hero2.txt
Spring Of Drowned Hero chapter 2
"It ain't easy being green."
DISCLAIMER: This fic takes place in a Marvel/Ranma/SM Universe. Characters are (tm) and/or (c) their respective owners.
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*BOUNCE!*
Akane rubbed her nose. "HEY YOU! WATCH WHERE YOu're going...?!"
Akane Tendo was brave. It didn't matter how big the opponent, her confidence in her martial arts abilities and strength would see her through any normal conflict. Reputations she had slightly more trouble with, as those *could* intimidate her.
Turning a corner with her friends Yuka and Sayuri, she hadn't seen any sign that would indicate today was going to be a day where she would face anything worse than Tatewaki Kuno.
However, while she was obstinate, prone to ignoring anything that didn't fit what she had already made her mind up about (something she would deny as if she acknowledged such a fault she would be admitting she had something in common with the aforementioned Tatewaki), and had even been described by her elder sister as a violent maniac, she was *not* a lowgrade moron.
Therefore, while she was quite confident in her fighting skills, after bouncing off of a roadblock and beginning to yell at it, the recognition of the identity of that roadblock quickly penetrated and Akane Tendo of the Tendo School Of Anything Goes Martial Arts very nearly wet her pants. Scratch that "very nearly" as she noticed the rage on the individual's face.
Said roadblock stood over nine and a half feet tall, weighed over fifteen hundred pounds, and was composed almost entirely of muscle. Skin, hair, nails - all being shades of green. Though the hair was a little long, and the yellow/black bandana was a new addition, Akane Tendo had absolutely no problem figuring out who this was.
The Incredible Hulk.
Someone whose fist was bigger than her head, and who could reduce her to the consistency of strawberry jam with less effort than it took her to open a door.
Someone with a temper *worse* than hers on a day where Kasumi had forgotten to pick up Midol and her PMS was going off with a vengeance. Someone who could get pissed and wreak havoc on a scale Godzilla would normally be required for.
Akane grinned stupidly, trying to come up with some way of placating the huge creature in such a way that he would leave quietly and not flatten her so badly that she could use a postage stamp as a burial shroud. She was vaguely aware of Yuka and Sayuri having turned completely white, down to the roots of their hair, then shrieking and heading for the school as if that would save them.
The Hulk growled low and animalistically as he finished turning towards Akane. A hand reached out with surprising speed to grasp her waist and pull her close.
Akane saw her life pass before her eyes. She wanted a "do over" as she catalogued all the things that she hadn't done.
"Where is Furinkan High School?"
Akane blinked, all too aware that the Hulk's reported strength was sufficient that the hand almost completely encircling her waist could squeeze her to a literal bloody pulp. Anger began to percolate upwards, driven by fear and the knowledge that the entire school was watching. "This *is* Furinkan High School. Let me GO!"
"Furinkan?" The large green fellow blinked and moved slightly towards the wall, reading slowly the kanji that confirmed it. "I here. At last. Now. Where Ranma Saotome?"
Akane placed both hands on a thumb and tried to force it away from her midsection. "I... don't know (urk!) He already left (unnngghh!). He might be home...(uh oh)." Akane suddenly had an image of her house looking like a bomb crater. "No no no! I'm sure he's not *there*!"
Ryouga's grip involuntarily tightened in reaction to the thought of Saotome's lechery, living with this tiny girl. "Ranma Saotome, you will pay... uh oh."
Akane was now frantically trying to budge the thumb holding her in place. The grip had tightened from "loose but firm" to something that might ordinarily crush cars. While she might be inclined to lose an inch or two from her waistline, this was *not* how she wanted it to happen.
A brick slammed into Ryouga's head from the side, not doing any damage but attracting the green goliath's attention.
"I hear you're looking for me," said Ranma from atop the school's fence.
Ryouga blinked. "Ranma Saotome?"
"Yeah," answered Ranma. "So who the heck are you?"
Ryouga looked at the tall blond gaijin. "Damn. All this trouble, and is wrong Ranma Saotome."
----------
Miles away, a boy named Ryu Kumon (who went by the name Ranma Saotome) got this sudden chill up his spine.
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(splash)
Ryouga sniffed the air. "What stinks?"
Akane whimpered. This level of pressure + full bladder + lotsa stress had been too much.
Ryouga realized what had happened and reflexes bade his next course of action, he casually flipped the girl away from him with a sound of disgust.
"EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee" (wham bang boom) Akane considered just staying put, particularly on seeing the broken doors to the science lab, the broken wall, and the dent she'd put into the wall that had finally held up.
However, wasn't it a basic truth of the School Of Anything Goes Martial Arts that no challenge could go unanswered? If she didn't answer this call to battle, how could she call herself the Heir to the Tendo School?
Slowly she made her way to the gaping hole in the school wall.
There was Ranma, looking off to the West.
Akane looked in that direction. Other than a large gap where the school's outer wall had once stood, she didn't see anything. Realizing what that meant, she started looking madly around. "Hey, where'd the Hulk go?"
"He just wandered off," said Ranma with a shrug. "It seems I'm not the Ranma Saotome he's looking for."
"There's MORE of you?" Akane was a little disgusted with the idea. Not so much that there was more than one Ranma, but did that mean there was more than one Tatewaki Kuno? The mind boggled.
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The Hulk continued to calm down, triggering the change. Soon, Ryouga Hibiki once again walked the streets of Nerima...
Ryouga looked up and saw the Tokyo Tower. Okay, correction. Ryouga Hibiki walked the streets of Azabu Juuban.
Several *very* pretty girls ran by in *very* short skirts ran by. "Come on, the reports were that the Hulk was *this* way!"
Ryouga pinched his nose, noting that each of the five girls had nice legs. Not that he had time for those things until he'd gotten even with Ranma. They were looking for his cursed form? How strange! He didn't need cheerleaders, he needed vengeance!
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"So, koibito," said Nabiki, trying out the new pet name for her fiance, "do you suppose he was looking for whatever you looked like before you 'got cursed'?" Nabiki smirked inwardly. She wasn't sure why her fiance continued with this pretence. It didn't fool anyone.
"Oh man, I missed that," groaned Ranma, covering his face with one hand.
"Why didn't you fight him?" Akane frowned. Wasn't he a member of the Anything Goes School?
"Too many civilians, and the Hulk ain't exactly no flyweight. You suppose anything would be left in the area if the Hulk got really pissed?" Ranma shrugged. "If he was gonna fight me for real, I'd have had to try and get him away from the school at least."
"Oh," said Akane, seeing his point.
"Uhm, Akane," said Nabiki after getting a couple of quick pictures. "You might want to go home and change clothes."
Akane glared but nodded.
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A gauntleted hand put the game controller (for "Super Romance Dating Scramble III", a Japanese dating simulator) down after pushing "Pause." (What, you expected him to be playing Flight Simulator?)
"Iron Man, we have a Hulk sighting!"
Iron Man (the original since his successor had turned up missing) accessed the commlink by a direct patch to his armor. "Are you sure about that? The Hulk vanished at about the same time as the majority of those other heroes vanished." Some had been good friends and Tony Stark couldn't help but feel a little mournful at this reminder.
"Know anyone else who's 9'6", 1500 pounds, emerald green, and registers temper tantrums on the Richter scale?"
"The Abomination," replied Iron Man. "Not to mention that time the Juggernaut was reported as a Hulk sighting, or any number of others."
"Well, that's true, but this *does* tend to make those decryptions of the Chinese coded messages and reports sound more likely. Neither the Abomination or Juggernaut make mile-long jumps."
"Thanks, Ed, we'll send someone out to check it out," Tony clicked off the broadcast, wanting to be alone with his thoughts. Azabu Juuban, eh? Well, a few of the remaining Avengers had wanted to check out these reports of superpowered elemental mutants running around.
When a large number of heroes had suddenly turned up missing, the remaining heroes had shuffled around, and new ones had arisen to fill gaps. Ed, a minor mutant living in Colorado, didn't have the raw combat potential of any of those missing heroes, but his ability to "ghost" in the Internet did make him a valuable resource.
Iron Man checked a few rosters. Who could be spared for a quick trip to Japan?
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"Ranma Saotome," said Tatewaki Kuno. "What foul sorcery doth this gaijin possess?"
"Sorcery?" Hikaru Gosunkugi listened. Had there been some clue as to strange Western magic practiced by the tall fellow? Ranma had looked more like one of those American Football players than a sorcerer.
"He has ensorcelled the fair Akane so that she fails to return my love, and his summoned ogre shall pay for his manhandling of her."
"Hmmmm," said the spooky goth (known as "Voodoo Spike" Gosunkugi to some, though more referred to him as "whatshisname"). The Hulk was a summoned ogre? It *would* explain a few things.
