Tomoe was in the lab, busily working while typing on a computer. He was running a simulation program on it that seemed to go along smoothly at first, but then, a small pop-up telling him that an error occurred, and a strange shadow of a person appeared on the screen. Eudial then appeared in the lab.
"Tomoe, what are you up to?" asked Eudial.
"I was in the middle of running a simulation program to read the data we have for the holy grail," explained Tomoe. "But as you can see, something is blocking it."
Eudial came over to inspect. "But what is that?" she wondered. "It appears to be the shadow of a person."
"As I expected," said Tomoe. "If I had to make a guess who that was, I'd say it's the one who can harness the Holy Grail's power."
"I'm not following," said Eudial. "Care to explain?"
"It's quite simple, dear Eudial," said Tomoe. "If someone on our side were able to obtain the Holy Grail, they would be able to revitalize Master Pharoh 90 to full strength, ushering in a world of darkness as he desires." He scowled angrily. "However, if someone who opposes us gets their hands on it first, like those accursed Guardians, our plans will fall to ruin!" he yelled. "We cannot allow this to happen! We must do whatever it takes to get it first! Then, the Holy Grail will be ours!"
Tomoe was so enraged in his rant that he slammed his hands hard on the computer's keyboard, causing it to break in half. Keys went flying everywhere.
"Hey! Don't take your anger out on the keyboard!" yelped Eudial. "I know this lab is our cover for the time being, but it's still expensive to replace!"
Tomoe, now feeling sheepish, then calmed down.
"Anyway, where is this person who can use the Holy Grail?" asked Eudial. "Do we even know who it is?"
"That's nothing you need to worry about, Eudial," Tomoe said. "For now, focus on finding the Holy Grail as well as the light Master Pharoh 90 desires first. I shall get a Daimon working for you right away. If you'll excuse me."
Tomoe was just about to sneak away when Eudial grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, stopping him.
"Not so fast, Tomoe," Eudial spoke firmly. "You broke the keyboard to the computer in your rant, so you have to be the one to replace it. And I'll be docking the cost to fix it from your pay."
Tomoe growled in annoyance. "Mark my words, you lousy Guardians! You'll all pay for your interference and a new keyboard!"
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Meanwhile, in Rei's room, Usagi and the others were studying again for their exams. Usagi was busily at work solving a problem while timed, her pencil scribbling across the paper in her notebook. In a few seconds, Usagi slapped her notebook and pencil down.
"Yes, I'm finished!" Usagi cried.
Makoto stopped her stopwatch and looked at it. "Twenty-three minutes and forty-seven seconds!" she said happily. "It's a new record!"
"Way to go, Sis!" said Harusuke. "You beat your best time!"
"And it was such a hard problem too!" Usagi spoke proudly. "I'm so amazing!"
"And you did it all by yourself," added Rei. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks, but I didn't do it all by myself," said Usagi humbly. "I couldn't have done it without all of you."
But the celebration was promptly interrupted by Ami, who took a quick look at her work.
"Sorry, Usagi, but your calculations are slightly off," said Ami, as she wrote the correct answer on the page. "So the answer is this instead of what you wrote."
Immediately, Usagi burst into tears in frustration.
"There, there. You're doing the best you can, Usagi," soothed Minako, who was also crying out of pity. "You're just going to have to keep studying until you get it right."
"It wasn't even a big mistake, Sis," said Harusuke. "You'll get it right the next time."
"You just need to be more careful," added Makoto.
"Next time, I'll probably get something else wrong!" Usagi wailed. "Why do I have to suffer so much?!"
Indignant, irked, and fed up, Rei pounded her fist onto the table, making everyone go silent. "Come on, Usagi! This amount of something is nothing compared to everything else we've gone through!" she snapped. "Did you forget about the time when a Daimon stole your pure heart crystal?! That's what real suffering is!"
"Rei does make a good point," said Ami. "And compared to what you experienced then, studying should be a piece of cake for you. So, hang in there, OK?"
Usagi sighed. "Yeah, you guys are right."
"You know, now that you mention it, I can hardly remember anything when my pure heart crystal got taken," said Harusuke. "Then again, I was shot in the back by Eudial twice, so it happened pretty quickly."
"I still recall the pain when it happened to me," said Ami. "It was terrible."
"Yeah, it was as bad as trying to chug a whole gallon of water all at once," agreed Usagi. "No, wait! Make that chugging a gallon of water and stuffing a dozen riceballs in my mouth at the same time!"
