"Hello Ranma. It's been
some time since you last called." Professor Oak said as he spoke into the
vidphone.
"Hey Professor Oak. How
are you dong?" Ranma asked as he and Raiden were at a booth in a Pokémon
Center on the road to the Fuscha Gym. Nearby, Sam and Jeanette were waiting
on a bench as their Pokémon were having their checkups by Nurse
Joy.
"I'm doing fine Ranma.
Oh by the way, I'd like you to meet someone. Say hello to my new lab assistant,
Tracey." The Pokémon researcher gestured to the side and spoke to
someone else. "Tracey, I'd like you to meet the trainer I told you about,
Ranma Saotome."
Another person came to
the vidphone with an excited look on his face. "Wow! So you're the trainer
that defeated Prima! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Uh, yeah, it's nice
to meet with you too." Ranma was still not used to the publicity that he
had gained since that time in Stone Town. "So you're Professor Oak's new
assistant?"
"Yes." The boy with the
headband answered. "My name is Tracey Sketchit and I'm also a Pokémon
Watcher. I've heard a lot about you and my friend Ash would love to meet
with you!"
"Really? Well maybe."
Jeanette had told Ranma about her battle in the Indigo League and how her
Bellsprout had been defeated by Ash's Muk.
Professor Oak then took
the phone from Tracey. "Well Ranma, how are you doing with your Pokémon
journey?"
"Fine. Though I've been
kinda drawing a lot of attention lately." Ranma replied with a bit of a
sheepish voice. Ever since he arrived at the Pokémon Center, he
had been approached by no more than fifty people who either wanted his
autograph, asking about his techniques, or wanted to battle his Pokémon.
"Yes, I know." Professor
Oak said with a smile. "Your exploits have been making the news lately.
The media had started to call you the Gym Destroyer."
"Gym Destroyer?"
"Well, you and your Pokémon
are quite powerful from what I've heard, and you've already gained a Boulder
Badge, Thunder Badge, a Rising Sun Badge, Rainbow Badge, an Earth Badge
and a Marsh Badge. Am I correct?"
"How did you know I had
those particular badges?"
"Oh, I just looked up
the Pokémon Gyms that were not taking any more challengers until
they were repaired. I found out that a certain trainer that traveled with
a Pikachu with a headband had defeated each of those Gym Leaders. Their
description of that trainer fit yours perfectly and when they described
some of the Pokémon attacks that were used, I knew it had to be
you."
"I see." Ranma bent down
and retrieved something from his backpack. It was a case that he had made
to store his badges. He opened it up and displayed the contents to both
Oak and Tracey.
"Very impressive!" The
professor remarked as he and his assistant looked at the proof to Ranma's
achievements. "I see that you're only one badge away from qualifying for
the Indigo League."
"Wow!" Tracey exclaimed
as he saw the star-shaped badge on one end. "A Diamond Staryu Badge! Misty
would love to have one of those!"
"Pikachu!" Raiden said
with pride.
"Thanks. By the way Professor,
what did you mean when you said that I'm only one badge away from competing
in the Indigo League?" Ranma asked. "I thought I needed eight. I only count
six Indigo Badges and one Orange League Badge."
"Actually Ranma, that
Diamond Staryu Badge also counts as one of the badges accepted by the Indigo
League." Oak explained. "Prima was part of the Indigo League some ten years
ago before she moved to the Orange Islands. She's one of the top-ranking
Pokémon trainers in the world and her Diamond Staryu Badge is good
for both divisions."
"Cool!" Ranma said as
he put away his case.
"So where are you headed
now?" Oak asked.
"Well, I guess I'll try
my luck at the Fuscha Gym." Ranma replied.
"Pika!"
"Ah, so you are going
for a Soul Badge? Well, I wish you the best of luck and I certainly hope
that the Fuscha Gym will still be standing after the match."
"Heh, heh, we'll try
not to go overboard." Ranma laughed a bit nervously. Though I hope
the Gym Leader's insurance is paid up on his gym>
"Oh yes, before you leave,
I have something for you." Professor Oak held up a device in front of the
viewscreen. It resembled a cell phone but Ranma recognized it as something
else.
"Hey! Isn't that a Pokédex?"
The scientist nodded.
"Yes, it's the latest model and it has been updated with the all the most
recent discoveries and newest species of Pokémon. Do you still have
your Pokédex?"
"Sure, it's right here."
Ranma held up his own Pokédex.
"Place it into the transporter
beside you and I'll swap it for this new model. Don't worry though. All
the data that you've gathered on your old Pokédex will be transferred
to this new one as well as stored into my computer back here."
"All right Professor.
Here it comes." Ranma placed his old Pokédex into the transporter
device. A moment later, the device disappeared and was instantly replaced
by the new model. Ranma smiled as he picked it up and opened it.
*HELLO. I AM DEXTER MARK 2.
I HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO POKÉMON TRAINER RANMA SAOTOME OF PALLET
TOWN. IF I AM LOST OR STOLEN I CANNOT BE REPLACED.*
The martial artist Pokémon
Trainer nodded as he put the Pokédex into his pocket. "Thanks a
lot Professor Oak."
"No problem Ranma. Good
luck and call back soon."
"Thanks. Nice meeting
with you too, Tracey." Ranma then hung up as motioned to his traveling
companions. A few minutes later, they were on their way to the Fuscha Gym.
Some time later...
"Are you sure this is
the way to the Fuscha Gym?" Ranma asked Jeanette as they both rode their
Rapidashes at an easy trot. Sam was riding behind Ranma on Wildfire as
she had decided to give her Fearow a rest. Ranma was very uncomfortable
having a very pretty girl with her arms wrapped around him. Sam was enjoying
every minute of it, while Jeanette tried to fight down the jealousy she
felt at seeing them so close to each other. They were currently traveling
down a forest pathway.
"Yes, this is way to
go if you want to get a Soul Badge." Jeanette replied.
"Who's the Gym leader
and what's he or she like?" Ranma inquired.
Sam answered his question
before Jeanette could reply. "His name is Koga and I think he specializes
in Poison-type Pokémon, especially Bug types."
"Yes, but I bet you didn't
know that he's also a martial artist." Jeanette said smugly.
"Really?" Ranma became
very interested.
