CHAPTER 48
-"PLOTS, PREPARATIONS, PERSONAL PROBLEMS, AND POTENTIAL PERIL!"-
R's MANSION / RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:
-(Insert BGM – Etude in C Minor, Op. 10 No. 12 ("Revolutionary") – Frederic Chopin)- It kinda helps if you have a recording or MP3 of this to listen to.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those readers who aren't into classical music, just play King of Fighters 2003. You can hear a little bit of this piece when you fight Adelheid, one of the game's final bosses. It's neat music. Trust me.]
We see High Priest Erick Genryusai sitting at a piano, playing music to pass the time while he waits for R return home from school. His fingers glide effortlessly across the piano keys; he is quite skilled at this stuff, folks! The haunting music echoes through the hallways as he plays. Just as he's about to finish the piece, Erick hears a car pull up into the driveway of R's house. He stops. A sinister smile appears on his face.
His guinea pig is home.
Erick whispers, "R… Soon, I'll see all the power you possess! Heh heh heh….!"
With that, Erick vanishes from sight.
Outside, we see R get out from behind the wheel of his Honda S2000. Leaving the garage, he crosses the yard, his briefcase at his side, a mild afternoon breeze caressing his face. He enters the front door of his house, takes off his shoes in the main hallway, and goes inside.
We see R sitting on the floor of his living room shuffling through papers and reading books. He is busy doing homework – such is the life of a high-school student. For the next half hour or so, R is absorbed in his studies. Then he gets on his laptop, and types up a few paragraphs for a paper he has due for his literature class. He'd never admit it, but R liked doing research papers. There was just something about pursuing a fact and finding it despite obstacles that he found deeply satisfying. It reminded him of his martial arts training – trying to master a new technique, studying it, learning how to execute as well as how to defend against it, and so on.
R paused for a moment. Thinking about martial arts would eventually and inevitably lead to Ranma Saotome.
Ranma.
That guy.
The one he'd been ordered to kill.
Whose death was necessary to avenge his family's honor and that of the Anything-Goes School.
He hurt Ran.
That was all the excuse R needed.
But then, he'd remembered his promise to her.
Frustrated, R says, "D'OH!" Then, he shrugs, "Ah, well…. I'll deal with Ranma later."
He cleans up his work area, putting away the assignments he finished in his briefcase, saves the paper he's working on, and shuts down his laptop.
"Homework's done for now anyway. Better do something else, take my mind off things. Maybe I'll go outside for a bit before dinner."
Later, R changes his clothes and puts on a pair of overalls. He makes his way to the backyard, with gardening tools in his hand.
And oh, what an amazing sight it is that now meets our eyes.
At long last, dear readers, we get to see the rose garden behind R's estate. We look down upon a rather lovely valley. There were green meadows on either side of the valley, and along the bottom of it there flows a river. What's more, there is a tremendous waterfall halfway along the river – a steep cliff over which the water curls and rolls in a solid sheet, and then goes crashing down into a boiling churning whirlpool of froth and spray. Graceful trees and bushes grow along the riverbanks – bonsai and cherry trees with their pink blossoms.
Beyond the falls, we can see the mountains where the Cat Ghost King's shrine is located.
And most of all, there were roses everywhere. Roses of all different colors, including a few black ones – he'd recently gotten some seeds from Kodachi.
There are some paved paths in the garden. R comes down the stone steps onto the main path, which branches out in four directions. One path leads to an open space where R can practice his martial arts outdoors. Another leads to a patio where R can sit and read or think. A third leads to a secret entrance to the RED CATS' base. And the fourth and final path leads to a place where only white roses grow, which R uses to make his "White Rose Throwing Darts", his trademark and signature attack.
He walked through his garden, scanning for anything that needed immediate attention. This was his usual ritual, something he had done virtually everyday for some time now. He always managed to make time to check on the garden, even with his schoolwork and his duties as a soldier of the RED CATS.
R walks over to where the white roses are and goes to work, caring for them. As he does so, he spots something unusual. "Hm? What's this?"
One of the white roses growing among the rest stood out. You could see a little bit of pink at the edges of its petals. The bud itself was pretty thick; R knew that once it blossomed, it would be huge.
