“What’s in the bag, Ryoku-san?” Usagi asked as she, Ami and Luna walked with him to where the competition was being held. He was carrying a large gym bag in his right hand, which she was eyeing curiously. He gave her a quick questioning glance, then assumed his usual neutral expression.
“Nothing special,” he replied. “Just my equipment.”
“Can I see?” she asked.
“Later. I’m gonna need my stuff as soon as I get there.”
“Oh. Okay, later then,” she said, slightly disappointed.
“Here we are,” he announced as they all arrived at their destination. “Can you guys save me a seat? I gotta go sign in.”
“Okay,” Usagi said as she, Ami and Luna went to go find some seats.
He walked up to the registration table. “Hi, I’m entered in the competition. This is where I sign in?” he asked the man behind the table.
“Yes. Your name?”
“Kino Ryoku.”
The man looked down at the list of names next to him. “Hmm… ah, here you are. Yes, just sign in here,” he said, handing him a clipboard with several other names signed on it. Ryoku signed his name on it and handed the clipboard back to the man. “Thank you. We have some gear over there for you,” he informed him, pointing to a room containing lots of martial arts gear.
“No thanks,” Ryoku declined. “I’ve brought my own.”
The man nodded acknowledgement. “Okay. It wasn’t really necessary to bring them. Our posters said that we would supply all competitors with gear.”
He shrugged indifferently. “I prefer my own. Call it luck, if you will,” he replied and left to find his friends.
“There seems to be quite a lot of people here,” Ami said.
“Yeah, I wonder how many people are in the competition?” Usagi said.
“Just a little over sixty,” Ryoku replied, walking up to them and taking the seat next to Usagi.
“Sixty?” Usagi asked.
“You sound like you think I’m taking on all sixty,” he said, one eyebrow raised in amusement.
“You’re not?” she asked, confused.
He sweatdropped slightly. “Of course not.”
“How many matches do you have, Ryoku-san?” Ami asked.
“Not counting the first part of the competition, six.”
“First part?”
“There’s a secondary competition for those who have weapon skills. There will be about ten out of those sixty who do, so it won’t be that long.”
“Really?” Usagi asked. “So, is that what you brought in the bag?”
“You mean besides my protective gear?” he asked, amused at her persistence of seeing what was in his gym bag. “Yes, that’s there, too,” he said, getting up from the seat. “I’ve gotta go change now. The competition will be starting soon. I’ll be right back.” He turned back the way he came and left quickly.
“Listen, girls,” Luna said quietly, so no one could overhear. “Remember that power I told you that I sensed from Ryoku-san?” The two girls nodded. “It’s stronger now, ever since he’s been carrying that gym bag.”
“You think that the source of that power might be in his gym bag?” Ami asked.
“Maybe,” she replied thoughtfully, a sudden suspicion coming to mind.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Ryoku said as he rejoined them. In place of his light brown school uniform, he now wore a gray, unadorned martial arts uniform. Something was strapped to his back and was now poking over his right shoulder.
“What’s that on your back?” Ami asked curiously
“It’s my sword,” he said casually. Luna looked up to see if she could spot any markings on his sword’s hilt. Most of the hilt was covered by his shoulder, covering any markings she was hoping to see.
He looked towards the platform where the first competitor was now beginning his routine. He was wielding a long, thin staff, which he was whirling about himself with considerable grace and skill. “I’m up next,” he said to the girls and tossed his bag to Usagi, which almost hit her in the head. “You said you wanted to look in it,” he said with a half-smile when she gave him a questioning glare in return.
“Well, warn me next time!” she shouted.
“Sorry,” he said, dropping the half-smile. “I won’t be long.” He turned and walked towards the platform, mentally preparing himself for his turn.
When it was time for him to perform, he walked up to the platform, climbed up and walked to the center of the platform. The judges gave him the signal to proceed. He slowly drew his sword and held it in front of him. Slowly, he moved it in a long circle until he was holding it straight over his head. He then, just as slowly, brought it down to his right side and a little behind him. He sank into a low crouch, his sword still to his right and a little behind, and suddenly leaped into motion.