"Pika." Raiden was also
wondering if this Koga was any match for his master, though he seriously
doubted it.
Jeanette nodded. "Yes,
his gym is also a training complex for ninjas. He's a good friend of my
mother's and helped her set up the Crimson City Pokémon Gym and
Dojo."
"Well, that's interesting."
Ranma remarked. "Hey, do you think that maybe I can get a match with him
after I get the Soul Badge?"
Jeanette thought for
a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe. But don't think he'll be a pushover. It
took me a while to get a Soul Badge from him."
"My Pokémon and
I can handle it." Ranma said with confidence.
"Pikachu!" Raiden affirmed.
Wildfire snorted in agreement.
"My, my, aren't we confident?"
Sam teased.
"Hey, it's not like I
don't have a reason to be." Ranma said with a little more humble tone.
"We've trained hard and we've done pretty well for ourselves so far. Since
I train my Pokémon in the Anything Goes style, I kind of have an
advantage over the other trainers."
"Speaking of which, I've
never heard of a martial art called the Anything Goes." Jeanette said.
Sam nodded. "Come to
think of it, you really haven't told us much about it or yourself since
that time in Saffron City. You've only told us about that crazy Cat Fist
training that your father put you through. I still can't believe it. Your
father must be a complete moron!"
Ranma nodded. "No arguments
here. Stupid old man didn't even read that second page."
Jeanette nodded. "Whoever
heard of a training a six-year-old boy by throwing him into a pit of starving
cats with fish sausage? That's just plain nuts! I'm not surprised that
you went berserk whenever you see a cat." She then decided to move to another
topic. "So what other stupid training sessions did he put you through?"
Ranma began to get nervous
again. Ever since he told them about that experience, the girls had been
pestering him to tell more about his life. "Well, I really don't want to
talk about them. Some of the stuff was kind of... extreme. That was one
of the reasons why I was so hesitant to start training you girls."
"Aw come on Ranma. I
thought we were good friends now?" Sam purposely leaned a little closer
to Ranma's back.
Jeanette frowned at Sam's
bold move, and silently wished she thought of that. She then settled on
exploiting on one of Ranma's few weaknesses. Motioning her Rapidash closer
to Ranma's, she gave him her cutest pout and her eyes shined as if they
were to shed tears. "Please Ranma? GOOD friends don't keep things from
each other, right?"
Ranma became more uncomfortable.
The girls were playing dirty and it was working, as he felt his resolve
begin to waver. "Well..."
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaassssse?"
Both girls said in their most kawaii voices.
Raiden sighed and breathed
out a small mushroom puff. He knew that when it came to pretty girls and
their feminine wiles, his master just couldn't say no, especially since
he didn't like to see them cry. The Pikachu wondered if anyone else was
as pathetic.
"Pika... pika, pi...
chu." ^^Wildfire, our master is a wuss when it comes to girls. Can anyone
be as pathetic?^^
Wildfire snorted in agreement.
Somewhere out west...
"ACHOO!"
"Gesundheit Brock!"
"Thanks Misty. Someone
must be talking about me."
Back to our story...
After a minute of the
cute assault, Ranma finally caved in and said, "Okay, okay... so what exactly
do want to know about me?"
"Everything!" Jeanette
replied. "For starters, when did you start training in the martial arts
and what exactly is the Anything Goes?"
Ranma took a deep breath
and began telling his life's story. "Well, it all started when I was about
five..."
After an hour of riding,
Ranma had given the girls the highlights of his travels during the ten-year
training journey. Of course, he intended not to mention that he was from
another Earth, or about his Jusenkyo curse. He wasn't sure how the girls
would react to seeing his curse, and he had come to enjoy their company.
It had been a long and lonely life with only a greedy and stupid father
as a companion. The fact that he changed into a girl with cold water might
cause the girls to be repulsed by him; despite the effect the Water Stone
had on Jusenkyo magic. However, even the abbreviated version of his life
story was unbelievable in itself.
"What? You SWAM to China?"
Jeanette said in shock.
"You putting us on!"
Sam added.
Ranma shook his head.
"Nope. Pop and I actually swam the entire distance between Japan and China.
He said that is was part of the training." Ranma then took on Genma's solemn
look and imitated his voice. "Son, do not think of this as a hardship,
but rather a blessing in disguise. A true martial artist must overcome
all obstacles in his training to achieve higher enlightenment." Ranma then
snorted in disgust. "If you ask me, we swam to China because he was too
cheap to buy plane tickets!"
Back on Ranma's world
of origin...
"ACHOO!"
Genma shook his head
and wondered where that sudden sneeze came from. Then more important thoughts
came to mind. Such as how was he going to explain to Nodoka that he had
lost their only child months ago? Also was the fact that he was currently
being hunted by a band of very irate Chinese Amazons that was going to
make a panda skin rug out of him if they ever caught him. It was just a
little feast after all. Nothing to get excited about, right?
However, those Amazons
were nothing if not persistent. Genma thought that now would be a good
time to leave China. But where would he go? Without his son, he dared not
return home, especially due to a little contract he signed with his wife,
with his head as collateral. So that left only...
Soun! That's it!
I'll go to Soun's! After I explain everything to him, I'm sure he'll help!
Ungrateful boy had to go and run off like that! Just when we were about
to go and fulfill the pledge to unite the schools! OH, what did I do to
deserve a worthless son such as Ranma?>
The Pokémon World...
"ACHOO!"
"Bless you, Ranma." Sam
said.
"Thanks." Where
did that come from?> "In any case, Pops had gotten me involved in a
lot of stupid things and stuff over the last ten years, and most of it
I'm not really proud of. He got me involved in... acts that I was too young
to realize that were wrong." Ranma became quiet as he remembered all the
acts of theft that Genma had made him do when he was six. He had thought
of it as a game at the time, but when he grew older, he realized that he
was breaking the law and resolved not to do them any more.
"What kind of things?"
Jeanette asked.
Ranma took a deep breath
and sighed before going into detail. When he finished, both girls had horrified
looks on their faces.
"What kind of father
is he? He made you steal? That's terrible! " Sam said aghast.
"Well, yeah it was, but
I was too young to know any better at the time."
"Well, at least you realized
it later and stopped." Jeanette remarked.