Sensing if not really paying attention to the fact that he had an audience, and playing to them, Tatewaki Kuno continued his diatribe. "No one can defeat the paragon of nobility that is the Blue Thunder, much less dispute the superiority of the Japanese over base foreigners. This is further evidence of the inferiority of these foreigners - for no Japanese would sink so low as to use foul sorceries against the virtuous Tatewaki Kuno."
"Yeah, right," said Nabiki, passing by this crowd. "Kuno, you amaze me."
"The Blue Thunder accepts such praise as his due," said the kendoist.
"So who was praising you?" Nabiki's smirk was visible from over her shoulder as she entered the school.
Kuno briefly considered yelling back at the mercenary that he despised her. Ah, but the fair Akane had left the school grounds to return soon. He should wait for her and thereby have a moment or two alone with the beauteous tigress so that she may bespeak her affections.
Akane, already at home, felt a chill but decided she needed to hurry. She would likely be late anyway, but didn't really think anyone who had witnessed that scene this morning would object.
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Ranma Saotome sat at his too small desk and tried to focus on the teacher. Why did they have to drone like that? Certainly they had to repeat this material a lot, but the students picked up on things like a lack of enthusiasm for the subject.
Already Chihiro had propped her book up and was slurping noodles from behind its shelter. That weird kid in the back was making voodoo dolls? Then there was Hiroshi and Daisuke, who were apparently looking over hentai magazines again. Yuka and Sayuri were gossipping. Weren't there any *normal* people in this class?
"The answer, Mister Saotome?"
"Admiral Yamamoto, sensei."
"Very good, Mister Saotome."
Ranma wondered how he had known that.
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Kasumi finished cleaning the shield or, as she currently thought of it, the Shield. The straps had been old and well worn leather, which hadn't fared well, so she had had to replace them. Leather was difficult for her to budget, though she understood the need for a tough and lightweight material. After some time thinking of what would be suitable, Kasumi had come up with the idea of quilted silk but disregarded it due to the problems keeping such material clean.
What the domestically inclined Tendo sister had come up with was reinforcing some material from one of Akane's old gi. It might not be perfect, but it would do until she could find something stronger. After all, if it could stand up to repeated washings, as well as Akane's workouts for so many years, it had to be fairly tough material.
She was aware of Mister Saotome asking if there was anything for lunch, and had nodded and replied that she would get that right away. Naturally, she wasn't finished with the Shield, so she took it with her.
Which was when Kasumi became aware of how Mister Saotome was eyeing the Shield.
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Genma was concerned. That shield that Ranma had found looked sort of familiar, but he hadn't been able to sell it. Ranma had chosen to be willful and obstinate when the subject had come up.
The Anything Goes School eschewed weapon use. Using a weapon caused one to rely on it.
That didn't mean that practitioners of Anything Goes wouldn't use a weapon. Hypocrisy was a basic tenet of the school as well.
Ranma had practiced a few times with the shield while going through China. It seemed a silly weapon, an overgrown frisbee. Still, there had been *something* about how Ranma practiced with the weapon. Not only had it seemed to click as "natural" somehow, it had even tickled some memory as being familiar in some odd fashion.
Genma knew he could trick Kasumi into handing over the shield. There were places in Tokyo he could sell it for that would pay him at least enough to get a quick bottle of sake or two. Maybe a full meal.
The problem was that the *old* Ranma might have griped or complained about it, but would have given in eventually. The *new* Ranma was less certain to say the least. He could be pushed, but you got the feeling that he was continually weighing everything that happened as if against some internal checklist. The old pre-Jusenkyo Ranma was easily led. The new blonde Ranma wasn't easily led or fooled.
Well, maybe he'd get the chance to sell it, then he'd explain to the boy how it was all for the best. Just looking out for the boy's interest, after all.
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He was the Incredible Hulk. He was darn near invulnerable, could lift 100 tons, punch through battleships, and leap well over a mile.
He was lost.
He had also discovered that while he wasn't actually injured by a lot of stuff, it could still sting a lot.
"Mars Fire.... Damn it, he's running too fast for me to get a bead on him!"
"Do you think Jupiter's going to be okay?"
"Sailor Moon, she was knocked down and run over by the Hulk! Still I think her transformation protected her. Mostly." Sailor Mercury frowned as she ran and adjusted her visor at the same time, something that would have made Sailor Moon herself take a painful fall if she'd tried it. "This is very odd. I'm reading several magical signatures on the Hulk, but he's supposed to be non-magical in nature."
At this point, knowing full well that those fire blasts *stung*, and that if that girl in the orange skirt tried to flying kick him in the face again with that short skirt he'd have a terminal nosebleed, Ryouga/Hulk remembered he could leap tall buildings with a single bound.
"Crescent beam, SMASH!" Sailor Venus fired off her quickest attack, noting that for such a big fellow, the Hulk moved extremely quickly.
*SPING!* The blast managed to cut a bandana off the Hulk's head. Oddly enough there was another one underneath it.
Feeling the burn, Ryouga leapt up. "Ranma Saotome! This all your fault!"
Sailor Moon blinked. "Ranma Saotome?!"
"Ranma Saotome?!" Sailor Venus puzzled, picking up the bandana.
"Ranma Saotome," mumurred Sailor Mercury, already accessing a websearch on her computer.
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A long day of school. In a desk designed for someone not nearly as massive as himself. Where people regarded him as being gaijin and at least some were actively hostile as a result. Long hours of tedium.
Then the final bell rings.
Ranma had achieved a routine, even though it was only his second day at Furinkan Senior High School.
"Yipeee!"
This routine was started by an acrobatic flip outside the third story window, followed by lightly landing on the concrete below, then a graceful hurdle of the school's outer wall. By the time some of the students of his class had reached the bottom of the stairs, he was already home.
He casually swatted his father into the pavement, caught the shield before it could land, and was off to the next stop. The kitchen. He was hungry after all.
"Oh, Ranma," said Kasumi cheerfully, then blinked in surprise. She could have *sworn* she'd just had three cheeseburgers on that tray.
Ranma finished licking a bit of melted cheese off his hands. "Yes, Kasumi?"
"I cleaned your shield," said Kasumi, trying to sound Ranma out on this and confirm what she thought she already knew.
"Yeah, thanks. Try to keep my Pop off of it though. What can I say, he's a moron." Ranma abruptly realized he'd fitted the shield into place on his arm. It was amazing how natural it felt there.
Kasumi noticed how well the shield fit into place, but that hadn't been what she was leading into. "Do you practice with that?"
"Yeah, some," admitted Ranma. "I was just gonna go do that, in fact." He'd spotted one of those vacant lots that construction companies used to temporarily store things while working in the area and it had struck him as darn near *perfect* for practicing a couple of techniques he'd thought up.
"Do you mind if I watch?" Kasumi had a fairly good idea of what to expect if her theory was true.
Ranma puzzled over this for a few moments. He couldn't see a problem, per se, it just struck him as a strange request. "Uhm, I guess not."
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Nabiki was incensed, again. First her iinazuke goes off and flirts with her *dear* younger sister the very first day he attended school. Then he went off back home without so much as a "by your leave" or "would you like me to take you home" or even just a nod of the head.
A few sly innuendos to Akane about perverted Americans and what "everybody knows" about their nonstop sex drives and cruder sensibilities, and Nabiki was fairly sure that anything budding between Akane and Ranma had been effectively derailed.
Pictures of a naked Ranma, taken from a carefully placed hole in a wall overlooking the boy's shower, hadn't sold as well as could be expected. Though there was some curiosity, it was mainly detracted from by his newness and gaijin status. The mercenary Tendo thought it likely that as Ranma became more familiar, and the opportunity came for more secretive purchase, the sales would go up slightly.
As for the rest of the school day, it was mainly a waste of time. Nabiki kept a solid week ahead of the class, that way she could deal with any situations that could increase her financial standing immediately. A few rumors, mostly dealing with the Hulk's presence had graced the halls of Furinkan: the Hulk was here to enroll, the Hulk was here to promote some upcoming movie, the Hulk had shown up to kill Ranma for stealing Nabiki's heart, the big green fellow hadn't been the Hulk after all - just an actor, and finally (Nabiki's favorite) - the Hulk had shown up specifically to challenge Akane due to Tatewaki Kuno's rule and was now going to take her off on a date.
There was much teasing possibility in this last. Even Tatewaki Kuno, in his own bizarre disassociated manner, realized that attacking the Hulk to dispute his date with Akane was not a particularly healthy move. Akane, of course, didn't care for this rumor at all. Which merely meant that Nabiki found plenty of room for some light teasing.
This was beside the point, however. Ranma had ignored her for the most part over the past two days.
