By MacrossGreen
Author's Note: Well, it's been a very long time since I've posted a new fanfic for Monster Rancher. With that in mind, here's a remake of the old one that I've mentioned that I would re-write to make it better. Please keep in mind that I'm suffering, still, from a bit of writer's block, so don't expect 'Searching'-quality from this remake. At the least, it'll be a lot better… I hope. I may continue this, or not, depending on the amount of reviews that I receive for it.
Chapter 1: Into a New World
Magic lives in all worlds- even ours, though it may take a different 'guise. Technology is the miracle worker where magic had disappeared, disguising itself first in physical and then, eventually, into data forms. This digital magic can create worlds, wonders and terrors, and become the basis for many nightmares and fantasies. It is up to those who possess the ability to access this magic to ensure which becomes which- a fantasy become real, a nightmare become reality… or, perhaps, a place in which nothing at all exists?
This particular magic focuses on the individual. It is distributed upon things called CDs, and these CDs can be accessed by the powers of a console. It is through these strange and wondrous devices that a world can be obtained, one unlike the real world- one where magic is much more substantial, can be seen and felt, unlike the digital magic that is stored within the flimsy frame of a plastic covering and a magnetic innards. Some carried a unique magic, within each disk. If, by some chance, the user who obtains the disc contains a certain magic of their own, one that can interact with the disc and the magic contained within, then the user may interface with it directly. A burst of magic between the two will spark open the reality of the user. A portal appears- a stream of strength between two living wills, the powers to change a reality become possible. Through this event, a choice to be made will be forced upon the one with the power within. Will the person choose to accept the possibilities of another world? Or will he or she deny it and remain within the world that they live within? The chance is once in a lifetime. But for some who take it… who knows what the rewards may become…
The game was set within the insides of the Playstation console. The lid closed- it was an ancient gray box Playstation, and it worked perfectly still. The power was pressed on, and the yellow light came on to indicate that it was working. The screen of the TV flashed, and the logo appeared. This rare copy of Monster Rancher 200X, a CD that had never been released in America, and only in Japan, had been bought for an exceptionally low price- and it was in English, no less. The disc itself had both Japanese and English written into the program, so it was like two games instead of one, though both were identical.
The screen flashed again- a barn in the background soon appeared. Birds flew overhead, and a Hare hopped about upon the screen. An exclamation mark appeared above the Hare as it looked over towards the player, and the camera panned over to the side. A Suezo appeared, and immediately began to attack. The Hare countered, striking back with it's own punch after dodging in towards its opponent… and the screen faded, the barn reappearing after a moment with the name of the game in English, "Monster Rancher 200X' upon it.
The player smiled- he had been waiting a long time to play this game. He'd heard about the game coming out years ago. It had first been released in limited numbers after a large tournament had taken place in Japan. Only the winners had received the disc, about a month before it was actually released. When the game had been released, only a few hundred were made before the full sequel to the original, Monster Rancher 2, was out as well, on the shelves only a few weeks afterwards. Interest in the Monster Rancher 200X had quickly died out afterwards, as the full sequel had quite a few different features and was all in 3D, unlike this game which was much more like the original in that it featured 2D sprites and 3D battle scenes. It was rumored that shortly after one of the winners had received one of the pre-release copies of the game, he had disappeared from Japan. Only a few people on this side of the ocean had ever heard that though- this player was one of the few, however.
He owned them all- but he preferred the originals. Monster Rancher 1 and 2 were his favorites. In them were the creatures he liked, in their original 'physical' appearance, unlike the cutesy version that had been their replacements within the newest games that had come out for the Playstation 2 and one of the Game Boy Advance games. The originals, he had found, were much more enjoyable, taking place in a world where it seemed anyone with a bit of luck, skill and the ability to utilize it could live in. In this world, luck alone was not enough, obviously. Skill was much more needed to survive, as well as the drive to become better than others. This player did not care too much for becoming better than others. In fact, he wished to be among the elite, but there was no reason to be any higher for him. To be the best meant to be singled out, chosen for praise or ridicule, according to whoever wanted to pass judgment. To this young man, praise was nice- ridicule, however, was something he had dealt with for a long time.