"Come on, it felt worse than that," scoffed Rei. "If anything, you'd probably be able to swallow all of that at once without breaking a sweat."
While everyone else continued to talk, they didn't notice that Minako had gone silent, now wearing a dirty look filled with envy and spite.
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After the study session, Minako was sitting alone on one of the swings at the playground in Juuban Park, looking sad.
Artemis then came up to her. "What's the matter, Minako?" he asked. "You look depressed."
Minako looked up. "Say, Artemis? I was wondering," she said. "Why hasn't a Daimon come after me? The enemy has targeted everyone else for their pure heart crystals except me."
Artemis hummed thoughtfully. "Well, maybe it's because your heart's not pure-"
Before the white feline could finish his sentence, Minako gave Artemis a menacing glare.
"Never mind! Ignore that! That couldn't be it!" Artemis squawked hastily. "I mean, I don't know!"
Minako then gazed into the sky. "I wonder if it's because I gave up on volleyball, even though I love it so much," she said. "It was my passion in life, so maybe that's what I'm lacking."
Artemis could see that Minako was serious. "Does this bother you that much?"
"I guess not," Minako mumbled as she continued to sit on the swing till long after the sun had set and the lamposts flicked on.
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The next day, Minako was in the gym at her school, practicing spikes on volleyballs to vent her frustrations. She slapped one ball after another, relentless, not stopping to take a breath until eventually the basket holding them all was empty. Minako stopped to take a breath, her skin sweaty and her heart pounding from the workout. Then, as she glanced over to the doors, she saw a sight that made her cry out in surprise. Just outside, lying on the ground, were Usagi and Harusuke, the two Tsukinos covered in welts and bruises due to the balls she spiked.
"Usagi! Harusuke!" Minako cried as she rushed over to them. "Are you guys OK?! Did I hurt you two?!"
"D-Don't worry. We'll live," Harusuke gasped. "We've been through worse."
"If anything, we were wondering if you were all right," winced Usagi. "You seem a little bit depressed."
"What are you talking about?" asked Minako.
Usagi and Harusuke sheepishly laughed as Luna and Artemis popped out from behind the two.
Minako then understood and quickly got defensive. "Oh! You mean that thing when I said I was the only one who a Daimon hasn't targeted?" she forcibly laughed. "Don't be silly! Why would I be worried about that?! I mean, honestly now."
Then, her face twisted into a dark and livid look as she stared into space, unbeknownst to the others. "I just can't accept the idea that my pure heart crystal isn't pure enough to steal," she spoke in a low and cold demeanor. "Not at all!"
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Usagi, Minako, Harusuke, and the cats then went to Downtown Juuban to help Minako get her mind off things. Minako was now playing with a crane game, trying to win one of the dolls.
"So, Minako, are you sure you're feeling OK?" asked Usagi. "Does it honestly not bother you?"
"Of course not," reassured Minako.
"Well, I suppose that you were overthinking it this time, Artemis," said Luna. "If Minako says she's fine, then she's fine."
"I agree," said Harusuke. "Besides, Minako wouldn't be bothered by something as trivial as not being a target of the Daimons."
But then, when Harusuke and Usagi turned back to Minako, they jumped in surprise, for Minako was once again wearing a dark and livid look as she grumbled to herself while staring into space.
"How am I not pure-hearted enough?!" Minako mumbled crossly. "Those lousy Daimons are pretty stupid to they can't even notice how pure-hearted I am."
Harusuke quickly snapped his fingers in front of Minako's face. "OK! Minako! Earth calling Minako!" he said. "Come back down to Earth instead of the black hole of your craziness."
Minako immediately snapped out of it, quickly putting on a fake smile to reassure her friends. "Oops! Sorry! I guess I blanked out for a second!" she said hastily.
Luna then eyed Minako suspiciously. "Minako, I hope you're not thinking of getting those Daimons to target you on purpose," she warned.
Minako flinched, her face filling with guilt in response, and everyone's eyes went wide as they stared dumbly at the blonde.
Usagi then grabbed Minako by the shoulders and shook her like a ragdoll. "No! Don't do it! Seriously don't do it, Minako!" the ordango blonde shrieked. "That's total suicide!"
"Yeah! Out of all the crazy ideas you had, this has to be the stupidest one yet!" Harusuke almost yelled. "What would you do if Eudial managed to take your pure heart crystal?!"
