"speech"
"radio, feline language, or telepathic speech"
thoughts
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½. I make no money from this, nor do I plan on trying to. This is purely for fun.
Warning: There will be some OOC. It is an AU though, so that can almost be expected.
Important Note: This story takes place in two different worlds. As such dividers of XxXxX will be used for when it switches worlds.
Of fish, ponds, and wild horses
A tale of the Knight Mare
by FaerieKnight197
Lights flickered in the dimly illuminated warehouse. A stray bolt of lightning could be seen through dirty windows. In the shadows armed men kept a wary watch. The center of the warehouse was cleared out except for an operating table. An old man wearing a white lab coat stood next to the table, scalpel in hand. Just before he could make the first incision on a blue haired teenage girl secured to the table a loud crash could be heard.
"Give up Odd, ya don't have a chance," declared a teenage girl with flaming red hair.
She wore a hot pink hello kitty belly shirt with matching hot pink mini-skirt. Her feet were encased in soft soled kung fu slippers that were also hot pink. The crashing sound proved to be from her kicking the warehouse's door off it's hinges. The girl didn't stand still or pose however. She was too experienced for such mistakes. Instead she bounded into the building and started to engage the armed thugs.
"Ah, Knight Mare. I was wondering when you would show up," Odd commented with amusement. "You're just in time to die."
A shimmering field of energy surrounded the entire room. Even as this happened hired leg breakers were trying in vain to shoot the ricocheting heroine. Damn it, I'm gonna have to use it after all. The thought caused Knight Mare to scowl. Still, she knew better then to try parrying bullets without the family sword. So after narrowly avoiding a shotgun blast she pulled the Saotome honor blade from her personal 'stuff space' pocket.
"I don't like the looks of that energy," Night Mare muttered with concern.
"It's such a shame really. I was rather hoping to study how you become a cat." The insane 'doctor' commented. "But no matter, I'll just use your remains to grow a clone. But I digress, surely you didn't think I am actually present did you? Give my regards to eternity."
The energy field began to glow brighter. Painfully bright in fact. At the same time it began to rapidly contract. A scream could be heard as one edge reached one of the thugs. The man who screamed burst into flames. Within a second all that was left was charred bones. More screams indicated others had been caught by the lethal dome. What's making it? Wait, I can feel it. Feels like magic, just great. I really hate Doctor Odd.
"I hope this works," Knight Mare muttered as she brought her sword against the energy barrier.
At first nothing happened. Then the energy went from an angry red to a light pink. A tear formed in the semi-solid death trap which Knight Mare fell through. Then the room exploded in pink and green. Everything within the dome seemed to vanish. But something was left behind as well. In the middle of the newly made crater was a human shaped figure with red hair. Knight Mare approached cautiously, only to blink in surprise.
"This can not be good. I'd better take, er, myself I think, to see Doc."
XxXxX
It was mid morning, and the mists had still not been burned off by the sun. The mist was shrouding a vally deep in China which held hundreds of pools of water. In each pool stood a long bamboo pole. A panda was balancing atop one of the poles currently. As the beast watched one particular pool it pondered. Something feels off. Wait, why am I wearing a fur coat? No matter, the boy should have surfaced by now.
Introspection was interrupted when the pools started to glow with a pale pink color. It wasn't a 'manly' color. Yet the very fact the pools were glowing was enough to alarm the panda. Seconds after the glow began dozens of people flew out of the various pools. From the one the panda was staring at emerged a girl with hair as blue as ice. She was unconscious, and falling back towards the pool.
With an alarmed growl the panda launched it's self from the pole it stood upon. The girl was easily caught before the two landed on another pole. Multiple splashes indicated the others had not been as lucky. Only after touching down on solid land did the panda fully realize what was wrong with it. Namely that it was no longer human. With another look at the girl in his arms, the panda opened it's eyes wide.
Later
A fierce duel was taking place atop a suspended log. All around the log women with multicolored hair watched and cheered for their favorites. One of the observers was an elderly woman of short stature. This woman had stringy hair, and was watching the fight with obvious pride in her eyes. As the final match of the tournament ended there was a commotion. The elderly woman watched with great amusement as the village champion confronted a visiting outsider about her pet panda.
The outsider was a teenager with hair as blue as ice. The girl had a figure similar to the newly crowned village champion, but with a slightly smaller bust size. It was the outsider's clothing that was most striking. It might have been a bathing suit. It was sleeveless and legless. The material was a solid white and had a diamond shaped hole cut out in the center of the chest. Around the outsider's head was a white headband which kept long flowing hair out of her eyes. On her feet were white boots of an unfamiliar style, and she wore gloves of the same color.
"Sorry," the outsider said in a slightly accented mandarin, "but I refuse to be held accountable for the panda's actions. You have a problem with it, that's the fat fool's job to deal with it. He's just my dad, or so he claims."
To everyone's surprise the panda pulled a sign out of no where which was written in Japanese kanji. It said "What are you doing Boy?"
Very few people could read it. There was little need to be able to read Japanese in this village after all. This seeming lack should not come as a big surprise though. It was a rural village cut off from the modern world. Even the ability to read their own language was uncommon. One need not know how to read and write to swing a sword or plow a field by hand. Truly it was a village that time forgot.
Or maybe it was a village that deliberately ignored progress. The elderly woman mounted a cane taller then herself and pogo hopped over to the outsiders. As the elder approached the crowd parted like the red sea before Moses. She absently noted the panda was waving a new sign without bothering to read it. Instead the elder turned her focus back on the other outsider. This sounds interesting, the old woman thought.
The cyan haired youth turned to the old woman and nodded to herself. "Excuse me Ma'am, but are you in charge here?"
Once again it was in accented mandarin. "Yes, I am elder Cologne. And who are you?"
The teen scowled momentarily before replying. "Not sure, but the panda claims my name is Saotome Ranma. He also claims I'm his son. I think he's full of crap, but can't remember anything before waking up in the guide's hut."
Cologne chuckled at the girl's words. "You've been to Jusenkyo then?"
"Don't know what the hell that is," the girl told her. "Don't suppose I could get some pants and hot water while the girl deals with him? Fair warning, from what I've seen she'll lose if she attacks. The panda's a fool, but has more skill then her."