But there was something else about it that caught R's attention. This particular rose had NO thorns at all. Not a single one.
R frowns at this. The thorns added an extra measure of lethality to his "White Rose Throwing Darts". A rose with no thorns, especially one with those pink streaks in it, would be rather useless in R's arsenal. He takes out a pair of clippers and is about to cut it off when he stops.
Looking closer at it, R can see that it's very beautiful. He finds it rather unique. It's so different from all the others.
Having a change of heart (which is rare, since this is R we're talking about), R puts away his clippers. The rose might not be of any practical use to him as a weapon, but it has an aesthetic value to it that pleases him. So what could he even do with it?
I bet Ran would like this. Aloud, R smacks himself in the forehead. "D'OH!"
The moment he thought of the pig-tailed girl, R's mood darkened. He knew that Ran loved and was deeply in love with someone else, but he had yet to figure out who her mystery lover is.
R mutters, "Please, let it be anybody but Ranma."
It if was some other guy besides Ranma Saotome, R had no problem with that. In his opinion, Ran could fall in love with whomever she wanted – R could care less. But if it WAS Ranma, well… R had already warned Ran if she ever tried to interfere. He couldn't have any personal feelings for her get in the way of his mission.
Sighing, R shrugs his head and continues to tend to his roses.
Unfortunately, he's being watched the whole time! D'OH!
From one of the cherry blossom trees, Erick emerges, as if literally stepping out of the tree. He'd used his power to turn invisible and observe R without being noticed. Now visible, he walks quietly toward R, his footsteps not even making a single sound…!
But wait a minute! How can Erick do this?
Well… cause he's Erick, that's how! He uses an ancient technique of using one's supernatural aura to conceal his presence. Erick is literally giving off zero Ki, not even a single drop of his dark energy. With this technique, Erick can hide in plain sight, even move around undetected, unnoticed by anyone!
Now that he's close enough to R (and by close, I mean at point blank range!), Erick prepares to test his theory. From a pocket inside his long coat, he pulls out the dog whistle, places it to his lips, takes a deep breath, and blows it – the whistle, that is.
Meanwhile, R was tending to a white rosebush, using a pair of clippers to cut the roses off from the stems. Suddenly, his ears perk up at once.
"Huh?"
Turning around, looking around him, he sees nothing.
"Feh. Must be hearing things. Well, back to work."
R continues to clip away at the bush. Erick is pleased at R's reaction. Not bad. So much for my initial test. Now, let's see what happens when we blow the whistle for a longer length of time.
Once again, Erick raises the whistle to his lips and blows on it.
And once again, R looks up and looks around, but finds nothing and no one. He is alone, and the only sound he can hear is that of his own heart beating rapidly…. And that sound.
That sound.
That sound!
It keeps on ringing in R's ears. He tries to remember where he heard it from before, but he can't. And it's so intense that he has to cover his ears.
"Geez! My ears hurt. What's the deal with all this noise? It's like it's going through my whole skull."
But then, that sound gives way to something else. Something familiar, something he'd thought he'd never have to see or hear again.
Meow!
Meow! Meow!
Meow!
Meow!
The sounds of cats meowing echo around him. R tries to look up, and from his perspective, the sky is getting lighter and the world has pinkish tinge. Sounds of wind are suddenly heard. The landscape begins to move around him. And the meowing gets louder, and louder!
Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!
Meow! Meow!
Meow!
Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!
Meow!
Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!
Meow! Meow! Meow!
Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!
R grabs his chest and bares his teeth. He seems to be in pain. "Gah!.... What...? This sound…. My blood's on fire...!"
A dark shadowy figure appears behind him with a pair of large cat-like eyes staring back at him. It's safe to say that it's the physical manifestation of R's dark side has returned, trying to lure him into his berserker state. He appears before R, same dark red school uniform, same wild appearance, fanged smile, bloodshot eyes, etc. Both he and R start to glow with a dark purple aura. "Yep. It's me, R. Told you I'd be back! Now, are you ready to embrace your power?"
"I don't need it! I told you! I can crush Ranma myself... So kiss off, jerk! Grrrrgh….!" R hugs himself and grunts while his body surges with purple lightning.
Dark-R frowns. "Hmph. You silly ingrate... can't you hear them, R? Can't you hear the sounds of those little brutes? If you want them to go away, then UNLEASH ME!!