Nabiki slowed as a random thought percolated up through the layers of her mind. She knew from her father's description that Ranma had spent most of his life on the road and his social skills reeked as a result.
Maybe he didn't have a clear idea what being engaged involved, other than as a precursor for marriage?
Nabiki frowned thoughtfully, which sent some sophomores scurrying away clutching their wallets. She'd have to investigate this further.
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Akane had been pleasantly surprised. Very little teasing had occurred from her unfortunate accident of the morning. Perhaps it was that most people faced with being pulped by the Hulk would have had similar reactions, perhaps it was Akane's own temper and reputation for casual violence, perhaps it was the dearth of other things to talk about. Whatever the cause, the result was that few people commented on Akane losing bladder control while in the grip of the Hulk.
Akane was still sore from the Hulk's grip on her, and from being thrown through one wall, a closed door, and finding herself imbedded in that second wall. She wasn't exactly a delicate flower, but that had been pushing her limits.
Though it *had* gotten her some additional respect. Anyone who could still walk after that sort of attack was worth respecting, in the opinions of many.
She stepped over the slightly flattened figure of Genma on her way into her house. "Tadaima!" No one answered though. Not so unusual for her father, but Kasumi not being here was slightly more unusual.
Her danger sense went off as Genma attacked. "Mister Saotome, I hurt too much to practice now, can we try again tomorrow?"
Genma paid attention to the limp and the way Akane was carrying herself. "Try a hot soak, student. We'll make up for this lapse in training tomorrow morning."
"Oh joy," said Akane, though the thought of soaking in the furo *did* sound quite appealing.
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Kasumi was sitting demurely on a concrete pipe, watching the practice and comparing memories of news clips to what she was watching now. She hadn't trained in the martial arts since her mother's death, and she'd trained almost exclusively in the Tendo Naginata-ryuu prior to that. She *did*, however, know something about various martial arts styles.
The blurring boy was better than she was, which wasn't surprising, but was also better than she *could* have been. Everyone, she felt, had a certain limits within them. She had discovered that while she could have dedicated herself to the martial arts, she wasn't as good with unarmed styles as she was with the naginata, and her potential within the domestic arts like cooking were far greater than either. Time and energy limits what we can dedicate ourselves to, and so Kasumi had eventually chosen to pursue solely the domestic arts.
Ranma was fast. Much faster than someone would expect of such a big gaijin. Also had incredible control and precision, and showed every sign of being a skilled martial artist.
Kasumi compared a split instant of stance with another image from an old news report about Captain America fighting someone with the unlikely name of "Red Skull" in New York. Match up: 97%.
Another image compared to memory. Another match up that was almost exact. Again and again.
Ranma started practicing with the Shield, and Kasumi nodded. Even greater resemblence, verging on 99%. It was enough to decide.
All talk of Jusenkyo curses to the side, it was obvious now, at least to Kasumi.
As far as Kasumi was concerned, Ranma Saotome was the son of Captain America.
Though Ichi-bei, the relations between Japan and America, was often strained by either America's Japan-bashing or the reactions of those within her own country, Kasumi had grown up in a time when the United States was considered sort of a bratty and slightly immature older brother. Captain America, on the other hand, was considered somewhat of a heroic role model. In some ways he had exemplified certain aspects of bushido, or European chivalry. In some ways he represented an ideal America, one that didn't whine as much or have the greatest concentration of litigation attorneys on the planet.
Captain America's exploits had been reproduced in manga form, going from historical records, back in the mid 60s. It was occasionally reprinted, though the dojinshi involving the Captain had been best forgotten. The Americans tended to not care for *that* sort of depiction of their icon, and there were quite a few Japanese who had felt similarly.
Captain America had been a brash youth in WWII, and had made a number of comments and actions that he'd later expressed regret over. He'd been present at odd times during the Reconstruction, or so it was said. The pictures of the Captain of that time had always struck Kasumi as being a little "off". Then he'd reappeared a few times during the seventies. Now here it was 1992, and the Captain's Son was ready to take up the mantle.
Kasumi watched the skill that Ranma used in ricocheting the shield off several objects to land in his hand again. Yes, Ranma would eventually be the noble successor to the title. What had happened to the original? Or was it something that changed hands every twenty years? Passed from father to son to their son and now to Ranma?
How would Nabiki handle being the fiancee of a world famous superhero? Probably not well. Kasumi decided to have a long talk with Nabiki about responsibilities. Did Nabiki really understand what being a fiancee entailed? Probably not.
How would Akane handle this when it came out. Hmmm. Kasumi considered something else. The Captain had originally had a sidekick, "Bucky" - a term meaning "Buck Private" as she recalled. Maybe he could use a new sidekick? One who could represent Ichi-Bei, a hero for *Japan* working alongside the Avengers and other groups.
Kasumi smiled a little more. Akane was a violent maniac, but she was also a nice girl. This could be just the sort of thing to help her get over some of that aggression. She'd need a costume though. Perhaps something in yellow... Akane looked good in yellow.
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"Arrrgghhh, where is Ranma Saotome?!"
Ryu Kumon put down his ramen bowl. "I'm Ranma Saotome. What's *your* beef?!" He turned, confident smirk on his lips to regard what fool might be looking for him, or maybe this was a clue to where he could find the Umisenken Scroll.
There was a big green wall blocking his view. How curious.
Ryouga/Hulk looked down at the little fellow. Size = about right. Coloration = about right. Japanese? Yes. "At last! Ryouga SMASH!"
Ryu Kumon suddenly realized *what* he was looking at. He jumped back in order to get some fighting room and unleash his secret techniques. Seeing the Hulk there, he paused for a moment, then grinned. Taking down the Hulk using the Yamasenken would prove the effectiveness of the techniques!
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Shampoo yawned while looking for her husband. Upon hearing what sounded like an explosion, she decided to investigate. Her airen might be there.
Or at least some allies she could get.
==========
Ryu Kumon vs Incredible Hulk?!
Akane, superhero sidekick in training?
Ranma, reluctant Captain America?
Shampoo respects strength, what will she think of the Hulk?
OMAKE -----
Old heroes gone, others have risen to fill the ranks of existing ones. Some do not stand side-by-side with the "superhero teams" but fulfill other functions now.
(Note: other than the cameo of Ed in this chapter i have no plan to actually utilize any of these, it's just intended as a fun little bit.)
Ghostspider (Ed Becerra)
Type: Mutant (?)
Affiliation: Avengers
Base Of Operations: Colorado (Worldwide)
Mutant Power: Machine Ghost (can astrally project into electronic systems, primarily the internet). Has Good control over machines within line of sight, Unearthly for those he's in physical contact with.
Occupation: Researcher
Reputation: Unknown to all but but a few members of the Avengers and Professor X. Part of his ability allows him to mask himself from cybernetic systems, including Sentinels.
Tora (Rupert Chaynie)
Type: Werelynx
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: Australia
Werepowers: Regenerates from wounds that are not inflicted by silver, magic, or other werecreatures when in hybrid or animal form. Can transform to werelynx hybrid form, human, or animal form.
Occupation: artist
Reputation: Not well known. Tried out for Heroes For Hire local branch, and was told they'd keep his resume on file.
Zen Zen (Zen?)
Type: Mutant (?)
Affiliation: None
Base Of Operations: Atlanta
Mutant Powers: can charge metal objects, making them nearly indestructible and lightweight. Charge lasts for only two minutes.
Occupation: programmer
Reputation: Unknown. His only appearance was during an Avengers recruiting drive. After flirting with all the female Avengers and candidates, he was ruled too un-PC for a group that has a Federal status.
Shade (?)
Type: Mystic
Affiliation: None
Base Of Operations: mobile
Mystic Powers: song mage. As it can take five minutes or more for him to get off a spell, he has not had much success as a superhero.
Occupation: musician
Reputation: Shade enjoys some success as a musician, though he is completely unknown as a superhero.
Transit (Hung Nguyen)
Type: Mutant (?)
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: mobile
Mutant Powers: ability to "pop a stitch in spacetime" in any open doorway or window and connect the space he's currently occupying with another space, somewhere within a 10,000 mile range. These gateways can be as large as a typical garage door or as small as the hole in a pencil sharpener. Opening a gateway requires a great deal of effort, keeping it open is merely a matter of slight effort, and closing it simply requires he take his mind off keeping the gate open for a moment.
Occupation: travel agent
Reputation: well known among the rich and famous, as well as a few superhero groups. The last supervillain group to try and blackmail him discovered that he could link the barrels of their guns using his power. It is known that he charges more for impolite people.
Hound (Gregg Sharp)
Type: Esper
Affiliation: FBI
Base Of Operations: mobile
Esper Powers: Psychometry. By handling an object, Hound can get psychic impressions of the owner and lock on to the "psychic scent" of that user to track them.
