Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other fandom I manage to squeeze in this story.
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Lightning Dragon's Roar
A Harry Potter Fanfiction
By Zero Rewind
© 2016
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Chapter 63: Tests
I looked at Ukyo. She was giving me a wary gaze, as if unsure what to make of me.
Who could blame her?
I was, over here, doing my best impression of a Pikachu about to zap somebody.
Heh.
The thought of shouting "PIKA— CHUU!" before zapping people with my electricity had crossed my mind, just then. I reined in my power, before opening my mouth.
"Ranma! Kaku-zo!" I heard someone yelling in Japanese on the far end of the street. I turned my gaze to see two different men exchanging blows at a speed so high I actually had to channel Lightning into my nerves just to see them in action.
No, these weren't men. They looked like they were my age, possibly a little older.
The first one was a scruffy looking lad, wearing a yellow jumper, and some black trousers with yellow leg bands around the ankle. He also wore a black-spotted yellow bandana.
The source of his ire, the other one, wore a red, Chinese shirt and some black, kung fu pants and shoes.
The two fighters looked like they were in their element, weaving, dodging, attacking, countering, parrying like it was a natural thing.
It spoke of years of hard, methodical work in the martial arts, and was a testament to the humans' potential for growth.
Red was the faster one of the pair, avoiding his opponent's attacks and trying to counterattack.
Well, truth be told, the counterattack was working, but Yellow seemed to made of extremely stern stuff, considering the fact he kept taking so many hits, and yet, still kept going.
Yellow sent a roundhouse kick which Red jumped right over. Red then grabbed Yellow's foot, and used his momentum to launch him sideways, slamming into a light post, causing it to fall down and almost hit some children.
Ukyo ran for the kids, and got them out of the way, quickly.
I saw a man leaning on a nearby building, unable to support his own weight.
He was an old man, very advanced in his age, and looked like he'd been through the ringer, judging by the scratch marks caused by the earlier explosion of rubble.
It was a new thing, for me; seeing the civilians have to deal with this kind of thing.
I was always careful as to where I sent my attacks. When I was fighting that loup-garou, I made sure not to send any attacks at the nearby homes.
I didn't want that kind of thing on my conscience.
These kids, though... That's what they were, kids. They were completely unaware of the danger they posed to regular folk that just wanted to go out for a stroll.
... Good lord, when did I become the peace keeper? Of people my own age, no less?
I shook my head in faint amusement at the irony, before flaring my power again.
They stopped, and snapped their heads to me at the surge of energy.
I walked towards them.
Yellow opened his mouth, before looking above me and pointing, shouting something out in Japanese.
"Abunai!" Yellow shouted.
"Saotome!" I heard a voice call out above me, and I immediately shielded my most vulnerable spots with my black scaled arm (still under bandages).
Whatever was launched at me broke off, shattered completely by my extremely powerful armor.
I got a good look at the source of the attack. It was a long, black haired Chinese man, wearing a white robe with black cuffs, and a diamond pattern on the chest. From his voluminous sleeves, a few chains had emerged, wrapping themselves around me before I could move away. The chains tightened around my form, and he landed with an almost maniacal laugh.
"Shi-ne!" He said and prepared to attack, except I was already countering him. Lightning bled into the metal chains binding me, racing towards his unsuspecting, striking at his nervous system with intense prejudice.
And he screamed. He screamed hard, and he screamed loud as the Lightning licked at his skin, seeped into it, forcing his muscles to spasm uncontrollably, painfully.
Five seconds later, I reined my power back in. I smelled his burning flesh as the chains around me loosened and fell at my feet.
I gave the long haired boy a single, deliberately bored look, before turning to the other two. I hadn't damaged him, too much; enough to keep him out of it for a couple of hours, though he would be in pain for at least a week from the electrical burns, both inside and out.
I figured it was a fitting punishment for trying to kill me.
"Dare desu ka?" Red took a step forward, warily getting into a combat stance after seeing my casual dispatching of the Chinese boy.
And then it came to me. This was the guy in the blurred out video that was posted in 4chan. Capable of dishing out energy blasts and tornadoes on a whim. He must have been the one who destroyed Horai mountain.