This seemed to be a bad choice of words. The village champion lifted one of her oversized wooden maces and swung it at 'Ranma'. Without thinking the outsider girl deflected the weapon with a right forearm to the shaft. With a twist and yank it was now in the hand of 'Ranma'. Her left foot flashed out in an arc, knocking the second oversized mace into the air. With a graceful flip she then caught the flying weapon in the other hand.
"Please stop, I don't want to hurt you, kid. And I get the feeling I'm use to opponents a lot more dangerous then you."
Noting that the panda was trying to sneak away, she threw one of the weapons low to the ground and tripped it. The scraping of metal on leather caused the outsider girl to bring the remaining weapon around in a twirling strike. It impacted the village champion in the side, causing the teen to collapse to the ground. Since hostilities appeared to be over the girl calling herself Ranma dropped her weapon and turned back to face the elder.
"Stop this Shampoo," Cologne snapped suddenly. "I apologize, my great granddaughter has yet to learn about diplomacy. Now why do you need pants?"
Ranma rolled her eyes and flipped into the air, neatly avoiding a tackle lead by a sword point. "Because this outfit seems to vanish when I am hit with hot water for some reason. And I'd rather not be naked. Oh, and please cover that panda before changing it back into a man. I do not need to see his ass naked again."
eight months later
It was a familiar scene. One that had played out millions of times across an equal number of realities. There were minor changes at times. But the core event usually remained the same. A man with a bushy mustache was crying as he read a post card. It was early spring, and tears flowed freely down the man's face. Within minutes he'd gathered three girls at the table and informed them an old friend was coming, and why.
"Fiance?" came a cry from all three girls.
"Yes, they recently returned from china. Although I was expecting them several months ago." The man told them calmly.
"What's so special about china?" The youngest girl asked with a growl.
"Is he hansom?" His middle daughter asked.
"How old is he? Younger men bore me." His eldest daughter commented off hand.
The man's answer to all their questions brought about a stunned silence. "I don't know. I never met the boy."
Before he could say anything further the doorbell rang. The middle daughter immediately got up to answer the door. Upon opening it she paused in shock. Panda. Panda in street. Yen signs started to flash before her eyes. Unowned panda in streets. I'm rich! I'm gonna be rich! A cell phone was quickly pulled out and the girl started to dial. Having the phone torn out of her hand caused the Tendo girl to blink.
"I'd recommend not trying to sell the idiot. Slavery is illegal after all."
The speaker was a teenage boy with blue hair. He was obviously not Japanese. His skin was tanned, but otherwise clearly Caucasian. He was wearing a sleeveless Chinese shirt and black pants tied at the ankles. The boy's hair was shoulder length and unbound. Beneath the shirt she could see a well muscled physique. Only then did the girl notice the umbrella being held to hold off the rain.
XxXxX
Ranma Masaki was not amused. The reason was rather easy to determine. His double was currently overtaken by the neko-ken and tearing up the living room. Again. It had happened several times already over the last few months. Every time it had been due to Ranma spending time in his natural form. Can't blame him. I'd have freaked too before meeting Her. The oversized feline approached his guest and cuffed him atop the head.
"Cut it out before I have ta punish you."
To a human what Ranma had said wouldn't have even registered. It was all body language and tail positioning. But the nekofied guest had understood perfectly. It was one of the advantages of the neko-ken. At least, it was an advantage for the true version. From the faint scars and behavior Ranma knew this double had also been trained in the corrupted version. His tail drooped as the cat realized he'd have to try speaking with his patron.
"Wanna play," the cat like teenage boy whined.
"I know," the elder told him. "But you're destroying my territory. Be a good kitten and I'll get you some milk."
XxXxX
Still can't remember who I am, but I'm pretty sure I'm not this 'Saotome Ranma' person. Still, I guess it's a name for now. The young man was sitting in the dojo with his legs crossed. Across from him a teenage girl with long hair was angrily breaking bricks. Ranma had declined sparring with her, citing that he had no wish to hurt her. Maybe I shouldn't have called her a green belt. Wonder who's been teaching her? Whoever it is clearly shouldn't have a license.
"Akane, isn't it? What exactly do you do for practice?" Ranma asked finally. "I mean, you claim to know martial arts. But all I've seen you do is break bricks. No kata, no breathing exercises, no meditation. Just breaking bricks. And watching you fight this morning, you're a god damn rank amateur. I can't remember some things about myself, but I know martial arts. And if I was to guess, I'd have said you just started."
Akane snorted. "Says the pervert that can't even walk across the room."
The icy glare sent her way made the teen shudder. "I've earned every scrap of skill I have. I have achieved mastery despite my weaknesses. You however claim to be the heir of your style, but haven't even mastered the basics. And what bit of lunacy makes you think I'm a pervert?"
He didn't know where the girl got a mallet from. One second her hand was empty. The next she was holding a large mallet and was surrounded by a baleful red aura. Nice trick, Ranma thought as he moved out of the way. What was intended to be a sidestep however caused him to lose his balance. The teen hit the ground and rolled to his feet. Upon regaining an upright position he was in a stance that was unfamiliar to Akane.
He eyed the crater now residing where he'd just been standing. Okay, she's strong. As he tumbled to the side again he thought Clumsy too. Once feet were beneath him Ranma launched into the air. He knew that he lacked dexterity. From what he could remember, that had always been the case. To make up for this deficiency he used acrobatics to recover from each spill. To those watching the impromptu battle he looked a bit like a large cat with his pouncing, claw hand strikes, and kicks.
Genma Saotome watched with mounting dread. It grew further when the boy vanished from sight. The overweight man saw his friend's daughter pull up short in surprise, only to be struck in the middle of her back. It was another ten minutes before she collapsed in exhaustion and soreness. When Ranma started to leave he realized it wasn't the neko-ken. Not exactly anyway.
"Boy, where are you going?"
Ranma paused and slowly turned around. "The kitchen for some water. Then I'm looking for a job."
Two minutes later Ranma was in the furo changing cloths. He was now a she, and glaring at the white swim suit like outfit that had appeared upon changing genders. The fact her cloths kept vanishing and being replaced by that outfit irritated the girl. It was fortunate that village in China had taught Ranma how to access something called 'hidden weapon space'. It seemed that was where the cloths kept disappearing to.
"Wish I knew where that thing keeps coming from. I know I've destroyed it eight times."
XxXxX
"So, how was school?" Ranko Masaki asked as her ward entered the house.
"Don't see why I have to go," Ranma Saotome grumbled.