"If that happens, I'll just get it back myself," said Minako shakily. "No big deal."
Usagi resumed shaking Minako wildly, frantically yelling in a panic, practically banging Minako's head against the glass. "That's ridiculous! I'm begging you to get that insane idea out of your head, right now!" she hysterically yelled while crying. "You have to think this over and put a stop to this right now!"
"Hey! Take it easy, you guys!" Harusuke cried as he tried to pull them away. "If you keep this up, you're going to end up breaking the machine, and I don't think any of us have the money to -"
A siren came from inside the game at that moment, causing the teens to look up. To their surprise, the crane inside was filled with dolls, thanks to their scuffle.
"N-No way..." the three blondes murmured dumbfoundedly.
After getting a bag for their bounty, the group continued to Juuban Park.
"You know, Minako, I think you're giving the Daimons too much credit for being able to spot a pure heart," said Luna. "Need I remind you they chose to take Usagi's, and all she thinks about is her love for Mamoru, eating, oversleeping, slacking off, and her hatred of studying. If anything, that's more being an idiot rather than pure-hearted."
Usagi pouted huffily. "Gee, thanks a lot, Luna," she grumped.
"If that's the case, then how do you explain their reasoning for targeting me?" asked Harusuke. "I mean, I don't think I'm as pure-hearted as they think I am."
"I think what Luna's trying to say is that the enemy has yet to realize how pure-hearted you are," said Artemis kindly. "So there's no reason to doubt whether you are or not."
"I told you that I'm not bothered by this," Minako spoke curtly. "Not in the least bit."
Then, Minako came to a stop, going silent. She turned around, facing her friends, wearing a serious look on her face.
"Say, Usagi? Harusuke? I need to ask the two of a favor," said Minako.
"What is it?" asked Usagi and Harususke.
Minako then held up the bag of the dolls she accidentally won from the crane a game. "Could the two of you take half of these?" she asked. "I don't want them."
Everyone almost fell over in surprise.
"Um, sorry, Minako, but I think we're going to have to pass on that," Usagi said.
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Later on, Minako left the group and went inside a bookstore to research.
"You think that we should follow her?" asked Harusuke. "I mean, by all standards of weird, Minako's surely acting anything but."
"Maybe we should leave her alone for a bit," said Usagi.
"I agree," said Luna. "Knowing Minako, hopefully, she won't do anything rash."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Artemis.
Inside the bookstore, Minako searched through the books from cover to cover, trying to find something to help her with her situation. Her eyes soon fell upon a book that had "Guide to a Pure Heart" as its title and was quickly skimming through the pages.
"A pure heart is about one's single-minded devotion," Minako read aloud.
"Usagi is single-minded about a lot of stuff, but I'm not one to obsess over one thing as she does," Minako thought to herself. "I prefer to think of myself as flexible, looking at all sides. Does that make me more mature or less pure-hearted?"
Just then, a voice called out to her. "Hey there, Minako!"
Minako looked behind her and saw Haruka and Michiru over by a bookcase not too far away from her.
"Oh, hello, Haruka. Michiru," Minako greeted back.
Then, Haruka and Michiru saw Minako's book, which made their bodies stiffen with tension as they did a double-take. However, neither one said a word as Minako came up to them.
"Say, Haruka. Michiru. There's something I'd like to ask you," said Minako. "What do you two think a pure heart is? I mean, what defines it?"
"Does she know about the talismans?" Michiru whispered worriedly.
"Why would you ask something like that?" Haruka asked tentatively.
There was a long pause before Minako finally responded.
"Well, are there any examples that you two can think of as to how someone with a pure heart might act?" Minako explained. "I'm just curious, that's all."
Haruka and Michiru couldn't believe their ears as the two tried to keep their composure despite being caught off guard.
Michiru then smiled. "How about taking the time to help others?" she suggested. "That seems something a pure-hearted person would do."
A bright twinkle flashed in Minako's eye. "Helping others?! Is that the way to a pure heart?! Then that's what I need to do!" she said with a fiery determination. "But where would I go to help people?"
Her answer came sooner than expected in the form of a white van with a large sign with hearts all over it and a sign that said, "DONATE YOUR BLOOD!"
"Take a moment to donate your blood!" the woman driving the van spoke via loudspeaker. "Our supply is very low for transfusions, so every drop counts!"
"You could do that if you'd like," said Haruka. "Donating blood is a good way to help others."
