episode 132: cutting it close A battle for the ages, it seems, is taking place on the greens underneath the bridge. A young girl, perhaps only a little bit older than Rini, fights witht the way of the samurai against a much older male opponent. "She's so good!" Lita comments, watching from above. "That's Miharu, she's training to be a samurai," Raye explains. on the field, we see that young Miharu has beaten the older warrior! "YEAH, Miharu...RINI!!" Serena cries out as Rini runs onto the field!! "Miharu! You were awesome! You should stay at my house!" "No," the girl answers, "I'm still in training." "Then how about getting 3 meals a day?"..."Why did you use MY ROOM!?" Serena screams. Rini yells at her, "Mom said that we had to use YOUR room for Miharu!" Miharu turns to face them, and Serena says, covering up, "I'm glad to have you here, Miharu, to help you train!" in the kitchen, Miharu throws up a vegetable, and chops it up in mid-air! *applause* "Wow, that's awesome!" Serena says in awe. "Say, Miharu," wonders Serena's mom, "aren't your parents worried about you?" "Yeah, aren't they?" Rini chimes in. Miharu just says matter-of-factly, "No, they're not worried. My dad's been dead for five years, and my mom..." She trails off and thinks of her mom saying, "You're too stubborn!" "...my mom...can I cut an onion?" Miharu goes to work, but Serena looks very concerned... neanwhile, at the bar, Tiger's-Eye seems VERY interested in one particular target. "She's pretty, with a small nose...perfect!" Of course, it's a pic of Miharu. Hawk's-Eye scolds, "But she looks very devoted. AND she's very young. I don't think she would be the one." Fish laughs, "I just don't understand your taste!" But Tiger persists, "I'm Tiger's-Eye the Special Guy, and I can get through to her! If I have to change my methods, I'll do just that!"...meanwhile, on the greens, a woman (in a SHORT dress) approaches the ever-training Miharu - and they begin to fight! "GO MIHARU!" Rini and Serena cheer on the sidelines...but Miharu is easily defeated. However, the woman doesn't stop! She continues to beat the child with her wooden sword, once, twice --- "STOP! She's lost, isn't that ENOUGH?" Serena cries, blocking her. "I..it's OK," Miharu says with tears in her eyes, "that's my mother." "Your MOTHER?" Her mother walks away, laughing at her daughter. "Why would she do that to you?" Serena questions. "Well, my mom never wanted me to do this, even though it's my dream...and my father's..." She begins to tear as she remembers her mother complaining about her seriousness... "OPPPPEEEEENNNNN UUUPPPP!" Serena screams. She and Rini have reached Miharu's mother's shrine. All we can hear is the beating of the tom-toms, but no response. "OPEN THESE DOORS!" Rini cries. Only the drums. "COME ON, OPEN UUUPPP!" Serena tries. Still nothing! Together now - "OOOPPEEENNN UUPPP THESE DOOORS PPLLLLEEEEEASSSE!!!" Nothing! As the two girls pant, exhausted, who would come to the front door but Miharu's mom! (Why WOULD she be home? hee hee) "What are you girls doing here?" "Why are you so mean to Miharu?" asks Serena, Rini nodding. "She just trains so hard, why are you so hard on her?!" "She trains TOO hard, that's her problem...you shouldn't interfere." The mother closes the door (which BTW is REALLY tall). "You're mean!" Serena screams. "You're even meaner than Serena!" Rini adds! *sweat drop* "What do you MEAN?"... Meanwhile, back at the greens, a man approaches the still-training Miharu, a man with a frilly neck-collar and a strange hat - Tiger in disguise! "you are so tough when you train," he says poetically. "I've trained under Toshido Minamoto of the Dead Moon school." "I'm in the Edo school!" But she looks puzzled about Tiger. "You've never heard of him? He fought in a famous battle with [couldn't catch the name]." "You mean Torazo Minamoto?" *sweat drop* He thinks to himself, "I got the NAME WRONG!!!" Out loud, he covers up, "The two were brothers, but the former actually started his own school for samurai!!" waves and a triangle appear behind him for effect (this is the Toei [the company that did SM] logo!)