He'd seen this 'Masaki' person's male form. He knew the person was himself, somehow. And that raised alarm bells in Ranma's mind. 'Ranko' appeared to be unchanged, even though Ranma knew she was nearly thirty. While the male form was aging, the female form wasn't. What that meant for himself, Ranma didn't have a clue. And if that wasn't bad enough, just being near the older Ranma made his skin crawl. He constantly had the feeling there was a cat nearby.
"Kid, if your pop is anything like mine this is good for you. Pops kept saying school was a distraction from the art. But what he really wanted was for me to be easy to control. You can't run a dojo without knowing math. Or do you trust that murderous panda with the money made? You need a physical education teaching license too. Stupid panda."
The 'murderous panda' comment caused Saotome to blink. He didn't exactly believe one needs to go to school to teach martial arts. But it was true that he didn't exactly trust his dad anymore. But Genma, a murderer? That he didn't believe. He couldn't believe it in fact. His dad was a thief, true. But murder seemed like something he'd never do. Maybe by accident? The youth thought to himself.
"That can't be right," the younger Ranma said aloud finally. "Pops don't kill."
"Just keep believing that," Ranko snorted.
It was mildly amusing how fast the teen's ego had deflated. Then again, her owe arrogance had taken a beating shortly after arriving in the states too. It had been a rude awakening to discover 'his' position as 'the best' was a joke. Losing fight after fight had shattered Ranko's confidence at the time. Nor did it help to learn the many styles that had been mastered, hadn't. Maybe it's time for that?
"Hey I been thinking," Ranko started.
"Don't hurt yourself," her ward commented.
"Very funny. Doc's still working on a way to get you home. Mean time, how'd you like to train under the founder of your style?"
XxXxX
Nabiki Tendo was a creature of habit. It always took her at least two cups of coffee to fully wake up. She walked to school along the same path each day. But her biggest habit was the obsessive need to know everything about everyone else's business. There was a new person in the area however that consistently defied her efforts. A person going by the name of Ranma. A person who was nothing like he should be.
The first major conflict was Ranma's gender. According to her father, the person was the son of his friend. Boys are not suppose to spontaneously become girls. Nor was it suppose to work the other way around either. And this Ranma didn't seem to favor one gender over the other, so that method of determining what the teen was flew out the window. Equally useless was basing an assessment off modesty or it's lack. Let alone clothing worn.
Next up on the list of puzzles was the martial arts style practiced by Ranma. While she didn't know what style he used, it was not the 'anything goes' style. The 'boy' also favored using paired tonfa, an oddity considering 'his' father considered the use of weapons a weakness. Then there was Ranma's inexplicable agility, or lack there of. When male the boy could trip over air. When female she had inhuman grace.
The most alarming thing however was Ranma's education. According to the records Nabiki had acquired the Saotome heir had barely had any schooling, and barely got passing grades when in school. And yet she had just witnessed Ranma taking a placement test to determine which grade she'd be assigned in. That was unusual too, Ranma had gone to school as a girl. But what was alarming was the result.
Ranma Saotome, martial arts jock and barely educated idiot, had just tested right out of high school. Just how a brain dead jock with almost no formal education had done that was something Nabiki really needed to find out. This unexplained intellect alarmed her the most because of what it hinted at. For years Nabiki had prided herself on being a veritable genius. But if an uneducated jock could out think her, who else was just toying with Nabiki?
The idea disturbed her to such an extent a stranger managed to sneak up on the middle Tendo sister. The stranger was wearing a yellow shirt and black pants. He had a yellow bandana on that was dotted with black spots. His shins were wrapped with some type of fabric with black ties securing them. All told his appearance was that of a vagabond. Thus she immediately disregarded the stranger.
Then he picked up Nabiki by the front of her shirt. "Where's Furinkan high school?"
Is this guy for real? The name's right on the side of the wall, and he has to ask? Nabiki rolled her eyes and held out one hand. "Five hundred yen."
The teenage boy blinked in confusion. Before he could get his thoughts marshaled he found himself handing her the requested money. To his surprise Nabiki pocketed the money quickly and pointed at a sign not two feet from their position. Reading it, the teenage boy scowled briefly. After handing over another five hundred yen his captive pointed out where one Saotome Ranma was exiting the school.
"She's the one with blue hair coming out now."
Across the yard Ranma had just emerged from the stone and plaster building. It had been a long day. The only good thing was being handed a diploma after taking the test. She'd have to attend the graduation ceremony in the spring of course, but that wasn't a big deal. Didn't know I knew so much. This should help with getting a job too. She turned to the teen walking nearby and spoke.
"What's up with that Kuno person anyway? And why the hell did he attack me three times today?"
Akane scowled at the mention of the name. "He's the reason half the school attacks me every morning."
Ranma nodded in thought. "So he's a bully, okay then. I know how to handle bullies. I'll just, shit! Move Akane!"
Ranma pushed her companion to the side even as she herself jumped out of the way. Seconds later a red umbrella impacted where the two had just been located. In it's wake there was a crater left in the ground. Those watching assumed Ranma had some sort of danger sense or other early warning method. This wasn't actually the case though. She'd just heard the shout of "Saotome Ranma! Prepare to die!"
Instantly the blue haired girl assessed the situation. And what she concluded made her growl angrily. Unprovoked assault, death threat, and reckless attacks. Just great, whoever this 'saotome' person everyone assumes I am is... He or she has super villains for enemies. One hand started to crackle with electricity as a tonfa of ice formed in the other hand. Gotta stay focused. If I change too fast my cloths will shatter, again.
The air around Ranma grew colder. At first it was imperceptible. But as she weaved around umbrella swings the ait shimmered from the cold being emitted. Ranma's skin first started to turn blue, then a milky white color. Just after her skin finished it's coloration alteration the umbrella managed to strike Ranma in the shoulder. To the bandana clad boy's amazement she just stood there, seemingly unhurt.
"You done yet?" Ranma asked with a snarl. She turned to Akane and said "Call the police, tell them it's a two-seventeen. And for gods sake, describe the one that just attacked to them."
Noting that a crowd had started to form around them, Ranma decided using projectiles was a Bad idea. Thus she stopped channeling the crackling energy into her hand. Instead the teen attempted to sweep her attacker off his feet. Her leg impacted, but the attacker proved to be too stable. Or perhaps too strong. Either way the bandana boy was still upright. He unleashed a mighty haymaker
It struck with a resounding CRACK. The impact sent Ranma flying backwards ten feet. When the icy girl stood up she saw the mystery attacker running in the opposite direction and screaming about her running away like a coward. With a twitching eyebrow Ranma formed and threw a snowball. It impacted the mystery man in the back of the head, hard. He skidded to a stop and slowly turned around in confusion.
