Who's That Lurking In The Bushes?
Unnamed Master: Chapter 11
"Ow! Stupid cactus..."
"Stupid, stupid, evil cactus!"
"I thought deserts couldn't show up right next to rivers. Stupid cactus," the pig-tailed trainer added as an afterthought. Nevermind the fact that the river had dried up at this point and that they were only following a cracked streambed.
Dian, who was comfortably perched on Ranma's shoulder above the hazardous ground could only smirk slightly at his good fortune, and sweatdrop at the frequency that Ranma would curse the cactus.
"'Go South' I said, 'people build on rivers' I said. Who actually believes this rot?"
A pause, where Dian declines to comment. Of course no one would build on a riverbank when they knew the river would dry up.
"The only good cactus is a dead cactus!"
Nearby Cacturne frowned at this pronouncement and huddled closer for a certain reason.
A couple more seconds and a resounding, 'OW!' can be heard for miles.
"Forget I said that. Apparently the only good cactus is a burnt cactus."
Subtle signs of fleeing cactus pokemon can be seen from the Meowth's perspective. Hehehe...
It had been about a week since the Nidoran emissary showed up at Ranma's dwelling and most of the time was spent preparing for their little jaunt to the south.
First and foremost, the dynamic duo had to break it to their pokemon pupils that they would not be in the area for the next few weeks. Ranma also had to fortify his cabin against any roving pokemon that did not know it was the home of the feared feral human.
Provisions were easily come by, and Ranma did not see too much trouble with obtaining water, since they were already traveling by a river, but he brought a water-pouch just in case. Fire wasn't a problem either, what with his impressive ki skills. It would be only a matter of nanoseconds in order for Ranma to generate the amount of heat needed to start a campfire.
Well, come to think of it, the only reason it took Ranma and Dian a week to leave was because it took a lot of convincing for their pupils. They all wanted to be sure that their investment in the wild human would not go for naught. They wanted a promise that the two would come back.
A compromise was made after a brief council of the neighboring tethras. The raven-haired martial artist would have safe passage throughout any of their surrounding territories and he would return to his little clearing he had carved out of the forest once every week. The wily Meowth interjected a caveat, since he saw that under these terms, Ranma would be bound to return to that clearing once a week for the rest of his life.
The condition was that there would be a further negotiation at a later date after Ranma had had his fill of traveling the countryside.
Despite a few mutterings from the tethras who stood to gain from the original treaty, all agreed, and Ranma set out the next day.
Which brings us to the present scene of Ranma alternately using ki to flame the hell out of the cactus in his path, or employing the milder form of the Neko-ken to slice the devil plants at their base and fling them away with a ki claw.
Anyone normal might begin to get a little peeved at Ranma since he persisted in grumbling under his breath every five paces, but no one who ever valued his life ever accused Dian of being normal.
The feline ego sitting on the human's shoulder only reveled in the fact not only were they out exploring new territories, they also had the benefits of a place to call home, the seeds of an empire (or a gym at the very least), the allegiance of various powerful breeds, and fit bodies that, if they really wanted to, could take on the world. And quite possibly come out the victor.
But Dian was reassured in the fact that neither he, nor Ranma were of that mentality. Instead they both were blessed with an ironclad loyalty, honor (of a sort) up the wazoo, and a winning personality that - HOLY MOTHER OF METRONOME HURLING CLEFABLES!!!
Where once Ranma stood, now was a conflagration of flaming cacti and debris.
Thankfully, Ranma's ever-present patented Danger Sense saved the day with a quick sideways leap into the...
Cursing scorched the air again as a vastly more prickled Ranma and Dian tumbled back onto the path that they had previously blazed through the desert foliage.
Nearby Pidgey, and even Spearow took to the sky, as they were startled when Ranma began loud and inventive cursing, and cursing, and cursing. "Idiotic, stupid, cat infested...oh, sorry Dian. Reflex. But what the hell was that?!"
One might guess that string of swearwords came from the scratched and bleeding martial artist.
Attention was quickly returned to the cause of their sudden leap into Thorn City. Sweatdrops formed on the two travelers as they saw at the end of their blazed path a cute fuzzy cuddly orange and black striped puppy with a cream colored mane and underbelly.