If the guy in yellow was keeping up with him, I could assume he was also close to him in power.
The sound of rustling caught my attention. I turned to see the long haired boy, skin still slightly smoking, struggling to get up.
"Stay down." I said. "Or I'll come over there."
He faltered, but still kept trying to get back up. It almost looked like he was going to get to his feet, but he fell back down, back into blissful unconsciousness.
I smiled in amusement. If nothing else, he was stubborn.
He would live.
"You two." I turned to address the two fighters. "Are you done with whatever idiotic spat you've got going? There are people around you!" I pointed to the others still limping away and trying to escape.
Their faces, wary and somewhat excited, switched to mortified grimaces instead.
"Wow." Ukyo's voice was heard behind me. She was checking on Mousse. "Will he be all right?"
I turned, and moved to her, and the unconscious boy, feeling a slight pang of guilt. "Yeah. He'll be out for a few hours."
I took him, and lugged him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Where does he live?"
"…" Ukyo gave me a look. "Give me some time. I will close up my stand, and I can take you there."
It wasn't a suggestion.
"That's fine." I turned towards the other two, who were still staring at me, not quite sure what to make of me.
"Who are you?" Red asked in English.
"Isn't it polite to introduce yourselves, first?" I shot back, still feeling some ire towards the two and their destructive behavior.
"Ranma Saotome." Red said, motioning for Yellow to speak after.
"Ryoga Hibiki." Yellow said.
"Ranma." I repeated. "And Ryoga."
"You are the one who destroyed Horai Mountain." I directed that statement at Ranma, who started at the mention.
"How—" The pigtailed haired boy was at a loss for words.
"It's all over the internet." I explained. "A video of you fighting against a man in scaled armor popped up."
"Who are you?" Ryoga rudely interrupted, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand. "We've introduced ourselves."
I frowned, but complied.
"My name is Harry Potter." I simply answered.
"Okay, Harry. I'm ready." Ukyo said from behind me, nodding to Ryoga and smiling at Ranma, who waved back.
I gave her a nod, glancing at the two other fighters.
"You two are strong." I acknowledged, and they seemed to straighten up at that. Was it pride? Happiness? I didn't really know. "You have power. That much is apparent; but are you deserving of it? Implicating the general populace in your petty squabbles?"
I shook my head before they could reply. "Forget this shite."
It wasn't my job to raise these dumb shits. Instead, I followed Ukyo, and turned a corner, the two fools staring at me the whole way until I was out of their sight. Ukyo led me around town, taking shortcuts, going through a small park.
She kept sneaking glances at me.
"What is it?" I asked with a smile, adjusting the slightly heavy man. "Is there something on my face?"
"Ah, no…" Ukyo replied. "I was just thinking about what you said."
"Oh, yeah." I nodded as we walked. "I guess I was sounding like an old man, there. Lecturing them like they were children."
"Well, you were right."
"It's just that—" I stopped and looked at her. "You think so?"
"Yes." Ukyo gave a serious nod. "Those two, especially Ryoga, they basically destroy everything around them. They don't know what it's like to make their own money to have to pay their own bills. Ranchan, most times, watches out for those that can't defend themselves, but sometimes, he doesn't care either."
Ranchan? I guess she liked the guy.
I sighed.
"They remind me of me." I admitted ruefully. "When I began to gain strength, it went straight to my head. I was arrogant, careless."
A memory of a red haired faerie holding a knife against my unconscious father's throat came to the forefront of my mind.
Fucking careless.
"There are more dangerous and sinister things to worry about than other human beings." I said as we neared a restaurant that said "猫飯店" — §Means 'Cat Café'§ Balthazar supplied helpfully— "So why fight amongst each other, other than to improve ourselves?"
"Well said." A third voice interjected. I turned my gaze to see… a wrinkly old woman hopping to us on a gnarled branch of all things. She wore a green robe, with red cuffs on the sleeves and the bottom.
On the chest area, there was a symbol of a nondescript circle with a cross. She had long, gray hair, and wore a red headband to keep it all back.
She circled my form, looking at the Chinese boy for a few moments, before moving her attentions on me.