Immediately, Minako raced out of the bookstore at an inhuman speed in hot pursuit of the van. Haruka and Michiru then relaxed, feeling very relieved.
"Guess we got ourselves worked up over nothing," chuckled Haruka. "I'm personally surprised that Minako took my idea so seriously without a second thought."
"Yes, we panicked for no good reason," agreed Michiru. "And that kind of single-mindedness can be dangerous."
The two were just about to leave themselves when Minako came racing back.
"Hold on a minute, you two!" said Minako. "I want to give you both something!"
She then dug into her bag of dolls and gave one to each of them, one of the dolls saying "HEALTH COMES FIRST" and the other "FAMILY SAFETY."
"Thanks for your help. Take these as tokens of my appreciation," said Minako, her eyes twinkling with enthusiasm. "See you later!"
And Minako raced away once again, leaving Haruka and Michiru dumbfounded as well as irked.
"What are we supposed to do with these?" wondered Michiru.
"I don't know, but... I don't want this thing," replied Haruka.
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Meanwhile, Eudial drove around town in her car, searching for another target. As she did, her phone began to ring. Eudial then answered it, knowing who it was.
"What is it, Tomoe?" Eudial asked. "You do realize it's dangerous for me to answer the phone while driving."
"I was just wondering if you managed to find another target," said Tomoe on the other line.
"Yes, I have," said Eudial. "And I intend to find it, no matter what it takes."
"Glad you're feeling confident," said Tomoe. "But, I fear that the Guardians will show up and interfere with our plans again. Do you have a plan for dealing with them?"
"Of course I do, and I'd like to see them try to stop me," Eudial snarled in anger. "Thanks to the Daimon you gave me, I'll make sure to prevent them from getting in our way!"
And Eudial slammed her foot on the gas, making her car speed down the road, continuing her search. Then, she caught sight of a certain blonde with a red bow making her way to the hospital.
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"Hello! I'm Minako Aino, and I'm donating blood!" Minako spoke to the nurse. "I know I look young, but I'm already eighteen years old, so take as much as you need!"
Despite being put off by Minako's demeanor, the nurse decided to take up Minako's offer and soon started drawing blood from Minako. To some people, giving blood can be a bit exhausting, painful, and make you a bit nauseous, but not Minako. If anything, she was in pure bliss, primarily because of the purpose of it all.
"I'm being helpful to others, and that means I'm pure-hearted!" Minako thought happily. "I wonder if this will make me too pure for my own good?"
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Since then, a few days had passed, and Minako was donating blood all over Juuban, dead set on being pure-hearted. So naturally, feeling worried about her friend, Usagi and Harusuke met up with Mamoru at Juuban Park and explained the situation.
"So you see, she's been lying about her age and donating blood nonstop every day," said Usagi. "I'm starting to get worried about her."
"I'm just amazed that her body's been holding up all this time," said Mamoru. "Giving up too much blood can cause someone to go in hypovolemic shock. Why haven't you told her to stop doing this?"
"Believe me, we've been trying, but she's too stubborn," said Harusuke. "The others have kept an eye on her, but if she keeps it up, she's either going to get the Daimon's attention or worse. So we don't know what we should do."
"It should be obvious," said Mamoru. "You've got to try and get her to stop again because if you don't, she could be in danger. Not just from the enemy, but from being so reckless with this blood-giving."
Usagi nodded. "You're right. We'll try again," she said. "And we better give her some vitamins to make sure she's at least well-nourished. I just hope she hasn't gotten sick yet."
"You and me both, Sis," said Harusuke.
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The other teens, Luna and Artemis, hid behind some bushes at another hospital as Minako went inside to donate more blood.
"Geez, this is the seventh hospital she's been to today," Makoto spoke with worry. "Donating that much blood can't be too healthy for a person."
"If Minako's pure heart is a talisman, she might be in even more danger than she is right now," said Rei.
"Either way, she's attracting a lot of attention, which is bound to get targeted sooner or later," said Ami. "And since she won't listen to reason, all we can do is keep an eye on her."
"Ami's right," said Luna. "And we'll have to save her anyway since she's putting herself in a lot of danger."
"That may be true, but after thinking about it for a while, I've just realized something," said Artemis. "Is it pure-hearted for Mina to donate blood just to prove she has one? If anything, that seems impure to me."
