The lights turn on during Rei's photo shoot.

A staff member runs on set and announces, "Okay! Break!"

Sugao gushes in English, "Marvelous! Marvelous!" He bows and tells the staff, "Thank you for all your hard work."

Minako watches in frustration.

"You'll be a hit, there's no mistake!" Sugao tells Rei, who responds with an almost pretentious, "Thank you!"

Minako presses her lips together in anger as Sugao fawns over Rei. "You aren't hot? You aren't hot? How's your hips? Your legs?" Minako gathers herself and steps forward. "President!" she says loudly, approaching them. "Oh my! Are you still here?" asks Sugao.

"The canceling of the photo book, I can't consent to it!"

"Well, that, you see..." he starts with a grand nod.

Rei does her own nod with an oily smile that makes Minako glance at her. "Oh, your new song, I thought I'd let Reiko do that, as well. It's perfect for her debut CD."

"The new song, too?" asks Minako.

"Oh! Do you have some kind of problem with that?" Sugao baits, "The way I've seen you lately, it didn't seem like you'd want to sing it."

"I'll sing it!" declares Minako. She turns to face Rei.

"It will be better than if it were done by Mars. Without a doubt!" Sugao mutters loudly, "Here it is! She hates to lose."

"If you say that," purrs Rei, "we should decide by a contest."

"Contest?" repeats Minako.

Usagi is in her dining room, laughing and watching TV when her Teletia S rings. "Yes? Hello?" she answers it absently. "Yeah. Huh?!" Suddenly, all her attention is on the phone call. "With Minako?! I'll go! I'll go right now!" Closing her phone, she leaps to her feet, Luna in hand. "Mama! I'm going to go out for a little bit! If you're not watching the TV, can you turn it off!" she asks as she runs out of the dining room.

Ikuko doesn't seem to have heard. She's staring into a pink hand mirror, back to the TV. "I wonder the plan for becoming a reporter failed? I thought it was good." She perks up. "Ah! Sugao's video must have failed!"

On the TV, Suzuyan says, "Madam, I don't think so!" The audience laughs. (Suzuyan is PGSM director Suzumura is a cameo role.)

A Orange Broadcasting, a stage is all set up for the contest.

Sugao steps out in a flashy outfit to emcee the event. In a rather sedate manner for him, he introduces the show. "A special presentation. The contest for the new song. Aino Minako versus newcomer Maaars Reiko. Battle tournament! Wagering the recording of the new song, the top idol and the newcomer bring their friends and have an all-out battle. And now, the curtain rises." He gestures and the girls appear.

Minako and Rei are first, followed by Usagi and girl Luna on Minako's team and Makoto and Ami on Rei's. Minako's team is wearing white tank tops and Rei's team has the exact tank top in red.

Usagi and Luna wave their hands about excitedly, cheering "Yay! Yay!" The girls stop and the cameras move closer.

"It's starting!" whispers Usagi to Luna, who nods. "Minako! Let's do our best!" encourages Usagi.

"Wow, how nice," Makoto says enviously. Turning to Ami, she whispers. "But, what's the meaning of this? This Mars Reiko?"

Ami whispers back. "It's Rei's business, so I think she has some sort of idea, but..."

 Rei stands by herself, a smile playing across her lips.

"Okay okay okay!" Sugao says loudly, "No talking during the recording! Okay, then...the captains, please go to the special boxes!" Minako and Rei do as they're bid, opening up the doors to two adjacent chambers. "Oh, and what's your name?" Sugao asks.

"Ki-Kino Makoto!"

"Kino Makoto. How cute!" Makoto let out an embarrassed laugh.

Sitting down inside the chambers, Minako speaks to Rei through the clear wall as they both remove their hats. "What are you thinking? Dragging the Princess into this?"

"We ordinarily don't call her Princess," replies Rei, "and we don't treat her like a princess."

Minako looks at Usagi who's waving to her energetically.

"Oh! You're so tiny, aren't you?!" Sugao asks Luna.

"I'm not tiny!" Luna responds indignantly.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Well then, the first match, a jumping showdown! Usagi versus Makoto!"

Makoto is up first.

Ami cheers her on from the background. "Mako-chan! Good luck! Yay! Fight! Mako-chan!"

Makoto nods and starts running towards the jumping wall. She jumps onto a trampoline and then reaches as high as she can, her velcroed jumpsuit and mits causing her to stick. She's reached the edge of the green section, almost into the highest blue section.

"You did it!" Ami cheers with big pink pompoms while Luna sighs. "Yay!" says Ami.

Makoto holds up her fist in triumph, but then looks around for Usagi. Spotting her, her eyes widen in surprise.

"Usagi! Good luck!" cheers Luna.

Usagi's all the way on the other side of the stage, stretching. "Here I go!" she says. She readies herself, then runs wildly towards the wall, jumps of the trampoline and crashes painfully. When she recovers enough to extract her face from the wall, she notices that she's reached up past the blue section. Turning around, she displays her red nose and cheers, "I did it! Ouch!"

"Winner!" declares Sugao, "Minako Team!"

Luna twirls around in her chair, cheering.

The balloon above Rei starts to inflate.

"If the team loses, the balloon above the leader's head will gradually get more and more dangerous, so be careful.

Minako looks worried.