"THIS is what spit out the fire?" Ranma queried of his companion, only to feel a trembling on his shoulder.
"Dian? Are you alright?"
Turning his head, Ranma looked out of the corner of his eye at the Meowth while still keeping watch on the harmless looking puppy.
The feline's face was turned to the trail behind them, and his shivering increased. Ranma did not think it was from the satisfaction of how far they've traveled through such a desolate land.
When the tiger puppy in front of them barked in a happy tone and a deeper more bass woof answered, Ranma slowly turned on heel and faced the larger, fiercer canine behind them.
"Oh-," Ranma started.
"Bug drrroppings." Dian finished.
Both martial artists blinked at their situation, as the apparent mommy of the puppy growled with ill concealed threat at the two who stood between her and her baby.
Ranma's eyes flicked to either side of them. No escape except back through the somewhat dense devil plants surrounding the trail. From a decade of his childhood spent in the wilderness, Ranma knew better than to retreat from the mother towards the offspring. He thought that while still foolish, they might have a better chance heading toward the elder pokemon.
Dian, on the other hand, was still more hesitant about approaching the Arcanine than the Growlithe. He had his own species information to rely upon in such a situation. Even though he was with a human, Arcanines were known to make a meal out of Meowths, and if they were experienced enough, Persians could fall prey to the fire attacks as well.
Growlithes were the lesser evil. Dian bet that he and Ranma could make it past the puppy before the Arcanine noticed that a potential meal was quivering before her.
Out of the corner of his mouth, Ranma whispered something so that only the cat's sensitive ears could pick up.
"Psst...Dian. On the count of three, we move, ok?"
In acknowledgment of this, Dian flexed his claws on Ranma's shoulder gently, so as not to pierce the skin. This was a prearranged signal they had made up in case something happened where it was better if Dian did not show that he could speak.
The mother Arcanine was getting impatient. That blasted human and the yummy Meowth were not moving away from her puppy. They must have ill designs on her offspring! She knew it! The human was one of those blasted trainers, and he wanted to steal her baby away. The Meowth proved it. That species were generally too independent to submit willingly to a human's care, so that meant that he was a trainer, and had already caught and brainwashed the poor defenseless tasty treat.
Therefore, it was her duty to save her puppy, scare away the human, and relieve him of the tidbit- she means feline, who was so obviously in his power.
Readying herself for the fiery blast, the Arcanine inhaled, and the human said 'one'.
Passing the air through a concentrated gland near her lungs, she heard the word 'two', although she could have sworn the Meowth said it, although that was blatantly impossible.
As the fire-charged air built in pressure and intensity just before she released it, the dark haired trainer started to say 'thr-,' when fire erupted and covered the human from head to foot. Unfortunately, the Meowth had jumped the gun, and was streaking away past her puppy.
The mother just sat down on her haunches in shock and 'erped' a small tongue of flame in surprise.
She hadn't flamed the human...
Blinking, the Arcanine took a step forward to investigate when a low growling reached her ears. Looking around to find its source, the mother also noted that the Meowth was nowhere to be seen, and her puppy was frolicking innocently in the small clearing at the end of the path.
Another step toward the charred human, wondering if he was dead, and the growling increased, but with an added note of menace, and some few parts of insanity mixed in. One of the only bushes near the human was not covered in thorns shook with the vibration of the growling before something emerged and pounced on the chest of the scorched human.
It wasn't the Meowth the trainer had caught. It was something much worse.
Rusty cinnamon fur raised along its hackles, ribs showing through it coat, and white, white teeth showed through snarling lips underneath a deceptively cute curl on its head. The creature's several red tails waved in the air in a fan formation, each one curled at such a degree that alerted the knowledgable that this pokemon was indeed formidable.
The Vulpix, for that was what it was, snarled again in that maddening way at the much larger beast. Her words in the pokemon language, Vulpix dialect, could be faintly heard under the water crazed growling.
"Mine! You hear that, you big overgrown mutt? This one's mine. I flamed him, I get the water that can be found in his blood. If you come one step closer, I'll turn around and kill your cub and have him instead. Grrrrrr!"
