#004 - Pretty Soldier Sailor Marril
(Pokémon and related elements ™,©1995-99 Creatures/GAME FREAK/Nintendo. All other elements ™,© their respective holders.)
Storyline, art by Robert H. Magnusson

It was late, and Marrilyn looked out at the moon rising above the city. It was quiet, a sensation she had known entirely too often before something...

"Marrilyn?"

Marrilyn looked up from her textbook. She was quite busy for tomorrow.

"Marrilyn! You're needed IMMEDIATELY!"

She looked back into the book. "Sorry, I've got STUDYING to do."

Her black Meowth with the crescent coin batted at the bubble on her tail. "Sure - if you even have a SCHOOL tomorrow!"

Marrilyn looked up abruptly, her long ponytails nearly caught in the book as she slammed it shut. "What are you TALKING about, Luna?..."

"Central Tech is under ATTACK! We'd better get Keri and Epona and investigate!"

Ha, ha... yes, leave it to Lyn to fall asleep during her second favorite anime... as the television in her room played static where her show had been hours before, Lyn's strange dream continued... "Oh, NO! It's worse than I THOUGHT!"

As Lyn and Luna looked on from the window of their room, a huge, swirling mass from the clouds had descended into their schoolhouse, presenting itself as an obviously evil force. Lyn's friends, Keri the ... well, she was one of the undiscovered Pokémon, like Marrilyn, but she was known for now as a Kereihana... and Epona, a young Ponyta who, for purposes of this dream, had long black hair instead of her real-life flaming red hair.

"What's... what's HAPPENING?"

"I don't KNOW," answered Epona, looking up, "but I'd say the NEGAVERSE is restless!"

Once Marrilyn joined the two outside the school, it was time to open their lockets and activate their incredible powers and impossibly elaborate transformations into the mighty Sailors of the Universe - Epona as Mars, Keri as Neptune, and Lyn as the famous Sailor Moon.

They rushed inside, ready for anything... except possibly for what awaited them inside. Lyn pointed out a massive swirling form in the center of the school's main hallway. "Oh, NO! LOOK!" "What IS it?!!"

From the parallel universe of evil forces, a lone figure stood at a console, watching what was going on. A smile nearly came across his face as he said, half to himself, "THAT, fool Poké Scouts, is your DESTRUCTION - !"

"MARS! See if your Fire Blast works!"

"Right away!" Mars drew on all her power and attacked the shapeless mass with her blazing fire energy.

"No EFFECT - UNGHH!!"

"NEPTUNE!!" The force had attacked Keri and entered her youthful frame, possessing her body. "NO!! That thing's taken over NEPTUNE!!"

Neptune was advancing, preparing to destroy the other Sailors. "NOW what can we do?!!"

Sailor Moon reached for her forehead. "My moon tiara - !" "NO!" Mars grabbed her arm. "You'll only hurt KERI!"

"You're right - NOW what?!!" No sooner had she spoken than she began to feel the presence of another in the room. She turned, and was immediately struck with awe and heaved a deep sigh of romance...

"WAIT! It's - it's HIM!" She could hardly contain her joy as the figure descended into the room, clad in a tuxedo and formal hat, wearing a large white mask over his eyes.

"It - CAN'T be!" The figure in the parallel universe cursed his fate - why did HE always have to show up to ruin his plans... then again, maybe this would be his last; he certainly wouldn't harm his friends...! "GET him!!"

Keri, burning with the monster's rage, rushed toward Tuxedo Mask. He was expressionless up to the point where she was nearly upon him, wherein, with a wave of his hand, he unleashed a wave of thunder to Paralyze Keri. Unable to move its host body, the monster released itself to attack...

"NOW!!" Marrilyn threw the Moon Tiara full force into the force field that made up the creature, which upon impact, disintegrated into sparks of energy. Keri, just over her paralysis, shouted, "We DID it!!"

"Wait a minute, - " announced Lyn, "what happened to TUXEDO Mask?..."

Chue woke up to the television playing the Pokémon City anthem. "Oh, man, do I HATE it when I fall asleep during Lyn's show..." He himself had far different tastes in anime, although he didn't understand why the characters in his show needed a special ball just to capture a dragon...

NEXT: The Lightweight Semifinals