He was a gamer at an age when his parents would consider him too old to be one. He played games on his off times- indeed, oftentimes he made his own games in his mind, jotting ideas down onto paper to expand upon later. He was a nice guy, really. Went to the dances once in a while (where he lived though, they called them 'stomps', for some odd reason), talked with his few friends and did his college homework when he needed to (which was pretty often). He lived with a pair of roommates in the apartment, though they were much more social than he was, going to parties and hanging out in bars and such. He couldn't blame 'em for anything, you know. They paid their rent, their utilities… he just used the apartment more than they did. They usually came home with friends, and he'd retreat into his rooms to continue his studies or playing his games. On his college ID, his first name was Rick, and his friends made sure to call him by that, the jokes of his name having been exhausted long ago and now only brought groans to him from the pain of dealing with them for such a long time. Despite this, Rick was often cheerful, and enjoyed his studies, his games…
He'd felt something from the disc when he had put it into the Playstation. At least, he thought he had. And indeed, there had been an almost unnoticeable spark between his fingertips and the plastic that covered the magnetic circular strip between the layers of plastic. At least, it wasn't noticeable by sight, but by feel, by intuition… and by the mind itself as well. He had no way to know that again, out of many people upon the world, one of the reactions between not only himself but between others as well, that there was a bit of energy at work in the cosmos here. As had happened in but a few other times in noted history- as had happened many other times in the world, past and present, that was never noted in any books, there was a dash of magic at work here. The apartment was empty, devoid of any human presence save for Rick's own. Once more, his roommates were out and about in town, and he was left alone. This was his day off, and with his homework done, TV only boring him (for this was not a Monday or Thursday), and no one to chat with on Yahoo, he had been left with little more to do than simply breaking out his newest game that he had received a little earlier in the week.
When Rick hit the Start button, he could feel his consciousness ebb, his sight growing dim as the air about him, the very space between him, the old gray Playstation, and the TV set itself. He felt some sort of warmth about him, and then it was cold, even as his sight went dim and then he couldn't see a thing afterwards. It seemed only a moment later- for a moment could be any amount of time between interruptions- before he was able to open his eyes again, a shiver running through him, down along his spine, as he looked around carefully. The world was dim before him, but there were some soft lights glowing somehow along the floor, in the sky… And it was at this that Rick had to gasp in amazement. The sky itself seemed to glow in intricate patterns, the 'floor' beneath him glowing as well, somehow, as he looked about. In evenly spaced out intervals, the patterns connected and then rebounded, as if it was a giant game of ping-pong. He couldn't hear a thing in this place. There was no air, no oxygen. Yet, Rick found he could breathe easily, if indeed he even needed to breathe at all. "Where am I?" he asked aloud, into the glowing void. And yet, there was no answer to return to the question, not vocally. He watched as one of the glowing patterns soon slowly came towards his position upon this plane. It was just tall enough for him. A doorway, he thought. There was no knob, nothing in the distance between the glowing lights to show him what might be within the archway. But, behind him, a light shone. Rick turned to look at it… and then he stopped, looking back to the doorway before him. He felt comfort and a familiar reassurance coming from the light behind him. But before him… it was completely unknown. And this darkness, this unfamiliarity he felt emanating from it- it piqued his curiosity as nothing before had. His gaze came back to the doorway, and he smiled a little bit. Here was something he did not know. He couldn't even begin to guess what was behind the door. There was nothing but the question in his mind that had quickly popped up. "Do I dare?" he asked himself, his calm voice only slightly marred by rising excitement and curiosity as he stepped forward.