"Yo, moron! What's the big idea anyway? Why are you trying to kill me?"
"Because of you, I've seen hell!" The boy screamed as he removed several bandanas.
Surprisingly he was still wearing one. Then they straitened out. Moments later Ranma saw the bandanas were flying through the air in an arc. Shit! Ranma thought as she hastily formed a barrier of ice. She was a fraction of a second too late however. Three of the six bandanas had already gotten past the wall. Ranma began throwing bolts of lightning at the fabric projectiles. And yet she wasn't fast enough.
Anger became a cold rage as one of the students was struck in the stomach. Exactly who it was she didn't know, yet. There was blood, lots of blood. Ranma turned her gaze back to her opponent. With a righteous fury she rejoined the battle. Where before the martial artist had fought defensively, this time it was all out offense. Bolts of electricity flew at the bandana wearing boy, which he narrowly managed to avoid.
Then she was in melee range with him. Where the unknown boy was like a mountain, strong and enduring, Ranma flowed like water. Or maybe air. The boy tried to smash down with his umbrella, only to have the downward strike sidestepped. Then he felt pain as the ice tonfa impacted his side with incredible force. He tried to whip around his umbrella, only to have chop force his hand open.
A hurried strait punch met only air as Ranma casually weaved around it, only to smash a fist into the boy's temple. This staggered the boy, but he didn't drop. Several more punishing blows landed in the space of a few seconds. While not a speedster, Ranma was rather fast when it came to hand to hand combat. Combined with her inhuman agility and strength it was quickly apparent who had the upper hand.
The unknown boy slumped to the ground in a state of unconsciousness just as the police arrived. Ranma stopped her assault upon witnessing this event. That took longer then I expected. Damn he's tough. Twenty minutes ago she'd heard sirens of an ambulance, so knew the girl hit with a bandana had been taken to the hospital. Later Ranma knew she'd be checking in on that girl. For now though there were police to deal with.
There were a plethora of cracks in Ranma's icy skin from punches and kicks that had gotten through. As well as what felt like it would have been a cracked rib from being struck with that umbrella. This made her feel it unsafe to change back into a human form just yet. A small fact that she knew might complicate things quite a bit. It was going to be a really long afternoon, Ranma just knew it.
XxXxX
"And in today's top story, Knight Mare was seen this evening at Mercy hospital visiting the children's ward. While she declined to comment, our investigators have learned the 'eternal child' was seeking Doctor William Walters. Could this be a new budding romance?"
Ranma Saotome frowned a little as he watched the program. While his English had improved due to constant practice, he still didn't entirely understand what he'd seen. How was it news that somebody was going to the local tavern? Who cared if somebody named 'Susan Swan' had gone out 'clubbing'? Privately Ranma wondered what the big deal was that this woman carried around a club.
He also wondered why the anchors for this 'tee em zee' news program kept feeling the need to make snide comments about the news. It was bad enough that they had once shown footage of his own school attendance with the question of if Ranma was 'the eternal child's evil twin'. Okay, so he'd gotten in a fight that day. But wasn't it a martial artist's duty to protect the weak? And those boys had been beating up another new student.
His current guardian finally got home just as the news program ended. For the thousandth time Ranma swore to himself he'd never wear anything that girly. It horrified him to no end that he became a girl when splashed with cold water. The fact Masaki-San was living proof his cursed form might never age didn't help any. I know she teaches classes at the mall on weekends, but why does Masaki chose to go out as a girl?
It was a mystery that would be easy to solve. All one had to do was ask. So naturally Ranma never considered learning the reason. Perhaps it was foolish pride. Maybe he never asked because Ranma's father had raised him. Or it was because he was afraid to show any weakness. Whatever the reason, Ranma Saotome just sat there watching commercials with intense interest.
A canvas pack landed in Ranma's lap. That it already was filled didn't surprise him in the least. On some level he just assumed traveling packs always had something in them. The pack wasn't as heavy as expected however. Looking inside revealed it had mainly cloths within. There were several unisex outfits, five pairs of briefs, an equal amount of sports bras, and two dresses. Seeing the female clothing brought out a scowl.
"We're heading to Japan for a while. I want you to go upstairs and change." Ranko Masaki held up a hand to forestall the teen for a moment. "Gender too, and wear the proper undergarments. Trust me on this."
When the pig tailed teen reached his room he found himself scowling again. There on his bed was a rich red dress with a blue chinese dragon wrapping around it. The dress was sleeveless and had a slit along one side to allow walking and fighting. Otherwise it was rather conservative. Unlike the 'uniform Ranko wore when stopping criminals. Ranma almost ignored the dress in favor of something more in line with what a man would wear.
Almost, but found he couldn't. All his cloths had been removed from the room. The only thing there was to wear was the outfit currently worn and the dress. No undergarments were laid out. There was no need for that. With a frustrated sigh Ranma splashed his face with water in a basin near the bed. As the now familiar tingle raced across his skin a white undershirt changed shape too. Now instead of a 'wife beater' style undershirt Ranma was wearing a sports bra. The boxers being worn had similarly undergone a transmorgraphication into sensible panties.
It took but a moment to re situate the offending garments to be more comfortable. How and why they changed was another mystery. Ranko had just said a colleague had enchanted them. Only reluctantly had the teen admitted to herself that panties and a bra actually were more comfortable then boxers and going without. Just lazing about the house hadn't required actually getting dressed. Which meant that now Ranma had to put on the hated dress.
Ranma angrily stalked down stairs and confronted her benefactor. "What's the big idea making me go like this?"
Ranko sighed and said "I know you hate it. But our first stop is a village in China. And you really don't want to go there as a boy. Also don't want to fight anyone there. Win or lose, it's bad."
XxXxX
"So, let me get this strait. You had the boy, Hibiki Ryoga, in a holding cell normally used for drunks?" Ranma Saotome asked an officer.
"Yes," came the reply.
"And no one came to visit him?" Ranma pressed as she reverted to being human once more.
"Yes," came another reply.
Finally Ranma got to the point. "And he just vanished into thin air but you found a small black piglet in the cell?"
The officer looked rather embarrassed as he said "Er... yes?"
