Sailor Helga SGR - Chapter 4

Note:

For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics.

For example:

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = Helga

It was Saturday. Patty awoke in her bed to the sound of crying downstairs. Swiftly, she changed out of her pajamas and tip-toed downstairs to observe the situation.

There, she found her mother being consoled by her father in the living room. The house was in a state of disarray; furniture had been toppled over, and a window facing the main street had been smashed open.

"It's okay, sweetie..." reassured Mr. Smith, though his tone didn't convey the same message.

"What happened here?" Patty asked cautiously.

Mrs. Smith held her breath between sobs, just long enough to dab a handkerchief against her damp eyes. "We've been robbed, Patty...!" she finally blurted out, only to bury her head back into her comforting husband.

Patty's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're kidding."

"It must have happened in the middle of the night," determined Mr Smith. "I'm just surprised we hadn't heard anything. That burglar's lucky he didn't run into me, the coward...!"

"Did they steal anything valuable?" asked Patty.

"Well...they didn't take any of money, fortunately, but they did swipe..."

"THEY STOLE MY MOTHER'S HEIRLOOM!" cried Mrs. Smith, and she went back to bawling hysterically again.

"That's terrible. Mom, I'm so sorry."

"Well, the police will be here soon," advised Mr. Smith. "And mark my words, they'll find the guy responsible for this mess!"

"I hope so. I guess I'd better tidy up in here." Patty proceeded to pick up the broken pieces of a vase on the floor, then went to get a broom to sweep up the dirt. All the while, Diana watched diligently from the top of the steps.

"...and that's how I won first place in the science fair," said Phoebe, concluding her story.

"Wow, that's really cool, Phoebe," commented Gerald sincerely. "You're very smart."

Phoebe blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Gerald."

They were both walking down the sidewalk together on a gloomy afternoon. Phoebe was on her way to Helga's house – she would later accompany her to Gerald Field for an upcoming baseball match – and had run into Gerald along the way. Throughout the years the two had remained very good friends, but had never progressed beyond that. Phoebe did have a slight crush on him, but had decided against acting on her feelings; after all, Gerald had displayed affection for quite a few other girls since the fourth grade. Top it off with the fact that he was considered one of the "cool" kids, and she knew for certain that pursing anything with Gerald would be a lost cause.

At last, they reached the Pataki household. Phoebe had turned to Gerald and smiled. "Well, good luck with your baseball game today."

"Thanks," said Gerald. "Hey, Phoebe..." he paused, and looked down at his sneakers, which he scuffed nonchalantly on the sidewalk. "I was wondering..."

"Yes...?" Phoebe looked at him with piqued interest.

Gerald continued: "I was wondering...if you're not doing anything tomorrow afternoon, maybe we could-"

"Hey! There he is! Gerald!" Sid and Harold had spotted their teammate from across the street and approached him, Harold patting him heartily on the back.

"Oh. Hey, you guys," said Gerald, still a little flustered.

"Yes, hello Harold. Hello, Sid." Phoebe said this rather curtly as she was certain they had just ruined an opportune moment. "Prepared for today's game?"

"Oh, you bet!" beamed Sid excitedly. "Those kids from P.S. 119 don't stand a chance!"

"Hey, what do you care anyway?" Harold asked crassly. "You don't play sports anyhow."

Phoebe bristled, then leered in annoyance at Harold. "I'm merely spectating at the event. Helga had invited me."

"Well, THAT figures...!" joked Sid, nudging Harold with his elbow. "Like you would ever set foot on a baseball diamond."

"Just what are you insinuating?"

"It means that you stink!" said Harold, bluntly. "Come on, Phoebe, we all know that the baseball would just bean you right in your glasses. And you've never caught a fly ball. You're like a...a..."

"Like a dugout disaster!" pointed out Sid.

"Yeah! A dugout diaster! Good one, Sid!"

The two boys had laughed at Phoebe's expense and, to Phoebe's horror, Gerald began laughing as well.

"Gerald!"

"Well, it's true, Phoebe," admitted Gerald, between laughs. "I've tried teaching you in the past but...you are really bad at baseball."

Phoebe's face flushed crimson red. Enraged, she shook her clenched fists at her side. "So...that's it? I'm just a big joke to you? My athletic shortcomings are a source of joviality to you?"