"Yeah, well that doesn't
really make things any better. Now you can understand why I don't like
talking about my life." Ranma stated, to which the girls nodded. "In any
case, the last straw came when we got to China. My old man didn't even
bother to learn how to read or speak Chinese, when he came across a brochure
about some training ground called Jusenkyo."
"Jusenkyo?" Sam asked.
Jeanette nodded in thought.
"I know a little Chinese. I think it means... Pools of Sorrow?"
Ranma nodded. "Yep. That's
what it meant. Of course, Pops, being the idiot that he was, didn't even
bother to find out why the place was called that. He dragged me all over
China looking for it, before we finally came across a guide who knew where
it was."
Sam then thought about
it. "Let me get this straight. Your father took you to a foreign country
without even knowing how to speak or read the language, nor learn anything
about the place where you were going to train? All because he saw the name
in a brochure?"
"That's about it in a
nutshell." Ranma replied.
"That is just plain stupid!"
Jeanette declared.
Ranma nodded in agreement
then bowed his head a bit in shame. "Yeah, well I guess you could call
me stupid for going along with him, now that I think about it. I mean,
why didn't I try to learn to speak Chinese while we were there? I could
have asked the guide about Jusenkyo before we got there. But nooo, I just
dumbly followed my father's lead and..." Ranma sighed again.
Sam and Jeanette looked
at Ranma with a bit of surprise. This was a rare sight. Ranma was admitting
to his mistakes and was acting with more humility.
The martial artist and
Pokémon trainer continued on. "Well, Jusenkyo turned out to be more
dangerous than we realized and... afterwards, I abandoned my father and
went out on my own. A little while later, I met with Raiden and few months
after that, I became a Pokémon trainer. The rest is as they say,
is history."
"So what happened at
Jusenkyo?" Sam asked.
"I don't want to talk
about it." Ranma replied.
"But..."
"I SAID, I DON'T want
to TALK about it!" Ranma replied more forcefully as he held his Water Stone
pendant and fingered it for a moment.
The two girls looked
into Ranma's eyes and their hearts melted when they saw the sadness in
them. They decided not to press for any more questions until later.
"Well, the good thing
is, that you did get away from your father." Sam said.
Ranma became a bit more
relaxed and smiled. "Yeah. Going on my own was the best decision I ever
made. Who knows what other bad things would have happened if I hadn't left
him." Though knowing Pop, he probably would have gotten me involved
in some kind of deal to feed his stomach and say it was my duty or obligation.>
Ranma's Earth...
"ACHOO!"
"ACHOO!"
"ACHOO!"
Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane
all wondered why they suddenly sneezed when their father had gotten a call
from an old friend and wanted discuss something about a matter of family
honor.
Pokémon world...
As the sun began to set,
the three decided to camp out for the night. As Ranma drew his Pokémon
aside for some training, Jeanette and Sam were preparing dinner. An hour
later, they went off to tell Ranma that it was time to eat. They stopped
in their tracks as they came to another clearing to where Raiden, Bruiser,
Razor and Sea Storm were sparring against each other. Wildfire was off
to another side. It was then that they saw the Rapidash suddenly rear up
and then bring both front hooves down to the ground. The ground trembled
as flames leapt out and burned their way toward a large, dead tree. The
flames blazed twin trenches into the soil, then slammed into the tree,
causing it to explode into embers. The two stared in amazement as Wildfire
neighed joyfully at his accomplishment. Raiden and the other Pokémon
stopped in their sparring and applauded. Raiden then caught sight of the
girls and waved to them.
"Pikachu!"
Both girls glanced to
the Pikachu and were brought out of their momentary shock. Jeanette nodded
to the electric rodent and asked. "Raiden, it's time to eat. Where's Ranma?"
"Pika!" The Pokémon
pointed to another clearing some fifty meters away. Sam and Jeanette nodded
and headed over there. The Pokémon all went back to the campsite.
When they got to the
other clearing, they saw Wind Rider perched in a tree nearby, and Ranma
standing in the middle of a large, crudely drawn spiral that he had made
with a stick.
"Hey Ranma, it's time
to eat!" Sam called out as she and Jeanette approached him.
"Be right there!" Ranma
called back as he continued to stare at the spiral he had drawn.
"What are you doing?"
Jeanette asked.
Ranma continued to stare
at the spiral. "I'm trying to figure out how to do Wind Rider's Whirlwind
Attack."
"I thought you already
knew how to do that." Sam asked.
"Not really. My Wind
Cannon and Hurricane Gust is based more on his Gust attack. They can only
shoot off one direction. Think of how cool it would be to take out multiple
targets if I was surrounded or something, right?"
"I get it. Well, can't
it wait until after dinner? We're all starving!" Jeanette asked.
"I suppose. I'm not in
any hurry." Ranma said, as he motioned for his Pidgeotto to follow them
back to camp.
"By the way. We saw your
Rapidash blow up a tree from twenty meters away. It looked like a Fissure
attack, but it had flames." Sam said.
"Oh. Well that was Wildfire's
new Fire Wave Fissure Attack."
"Fire Wave Fissure?"
Both girls repeated.
"Yeah, I figured that
Wildfire needed a ranged attack, so I combined a Ground Attack with his
flames. Since he already knew how to Stomp, it was just a matter of revising
it."
"Cool! Do you think my
Rapidash can learn that?" Jeanette asked.
"We'll see." Ranma said
as he looked over his shoulder at the spiral he had drawn. He then shrugged
and thought. I do want to know how to duplicate the process in which
Wind Rider can make those tornadoes. Bet I'm the only one who ever thought
about creating this kind of technique!>
Not quite, for in the
Amazon village on Ranma's world of origin...
"ACHOO!"
Cologne had wondered
why she had suddenly sneezed when she contemplated teaching her great-granddaughter
how to do the Hiryu Shoten Ha.
(And I believe I have
run that sneeze gag into the ground now)
A few days later...
"Well, this is it." Jeanette
said as they came across a huge, Japanese style complex, with the dojo
located in back.
"So where do we go?"
Ranma asked.
Jeanette pointed to the
open gate and gestured for her friends to follow. She then stopped as she
saw something standing at the end of the entrance hall.