"You do realize the pig probably is Ryoga right? But what I'd like to know is... How the hell did he get stuck in the water cooler?"
Nabiki also was wondering how a piglet had found it's way into a sealed water cooler. It just wasn't an everyday occurrence. Nor was it a once in a blue one. Such defying of physics should have been flat out impossible. Someone got out a sturdy combat knife and began creating a hole to remove the piglet. Even a week earlier and Nabiki would have scoffed at the idea this pig was the one who put her sister in the hospital.
Now she didn't scoff. Instead there was a quiet reservation of judgment. The idea seemed unlikely, but it was also an impossibility for someone to change genders, become a panda, or turn into living ice. All three of which had been proven not just possible, but two were semi-regular occurrences. So until proof could be gained one way or another Nabiki decided to hold off disregarding the idea.
"It's dishonorable to reveal the weakness of another warrior," Ranma stated as she pulled the pig out of the water. "But you aren't a warrior, are you? You entered a school with intent to kill. Then showed a complete lack of concern about bystanders. And when you nearly killed one, you had no remorse. You aren't a warrior, you're just a thug."
Ranma held out a hand and was given a glass filled with hot water. The pig let out an alarmed cry. Almost as if it had understood what was being said. The glass was upended and the pig grew and distorted. Within a second it had been replaced by the boy from the school. Only he wasn't wearing anything but the bandana. Seeing the confused expressions of the officers present, Ranma decided to tell them about the curses.
"There's a valley deep in China with hundreds of pools. Each pool is cursed. Something drowned in them. Now anyone or thing that falls into one pool takes the form of whatever drowned in it. This piece of trash obviously fell in the spring of drowned piglet. While I apparently fell in the spring of drowned girl. And no, that's not why I can become ice or toss electricity. I can't remember why I can do that."
The officers started to lead the Hibiki boy away. With no prior warning the boy made a sudden left turn and walked into a supply closet. Surprisingly when someone checked there was no unclothed prisoners within the enclosed space. Nabiki wasn't the only one who's jaw had dropped upon seeing this impossibility. Screams of outrage from a nearby women's restroom were then followed by a shout.
"This is all your fault Ranma!"
Everyone just stood there blinking for a moment. Finally one officer said "I've heard of bad senses of direction, but that's just ridiculous. Nothing in the warrant mentioned that."
XxXxX
For perhaps the thousandth time she wondered how this older version could accept being a girl so easily. When asked the response had never exactly been clear. Currently the two of them were on board a private jet. And considering Masaki hadn't bothered staying in the cockpit she didn't actually know how to fly the contraption. All her host had done was state aloud a destination while holding a red button.
"Shouldn't you be up front?"" Ranma Saotome asked with concern.
"Nope," Ranko offhandedly remarked. "Fully automated. It's the only way Swan trusted me with the Wild Horse. Flight plan's already submitted and approved."
Ranma blinked. He'd heard the name Swan a few times, but not much else. "So who is this Swan?"
"She's a genius," Ranko chirped. "Runs a repair shop in Davenport. On the side she does specialty commissions like the Wild Horse. I met her five years ago when I joined the original Society. Sure Susan's usually drunk, but don't let that fool you. Still not sure if she beat those thugs by luck or skill."
After that the flight settled down into an uncomfortable silence. Ranko pulled out a thick book titled Investigating for Martial Artists, while Ranma struggled with an algebra assignment. The pig tailed teen still didn't understand why she needed to know how to solve Y-7x(Y+8)/10=15.4, solve for Y. It wouldn't help with martial arts, or teaching anyone. But the elder insisted it was important. And unlike his own father, Ranma actually respected Ranko.
The woman in a teenager's body had consistently demonstrated a high level of honor over the past eight months. Ranko Masaki had also shown a selfless dedication to defending the helpless. Ranma constantly heard reports of the elder saving lives and aiding the police. So when Ranko insisted that school work was important, the teenager was more willing to believe it then when the Tendo family had tried making the same claim.
From the toilet came a cry of "Where am I now?"
Ranma blinked in surprise since they had been the only ones on the aircraft. Ranko on the other hand rolled her eyes and stood. Opening the door caused an old rival to fall to the floor. He wore an orange prison uniform. He appeared to be middle aged, and had several old scars. The man on the other hand seemed rather confused. He kept looking back and forth between Ranma and Ranko.
"Ryoga, can't say it's nice to see you. Shouldn't you still be in prison? Last I'd heard you were sentenced to twenty years of cryo stasis for assaulting my great grandfather. And just how did you get into a closed bathroom aboard a plane that's flying thirty five thousand feet above the ground? Argh, never mind. I don't need the headache. Do try not to cause trouble. I doubt even you could survive the fall if you break my plane."
The young Saotome heard the name and started making connections. She'd known a Ryoga a few years ago. And while the boy she'd known had a horrible sense of direction, even Ranma doubted he could find himself on an airplane that was currently over an ocean. No, such defying of nature and reason couldn't possibly occur in his own world. Naturally it must be pointed out that denial was an art many high level martial artists of Ranma's stripe are highly skilled at.
"Because of you I've seen hell!" The eternally lost man cried before throwing a punch.
Ranma blinked a couple times and smirked. It sounded like the old days. Ranko on the other hand frowned. "Really? When did you meet her this time? And how did you escape? I have it on very good authority even the gods can't leave Hel's domain without her permission. If you'd seen the other hells you'd likely be dead already too. I'm told it can rain hellfire in many of them."
Seeing the confusion on her younger self's face, Ranko sighed. It was also fortunate that Ryoga had lost his balance when asked when he'd seen Hel last. Having the Wild Horse destroyed during an long flight would have been really bad. The last time it had been shot down things got really dicey. Falling to one's death was not fun in the least. Nor was having a miles long ice slide formed beneath you only to be deposited in a deep snow bank.
"Ryoga, do you really hate me that much that you want to kill yourself too? I don't know about you, but I doubt I could survive a seven mile free fall into the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Even if the fall didn't kill me, I doubt I could swim back to America or reach Europe before becoming too exhausted to swim. Me and pops barely made it from Japan to China, and we swam the shortest way we could."
Ryoga got really confused. "But we're in Tokyo!"
"No," Ranko said. "Look out the window. Then tell me where you see a city."
He did so, and the blood drained out of Ryoga's face. "Where'd all the water come from?"
Ranma smirked at his shock. "It's called an ocean, baka."