"Yeah...I mean, no, no!" Gerald said quickly. "Come on, Phoebe, we were just fooling around!"

"At my expense, no less!" cried Phoebe. "How could you be so boorish?"

"Aw gee, I'm sorry, Phoebe," Gerald went to put his arm around Phoebe's shoulder, but stopped midway when Harold and Sid began to jeer.

"Uh-oh, looks like Gerald is laying on the charm again," teased Sid.

"What? No, no! It's nothing like that. I don't...I mean...!"

But Gerald had already sealed his fate. Phoebe swatted his arm away and glared at him with unbridled vitriol.

Just then, Helga came out through the front door, carrying her baseball bat and pitcher's glove, and oblivious to the ensuing argument. "Well, I'm all set to whup some...!"

"You know what, Gerald,"You're a...a...a big fat jerk!"

And with that, Phoebe ran up the steps of Helga's house, entered through the open door, then slammed it shut. Everyone went silent. Helga looked at the stunned Harold and Sid, then at Gerald, whose jaw was hanging open and was dumbfounded at what just happened.

"Criminy...what did you clods say to her?"

"Gerald told Phoebe that she sucks at baseball!" informed Sid.

"What? You guys started it!"

"Yeah but what does Phoebe care if we laugh at her? She likes you, not us."

"But I didn't...!"

"All right, knock it off!" Helga intervened. "If you wanna carry on with this inane conversation, do it elsewhere and not in front of my front stoop. I'll meet you guys at the game, I just need to repair the damage that YOU made."

Helga turned around and re-entered her house. Harold and Sid mumbled something to one another before heading for Gerald Field. Gerald sighed and reluctantly followed them.

Helga looked at Phoebe, who was sitting on the floor, her back against the front door. She folded her arms and sighed disappointedly at her best friend. "Pheebs, you really need to develop a thicker skin..."

"It's not that, Helga..." Phoebe sighed. "It's just...well, it's complicated..."

Helga smirked. "Well, I doubt it's all THAT complicated. Look, I'm not the biggest fan of "tall-hair-boy" - and trust me, the feeling's mutual – but Gerald's not a bad guy. It's when he hangs out with those two chuckleheads that he acts like a jerk."

"But...he didn't even defend me..."

"Yeah, that was a real bonehead move on his part...tell you what: when I get the chance, I'll fire a foul ball right at him. Black eye central. What do you say?"

"I appreciate the sentiment, Helga" said Phoebe as she stood up. "But I think I may renege on attending the baseball game. I should really be studying for Monday's math test anyway."

"Alright, if that's what you want. I'll tell you all about it."

Phoebe nodded and exited Helga's house, then made her way home, sulking all the way.

Normally, this type of thing wouldn't get to Phoebe. Being the meek individual that she was, she knew that she would have to be able to defend herself. Luckily she had Helga as her best friend, so she didn't have to worry about your basic bullies. And yet she took fencing not simply because she enjoyed it, but because she felt the skills she had acquired would become a necessity some day.

But this was different. School wasn't a breeze for Phoebe as it originally was two years prior. Though she still made exceptional grades, she attributed that to her dedicated studying habits, otherwise she was starting to feel no more competent than any of her fellow classmates. Her 6th grade teacher, Mr Frank, was a rather deadpan character, and didn't nurture or praise her intelligent as did Mr. Simmons in the past, which she found very discouraging.

Most importantly, she was a sailor scout again. While she dutifully honored her role, she had to concede that it put a bit of a strain on her as a preteen. And, though she hated to admit it, she really did have feelings for Gerald. But now she was convinced more than ever that nothing would come of it.

Phoebe sat at her desk and scribbled nothing in particular on a sheet of lined paper, when the doorbell rang. When she answered the doorbell, she was surprised to see Helga, dirtied and bruised, and with a dour look on her face.

"Helga – this is unexpected. So how was your game?"

Helga spat bitterly. "We lost. By one measly point! I swear, if I could pound that umpire into the ground, I would!"

"I see. Would you like to come in?"

"Nah, I can't stay. Actually, I wanted to drop this off for you. It's a note from Geraldo."

Once again, Phoebe's face grew hot. "A note from Gerald?" she took the folded note and smiled.

"Yeah – listen, I couldn't get a clear shot at him, so if you'd like, just sock him one good and say it's from me."

"I don't think that will be necessary," said Phoebe.