"No…no… I'll never use that power again! Never! Ahhhhhhh!!!"
The evil energy surrounding him forms a huge sphere! Meanwhile, Erick watches with anticipation. "Ah, yes. Now, it should happen. I can sense his power growing with every second!"
He looks at the sphere of energy, which has just doubled in size. But then, Erick lets out a sigh of disappointment and frowns, thinking, Oh dear, this just won't do. It seems R's trying to resist. He then pulls out the dog whistle. Well, time to give him another nudge, just enough to send him into that sweet, sweet grip of insanity.
And then Erick blows the whistle!
In the midst of all this tension, R is now hunched over in pain. His eyes are bloodshot, his teeth have gotten sharper, and his body seems to swell up from all that power. His senses are distorted and amplified at the same time. Upon hearing the whistle, R's ears perk up. And then…
"...*Gasp*! *Gasp...!* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Unable to bear it, he closes his eyes, covers his ears with his hands, and runs away from the sphere. He sprints across the garden, around corners, looking, searching for anyplace to hide from the cats and that hideous sound. He keeps running, trips, hits a tree, and bloodies his lip, and the world begins to tilt around him at a forty-five-degree angle. He was losing all sense of who he was and where he was, and as he lifts himself up, an animal cry emerges from within him. The scream echoed throughout the garden, images cascading through his mind, Dr. Wily, Brightman, the cats, Ran's face, except it had a look of fear, and there were soldiers with rifles aimed at him at Bass's orders…
...and pouring copiously through all the images is blood, his blood, thick and viscous and red, except it's glowing with a dark purple haze.
...and fury, huge, smashing, rending, through the wall, feel it collapse, feel resistance vanish beneath strength, fury pounding animal snarl muscles knotted power surging bottled up exploding release, yes, good slash smash slice slash slash smash cut crush slash...
"Cats….cats…..cats! Why does it have to be CATS! ARRRRGH!!"
He tries to look up, and to his horror, he sees cats everywhere. Hungry cats, which look like they haven't eaten in days. They look at R, ready to feast on him. And in the midst of the hordes of felines, R's dark side stands grinning evilly.
" Well, R, if you won't let me play, I guess I'll just let these little guys have you for supper. Ta-ta for now, chump." He steps aside and says to the cats, "Chow, boys!"
And then, with one accord, every single cat pounces on R. "RWOOOOORRR!!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
In his mind, those hungry cats once again assault R, clawing and scratching at him. He tries to fight them off…
"AHHHH! AHHHH!! GET 'EM OFF ME! GET 'EM OFF ME! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
But in reality, there are no cats at all. R has fallen into a clump of rose bushes nearby. He thrashes around violently, fighting off the imagined cats. The thorns cut into his skin and rip his clothes.
Erick watches with satisfaction as R rips himself into a bloody mess. He is pleased with the howling creature that he has made R become.
RED CATS' SECRET BASE - HOURS LATER…R was walking slowly down the hallway, his hands gaping on the wall. His hair was now messed up. He was barefooted.
He was just so tired. His knees were trembling, his lips were quivering, his eyes almost half-closed.
Added to his suffering was the loss of blood.
His nightmarish visions of being jumped on and attacked by cats had ended – he had no idea when, but was thankful that they were over. With all his remaining strength, he'd made it to the secret entrance to the base. He needed to get to Dr. Wily or Brightman for help. But even that wasn't enough….
His knees felt weak. Too weak.
And his eyes won't cooperate anymore.
His vision starts to get hazy…
We shift to a large room where a group of RED CAT Soldiers is gathered. We can see musical instruments, music stands, and stacks of sheet music. Kinda reminds you of a high school's band room. The soldiers are holding music folders in their hands; one of them is sitting at a piano. Once they open their folders and find the song they're looking for, the soldier at the piano plays a chord, they all take a deep breath, and…
RED CAT Soldier 052 sings, "Meow meow meow meow…"
RED CAT Soldier 099 joins him, "Meow meow meow meow…"
RED CAT Soldier 013 follows right after 099, "Meow meow meow meow… "
Then all the RED CAT Soldiers are singing, "Meow meow meow meow / Meow meow meow meow / Meow meow meow meow / Meeowwwwwww……..!!"