Everyone excluding Artemis gulped, pained expressions crossing all of their faces. But before they could answer, they saw the Tsukino siblings walk past them, Usagi carrying an armful of vitamins.
"Minako!" Usagi called. "We've brought you some energy drinks full of vitamins to keep you going!"
"Oh, thanks, you guys!" Minako spoke gratefully, immediately taking one of the bottles and downing it in a matter of seconds.
"You see that? That's your answer!" Luna hastily pointed out. "Minako is pure-hearted because she forgot to take of herself!"
Ami, Rei, and Makoto all agreed furiously, while Artemis wasn't so sure.
Minako continued to drink one vitamin drink after the other as she, along with Usagi and Harusuke, left the hospital, not realizing that they were being watched not just by the others but two other parties. Michiru and Haruka, hiding in the shadows of a tree, and Eudial having pulled up from around the corner in her van.
"All right! Time for the next one!" said Minako. "Where's the next donation center?"
Before Harusuke or Usagi could answer, Eudial took out her gun and pulled the trigger right behind them. With a sharp and loud bang, her gun unleashed a powerful bullet made of black energy and hit Minako square on her back, which in turn made her pure heart crystal emerge from her chest.
"MINAKO!" Usagi and Harusuke cried in horror as they rushed over to their friend.
But then, something very peculiar and unexpected happened. Instead of falling unconscious like the other victims, Minako scooped her crystal into her arms while somehow managing to stay standing. As she looked towards Harusuke and Usagi, her eyes were vacant and empty, and she began to laugh like a crazed monkey.
"Look! See?! See?! I've got one, too!" Minako cackled in triumph. "It's finally appeared!"
"Um, I'm happy for you, Minako," said Usagi, trying her best not to cringe. "But how about we put that crystal back now?"
"Yeah, just in case someone tries to take it," added Harusuke. "Come on now. Put it back."
Minako, believing that the Tsukino siblings wanted to take it, took off running as fast as possible. Usagi and Harusuke raced after her. The others tried to follow, but then came trouble. Due to Minako dropping all of her bottles when she got hit, Makoto accidentally stepped on one tripped, causing herself to fall right on top of the others, resulting in putting them in an entangled heap.
"Minako! Come back here!" Usagi cried. "Don't run off!"
"How in the heck is she able to move like this?!" Harusuke panted. "It's just like when Unazuki's crystal got taken!"
As they ran in pursuit of Minako, there was a loud squealing of tires as Eudial in her white van shot past them. Knowing that she was after Minako, Usagi and Harusuke ran as fast as they could. Not too far away behind them, Haruka and Michiru also gave chase, not letting them out of their sight.
Minako soon came to a parking garage and dashed straight down the road leading underground. Seeing her enter there, Eudial drove straight through the barricade and got to the lot's underground floor. Eudial slammed on the brakes stopping the van, and looked around, trying to see where Minako went. She soon found her lying on the ground, finally unconscious, her pure heart crystal hovering just above her body.
"Incredible," murmured Eudial. "Her willpower is astounding."
As she walked over towards Minako, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune arrived, having to have made their way to the lot as well, making sure to stay hidden. Usagi and Harusuke also came, too.
"Stop right there!" Usagi yelled.
"Don't you move one step closer to her!" Harusuke also shouted. "Leave Minako alone!"
Sailor Uranus and Neptune quickly went back into hiding.
"Damn it!" cursed Sailor Uranus in a whisper. "What are those two doing here?!"
"So, we got a couple of intruders," said Eudial, as she scowled at the Tsukinos. "And what do you know? One of them was my previous target. Why don't you kids buzz off already? Daimon, show yourself!"
With a snap of her fingers, the back of Eudial's van opened, and inside the trunk was a strange oven-like box. It opened in a puff of pink smoke, and a Daimon leaped out, ready for action. The Daimon was feminine with light purple skin, wore an outfit of a black leather miniskirt and vest and boots, had various locks as accessories throughout, and even a doorknob in the middle of her forehead. She also wielded a door like a shield on her left hand and a locksmith pocket tool for her right.
"Now, Doorknobder! Secure all the entries!" ordered Eudial. "Don't let anyone in or out!"
Doorknobder then zipped and zagged around the room, sealing away every opening she could find from the vents to the windows. She even blocked the road leading outside, preventing any outside interference. The Tsukinos, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune were trapped.
"We're sealed in!" Harusuke cried. "Now what?!"
