As the door to Minako’s apartment was closed with such force that Makoto’s hair flapped behind her, she was tempted to kick it back open. In truth, though, she was too stunned. It took a moment for the realization to settle in, but Minako had been right. Makoto had shown up looking for someone to blame for her own failure. Instead, she was leaving feeling like a fool as well as a coward.

Makoto exited her old friend’s apartment building but didn’t feel like driving home just yet. As a strange mood took her over, she decided to visit the dimly lit, tree-lined park across the road. Inside, she made her way to the deserted playground and sat down on one of the swings, enjoying the solitude as she rocked back and forth while contemplating her actions.

“Hello again, human,” a voice called out from the shadows.

Makoto looked around in time to see a portal close behind the unmistakable figure of the doll monster from earlier that day. “You!” she cried with a mixture of alarm and disgust. “H-how did you find me?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you,” the creature quipped with glee as one of its numerous eyeballs detached itself from the back of Makoto’s dress, floated toward its owner, and settled itself in an empty plastic socket.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” said a second voice.

Behind the large monster that Makoto recognized, another emerged. This one was feminine and more humanoid in appearance. However, its torso resembled a big car battery, from which, cables coiled down its arms, leading to a pair of alligator clips in lieu of hands.

Makoto wanted to run, but her legs wouldn’t move. Whether due to fear or a desire to confront the vile creature that had targeted Ren and the children, she wasn’t entirely sure. “What do you want?” she challenged them.

“Why, you, of course,” the doll monstrosity replied. “I must atone for my mistake, and Jadeite was most impressed with your energy.”

Makoto’s eyebrows raised in recognition. When the monster had mentioned Jadeite before, she had been dizzy and close to blacking out, so she had chalked it up as a figment of her imagination. This time, though, she heard the name clearly, and it was hardly a common one. She hadn’t ever met the man herself, but it seemed that Jadeite of the Dark Kingdom, one of the Sailor Soldiers’ oldest nemeses, was somehow alive.

“You seem to be a valuable commodity, and poor Maladoll can be a little reckless, so Lord Jadeite asked me to assist with your capture,” the feminine creature explained, her pincer-like hands sparking dangerously. “I can’t imagine we will have any trouble, though. I’m Jumpstart by the way, but you may call me, Master.”

Makoto gritted her teeth. “Like hell I will!” she retorted, but her heart began to race, and her body started to shake at the very thought of a confrontation. Even if she could bring herself to try, her Crystal Change Rod was lying where she had left it, at the bottom of her desk.

It occurred to Makoto, though, that not having powers didn’t mean she was powerless. As the two Youma advanced on her, she thought back to her youth. Following the untimely death of her parents in a plane crash, Makoto had been forced to learn how to take care of herself.

With no other relatives to take her in, she had to prove herself self-sufficient in order to live alone and avoid the foster care system. So, she learned to cook, clean, and manage her finances. When she quickly outgrew her clothes owing to her impressive height and build, she taught herself to sew, and when bullies targeted her and labeled her a delinquent, she learned to fight.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Studying Karate became a source of serenity for Makoto. She used it to channel her emotions and put her natural strength to good use. Labeled a prodigy by her sensei, Makoto quickly progressed to brown belt. However, when her destiny as a Sailor Soldier was revealed to her, she found less and less time for training.

After Galaxia’s defeat, Makoto had resumed her studies, adding kung fu to her martial arts repertoire. However, when Sailor Moon died, the thing that had brought her so much comfort was tarnished forever. All that time spent honing her skills, and she couldn’t even protect Usagi...

She didn’t want to fight anymore. She couldn’t. The idea of returning to battle was paralyzing. So, when Minako announced her intention to take over guarding the planet using her impressive new powers, Makoto had jumped at the chance to leave her life as a Sailor Soldier behind.

Now, faced with the prospect of defending herself against two monsters, Makoto knew she had only her training to fall back on. She knew she had to try. She had to force herself to overcome her fears and fight! If she could find the courage—and if her skills weren’t too rusty—she might be able to create an opportunity to escape.

“Do not resist, human,” Maladoll ordered as it extended its arm-shaped mass of doll parts to grab her.

Makoto took a deep breath and focused her mind, trying to master her shaking body. Then, the moment to act arrived. With a great effort, she willed her limbs to action, parrying the monster with her left arm, then stepping into its space and punching as hard as she could with her right.

As her fist connected with the monster’s repulsive face. Makoto smiled with satisfaction. She had done it. She had pushed through her feelings and fought the vile creature. She had done it for the children, for Ren, and for herself.

Sadly, the monster didn’t think as much of Makoto’s punch as she did. “You are weak, even for a human,” said Maladoll, completely unfazed by her display of courage.

Makoto’s fear and doubt returned tenfold as Jumpstart let loose a high-pitched cackle, and the walking pile of dolls drew back its arm to return the favor. The blow didn’t just hit hard, the arm that delivered it separated from its master and carried her flying across the park. Makoto landed roughly on the slide before the arm floated away to reattach to Maladoll, and she slid down onto the floor.

Despite being winded, Makoto got to her feet. The monster’s attack had hurt but it had also carried her closer to the park entrance. With everything she had, she made a dash for freedom. However, just as she reached the gate, she was hit with a bolt of electricity.

Whether from the pain or the frustration of being attacked with her signature element, Makoto let out a scream.

Jumpstart cackled again as her quarry fell to the floor, her right-hand clip smoking following her attack. “We can’t have you running away on us,” she teased. “Come quietly or the next one will be a higher voltage... Hmm, she seems to be out of it. Maybe that shock was high enough already? Go ahead and grab her, Maladoll.”

Maladoll stepped toward Makoto’s sprawled, twitching form. Before he got to her, though, a distant voice cried out, “Aqua Mist!”, and a thick, chilling vapor formed across the park. Maladoll blinked its many eyes to no avail, trying to see through the mist. “Who was that? What is this, Jumpstart?”

“I don’t know,” his electric ally responded, “Just grab the girl and let’s go!”

“But I can’t see where she is!” Maladoll exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t usually have chosen to get involved, you know,” the voice spoke again, audibly closer than before. “But for interfering with my schedule, and targeting children in their place of learning, I’m afraid I can’t forgive you.”

“What? Forgive us?” Jumpstart guffawed. “Show yourself! Who do you think you are?”

Wearing her blue visor and adopting a battle stance as the mist began to clear, Ami declared, “I am Sailor Mercury, the sailor-suited soldier of water and wisdom!” She stood between the monsters and Makoto, who was now lying on the bench at the far edge of the park, obscured by what looked like a wall of bubbles. “Douse yourself in water and repent!”