Chap 4: Education

Akane and Ranma were with Hagemoto in his apartment. Until better living arrangements were settled, both teens from Nerima were going to be staying with Hagemoto. Akane was holding P-Chan as the two teens sat on a couch. Hagemoto was explaining the Clock Up system. He actually had a manual with him.

"The Clock Up system allows the user to move at hyper speed by concentrating the tachyon energy in the suit thus not only increasing the user's speed but also slowing down the time around him/her to a point that makes the world appear as if it is standing still…" Hagemoto explained. However, both Akane and Ranma were having headaches. There were too many big words there.

"Okay, can you tell me HOW it works?" Ranma said impatiently. Hagemoto sighed.

"Check the belt, Ranma," Hagemoto instructed. Ranma cast P-Chan a look and then sighed before checking the belt again.

"What am I supposed to be looking for here?" Ranma asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"There should be a switch that can allow you to use Clock Up," Hagemoto said. "At least that's what the manual says."

Ranma inspected the belt and then found a button on the right waist pad that could be pushed down. "Is this it?"

"Maybe."

"Hagemoto!"

"I'm just a normal operative, not a rocket scientist! What do you want from me?"

Akane sighed and said, "Maybe we should go out and see the place again. We're all getting a little stir crazy here."

Hagemoto and Ranma nodded in agreement.

There was a door knock at Ichijyo's door and he spoke into the intercom, "Come in." The door opened and a familiar face walked. Ichijyo smiled and said, "I see you've received my message."

"Technically it was an order, Amakusa-san," the other person said.

Ichijyo chuckled. "There is no need to be formal, my friend."

The other person smiled, "Well, since you are my boss and all I should give you some sense of respect, right?"

"Get over here, Draco," Ichijyo said.

"So, we're going by our codenames, Shadow?" Draco said as he walked over.

"Yes, Ryuki, we are," Ichijyo said jokingly.

Ryuki walked over to his friend. "So, what do you want me to do? You sounded urgent."

"The Caucasus Inzecter's user, he needs a person to train him on how to use the Inzecter suit, particularly the Clock Up system," Ichijyo informed. "He may be a skilled and talented martial artist but said skills can only take one so far. He has yet to master Clock Up or the true capabilities of the suit."

Ryuki guessed, "Is this where I come in?"

"You train some of our new recruits, you tell me."

Ryuki's green eyes shone and then he bowed. "I'll do my best, Ichijyo," he said.

"I wouldn't expect anything else," Ichijyo said as he leaned back in his chair. "How is Jen right now?"

"Right now she and okaasan are spending time together. They're talking about the latest adventures we had, especially the one involving Tri-"

"Good, very good," Ichijyo interrupted. He didn't want to hear that name again as long as he lived. "So, go find Ranma Saotome. You have his picture?"

"Right here," Ryuki answered, showing the picture he had of Ranma.

"Good. I know you can find him. Your tracking skills are excellent."

"Arigatou, Ichijyo."

"Good, now go."

Ryuki bowed and then turned before leaving the office. After he had left, Ichijyo opened up another file. "Project: Hyper Inzecter…" he muttered as he read through it.

Ranma, Hagemoto and Akane were sitting at a table outside of a café. Hagemoto had a cup of coffee with two muffins, Akane has some tea with a slice of cake and as for Ranma he was having a turkey sandwich and a glass of cola. P-Chan was nowhere in sight since he had been left back at Hagemoto's place…or could've gotten lost again somehow.

Meanwhile…Ryuki was looking around for Ranma. Even though his tracking skills were great, the place was still quite huge. He scratched his head and asked himself, "Where is he?"

A spiritual projection of his demon spirit guardian, Yaminekoryu, shimmered into view next to him. "Look behind you, aibou," the demon instructed and Ryuki turned around to see Akana, Ranma and Hagemoto.

"Arigato," Ryuki said, thanking the demon, before walking over to the three.

"Konnichiwa!" Ryuki greeted as he took a seat. Ranma and Akane blinked but Hagemoto stood up and bowed.

"Hasuma-san! Konnichiwa," Hagemoto greeted. Ryuki just waved his hand in a dismissive manner.