Occupation: Forensic "special talent"
Reputation: well known within the FBI and some LEO circles, called in when more traditional methods have come to a dead end.
Dragonbard (unknown)
Type: Mage
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: mobile
Mage Powers: Spellsinger, manifests spells via music.
Occupation: rock singer
Reputation: not very well known
Artisan (Andrew Lemly)
Type: mystic
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: owns a small island
Mage Powers: sketch art. Can conjure any number of people or items by creating a sketch of that thing. As it can take over a day to do a proper sketch and bring it to reality, it is a very slow and laborious process. As the items remain after being sketched, Andrew has drawn his own island, mansion, and a number of other items and has adopted the attitude of "don't bother me and I won't bother you." Unfortunately he only seems able to maintain an even dozen items at any single time. He is currently trying to work out a way around this limitation.
Occupation: supreme ruler of Lemon Island
Reputation: don't bother his island or you'll regret it.
Phant (Phantasm) (real name unknown)
Type: Mutant?
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: Beverly Hills, CA
Mutant(?) Abilities: puts out a continual "vermindeath" field. Small insects, fungi, and spores within 60 feet of Phant immediately shrivel up and perish.
Occupation: exterminator
Reputation: very well known, very well paid. Vacations in Japan frequently for massive shopping trips involving Manga No Mori and Animate stores. Has been featured in "Lifestyles of the Rich & Paranormal."
Wanda the Magnificent (Ana Wagner)
Type: Mystic Focus?
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: Hogwarts Academy, somewhere in England
Mage Abilities: Student Teacher at a school for wizards, specialty in wand use and abjuration spells
Occupation: Student teacher
Reputation: hardly known at all, except to the students at Hogwarts.
Tangent (Alex White)
Type: Werefox
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations :somewhere near Pittsburgh
Werefox: ability to change into a hybrid or normal-looking fox. Regenerates from normal wounds in either fox or hybrid forms.
Occupation: Apprentice Mage
Reputation: Not very well known, except in sorcerous circles.
Rikard (Richard Robinson)
Type: Empowered
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: Seattle
Power: Rikard has come into the possession of a bracer with four "materia" (one of four such materia users) - which allow him to summon certain spirits for specific tasks. Detox cleans air, land, or water. Shiva freezes things. Solarr allows him to project beams and domes of sunlight. Feather allows him to float as if weightless.
Occupation: hired by the city of Seattle for waste management and special functions.
Reputation: well known in Seattle, though he is thought to be using technology instead of magic and Shiva is his alien partner.
White (Jared Ornstead)
Type: Psychic/Mage
Affiliation: church based
Base Of Operations: Salt Lake City?/mobile
Power: Psychic Healing. White can use psi talents to heal wounds, cure diseases, and correct disorders, so long as he can "lay hands" to establish a connection. The greater the injury or complication, the more of his own energy reserves this requires.
Occupation: healer/missionary
Reputation: known as having a "gift", which is sufficient for most people.
Obsidian (Morgan Wright)
Type: Mystic Warrior
Affiliation: none (Silver Millenium)
Base Of Operations: Los Angeles, CA
Powers: Reborn warrior of an ancient magical moon kingdom. The Knight Of Fear is constantly radiating a fear aura of Good strength, this affects everyone the Knight does not recognize as an ally. Fighting Skills: Excellent, street brawler of good talent and strength. Has the ability to charge knives with chi, bringing their damage level up. Has been known to summon a serrated, spiked, two-handed, enchanted axe named "Finality".
Occupation: street fighter
Reputation: known as being a really nasty vicious street fighter.
D&D Character:
Sailor Pocky ("Poci Styx")
Drow Elf female, level 5 Monk, hp:28, AC:15, Strength: 18, Dexterity: 18, Constitution: 11, Wisdom: 10, Charisma: 17. Saves: reflex 8, fort 4, will 4, Init 4. Melee 7, Ranged 7. Feats: Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike. Height: 5'1", 100 pounds, 112 years old, Move: 40ft
SKILLS: Balance 10, Climb 8, Hide 8, Jump 8, Listen 5, Move Silent 8, Swim 6, Tumble 9.
Racial Traits: +2 Dex, -2 Con, Immune to Magic Sleep, +2 Save Vs Enchantment, Low Light Vision, Proficient With Swords & Bows, +2 on Search Checks, +2 on Spot Checks, +2 on Listen Checks, Special Search
Class Features: Unarmed Strike, Stunning Attack, Evasion, Deflect Arrows, Still Mind, Slow Fall (20ft) Purity Of Body, Monk Weapon Proficiencies, Fast Movement, Flurry Of Blows, AC Bonus.
Special Equipment: Sailor Suit (no magical qualities, though it is acidproof, tear proof, and is composed of stainproof high tech materials used for making combat marionette tendons.)
History: Sailor Pocky is an enthusiastic and optimistic girl who is similar to a human teenager. She comes from a universe where a fair number of other drow girls developed through mongrel cloning and grew up watching old tapes of "Sailor Moon" and similar series.
Sailor Pocky is best used for comedic effect and to effect last moment rescues and the like, embarassing the heck out of her colleagues.
Spring Of Drowned Hero
Chapter 3:
"The Shield Revealed"
DISCLAIMER: Ranma/Sailor Moon/Marvel Xover universe. All tm and c the original owners.
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The Yamasenken, Mountain Of A Thousand Fists, half of a devastatingly powerful martial arts system.
Ryu Kumon, though going by the name Ranma Saotome, was using these techniques without hint of mercy or sympathy, to their full effect.
The Hulk (aka Ryouga Hibiki) was getting *pissed!* Though now that he'd gotten a better look at this "Ranma Saotome" he'd come to the conclusion that this was probably *also* the wrong Ranma Saotome.
"Hold it right there!"
Kumon sent two vaccuum chi blades towards this new threat.
"AAAAAAAAAAA!"
Ryouga momentarily lost his rage in shock as he saw this boy send one of those attacks at a young girl in a red cheerleader costume. Who went down with a bloody wound.
It was odd, Ryouga realized, he could hear his heartbeat increasing in force and tempo - almost like a physical presence.
"Now, monster!" Ryu had tried chi blades, now he'd open the gates and steal the monster's heart. This would prove the Yamasenken was the most powerful martial arts school in the world.
The hand thumped against the Hulk's chest without penetrating it.
"You hurt cute girl! RYOUGA SMASH!"
"Too slow," said Ryu, leaping over the outstretched arm. "I..."
*GRAB*
Ryouga's other hand clutching one of Kumon's legs put an end to the dodging.
*SLAM!* Ryu found himself being introduced to the pavement rather roughly.
*WHAM!* Ryu Kumon was truly one of the toughest martial artists in Tokyo. One punch from an angry Hulk driving him nearly two feet deep into the pavement was not enough to kill him.
Ryouga looked down at where "Ranma Saotome" was lying in a small crater, quite obviously unconscious. He calmed as the picture relaxed him. He smiled and began to transform back to Ryouga. "I... I beat him. At last I have beaten you, Ranma Saotome."
"Uhm, excuse me?"
Ryouga blinked and looked to the side where an extremely cute (though young) girl in a green cheerleader's outfit stood. "Huh?"
"Can you help me get Rei-chan off the street before the police arrive?" The girl looked nervous but hopeful. While she liked green, the Hulk was a bit *too* much green.
"Oh, uh, sure." Ryouga scratched his head, looking embarassed. How could he refuse a cute girl anything anyway?
-----------
Shampoo watched from nearby. Allies. Not her airen, but still these were potentially powerful allies.
She'd have to follow and watch, then introduce herself, at least as soon as she was sure that they didn't have ties to the Mandarin or his diminuitive henchman.
Hmmm. That one girl was pretty badly banged up. Looked like an opportunity to use some healing techniques.
----------
Akane Tendo was angry.
This was, obviously, nothing new. The target of her anger was fairly new, however.
"You call *this* martial arts training!?"
Genma considering ignoring the youngest Tendo. "An attack can come at any time and you must be prepared to defend yourself instantly."
"I'm supposed to be training to improve my martial arts skills," said Akane reasonably. This was taking some effort as her natural impulse was to beat on the sometimes panda. "Martial artist. NOT food-thief."
"If you want to eat, you should defend your food better." Genma smirked at this new student. Nice battle aura she had going. She should be attacking in three. Two.
"Oh yes, reminds me of training under the Master. Ah, those were the days, eh, Saotome?"
Akane stared at her father. "You mean he's SERIOUS?!"
"Akane, you must take the Art more seriously if you're going to be the Tendo Heir." Soun fixed his youngest with a reproving glance.
Spring Of Drowned Hero chapter 2
"It ain't easy being green."