Ranma moved forward and
saw that it was a Pokémon. It looked like an oversized ball of purple
fuzz with feet, antennae, and large red eyes like an insect's.
*VENONAT, A PSYCHIC BUG
POKÉMON. IT USES ITS LARGE EYES LIKE RADAR TO SEE IN THE DARK. ITS
ATTACKS INCLUDE PSI-BEAM, AND VARIOUS SPORES.*
"Veno... nat."
"Cool!" Ranma commented
as he put away his Pokédex.
Jeanette nodded as she
said. "As we said before, Koga's gym specializes in Poison-type Pokémon.
From here on in, you'll have to follow Venonat there."
Ranma glanced at the
Pokémon, then looked back at Jeanette in confusion.
The girl smiled as she
crossed her arms and shrugged. "That's the way I had to do it. Good luck."
Ranma gave his companion
a suspicious look, then decided that to follow her instructions, since
she was here before. He and Raiden stepped forward toward Venonat, which
in turn, turned around and bolted behind a corner.
"Hey! Wait up!"
"Pikachu!"
As Ranma disappeared
around the corner, Jeanette held up a hand to her mouth and giggled a bit.
Sam frowned at her companion.
"Okay Jeanette, what's
going on?"
"Why, whatever do you
mean?" Jeanette replied with mock innocence.
"Come on, spill it!"
Sam demanded.
Jeanette shrugged as
she leaned forward and cupped a hand to her ear and listened. A moment
later, she smiled as she heard a loud noise.
THUNK!
"OW!"
Jeanette stifled a small
laugh. "Sounds like Ranma had just run into one of the transparent walls."
"What?"
Jeanette's smile became
even more mischievous as they heard another sound.
THUMP!
"YOW!"
"That must have been
the collapsible wall that leads to the edge of the cliff."
"WHAT?!"
FFFFT! THOK! THOK!
THOK! THOK!
"Well, I guess he just
met up with Ia."
"Who?"
It was then that they
heard Ranma shout out.
"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!"
Jeanette motioned to
Sam to follow as she pushed at a sidewall, revealing a hidden passageway.
"Come on. We better get in there and stop them before Ranma beats Ia senseless."
At the Pokémon
Gym...
"Born in darkness, living
in darkness. Such is the fate of the ninja. I am Ia, ninja warrior."
Ranma was already in
a defensive stance with Raiden also prepared at his feet. Behind him were
eight shurikens that were imbedded into the wall. When the Pokémon
trainer and martial artist had followed Venonat into the mansion, he had
a sneaky suspicion that he was walking into some kind of setup. His suspicions
were confirmed after running into a transparent wall, then almost falling
over the cliffside when a part of the outer wall fell away. No sooner had
he had gotten back on his feet and started chasing after Venonat again,
he had found himself inside a large training area and a barrage of throwing
stars were hurled at him. Unlike Ash Ketchum, Ranma's skills easily allowed
him to dodge them. He made a neat flip forward before ending up in his
battle stance. He found himself facing off against a green-haired girl
of sixteen or so who was crouched before him. Her hair was done up in a
kind of topknot ponytail, and she was wearing an electric pink outfit that
Ranma recognized as belonging to that of the female ninja, or kunoichi.
Although, he thought that the color was a bit loud and that her skirt a
bit short, too short as he found himself staring at her long legs. He shook
his head and focused on her face. A very attractive face at that with lively
eyes and that cute nose and... looking downward, he noted that she had
ample...
What am I thinking?!>
Ranma shook his head again. Being with two attractive girls all the time
and without his father made him become more aware of female attributes.
Ia smiled as she stood
up and said, "You dodged my little 'star' treatment. I'm impressed. You're
as good a fighter as I've heard... Ranma Saotome."
This caught Ranma's attention.
"Hey, how do you know my name?"
It was then that another
panel opened up and Sam and Jeanette emerged from it. Jeanette smiled at
Ranma, then bowed respectfully to Ia. "It's good to see you Ia."
Ia smiled as she too
bowed to her then went over to give her a hug.
Ranma then got a bit
steamed as he realized what had happened. "Wait a minute. You guys know
each other? This was a setup?"
Both girls gently laughed
before Jeanette addressed him. "I'm sorry Ranma. But when I called my mother
last week, she had informed me that she had spoken with Ia and Koga and
told them all about you. This was all just a bit of a test. You remember
back when you challenged my mother and that you had to defeat not only
Bruiser, but also me? Well, the Fuscha Gym is also like that. They test
both the Pokémon and their trainers."
Ia nodded as her Venonat
came up to stand beside her. She bent down to pet it. "This is a training
camp after all, and unlike the last challenger, you didn't let your guard
down. I'd be honored to have a Pokémon battle with you."
Ranma was still a bit
miffed at being manipulated, but then smiled as a Pokémon battle
would be a perfect way to get back at her. "Okay, why not? I accept your
challenge."
As the two faced off
in the dojo, Ia smirked. She knew about Ranma's Pokémon and how
he battled from all the news media about him and what Jeanette's mother
had told her. However, she had her own strategy as she said to Ranma, "One
Pokémon for each of us. Choose yours now!"
Ranma nodded. He realized
that she was making him make the first choice. In the past, he had always
let his opponent make the first choice of Pokémon, so he would choose
a Pokémon that could defeat it. Now he would have to go first. He
looked down at Raiden with a questioning expression. The electric rodent
nodded his assent to let another Pokémon go. Ranma had gotten predictable
by using Raiden all the time. Since the Fuscha gym specializes in Bug types
and that Venonat was standing beside Ia.
"All right, let's go...
SEA STORM!"
"Golduck!" The evolved
form of Psyduck appeared in front of them.
Ia nodded as she saw
Sea Storm. "Ah, a water-type. Excellent against Bug Types, but... I select
Electrode!"
Ranma winced as he saw
the Pokémon appear. He then looked at Jeanette, who was standing
on the sidelines with Sam.
"Sorry. I forgot to mention.
Koga's gym may specialize in Bug and Poison types, but they also have a
lot of Voltorbs and Electrodes."
Ranma took out his Pokédex.
*ELECTRODE, THE BOMB BALL POKÉMON.