! "I challenge you!" He begins to raise the board- but she notices it, and he puts it back down. "Fine, I'll wait for that...let's battle!" "BRING IT ON!" she screams! The two begin to battle (Miharu with her wooden sword and Tiger with his trick tiger-stripe sword)! Miharu dodges out of the way, but the sword extends and hits her! "I thought I had enough space..." she yells as she falls to the ground! She gets up, stunned, and questions, "Oh, please, can you train me?" Tiger knows that she's in his grasp, and says to her, "I usually don't take students. but in your case I'll make an exception!" The two begin to walk off together... As Serena and Rini walk home (Rini has smoke coming from her head, hee hee), the engraged Rini says to herself, "Her mother's so mean! how could she do that to her! i hate her--" "Rini! She may not be that far off." "WHA?" "I mean, she probably had a reason for being mean like that." "WHAT reason?" A pause..."I DON'T KNOW! I'm just saying," she says sincerely, "no mother hates her daughter." Rini looks puzzled for a moment, but then smiles...as Tiger's-Eye and Miharu walk through the forest, Raye and Lita spot them. "Isn't that Miharu? And who's that guy?" wonders Raye. "They're going to the graveyard," Lita adds. Raye shivers. "I have a BAD feeling about this..."...at the graveyard, Tiger's-Eye starts the manipulation. "My techniques are very hard to learn. Just listen to everything I say." "Yes." "First, close your eyes." "My eyes?" wonders the girl. "Yes, and don't open them until I say so." Miharu closes her eyes - "One! TWO!" Miharu screams in fright, with her eyes WIDE open, "what are you doing to me?" But it's too late - "THREE!!!" Her dream mirror comes out! But the watching Serena and Rini know what to do - "MOON COSMIC DREAM ACTION!"... "Oh, no Pegasus," moans Tiger. "It's time to destroy you now--" "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" Jupiter, Mars, Mini Moon, and Moon have arrived! Tiger sends out his Lemure, a Cat's-Cradle playing monster called Ayatoriko. "MARS FIREBALLS BLAST!" The Lemure forms a square with Cat's-Cradle rope above Mars' head - and her own fire is shot out at her!!...and Miharu begins to wake up...the Lemure is furious! "Cat's Cradle, wanna play Cat's Cradle?" She forms this covering of acidic gooey stuff (that's all it is!) over all the Scouts - when Miharu joins them! "I can't stand for this, SUPREME THUNDER CRASH!" Jupiter destroys the covering! "Fine, then, how's about a ladder? one! Two! THREE! FOUR! FIVE!" The Lemure throws the hard, HUGE rope ladders towards the Scouts! Mars taunts, "I bet your can't make the sixth ladder!" The lemure tries...and tries...but she can't do it! "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" unfortunately, the Lemure saw that coming, and shoots out a Cat's-Cradle rope that wraps the Scouts together!!!... now trapped, they all yell at Miharu, "RUN! Get away while you can!" But the oh so stubborn Miharu just says, "A samurai can't run away! YYAAAAA!" She charges at Ayatoriko, who wraps her sword with the red rope. "you're so stubborn," she remembers her mother saying...and she lets go of the sword - it flies up and knocks the Lemure over! Miharu goes to untie the girls. "Please, Pegasus, protect our dreams! CRYSTAL TWINKLE BELL!" "MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!" The Lemure is killed off! "Great job, you did it Miharu!" they all smile. But to them, Miharu says quietly, "I never won a match like that before...but I think I know what I've been looking for..." The greens. Miharu has a rematch with her mother. "now, THIS is how you do it, so pay attention, miharu!" Her mother charges at her daughter - but she falls into a hole in the ground! "YYYEEESSS! I DID IT!" Miharu cries, running over to the hole. "Did WHAT?" "I FINALLY beat you! And now I know that I wa too serious before to be a champion. I need to relax and focus on the big picture!" Miharu's mom playfully grabs her daughter and puts her in an armlock. "I'm glad you learned! But that's not how you win, sweetie." "Ok! I'll never do that again!"...Serena and Rini look on, smiling. "I hope she'll be OK," Rini wonders, but Serena just says, "Don't worry. She'll be fine, because she has a truly loving mother!"... so Miharu's dream was saved, but Tiger's-Eye was wrong...AGAIN...how long can he keep this up before Zirconia REALLY gives them a threat?...