Chapter 9: Sailor Moon vs. Ensign Venus Hiya, it's me, Chibi-Mamoru Darien Chiba!!! I finally got a chance in my busy term to sit down and write this chapter!!! Nothing has changed as to who owns what. The world of Sailor Moon and its company of characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi; Cara Aino, the Adaptation Sceptre, Shelly Desiree LaPhoenix, and Sandra Gregory Naturalier are mine and *may* NOT be used without my consent. Nuff said about that. I'm going to use a couple of tournament terms in this chapter and the ones beyond: yohi and haijme. I may also use "yame" in later chapters. It would be easy enough to tell you outright what they mean, but I want to see if you can deduce their meanings from the context. ^_^ Now, on with the story!!! *********************************************************** *******Royal Palace: July 11, 2996, 6:30 am******* Yawn!!! I open my eyes to find the Sun rising up over the eastern horizon. Somebody get that God-awful light out of my face!! If you haven't already noticed, I am in a *very* bitchy mood. There is a knock on the door. "Reenie!! Are you up yet?" my mom Neo-Queen Serenity called through the door. I open my mouth to shout back at Serenity to take a hike and leave me alone but realize that if I don't wake up and get out of bed when called, my parents will wake me up anyway and then punish me for disobedience. I quickly get dressed in one of my sundresses and storm out of my chambers with a pissed-off look on my face past a shocked Serenity. "Morning, Teenie Reenie," my dad King Endymion greeted me. I ignore him and parade to the kitchen. The cooks assure me that breakfast will soon be ready. The master chef serves my parents, but when he gets to me, Endymion stops him. "Small Lady!!" Endymion yells at me in a very cold and harsh tone. "Look at me!!!" I find my head rotating to face my mad dad and my upset mom. "Your conduct this morning, young lady, has been atrocious and it stops here and now. I want you to apologize to your mother and me *right* NOW!!!" "I'm sorry, Daddy, Mommy," I apologized. "I'm furious that you're making me fight those girls." Endymion motions the chef to serve me and I continue, "Why must I fight them, Mommy? They have not done anything to me that needs to be avenged." I then begin to eat the pancakes that are in front of me. "True, they haven't, Reenie," Endymion agreed. "But you need to learn the fighting styles of your court members and they have to learn yours if you hope to even stand a chance of protecting Crystal Tokyo. You must know the strengths and weaknesses of your court as you do your own so that you can work with your court to emphasize your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses and vice versa." "What if I lose?" I asked nervously. "Your father and I are hoping that you don't, Reenie," Serenity replied. "Just get out there and do your very best. As long as you do that, you're a winner in our book. When we finish breakfast, we'll head to the stadium and explain to you how things are going to go down." *******Crystal Tokyo UltraDome: July 10, 2996, 8:15 am******* "Wow, Mommy!!!" I remarked to Serenity of the huge stadium before me. "Reenie, you are standing before the Crystal Tokyo UltraDome," Endymion declared proudly as he and Serenity lead me inside. "All of Crystal Tokyo and vicinity chipped in to pay for its construction. It can comfortably seat up to a billion people." "You wouldn't believe what your father and I went through trying to get all the nations of the world to agree to donate money for this building!!!" Serenity exclaimed at me. "But it was worth it to know that you like it, Reenie." "Serenity, we're straying off onto another tangent," Endymion said. "Oh, so I am," Serenity apologized as she scoops me up and heads through a door. "Okay, Reenie," Serenity says as she shows me a VERY BIG open area, "down there in that oval is where you'll be doing your fighting. The box on the northern side is where your father and I will be watching the fight." "What's the box at the southern end for, Mommy?" I asked Serenity. Endymion enters at this point. "That's where your opponent's parents will be sitting and watching the fight," Serenity told me. "You will enter the arena and begin combat from the western end while