His sword slashed through the air with a deadly grace, shining from the gym’s indoor lighting. His movements were quick and precise and just as graceful. He slashed out at one imaginary opponent while kicking at another. He leaped into the air and landed with a slash, which followed into a thrust.
He continued his routine without any mistakes. Usagi and Ami watched their friend execute one flawless move after another, impressed with his skill. Luna watched as well, her earlier suspicion drawing to a conclusion with each new fact she learned about him. There was still one more piece to the puzzle before she was absolutely certain that this was not a coincidence. When he completed his routine, he sheathed his sword, bowed to the judges and went to join his friends again.
“That was incredible!” Usagi exclaimed. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“Can you toss me a towel from the bag, please?” he asked. She reached into the bag, pulled out a towel and tossed it to him. “Thanks,” he said, while wiping the sweat of his face. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure. I’ve always known how to use this sword,” he said, gesturing to the sword on his back. “Natural talent, I guess.” The third competitor was now beginning her routine. “I guess I have some time to wait until I have to go back up again. Can you toss me back my bag? That is, unless you aren’t finished looking in it.”
She tossed the bag back to him. He removed the sword and sheath and put it back in the bag. As he straightened from putting the bag on the floor next to him, he noticed that Luna had taken a notice to what he was doing.
“Hey, there,” he said as he picked Luna up. “You curious about what’s in the bag?” Luna meowed. “I’ll take that as a yes. Well, there’s not much. Just my school uniform, my gear and my sword.” He thought he saw Luna’s expression brighten and he said the last part. That’s silly, he thought. Luna can’t understand what I’m saying. She’s just a cat.
“Where’d you get that sword?” Usagi asked him curiously.
“My dad gave it to me,” he said quietly, staring down at his gym bag. “It’s kinda like a family heirloom or something like that.” From his tone, she thought that he didn’t want to talk about it.
He turned to see that Ami had taken out a textbook and was reading. He just looked at her for a moment and shrugged. I know how you feel, Ami-san. Sometimes these competitions get boring, even for me.
Soon, the first part of the competition was over. Now all of the competitors would face each other in one-on-one matches. He picked up his bag and stood up. “I’ve gotta go put on my protective gear now,” he stated and left.
The first match took place while Ryoku was getting ready. The two opponents faced each other at the center of the circle on the platform. Between them was a white-haired referee.
“There’s something wrong with that referee,” Luna said quietly.
“What are you talking about, Luna?” Usagi asked. “He hasn’t even made any calls yet.”
“No, I mean something doesn’t seem right about him,” the cat replied suspiciously.
“Oh, hush, Luna,” she chided. “I’m sure all referees are like that.”
Ryoku walked up to them in full gear, which prompted Usagi to start laughing at his appearance. “Do I look… amusing… to you?” Ryoku asked calmly, glowering at her.
“Oh… ha, ha… no, I just… remembered something funny,” she said quickly. “That’s all.”
He wasn’t convinced, but he let it go anyway. “What did I miss?” he asked.
“The first match is over already,” she said. “That’s about it.”
“Then, I’m up next,” he said loud enough for Ami to hear him. She closed her book and smiled in encouragement.
“Good luck, Ryoku-san,” she said.
“Yeah, good luck,” Usagi added. He nodded and left.
He climbed up to the platform as another guy climbed up. They both walked over to the pair of lines in center of the circle and faced each other.
“These matches are for three points or three minutes long, whichever comes first. The one with the most points at the end of three minutes will advance to the next round,” the referee explained. “Now, face me and bow.” They each bowed to the referee. “Face each other and bow,” he continued. They bowed to each other. “Begin!” he finished and got out of the way. The match began.
They both went into defensive fighting stances, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Ryoku threw a quick jab to the chest that was blocked and countered by a kick. He dodged the kick and threw a kick of his own that connected, scoring a point.
He tried a low kick, which his opponent jumped over. At the peak of his jump, he threw a kick to the side of Ryoku’s head, which he blocked. What surprised him was the second kick to the chest he got as his opponent descended from his jump. The score was tied one apiece.