XxXxX
In the vast multiverse it could be said that any given event can and probably has happened. Worlds where Germany won world war one or two. Worlds where demons walked among the people of earth openly. Worlds where a group of color coded teenagers fought monsters using animal shaped robots that combined to form a larger robot. Even worlds where an otherwise normal teenager fights supernatural evil on a nightly basis.
But in the multiverse there are some things that are fairly consistent. Any sentai group of vigilantes pose and make lame speeches for their entrance. Any giant monster of any sort killed by a robot explodes violently yet the battles never damage the city. Any martial arts battle of any significance will leave extensive and sometimes catastrophic property damage in it's wake. These things are for the most part static facts.
Another one is that in any world where Tatawaki Kuno exists he has trouble making logical deductive and inductive conclusions. It is a well known phenomena to dimensional travelers that the Kuno heir can add one and one only to come up with a some of fifteen. This reasoning deficiency tends to increase when beautiful or even mildly attractive girls refuse him. It has even been said by one traveler the man could lose a battle of wits to a brick wall.
It should come as no surprise then that the Kuno scion of this particular world had come to the conclusion that the girl called Ranma Saotome was madly in love with him. There was no evidence to support this idea. Rather, there was plenty that indicated she either disliked the teen or actively hated him. In the three weeks since she'd first appeared in the school he'd not seen her return to the institution of learning.
Of the one day Ranma had been in the school, he had been disarmed and defeated multiple times in his violent attempts to prove his love via armed combat. Where exactly Kuno got the idea one proves their love by beating the other person into submission was a good question. Again he had no evidence supporting such a conclusion, yet held it to be a divine truth beyond all attempts to disprove.
And so the self proclaimed Blue Thunder made his way through the hollowed halls of the school. There he planned on confronting the lowborn commoner known as Nabiki about his love. For surely the information broker knew of the Saotome girl. While the plan was noble and flawless, there was a slight problem. Upon demanding said information the Tendo girl flat out refused to aid his great personage.
"You must tell me of she of the cyan hair." Kuno insisted as he put another thousand yen in the pile.
Already the pile of money was up to fifteen thousand yen, far more then Nabiki normally charged for information. Yet still she refused him. Instead of relinquishing the required data the teen ignored him. By the time the pile was up to twenty five thousand yen Kuno was starting to suspect the oni spotted a week ago had possessed Nabiki. Rather then accept payment she gave Kuno a level stare.
The stare caused several people also in the class room to flinch. "Kuno-baby, you don't have enough money to buy that information. No one does."
In truth she felt reluctant to even consider selling the information of where Ranma was staying. Not that Nabiki had much more information then that. If things had happened a little differently with that Hibiki boy then perhaps she'd have had no reservations about selling out her family's house guest. In the past no one had ever gotten hurt. At least not seriously hurt. A few bruises and maybe a sprain, but that was the extent. While property damage could be high, actual injuries were nearly non-existent.
The arrival of Ranma Saotome seemed to have changed the rules somehow. Nabiki's younger sister was still in the ICU ward of the nearby hospital after being hit in the chest with a bandana of all things. Several students were also in the hospital after being struck by the air pressure from Kuno's attacks on the Saotome youth three weeks ago. And the rhythmic gymnastics team was unable to compete due to cracked ribs and broken legs, all because Kuno's sister had ambushed them a week before the scheduled match.
Suddenly her games didn't seem so harmless. There were very real consequences involved, and this lunatic had already been the direct cause of some of them. Already the information network was being dismantled. The blackmail Nabiki had managed to acquire was being quietly destroyed and forced debts canceled. And while it was with great reluctance, what money could be returned, was.
"Then where is the demon that has enslaved my cyan beauty and the fierce Akane?" Tatawaki demanded as he added a few more bills to the already large pile.
Nabiki eyed him with clear disdain. "Kuno-baby, the only 'demon' around here intending to enslave anyone is you. My sister hates you. Because of you she fears all boys. Keep your money, you'll need it anyway since your free ride is over."
She stalked out of the school, ignoring the fact that classes were still being held. The girl's cell phone had rang while she dealt with the perverted rich kid. At the behest of several families Nabiki Tendo had been tracking down the head of the Kuno clan. And to her surprise it wasn't the principle like everyone assumed. Listening to the message left brought a smile for the first time in weeks. I'd better bring a bodyguard. I don't trust that family.
XxXxX
Undetected by the majority of the world's scientific and political entities, a giant vessel made of wood was approaching the earth. Inside the vessel an asian man with raven hair stood on the bridge. His hair was pulled back in a pony tail, the pigtail of his youth having been done away with a couple years ago. He wore a crimson sleaveless shirt with a dragon design wrapping around the left side. His lower half was covered by black pants with a red dragon design which linked up and became part of his shirt's pattern. On his wrists were bracers that appeared to be made of wood.
On a view screen was a girl, maybe twelve years of age. She had rich red hair which looked vaguely crab like with how it stuck strait out. Her apparent age was belied by an older voice and more mature physical appearance. It was just her size that made her look like a child. The child like woman was rather infamous in some circles. And Ranma Masaki hated having to deal with her.
"Hello Washu-chan. Could you get gramps? We're almost back. Just passing Saturn now. And yes, she agreed to let you run a few non-invasive tests as long as it helps her unlock the curse and gets her home."
In another part of the ship a teenage girl was emerging from her bath. The very fact that Saotome was still a girl was a sore point. A bunch of animal like men had splashed her with water from a ladle shortly after arriving at the pools of sorrow. Being stuck as a girl though wasn't entirely new. Ranma Saotome had lived as a girl quite often since finding herself in this world. And having the curse locked was not the biggest shock to her system.
No, that was being dragged into space. It made her realize just how wrong Genma had been. There is far more that's important then just the Art. While Ranma still couldn't see how learning math and history was important, her eyes had been opened. The universe was vast. Far more existed then what had been dreamed. I'll never look at the night sky the same again, she thought with wonder.
Normally a ship this size had a large support crew, or so they'd been told. However none had been assigned. Nor was it strictly needed. A tree served as the ship's power source, navigation, helm control, and other important features. That had surprised Ranma to no end. Sentient trees, who'd have thought?
An older man's voice came over the PA system. "Taiyaki says we're here."