your opponent enters and awaits your challenge from the eastern end." I shudder nervously. "Easy, Reenie," Serenity soothes me. "Your father and I will be watching the action as will your opponent's parents. Your opponent won't be able to try anything funny without getting caught in the act redhanded." "Mommy, Daddy, I want to go home and just be a little girl again," I said. "I don't like it here." "Go home?" Endymion mimicked me as he raises his eyebrows. "*You* want to go home?!! There's enough time in the day for at least four fights, Reenie!!!!" "If not all eight of them," Serenity remarked. "You *are* NOT going to chicken out on me, young lady!!!" Endymion declared as he takes me from Serenity. "Your mother and I put forth too much effort funding this stadium and setting up this tournament for us to let you ruin it." Endymion carries me down and around until he comes to a huge portcullis and Serenity follows. "Let me go!!!" I shouted at Endymion, my face in a pout. "I want to go home!!! NOW!!!!" Endymion sets me down but establishes a firm grip on my arm. "Now you listen to me, Serena Usagi Chiba, and you listen good," Endymion said to me, firmly grasping my arm. "LOOK AT ME!!!!" I slowly turn my head to look at Endymion. His face is red and flushed with anger and his blue eyes are a stormy tsunami of fury. "I am getting tired of your poor attitude and stubbornness. In fifteen minutes, that portcullis will rise and your mother will escort you into the arena. If you don't go under your own power, she'll spank you and then carry you out. If you embarrass me this time, I'll find a finishing school for you to go to; so help me God, I WILL!!!" Serenity then walks forward at this point. "Endymion, the guests are arriving," Serenity told Endymion. "Looks like that's my cue," Endymion remarked as he gets out some note cards. "Remember, Reenie; if you don't shape up, I'll have you shipped out to a finishing school. Guard . . ." The guard raises the portcullis and Endymion walks through. I break into a run after Endymion, but the guard sends the portcullis crashing down in front of me. Unable to stop myself in time, I crash right into it. "Reenie, are you okay?" Serenity asked out of concern. "Yeah, but are you going to let Daddy send me to a finishing school, Mommy?" I asked Serenity. "I'm not that bad, am I?" "Well, it is an interesting idea," Serenity told me. "I just wish that I had thought of it first, though. When you ran off, I almost packed your bags myself and arranged a flight for you out of Crystal Tokyo to a finishing school the next morning." Serenity takes me by the hand and nods to the guard to raise the portcullis. We then walk out to the arena. "Judging the duels will be Shelly LaPhoenix and Sandra Naturalier," Endymion was saying as he gestures to the young man and young woman to either side of him. "And so without further ado, I present to you my daughter Princess Reenie." Endymion then hands the mike to the young man. "Thank you, your majesty," the young man said to Endymion. "I am Sandra Naturalier and this is my partner Shelly LaPhoenix. Crystal Tokyo, you're a great town and you should be proud of yourselves. I'm proud to be here and I hope that the Princess does well today." Shelly then takes the mike from Sandra. "That goes ditto for me, Crystal Tokyo," Shelly agreed, "but I'm especially impressed with this stadium. But we mustn't forget that we have a tournament to conduct. Today, Reenie will face off against Cara Aino, Hermione Mizuno, Ariadne Hino, and Clotilda Kino as Ensigns Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter, respectively and in that order. Each duel shall begin by the participants giving me their transformation devices which I will place in the center of the arena. Then I will ask the girls to bow to my partner and me first, their parents second, and each other third. The girls will then head to the end of the inner rectangle to await my signal to begin fighting. When I give it, the participants will charge to the center of the arena, grab their transformation devices, transform, and begin fighting." "Each duel will last one hour," Sandra said. "The first to gain three points wins. Points are gained when one combatant knocks down the other and the knocked-down combatant fails to get to her