In her room, Tsukino Usagi giggled. This was better than the first time she wore the transformation brooch Luna had given her! She fastened the clasp of the necklace behind her and shook her head lightly, enjoying the delicate tinkling of the perfectly arranged stones. It was perfect for Mina-chan's party.

            It was really just a thing to relax a little, take their minds off of Sailor business…

            Usagi grinned at her reflection in the mirror.

            Overseas…

            "They will return, Hantei. You go, I should stay."

            "But the rest of the Sailor Senshi are in Tokyo. I should stay, you go. I'm here to guide, not to fight."

            "But most of it has been happening here, in America."

            "I'll be fine. I'll call you back if anything happens."

            A girl. A guy. A car.

            "I don't know about this, Kachi." The girl swings the car into a driveway.

            "Trust me, it'll be fine. Piece of cake."

            The guy gets out and winks. "See you tomorrow morning!"

            The girl sighs and backs the car out of the driveway and slowly, slowly, moves down the street.

            Episode One: A mysterious new senshi!              Sailor Moon  Champion!

::play the download of the mp2 Sailor Moon theme here::

            Usagi yawned. All of them, by all of them meaning Rei, Mina, Mako, Ami, and her, were walking through a section of the park. All of a sudden, a teenager maybe just a few years older than them was standing in front of them.

            "Hello, Usagi." She said.

            Usagi stopped short. "What… what do you mean by that??" She stammered.

            "I mean, you're Usagi, are you not? And you have something I want." The way she said it so frankly, poor Usagi couldn't respond in time.

            "What do you want with Usagi?" Said Rei, stepping in.      

            "I asked her, not you, Rei." Shot back the girl.

            "How do you know my name?" Asked a shocked Rei.

            "I just know, I guess," She responded, flashing a brilliantly bright and cheery, all to halogen-lamp-behind-the-teeth. "Word gets around."

            "I don't like this." Grumbled Makoto. "I'm for transforming and kicking some."

            "Shh…" Said Minako, quietly. "She could be telling the truth."

            "Don't be so grouchy, Makoto," The girl said, "And Minako, you don't have to whisper. Or should I say, Mako and Mina? The first sound so formal." She flashed the brilliant, cheerleader smile again.

            Mako drew back sharply. "I said…"

            "Quiet!" Said Mina, pushing Mako back and to the side. "We don't need your overconfidence right now!"

            "Who are you calling overconfident?" Shouted Mako.

            "Who are you?" Said Usagi, finally overcoming the mental road block of shock, which had to have time to travel from one meatball to the other.

            The girl shrugged. "People just call me Popularity." She shook out her blonde hair.

            Rei frowned. "How do we know we can trust you?"

            "You just can, sai- Rei."

            Rei's eyes narrowed. "That's it. Now I really don't trust you." She took a small stick out of her pocket. "Mars Crystal Power, Make-up!"

            Mako nodded, and followed Rei's lead. "Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-up!"

            Minako held up her stick. "Venus Crystal Power, Make-up!"

            Ami, who had been standing quiet, shrugged a little. "Mercury Crystal Power, Make-up!"

            Usagi, now just realizing that her friends were transforming, blinked. "Oh." She said. "Cosmic Moon Power, Make-up!"

            Popularity laughed at them.   

            "The Sailor Senshi! Who would've thought! Hah hah hah!"

            She quickly gathered a fireball into her hand.

            "I'll put that fire of yours…out!" Said Mercury. "Aqua Rhapsody….!"

            There were sparks as the fireball collided with a rush of water.

            "Well…," She said reluctantly, "It stopped it…"   

             Jupiter chuckled for a second at Mercury's joke.  Then, as her expression got serious, she shouted, "Supreme Thunder!"

            The attack barely hit its mark.

            "What!" Jupiter yelped.

            Popularity laughed. "Your attacks are useless."

            A few minutes later, the Senshi were just about ready to give up and go home, and Popularity hadn't shown any sign of budging.

            "Sailor Moon, you have something that I want." She stated again, towering over poor Sailor Moon.   

            "But… but…" She sputtered. (Same mental level as a cereal box)

            Popularity's eyes narrowed. "I'll get what I want. " Another fireball steadied itself above her fingertips.

            Sailor Moon looked up.

            Popularity grinned.

            Then, a short "oomph" and Popularity sagged as a golden eagle swooped over her. It had hit her in the back. The eagle melted into two golden wings connected by a black heart and perched on top of a staff.

            The senshi looked up to see a figure back in the shadows, who opened her eyes slightly and  said…

            "In the name of victory, you have flown your last on its golden wings. The protector of glory, virtue, and sportsmanship, Sailor Victoria!"

            A girl the age of Popularity stepped out of the shadows, brown hair swirling around her shoulders, right hand holding a staff on which the golden wings balanced. She was wearing a purple, white, and black sailor fuku and looking at Popularity with the nastiest of glares.

            Popularity glared back almost as nastily.

            "Fine!" She spat. "Have your little 'sailor friends'. It's a faux crystal anyway, I can see from here." She turned into thin air and was gone.

            Victoria grinned down at the sailor senshi.

            "Who… who are you?" Whispered Sailor Moon.

            A small beeping sound was heard and Victoria opened a pocket watch-looking contraption.  She seemed to be paying close attention to it, then smiled, closed it, and again looked at the senshi.

            "A friend." She said softly. "I will return when you need me."

            She turned around, delicately folding into the air.

            She was gone.