"You did this." She stated.
"Yes." I answered, explaining my actions. "He came at me with chains and knives and tried to kill me."
"Fortunate that you didn't return the favor." She answered diplomatically. Her English was quite good. "Come."
Ukyo gave me a nod, told me to visit her stand later, and left as I followed the old woman.
She led the way inside of the restaurant, passing by the few people that were enjoying their meals. They gave us curious glances, but ultimately went back to their food.
We went through a few doors, until we reached what seemed to be a small bedroom. The old woman gave me a nod. I nodded back, and placed the boy in his bed, damaged clothes and all, making sure that he wouldn't fall off.
She led the way again, to the upper floor of the Cat Café, closing off the way behind her so there wouldn't be any prying ears, before taking a seat at one of the tables.
I sat across from her.
The old woman stared at me for a few seconds.
"I am known as Cologne." She stated. "Leader of the tribe of Amazons."
Shit. While passing through China, I had heard rumors from the local folk who lived in the Byankala Mountain area, rumors that talked of powerful female warriors who took men who could defeat them and forced them to be wed to whomever it was that was defeated.
Supposedly, the tribe was fairly adept at Potions, and possessed a good number of magical artifacts— possibly the mirror I was searching for.
This was the person that the Jusenkyo guide told me to seek out.
And I had just zapped one of her own people.
Shit.
"Harry Potter." I answered simply, hiding a wince. "My apologies for what happened to the bloke."
"Think nothing of it." The old woman said. "He should know better than to attack unknown opponents."
I scratched the back of my head nervously. "I think he was attacking that Ranma bloke, I think. He was shouting 'Saotome' as he was swooping down on me."
"I see." She nodded. "Mousse— that's his name— has a problem with his eyesight. He might have thought it was Ranma and attacked you instead."
"Makes sense." I agreed. "I'll pay for any hospital bills he needs."
"Much appreciated; but I sense there's something else you wish to speak about." She said in that tone all old people learned at some point; that "I'm wiser than you, so listen up" tone of voice.
"How did you—"
"I may be old." She cut me off. "But I am not unaware of what's occurring in the world at large. You are the wizard savior of England, are you not? The so called boy who survived the Killing Curse."
I started.
"And, if the rumors are true, you are also the one who defeated the Devil Emperor and sent him back from whence he came." She continued.
"Wow." I said, feeling astonished as one of the workers brought us some tea. "You really are well informed, though I had help in fighting Mundus."
I was handed a cup, and took a sip.
"I have had dealings with wizards and witches, in my day." Cologne said, closing her eyes in reminiscence. "I am a Squib, myself, but I have never seen a wizard that could keep up with me in my prime— except perhaps Albus Dumbledore. A sad day, it was, hearing of his death."
I frowned, and stared down at the swirling liquid in my cup. "Yes. He died trying to help me bring down Voldemort."
"I see." She answered. "I exchanged correspondence with the man, over the years. He spoke in length about you, around a year ago, asking me for advice."
I stayed quiet, listening to the woman continue speaking. "I replied, telling him not to repeat his previous mistakes, to treat you like he would treat himself, with patience and understanding, as you were his spiritual successor."
I shifted uncomfortably, at that.
"Me, Dumbledore's successor?" I nearly scoffed at the ridiculousness of that statement. "I'm not— I could never replace—"
"Of course not. Foolish boy." The old woman admonished, almost gently. "You are his successor, not his replacement."
I ducked my head, biting back a sob. "I'm sorry. I just haven't had the chance to stop, and think about it. There are more important things to do, and I can't afford to just stop."
Responsibilities left by my mentor. Needing to save the planet from the Goa'uld. Needing to save my father from the clutches of that bitch. And the ever-looming threat of Mundus' assassins constantly coming for me.
"Tell me, child." She said, almost gently.
So I did. I told her of my burgeoning powers, of Voldemort, I told her of Dumbledore. I told her of my friends at school, and my godfather. I told her of Lilith, and of the demon world. I spoke of Dante, Vergil, and the Temen Ni Gru. I told her about the Leanansidhe, who held my father hostage, and how I had to find the mirror named Shimmer to get him back, as well as another favor to her.