Five minutes later the two of them were standing in front of a large house by a lake. If one ignored the two beautiful women chasing each other back and forth while throwing energy blasts it was actually rather tranquil. If it Ranma Saotome hadn't been living with an honest to gods costumed crime fighter for several months the sight might have shocked her something fierce. As it was this was tame compared to the news at times.
"Believe it or not, that reminds me of a place I called home for nine years." Masaki commented. "Course the girls there didn't fly or throw energy around."
Saotome scowled briefly. "You are nuts."
"No," Ranma Masaki said dryly. "Not anymore. I just live a crazy life."
Nodding, Saotome had to agree. "How did you cure the c-c-cat anyway? You never said."
Masaki paused before opening the door. "I didn't, my patron just decided she approves of me. Bast only knows why."
"Ranma, why are we here?" Saotome asked.
"Washu needs to run a few tests to pinpoint what dimension you come from. After that we head to the Tendo home since that's likely the best place to catch up with your Genma."
XxXxX
Dinner that night was a joyous occasion. The youngest daughter had finally been moved out of the intensive care ward, which meant she was well on her way to recovery. But that wasn't the only good news. Nabiki Tendo had returned home with her fiance after meeting the head of the Kuno clan. A meeting which had finally stripped the local branch of their protection. That alone was worth celebrating.
The meeting had gone better then expected. But then Nabiki had gone in with video evidence of what was going on. As well as audio recordings of various events. From an undesired deceleration of how one must woo Akane Tendo to video documentation of his actions, the Kuno clan head had born witness to the branch's insanity. While the police interviews with the rhythmic gymnastics team had been suppressed, the medical files were not as easily made to vanish.
Supper was interupted though. While everyone was eating a distortion had appeared above the table. Said distortion elongated into a door. When it opened Nabiki could see her family's dining room on the other side, but not exactly the same one. Akane could be seen tied hand and foot and tossed in a corner. But the most startling thing was that the people on the other side looked older.
"What's going on here?" The mercenary girl demanded.
Out of the impossible doorway stepped a man of middle years dressed similarly to Ranma. He looked around the room and smiled. After stepping back through the portal he lead a red haired girl dressed similarly to himself through. They closed the door behind them, but it didn't vanish. The man's gaze fell upon the Saotome elder and took on a hard aspect. This man it seemed had a serious grudge against the part time panda.
"Hello Nabs, bet you're wondering who I am. Name's Ranma Masaki, and I'm glad ya kept an eye on Sam while he was here."
Reactions from those at the table were understandably shocked. While the two adults looked on in confusion the eldest daughter left to fetch another pair of tea cups. Nabiki's jaw was hanging open as she tried figuring out how to make a profit off this situation. The blue haired teen calling herself Ranma Saotome on the other hand clutched her head in pain. This man looked familiar to her, but it was so hazy.
The girl accompanying Masaki had decided to ignore most of the people present. She approached Genma and punched him in the stomach. "Hey pop, you wont believe where I've been. But I owe ya for this curse."
"Take it easy Ranma," the mystery man said. "He's not like my world's Genma. He's not a killer, yet. Just stupid. A con artist, probably. But not a killer."
Nabiki finally managed to find her voice and asked "Just who are you two?"
Masaki flashed his semi-famous roguish smirk. "Told you my name, but I was raised as a Saotome after my world's Nodoka murdered my parents when I was a baby. The girl with me is your world's Ranma. I would have gotten him home sooner but there was trouble finding the right dimension. Still not sure how he switched places with Sam."
Seeing that most everyone was still in a state of shock (Genma was in a state of pain due to the continuing beating being received), Nabiki felt she had to ask one more question. "If that's Ranma beating on the panda, who's been staying with us?"
The blue haired teen was also curious. "Yeah, just who am I? And how do you know me?"
Great, Doc warned me this might happen. "Your name is Sam Bricklbuster, we've been partners for five years. Not surprised ya can't remember. Saotome was the same way till Doc looked him over. Seems ya both got cursed from the backlash of the disintegration sphere being destabilized. Or so Doc said."
The next morning
The day started to the sound of brutal combat. While Genma Saotome and his newly returned son turned daughter were bouncing across the roof and exchanging blows a more normal but no less brutal match was occurring between the recently rechristened Sam in his male form and Ranma Masaki. The two sprang apart, but Sam collapsed to the ground instead of landing on his feet.
Just as Sam rolled to the side a white blur shot past and into the koi pond. From the disturbed liquid emerged a panda. It was a rather ugly and misshapen panda, but still identifiably a panda. The panda didn't jump back into the match like expected. Instead it collapsed onto the ground. The sight ended the other sparring match too. Masaki glared up at the roof in disapointment.
"Ranma, you should know better! Or are you trying to kill your dad?"
The Saotome daughter blanched. "But I didn't even hit him that hard."
Masaki didn't excuse him at all. Instead he turned to Soun. "Mister Tendo, do you have a large supply of bricks?""
At the nod he escorted all the current house guests except Genma into the dojo. There Masaki set up three demonstration stacks. He'd already studied this world's martial arts using a device created by Washu. And that had warned Masaki of a critical danger present. He'd trained his double up to his own standards. But those were standards from another world entirely. A world where truly dedicated martial artists could completely surpass human limits and enter the realm of the meta human.
"Soun, in my world martial arts can be pushed to levels even your Happosai would find astonishing. For me though it was an every day thing. I regularly do battle with madmen who can toss a bus or bring down a building with their bare hands. I've met people who can fly under their own power and are impossible to hurt. Now, with that in mind would you break one of the brick stacks?"
After having the Tendo patriarch do so, Masaki gestured to Sam. "Sam is also from my world, but hasn't dedicated himself to the martial arts as deeply as me. He's as good though, maybe a little more skilled. I have more raw power though, even in his ice form. Sam, mind breaking the second stack of bricks?"
Again the six bricks were shattered with ease. "Now, I want you to do the same Ranma. Use as much force as you feel you need to."
Eyes watched as the teenager brought down his palm on the bricks. They didn't just break though. They turned into a fine powder. The force of the blow also caused a small crater in the dojo's floor. Ranma Masaki then pulled a stack of five bricks from his back pocket. A feat that most would consider impossible. He set them up like the previous stacks had been. When he motioned for Soun to try breaking them the dimensional traveler smiled.
Soun's palm came down hard. There was a cracking sound, but it wasn't brick being split in two. The tendo patriarch held his hand and stared at it in shock. He'd just broken his wrist trying to do an easy demonstration. At least, that's what it felt like. Which made him wonder just what the brick was made out of. He then watched the Saotome boy, er girl, break them with as much ease as Soun had felt upon breaking the first stack of bricks.