The Arcanine was perplexed, and just a little bit intimidated. It was not all that unusual to come across water crazed pokemon in this desert, but something was different about this one. The female Vulpix was a little too crazed, and it could be seen in her eyes. She had no remorse in them for threatening her pup. She was telling the truth, even though it would mean taking on a full grown Arcanine.
The mother considered her options. Either she could take the chance of endangering her cub for a meal that she did not want in the first place (humans were too gamey for her taste), or she could go on her way with her pup, and perhaps hunt that Meowth, wherever it had run off to.
Decision easily made, the mother nodded and acceded to the sociopathic pokemon's wishes. Her own vocalizations posed a question to the small triumphant one. "How am I to get my cub, if I am not to come any closer? The plants around us keep me from taking a different path, as I am too large to go through the underbrush."
Only taking a moment to think about this dilemma, the Vulpix turned while on the human's chest, eliciting a groan from below as she eyes the Growlithe, who eyeballed her warily back. "Fine then. Whelp, go to your mother. You may pass by, but do nothing to incite me. The water within you will do just as well as his," she said with a paw poking down in his face.
The puppy whined and looked at his dam for approval. With her nod, he slinked whimperingly toward and around the human, squeezing between the stationary form and the cacti in order to avoid getting too close to the predatory Vulpix. She was scary!
When mother and son reunited with some happy yips and the cub being covered in licks, the two leaped off down the path and disappeared around a bend. With that nuisance taken care of, the Vulpix turned her attention to her salvation. Water was there, for the taking, and this time around, she didn't have to fight any larger pokemon for it.
Just as she was leaning down to snap her pearly whites through the male's jugular, deep sapphire blue eyes pierced her with a penetrating stare.
Shocked into immobility for a precious second, the Vulpix could do nothing until a tawny blur flashed from the bushes she had previously hidden in and knocked her off of the human.
So the feline did not abandon its trainer like she had thought. That was different. Normally, when a Meowth had the opportunity to leave, and did not want to be near a human, it would have fled. This trainer must be something to inspire that sort of loyalty.
Hissing ferociously, Dian's mind scrambled through the possibilities. Ranma was alive, and although groggy from the fire, would soon be able to function normally. Their training assured that. With as many knocks that the pig-tailed martial artist had taken, this latest assault was nothing.
Dian stood between the crazy Vulpix chick and his partner pacing and fluidly tense with readiness for anything she might do. It was one thing to face down the predator of his people. It was quite another to battle something more along your size, and of a species that did not openly conflict with his own.
The Vulpix was confused. She must have water, and soon, else her life was forfeit. Now how to handle the speedy, yet loyal feline before her without damaging her water beyond all use?
Just as she was about to commence her attack, and Dian to counter, the tawny protector halted in mid swipe as the smoky human gained his feet and made a gesture in the direction of the fight.
The Vulpix was stunned. Not only that the human would halt a battle in which he might have a good chance of gaining another pokemon, but that the Meowth was much deadlier that what she previously expected. For when her opponent froze, she could clearly see that if the blow had connected, she would be a head shorter, and that her own internal waters would be feeding the cactus hereabouts.
She gulped, forgot to inhale, and the pressing matter of dehydration caught up with her. She fainted.
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(A.N. - I could end this now, and quite possibly generate the wanted reviews in order to top the 100 mark, but then again, they would probably all be flames for the cliffhanger. I'll be nice, just this once, and go on a little farther. See the endnotes at the bottom for some general information that I'm sure my very perceptive readers must have already figured out. But for all those other dimwits out there, this is for further clarification. Luv y'all, I'll be here all week. Be sure to tip your waitress.)
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After a good long undetermined while, the Vulpix woke up.
Yes, she was still in the desert, no, she did not seem to be damaged other than dehydration and a minor case of starvation, and yes that infernal Meowth and its trainer were still there. Only, the trainer did not seem as damaged as what could be expected, under the circumstances. The Vulpix was sure that her attack would have laid him out for much longer than what he was, and she was absolutely certain that it should have left some damage to his body in some way.
