Last Resort

Last Resort is the 36th episode of Sailor Moon. It was preceded by Ice Princess and followed by Tuxedo Unmasked.

Plot
Serena and her family are going to a hot springs resort. When Serena takes Sammy's game away, her locket falls to the floor. Serena's father finds it amusing at first and asks if a boy gave it to her, but when she tells him yes, he gets angry at the idea of her going out with some boy without telling them, and nearly crashes into another car, until Serena's mother suggests that she got it from Melvin, whom Mr. Tsukino thinks would be a good boy for Serena. They arrive at the resort, which is where Serena's parents first met.

Malachite detects powerful energy from the lake, and Queen Beryl sends Prince Darien to check it out. As he has been acting weirdly lately, Beryl sends Malachite to keep an eye on him.

Serena's mother finds Serena standing near the Guardians of the Lake statue, and tells her about the legend about a man who fell in love with a water sprite from the lake, but another girl was in love with him, and when she saw them together, she got jealous and turned into a hideous monster. The man and the water sprite used up all their power to trap the monster in the lake, and became two stars guarding the lake.

Prince Darien suspects that the legend is true, and awakens the monster, the Ancient Creature of the Lake. She refuses to obey him, however, and goes off in search of the water sprite. She believes Serena to be the water sprite, and attacks her and her family with her breath. She is strangling Serena's father when Tuxedo Mask attacks her. As she is attacking Tuxedo Mask with her tail, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus arrive and attack her. Serena sneaks off and transforms into Sailor Moon.

The Sailor Scouts fight the Ancient Creature of the Lake, but she survives a direct hit from a Jupiter Thunder Crash and Venus Crescent Beam Smash combination. She even survives Sailor Moon's Moon Tiara Magic. Sailor Mars uses a Mars Fireball Charge on her and traps her in a ring of fire. Sailor Moon uses Moon Healing Activation, turning her into the spirit of the girl, freeing her of all the jealousy. She seems to recognize Darien as the man she was in love with before she disappears.

Tuxedo Mask leaves, deciding to settle the business of the Imperium Silver Crystal later. Malachite is still suspicious of him.