THIS POKÉMON IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF VOLTORB AND LIKE VOLTORB, IS
OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR POKÉBALLS. THEY ARE OF THE ELECTRIC TYPE AND
THEIR STRONGEST ATTACK IS EXPLOSION.*
"Uh oh." Ranma said as
the Electrode began powering up.
"Electrode! THUNDERBOLT!"
Ia commanded.
"Electrode!"
Sea Storm however, wasn't
going to just stand there and get hit. The Golduck swerved to the left
to dodge the attack then did a neat flip to launch himself toward his opponent
in a flying kick. The kick connected and Electrode was sent back several
feet. However, impacting against its charged surface, caused Sea Storm
to yelp as several hundred volts were conducted into him. The Golduck went
sprawling.
Ia smirked. "I see that
you have taught your Golduck well in the martial arts. However, it is still
at a disadvantage against an Electric type."
Ranma smiled a bit. "Just
makes it more challenging, doesn't it? And don't count Sea Storm out, just
because he's a water type." It was at this point that Sea Storm got back
to his feet and took another stance. "SEA STORM! KI BLAST!"
"Golduck!"
To Ia's amazement, the
Golduck cupped its hands and then launched a blue bolt of energy at her
Electrode, blasting it back a few more feet. The Pokémon became
stunned at the unexpected attack and was reeling. It wobbled unsteadily
and that was all Sea Storm needed. He engaged his Disable attack, which
caused Electrode to be frozen on the spot. Then using his Confusion attack,
he sent the ball Pokémon bouncing like a... well, like a ball. After
ten successive slams, Sea Storm charged forward and delivered several punches
and kicks. Since Electrode was dazed from the Confusion attack, it didn't
have time to power up its electrical field. After kicking it back like
a soccer ball, Sea Storm took a stance and looked back at his master.
Ranma nodded as he decided
to finish Electrode off. "SEA STORM! PSYCHIC TSUMNAMI!"
The Golduck began powering
up his ki and psychic energies as his battle aura flared. Jeanette and
Sam knew where this was going. Ranma's Pokémon was about to trash
the gym before facing the Gym Leader. As always, Ranma and his Pokémon
tended to go overboard when in battle.
Ia was amazed at the
power that radiated from Ranma's Golduck. Despite the advantage that Electric
Types had over Water Pokémon, it was clear that Ranma's Pokémon
at a far higher level and that there was no way Electrode could withstand
an attack as intense as this one. Apparently, Ranma's Pokémon weren't
very concerned with the normal rules of Pokémon combat.
"STOP!"
Golduck stopped powering
up as Ranma looked around at the sound of the voice. When a Voltorb dropped
from out of nowhere and exploded, the entire room was filled with thick
clouds of smoke. It was that moment that a shadowy figured appeared and
stood beside Ia. When the dust cleared, Ranma saw the owner of the voice,
Koga, of the Fuscha Gym.
Ranma motioned for Sea
Storm to join him and Raiden as he addressed the newcomer. "Koga, I presume?"
Koga nodded as he turned
to Ia. "Once again, you had underestimated your opponent, Ia. Recall your
Electrode. This battle is over and I declare your opponent to be the victor."
"But honored brother,
I had not yet lost!"
"And do you think your
Electrode could have beaten that Golduck's attack, especially in its condition?"
He gestured to the Electrode, who was still seeing stars.
Ia became silent as she
thought about it. She then nodded and reluctantly recalled her Pokémon.
She then bowed to Ranma. "Thank you for the match."
Ranma nodded in return
and focused his attention on her brother. He could tell that Koga was a
martial artist by the way he stood. Koga had dark hair in a spiky style
and wore a red sash around his waist. He was dressed in a full body, ninja
outfit.
"I was very impressed
by your Golduck's mental and ki control." Koga stated. "You have trained
it well."
Ranma smiled at the compliment
as he held up a hand. "Yeah, well I'd like to think so." He then made a
small ball of blue energy appear above the palm. Raiden nodded to Sea Storm
as they both powered up their battle auras in demonstration. "In any case,
I think you know why I'm here."
"Indeed." Koga held out
a scroll and let it roll down; revealing a heart-shaped badge attached
to it. "You wish for this Soul Badge. However, I will not be so easy to
defeat."
"I wouldn't have it any
other way." Ranma responded as he motioned for Raiden to step forward.
"Let's battle!"
Koga nodded as he held
up a hand. "Would you mind if we battled outside? I would prefer to keep
my training area intact."
Ranma winced again and
then gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, I guess you heard about those other gyms
that I..."
"Destroyed? Oh yes. I've
heard a lot about the Gym Destroyer."
Ranma could only scratch
the back of his head as a huge sweatdrop appeared. He laughed nervously
some more as he realized how close he and Sea Storm had come to destroying
the gym.
Meanwhile, on the outside
of the gym, several shadowy figures were speaking to a portable communicator
as Giovanni gave his instructions.
"Now listen up. Thirteen
Team Rocket members are now in jail because of that trainer, Ranma Saotome.
I am getting very annoyed at all these bunglers and failures!"
"Do not worry. We shall
not fail!" One of them said.
"Unlike those fools,
we know only of success." The second one said.
"Besides, we have a score
to settle with the Gym Leader."
Giovanni nodded. "Remember,
I want either the trainer, his Pokémon or both brought back to headquarters,
as well as any other Pokémon you can get from the Fuscha Gym."
"Hai!" The group acknowledged.
On the outside of the
training area, Ranma faced off against his opponent Koga. Raiden stood
beside his master, waiting for the order to step in if needed.
"We shall have a three-on-three
battle young man." Koga announced as he took out his first Pokéball.
"A different Pokémon for each round and you will go first each time!"
As the Gym Leader, Koga had the right to set up the parameters of the Pokémon
challenge.
"Sounds good to me."
Ranma said. On the sidelines, Jeanette, Sam, Venonat and Ia stood by to
watch.
"This is going to be
messy." Sam commented. "Ranma's Pokémon is going to cream Koga's."
"Don't be too sure."
Ia remarked. "My brother has been studying Ranma's exploits and he's been
preparing for him. Ranma may have beaten my Electrode, but he's going to
have his hands full."
"Choose your first Pokémon!"
Koga said.
"All right. Let's go
Wind Rider!" Ranma tossed out the Pokéball and his Pidgeotto emerged.