feet within ten seconds. No blow shall go above the collarbones. NEITHER participant will, in *any* way, interfere with the other's transformation. Blows to the head will result in victory being awarded to the victim. Blows to the joints will result in the loss of one point; if the limb is broken, the offender's score will be zeroed." Goodie, Hermione will have to behave herself!!! Knowing Hermione, she'd probably try breaking a limb and attacking the head if she could get away with it. God, I don't want to do this, but at least I have the Adaptation Sceptre to help me. "Let the Quasar Quarrels begin!!!" Shelly announced. "Will Reenie Chiba and Cara Aino please report to the center of the arena?" "Go on, Reenie," Serenity said as she lets go of my hand and heads off to the northern box. I walk towards the center. On the eastern side of the arena, Cara's parents Mina and Alan Aino had told Cara to report as called. I arrive at the center and hand over my transformation brooch to Shelly and Cara arrives a few seconds later and hands Shelly a ring which I figure is her transformation ring. Shelly then places the items at our feet. "All right, girls; face me!!" Shelly belted out from the north. Cara and I do as we are told. "Bow." We bow to Shelly and she returns our bow. "Now face me!!" Sandra declared from the south. "Bow." With a voice like that, Cara and I couldn't help but to do as we are told. Sandra then bows back and says, "Face your parents!! Bow." I bow to my parents and Cara bows to hers. "Face each other!!" Shelly barked. "Bow." Cara and I bow to each other. "Out of the inner rectangle." Cara and I walk to our respective ends of the inner rectangle, the western end for me and the eastern end for Cara. "Yohi?" Shelly asks Sandra. Sandra sets his watch for one hour and nods after he and Shelly back away from us. Shelly sets hers and cries out, "HAJIME!!!" This catches me totally by surprise. I then see Cara racing toward me and then grab and don her ring. "Venus quasar power, blast off!!!!" Cara cried out. I waste no time in running towards my brooch, but just as I'm about to grab it, Ensign Venus pounces on me and kicks it away. She and I fall to the floor like a ton of bricks. Damn, is Ensign Venus STRONG!!! I try hard to break free and get to my brooch. If I can push Ensign Venus off of me, it may buy me enough time to get to my brooch. I tickle Ensign Venus in the wells of her elbows. "Ha ha ha ha ha, stop that; I'm ticklish!!!" Ensign Venus laughs at me. I figured she was. Now while she's distracted . . ., I send Ensign Venus flying into the western portcullis with a mighty shove!!! Now where's that brooch of mine!??!!? Aha, there it is!! "You'll pay for that, Reenie!!!" "Don't worry; you'll get what's due you in just a moment!!!" I shouted at Ensign Venus as I pick up my brooch. "Moon prism power!!!!" After a speedy transformation to Sailor Moon, I soar in to quickly deliver several punches to Ensign Venus being careful to not go above her collarbones, lest victory be awarded to my opponent. I've got to find a way to take her down so that I can score. I know!!! "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!!!!" I cry out. The attack sends Ensign Venus flying into the arena's western wall and confuses her. I follow up with a side kick to the chest and yell, "Hieeeeeeeeeyyyyya!!!!!!" Ensign Venus falls down backwards and then slumps over. "10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . . 7 . . . 6!!!" Shelly called out. I really hope that what I did is enough to take Ensign Venus down and keep her down. "5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1!!! Point: Sailor Moon!!!!" The audience cheers loudly and I parade out and curtsy thankfully. Sandra helps Ensign Venus to her feet and escorts her back to the center of the arena. Since I'm already there, it proves to be no problem to ready myself for combat. "Yohi?" Sandra asked Shelly as he steps away from us. Shelly does likewise and nods. "HAJIME!!!" This time, I leap off at Ensign Venus with a left roundhouse kick and a right backspinning kick. She dodges the roundhouse but not the backspinner which gets her on the left side of the rib cage. "Venus Crescent Beam . . ., smash!!!!" Ensign Venus shouted. The attack gets me right on the left