Sailor Moon episode 64

Canadian Air date: 11/8/95

American Air date: 11/20/95

"Checkmate!" Serena had lost again. Lita and Rini clapped for Amy, as she had won a game of Chess against Serena. Lita said,

"You know, Amy, you're so good at this, you oughta think about turning pro or something!" Amy blushed.

"I'm not that good!"

"Come on, Amy!" Serena prodded. "With your moves, and me promoting you, we could go all the way to the national championships!" Lita told Amy that they had to go.

"I almost forgot!" Amy said. "We're going to see the new Chess Tower."

"What's that?" Serena asked. "A new store at the mall?" Amy shook her head.

"Way better than the mall!"

"Better 'n' the mall?"

"What was Catsy thinking? Why would she want to be just an ordinary human being?" Birdy asked. She was in Rubeus' fortress, and was looking at her sister in a mirror. Avery said,

"Catsy's nothing but a traitor to our cause."

"And not to mention, our family as well." Prisma continued. Rubeus said,

"She's no longer a member of this family."

"Too bad." Birdy said. "I'm going to miss her." Rubeus frowned on Birdy's words, and smashed the mirror. Birdy was frightened. Rubeus said,

"She'll get hers soon enough. Back to business. We've just now located another Crystal Point. It's right there, we can't afford to botch this one!" Rubeus was speaking about a huge tower that looked like a Chess piece. Birdy went to capture it, and Prisma said,

"Birdy won't be able to do it on her own."

"Let her go." Avery said. "If she doesn't do it, we can always finish the job."

"I'm counting on you!" Rubeus said. The sisters smiled. Rubeus thought to himself, Little do they know that they're just pawns in my game, to be discarded when they're no longer needed. Toil away, you stupid dupes!

"I've seen that shape somewhere before!" Said Serena. They had all arrived at the Chess Tower. Lita said,

"It's a what-do-you-call-it, a Kook, right?" Amy kept herself from laughing. She gently corrected Lita. In Chess, it was called a rook. Amy told them that as part of the grand opening, the Chess Tower was holding a big tournament. Serena said that Amy had to enter, and Amy said that she had always played for fun. A woman said to her,

"Spoken like a true loser." The girls turned around, and saw a woman with white hair and blue eyes looking at them. She had on a skirt that had a Chess pattern on it. The woman said,

"If you're not playing to win, then you shouldn't play at all. Winning's definitely where it's at, you know?"

"I thought a good sport enjoyed the game; Win or lose." Serena said. The woman smiled.

"I'm lucky I don't have to be a good sport." The girls were less than impressed with the woman's attitude. The woman went inside, and Amy was discouraged. She was quite motivated to enter the tournament.

Inside, Amy was signing some papers, and heard a voice that was familiar to her. She turned to see an old man, and she greeted him. She said,

"I'm so excited to look around your place!"

"We like it." The man said. "But what about you? Will you be entering the tournament?" Amy said she was. The man invited her to play a warm-up match. Amy and the man began to play. The man said to Amy that he used to play Chess with her grandfather, and Amy knew about it. The man said,

"Amy, there's been a change in you. There was a time when you could think about nothing else but playing Chess. I used to think you did it cause you wanted the company."

"You see," Amy replied, "I've got real friends now."

"That's good." The man said. "Chess is one thing, but your friends are with you your whole life time!" Amy won the game. The man said that if one thing hadn't changed, it was the fact that playing against Amy was humbling. Amy saw someone run through the hall, and said to the man,

"This place closes at five, is that right?" The man replied yes. Amy asked if it was all right to look around, and the man said to go ahead. Amy thanked the man, and followed the form she had seen.

Birdy arrived in the basement of the Chess Tower.

"This is the center of the Crystal Point. Rubeus will be pleased. Great Power of the Negamoon, seize this place!" The ice that was Birdy's power moved around her like a snake, and the room was being filled with Negamoon energy. Birdy heard a voice.

"Hey, stop it!" Birdy looked, and saw who the person was. She thought, It's that little mousy Chess player!

"Wanna play, do ya, kid?" Birdy said. Amy didn't speak. Birdy taunted, "What's the matter kid, cat got your tongue, or are you just scared to death at the thought of losing to me? Well, get ready, cause I'm about to dish out a big dose of humility. Coming right at ya!" Birdy blasted Amy with a black bubble, and sent Amy crashing back. Amy tried to get up, and Birdy blasted her again. Amy was still strong, and Birdy was surprised. Amy called out.

"MERCURY STAR POWER!!!!!"

Birdy was shocked. She said,

"So, the little brown mouse turns out to be Sailor Mercury!" Birdy got ready to hit Sailor Mercury. As she raised her hand in the air, something unexpected happened.

"JUPITER THUNDERCLOUD ZAP!!!"

The small disk of electricity hit Birdy's hand, and she was in a lot of pain.

"Well," She said, "look who's come to join the party! Sailor Moon and her fashion challenged little friends!"