"Pidgooooo!"
Koga nodded as he took
out his Pokéball. "I shall begin with... Venomoth!"
Sam gasped. "Venomoth
doesn't stand a chance against Ranma's Pidgeotto!"
Ia looked over to Sam
and asked. "Why do you say that? Venomoth's spore attacks have beaten normal
bird types before." She remembered back to when Ash Ketchum had tried to
use his Pidgeotto.
"Yeah, but Wind Rider
is anything BUT normal!"
It was then that Ranma
gave the order to attack.
"WIND CANNON!"
With a single flap of
his wings, Ranma's Pidgeotto launched a blast of compressed air at the
moth Pokémon. Now usually, Venomoth would have been slammed into
the wall of the gym, but since they were outside, the Bug Pokémon
simply rode out the attack and then gained altitude. It was soon flying
above its opponent.
Koga laughed a bit. "Now
you can see another reason why I wanted us to fight outside, Saotome. Venomoth
has far more room to fight and I have been training it to be maneuverable!"
He then looked up at his Venomoth. "VENOMOTH! STUN SPORE!"
"Venomoth!" The winged
Bug Pokémon let loose with a huge cloud of spores that blanketed
the area above where Wind Rider was flying.
Not bad!>
Ranma thought. He was going up against an opponent that used strategy.
"WIND RIDER, CYCLONE SPIN BLAST OFF!"
Wind Rider closed in
his wings and focused his ki. The bird then shot forward, spinning like
a drill and pulling the descending cloud behind in his jet wash. The bird
then suddenly shot straight up like a rocket then made a tight loop in
the air above where Venomoth was hovering. The spores blanketed the Bug
Pokémon and caused it to become shaky in flight, making it difficult
to stay aloft.
"NOW, QUICK ATTACK...
ANYTHING GOES STYLE!"
"Pidgooo!"
Koga watched in astonishment
as Wind Rider began darting back and forth at Venomoth, delivering dozens
of fast, high-impact strikes with the head, wings, talons and body. Ranma
had modified the basic midair combat techniques of the Anything Goes to
suit Wind Rider's Quick Attack. Now instead of a simple fast charge, the
Pidgeotto could let loose with a series of rapid-fire strikes with each
pass. When Wind Rider made the last pass, Venomoth was out cold and plummeted
to the ground. Ranma gestured to his bird, which dived down after the Bug
Pokémon and caught it before it could hit the ground. Ranma smiled
as he watched his Pokémon set Koga's gently down in front of him,
before flying back to land at his master's side.
Sam gave a smug look
to Ia. "See? I told you."
Koga was impressed. No,
he was absolutely awestruck as he recalled his Pokémon. He looked
up to Ranma and nodded. "Magnificent! That was a very impressive display!"
The Gym Leader had thought that Ranma's Pokémon would use its wind
attacks, not physically overpower his Venomoth.
"Thanks." Ranma replied.
"Shall we get on with it?" He took out another Pokéball and tossed
it. "Razor... go!"
Ranma's Sandslash appeared.
Koga nodded. "You have
trained your Pokémon exceptionally well! But, you will find this
one to be much more of a challenge! I select... Golbat!"
"Golbat!"
*GOLBAT, THE EVOLVED FORM OF
ZUBAT. ATTACKING WITH ITS SHARP FANGS, THIS POKÉMON CAN DRAIN 300
CUBIC CENTIMETERS OF BLOOD PER BITE. ITS STRONGEST ATTACK IS MEGA DRAIN.*
Ia nodded. "Now my brother
has the advantage. The Sandslash is very weak against air opponents."
"Don't be too sure."
Jeanette remarked. "Ranma usually finds a way to overcome the weaknesses
of his Pokémon."
"GOLBAT! SCREECH ATTACK!"
The bat Pokémon
let loose with a horrid screech. Razor was quite put off by the sound.
Everyone held his or her ears as the sound made their ears ring. Everyone
except Koga, who stood by calmly, unaffected by the sound.
"DIG DOWN RAZOR!" Ranma
called out.
"Slash!" The Sandslash
dived underground to escape the noise. As soon as the Golbat saw that its
opponent was gone, it stopped screeching and searched for any sign of the
mouse. The ground trembled as the Sandslash burrowed deep. Then, just below
where Golbat was hovering, Razor suddenly burst out from the ground and
knocked the bat upward with a Skull Bash.
"ANYTHING GOES RAZOR!"
While still in midair,
Razor began the Saotome specialty of the Anything Goes. However, being
slower than Raiden, plus the fact that Koga's Pokémon was a Flying
Type, the Sandslash found out that midair combat was not as effective.
Golbat dodged the first strike, then hit back with its feet, connecting
with Razor's head. A double swipe with its wings sent Razor flying back
to the ground.
"Razor!" Ranma cried
out as he saw his Pokémon land hard on his back.
Koga then called out.
"NOW! WING ATTACK!"
The bat made several
darting passes at the Sandslash and scored a few hits. Though they weren't
much against Razor's tough hide, they did keep him from launching any attacks.
Then as the Golbat made another pass, Koga called for its strongest attack.
"MEGA DRAIN!"
The Golbat opened up
its mouth and latched onto Razor's unprotected neck. The Two began to glow
as Golbat began sucking away Razor's energy like a Leech Seed. However,
Razor wasn't going to go down without a fight and used one of his paws
to slap away the Golbat. Golbat flapped away but was feistier than ever
from the energy it had taken from Razor. Razor woozily got to his feet
and took a shaky stance, more than ready to continue.
Ranma however, knew that
Razor was in no shape to fight. "No Razor, that's enough. You did your
best, so come on back!"
"Slash!" Razor shook
his head. He wanted to get back at that flying vampire!
Ranma sighed as he held
up Razor's Pokéball and pleaded with him. "Please Razor... I don't
want to see you hurt any more. Please... return."
Razor looked at his master's
sad expression and then reluctantly nodded. Ranma activated the recall
mechanism and the Sandslash was recalled.
Koga nodded as he said,
"Your Pokémon has a great fighting spirit. It is a true warrior,
but you were wise to recall your Sandslash. This round goes to me!"
Ranma nodded, respecting
his opponent. "I have to admit, that Golbat was good and it has shown me
that Razor needs a bit more practice with dealing with air opponents."