Instead, there he was, just as tidy as before, and not a charred expanse of skin on him. When the trainer momentarily turned his head away from her, she giggled. Ok, now she was satisfied. Even if he wasn't damaged, his hair certainly was. Instead of coming to an end with a pigtail, portions of the formerly raven locks were burned away, and the hair fell in unruly curls around his ears.
If she were human, he would look uber-cute to her right now.
Unfortunately for her, the giggle did not go unnoticed. Picked up by the feline's hearing, that traitor of a pokemon alerted his master and those blue eyes looked at her with a glacier's warmth.
When he approached, the wary pokemon struggled to her feet in order to better prepare for an attack.
The human stopped a leap's length away. Something was in his hands. She tensed, in case it was a weapon or a pokeball. She knew that if it were the latter, she would have no defense. All her reserves were tapped.
Ranma narrowed his eyes at his former attacker. Although the pokemon was small, he had learned better to judge power by size, as was obviously pointed out to him by his defeat at her flames. Even though he had every reason to dislike her, even hate her, he just could not hold her actions against the situation that Dian told him she was in.
Instead of making another move toward her, he kept her pinned with his potent eyes, and lowered what he held to the ground. It was a carved wooden bowl he had brought from the forest. In it was a portion of the water supply he and Dian had brought since they saw that the river was drying out.
Suspicious was the word for it. Why would such a human as a trainer be helpful to a weak pokemon? Why didn't he capture her when she could not put up a defense? For that matter, where were the pokeballs that a trainer needed to subdue the Meowth, or any other pokemon he may have? What kind of a human was he?
Lots of questions, and few answers were available at the moment. The only way to get them was to live and stick around just long enough to find out. And in order to live, she would have to drink the water. With no other options available, the Vulpix needed to trust the human and his cat sidekick just this once.
Ranma moved back to his side of the campfire and watched as the wounded red pokemon limped toward his offering, sniff it suspiciously and then plunge her delicate muzzle into the life saving liquid. Quaffing the water deeply, the little sociopath kept her eyes on what was going on with her companions. They seemed to be interested in something other than her.
For that matter, Ranma and Dian were indeed otherwise occupied. Whispering fervently, they held an impromptu conference about what to do next. Dian was all for leaving the crazy Vulpix alone.
"Rranma! She crrazy! No need crrazy Vulpix to kill when sleep."
"I know it's a risk, Dian, but she's hurt. I can't just leave her here while she might drop any second. That thing you called an Arcanine might come back when we're gone and eat her!"
With the mention of that enemy, Dian shivered.
"Fine then. If want, crrazy Vulpix come with Rranma, but Dian no like."
"Yattai!" the no longer pigtailed trainer exulted, only to be cut off by his partner.
"Also need go back to forrest, Rranma," the feline reminded.
"Why's that?" he bristled.
"Week almost up. We prromise. Also waterr rrun out with thrree."
"Oh." *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
(A.N. - Ok, now peeps! How you like them apples? We now have the introduction of Ranma's second pokemon, and if you haven't noticed, she's slightly insane.
And the thing I mentioned in the previous author's notes, don't worry. Its not that vital, just a fact to keep in mind.
In this story/world/universe etc., the pokemon run along an evolutionary path, of course. The thing I wanted to clarify was the breeding chain. The end form of the evolution for a species is the mature, adult form. They can breed, have babies etc.
That's why the Arcanine is the mom, and the Growlithe is the pup. As each evolution is undergone, it's like a rite of passage for the pokemon. They're growing up.
Dian is a child, by terms of his species, but he's lived long enough to be considered a teenager. No mere baby kitten could become the Meowth's pentethra that way. If you remember, I mentioned this in a previous chapter.
Brownie points to those who can point out which one it is. Five points I think. As I go on, I'll be using more brownie points to award my reviewers if they bring up good points. The reward...well, if someone actually manages to receive, say, thirty points, I'll email them a general map of Ranma's travels, and perhaps an author's rendition of Ranma's present crew. I can do it too, yanno. I have a scanner now.
Anyway, if this point system is well received by you ppl, then I'll have to come up with good rewards. More chapters of this story are not a reward. I'll do them anyway. Think of good bonuses, like sneak peaks, or more pics. I'm a fair hand at drawing. Good luck!