"You are sure it is the mirror 'Shimmer'?" Cologne said seriously.
I nodded.
"I see." She said, her tone turning hesitant.
"You have it?"
"It has been in the possession of the Amazon tribe for centuries." She said. "At least, until it was stolen decades ago."
Of course, it was never that simple.
"Stolen?" I repeated, prompting Cologne to elaborate. "Stolen by who?"
She gave me a glance. "Demons. They followed the rule of their Emperor Mundus, long ago. However, when the Devil Knight Sparda sealed off the Demon World, they were forced to go in hiding, to gain power in secret for the past millennia."
"They came for it in the dead of night, taking us completely by surprise." Cologne said, remembering the night. "I fought them, myself. Formidable creatures. Even the weakest of them possessed inhuman durability."
I gave a nod of understanding. I had dealt with plenty of Demons in the Temen Ni Gru— and outside of it. They were no joke.
Worse, yet; I was going to have to fight them without the aid of Erebus.
"So young, to have to fight such creatures." Cologne shook her head. "Just like son-in-law."
"Son in law?" I parroted. "Who's that?"
"You may know him as Ranma Saotome." Cologne replied.
"Ah, the idiot in red causing property damage and hurting the regular folk around him?" I nodded. "Yeah. I met him."
"Do not judge too harshly." The old woman admonished. "That boy holds so much over his shoulders. I, myself, have contributed heavily to his burden."
She gave a general overview of the boy's life; how he was raised from childhood by his sometimes horrible sometimes decent father while always on the road, never staying in one place for too long.
She spoke of how he was subjected to grueling methods of training that crossed the line many times.
She told me of his curse. And then she told me of his father engaging him to two different girls; if that wasn't enough, he was already the legal husband of the old woman's great granddaughter because he beat that particular girl in combat.
"Uh." I said at the end of that little tirade. "Wow. Okay— um, three girls, all vying for his hand in marriage. Why try so hard?"
"He is a powerful fighter." Cologne said. "It has been tradition in my tribe to bring strong men into our tribe, to make strong children. It has been this way for thousands of years."
She didn't hide the trace of fondness in her words when she spoke.
"You've grown attached to him, huh." I said.
She didn't answer for a long moment.
"I have met many great fighters in my life." Cologne said, as the wooden stairs creaked behind us.
Someone was coming up here.
"And I have had the privilege of raising a few." Cologne continued as the same blue haired girl from earlier came into view, looking at the two of us curiously. "Shampoo, my great-granddaughter here, is one of them. Say hello, Shampoo."
"Hi." She greeted, giving me an interested gaze. "You are the one who electrocuted Mousse?"
"Uh, yeah." I said uncomfortably. "How'd you hear about that, so fast?"
"That aside." Cologne cut in as the girl— Shampoo— sat next to me, pouring herself a cup of tea. "Ranma Saotome is another one of those fighters. So is that boy, Ryoga."
I gave a non-committal nod, before going back to the main issue. "These Demons. Do you know where they're holed up?"
"I am aware of their general whereabouts." Cologne nodded. "You wish to retrieve it?"
"For myself. I'm getting it for myself." I said pointedly. "I won't be returning it to you."
She considered my words for a few moments.
"I could supply you an amount of money or something, as payment." I continued.
"Hm." Cologne waved it off. "Well, it's not like we were even using it anyway."
This conversation was going a little too easy.
"Thank you." I nodded, smiling at the woman.
"However." Cologne cut in. "I would like something from you. A favor, if you will."
I suppressed a sigh, and relaxed my gritted teeth. "A favor. Okay, sure. What do you need?" I replied tiredly.
"Oh, don't look so glum." The old woman almost cackled. "I would like for you to fight Ranma."
Eh?
"Uh." I said, before shaking my head. "Strange request. Why?"
"Let's just say that it's part of his training." Cologne said. "So far, he's faced against other, very talented martial artists, against a few monsters, and Prince Herb, a descendant of dragons."
Herb was a descendant of dragons? Maybe I should put some time into finding this bloke. Or perhaps he would take offense at my being a Dragonslayer? Something for later.