DISCLAIMER: This fic takes place in a Marvel/Ranma/SM Universe. Characters are (tm) and/or (c) their respective owners.
---------
*BOUNCE!*
Akane rubbed her nose. "HEY YOU! WATCH WHERE YOu're going...?!"
Akane Tendo was brave. It didn't matter how big the opponent, her confidence in her martial arts abilities and strength would see her through any normal conflict. Reputations she had slightly more trouble with, as those *could* intimidate her.
Turning a corner with her friends Yuka and Sayuri, she hadn't seen any sign that would indicate today was going to be a day where she would face anything worse than Tatewaki Kuno.
However, while she was obstinate, prone to ignoring anything that didn't fit what she had already made her mind up about (something she would deny as if she acknowledged such a fault she would be admitting she had something in common with the aforementioned Tatewaki), and had even been described by her elder sister as a violent maniac, she was *not* a lowgrade moron.
Therefore, while she was quite confident in her fighting skills, after bouncing off of a roadblock and beginning to yell at it, the recognition of the identity of that roadblock quickly penetrated and Akane Tendo of the Tendo School Of Anything Goes Martial Arts very nearly wet her pants. Scratch that "very nearly" as she noticed the rage on the individual's face.
Said roadblock stood over nine and a half feet tall, weighed over fifteen hundred pounds, and was composed almost entirely of muscle. Skin, hair, nails - all being shades of green. Though the hair was a little long, and the yellow/black bandana was a new addition, Akane Tendo had absolutely no problem figuring out who this was.
The Incredible Hulk.
Someone whose fist was bigger than her head, and who could reduce her to the consistency of strawberry jam with less effort than it took her to open a door.
Someone with a temper *worse* than hers on a day where Kasumi had forgotten to pick up Midol and her PMS was going off with a vengeance. Someone who could get pissed and wreak havoc on a scale Godzilla would normally be required for.
Akane grinned stupidly, trying to come up with some way of placating the huge creature in such a way that he would leave quietly and not flatten her so badly that she could use a postage stamp as a burial shroud. She was vaguely aware of Yuka and Sayuri having turned completely white, down to the roots of their hair, then shrieking and heading for the school as if that would save them.
The Hulk growled low and animalistically as he finished turning towards Akane. A hand reached out with surprising speed to grasp her waist and pull her close.
Akane saw her life pass before her eyes. She wanted a "do over" as she catalogued all the things that she hadn't done.
"Where is Furinkan High School?"
Akane blinked, all too aware that the Hulk's reported strength was sufficient that the hand almost completely encircling her waist could squeeze her to a literal bloody pulp. Anger began to percolate upwards, driven by fear and the knowledge that the entire school was watching. "This *is* Furinkan High School. Let me GO!"
"Furinkan?" The large green fellow blinked and moved slightly towards the wall, reading slowly the kanji that confirmed it. "I here. At last. Now. Where Ranma Saotome?"
Akane placed both hands on a thumb and tried to force it away from her midsection. "I... don't know (urk!) He already left (unnngghh!). He might be home...(uh oh)." Akane suddenly had an image of her house looking like a bomb crater. "No no no! I'm sure he's not *there*!"
Ryouga's grip involuntarily tightened in reaction to the thought of Saotome's lechery, living with this tiny girl. "Ranma Saotome, you will pay... uh oh."
Akane was now frantically trying to budge the thumb holding her in place. The grip had tightened from "loose but firm" to something that might ordinarily crush cars. While she might be inclined to lose an inch or two from her waistline, this was *not* how she wanted it to happen.
A brick slammed into Ryouga's head from the side, not doing any damage but attracting the green goliath's attention.
"I hear you're looking for me," said Ranma from atop the school's fence.
Ryouga blinked. "Ranma Saotome?"
"Yeah," answered Ranma. "So who the heck are you?"
Ryouga looked at the tall blond gaijin. "Damn. All this trouble, and is wrong Ranma Saotome."
----------
Miles away, a boy named Ryu Kumon (who went by the name Ranma Saotome) got this sudden chill up his spine.
---------
(splash)
Ryouga sniffed the air. "What stinks?"
Akane whimpered. This level of pressure + full bladder + lotsa stress had been too much.
Ryouga realized what had happened and reflexes bade his next course of action, he casually flipped the girl away from him with a sound of disgust.
"EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee" (wham bang boom) Akane considered just staying put, particularly on seeing the broken doors to the science lab, the broken wall, and the dent she'd put into the wall that had finally held up.
However, wasn't it a basic truth of the School Of Anything Goes Martial Arts that no challenge could go unanswered? If she didn't answer this call to battle, how could she call herself the Heir to the Tendo School?
Slowly she made her way to the gaping hole in the school wall.
There was Ranma, looking off to the West.
Akane looked in that direction. Other than a large gap where the school's outer wall had once stood, she didn't see anything. Realizing what that meant, she started looking madly around. "Hey, where'd the Hulk go?"
"He just wandered off," said Ranma with a shrug. "It seems I'm not the Ranma Saotome he's looking for."
"There's MORE of you?" Akane was a little disgusted with the idea. Not so much that there was more than one Ranma, but did that mean there was more than one Tatewaki Kuno? The mind boggled.
--------------
The Hulk continued to calm down, triggering the change. Soon, Ryouga Hibiki once again walked the streets of Nerima...
Ryouga looked up and saw the Tokyo Tower. Okay, correction. Ryouga Hibiki walked the streets of Azabu Juuban.
Several *very* pretty girls ran by in *very* short skirts ran by. "Come on, the reports were that the Hulk was *this* way!"
Ryouga pinched his nose, noting that each of the five girls had nice legs. Not that he had time for those things until he'd gotten even with Ranma. They were looking for his cursed form? How strange! He didn't need cheerleaders, he needed vengeance!
---------
"So, koibito," said Nabiki, trying out the new pet name for her fiance, "do you suppose he was looking for whatever you looked like before you 'got cursed'?" Nabiki smirked inwardly. She wasn't sure why her fiance continued with this pretence. It didn't fool anyone.
"Oh man, I missed that," groaned Ranma, covering his face with one hand.
"Why didn't you fight him?" Akane frowned. Wasn't he a member of the Anything Goes School?
"Too many civilians, and the Hulk ain't exactly no flyweight. You suppose anything would be left in the area if the Hulk got really pissed?" Ranma shrugged. "If he was gonna fight me for real, I'd have had to try and get him away from the school at least."
"Oh," said Akane, seeing his point.
"Uhm, Akane," said Nabiki after getting a couple of quick pictures. "You might want to go home and change clothes."
Akane glared but nodded.
----------
A gauntleted hand put the game controller (for "Super Romance Dating Scramble III", a Japanese dating simulator) down after pushing "Pause." (What, you expected him to be playing Flight Simulator?)
"Iron Man, we have a Hulk sighting!"
Iron Man (the original since his successor had turned up missing) accessed the commlink by a direct patch to his armor. "Are you sure about that? The Hulk vanished at about the same time as the majority of those other heroes vanished." Some had been good friends and Tony Stark couldn't help but feel a little mournful at this reminder.
"Know anyone else who's 9'6", 1500 pounds, emerald green, and registers temper tantrums on the Richter scale?"
"The Abomination," replied Iron Man. "Not to mention that time the Juggernaut was reported as a Hulk sighting, or any number of others."
"Well, that's true, but this *does* tend to make those decryptions of the Chinese coded messages and reports sound more likely. Neither the Abomination or Juggernaut make mile-long jumps."
"Thanks, Ed, we'll send someone out to check it out," Tony clicked off the broadcast, wanting to be alone with his thoughts. Azabu Juuban, eh? Well, a few of the remaining Avengers had wanted to check out these reports of superpowered elemental mutants running around.
When a large number of heroes had suddenly turned up missing, the remaining heroes had shuffled around, and new ones had arisen to fill gaps. Ed, a minor mutant living in Colorado, didn't have the raw combat potential of any of those missing heroes, but his ability to "ghost" in the Internet did make him a valuable resource.
Iron Man checked a few rosters. Who could be spared for a quick trip to Japan?
----------
"Ranma Saotome," said Tatewaki Kuno. "What foul sorcery doth this gaijin possess?"
"Sorcery?" Hikaru Gosunkugi listened. Had there been some clue as to strange Western magic practiced by the tall fellow? Ranma had looked more like one of those American Football players than a sorcerer.
"He has ensorcelled the fair Akane so that she fails to return my love, and his summoned ogre shall pay for his manhandling of her."
"Hmmmm," said the spooky goth (known as "Voodoo Spike" Gosunkugi to some, though more referred to him as "whatshisname"). The Hulk was a summoned ogre? It *would* explain a few things.