Unnamed Master: Chapter 11
"Ow! Stupid cactus..."
"Stupid, stupid, evil cactus!"
"I thought deserts couldn't show up right next to rivers. Stupid cactus," the pig-tailed trainer added as an afterthought. Nevermind the fact that the river had dried up at this point and that they were only following a cracked streambed.
Dian, who was comfortably perched on Ranma's shoulder above the hazardous ground could only smirk slightly at his good fortune, and sweatdrop at the frequency that Ranma would curse the cactus.
"'Go South' I said, 'people build on rivers' I said. Who actually believes this rot?"
A pause, where Dian declines to comment. Of course no one would build on a riverbank when they knew the river would dry up.
"The only good cactus is a dead cactus!"
Nearby Cacturne frowned at this pronouncement and huddled closer for a certain reason.
A couple more seconds and a resounding, 'OW!' can be heard for miles.
"Forget I said that. Apparently the only good cactus is a burnt cactus."
Subtle signs of fleeing cactus pokemon can be seen from the Meowth's perspective. Hehehe...
It had been about a week since the Nidoran emissary showed up at Ranma's dwelling and most of the time was spent preparing for their little jaunt to the south.
First and foremost, the dynamic duo had to break it to their pokemon pupils that they would not be in the area for the next few weeks. Ranma also had to fortify his cabin against any roving pokemon that did not know it was the home of the feared feral human.
Provisions were easily come by, and Ranma did not see too much trouble with obtaining water, since they were already traveling by a river, but he brought a water-pouch just in case. Fire wasn't a problem either, what with his impressive ki skills. It would be only a matter of nanoseconds in order for Ranma to generate the amount of heat needed to start a campfire.
Well, come to think of it, the only reason it took Ranma and Dian a week to leave was because it took a lot of convincing for their pupils. They all wanted to be sure that their investment in the wild human would not go for naught. They wanted a promise that the two would come back.
A compromise was made after a brief council of the neighboring tethras. The raven-haired martial artist would have safe passage throughout any of their surrounding territories and he would return to his little clearing he had carved out of the forest once every week. The wily Meowth interjected a caveat, since he saw that under these terms, Ranma would be bound to return to that clearing once a week for the rest of his life.
The condition was that there would be a further negotiation at a later date after Ranma had had his fill of traveling the countryside.
Despite a few mutterings from the tethras who stood to gain from the original treaty, all agreed, and Ranma set out the next day.
Which brings us to the present scene of Ranma alternately using ki to flame the hell out of the cactus in his path, or employing the milder form of the Neko-ken to slice the devil plants at their base and fling them away with a ki claw.
Anyone normal might begin to get a little peeved at Ranma since he persisted in grumbling under his breath every five paces, but no one who ever valued his life ever accused Dian of being normal.
The feline ego sitting on the human's shoulder only reveled in the fact not only were they out exploring new territories, they also had the benefits of a place to call home, the seeds of an empire (or a gym at the very least), the allegiance of various powerful breeds, and fit bodies that, if they really wanted to, could take on the world. And quite possibly come out the victor.
But Dian was reassured in the fact that neither he, nor Ranma were of that mentality. Instead they both were blessed with an ironclad loyalty, honor (of a sort) up the wazoo, and a winning personality that - HOLY MOTHER OF METRONOME HURLING CLEFABLES!!!
Where once Ranma stood, now was a conflagration of flaming cacti and debris.
Thankfully, Ranma's ever-present patented Danger Sense saved the day with a quick sideways leap into the...
Cursing scorched the air again as a vastly more prickled Ranma and Dian tumbled back onto the path that they had previously blazed through the desert foliage.
Nearby Pidgey, and even Spearow took to the sky, as they were startled when Ranma began loud and inventive cursing, and cursing, and cursing. "Idiotic, stupid, cat infested...oh, sorry Dian. Reflex. But what the hell was that?!"
One might guess that string of swearwords came from the scratched and bleeding martial artist.
Attention was quickly returned to the cause of their sudden leap into Thorn City. Sweatdrops formed on the two travelers as they saw at the end of their blazed path a cute fuzzy cuddly orange and black striped puppy with a cream colored mane and underbelly.