"He's never fought a magical being before?" I questioned, to which I received a nod.
"Granted, most talented martial artists can project their life energy and use it as a weapon, which is similar to some aspects of magic." Cologne supplied. "However, he has never fought against someone well versed in the magic arts."
"And this is where I come in?" I supplied, and got a nod of confirmation for my trouble. "What kind of fight will this be?"
"Give him a serious one." She said.
"Ah… Most of my moves are lethal." I said, wincing. "You sure? You think he'd actually agree to something like that?"
"He deals with people trying to kill him, every day." Cologne pointed out wryly.
She was right about that. That Mousse fellow had launched knives and chains at me with the intent to kill. Those knives were meant for Ranma.
§The other boy, Ryoga, was shouting "prepare to die" before he attacked Ranma, as well.§ Balthazar supplied, as well. Cologne gave a strange look at the hissing noise coming from my bandaged right arm, but didn't comment, still waiting for me to answer.
"Do I still get the information, if I lose?" I asked for clarification.
"A very mature query." Cologne acknowledged. "I know son-in-law never even considers the possibility of losing."
"Yeah, well…" I trailed off. "The things I've went up against… Sometimes it's hard to see any way to achieve victory."
Flashes of a gigantic demonic statue in the void between dimensions came to mind, followed by the Lord of Outer Night, and then Voldemort.
"Understandable." Cologne said, taking a sip of her tea. "The answer is yes; as long as you put forth your best effort at this battle, the information is yours."
I smiled and extended my hand. "All right. You have a deal."
Thin, wrinkly arms exited from the folds of her voluminous sleeves, and she firmly grasped my left hand. "You will fight him in exactly three hours."
I gave her a confused look.
"How do you know he'll agree to it?" I asked.
"Don't you worry about that. Just come to…" And she began to rattle off directions to a location. Apparently she wanted me to go to the local high school, Furinkan, as it had a very large football (also known as soccer) field.
I bid my "see-you-later"-s, and spent the next hour wandering around town. The folks seemed wary of newcomers, keeping their distance, and also a watchful eye.
What the hell had they endured, for such a paranoid response? I hadn't noticed it earlier, because I was still a little sleepy, and disoriented.
"Ni hao." A familiar voice said from my left. It was the blue haired girl, Shampoo.
"Shampoo, right?" I said, lips quirking slightly at the ridiculousness of the name. Not that I was in any place to speak, with a last name of Potter.
She nodded, smiling.
"How can I help you?" I asked in a friendly tone.
"I'm here to tell you that Airen agreed to the fight." She said.
"Airen?"
"Ah— Ranma." She explained. "He's my husband."
I shook my head. I didn't even want to tackle that subject.
"Well, lead the way!" I grinned. Those directions that Cologne had given me? I forgot half of them, maybe around half an hour later.
It was my fault for not writing it down, really.
Of course, no one needed to know that.
She gave a nod, before turning to me. "Follow." And then she jumped from here to the roof of a nearby building.
I stared. She was looking down at me from the top of that building, giving me a quizzical look.
"Coming?" She called out, sounding slightly confused.
"Uh, yeah!" I shook off the shock at seeing another human capable of feats like that, before trying to jump up there as well— something I had never tried before, as I could simply fly, or walk on the air.
The wind rushed past my face as I cleared the building's height with ease, landing next to the blue haired girl.
"Sorry." I apologized. "I've never jumped on top of roofs before."
"Ah, roof-hopping newbie!" She had a mischievous look in her eyes. "Try to keep up!" She said before shooting off, jumping from roof to roof with ease.
I exhaled through my nose as I grinned— it certainly looked fun— before following her. It was certainly much harder than she made it look, let me tell you that.
I overshot my third jump and had to create a foothold, lest I fall down to the street below, and landed on the next building, resolving to master this exercise by the time I got to Furinkan High.
And so from roof to roof I jumped. I almost twisted my ankle on a slippery roof, but managed to gain my footing and leap once more. It got easier and easier, I figured out the physics behind it— how to gather up momentum, store up potential energy and release it at the correct moments, what way to pivot when I wanted to go left or right, how much strength was needed to jump certain distances.