Koga agreed. "Yes, I
had seen on the news of how your Pokémon were proficient in aerial
attacks and decided that the best way to defeat that Anything Goes attack
was to train my flying Pokémon in midair attacks as well."
"Yeah, I noticed your
Golbat's kicking and wing strikes. This is getting to be some match."
"And now, it is time
for our final round!" Koga held up his third Pokéball.
Ranma nodded. Koga had
planned for this Badge challenge in advance. By using different Pokémon
per round, Ranma would always be facing off against a fresh Pokémon
each time and wouldn't be able to decided which to battle Koga's, since
he had to go first.
On the sidelines, Sam
and Jeanette were on edge. Ranma and Koga were tied at one round each and
this fight would decide the winner. After witnessing Ranma lose the second
round, they began to worry. Koga was certainly using good strategy. This
last fight could go either way.
Which is it going
to be Ranma? Raiden, or someone else?> Ranma pondered for a moment,
then he looked down at Raiden.
The electric mouse nodded
up to him with an expression that told Ranma that he would respect any
decision he made.
Ranma thought for a few
moments more, then realized that he had been using Raiden a lot and that
would have made him predictable. Koga would have probably prepared for
a fight against Raiden so...
"Go... Bruiser!"
"Machop!"
Koga nodded. "An excellent
choice! But let us see if you can stand up to mine! I choose... Hitmonlee!"
Ranma blanched as he
saw Koga's choice. Then again, it made sense that Koga would have a fighting
type Pokémon as well.
*HITMONLEE, ALSO KNOWN AS THE
KICKING FIEND. ITS POWERFUL LEGS CAN REDUCE BOULDERS TO GRAVEL AND CAN
DELIVER EXTREMELY FAST KICKS.*
Ranma's eyes narrowed.
This one was a lot faster than the Hitmonchan Bruiser had faced off a while
ago and he could tell that this Pokémon had also done some serious
training. He took a deep breath. He was committed and hoped that Bruiser's
training had raised his level high enough.
"BRUISER, MEGA PUNCH!"
"Hitmonlee!"
Hitmonlee suddenly let
loose with a barrage of kicks that were almost too fast for the eyes to
track. The Machop's Mega Punch was faster than normal, but not fast enough.
Ranma winced as Bruiser
took several hits to the side, but the Machop hung in until he spotted
an opening. Grabbing the leg as it was extended, Bruiser began swinging
around his opponent into a Seismic Toss. Slamming Hitmonlee to the ground,
the Machop then charged up for another Mega Punch. When Hitmonlee sprang
back up, Bruiser swung forward.
Hitmonlee raised a leg
to counter the punch, then crouched down and applied a leg sweep. Ranma's
Machop went down, but rolled out of the way as Hitmonlee tried a Stomp
attack. This was followed by another barrage of near-supersonic kicks.
Bruiser was knocked back, but remained on his feet.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!"
Bruiser began focusing
his ki and then launched a blast at Hitmonlee. However, the kicking Pokémon
was faster and used its powerful legs to launch itself high into the air
to avoid the attack. Bruiser leapt up after it.
Hitmonlee reared back
a foot and waited for the last possible moment before releasing a devastating
reverse spin kick at Bruiser's head. The kick connected, but the Machop
grasped the foot as it touched his face and smiled evilly.
"Machop!"
"All right!" Ranma exclaimed.
Bruiser had tricked Hitmonlee into extending itself and now the Machop
had one of the Kicking Fiend's legs in a bind. "ANYTHING GOES!"
Machop pulled Hitmonlee
forward and began landing punches and kicks on his stunned opponent, then
finished it off by putting it into a Seismic Toss. The kicking Pokémon
was slammed back down into the ground and Bruiser added the final touch.
"MA... CHOP!"
A blue ki blast fired
down and impacted heavily onto Hitmonlee. There was a huge cloud of dust
that formed around the downed Pokémon. When the dust settled down
as Machop landed, Hitmonlee was in no condition to battle.
"Hit... mon... lee."
"MACHOP!" Bruiser raised
an arm in triumph as Ranma and his group cheered. It had been a spectacular
match.
Koga nodded as he recalled
Hitmonlee then approached Ranma. "You have defeated me. Your reputation
as a skilled trainer has been acknowledged and I am pleased to give you
this." Koga held out the scroll and unrolled it, revealing the Soul Badge.
Ranma smiled as he took
it and said, "You were a good opponent and that was a great match."
"Yes, but it seems all
my preparations wasn't enough." He then gestured to his Pokémon.
"Young man, would consider trading any of your Pokémon?"
Ia also walked up to
them with Sam and Jeanette behind her. "I would gladly trade for some of
them as well." She also gave Ranma an appraising look, much to the dismay
of Sam and Jeanette.
Ranma smiled as he shook
his head. "Sorry but I wouldn't trade my best friends for anything, right
guys?" Ranma looked at Raiden, Wind Rider and Bruiser.
"Pikachu!"
"Pidgooo!"
"MA... chop?"
"Is anything wrong Bruiser?"
That was when Bruiser
began to glow.
"Uh oh! Looks like that
last battle was intense enough! Bruiser's evolving!" Jeanette exclaimed.
The small humanoid Pokémon
began to grow in size and gained a lot more muscle mass. The arms and legs
became longer as the body became robust and well defined. When the light
faded, Bruiser was now taller and looked like a body builder, but was a
bit leaner, due to its martial arts training.
"Bruiser's a Machoke!"
Sam said.
"MACHOKE!"
Ranma took out his Pokédex.
*MACHOKE, THE EVOLVED FORM
OF MACHOP. IT POSSESS GREATER STRENGTH AND CAN LIFT OVER TEN TONS. BECAUSE
OF ITS INCREASED POWER, IT USUALLY REQUIRES A POWER BELT TO KEEP ITS STRENGTH
UNDER CONTROL. IT IS ALSO KNOW TO BE MORE VAIN THAN MACHOP.*
This was apparent as
Ranma's Machoke struck a pose and flexed his biceps.
Ranma smiled as he put
away his Pokédex. "Don't let it go to your head Bruiser, just because
you've evolved." He then held up a hand, which glowed with ki.