"It's honestly too bad," Eudial chuckled. "If you two hadn't stuck your noses where they didn't belong, you might have lived long lives. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Eudial then started walking towards Minako, intending to take her pure heart crystal. Harusuke and Usagi tried to stop her, but Doorknobder cut them off, preventing them. Usagi and Harusuke now faced a difficult situation.
"What'll we do now?" agonized Usagi in thought. "We need to transform to save Minako. But if we do, Eudial will see us."
"And if we don't do something, Eudial will take Minako's crystal, and she'll die!" Harusuke also thought. "There has to be something we can do!"
Eudial now stood right in front of Minako's body and reached out to grab the crystal.
"No! We can't let her have that crystal," said Sailor Neptune. "We have to stop her!"
Sailor Uranus and Neptune saw this and were about to take action when the Tsukinos shouted.
"Hold it right there, Eudial!"
Eudial, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune froze as they looked towards the Tsukinos in time to see Usagi take out her brooch and Harusuke expose his bracelet.
"MOON COSMIC POWER MAKE UP! ! !"
"SOLAR PRISM POWER BLAZE FORTH! ! !"
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Transformation Sequence: Usagi
Usagi's Cosmic Heart Compact opens, revealing the pink heart-shaped crystal inside, waving her hand over it. It flashes twice and erupts in pink light. Usagi is now standing in the middle of a light blue heart that's spinning to the right. She stands one leg while holding up her arms and begins pirouetting in the opposite direction, going faster until, in a burst of light, pink ribbons envelop her torso and midsection, transforming into her leotard. She elegantly stretches out her arms, and pink ribbons cover them, forming into her gloves. She then raised her right foot high with incredible flexibility, and pink ribbons cloak it changing into her boots. The heart made of blue light then turns into a circle of sparkles swirling around her waist, forming her skirt and bow. Now no longer in light, Usagi spins around a couple of times like a ballerina and takes a slight bow. As she comes out from her bow, a crescent moon mark glows in the middle of her forehead. Then, a tiara appears bearing a gold symbol of the Moon, along with her earrings, choker, and her ordango covers. Finally, Usagi opens her eyes, her transformation now complete, and strikes her signature pose.
Transformation Sequence: Harusuke.
Harusuke holds up his hand as the stone on his bracelet shines bright in golden light. The stone lets out three pulses, the symbol of the Sun glowing inside of it on the third pulse. Harusuke is enveloped in silver and gold light as he jumps into the air, his clothes disappearing. The symbol of the sun appears just above him and goes down, phasing through his body, making his silver jumpsuit with gold lines on the sides materialize. Two smaller sun symbols go over his feet to his kneecaps, and his gold and metal boots and silver kneecaps appear. Around his waist, a ring of light wraps around it, forming a belt with a gold belt buckle in the shape of an oval. Harusuke then spreads his arms wide as two more light rings envelop his arms and hands, making gold gloves appear. The symbol of the sun appears in front of him now, and crashes into his chest, making his chest piece like before, now thicker and having shoulder guards. Finally, a helmet materializes above Harusuke's head, the design slightly different as he reaches and grabs hit, putting it on his head, not having a mouth protector. Harusuke opens his eyes, punches his hands together, and strikes his signature pose, the symbol of the sun appearing behind him with a star-filled background.
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Eudial's eyes were wide as saucers, along with Sailor Uranus and Neptune.
"What?!" Eudial gasped.
"So, the Tsukinos are..." began Sailor Uranus.
"Sailor Moon and Solaris!" finished Sailor Neptune.
"A girl's pure feelings do not belong in your hands!" scowled Sailor Moon. "How dare you do something so despicable!"
"A pure heart should be cherished and protected from evil beings like you!" spoke Solaris. "And there's no way we'll forgive you for even attempting such a crime!"
"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!"
"And I'm the knight the with the brilliance of the sun, and the courage of a warrior, who also fights for love and justice! I am Solaris!"
"And 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!"
Eudial stood no nonsense. "Doorknobder? Do me a favor and kill both of them," she ordered.
Doorknobder gave Eudial a confused look. "But, my specialty is locking doors," the Daimon said. "I'm not good at fighting."
"Would you just get them already?!" Eudial snapped.
Doorknobder charged straight at Sailor Moon and Solaris reluctantly with no other choice. The two Guardians jumped out of the way to dodge and prepared to fight, but then they saw Eudial, who was reaching towards Minako's Pure Heart once again. But before the two could stop her, a familiar voice cried out.