Ryoku’s second point was won when he threw his opponent after catching one of his punches. Now that he had two points, all he needed was the third point. His opponent had just missed with a jump kick, so he executed one of his own that connected as his opponent landed, scoring the third and final point. He won the match and proceeded to the next round.
“Congratulations, Ryoku-san,” Ami said as he sat back in his seat. He opened his bag and took out the towel he used earlier.
“Thanks, Ami-san,” he said as he wiped his face. “Just five more matches to go.”
“I’m sure that’ll be no problem for you,” Usagi said assuredly.
“Actually, it gets more difficult later on,” he replied.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Ami said and opened her book back to where she left off.
After the next three matches, he noticed that Usagi was quickly growing bored. Maybe she should’ve brought a book and studied, too, he thought, looking at Ami. Then again, compared to studying, this is definitely more interesting.
“The first round is over, Master,” Harkon reported telepathically to Jadeite.
“Good,” he replied satisfactorily. “Now, begin to drain all the energy out of the human participants. When you’re done, drain as many of the spectators as you can.” A small sinister smile grew on his face. “After all, one shouldn’t waste such any opportunity to gather as much energy as possible.”
“It shall be done as you order, Master,” the youma replied obsequiously.
The plan was a simple one: give the competitors protective gear that would drain all the energy they used during their matches and all their remaining energy.
Now that the first round was over, all of the humans have had at least one match by now. Draining them of their energy would be simple. Even now, as Harkon was draining the humans of their energy, Jadeite was collecting the energy he was draining. A small sphere of bluish-white energy began to form above his hand, growing steadily as more and more drained energy was fed into it.
After Ryoku’s fourth match, he began to suspect something was wrong. His matches were easily won. Too easily.
“That was quick,” Usagi commented. “You weren’t even up there that long.”
“I know,” he replied, puzzled. “It’s like the guy wasn’t even trying. He seemed tired, almost like all his energy was drained or something.” Usagi, Ami and Luna all exchanged worried glances. Each was thinking the same thing: youma. “It’s not just him,” he continued. “All of the others seem out of it, too. Look.” He pointed to the platform where two guys where tiredly trading blows.
“You seem to be the only one not affected, Ryoku,” Ami observed in a puzzled voice. “Whatever’s causing this seems to have missed you.”
“Yes…,” he agreed ponderingly. “The question is: what’s causing this?”
She looked over at all of the competitors. Nothing in particular caught her attention until she noticed that each person wore the same red protective gear. She glanced back at Ryoku. His gear was gray, like his outfit.
“I think I’ve got it,” she declared suddenly. “It’s the protective gear. That’s what is causing everyone’s energy to drain.”
“What?” he exclaimed incredulously. “You can’t be serious. How can gear cause people to become tired? Never mind, I’m gonna go tell the ref to stop this. No one’s in any shape to continue.” He got up, stripped off his gear and made his way to the platform.
The energy ball’s growth was steadily declining. “Enough, Harkon,” Jadeite commanded. “You’re done with them. Stop draining them and begin with the spectators.”
“Yes, Master.”
As Ryoku began to approach the platform, he stopped abruptly. There was a feeling of wrongness, similar to what he felt the day before yesterday, which grew stronger as he came closer to the platform.
The referee looked over at him and smiled sinisterly, and lifted his hands. Uh-oh, Ryoku thought as he saw the two guys in front of him collapse.
“I knew there was something wrong with that referee! He’s a youma!” Luna said.
Instinctively, he leaped backward, away from the referee and tried to dive of the platform. Before he could jump off, he felt himself begin to weaken. Instead of gracefully leaping off, he fell face-first into the ground.
“That reminded me of someone I know,” Luna muttered under her breath, as Usagi and Ami ducked behind their seats. All of the other spectators had either collapsed or escaped being drained.
“I heard that, Luna,” Usagi growled, looking over the seat to see what happened to Ryoku.
He wasn’t there anymore.
“Did you see what happened to Ryoku-san?” she asked.
“I think I saw him try to get away.” Ami said. “He looked like he was drained, too.”
“You girls have got to put a stop to this,” Luna said.
“We’ve got to find Ryoku-san, too,” Usagi said. “Moon prism power, make up!”
