'll punish you!" said Sailor Mercury and Mars.
"And in the name of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!" said Solaris.
"Hey! No fair!" whined Sailor Moon. "Mars and Mercury stole my catchphrase!"
"Oh, just go with it!" scolded Solaris. "You can worry about copyright claims later!"
"I've had just about enough of you humans!" hissed Petasos as she prepared to fire her hand Flowers. "I'll kill you all!"
Just then, a rose came flying, shooting right into Petasos' face, causing her to cry in pain and to be temporarily blinded. Sailor Moon and the others looked to where the rose came from and saw Tuxedo Mask standing on a tree branch.
"Thanks, Tuxedo Mask!" blushed Sailor Moon.
"Now's your chance, Sailor Moon!" said Tuxedo Mask. "It's up to you now!"
"Got it!" said Sailor Moon as she took off her headband and transformed it into a white disk aiming. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"
Petasos looked in time to see Sailor Moon launch her attack right at her. Her disc pierced through her and destroyed Petasos, and the energy returned to Kunitachi, reverting his body to normal.
Tuxedo Mask smiled, proud of the guardians for another job well done. "Farewell, Guardians," he said. "Until we meet again..."
With a wave of his cape, Tuxedo Mask was gone, leaving the Sailor Guardians swooning for him, especially Sailor Moon.
"He's so dreamy..." sighed Sailor Moon.
Solaris could only sigh and shake his head. "Girls... Go fig."
After a while, Kunitachi regained consciousness, and Usagi and the others returned to their civilian forms.
"Ami? What's going on?" groaned Kunitachi. "What happened to me?"
"It's all right now, Mr. Kokoritsu," reassured Ami. "You have nothing to worry about; you just had a bad dream."
Then they saw Mamoru, who was still soaked from head to toe. "Man, what a day," he complained. "Talk about a terrible experience."
"Mamoru!" gasped Rei, who had forgotten about him. "Are you sure you should up?"
"Don't worry, Rei," said Mamoru. "I'm OK now."
Rei then whispered to Usagi and Rei. "Hey. You know what? I think that Mamoru is secretly Tuxedo Mask," she whispered to them.
"Oh, come on, Rei, you can't be serious," said Harusuke.
"Yeah! There's no way that he could be Tuxedo Mask!" snapped Usagi.
"Tuxedo Mask?" wondered Mamoru, who had overheard them. "Who's that exactly?"
"Oh, don't mind her! That's just a superhero that Usagi came up with!" said Harusuke hastily. "Right, Rei?"
"Yes! Of course!" Rei agreed sweetly. "He's just a superhero!"
Just then, Umino came walking by, still searching for Usagi. Umino immediately came over as soon as the two locked eyes, and Usagi gulped.
"There you are, Usagi!" said Umino. "I've been looking all over for you. What do you say we finish our date now?"
"What are you talking about, Umino?! Stop making things up!" said Usagi, immediately denying.
"What are you talking about, Usagi? You're the one who asked me out!" protested Umino.
Usagi gasped in horror while Rei and Mamoru looked sly at her.
"Oh, so that's your type of man?" Mamoru smirked. "Way to go, Bun-head."
"No, it's not like that!" said Usagi indignantly. "Big Bro, help me out here!"
"Sorry, Usagi," said Harusuke, shrugging. "You kinda dug yourself a hole on this one."
"But... you guys have the wrong idea!" shrieked Usagi as her voice echoed throughout the park.