"Hagemoto-san, there is no need for that," Ryuki said. "Just call me Ryuki."

"Gomen, Ryuki," Hagemoto said before he sat down.

"Um…Hagemoto?" Akane began to ask. "Who is this guy?" she pointed to Ryuki who waved for the waitress to come and take his order.

"Akane, this is Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, one of Smart Brain's top operatives," Hagemoto introduced. "Ryuki, these are…"

"Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo," Ryuki cut in. "I know, Ichijyo told me." He gave Ranma a look and smiled. "So, you are the infamous Ranma Saotome. I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?" Ranma asked.

"Hai," Ryuki nodded. "You are an accomplished martial artist with various powerful techniques and you have fought many awesome battles against powerful foes, only to stand triumphant in the end."

Ranma's ego was inflating as he rubbed the back of his head, grinning, "Well…I don't like to brag."

"Since when?" Akana interjected, earning a glare from Ranma. She just looked away and whistled innocently.

"However," Ryuki added, "You are not the best or the strongest in the world."

Ranma took offence, "What do ya mean by that!?"

"There will always be people stronger than you, like Zodiac Knights for that matter."

Ranma looked shocked. "Okay, how do you know about-" Ryuki took out the deck in his pocket and showed it to Ranma. "Oh."

"Like Ichijyo, I am a Zodiac Knight too. I'm the Knight of Dragons and-"

"FOUL SORCEROR RANMA SAOTOME!" roared a voice. "PREPARE TO BE SMITED BY THE BLADE OF HEAVEN!"

Ranma took Hagemoto and Akane by the arms and pulled them away. Ryuki leapt off his seat as the table was cut in half with a powerful force as a blue and black blur sliced it in half.

It was Kuno.

"Friend of yours?" Ryuki asked. He had faced a lot in life so not much can faze him nowadays.

"He's just a delusional idiot named Kuno from our neck of the woods," Ranma answered as he gently let go of Akana and Hagemoto. "You okay, Akane?"

"Hai," she answered with a nod.

"I'm fine too," Hagemoto said before grumbling, "Not like you care."

Ryuki analyzed Kuno and Ifrit spoke in his mind, "A wannabe samurai…But, his techniques are powerful. Too bad he doesn't have the brain power to use them right."

Kuno pointed his wooden sword at Ranma, "How dare you, Saotome, kidnap the beautiful tigress Akane Tendo! I shall smite you down and claim her for I shall be her savior!"

Ryuki blinked and Yaminekoryu added, "This guy is one lobster short of a chowder."

"Get a grip, Kuno!" Ranma got into a battle stance but then Ryuki got in front of him. "Huh?"

"Saotome-san," Ryuki began. "Let me handle him." Ranma quirked an eyebrow.

"You sure? He's pretty tough," Ranma said.

Ryuki took another look at Kuno and said, "I've faced worse." He then walked forward and said, "Please drop the weapon, Kuno-san." Kuno, however, ignored him and ran past him towards Ranma, screaming a battle-cry. Ryuki sighed and then turned around and raised his hand. "I hate to do this, but…" His eyes glowed for a bit as did his hand.

"Prepare for divine justice!" Kuno swung at Ranma and before Ranma could counter, the delusional kendoist was frozen in his tracks, his body stiff and paralyzed. "What foul sorcery is this!?"

Ifrit spoke in Ryuki's mind with a hint of disgust, "I just met this guy and he already annoys me."

"Want to send him packing?" Yaminekoryu asked.

"How about some fun first?" Ifrit responded with a grin.

Ryuki used his telekinesis to pull Kuno towards him and turn him around. He said condescendingly, "Never turn your back on your opponent, Kuno-san."

Kuno glared and shouted out, "Foul minion of the devil! Release me now so that I shall smite you! You are in league with the foul sorcerer Saotome and…"

Ryuki's left eye twitched as he listened to Kuno's rant. He had met some really annoying people and he had befriended them easily…Kuno, however, was pushing the wrong buttons with his unstoppable rant of self righteous nonsense.

Time to shut him up for good.