"That's right!" Jupiter yelled. "And we're here to challenge you, Nega-brat!"

"And I'll win that fight," Birdy said "but I'll choose the time and the place. See ya!" Birdy disappeared. Sailor Mercury was worried. Birdy saw her transform into Sailor Mercury.

"Why would she want the Chess Tower?" Jupiter asked. "It just doesn't make any sense!"

"Hey, whatever the reason," Sailor Moon said, "we've got her covered."

"You guys are the best!" Said Mercury.

In Rubeus' fortress, Birdy was inspecting her injury.

"Those bratty little viruses really took a big chunk out my hand!" Birdy said. Just then, two people peered though Birdy's mirror.

"Birdy got a wing clipped?" Prisma taunted.

"Aw, baby got an owy?" Avery said. Birdy didn't think anyone was there.

"I hope you're not going to tell us..." Prisma began.

"...that you failed?" Avery finished. Birdy was getting nervous.

"Because there's no room for failure in this game, Birdy." Prisma said.

"That's good, Birdy." Avery said. "Cause we all know what happened to the last sister who failed miserably around here."

"I think I'd rather die than become a human." Prisma said.

"That's not going to happen to me." Birdy said. "I just had a minor, very minor setback, really." Birdy was nervous. Would her own sisters betray her if she failed? What if she succeeded? Later, she stood overlooking the city. She thought, Who would've thought that Sailor Mercury was a wimpy little Chess nut? Well, I just have to beat her at her own game, or rather, my game. While Birdy was thinking, a small dragonfly was buzzing around her. Birdy thought, I've got some moves she won't believe! With that, the world was short one dragonfly.

The next day, Birdy went to the Chess Tower. She walked up to the desk, and said,

"Excuse me, is this where I sign up for the Chess tournament?"

"Yes." The clerk answered. "You need to register."

"Really." Birdy said. "Let's just skip all that!" The clerk was caught off guard. Birdy looked deep into the clerk's eyes. All around Birdy, dark energy could be seen. She said to the clerk in her mind, "I don't really need to register, do I?"

The clerk said to Birdy eventually,

"No, go right in."

While the Chess players were in one room playing, the spectators were treated to an amazing video display of all the players moves. Each player had a picture, and they were paired up. When one player won, one picture would disappear, and the remaining picture would move and stretch to take the losers place. Amy won, and Catsy, along with Serena, Raye, Lita and Mina were watching. Amy won a match, and Catsy said,

"She'll do it. I have great confidence in her." Serena had to let Amy know that her friends were out there.

"Amy! Amy! She's okay! She's the champ that's here to stay!" Raye ran up to Serena, and grabbed away the two fans that Serena was waving around. Raye told Serena to be quiet. Just then, an old man turned to face them.

"What's the racket?" He asked. Lita apologized, and the man asked,

"Pardon me for asking, but are you all friends of Amy's?"

"Yes." Serena said. "And who are you?"

"Just a Chess fan who happens to own the building." The man said. Serena knew who the man was.

"You're the one Amy told us about!"

"Yes. And you must be the wonderful new friends she told me about." The man said. Mina said to the man,

"Do really think Amy stands a chance of winning the tournament?"

"It all depends on who she's up against." The man answered. On one of the screens, the man saw a young woman defeat her opponent. The man said that Amy would most likely have to beat that woman. Catsy looked at the picture. That's Birdy! She thought. What's she doing here? Amy won the last of her matches, and in the end, it was Birdy vs. Amy. In the playing room, Amy shook hands with Birdy, and when they touched, Amy felt something odd. She's as cold as ice! She thought. Birdy held on to Amy's hand, and thought, I'll win this tournament, and turn this place into a vortex of Nega-power! Then, the real games will begin!

"If you don't mind," Birdy said gently, "I'd like to use these." She got out some Chess pieces. They were like any other Chess piece, with the exemption that they had beautiful colored stones on them. Amy thought they were beautiful. They two began to play Chess. Birdy made a move, and took one of Amy's pieces. The man in the viewing room saw, and thought that it was a good move. Lita said,

"Not so good for Amy!"

Birdy and Amy continued to play. Amy had been foolish, and she saw it. She looked at the board, and the one move that ended it all had finally been seen. Amy moved.

"Checkmate!"

Birdy was angry. As Amy was about to leave, Birdy said,

"Not so fast! Game's not over yet. Now, the real games begin, Sailor Mercury!" Amy was shocked. Birdy stood up, and looked to the camera. She froze it, saying,

"So long, Chess fans!"

In the spectator's room, the man was about to get up, wondering what happened to the video coverage. Raye and the others had their feelings. Mina told Catsy to stay put, and Catsy did.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!!!"

"MARS STAR POWER!!!"

"JUPITER STAR POWER!!!!"

"VENUS STAR POWER!!!!"

Just as Birdy was about to make her move on the already transformed Sailor Mercury, the door to the room burst open, revealing Sailor Moon, and three more Sailor Scouts.