Ami pulled out her transformation pen. “Mercury power, make up!”
The referee dropped his disguise, revealing his true form. “Hold it right there!” shouted a voice. Harkon looked toward the direction of the voice to see Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury standing before him.
“So, you’ve come,” Harkon said dismissively.
“You’ve twisted this competition with your evil, and I cannot allow you to get away with it!” Sailor Moon said. “On behalf of the moon….”
“And on behalf of the planet Mercury…,” Sailor Mercury added.
“We shall punish you!” the two Scouts said together.
“Is that so?” he drawled, amused.
“Shabon spray!” Mercury shouted, flinging her bubbles at the creature. He responded by drawing his sword and deflecting them with it.
“You call that an attack?” Harkon sneered derisively. “Here, try this!” he shouted, firing a blast from his sword at Mercury. She dived to the side, barely dodging it.
“Moon tiara action!” Sailor Moon shouted, flinging her tiara.
“You, too?” the youma said contemptuously, batting the tiara away with his sword. “Can’t either of you do any better than that?” he challenged, his voice dripping with contempt. He fired a second shot at Sailor Moon, who also barely managed to dodge the blast. He continued to fire at the two Scouts, alternating between Sailor Moon and Mercury.
Luna watched with worry as the Scouts continued to dodge the sword blasts. She was considering trying to attack the monster, hoping to distract him enough for the Scouts to attack, when she noticed that Ryoku’s gym bag was now gone.
As Harkon continued his relentless barrage of sword fire, something suddenly flew past him, slicing him on his sword arm and causing him to momentarily cease his continuous bombardment. Mercury wasted no time in taking advantage of the opportunity.
“Shabon spray!” she shouted, raising a thick mist.
Sailor Moon didn’t see the object hit Harkon before the mist rose, but the way it hit Harkon, she was sure she knew what it was and who threw it. “Tuxedo Kamen-sama?” she called hopefully. Oh, he has to be Ryoku-san. How else could he have known we were in trouble so soon?
The mist thinned slightly where the object that attacked Harkon lay. As soon as she saw it, she blinked in surprise. It was not a rose.
It was a dagger.
“Who threw that?” Harkon roared, trying to see through the clearing mist. The Scouts looked, too. In the mist, a figure was rapidly descending from mid-leap, sword in hand.
“Over here!” the figure shouted as he landed, swiping at the youma with his blade as he passed. His sword attack connected with the creature’s arm, causing Harkon to roar in pain and anger.
The last of the mist finally dissipated, revealing the identity of the Scouts’ mysterious ally as he turned to face the monster he had just attacked. It was Ryoku, obviously recovered from the energy drain Harkon had performed on him.
Luna quickly dashed over to the platform, hoping to examine Ryoku’s sword up close. She could just barely see the crossed swords on the hilt of his sword. It was exactly the same as the sword Central Control showed her. The sword’s power was what she was sensing from him all this time.
His expression was cold and dangerous as he calmly faced Harkon. “So, you’re behind this,” he stated flatly. “You stole all these people’s energy,” he continued, his voice growing angry. “You tried to steal my energy!”
“And I suppose you’re going to do something about it, as well?” the monster said condescendingly as he grinned wickedly. “Don’t make me laugh, human. There’s nothing you can do! I may have missed taking your energy once, but this time, I will have it. One way…,” he pointed his sword at Ryoku, “…or another.”
“Is that so?” he retorted fiercely, his eyes flashing in anger. “You stole all those people’s energy and my friends’ energy, so now you think you can just steal my energy and get away with it? I don’t think so! You’re not getting my energy without a fight!” he yelled and went into an offensive fighting stance.
A glowing silver symbol suddenly appeared on his forehead. When Luna saw that symbol, she was absolutely certain that she knew who he was. “It’s the sign of Sailor Knight!” she said to herself. “I only hope that he either has the other sword, or he knows where it is.”
He rushed at Harkon, his sword striking the other repeatedly. Not only was the youma blocking all of his attacks, he was now beginning to attack him instead, forcing him backward.
As he leaped aside to avoid a slashing attack, Harkon quickly fired a blast from his sword, striking him in midair and flinging him against the wall. He hit the wall hard, knocking him temporarily unconscious.