"THIS is what spit out the fire?" Ranma queried of his companion, only to feel a trembling on his shoulder.
"Dian? Are you alright?"
Turning his head, Ranma looked out of the corner of his eye at the Meowth while still keeping watch on the harmless looking puppy.
The feline's face was turned to the trail behind them, and his shivering increased. Ranma did not think it was from the satisfaction of how far they've traveled through such a desolate land.
When the tiger puppy in front of them barked in a happy tone and a deeper more bass woof answered, Ranma slowly turned on heel and faced the larger, fiercer canine behind them.
"Oh-," Ranma started.
"Bug drrroppings." Dian finished.
Both martial artists blinked at their situation, as the apparent mommy of the puppy growled with ill concealed threat at the two who stood between her and her baby.
Ranma's eyes flicked to either side of them. No escape except back through the somewhat dense devil plants surrounding the trail. From a decade of his childhood spent in the wilderness, Ranma knew better than to retreat from the mother towards the offspring. He thought that while still foolish, they might have a better chance heading toward the elder pokemon.
Dian, on the other hand, was still more hesitant about approaching the Arcanine than the Growlithe. He had his own species information to rely upon in such a situation. Even though he was with a human, Arcanines were known to make a meal out of Meowths, and if they were experienced enough, Persians could fall prey to the fire attacks as well.
Growlithes were the lesser evil. Dian bet that he and Ranma could make it past the puppy before the Arcanine noticed that a potential meal was quivering before her.
Out of the corner of his mouth, Ranma whispered something so that only the cat's sensitive ears could pick up.
"Psst...Dian. On the count of three, we move, ok?"
In acknowledgment of this, Dian flexed his claws on Ranma's shoulder gently, so as not to pierce the skin. This was a prearranged signal they had made up in case something happened where it was better if Dian did not show that he could speak.
The mother Arcanine was getting impatient. That blasted human and the yummy Meowth were not moving away from her puppy. They must have ill designs on her offspring! She knew it! The human was one of those blasted trainers, and he wanted to steal her baby away. The Meowth proved it. That species were generally too independent to submit willingly to a human's care, so that meant that he was a trainer, and had already caught and brainwashed the poor defenseless tasty treat.
Therefore, it was her duty to save her puppy, scare away the human, and relieve him of the tidbit- she means feline, who was so obviously in his power.
Readying herself for the fiery blast, the Arcanine inhaled, and the human said 'one'.
Passing the air through a concentrated gland near her lungs, she heard the word 'two', although she could have sworn the Meowth said it, although that was blatantly impossible.
As the fire-charged air built in pressure and intensity just before she released it, the dark haired trainer started to say 'thr-,' when fire erupted and covered the human from head to foot. Unfortunately, the Meowth had jumped the gun, and was streaking away past her puppy.
The mother just sat down on her haunches in shock and 'erped' a small tongue of flame in surprise.
She hadn't flamed the human...
Blinking, the Arcanine took a step forward to investigate when a low growling reached her ears. Looking around to find its source, the mother also noted that the Meowth was nowhere to be seen, and her puppy was frolicking innocently in the small clearing at the end of the path.
Another step toward the charred human, wondering if he was dead, and the growling increased, but with an added note of menace, and some few parts of insanity mixed in. One of the only bushes near the human was not covered in thorns shook with the vibration of the growling before something emerged and pounced on the chest of the scorched human.
It wasn't the Meowth the trainer had caught. It was something much worse.
Rusty cinnamon fur raised along its hackles, ribs showing through it coat, and white, white teeth showed through snarling lips underneath a deceptively cute curl on its head. The creature's several red tails waved in the air in a fan formation, each one curled at such a degree that alerted the knowledgable that this pokemon was indeed formidable.
The Vulpix, for that was what it was, snarled again in that maddening way at the much larger beast. Her words in the pokemon language, Vulpix dialect, could be faintly heard under the water crazed growling.
"Mine! You hear that, you big overgrown mutt? This one's mine. I flamed him, I get the water that can be found in his blood. If you come one step closer, I'll turn around and kill your cub and have him instead. Grrrrrr!"