"Every game has it's rules, but you've been making them up as you go along, you big, slimy Nega-cheater! We're gonna hand you the rule book, and you're gonna play by it!"

Birdy wasn't the least bit phased. She looked at the Sailor Scouts, and with a mere thought, trapped them in a large glass bubble. It floated high above the chess table, and Birdy said,

"Anyone for Pawns under glass?"

Birdy looked at Sailor Mercury, and challenged her to another game.

"But this time, we'll use my pieces as well as my rules." In the bubble, the Sailor Scouts tried to get out. Birdy asked Sailor Mercury again, and Mercury said,

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really, Sailor Mercury." Birdy said. "Now, stop stalling, and start playing." Birdy set up the board. Sailor Mercury had no pieces left with any sort of special attribute, and Birdy controlled most of the board.

"Some rules!" Mercury said. Birdy countered,

"Oh, I think you'll find the rules very fair to me." Sailor Mercury moved a piece, and Birdy said,

"Now, play." Birdy captured the piece, and Sailor Mercury felt something odd.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that whenever you lose a piece, a piece of you gets frozen?" Birdy asked. Sailor Mercury looked down and saw that her legs were encased in ice. Sailor Mars said,

"I'll get her out of there!"

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!!!"

The Rings of Fire were blocked by the shell of the bubble. Meanwhile, Birdy won the Chess game. She said,

"You know, you really can't win. You've only got pawns in the game."

"They're not pawns!" Mercury countered. "They're friends. My friends!"

"Who has friends?" Birdy asked, standing up. Sailor Mercury answered,

"Everyone has friends. And I'll fight to the end for them, just as they would for me."

Birdy knew that Mercury was playing for a little time. She sat down, and it was then that Prisma and Avery appeared.

"So nice of you to come when it's all over, sisters." Birdy sighed. Prisma and Avery said that they were only there for a piece of the credit. Birdy was about to move her last piece, saying,

"Check..." Suddenly, something flew by, and hit Birdy's hand. She dropped the Chess piece, and looked down. In the Chess board was a red rose. Birdy looked up at her new adversary, and said,

"Oh, not you again!"

"Check!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. The Chess piece was shattered. Tuxedo Mask said,

"Never overlook the power of your pawns, for the game can be won or lost because of them. Farewell!" Tuxedo Mask disappeared, and Birdy turned to her sisters for help.

"No way, Birdy! You blew it big time!" Prisma said.

"I hate to think what Rubeus is gonna do to you! I wouldn't come back!" Avery said. As they left Birdy, Prisma said,

"Tough luck, kid!"

Birdy looked at the spot where her sisters had left her. She turned around smiling, and looked at the Sailor Scouts. She told them,

"Hey, don't look so glum, you guys won here! I'm the big loser, so go ahead and yuk it up! My own sisters, they'd leave me out to dry, not a friend in sight. It's really very funny. Birdy began to laugh, but it didn't hide the tears streaming down her face.

"That's it then!" Birdy yelled. She called on her ice powers. "Powers of the Negaverse! Turn me to ice, so I never have to feel! Take me, please!"

The room began to freeze, as the winds blew around. Birdy yelled,

"There's no such thing as love! Loyalty. Friendship. I was such a fool."

"No Birdy, you're wrong, you're wrong!" It was Catsy.

"Go ahead and laugh, Catsy." Birdy said. "I deserve it."

"I'm not laughing!" Catsy said, an ice shard hitting her in the face. "I came here for you!"

"Go away, Catsy." Birdy said coldly. "You couldn't possibly understand what I'm going through right now."

"I understand better than anyone!" Catsy yelled back in the wind. "Birdy, I know what it's like, thinking you're completely alone in the world!"

"I can't stand it!" Birdy cried. A giant chunk of ice flew through the air, and hit Catsy in the side of the head. Birdy was worried about her sister, but Catsy got up.

"The Sailor Scouts. They taught me what true friendship is really about."

Catsy had convinced Birdy. The icy winds stopped, and the ice that had encased Birdy's body disappeared. She looked at her sister, and asked,

"But could I ever feel love like that?" Catsy ran to her sister, and Birdy said,

"This is a new feeling for me. Why are you crying? Are you in pain?"

"No." Catsy answered. "They're just tears of joy." Catsy and her sister embraced, and Catsy looked up to Birdy. She knodded. With that, Sailor Moon took all the evil in Birdy and killed it.

"MOON CRYSTAL HEALING ACTIVATION!!!"

Birdy was changed forever.

All the girls, including Catsy and Birdy, were at Serena's house. Catsy and Birdy were playing Chess, and Catsy seemed to be in trouble.

"Aw, come on, give me a break will ya?" Catsy exclaimed. Birdy said,

"No way, you've got to learn to be on your own in this game!" A Chess piece fell from under Birdy's arm. Catsy saw it, and said,

"What's that? An extra piece? You little cheater!"

"Lighten up." Birdy said. "It's only a silly game."

"Silly game?" Catsy yelled, raising her hand. She and Birdy laughed.