The light behind him dimmed and then was gone, phasing out of existence quickly before the doorway before him grew, and then seemed to move towards him. Then, he was gone from this darkened plane, this place he knew nothing of. Magic as he knew it had reacted to his unconscious choice, the decision in his mind and heart to welcome that which he did know nothing of, to learn what he could, to do as he can in a place he would soon be at. And as the journey began, as the darkness overtook his senses once more, the warmth, the light, and the cold all becoming as one to his mind, Rick wore a smile on his face. The unknown had called to him, magic itself had brought him the message. And as many had before, though perhaps in not the same way, he had responded to the spark that had been lit within by the technological magic that coursed throughout the world he knew… and was about to deliver him to a magical world that he did not know.
When his eyes opened again, he found light from a natural source. All about him, grass grew and to his left, to his right, and before him- there was forest. Behind him, underneath him, there was stone. Directly behind him, not too far in the distance, was a range of mountains that rose so high up that even here, at the base of one of the mountains, he could not see the tip. Clouds overhead sailed along easily, fluffy white cotton that seemed to float without a care, gray clouds, heavier and filled with more water pressed against the mountain range, a mist of gray along the mountainside showing that it was indeed raining upon it. The sound of rushing water was not too far away- a stream, he saw, before him. Behind him again, he looked, to gaze at the mountain, he found something much closer. Not a city, not a village… but an old home, perhaps just a barn, he thought to himself. It was nearly gone, the seasons and time itself having taken a toll on the building behind him, but the bottom part was built of stone at the least. The top portion itself was caved in at different portions, and the roof itself… well, it was difficult, from here, to tell if there was one. With a sigh, he picked himself up, shivering at the slight cold he felt as he started walking to the barn. It felt to be early spring, as it had been at home, just after the snow had fallen for the last time and as the temperature began to get warmer. Just what would he find here, he wondered, as he smiled a little, folding his arms over his chest as he walked on.
As he drew closer to the barn, he could see some smoke rising from the ruins. Indeed, from what he had seen earlier, the roof was gone, and light gray smoke rose from within and up into the open sky. Rick smiled, and then shivered- for the barn had been much further from where he had woke up at earlier, and now it was getting dark as the sky above dimmed from lack of sunlight. He didn't know where he was, where he was going, but that was why he had decided to come here, in his mind and in his heart. Earth had few places left to explore, and none were places he was all that interested in. Space? That was reserved for those who wished to pass tests in order to see if they could survive space, or for those who dreamed only within reality. The oceans were yet another route as well, but more was being learned about them every day. By the time he was done with college, he knew, the only available recourse for exploring would be to actually study things.
Rick wasn't a studier- he studied to pass classes, the tests that were required. His heart wasn't in his studies. Instead, he would write, read for fun, and often just use his imagination to go where his mind would let him but Earth wouldn't let him go. With a grin, Rick realized that he'd done something that likely rarely, if ever, actually happened on Earth. He wasn't there anymore… or was he? With a shrug, he knew from the scent in the air, the feel of the ground, and the overall strength he could feel in sense of things that this may as well be someplace that was far from home, in time and space, for it was quite different. No pollution in the air, no garbage on the ground- only an overgrown path that led to the barn from where he had started walking. To the sides, a few trees lined the path, some large rocks that seemed to have been placed there, rather than having sat there for who knows how long.
It took only a little longer before Rick came upon the barn. It was the backside of it- no door, and the stone that was used to create it was in decent repair, really. The wooden structure above the stone, however, was quite worn, and in quite a few places broken into jagged edges. It wasn't even painted anymore- weather had worn it down. He could hear the crackling of a fire, barely, and he started walking around to the front side of the barn. A moment later, he peeked around the opening- no door, and the metal hinges that were left on the stone portions were huge. Obviously, the door had been larger and thicker than the kinds he had seen in books and in the countryside at farms. Light flickered forth from within, playing along the trees and stonewalls as it shone from the fire. Inside, shadows were pressed against the walls as well, and then he saw one move quickly, disappearing among another shadow. He hadn't noticed anyone near the fire yet… and as he looked, he heard a low 'shhhhppp' sound come from not too far away. The stone ceiling above was supported by quite a few columns, and as he slipped quietly into the seemingly basement structure, he was knocked to the ground by a large hand that felt like a hard, blunt rock from behind.