The Arcanine was perplexed, and just a little bit intimidated. It was not all that unusual to come across water crazed pokemon in this desert, but something was different about this one. The female Vulpix was a little too crazed, and it could be seen in her eyes. She had no remorse in them for threatening her pup. She was telling the truth, even though it would mean taking on a full grown Arcanine.
The mother considered her options. Either she could take the chance of endangering her cub for a meal that she did not want in the first place (humans were too gamey for her taste), or she could go on her way with her pup, and perhaps hunt that Meowth, wherever it had run off to.
Decision easily made, the mother nodded and acceded to the sociopathic pokemon's wishes. Her own vocalizations posed a question to the small triumphant one. "How am I to get my cub, if I am not to come any closer? The plants around us keep me from taking a different path, as I am too large to go through the underbrush."
Only taking a moment to think about this dilemma, the Vulpix turned while on the human's chest, eliciting a groan from below as she eyes the Growlithe, who eyeballed her warily back. "Fine then. Whelp, go to your mother. You may pass by, but do nothing to incite me. The water within you will do just as well as his," she said with a paw poking down in his face.
The puppy whined and looked at his dam for approval. With her nod, he slinked whimperingly toward and around the human, squeezing between the stationary form and the cacti in order to avoid getting too close to the predatory Vulpix. She was scary!
When mother and son reunited with some happy yips and the cub being covered in licks, the two leaped off down the path and disappeared around a bend. With that nuisance taken care of, the Vulpix turned her attention to her salvation. Water was there, for the taking, and this time around, she didn't have to fight any larger pokemon for it.
Just as she was leaning down to snap her pearly whites through the male's jugular, deep sapphire blue eyes pierced her with a penetrating stare.
Shocked into immobility for a precious second, the Vulpix could do nothing until a tawny blur flashed from the bushes she had previously hidden in and knocked her off of the human.
So the feline did not abandon its trainer like she had thought. That was different. Normally, when a Meowth had the opportunity to leave, and did not want to be near a human, it would have fled. This trainer must be something to inspire that sort of loyalty.
Hissing ferociously, Dian's mind scrambled through the possibilities. Ranma was alive, and although groggy from the fire, would soon be able to function normally. Their training assured that. With as many knocks that the pig-tailed martial artist had taken, this latest assault was nothing.
Dian stood between the crazy Vulpix chick and his partner pacing and fluidly tense with readiness for anything she might do. It was one thing to face down the predator of his people. It was quite another to battle something more along your size, and of a species that did not openly conflict with his own.
The Vulpix was confused. She must have water, and soon, else her life was forfeit. Now how to handle the speedy, yet loyal feline before her without damaging her water beyond all use?
Just as she was about to commence her attack, and Dian to counter, the tawny protector halted in mid swipe as the smoky human gained his feet and made a gesture in the direction of the fight.
The Vulpix was stunned. Not only that the human would halt a battle in which he might have a good chance of gaining another pokemon, but that the Meowth was much deadlier that what she previously expected. For when her opponent froze, she could clearly see that if the blow had connected, she would be a head shorter, and that her own internal waters would be feeding the cactus hereabouts.
She gulped, forgot to inhale, and the pressing matter of dehydration caught up with her. She fainted.
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(A.N. - I could end this now, and quite possibly generate the wanted reviews in order to top the 100 mark, but then again, they would probably all be flames for the cliffhanger. I'll be nice, just this once, and go on a little farther. See the endnotes at the bottom for some general information that I'm sure my very perceptive readers must have already figured out. But for all those other dimwits out there, this is for further clarification. Luv y'all, I'll be here all week. Be sure to tip your waitress.)
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After a good long undetermined while, the Vulpix woke up.
Yes, she was still in the desert, no, she did not seem to be damaged other than dehydration and a minor case of starvation, and yes that infernal Meowth and its trainer were still there. Only, the trainer did not seem as damaged as what could be expected, under the circumstances. The Vulpix was sure that her attack would have laid him out for much longer than what he was, and she was absolutely certain that it should have left some damage to his body in some way.