I caught up with the blue haired girl, giving her a challenging grin. She returned it thusly, and increased her pace. It took a minute, but I managed to keep up with her once more.
Eventually she stopped in front of a large building— obviously a high school. Just then, the bell ringed, and the students came flooding out, evidently all heading for a nearby field.
Some went to Ukyo's stand— I guess she moved it to the football field. It was a sound business strategy. People would simply come because it's so close.
Good for her.
Most of the students sat down promptly, and waited as a trio of girls began shouting around using a megaphone, taking money from other students. I figured they were taking bets— Yep, Balthazar just confirmed it, a move worthy of the twins, really.
According to Balthazar, the trio were taking bets pertaining to the fight between me and Ranma.
"Wow, they're quick on the uptake? How the hell did they even know about my fight with the guy?" I asked the girl standing beside me.
"Heh." Shampoo smirked and pointed at the lead girl taking bets. "That one."
"Yeah?" I looked at the girl in question. She had brown, chin-length hair, worn in a bob cut, wearing the same uniform as all the other students, a blue dress with white, puffy sleeves and collar.
"Her name is Nabiki. She's got a sharp eye for business, and has a number of spies, everywhere." Shampoo explained, frowning a little. "She's also the sister of Ranma's fiancée, Akane." The last part was said with a little irritation.
I didn't push the issue, and merely thanked her, instead.
Ranma Saotome was already standing in the middle of the football field; waiting in the same clothes I'd seen him in, before. I guessed he wasn't much for school uniforms, either.
Next to him, stood a short, black haired girl, wearing the same uniform as all the other girls. It looked like she was saying something to him, in heated tones.
I assumed that was the girl, Akane. I had already met Ukyo, and Shampoo, so it was the only logical choice.
§Truly, your wisdom knows no bounds.§ Balthazar quipped.
§Shut it.§ I hissed back at my arm, before jumping down in the street, rolling as I landed to minimize the damage. §Time to fight.§
I made my way past the main entry of the school, following the gaggle of students heading to the main event. They gave me weird looks, but shrugged and decided it was unimportant.
Getting closer to the football field, I realized I underestimated the size of this crowd— holy hell. It was packed!
The shouting of the girl introduced as Nabiki continued.
§Apparently they're calling you "Unknown challenger number twenty".§ Balthazar supplied with amusement as I cut through the people, finally reaching my target, whose eyes lit up in recognition.
I gave Ukyo a wave. She returned it quickly before going back to serving her food to her hungry customers.
"Anata wa— Uh, sorry, sorry." Ranma Saotome said in Japanese, before correcting himself and speaking in passable English— nowhere near the level of Ukyo and Shampoo, but still easily understandable. "I was told you wished to challenge me to a fight?"
Ah, that's the angle Cologne went with, eh? He didn't know he was being tested. Or maybe she'd told me all of that hogwash to get a good fight out of it?
Old people did get bored as fuck, so I figured my reasoning was plausible.
I saw the other school kids reach for their cellphones, in an attempt to film us. I frowned, and raised my hand, gathering some Lightning, lighting up the area around us in a bluish white glow.
The students stopped, staring at it in awe as it crackled and writhed with unbridled power.
I clenched my fist, the shockwave rattling all of them slightly— as well as cause their phones to malfunction, forcing the students to turn them off.
I smiled at the sound of their despair. Hopefully I didn't do too much damage.
"Neat trick." Ranma commented, still looking at ease with the situation. The short haired girl, Akane, was standing next to him, giving me curious glances.
"Yeah." I said. "I don't think either of us would like being on some guy's YouTube video."
Ranma grimaced, before patting Akane's shoulder and saying a few quiet words. She nodded, before glaring at him one last time, and taking her spot with what I assumed to be her friends.
I heard the guy sigh in irritation, before his features switched to an expression of arrogance— it was fake; I could tell he was excited. It showed in his bubbling energy, it was as if he was itching for a fight.
He put his hands in his pockets, put on a cocky grin and said:
"Are you ready?"
I gave a nod, and the fight began.