“Ryoku-san!” Sailor Moon and Mercury shouted.
“I’ll finish with you later,” Harkon said to him as he turned back to the two Scouts. “Sorry for the delay. Now, shall we finish what we started?” He lifted his sword and prepared to fire again. Just before he could fire, he was struck again by another thrown object. The object hit him on his wrist, causing him to drop his sword. “Aargh! Not again!” he screamed in anger.
Sailor Moon saw that this time the thrown object was a rose. Looking up, she saw Tuxedo Kamen standing on top of the first row of seats. “Tuxedo Kamen-sama!” she exclaimed. Then, she became confused. “But…,” she faltered, rapidly looking back and forth between Tuxedo Kamen and Ryoku. “You… and him… are… supposed… to be… the same person?”
“I guess Ryoku-san isn’t Tuxedo Kamen after all,” Mercury concluded. “But, what was that power Luna sensed in him?”
“Who asked you to butt in?” Harkon shouted at Tuxedo Kamen. In reply, he leaped over to land next to Sailor Moon, pulling out his cane in midair.
“Since you like using that sword so much, why don’t you try using it on me?” he challenged.
“Gladly,” Harkon sneered, swinging his sword at him. He blocked the attack easily.
“Care to help me take care of this demon, Sailor Moon?” he asked over his shoulder.
“No problem, Tuxedo Kamen-sama,” she replied eagerly.
“I’ll go help Ryoku-san,” Mercury said. “Shabon spray!” Another thick mist rose covering the area.
While Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon were taking care of Harkon, Mercury rushed to Ryoku’s side. She saw that Luna was already there, watching him. He was slowly shaking his head as he came back to his senses.
“Are you all right?” Mercury asked him as she knelt at his side.
“I think so,” he answered uncertainly.
“Ryoku-san, this is important,” Luna told him. “Do you have another sword like the one you have, or know where it is?”
He blinked at Luna in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘another sword like this one’? This is the only sword I have.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” she muttered worriedly.
“Luna, what’s going on?” Mercury asked, puzzled.
“I’d also like to know, if that’s all right by you,” Ryoku added flatly.
“You see, Sailor Mercury, Ryoku-san is one of us,” Luna told her.
“Are you saying that he’s a Sailor Scout, too?” she exclaimed in disbelief.
“He is,” Luna replied.
“Um, excuse me, I’m still here, you know,” he interrupted as he got to his feet. “Don’t talk around me like I’m not here. It’s very rude.
Anyway, I have no idea what either of you are talking about,” he continued, “but that monster is still here and I intend to help stop him.” He tightened his grip on his sword. “I still owe him one,” he added coldly.
“Wait a minute!” she said urgently. “There’s something I must tell you. That sword you have is one of a pair of swords known as the Knight Swords. The Knight Swords will allow you to transform, but in order to do you will require both swords. You only have one. You need to find the other sword so you can become Sailor Knight.”
“But, there’s no time for that!” he exclaimed impatiently.
The black cat sighed. “Very well, if you insist on fighting, then I’ll unlock the sword’s power now instead of waiting until we find the other one,” she said, moving to stand in front of him. “Hold your sword up and out in front of you.”
“Like this?” he asked after doing so.
“Yes. Now, just hold on a minute,” she told him as a bright, thin yellow beam started to emanate from the crescent moon on her forehead. The beam began to shine directly on the insignia of his sword, then a few seconds later, a second beam emerged from the sword to the middle of his forehead. Slowly, the insignia from his sword appeared in place of the symbol that had appeared earlier. When she was done, she cut off her beam, causing the other to disappear as well. “There, that should do it. Now you can call upon the power of your sword as you need it, but it is only half the power of the other Scouts’. You still can’t transform or use any special powers.”
“It’s better than nothing,” he said as he lowered his sword. “Thank you, Luna.” He turned towards the battle between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen and the youma. “Ready, Sailor Mercury?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Ready when you are, Sailor Knight,” she said, smiling.
“Then, let’s go.”
“Moon tiara action!”