"Suit yourself. I gotta go wash off the stench of defeat. Talk to you later." Helga waved and left for home.

Phoebe saw Helga off, but when she was out of sight, quickly went back inside to read the note. It was a brief letter, quickly scribbled with what was obviously Gerald's handwriting.

Hey Phoebe,

I'm sorry I laughed at you. I'd like to talk to you alone after the game. Meet at Gerald Field tonight.

Gerald paced back and forth nervously in the deserted Gerald Field. He felt terrible about embarrassing Phoebe. He really did care for her, but got caught up in the moment with Harold and Sid, and ended up offending the last person that he wanted to offend. True, he did hold a bit of a candle to some of the girls in older grades – most notably the girls that were now in the eighth grade – but he found that he had more in common with Phoebe than anyone else. Plus, she was really nice, and very smart...Gerald wasn't sure if she felt the same way.

"I hope Helga gives her that note..." he said to himself. Someone had left their baseball. He took his bat and practiced his swing for a while. He hit the billboard atop one of the billboards and it tremoured for a few seconds before something dropped down to the ground. Gerald approached the object and poked at it with his bat before picking it up.

"Huh...looks kinda like a lamp..."

Phoebe arrived at Gerald Field. The sky was overcast, and there was a slight wind; it looked as though it was going to rain.

She hurried across the street and to what used to be just a vacant lot filled with filth and detritus, now a well-kept (though recently manhandled) baseball diamond.

"Gerald, I'm here!" she called out. She spotted Gerald at home plate, facing away from her. She figured that he didn't hear her, so she got closer.

"Gerald, did you want to talk to me about something...?"

But as Phoebe got closer, she noticed that something was not quite right. For some reason, Gerald was shirtless, and his skin was the unusual shade of grey. He turned around to face Phoebe, and she could see that his eyes were pupil-less, though she could tell he was staring menacingly at her.

"Gerald..." she whispered in disbelief. She then braced herself and got into a fighter's stance. "MERCURY POWER, MAKE-UP!"

After she had transformed into Sailor Mercury she yelled, "Shabon Spray!", and the entire lot was shrouded in a thick mist, obscuring the fight from any possible onlookers.

Phoebe whipped out her cell phone and immediately dialed Helga's number. After three rings, Helga picked up.

"Hello?" she said from the other end.

"Helga, it's me," said Phoebe anxiously, moving to and fro to keep the transformed Gerald off her tail. "I need your help. It's Gerald: he's...!"

"Let me guess: he's finally asked you out, didn't he? Took him long enough. Guess I won't have to tear him a new..."

"Forget about that!" screeched Phoebe, alarming Helga. "He's turned into some sort of monster, I'll need you and Rhonda to...AAH!" The phone had cut off, leaving Helga listening to the dial tone.

"Phoebe...? Phoebe!" Helga hung up the phone and quickly ran out of the house.

Diana ears perked up, and she awoke from her nap. "Did you sense that?" she asked.

Patty was busy sewing on her needlepoint, and looked at the cat curiously. "What?"

Diana stood up. "Something's not right. Someone is in grave danger."

"Are you sure?"

The hairs on Diana's back bristled and stood on end. "Positive. We have to go - now!"

Diana bolted for the door to Patty's bedroom. Concerned, Patty had no choice but to follow the panicked feline.

"Hello? What is it, I'm kind of busy..." said Rhonda as she carefully tried to pick up the phone (she had just finished painting her nails and didn't want the polish to smear).

Helga was still running down the block, though now she was transformed to better handle the situation. "I just got off the phone with Phoebe. She's in real trouble. Turns out Gerald transformed into one of those monsters and attacked her. Get your butt down here now!"

"What? Where?"

Suddenly it occurred to Helga that she had no idea where Phoebe was at the time. "I-I don't know...!"

"Well how could you not find out?"

"The phone cut out before she could tell me!"

"Well...call me back when you find out!" Rhonda hung up.

Helga sighed in frustration. Her best friend was in trouble and she had no idea where to find her! But just as she was about to give up hope, she caught in the corner of her eye two fast-moving figures leaping from rooftop to rooftop overhead. It was Sailor Jupiter (Patty) and Diana.

"Hey!" Helga yelled, waving her arms and trying to get their attention, but they were already moving out of sight. Suddenly, the masked boy dropped from the sky and stood before her, nearly knocking her to her feet.