Rick hit the ground with a thud, a wince and a leaving of breath from his lungs as he groaned out loudly. He heard a snicker from someone behind him, and as Rick rolled from his chest to his back, he felt something cold and hard on his chest, pushing him back onto the ground and keeping him there. His eyes opened, blue and confused, somewhat dazed, as he looked to whoever it was there. What he saw widened his eyes- especially as he saw the wind up of a black, bludgeon-shaped arm that almost instantly struck out at his face, knocking his skull back into the floor and then he saw nothing as blackness overtook him. The last thing he'd heard was a female voice that had called out from somewhere…
It was the light of day that woke Rick up. That, and the fact his neck was getting stiff, and he could hardly move to breathe. Great, he thought to himself. What a way to start out in a place that he didn't even know yet. He could hear some movement, but the way that he'd been tied to one of the columns nearest the opening of the barn ensured that he couldn't see anyone behind him. In fact, he could look from side to side and out front- to his sides were the same stonewalls that he had seen last night, no longer as ominous now that he could actually see them in broad daylight. And to the front was the path that he had followed to the barn last night… had it been last night? Hard to tell, since he'd come here without a watch, and couldn't tell, from this angle, how much time had passed since he'd been knocked out. A groan escaped him before he knew it, and it was hardly a moment later than someone came over, holding a bowl of something within a hand that came from around the pillar. He couldn't see who it was at all, but as he craned his neck, he did see the arm of whoever it was. And heard her giggle- he was sure the person was female, whoever it was, simply from the voice. "Awake now are ya? And what were you doing poking around this barn, hm?" was asked of him. Indeed, the person the voice belonged to was female, and as she stepped out from behind the pillar to look at him fully, his eyes seemed to widen as he saw more than her slender, yet armored arm that had held out the bowl.
She was easily a full foot shorter than he was, which was kind of unusual, since he was fairly short already. But, as he watched her come out, he saw her blonde hair, her exotic, almost almond-shaped eyes, and the stark gray of armor she wore over her chest, his mouth fell open. She also had wings, he could see: a steel-gray color of feathers at the top of them but progressed into a darker, almost chocolate-colored feathers towards the bottom of them. The wings were of such size that if one didn't know better, that they would have to questions they could provide enough lift to be more than decoration. The way she wore a rapier at her waist also made him think that he was a fool to be out and about, going to a place that he knew had to have had people within it. If people walked about armed here, then he deserved what was going to happen, he thought, even as he managed to pull himself together enough to blush. His cheeks turned red as he looked to her face once more, even as she seemed to pout a little bit. Something about her made her seem… well, childish, really, and he couldn't tell why that was. Not yet, anyway. "Um… I kinda got lost, actually. I saw smoke coming from here, so I thought I'd see if I could get some directions." he replied, quietly, almost sheepishly as he watched her.
And, for her part, looked very doubtful as to Rick's story. He could see it in her eyes, even as she spooned some of the stuff up from the bowl and brought it to his lips. "Try this… we don't have too much here right now, so it probably won't taste too good. But neither does the stuff we eat, so too bad, buddy." was what he was told by her, and Rick nodded slightly, taking a bite from the utensil that she used to spoon the food. Instantly, his eyes clenched and he seemed to wince in pain before shuddering from the bitter, nasty taste that followed into his stomach. It took a force of his own will to keep himself from gagging on it, and even more to actually swallow it. Almost exaggeratingly, the vile creation of 'food' slipped down his throat as he swallowed it, and he seemed almost sick as he stood there against the pillar limply, shaking his head slowly. "No more, please… I'm not very hungry right now." he says to her, and she laughed as she took the bowl away.