Sensing if not really paying attention to the fact that he had an audience, and playing to them, Tatewaki Kuno continued his diatribe. "No one can defeat the paragon of nobility that is the Blue Thunder, much less dispute the superiority of the Japanese over base foreigners. This is further evidence of the inferiority of these foreigners - for no Japanese would sink so low as to use foul sorceries against the virtuous Tatewaki Kuno."
"Yeah, right," said Nabiki, passing by this crowd. "Kuno, you amaze me."
"The Blue Thunder accepts such praise as his due," said the kendoist.
"So who was praising you?" Nabiki's smirk was visible from over her shoulder as she entered the school.
Kuno briefly considered yelling back at the mercenary that he despised her. Ah, but the fair Akane had left the school grounds to return soon. He should wait for her and thereby have a moment or two alone with the beauteous tigress so that she may bespeak her affections.
Akane, already at home, felt a chill but decided she needed to hurry. She would likely be late anyway, but didn't really think anyone who had witnessed that scene this morning would object.
------------
Ranma Saotome sat at his too small desk and tried to focus on the teacher. Why did they have to drone like that? Certainly they had to repeat this material a lot, but the students picked up on things like a lack of enthusiasm for the subject.
Already Chihiro had propped her book up and was slurping noodles from behind its shelter. That weird kid in the back was making voodoo dolls? Then there was Hiroshi and Daisuke, who were apparently looking over hentai magazines again. Yuka and Sayuri were gossipping. Weren't there any *normal* people in this class?
"The answer, Mister Saotome?"
"Admiral Yamamoto, sensei."
"Very good, Mister Saotome."
Ranma wondered how he had known that.
---------------
Kasumi finished cleaning the shield or, as she currently thought of it, the Shield. The straps had been old and well worn leather, which hadn't fared well, so she had had to replace them. Leather was difficult for her to budget, though she understood the need for a tough and lightweight material. After some time thinking of what would be suitable, Kasumi had come up with the idea of quilted silk but disregarded it due to the problems keeping such material clean.
What the domestically inclined Tendo sister had come up with was reinforcing some material from one of Akane's old gi. It might not be perfect, but it would do until she could find something stronger. After all, if it could stand up to repeated washings, as well as Akane's workouts for so many years, it had to be fairly tough material.
She was aware of Mister Saotome asking if there was anything for lunch, and had nodded and replied that she would get that right away. Naturally, she wasn't finished with the Shield, so she took it with her.
Which was when Kasumi became aware of how Mister Saotome was eyeing the Shield.
----------
Genma was concerned. That shield that Ranma had found looked sort of familiar, but he hadn't been able to sell it. Ranma had chosen to be willful and obstinate when the subject had come up.
The Anything Goes School eschewed weapon use. Using a weapon caused one to rely on it.
That didn't mean that practitioners of Anything Goes wouldn't use a weapon. Hypocrisy was a basic tenet of the school as well.
Ranma had practiced a few times with the shield while going through China. It seemed a silly weapon, an overgrown frisbee. Still, there had been *something* about how Ranma practiced with the weapon. Not only had it seemed to click as "natural" somehow, it had even tickled some memory as being familiar in some odd fashion.
Genma knew he could trick Kasumi into handing over the shield. There were places in Tokyo he could sell it for that would pay him at least enough to get a quick bottle of sake or two. Maybe a full meal.
The problem was that the *old* Ranma might have griped or complained about it, but would have given in eventually. The *new* Ranma was less certain to say the least. He could be pushed, but you got the feeling that he was continually weighing everything that happened as if against some internal checklist. The old pre-Jusenkyo Ranma was easily led. The new blonde Ranma wasn't easily led or fooled.
Well, maybe he'd get the chance to sell it, then he'd explain to the boy how it was all for the best. Just looking out for the boy's interest, after all.
------------
He was the Incredible Hulk. He was darn near invulnerable, could lift 100 tons, punch through battleships, and leap well over a mile.
He was lost.
He had also discovered that while he wasn't actually injured by a lot of stuff, it could still sting a lot.
"Mars Fire.... Damn it, he's running too fast for me to get a bead on him!"
"Do you think Jupiter's going to be okay?"
"Sailor Moon, she was knocked down and run over by the Hulk! Still I think her transformation protected her. Mostly." Sailor Mercury frowned as she ran and adjusted her visor at the same time, something that would have made Sailor Moon herself take a painful fall if she'd tried it. "This is very odd. I'm reading several magical signatures on the Hulk, but he's supposed to be non-magical in nature."
At this point, knowing full well that those fire blasts *stung*, and that if that girl in the orange skirt tried to flying kick him in the face again with that short skirt he'd have a terminal nosebleed, Ryouga/Hulk remembered he could leap tall buildings with a single bound.
"Crescent beam, SMASH!" Sailor Venus fired off her quickest attack, noting that for such a big fellow, the Hulk moved extremely quickly.
*SPING!* The blast managed to cut a bandana off the Hulk's head. Oddly enough there was another one underneath it.
Feeling the burn, Ryouga leapt up. "Ranma Saotome! This all your fault!"
Sailor Moon blinked. "Ranma Saotome?!"
"Ranma Saotome?!" Sailor Venus puzzled, picking up the bandana.
"Ranma Saotome," mumurred Sailor Mercury, already accessing a websearch on her computer.
-----------
A long day of school. In a desk designed for someone not nearly as massive as himself. Where people regarded him as being gaijin and at least some were actively hostile as a result. Long hours of tedium.
Then the final bell rings.
Ranma had achieved a routine, even though it was only his second day at Furinkan Senior High School.
"Yipeee!"
This routine was started by an acrobatic flip outside the third story window, followed by lightly landing on the concrete below, then a graceful hurdle of the school's outer wall. By the time some of the students of his class had reached the bottom of the stairs, he was already home.
He casually swatted his father into the pavement, caught the shield before it could land, and was off to the next stop. The kitchen. He was hungry after all.
"Oh, Ranma," said Kasumi cheerfully, then blinked in surprise. She could have *sworn* she'd just had three cheeseburgers on that tray.
Ranma finished licking a bit of melted cheese off his hands. "Yes, Kasumi?"
"I cleaned your shield," said Kasumi, trying to sound Ranma out on this and confirm what she thought she already knew.
"Yeah, thanks. Try to keep my Pop off of it though. What can I say, he's a moron." Ranma abruptly realized he'd fitted the shield into place on his arm. It was amazing how natural it felt there.
Kasumi noticed how well the shield fit into place, but that hadn't been what she was leading into. "Do you practice with that?"
"Yeah, some," admitted Ranma. "I was just gonna go do that, in fact." He'd spotted one of those vacant lots that construction companies used to temporarily store things while working in the area and it had struck him as darn near *perfect* for practicing a couple of techniques he'd thought up.
"Do you mind if I watch?" Kasumi had a fairly good idea of what to expect if her theory was true.
Ranma puzzled over this for a few moments. He couldn't see a problem, per se, it just struck him as a strange request. "Uhm, I guess not."
----------
Nabiki was incensed, again. First her iinazuke goes off and flirts with her *dear* younger sister the very first day he attended school. Then he went off back home without so much as a "by your leave" or "would you like me to take you home" or even just a nod of the head.
A few sly innuendos to Akane about perverted Americans and what "everybody knows" about their nonstop sex drives and cruder sensibilities, and Nabiki was fairly sure that anything budding between Akane and Ranma had been effectively derailed.
Pictures of a naked Ranma, taken from a carefully placed hole in a wall overlooking the boy's shower, hadn't sold as well as could be expected. Though there was some curiosity, it was mainly detracted from by his newness and gaijin status. The mercenary Tendo thought it likely that as Ranma became more familiar, and the opportunity came for more secretive purchase, the sales would go up slightly.
As for the rest of the school day, it was mainly a waste of time. Nabiki kept a solid week ahead of the class, that way she could deal with any situations that could increase her financial standing immediately. A few rumors, mostly dealing with the Hulk's presence had graced the halls of Furinkan: the Hulk was here to enroll, the Hulk was here to promote some upcoming movie, the Hulk had shown up to kill Ranma for stealing Nabiki's heart, the big green fellow hadn't been the Hulk after all - just an actor, and finally (Nabiki's favorite) - the Hulk had shown up specifically to challenge Akane due to Tatewaki Kuno's rule and was now going to take her off on a date.
There was much teasing possibility in this last. Even Tatewaki Kuno, in his own bizarre disassociated manner, realized that attacking the Hulk to dispute his date with Akane was not a particularly healthy move. Akane, of course, didn't care for this rumor at all. Which merely meant that Nabiki found plenty of room for some light teasing.
This was beside the point, however. Ranma had ignored her for the most part over the past two days.