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Gee, not much of a song, is it? Sounds like the jingle for that "Meow Mix" cat food. Anyway…]
Meanwhile, R stumbles along the hallway trying to make it to the lab, when his ears perk up. Hearing the soldiers sing their song sets him off. He tries covering his ears to block out the sounds, shaking his head, but it's no use. The constant meowing steadily drives him mad….
R's breathing heavily, "Hah… hah… hah…." Then, he grunts, "Ugh……grrrgh….! Gah!"
…. And then he's no longer tired or weak anymore. With newfound energy, R dashes toward the source of that hideous sound.
Back in the music room, the RED CAT Soldiers are doing yet another chorus of their…erm… song, singing with feeling!
"Meow meow meow meow
Meow meow meow meow
Meow meow meow meow
Meow meow meow meow
Meow meow meow meow
Meow meow meow meow
Meeowwwwwww……..!!"
Just then, R bursts into the room, startling the singing soldiers!
RED CAT Soldier 052 looks up and sees R. "Ah! Lord R! Forgive us, sir! We were just practicing a wonderful song!"
Standing in the doorway, R's head is hanging down, his long white hair covering his face. "………………………!!"
RED CAT Soldier 052 is worried. "Sir, are you all right? What's the matter?"
Hoo boy, he REALLY shouldn't asked that question, 'cause he's about to get his answer! At that moment, R finally looks up. And he has changed dramatically! He opens his eyes, which are now blank – all white, no pupils, and bloodshot. He grins nastily, bares his fangs, and holds up his right arm, fingers tensed - the nails on his fingers also look longer than normal.
"*Gulp*…. Lord R…?"
RED CAT Soldier 019 asks, "Uh… we're screwed now, right?"
R screams, roaring, "GYAAAAHHH!!"
The terrified RED CAT Soldiers scream, "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
"RAAAARHHHHGH!!" And with that, R pounces on the soldiers!!
The next scene is nothing but outright violence as R goes off into his berserker rage, attacking the soldiers with the savagery of a wild beast unleashed! On and on the bloodshed goes for what? Seconds? Minutes? Hours?
At any rate, never mind when, it was all over. Just like that.
Not long after regaining consciousness, R sees the music room, which looks like a tornado or something had torn through it. All around him are RED CAT Soldiers, beaten and bruised. One soldier was stuffed into the piano, his legs hanging out limpidly. The whole room is completely trashed.
R notices his body starts to calm down. He becomes more human in appearance, and he can think more clearly now. He doesn't understand what happened to him or to the soldiers. He tries to think about it, but it's all a blank after he starts coughing up blood. He starts to lose consciousness again. In the corner of his eye, he notices someone familiar approach him. He turns to take a good look at the person. His eyes widen with shock when he realizes who it is…
"Huh…? Erick? Uuuuugh…." R passes out.
Erick says quietly, "Yes… This is what you are… A beast… You're only a berserker… A bloodthirsty beast to be used as a weapon… And now, armed with this new knowledge of your true abilities, I will make every thinking moment you have filled with pain until you are permanently just as you are now… A weapon… An instrument made for killing. An ultimate predator…"
Looking at the now unconscious form of R, Erick smiles with anticipation, waiting for the moment when he will unleash his new weapon against the ones who can stop his evil plans.
RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE – NIGHT:An important meeting is taking place this evening. The Cat Ghost King himself requested that everyone attend – for he wants to know how things are going.
Inside the shrine, we see the huge golden statue of the Cat Ghost King. We can see Delia standing off to the right of the statue, Dr. Wily and Bass with Treble to its left. Before them are a host of RED CAT Soldiers and Wily bots, and at the front of the crowd stands R. Then the Cat Ghost King speaks, addressing everyone, "Meow! Good evening, my loyal followers! Let us begin tonight's meeting meow." He then asks Delia, "Delia, where is Erick?"
Delia replies, "Erick is busy working on an important project. He asked me to attend this meeting in his absence."
Bass snorts, "Important project? Bah! Asking you what he's working on now would be pointless. I can just hear him saying…" He then imitates Erick's Xelloss-schtick, "Ah, but…. that is a secret."