Harkon dodged the tiara as he parried a blow from Tuxedo Kamen’s cane. As her tiara turned midair to make a second pass at the youma, he leaped out of the way so that it was about to hit Tuxedo Kamen. He leaped straight up, just missing the attack, while Sailor Moon quickly recalled her tiara.
At the peak of his leap, he threw a barrage of roses at Harkon. The youma responded by firing a bombardment of sword blasts into the roses, blowing them apart.
“Ha! Give it up,” he shouted jeeringly. “You just can’t defeat me!”
“Shabon spray!” Another mist blanketed the area. Out of the mist appeared two figures. One Sailor Moon recognized as Mercury, but the other was still obscured by the mist.
“Mind if we join in?” the second figure asked as he and Mercury stepped forward. She could now see that the figure was Ryoku, but there seemed to be something different about him.
“You again?” Harkon said scornfully. “You don’t have any hope of beating me, you foolish human. I shall take great pleasure in draining you of every last drop of energy you have after I take care of these three.”
“Not this time,” he stated as he rushed at the youma.
He quickly raised his sword to block Ryoku’s attack. As the sword struck, his sword was easily knocked away. Before he could recover from his surprise, Ryoku delivered a kick to his head, then swung his sword across the youma’s chest, carving a large opening in his armor.
“W-what? Th-this is… impossible!” he said incredulously. “You’re just a human! You can’t do this to me!”
“You underestimated me. That is how I defeated you,” Ryoku said coldly. He calmly turned to Sailor Moon and nodded.
“Moon tiara action!” she shouted, flinging her tiara directly in the hole Ryoku had ripped in the creature’s armor, destroying him. He crumbled into dust and disappeared.
The giant ball of energy Jadeite had been building flashed once, then dissipated. “What? No!” he shouted. “Blast those Sailor Scouts!” he growled angrily and disappeared.
As the people slowly began to regain their senses, Ryoku walked over to the two Sailor Scouts. Tuxedo Kamen had already left. “Usagi-san,” he said to Sailor Moon, “I believe you and Ami-san have some explaining to do.”
She stared at him in shock. “How do you know…?”
“I recognized your cat,” he said, cutting her off. He turned to look at Luna. “She has some explaining to do as well,” he said with a half-smile. “I’ve only been here for a few days, so I have some catching up to do.”
Later, at the Crown Video Arcade, Usagi and Ami listened while Luna explained to Ryoku all about the Sailor Scouts and the numerous youma that they had faced. He listened intently to Luna, not saying a word until she was finished.
“I see,” he said flatly when she finished.
“By the way,” she mentioned, “I noticed that you weren’t really surprised when you first saw me talking. I mean, Usagi and Ami both asked me how I could talk, but you just looked confused for a second, then acted is if you always knew that I could talk.”
He gave the black cat a small half-smile. “Well, let me put it this way,” he said. He held up a finger. “I was almost drained of my energy by some monster…,” he held up a second finger, “I had seen two girls in sailor outfits try to fight the monster, one with bubbles, the other with her tiara…,” he held up a third finger, “I tried to fight the monster and was blasted by his sword’s energy beams…,” he held up a fourth finger, “I had seen a guy in a tux and cape try to fight the monster with roses and a cane…,” he shook his head. “After all that, a talking cat seems pretty much normal. Don’t you think?”
Both Usagi and Ami laughed. “Yes, I think we all have gotten used to the idea of a talking cat,” Ami agreed.
“I get your point,” Luna said dryly. “Anyway, now that we have found out that you’re Sailor Knight, we have to find your other sword. Without it you can’t transform.”
He shrugged indifferently. “I guess until we find it, I’ll just have to fight like this.”
“Are you sure, Ryoku-san?” Usagi asked. “That seems kinda risky to me. Not to mention crazy.”
“Although I’m only at half power, I’m still a Sailor Scout,” he replied. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Until we find my other sword, this is how it’s gotta be.”
“I guess so,” she said uncertainly, then shrugged. “Well, Ryoku-san, Ami-chan and I wish to welcome you to the team.” Both girls gave him a welcoming grin. He gave them a friendly half-smile in return.
Something tells me that my life is going to become a little more interesting from now on.…