"In my world materials are stronger then in this one too. They have to be when you have guys like Mister E around. Even a normal brick is more durable. Ranma, I've trained you to my standards. And I can hurt someone who's invulnerable. Not much, but I can hurt them. Against nearly anyone in your world you have to hold back. The difference between you and the panda is probably as great as between Soun here and normal martial artist."
With that Masaki left the dojo. Nearby he'd felt a chi signature that Masaki had really not wanted to deal with. The man turned to the north and started walking. In his youth he'd have just jumped from building to building. But that option had been stolen from him five years ago. At least when male it was gone. And changing into a girl was not among the top fifty things desired to do for the moment.
"Hello Elder," Masaki said in mandarin with a calmness he didn't feel. "I hope you aren't here to cause trouble for anyone."
There before him was an ancient woman of really short stature. The woman had just climbed out of a boat in the middle of a construction site. Something's off about him. The elder thought to herself. He has a lot of ki, but his pathways are blocked. This man also seems to know me. While studying the person before her the woman came to a conclusion. He's dangerous, so I'd better find out what he wants.
"Who are you? And how do you know me?" She asked, also in mandarin.
"Just a traveler from an impossible place Elder Cologne. Name's Ranma Masaki, and I'm a master of the 'Anything Goes' style founded by Happosai. If you're here, I'm guessing a panda and blue haired girl visited your village. I also am guessing your great granddaughter is trying to kill that girl. If so you have a big problem."
"Is that so, sonny? And what would that be?" Elder Cologne asked. She could sense vast amounts of hostility coming from the boy.
"Me," he told her while emptying a bottle of water on his head.
Oh my this is interesting, Cologne thought as the middle aged man became a teenage red haired girl wearing a pink hello kitty belly shirt and matching pink mini-skirt. The amount of ki she could sense hadn't changed. What had was that the man turned girl was now using all that ki. No curse that the elder was aware of made cloths spontaneously appear. Yet for the second time this year she'd met someone cursed by the spring of drowned girl who did just that.
If the outfit hadn't looked disgustingly cute Masaki might have been intimidating. "In accordance to article five subsection thirty-two of the inter dimensional peace accords Sam is exempt from your tribe's outsider laws anyway".
Elder Cologne blinked a few times and then burst out in laughter. The peace accords had been held four years ago. The event had been hosted by a cat headed goddess named Bast. Only those of power or influence that could affect other worlds had been drafted for the peace accords. At the time Cologne had thought it a dream. Yet it wasn't it seemed. The woman had to think hard about the cited passage.
"Do you mean to tell me Ranma Saotome is a champion of the gods?"
"No, 'he' isn't. Sam Bricklbuster however is. The amulet he always wares should have warned you. Nine months ago Sam and Ranma got exchanged somehow when I broke a death spell."
"What amulet?"
Elsewhere
"Maybe I shouldn't spar with him," muttered an overweight man. He was walking with a definite limp and favoring his side. He was out doing something that the man had done every day since returning to Tokyo a month ago. He was trying to find someone willing to buy the hammer shaped pendent taken off his son. Or rather taken from the person he'd assumed was his son. So far however no one was willing to buy it.
Either the person offered barely enough to buy a single piece of candy, or refused to touch the pendent. It was most strange in fact. One person had taken a single look at the object Genma was trying to sell, and declared that only an idiot would even dare buy a stolen mark of divine favor. Not that the selfish idiot paid any attention to such a warning. Genma Saotome was a firm believer that there were no gods.
He also firmly believed that magic doesn't exist, and the world does in truth revolve around himself and his stomach. The world may never learn how he explained away his curse. He still refused to believe the pendent was anything more then a very finely crafted piece of silver. Of course the random bolts of lightning that nearly struck him every few days had to be completely unrelated.
Back at the construction site
"You mean to tell me that thieving panda probably stole it?" Masaki asked in alarm. "Great, Thor's probably really pissed now. This I don't need."
Dimensional travelers and champions of the gods. Things were getting entirely too complicated. Life in the village was simple. The village's laws superseded anything else. No one was exempt from them, even if the laws were never explained to an outsider. It was a firmly entrenched belief in the village that their laws were more important then those of any nation. Such was the belief that they felt it acceptable to track and kill outsider warriors who proved a potential threat.
This wasn't actually the case though. Cologne's daughter was believed to be dead by the village. The truth was that Perfume had been placed in a prison after following through on the kiss of death. And the last husband hunt had ended up with yet another warrior missing due to charges of kidnapping, apparently. The problem was that such news never reached the village. Cologne had only learned about it after heading out after her wayward great granddaughter.
"No, I am not here to try killing anyone. Or marry them. I came to try warning the child."
Author Notes:
This is rather long, I know. Originally I planned it as a one shot. But I think I'll be doing one more chapter later. Right now I have hit a wall called Writers Block. See any spelling errors or clearly unintended grammar errors? Let me know and I'll see about fixing it. I'm not perfect after all.
As mentioned at the start, this story is set in two different worlds. For the Freedom Society world that Wild Horses is set in there are three classifications of martial artists. Normal ones would include Olympic level martial artists. People who might be highly skilled, but know nothing about chi. This is the skill level of most practitioners. Anyone who competes professionally would be in this skill category.
Then there are elite martial artists. They tend to be few and far between. These are the men and women who dedicate their life to the Art almost to the exclusion of all else. They rarely compete, viewing it as a waste of time. They are secretive, and the more advanced techniques are only taught to those with true dedication. They master chi abilities and martial arts techniques that you'd expect from a Wire Fu film.
Finally you have what may be considered Super martial artists. They go beyond mastering chi techniques. They actually push their skills so far it enters the realms of meta-human. Strength far beyond what a normal person is likely to ever achieve, agility enough to actually dodge lasers (with difficulty), this sort of thing.
Bruce Lee for all his skill was still only human. But people like Ranma from the Wild Horses setting have gone beyond human. That world's Ranma could theoretically punch Superman and actually cause damage. Not much damage mind you. It would require using the chestnuts speed to punch the same exact point hundreds of times within a few seconds, and it would risk breaking a hand, but some damage none the less. So why is it the public doesn't reallize the true power martial arts can have? It can be summed up in one sentence:
The general populace assumes chi powers are meta-human abilities