"Sailor Moon..." said the boy. "What are you doing?"

Helga regained her composure and responded, "Trying to get their attention. My best friend's in danger, and I have no clue where she is. Do you mind? You're kinda in my way..."

But the masked boy would not budge, and simply shook his head. "You don't need their help. You have the power to find your friend. Just focus."

He then placed both hands on each of Helga's shoulders. "You have the power of the moon. You should be able to sense her. Concentrate."

Helga nodded (using all of her willpower to prevent herself from blushing), then closed her eyes and blocked out any distractions as she attempted to sense Phoebe's location. After several seconds of silence, the orbs in Helga's hair began to glow ever-so faintly, and she could very scarcely make out the sound of Phoebe's voice in her head.

"Let me go...please!" pleaded the voice. The solid black in Helga's head slowly gave way and she could make out a very hazy image of what looked like a baseball diamond...not unlike the one where she had her match earlier in the day.

Helga opened her eyes and gasped. "She's at Gerald Field!"

But she was talking to herself; as she was focusing on Phoebe's location, the masked boy had disappeared.

Helga had no time to speculate on his sudden departure. She whipped out her cell phone and called back Rhonda. "She's at Gerald Field! Hurry up and get over there!"

Amazingly, all three scouts managed to make it to the vacant lot around the same time.

"Where do you think Phoebe is at?" asked Rhonda.

"Look," Patty pointed to a grotesque scene, becoming all the more visible in the dissipating haze. It was a transformed Gerald all right. But what they didn't expect to see was that Phoebe would be stuck in his hair, which entangled her like a massive black sponge.

"Criminy," said Helga. "How the heck are we supposed to get her out of that?"

Gerald growled and slammed his fist on the ground, causing a fissure that made its way directly toward the team. Patty and Rhonda leaped out of the way, while Helga simply fell to the ground.

"SUPREME THUNDER!" Patty sent an electric attack toward the transformed Gerald.

"FIRE SOUL!" Rhonda answered in kind by launching her own incendiary attack.

The Gerald monster held his ground, and simply outstretched his hands so that the attacks were absorbed into his skin.

The scouts looked on incredulously, apprehensive of what was to happen next.

For a while, nothing happened. Then, the transformed Gerald clasped his hands together. Suddenly, his hair was ablaze with both flames and electricity, and poor Phoebe was subjected to its power at full force. Phoebe screamed as the others could only look on in horror..

Helga was hysterical, her hands on her head in panic. "Geez! He's torturing her! Phoebe! Diana – quick! Hurry and think of something before he kills her!"

"He looks to be invulnerable to any external attacks, Miss Helga...!" said Diana, almost regrettably. "There's nothing we can do..."

"Are you kidding?" yelled Helga furiously. "That's my best friend getting cooked right there! Do something, dammit!"

Patty and Rhonda turned simultaneously to look at Helga, both surprised that she had swore. Frustrated, Helga ripped off her tiara and prepared to launch an attack, convinced that she could give Gerald a much-need haircut.

"Moon Tiara Magic!" She threw the tiara directly at the monster-Gerald, but he simply re-directed his hair so that Phoebe would receive the brunt of the attack.

"I mean, stop! STOP!" The tiara obeyed and boomeranged back to Helga. "Phoebe...you've got to find a way to fight it!"

At last, Phoebe came back to life. "G-Gerald..." she said very weakly. She embraced her hairy tomb before being completely sucked in and engulfed. "My answer's yes."

Gerald grabbed his head and roared as though he was in pain. He kneeled to the ground as Phoebe finally slid out of his hair, unconscious.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Helga used the wand to heal Gerald, and the two lay unconscious next to each other in the dirty, dusty (and now damaged) Gerald Field.

The sun had come out very briefly that day, but already it was about to set. Gerald and Phoebe sat together on a bench in the City Park to watch the sundown.

"So..." Gerald said. "...You've got powers...?"

"For the time being...yes," responded Phoebe. "Not many people know. It's...confidential."

"I see," said Gerald. "And...you didn't just say those things to distract me, did you? You really...like me like me?"

Phoebe blushed. "That's correct. Are the feelings mutual?"

Now it was Gerald's to turn red. "Uh..yeah. I like you like you, too...this is so cool. My girlfriend's a superhero."

Phoebe smiled and Gerald smiled back, and the two held hands as they watched the sun set over the city.