Ryuki snapped his fingers and Kuno vanished into thin air, much to Akane and Ranma's shock.

"What did you do to him?" Akane asked, in fear and shock but with a hint of awe.

"Sent him far, far away," Ryuki responded. "REALLY far away."

"I could've handled him," Ranma said with arms crossed.

"True, but I hate wasting time." He got a look from Akane. "What?"

"Are you a mutant?" Akane questioned. Ryuki laughed.

"Me? A mutant? Technically, no." He then answered, "I'm an Esper."

"A what?" Ranma asked only for Hagemoto to answer.

"People who have ESP and have psychic abilities," Hagemoto said. "Ryuki here has telekinetic and teleportation abilities."

"That is true. I got my powers from my father who got it from his mother, who came from a family of Espers," Ryuki said. "Don't worry, I never use my abilities in battle unless I am forced to." He added, "That Kuno guy, however, was an exception."

"Well, thanks for taking care of him," Ranma said, smiling. "Man, he doesn't take a hint."

"What is his deal, anyway?" Ryuki asked.

"A VERY long and tiresome story," was the reply he received from both Ranma and Akane.

"Oh, okay," Ryuki responded, accepting that. "Well, I might as well explain myself. Ichijyo sent me to train Saotome-san here."

"Please, call me Ranma," Ranma said. "And what do you mean 'train'?"

"Ichijyo told me you are the wielder of the Caucasus Inzecter, correct?" Ranma nodded. "But he still defeated you, correct?" Ranma nodded again, frowning. "Well, you have yet to master Clock Up so that would probably be why he was able to beat you easily." He added, "Then again, if Ichijyo had used full power…" he looked at Ranma. "I doubt you'd be here right now."

Akane asked fearfully, "How strong is Ichijyo, really?"

Ryuki answered, "Let just say he holds back a lot." He did not want to reveal Ichijyo's vampangel identity to both of them. At full strength, Ichijyo's power as the 'Angel of Balance' (at least that is what Libra told him about Shadow's TRUE destiny) was equal to that of a god. What else would you expect from a person who not only wielded, but also lived and breathed the powers of Darkness and Light?

"So, when do we start?" Ranma asked eagerly. That was when Ryuki heard the familiar ringing sound in his ear.

"Right now," he got up. "Follow me!" Ryuki ran with Akane and Ranma following close behind. Hagemoto wanted to go but had to explain to the owner of the café about the wrecked table plus pay for their meal.

"Dang kids," he swore under his breath. He saw a gold insect fly by and knew it was the Caucasus Inzecter coming to Ranma's aid.

"Okay, where are we going?" Akane asked.

"Just follow me!" Ryuki replied before stopping in front of a random window. "Here." He held out his deck and his belt was summoned. The Caucasus Inzecter flew around Ranma before he caught it. "Empowerment of the Zodiac Dragon! Henshin!" He slid the deck into his belt.

Ranma followed and said, "Henshin," before sliding his Inzecter onto his belt.

"HENSHIN!"

Draco's armor appeared in a flash of light while Ranma was being encased in his armor. Draco extended his hand and said, "Take my hand."

"Ranma," Akane said. "You better be careful, alright?"

"Sure, Akane," Ranma said with a nod as Draco pulled him in.

Akane blinked and muttered, "I'm going to have to get used to that."

A red and silver Knightrider jumped out of the window and landed in the Mirror Dimension followed by a golden armor clad Inzecter user.

Draco got out of his vehicle and apologized, "Gomen, Ranma-san, I forgot that we don't have vehicles for you to come into the Mirror Dimension."

Ranma snapped, "Well you should've mentioned that earlier!" as he got up on his feet. "Mirror Dimension? But it looks the same."

"Look again," Draco instructed and Ranma noticed that the writing on all the signs were reversed.

"Huh?" reacted Ranma in confusion.

"The Mirror Dimension exists on the other side of mirrors. The Spider Monster that attacked your school came from here," Draco explained. "Only Zodiac Knights can pass through the Mirror Portals so far. Smart Brain has been trying to duplicate the energy wave around our armors (the Knights) to enter but to no avail. As far as I know, you need a Knight to get in here."