"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"
A powerful sphere of earthen energy shot towards Eudial, forcing her to teleport out of the way. At that moment, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, finally coming out of hiding, appeared right next to Minako. Sailor Neptune scooped up Minako's Pure Heart Crystal in her hands and inspected it.
"Sailor Uranus! Sailor Neptune! Please return that crystal!" Sailor Moon cried out. "If you don't-"
"There's no need for you to worry," interrupted Sailor Neptune. "I was just putting it back. It doesn't contain a talisman."
Then, as Sailor Neptune put the crystal back, three familiar voices came from the other side of the steel barrier made by Doorknobder.
"MARS BURNING MANDALA!"
"JUPITER SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"
"MERCURY SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"
The barrier then shuddered as something behind it began to flash from the other side.
"It's the others!" cried Solaris. "They must be trying to break down the wall!"
"Damn it!" cursed Eudial. "Doorknobder! Hurry up and take down every last one of them!"
Doorknobder was still reluctant to fight, but she didn't dare disobey Eudial as she went on the attack, only for Sailor Neptune to counterattack.
"NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!"
With a mighty blast of seawater, the Guardian of Neptune sent the Daimon flying and tumbling to the ground, stunning it. The Daimon immediately scuttled over to Eudial, completely frightened.
"I told you I'm not good with fighting!" Doorknobder wailed at Eudial. "My specialty is doors only!"
The two then looked up and saw themselves staring at the four guardians, all glaring with intent.
Doorknobder then pointed to Eudial. "Hey! If you're going to take us both out, take her out first! Remember, I was reluctant!"
"Now, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Neptune ordered. "Finish it!"
Sailor Moon summoned her Spiral Moon Heart Rod and gathered power while spinning. Eudial quickly kicked her Daimon out of the way and called forth her wand, gathering strength as well. The two then simultaneously attacked at the same time.
"MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"
"WITCHES EUDIAL FIRE BUSTER!"
Sailor Moon unleashed a powerful blast of hearts while Eudial unleashed a mighty torrent of flames from her wand. The two attacks collided in a mighty beam struggle, equally matched. Then, Sailor Moon's attack was suddenly deflected and shot straight towards poor Doorknobder, who didn't notice it coming until it was too late. The Daimon was destroyed with a mighty explosion, leaving only a doorknob and a shattered Daimon Egg. Not long after that, all of the barriers that had set disappeared as well, allowing the other Guardians passage.
But Eudial wouldn't give up. "Hold it right there! Don't come any closer!" she yelled at the other guardians as she pointed her wand towards Minako. "My Fire Buster spell had the power to deflect Sailor Moon's attack. If you do, I'll incinerate that girl over there!"
All of the Guardians froze.
"Damn it. That's playing dirty!" Solaris scowled.
"All's fair in love and war," Eudial smirked. "Now you and your friends go join your new arrivals and no funny business!"
Not having a choice, Sailors Moon, Uranus, Neptune, and Solaris walked over to the other Guardians as Eudial prepared to use her Fire Buster again.
"Now, I hope you're ready!" Eudial crowed with triumph. "Because I'm going to send you all to hell!"
But then, an array of dolls came flying and bombarded Eudial, stopping her attack. Those dolls came from Minako, who regained consciousness and was ready to fight. Minako then took out her wand and then transformed without any hesitation.
"VENUS STAR POWER MAKE UP!"
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Transformation sequence: Minako.
Minako's hand is held up as golden stars swirl around it, alighting her fingernails, turning them into a shade of bright orange. Her transformation stick appears spinning, and she takes hold of it, the star on end as well as the symbol glowing. It begins to turn as Minako is enveloped in yellow light. Then she sweeps the pen over her head as banners of golden stars emit from it. Minako then holds up the pen above her head as the banners of stars form a spiral around her body. They disappear into the ground, forming a circle of stars and burst into more stars going upwards, enveloping Minako's body. Then Minako emerges wearing the same outfit as Sailor Moon's, the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves colored orange, her back bow, yellow, and her center bow, blue. She then opens her eyes as she assumes her signature pose.
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Eudial, now dumbfounded again, gawked at Sailor Venus incredulously. "No way! She's a Guardian, too?!" she exclaimed. "They're all Guardians?!"
Taking advantage of Eudial's shock and bewilderment, Sailor Venus went on the attack, making a chain of hearts materialize around her body.
"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!"