Nabiki slowed as a random thought percolated up through the layers of her mind. She knew from her father's description that Ranma had spent most of his life on the road and his social skills reeked as a result.
Maybe he didn't have a clear idea what being engaged involved, other than as a precursor for marriage?
Nabiki frowned thoughtfully, which sent some sophomores scurrying away clutching their wallets. She'd have to investigate this further.
-------
Akane had been pleasantly surprised. Very little teasing had occurred from her unfortunate accident of the morning. Perhaps it was that most people faced with being pulped by the Hulk would have had similar reactions, perhaps it was Akane's own temper and reputation for casual violence, perhaps it was the dearth of other things to talk about. Whatever the cause, the result was that few people commented on Akane losing bladder control while in the grip of the Hulk.
Akane was still sore from the Hulk's grip on her, and from being thrown through one wall, a closed door, and finding herself imbedded in that second wall. She wasn't exactly a delicate flower, but that had been pushing her limits.
Though it *had* gotten her some additional respect. Anyone who could still walk after that sort of attack was worth respecting, in the opinions of many.
She stepped over the slightly flattened figure of Genma on her way into her house. "Tadaima!" No one answered though. Not so unusual for her father, but Kasumi not being here was slightly more unusual.
Her danger sense went off as Genma attacked. "Mister Saotome, I hurt too much to practice now, can we try again tomorrow?"
Genma paid attention to the limp and the way Akane was carrying herself. "Try a hot soak, student. We'll make up for this lapse in training tomorrow morning."
"Oh joy," said Akane, though the thought of soaking in the furo *did* sound quite appealing.
----------
Kasumi was sitting demurely on a concrete pipe, watching the practice and comparing memories of news clips to what she was watching now. She hadn't trained in the martial arts since her mother's death, and she'd trained almost exclusively in the Tendo Naginata-ryuu prior to that. She *did*, however, know something about various martial arts styles.
The blurring boy was better than she was, which wasn't surprising, but was also better than she *could* have been. Everyone, she felt, had a certain limits within them. She had discovered that while she could have dedicated herself to the martial arts, she wasn't as good with unarmed styles as she was with the naginata, and her potential within the domestic arts like cooking were far greater than either. Time and energy limits what we can dedicate ourselves to, and so Kasumi had eventually chosen to pursue solely the domestic arts.
Ranma was fast. Much faster than someone would expect of such a big gaijin. Also had incredible control and precision, and showed every sign of being a skilled martial artist.
Kasumi compared a split instant of stance with another image from an old news report about Captain America fighting someone with the unlikely name of "Red Skull" in New York. Match up: 97%.
Another image compared to memory. Another match up that was almost exact. Again and again.
Ranma started practicing with the Shield, and Kasumi nodded. Even greater resemblence, verging on 99%. It was enough to decide.
All talk of Jusenkyo curses to the side, it was obvious now, at least to Kasumi.
As far as Kasumi was concerned, Ranma Saotome was the son of Captain America.
Though Ichi-bei, the relations between Japan and America, was often strained by either America's Japan-bashing or the reactions of those within her own country, Kasumi had grown up in a time when the United States was considered sort of a bratty and slightly immature older brother. Captain America, on the other hand, was considered somewhat of a heroic role model. In some ways he had exemplified certain aspects of bushido, or European chivalry. In some ways he represented an ideal America, one that didn't whine as much or have the greatest concentration of litigation attorneys on the planet.
Captain America's exploits had been reproduced in manga form, going from historical records, back in the mid 60s. It was occasionally reprinted, though the dojinshi involving the Captain had been best forgotten. The Americans tended to not care for *that* sort of depiction of their icon, and there were quite a few Japanese who had felt similarly.
Captain America had been a brash youth in WWII, and had made a number of comments and actions that he'd later expressed regret over. He'd been present at odd times during the Reconstruction, or so it was said. The pictures of the Captain of that time had always struck Kasumi as being a little "off". Then he'd reappeared a few times during the seventies. Now here it was 1992, and the Captain's Son was ready to take up the mantle.
Kasumi watched the skill that Ranma used in ricocheting the shield off several objects to land in his hand again. Yes, Ranma would eventually be the noble successor to the title. What had happened to the original? Or was it something that changed hands every twenty years? Passed from father to son to their son and now to Ranma?
How would Nabiki handle being the fiancee of a world famous superhero? Probably not well. Kasumi decided to have a long talk with Nabiki about responsibilities. Did Nabiki really understand what being a fiancee entailed? Probably not.
How would Akane handle this when it came out. Hmmm. Kasumi considered something else. The Captain had originally had a sidekick, "Bucky" - a term meaning "Buck Private" as she recalled. Maybe he could use a new sidekick? One who could represent Ichi-Bei, a hero for *Japan* working alongside the Avengers and other groups.
Kasumi smiled a little more. Akane was a violent maniac, but she was also a nice girl. This could be just the sort of thing to help her get over some of that aggression. She'd need a costume though. Perhaps something in yellow... Akane looked good in yellow.
-----------
"Arrrgghhh, where is Ranma Saotome?!"
Ryu Kumon put down his ramen bowl. "I'm Ranma Saotome. What's *your* beef?!" He turned, confident smirk on his lips to regard what fool might be looking for him, or maybe this was a clue to where he could find the Umisenken Scroll.
There was a big green wall blocking his view. How curious.
Ryouga/Hulk looked down at the little fellow. Size = about right. Coloration = about right. Japanese? Yes. "At last! Ryouga SMASH!"
Ryu Kumon suddenly realized *what* he was looking at. He jumped back in order to get some fighting room and unleash his secret techniques. Seeing the Hulk there, he paused for a moment, then grinned. Taking down the Hulk using the Yamasenken would prove the effectiveness of the techniques!
-----------
Shampoo yawned while looking for her husband. Upon hearing what sounded like an explosion, she decided to investigate. Her airen might be there.
Or at least some allies she could get.
==========
Ryu Kumon vs Incredible Hulk?!
Akane, superhero sidekick in training?
Ranma, reluctant Captain America?
Shampoo respects strength, what will she think of the Hulk?
OMAKE -----
Old heroes gone, others have risen to fill the ranks of existing ones. Some do not stand side-by-side with the "superhero teams" but fulfill other functions now.
(Note: other than the cameo of Ed in this chapter i have no plan to actually utilize any of these, it's just intended as a fun little bit.)
Ghostspider (Ed Becerra)
Type: Mutant (?)
Affiliation: Avengers
Base Of Operations: Colorado (Worldwide)
Mutant Power: Machine Ghost (can astrally project into electronic systems, primarily the internet). Has Good control over machines within line of sight, Unearthly for those he's in physical contact with.
Occupation: Researcher
Reputation: Unknown to all but but a few members of the Avengers and Professor X. Part of his ability allows him to mask himself from cybernetic systems, including Sentinels.
Tora (Rupert Chaynie)
Type: Werelynx
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: Australia
Werepowers: Regenerates from wounds that are not inflicted by silver, magic, or other werecreatures when in hybrid or animal form. Can transform to werelynx hybrid form, human, or animal form.
Occupation: artist
Reputation: Not well known. Tried out for Heroes For Hire local branch, and was told they'd keep his resume on file.
Zen Zen (Zen?)
Type: Mutant (?)
Affiliation: None
Base Of Operations: Atlanta
Mutant Powers: can charge metal objects, making them nearly indestructible and lightweight. Charge lasts for only two minutes.
Occupation: programmer
Reputation: Unknown. His only appearance was during an Avengers recruiting drive. After flirting with all the female Avengers and candidates, he was ruled too un-PC for a group that has a Federal status.
Shade (?)
Type: Mystic
Affiliation: None
Base Of Operations: mobile
Mystic Powers: song mage. As it can take five minutes or more for him to get off a spell, he has not had much success as a superhero.
Occupation: musician
Reputation: Shade enjoys some success as a musician, though he is completely unknown as a superhero.
Transit (Hung Nguyen)
Type: Mutant (?)
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: mobile
Mutant Powers: ability to "pop a stitch in spacetime" in any open doorway or window and connect the space he's currently occupying with another space, somewhere within a 10,000 mile range. These gateways can be as large as a typical garage door or as small as the hole in a pencil sharpener. Opening a gateway requires a great deal of effort, keeping it open is merely a matter of slight effort, and closing it simply requires he take his mind off keeping the gate open for a moment.
Occupation: travel agent
Reputation: well known among the rich and famous, as well as a few superhero groups. The last supervillain group to try and blackmail him discovered that he could link the barrels of their guns using his power. It is known that he charges more for impolite people.
Hound (Gregg Sharp)
Type: Esper
Affiliation: FBI
Base Of Operations: mobile
Esper Powers: Psychometry. By handling an object, Hound can get psychic impressions of the owner and lock on to the "psychic scent" of that user to track them.
