Naru was sitting on the floor of the Spirit Police's gym. She rubbed her bottom, as she stood up. Looking at Mai, who was amusedly shaking her head, she gave a good-natured glare.
"It looks like I have a way to go, doesn't it?" Naru said.
Mai shrugged. "Not really. You now know how to use all your Makendo powers, but you're lacking in fighting skill, which takes time to build. You have more raw power than Hikari or myself due to all the draining attacks you've been hit with."
Naru touched the belt buckle on her Makendo outfit and felt like a long hair was being slowly pulled out of her belly button, as a cylinder popped out of the belt buckle. As soon as Naru grabbed the cylinder, it turned into a one handed pistol.
"Your energy blaster. We should see how strong it is. There is a target range in the next room," Mai said, as she pointed to the door.
"I don't see a way to reload this thing," Naru said.
"You shouldn't have to. It's powered by your own energy."
Naru tripped over one of the exercise mats in the gym. She quickly corrected her balance, but dropped the gun. The gun vanished and appeared in front of the circular opening on Naru's belt. It turned back into a silver cylinder and slid back into the belt and returned to its belt buckle state. Naru had a strange look on her face, as the cylinder slid into her belt.
"That's going to take some time to get used to," Naru muttered to herself. "By the way, where's Usagi and your sister?"
"Restoration Room. Hotaru Tomoe or Sailor Saturn is being treated. Usagi is one person she would trust and Hikari is about Hotaru's age. As to the gun, it's just an extension of your powers. If it is destroyed, a new one will form in time. Just like if I shattered my shinai on something, a new one would form a bit later."
"I'd like to meet this Sailor Saturn, before I practice with the gun."
Mai shrugged and the girls walked through the police station to the Restoration room. Naru was still a bit in awe of the place, as she spotted a trio of kappa being led towards one of the holding cells.
"Mai? About the Spirit World? What can you tell me of it?"
"It's like Earth, but it is populated by creatures and things of myth, imagination, and dreams. Your outfit suggests your missions will probably be tilted towards the retro-sci-fi creatures and objects, such as little green men from Mars and spaceships that look like blimps," Mai explained.
"What makes you say that?" Naru asked a bit confused.
"You're dressed liked you're from a sixties sci-fi show and we do have some really odd spirit creatures out there. Machine Guy J or Garekky was a twenty foot tall transforming robot."
"What did he turn into?"
"Robot, rocket, bomber plane, tank, and I think he also has a sub mode," Mai replied. "I'm not really sure, I had to face him in a factory's parking lot."
"You're joking," Naru said, staring at Mai.
Mai shook her head and smirked at Naru's expression. "No, I'm not. Makenkah was turned into a cyborg by a lunatic doctor that is from the spirit world. Things that are dreams for the human world are quite real in the spirit world."
The two Makendo remained silent for a bit.
"Mai, can I ask you a personal question?" Naru asked.
Mai sighed and just shook her head. "Why am I training you, even though I have said I really don't like being in my Makendo outfit? You wanted this, because you've been attacked so often. I can't find any good counter argument for that. Given that, I intend to make sure you know how to handle yourself, so you won't be in too much danger."
Naru nodded. "I've heard Doro complain that he can't get you to do to much monster hunting."
"Ah that," Mai said with a smile. "Most of the monsters that Doro wants me to deal with are fairly harmless. They flip up women's skirts, or pop up behind people as they are having their pictures taken, or spring out from the shadow and scream, and others things of that nature."
"Practical jokers?" Naru asked with a shake of her head.
"Yes."
"Naru! Mai!"
The two girls turned and saw Doro walking towards them.
"What is it Doro?" Mai asked.
"I have a mission of Naru," Doro said.
"She just joined the Makendo. Don't you think this is a bit fast?" Mai asked.
Doro gave a long look at Mai before replying. "You and Hikari had your first missions pretty much as soon as you gained your powers. It's not that hard a mission. It's just a standard clean up mission."
"What is it?" Naru asked.
"One of the floating brains has died and his or her body landed on the wreckage of a wooden ship."
Mai rolled her eyes upwards and Naru stared at Doro.
"Floating brain?"
"Mad scientist who accidentally turned himself into a floating brain. We think that's how Dr. Mud came about. He's a brain monster, but not a flying brain," Mai explained. "When one of the floating brains dies, the energy from the being merges with the nearest inanimate object, repairs it, and mutates it. Since this one landed on a ship, my best guess is that the ship is now painted in bright badly contrasting colors that gives the appearance of a strange creature and has hot pink bat wings off to either side."
"Close. This one is in Day-Glo orange and lime green with gunmetal gray eyes," Doro said. "What Mai didn't tell you is that these after effects are like rabid animals. It's going to head out to sea and try to wreck as many ships and planes as possible. It tends to hide underneath the waves."
"How am I supposed to fight it?" Naru asked.
"Mai? Did you forget to tell her?" Doro asked.
Mai winced. "Yes, I did. Naru, as a Makendo, you don't breathe. Your powers sustain you. You can stay in space or underwater indefinitely. Gradual pressures such as slowly going into the Marinas Trench won't bother you either. Your vision will pick up any spirit creatures even in total blackness. And, Doro will probably teach you how to walk from one world to the next. Doro is right, this is just a standard mission and will be good practice for you."
Naru nodded, as Mai walked away. Doro walked up to Naru and nodded.
"Let's get to the bus. I'll take you to where the creature will emerge at."
As Doro and Naru headed for the vehicle bay, Naru asked, "Where are we heading?"
"The Bermuda Triangle."
Naru blinked and was about to open her mouth, when Doro cut her off.
"Don't worry about the vanishings and other strange things that happen there. You're a Makendo which makes you immune to it or should I say makes you one of the causes of it."
"It's linked to the Spirit World somehow, isn't it?" Naru asked.
"The biggest gate is out there, yes."
Naru sighed and headed off on her first mission.
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(Posted Wed, 15 Mar 2006 19:52)
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