"By the way… can you untie me please? I didn't mean to interrupt anything… I would really like to know where I am, too." He asked now, trying in vain to watch the girl walk away- and he realized that he actually recognized her from his Monster Rancher games. A 'Janne', he remembered. Was it just a coincidence? Was she an actual Janne, or was she just some armored winged woman, like a certain clan would be like from another game by another company? No way to tell, just yet. The girl soon came back, and he wings fanned out behind her, sending a small wave of cool air over him as a result. She was probably cooling herself off- it was pretty warm already, and who knew just how warm it was within the armor she wore. "Sorry, no can do, kid. My friend will be back soon, and then we'll decide what to do with ya. 'Til then, just try to relax and count the birds that fly by. It'll be boring, 'cause he probably won't be back around for a while." Was her response, and Rick just sighed. "Well, what's your name?" he asks her, and she just smiled slightly. "My… name? I'm a Janne. Don't have a name. Never gave myself one, no one's given me one either." She told him, carefree about the whole thing. She didn't seem to mind that she didn't have a name.
"A Janne? I haven't seen one of you for a long time… er, well, never in person anyway…" Rick said, and she gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. It didn't sting, just a light hit, almost like a slap if anything, really. He grinned slightly- well, obviously he'd made it to a place that was either Monster Rancher, or a world that was a whole hell of a lot like it. She shook her head slowly, not quite what to make of the human that her friend had caught just outside the barn. He was strange- nothing like what Rocky had told her about most humans. She remembered her old owners- the ones who had owned this very barn, actually. They had been nice enough, teaching her to do many things- cooking, cleaning, and fighting. Indeed, she'd been taught mostly to clean and cook, however. Fighting was something that her owners had thought should be left to other monsters. Pixies were known for their attractiveness (to humans, at least) and their abilities to manipulate what was called magic, and could use their abilities to attack as well as to heal themselves and others. Rocky had found her in the facility's freezer after her owners had her frozen, to preserve her for life later on.
She shakes off this feeling of nostalgia, and went back to the back of the barn, where there was a pair of beds, a small icebox (and since it always stayed in the shade, was able to keep much of their food cold year-round). Rick remained roped up against the pillar, and with a sigh, just watched as the day went by. So he knew now about the world he was in. At least, he knew it a little, anyway. Which game was this world based on? It could be the one with Monster Rancher 1, 2, and the game boy advance games, or it could be based on those later ones… but he doubted that. This had a more realistic feeling to it. The way that everything seemed to flow screamed at his mind, taking hold as he considered what he would do now that he was here. He had no account at a bank within a large town or city. No money to his name. He didn't even have anything from home, really, that he could use here to trade or barter with. Rick shook his head slowly. No, the only things he had with him were the clothes on his back, his wallet with his ID and some money that was now rather useless in this world. After all, this land would go off of gold coins, if it went along the same lines as the games did. He knew how one could make money, how he could possibly make a living.
Too bad it required registering with one of the main administrations for monster battling. To do that, one had to go through schools, or otherwise learn how to manage a ranch, to teach a growing monster, to know what to feed the monster at particular times. One would have to care for a monster, to scold it when absolutely needed- to instruct one in battle, to defend itself and win money. To gain a loan in order to start, he would need to show that he could do all these things to the officials of the rancher organizations. Of course, he knew there were many other ways to make money- rancher assistants made money by helping the master ranchers themselves. There was also the freelance-route. Or, he could adventure, and live day-by-day, exploring, meeting new people, finding new places, and selling some of the discoveries he would come across. The opportunities, in a place like this one, were enormous and open. This excited him- but as much as he'd like to get going, he was tied to the pillar, stuck there for now, and he could go nowhere fast. Or slow.
And so… Rick waited for his next opportunity.
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Author's Note: Well, what do ya think? I've actually had this done for a while, to tell the truth, but never bothered to put it online until now. I'll be taking down the old chapters so I can re-work them, if I feel like it. Please review!