The chain shot towards Eudial and whipped across her wand, snapping it in two. Eudial, now defenseless, decided that it was time for her to retreat.
"Damn it all! You'll pay for this!" Eudial snarled. "I've seen your secret identities!"
Eudial then scrambled into her car and sped away.
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Later that night, Haruka and Michiru went out for a drive, stopping by the side of the road that overlooked the sea. The two were silent, still thinking about what had happened earlier today.
At last, Haruka spoke. "So, it seems we know Sailor Moon and Solaris' secret identities," she said quietly. "Most likely, their friends are guardians as well, considering that Minako also transformed. Not a very wise decision if you ask me."
"And not only do we know, but Eudial knows as well," added Michiru. "With that kind of info, she can hunt them down whenever she feels like it. Things certainly have gotten more complicated. What do you think we should do?"
Haruka shook her head. "Let's keep this a secret for now and leave them be," she said. "Besides, we don't need to stir up the pot anymore than it already has. It's not our problem. We need to stay focused on our mission."
Michiru didn't say anything more, but she felt very conflicted deep inside.
As they two continued to stare out to the sea, a certain someone was watching from above a cliff, their coat and hat flapping about in the wind.
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They all regrouped at the Hikawa Shrine with Usagi and the gang. Usagi and Harusuke then explained what had happened. Naturally, Luna and Artemis were worried.
"So, it seems that Eudial now knows who Harusuka and Usagi are," said Luna grimly. "And not only that, but Sailor Uranus and Neptune saw Minako transform too, so it's pretty safe to assume that they know as well."
"We're sorry," apologized Usagi. "We didn't have much of an option at the time."
"It's not your fault, Usagi," said Minako. "If anything, I'm the one to blame for all that's happened. I'm so sorry,"
"Well, you should be. I mean, what were you thinking, Minako?!" scolded Artemis. "You not only put yourself at risk because you were obsessed with your pure heart, but you also forced Usagi and Harusuke to reveal themselves to the enemy as well as yourself! Do you have any idea of the position we're in right now because of you?!"
Minako bit her lip, not even bothering to argue back, knowing that Artemis was right.
"Whoa, Artemis. Take it easy," chided Ami. "I understand you're angry, but we've been in situations like this before."
"Yes, but that's no excuse!" Artemis protested. "I can't help but feel angry!"
Harusuke looked across to Minako, saw how remorseful she was, and went over to her. "Minako, why did you want your pure heart crystal to get taken in the first place?" he asked. "What made you want to draw out the enemy like that?"
Minako didn't say anything.
Harusuke then sat down next to her. "Never mind. You don't have to answer that," he said. "I already have a pretty rough idea as to why. You had the feeling that because everyone else got targeted, you began to wonder if your heart wasn't pure enough for the daimons to take, am I right?"
Minako looked up at Harusuke in response.
"That's what I figured. Your reaction says it all," Harusuke said. "Let me tell you something, Minako. Just because you were the last of us to get targeted doesn't mean that you're not pure or anything. Sure, what you've done was anything but pure; however, you don't need to prove how pure you are. If anything, your heart is as pure as the rest of us are."
"R-Really?" Minako spoke. "You mean that?"
"Of course we do," said Usagi. "After all, you've done so many things that are worthy of being pure. Remember back when we went with you to help Katerina? Even though you knew that Allan loved her, and you loved him, you still chose to save her, despite me getting a little too heated there."
"You've also risked your life to save those kids way back when, and the list goes on," added Harusuke. "If that doesn't show that you've got a pure heart, then what does? You don't need to have your pure heart crystal taken out to prove that."
Minako's lip trembled as her eyes began to fill with unshed tears. Then, she buried her face in Harusuke's chest while hugging him.
"Th-Thank you," Minako whispered. "Thank you so much, and I'm sorry."
Harusuke returned the embrace, and Usagi also hugged her while the others looked on with smiles. Even Artemis couldn't help but calm down.
"So, what should we do now?" asked Luna. "Now that Eudial's seen Usagi, Minako, and Harusuke transform, there's no doubt that she'll come for them. And I still can't help but worry about Uranus and Neptune."
"Well, there's nothing we can do as of now, except wait," said Artemis. "For now, we'll have to keep our guard up and wait for the enemy to make their move. One thing's for sure; I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle. After all, we're us."
Luna smiled. "Yep. Indeed we are," she said, as she and Artemis looked on at the teens while they continued to comfort Minako.