Occupation: Forensic "special talent"
Reputation: well known within the FBI and some LEO circles, called in when more traditional methods have come to a dead end.
Dragonbard (unknown)
Type: Mage
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: mobile
Mage Powers: Spellsinger, manifests spells via music.
Occupation: rock singer
Reputation: not very well known
Artisan (Andrew Lemly)
Type: mystic
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: owns a small island
Mage Powers: sketch art. Can conjure any number of people or items by creating a sketch of that thing. As it can take over a day to do a proper sketch and bring it to reality, it is a very slow and laborious process. As the items remain after being sketched, Andrew has drawn his own island, mansion, and a number of other items and has adopted the attitude of "don't bother me and I won't bother you." Unfortunately he only seems able to maintain an even dozen items at any single time. He is currently trying to work out a way around this limitation.
Occupation: supreme ruler of Lemon Island
Reputation: don't bother his island or you'll regret it.
Phant (Phantasm) (real name unknown)
Type: Mutant?
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: Beverly Hills, CA
Mutant(?) Abilities: puts out a continual "vermindeath" field. Small insects, fungi, and spores within 60 feet of Phant immediately shrivel up and perish.
Occupation: exterminator
Reputation: very well known, very well paid. Vacations in Japan frequently for massive shopping trips involving Manga No Mori and Animate stores. Has been featured in "Lifestyles of the Rich & Paranormal."
Wanda the Magnificent (Ana Wagner)
Type: Mystic Focus?
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: Hogwarts Academy, somewhere in England
Mage Abilities: Student Teacher at a school for wizards, specialty in wand use and abjuration spells
Occupation: Student teacher
Reputation: hardly known at all, except to the students at Hogwarts.
Tangent (Alex White)
Type: Werefox
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations :somewhere near Pittsburgh
Werefox: ability to change into a hybrid or normal-looking fox. Regenerates from normal wounds in either fox or hybrid forms.
Occupation: Apprentice Mage
Reputation: Not very well known, except in sorcerous circles.
Rikard (Richard Robinson)
Type: Empowered
Affiliation: none
Base Of Operations: Seattle
Power: Rikard has come into the possession of a bracer with four "materia" (one of four such materia users) - which allow him to summon certain spirits for specific tasks. Detox cleans air, land, or water. Shiva freezes things. Solarr allows him to project beams and domes of sunlight. Feather allows him to float as if weightless.
Occupation: hired by the city of Seattle for waste management and special functions.
Reputation: well known in Seattle, though he is thought to be using technology instead of magic and Shiva is his alien partner.
White (Jared Ornstead)
Type: Psychic/Mage
Affiliation: church based
Base Of Operations: Salt Lake City?/mobile
Power: Psychic Healing. White can use psi talents to heal wounds, cure diseases, and correct disorders, so long as he can "lay hands" to establish a connection. The greater the injury or complication, the more of his own energy reserves this requires.
Occupation: healer/missionary
Reputation: known as having a "gift", which is sufficient for most people.
Obsidian (Morgan Wright)
Type: Mystic Warrior
Affiliation: none (Silver Millenium)
Base Of Operations: Los Angeles, CA
Powers: Reborn warrior of an ancient magical moon kingdom. The Knight Of Fear is constantly radiating a fear aura of Good strength, this affects everyone the Knight does not recognize as an ally. Fighting Skills: Excellent, street brawler of good talent and strength. Has the ability to charge knives with chi, bringing their damage level up. Has been known to summon a serrated, spiked, two-handed, enchanted axe named "Finality".
Occupation: street fighter
Reputation: known as being a really nasty vicious street fighter.
D&D Character:
Sailor Pocky ("Poci Styx")
Drow Elf female, level 5 Monk, hp:28, AC:15, Strength: 18, Dexterity: 18, Constitution: 11, Wisdom: 10, Charisma: 17. Saves: reflex 8, fort 4, will 4, Init 4. Melee 7, Ranged 7. Feats: Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike. Height: 5'1", 100 pounds, 112 years old, Move: 40ft
SKILLS: Balance 10, Climb 8, Hide 8, Jump 8, Listen 5, Move Silent 8, Swim 6, Tumble 9.
Racial Traits: +2 Dex, -2 Con, Immune to Magic Sleep, +2 Save Vs Enchantment, Low Light Vision, Proficient With Swords & Bows, +2 on Search Checks, +2 on Spot Checks, +2 on Listen Checks, Special Search
Class Features: Unarmed Strike, Stunning Attack, Evasion, Deflect Arrows, Still Mind, Slow Fall (20ft) Purity Of Body, Monk Weapon Proficiencies, Fast Movement, Flurry Of Blows, AC Bonus.
Special Equipment: Sailor Suit (no magical qualities, though it is acidproof, tear proof, and is composed of stainproof high tech materials used for making combat marionette tendons.)
History: Sailor Pocky is an enthusiastic and optimistic girl who is similar to a human teenager. She comes from a universe where a fair number of other drow girls developed through mongrel cloning and grew up watching old tapes of "Sailor Moon" and similar series.
Sailor Pocky is best used for comedic effect and to effect last moment rescues and the like, embarassing the heck out of her colleagues.
Spring Of Drowned Hero
Chapter 3:
"The Shield Revealed"
DISCLAIMER: Ranma/Sailor Moon/Marvel Xover universe. All tm and c the original owners.
--------
The Yamasenken, Mountain Of A Thousand Fists, half of a devastatingly powerful martial arts system.
Ryu Kumon, though going by the name Ranma Saotome, was using these techniques without hint of mercy or sympathy, to their full effect.
The Hulk (aka Ryouga Hibiki) was getting *pissed!* Though now that he'd gotten a better look at this "Ranma Saotome" he'd come to the conclusion that this was probably *also* the wrong Ranma Saotome.
"Hold it right there!"
Kumon sent two vaccuum chi blades towards this new threat.
"AAAAAAAAAAA!"
Ryouga momentarily lost his rage in shock as he saw this boy send one of those attacks at a young girl in a red cheerleader costume. Who went down with a bloody wound.
It was odd, Ryouga realized, he could hear his heartbeat increasing in force and tempo - almost like a physical presence.
"Now, monster!" Ryu had tried chi blades, now he'd open the gates and steal the monster's heart. This would prove the Yamasenken was the most powerful martial arts school in the world.
The hand thumped against the Hulk's chest without penetrating it.
"You hurt cute girl! RYOUGA SMASH!"
"Too slow," said Ryu, leaping over the outstretched arm. "I..."
*GRAB*
Ryouga's other hand clutching one of Kumon's legs put an end to the dodging.
*SLAM!* Ryu found himself being introduced to the pavement rather roughly.
*WHAM!* Ryu Kumon was truly one of the toughest martial artists in Tokyo. One punch from an angry Hulk driving him nearly two feet deep into the pavement was not enough to kill him.
Ryouga looked down at where "Ranma Saotome" was lying in a small crater, quite obviously unconscious. He calmed as the picture relaxed him. He smiled and began to transform back to Ryouga. "I... I beat him. At last I have beaten you, Ranma Saotome."
"Uhm, excuse me?"
Ryouga blinked and looked to the side where an extremely cute (though young) girl in a green cheerleader's outfit stood. "Huh?"
"Can you help me get Rei-chan off the street before the police arrive?" The girl looked nervous but hopeful. While she liked green, the Hulk was a bit *too* much green.
"Oh, uh, sure." Ryouga scratched his head, looking embarassed. How could he refuse a cute girl anything anyway?
-----------
Shampoo watched from nearby. Allies. Not her airen, but still these were potentially powerful allies.
She'd have to follow and watch, then introduce herself, at least as soon as she was sure that they didn't have ties to the Mandarin or his diminuitive henchman.
Hmmm. That one girl was pretty badly banged up. Looked like an opportunity to use some healing techniques.
----------
Akane Tendo was angry.
This was, obviously, nothing new. The target of her anger was fairly new, however.
"You call *this* martial arts training!?"
Genma considering ignoring the youngest Tendo. "An attack can come at any time and you must be prepared to defend yourself instantly."
"I'm supposed to be training to improve my martial arts skills," said Akane reasonably. This was taking some effort as her natural impulse was to beat on the sometimes panda. "Martial artist. NOT food-thief."
"If you want to eat, you should defend your food better." Genma smirked at this new student. Nice battle aura she had going. She should be attacking in three. Two.
"Oh yes, reminds me of training under the Master. Ah, those were the days, eh, Saotome?"
Akane stared at her father. "You mean he's SERIOUS?!"
"Akane, you must take the Art more seriously if you're going to be the Tendo Heir." Soun fixed his youngest with a reproving glance.