Instead, there he was, just as tidy as before, and not a charred expanse of skin on him. When the trainer momentarily turned his head away from her, she giggled. Ok, now she was satisfied. Even if he wasn't damaged, his hair certainly was. Instead of coming to an end with a pigtail, portions of the formerly raven locks were burned away, and the hair fell in unruly curls around his ears.
If she were human, he would look uber-cute to her right now.
Unfortunately for her, the giggle did not go unnoticed. Picked up by the feline's hearing, that traitor of a pokemon alerted his master and those blue eyes looked at her with a glacier's warmth.
When he approached, the wary pokemon struggled to her feet in order to better prepare for an attack.
The human stopped a leap's length away. Something was in his hands. She tensed, in case it was a weapon or a pokeball. She knew that if it were the latter, she would have no defense. All her reserves were tapped.
Ranma narrowed his eyes at his former attacker. Although the pokemon was small, he had learned better to judge power by size, as was obviously pointed out to him by his defeat at her flames. Even though he had every reason to dislike her, even hate her, he just could not hold her actions against the situation that Dian told him she was in.
Instead of making another move toward her, he kept her pinned with his potent eyes, and lowered what he held to the ground. It was a carved wooden bowl he had brought from the forest. In it was a portion of the water supply he and Dian had brought since they saw that the river was drying out.
Suspicious was the word for it. Why would such a human as a trainer be helpful to a weak pokemon? Why didn't he capture her when she could not put up a defense? For that matter, where were the pokeballs that a trainer needed to subdue the Meowth, or any other pokemon he may have? What kind of a human was he?
Lots of questions, and few answers were available at the moment. The only way to get them was to live and stick around just long enough to find out. And in order to live, she would have to drink the water. With no other options available, the Vulpix needed to trust the human and his cat sidekick just this once.
Ranma moved back to his side of the campfire and watched as the wounded red pokemon limped toward his offering, sniff it suspiciously and then plunge her delicate muzzle into the life saving liquid. Quaffing the water deeply, the little sociopath kept her eyes on what was going on with her companions. They seemed to be interested in something other than her.
For that matter, Ranma and Dian were indeed otherwise occupied. Whispering fervently, they held an impromptu conference about what to do next. Dian was all for leaving the crazy Vulpix alone.
"Rranma! She crrazy! No need crrazy Vulpix to kill when sleep."
"I know it's a risk, Dian, but she's hurt. I can't just leave her here while she might drop any second. That thing you called an Arcanine might come back when we're gone and eat her!"
With the mention of that enemy, Dian shivered.
"Fine then. If want, crrazy Vulpix come with Rranma, but Dian no like."
"Yattai!" the no longer pigtailed trainer exulted, only to be cut off by his partner.
"Also need go back to forrest, Rranma," the feline reminded.
"Why's that?" he bristled.
"Week almost up. We prromise. Also waterr rrun out with thrree."
"Oh." *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
(A.N. - Ok, now peeps! How you like them apples? We now have the introduction of Ranma's second pokemon, and if you haven't noticed, she's slightly insane.
And the thing I mentioned in the previous author's notes, don't worry. Its not that vital, just a fact to keep in mind.
In this story/world/universe etc., the pokemon run along an evolutionary path, of course. The thing I wanted to clarify was the breeding chain. The end form of the evolution for a species is the mature, adult form. They can breed, have babies etc.
That's why the Arcanine is the mom, and the Growlithe is the pup. As each evolution is undergone, it's like a rite of passage for the pokemon. They're growing up.
Dian is a child, by terms of his species, but he's lived long enough to be considered a teenager. No mere baby kitten could become the Meowth's pentethra that way. If you remember, I mentioned this in a previous chapter.
Brownie points to those who can point out which one it is. Five points I think. As I go on, I'll be using more brownie points to award my reviewers if they bring up good points. The reward...well, if someone actually manages to receive, say, thirty points, I'll email them a general map of Ranma's travels, and perhaps an author's rendition of Ranma's present crew. I can do it too, yanno. I have a scanner now.
Anyway, if this point system is well received by you ppl, then I'll have to come up with good rewards. More chapters of this story are not a reward. I'll do them anyway. Think of good bonuses, like sneak peaks, or more pics. I'm a fair hand at drawing. Good luck!