The Machoke then stared
at his trainer for a minute, as if comparing his new power to Ranma's.
He then nodded as he still respected Ranma as his sensei and relaxed.
Ranma nodded as he held
up a Pokéball. "We'll see about getting you a Power Belt or train
to have you control that new strength later. Good job anyway. Return..."
It was then that that
everyone heard laughter and a smokebomb was thrown. A huge net with weights
on the edges came down on top of them. Ranma felt himself sticking to the
net and realized that it was coated with some kind of adhesive. He then
saw four shadowy figures appear from the clouds, dressed in ninja outfits,
with letter R's printed on one side of their chests.
Oh no! Who the
hell are THESE guys?!>
(You knew this was coming!)
"To blanket the world
in darkness and devastation!"
"To subject the people
to ninja occupation!"
"To make the world tremble
of the shadow four!"
"To take revenge on Koga
and even the score!"
"Leonardo!"
"Donatello!"
"Raphael!"
"Michelangelo!"
"Team Rocket Ninja! Tremble
and fear us on sight!"
"Surrender now, for you
cannot win the fight!"
"And if you resist, we
shall extinguish your light."
"For you cannot withstand
the shadow four's might!"
(Okay, I admit it. This
has got to be one of THE lamest Team Rockets that I could come up with)
Ranma moaned as he saw
these people. Koga became very displeased when he saw them. He stood up
and addressed the leader.
"I had not expected to
see the four of you again. Why have you returned?"
Ranma turned to speak
to Koga. "You know THESE morons?"
"Indeed. They were all
former disciples of mine, until I caught them stealing and selling the
gym's Pokémon and family treasures. I had cast them out of this
gym and had them arrested! You four are not welcome here!"
"Hah!" Leonardo sneered
as he held up a twin pair of katanas. "We have joined Team Rocket now and
you are in no position to stop us from taking what we want!"
Michelangelo nodded as
he swung around a pair of nunchakus. "Our new master wishes for us to bring
in your opponent, Ranma Saotome and his Pokémon, as well as all
of yours, Koga."
"I'm sure that he will
be pleased when we bring in a new Machoke!" Raphael stated as he produced
a pair of sais.
"And there is nothing
that you can do about it!" Donatello said as he swung a Bo staff.
"Oh really?" Ranma said
as he tapped the side of his belt of Pokéballs. "Oh Sea Storm."
He then tossed the Pokéball through the gaps of the net.
"Golduck!"
Sea Storm formed outside
of the net and launched a Disable attack, paralyzing the four ninjas. He
then turned around and assessed the situation.
"Use your Ice Beam to
freeze the net." Ranma commanded.
"Golduck!"
A light blast of cold
energy was applied and caused the net to become brittle. Ranma and the
others easily broke out as it shattered apart. The waterfowl then turned
to finish off the ninjas, but Ranma placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Turn off your Disable
Attack." Ranma said as he cracked his knuckles. "I feel like kicking some
Team Rocket butts!"
The Golduck did as he
was told and no sooner could the ninjas move...
WHAM! CRUNCH! WHAP!
OW! SLAM! POW! OOH! KAPOW! KICK! YOW! OWIE! WE GIVE! WHAT? KABOOM! WHACK!
POW! WHAM! CRASH! BOOM! SLAP! CRACK! YOWZA! MANGLE! WHOA!
Ia, Koga, Sam and Jeanette
all had huge sweat drops on their heads as they watched the carnage.
"Brother?"
"Yes Ia?"
"I'm not so certain which
is more dangerous. Ranma's Pokémon or their trainer."
Some time later...
Ranma shook Koga's hand
as he and his companions were preparing to leave for their next destination.
"It was an honor meeting
with you, Ranma Saotome." Koga said.
"Thanks. And Team Rocket?"
Ranma asked.
"Do not worry. I have
already called Officer Jenny to pick them up. What's left of them, that
is."
"Okay. Well it was great
going up against your Pokémon and maybe we'll have that match between
us, eh?"
"I shall be looking forward
to it. In any case, I believe that it is time that you were on your way.
So where will you be going?"
"I don't know." Ranma
replied as he absently stroked his Pikachu's ears. Raiden was perched on
his shoulder. "I've got the required eight badges for the Indigo League,
but since it won't start until next year, I don't have any idea of where
to go from here."
It was then that Ia appeared
with a carrying bag and said, "Why not head out west."
"West?"
"Yes. That is where all
the newest Pokémon discoveries have been made and that is also where
they are holding the Johto League."
"Really? Hmmm, why not?
Sounds like a good place as any to go to." It was then that Ranma noticed
the bag she was carrying. "Er, what's with the luggage?"
"Oh this? I've decided
to go to the Johto League as well, and since you're going, I guess that
makes us traveling companions, right?" She gave him a playful wink. "I'm
sure that I can learn a lot from you."
"A marvelous idea!" Koga
affirmed. "I'm certain that you'll be good company for my sister."
"WHAT?!" Sam and Jeanette
gasped. They then gave the ninja girl angry, jealous glares.
"You can't just invite
yourself along with us!" Sam said angrily.
"That's right!" Jeanette
agreed. Sure Ia was a friend, but Ranma was hers!
"Well, I don't it's your
decision to make, is it?" Ia said. "I don't think Ranma would mind, would
you?" She gave him a very cute look and sided up to him.
Raiden gave another sigh
as he saw Ranma beginning to falter to his weakness. "Pikachu." ^^Here
we go again. ^^
Later...
Ranma walked up the pathway
of a hill that overlooked a meadow and stopped when he reached the top.
A few meters behind him, Sam, Jeanette and Ia were ignoring each other
as walked toward where Ranma was.
The martial artist took
in a deep breath as he watched sun dip toward the horizon.
"Johto League... Here
we come!"
"Pikachu!"
To be continued...
Author's notes
Wow! That was a long
one! In any case, the long-awaited encounter between Ranma and Ash draws
near as Ranma heads out to compete in the Johto League. The following are
scenes for the next chapter.
Scene I
"Oh no! My Water Stone
is broken!"
Scene II
"Ranma, is that... you?"
Scene III
"Hi there! My name's
is Brock and I just wondering if..."
WHAM!
Scene IV
Pikachu Vs Raiden!