"So, why are we here exactly?" asked Ranma but he was blindsided. "Hey! What was that!?"

"Our opponents," Draco replied.

Standing before the two armor clad warriors were humanoid monsters in armored skin. One looked like a cheetah and another looked like a mantis.

"Flash Cheetah and Slash Mantis," Draco identified and sighed. "Small fry." He turned to say to Ranma, "You better Cast Off now."

"Why?" Ranma said arrogantly. "I can take em!" He charged and threw a punch at the two monsters but they vanished. "Huh!?" He got hit and sparks flew off his armor. "Argh!"

"These are speedy monsters," Draco said.

"Okay, fine!" Ranma got up and pulled the horn of his Inzecter. "Cast Off!"

"CAST OFF!" his Strong Mode armor exploded off him to reveal his Speed Mode. "CHANGE CAUCASUS BEETLE!"

The Flash Cheetah and Slash Mantis attacked again but Draco was ready as he threw a fist that sent the Flash Cheetah flying. "I got the cat! You handle the bug!"

"Okay!" Ranma nodded. Usually, he would be afraid of cats but due to the Flash Cheetah's near humanoid appearance, it hadn't triggered. Lucky for him. Ranma charged and swung his leg, catching the Slash Mantis in the neck before he did a spin and smashed his foot into its stomach, sending it staggering back. It then swung its large sickle-like arms and slashed at Ranma who dodged them with ease. The creature cut a nearby table in half before Ranma was able to roll away. "Close one!"

"Strike Vent!"

Draco roared as he slashed at the Flash Cheetah with his Wild Tiger Claws. They battled, claw for claw, sparks flying as the claws made their mark. Growling, Draco then stabbed with his claws but the Flash Cheetah had vanished. The same thing happened to the Slash Mantis.

"Hey, looks like they ran," Ranma said.

Both were then hit by invisible forces.

"You think so, do you?" Draco said cynically. Ranma grumbled. He hated being wrong. Draco drew a card and activated it.

"Excel Active!"

Like Shadowcobra, red Excel Streams appeared on Draco's suit but his suit's color had changed to black.

"Clock Up," Draco spoke before pressing the button on his watch.

"CLOCK UP!"

Draco vanished like the two monsters. Ranma reached down to his belt and took in a deep breath of air, "Okay, here I go. Clock Up." He pressed the button on his belt.

"CLOCK UP!"

"Woah!" Ranma said as he felt the rush and could now see Draco and the monsters clearly. Draco was in trouble since he was battling two monsters. Ranma's eyes narrowed. "MOUKO TAKABISHA!" the ki-blast rushed forward, catching the Slash Mantis by surprise. Draco looked at Ranma appreciatively.

"Looks like you have a knack for it," Draco said as he elbowed the Flash Cheetah.

"Hey, I know a few things," was Ranma's reply. "Let's finish this." He reached to his Inzecter and pressed the legs buttons.

"1, 2, 3," the buttons responded. He then pulled the horns back to their original positions. Draco nodded and drew a card before sliding it into his Dragauntlet.

"Final Vent!"

Ranma pulled the horns back into Cast Off position. "CAUCASUS POWER!" it roared. He charged towards his target. His eyes glowed for a second as a charge went through his body.

"KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" Ranma yelled as he pummeled the Slash Mantis with his fists.

An armored tiger rushed in with a roar as Draco leapt up and landed on its back. It let out a growl as it transformed into a motorbike which then charged towards the Flash Cheetah.

"TIGER MOTOR SMASH!" Draco called out as he charged and rammed through the monster, destroying it.

"CLOCK OVER!"

Ranma rotated his shoulders and flicked his wrists. "Boy, what a rush!"

"You get a high the first time you go Clock Up," Draco said, smiling under his helmet. "It was the same for me."

"Okay, what else?" Ranma asked but was then given a response when Draco slashed him across the chest. He was sent falling. "Hey, what gives!?" he demanded.

"Now, you fight me," Draco said before he threw his clawed fist down on Ranma.

In the next chap, Ranma VS Draco. This time both of them use Clock Up. Let's see who wins, shall we?