shoulder. Oww, that hurts!!! At least that laser didn't get me further down south, or I'd have trouble moving. So it's going to be like that, huh?? When Ensign Venus angrily gets me on the left shoulder with a right roundhouse, I decide that it's high time to see what the Adaptation Sceptre can do!!! The Adaptation Sceptre now summoned to battle, I have the powers of magnetism and lightning in my hands. But how can I use those powers to my advantage? I know!!! "Hey, is that laser the best you can do??" I taunted Ensign Venus. "Try lashing out at me with that chain of yours!!!!" "Venus Love Chain, encircle!!!!" Ensign Venus shouted. The Chain speeds straight toward me and I parry it with the Sceptre, but before she can reel it in and try again: "Sceptre, magnetize to . . . attract!!!" I cried out. "What are you doing, Sailor Moon!?!?" Ensign Venus asked me as she tries in vain to retract her Chain. I ignore her and quickly wind the Spectre in the Chain a couple of times and then wind her Chain around her three times, pinning her arms to her sides. "Hey!!! Turn me loose!!!!" "No need to get all wound up, Ensign Venus," I laughed, "though you will get a charge out of this!! Sceptre, electrocute!!!" I send a brief pulse of lightning out the bulb of the Adaptation Sceptre through the Chain to Ensign Venus who screams out in pain. "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Ensign Venus screamed. "You'll pay for this outrage, Sailor Moon!!!!" Sheeeeesh, what a temper!!! I send out another brief pulse of lightning. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Ensign Venus screeches. "Awww, now that's neither very sportsmanlike nor ladylike, Ensign Venus," I scolded, pulling the Chain taut. "I agree completely," Sandra said as he and Shelly arrive on the scene. "I think that victory being awarded to Sailor Moon is a fair enough penalty for being a poor sport." Shelly nods her head in agreement and announces to the crowd that I'm the winner. "But . . . that's not fair!!!!" Ensign Venus protested, breaking into tears as Sandra escorts her out of the arena. "Wait, Sandra," I said softly as I touch the business end of the Adaptation Sceptre to Ensign Venus's heart. "Adaptive Assimilation!!!" I could feel Ensign Venus's anger at her defeat lose strength and eventually vanish and her powers enter into me and become a part of me. "I . . . I have never felt such peace before," Ensign Venus said to me as she powers down to Cara Aino. I retire the Adaptation Sceptre from battle and power down to Reenie Chiba. "Thank you, Reenie. I'm sorry I took the fight so personally. Take care as Ensign Mercury will not be this easy to defeat. My powers should be of some help against her, but she was watching the fight and won't fall for your little chain and lightning trick as easily as I did. Watch your back and good luck!!!" "Sandra, let Cara go; I want to show off my new court member to everyone," I proclaimed proudly. Sandra does so and Cara and I walk out into the center of the arena hand in hand. Our clasped hands raised proudly, the audience stands up and roars with applause, our parents clapping the loudest. "All right, everyone," Shelly expounded, "let's not go overboard now!!!" The crowd stops cheering and sits down. Cara and I face each other. "All right, girls; face me!!" Shelly belts out from the north. Cara and I do as we are told. "Bow." We bow to Shelly and she returns our bow. "Now face me!!" Sandra declared from the south. "Bow." Again, Cara and I do as we are told. Sandra then bows back and says, "Face your parents!! Bow." I bow to my parents and Cara bows to hers. "Face each other!!" Shelly barked at Cara and me. "Bow." Cara and I bow to each other. "Good job, ladies. You are both dismissed." "Remember, Reenie, watch your back," Cara reminded me as she leaves the arena hand in hand with her parents. "I will, Cara," I promised. THE END So what did you think? Do you think Reenie was challenged enough in her fight against Cara or do you think I overdid things? Why? My heart melted as I was writing this. Gotta get a rag and wipe it up so I can resolidify it. -_^ So, ja ne for now!!! Email address: CMDChiba@hotmail.com Please put the title of this fanfic in the subject line of your letter. Doing so will enable me to get back to you much faster.