Precisely, Bass, Erick's voice echoes inside Bass's head.
"ACK!" Bass thinks back in reply, Geez, Erick! Enough with the mind reading already!
Dr. Wily grumbles, "Hmph. Honestly… that man and his secrets!" To the Cat Statue, he asks, "Just how long are you going to let him do as he pleases? We're wasting valuable time here!"
Delia gives Wily an icy stare that makes his blood run cold while the Cat Statue glows with an angry red aura.
Dr. Wily steps back in fear! "WAH!" Realizing he's crossed the line, he apologizes, "Okay, okay! Don't look at me like that! I'm sorry, okay!"
"Dr. Wily, I assure you that Erick is NOT wasting time. As a matter of fact…" Delia glances briefly at R. "…what he's working on will help us eliminate Ranma Saotome, and Lady Ran, if necessary."
"It will? Finally, some good news! Then I'll withdraw my earlier comment."
Bass adds, "Y'know, Doc, Delia's right. This thing Erick's so hush-hush about must be really important for HIM, of all people, to duck out on a meeting. Otherwise, he'd be here. Maybe, for once, we should wait and see what he's got planned?"
"And that's another thing! When did YOU start sticking up for him?"
"I'm not. I hate to admit it, but sometimes, Erick's way of doing things makes a lot of sense."
Delia smiles at Bass's complementing Erick. Wily frowns. The Cat Ghost King continues, "Need I remind you, Wily meow, that without Erick we would not have progressed this far? Until we have the Phoenix Stone and Ranma Saotome and Lady Ran are dealt with purr-manently, I'll allow Erick to do whatever is necessary to achieve our goals meow."
Dr. Wily just has to have the last word. "Yeah, well, I still don't like it."
Upset, the Cat Statue hisses, "RWORR! Enough, Wily! Complaining will get us nowhere meow." To Delia, he tells her, "You may give your report now, Delia meow."
Delia Bows. "Thank you." She begins her report. "As you are all aware, Erick's Zero Spawn are in position all over Japan…"
She waves her hand, and many video screens appear out of thin air. Each one displays what the drones see and record, wherever they may be.
"With their advanced monitoring capabilities, they will keep us posted on the whereabouts of the Phoenix Stone."
The Cat Statue purrs, "Purr-fect, Delia. And have these new toys of Erick's found anything yet?"
"No. Not yet. Nevertheless, Erick is confident that they will bring you good news." Delia glances around the room. "Unlike SOME of you…"
Bubbleman, stung by that comment, stands up!
Hurt, he objects, "That's not fair! That girl Ran tricked me with that jewel back there! How was I supposed to know it wasn't the Phoenix Stone?"
"MEOW! SILENCE!" The Cat Statue's eyes glow brightly, dark clouds of energy appear overhead, and everyone hears the sounds of thunder, then a huge bolt of lightning strikes Bubbleman down!
ZAP!!
"ACK!" Electrocuted, Bubbleman falls over - again!
Bass remarks, "Y'know, I never get tired of that. So, Delia, as you were saying…"
The Cat Statue agrees with Bass, "Meow, yes. Continue."
Delia motions, and a Zero Spawn teleports into the room. At last, everyone assembled can see the new robot Erick created. It wears gray-colored armor and has a long silver ponytail. Mounted in its face is a single red camera-lens-like eye. For Dr. Wily and Bass, this is the first time they've seen one of the drones.
Dr. Wily is surprised. Why, that robot almost looks like the one I'm working on!
Bass unimpressed, thinks, So now we know the real reason why Erick sent me to fight Zero. He looks at the Zero-copy. Feh. Not too shabby, Erick, but it can't hold a candle to the real thing.
Delia points to the Zero Spawn. "This particular unit is the original prototype, built from data collected when Bass fought those two visitors from the future, X and Zero."
Dr. Wily grimaces at the mention of those two. Not long after Bass fought with Megaman X and Zero (See Chapters 32 & 33), Erick had taken the video footage and showed it to Wily and the Cat Ghost King. When Wily saw Zero in action, he was almost heartbroken to see his creation fighting alongside that X guy. He hoped that this Zero was NOT the same robot that he'd created, that Zero's resemblance to "his" Zero was just a coincidence.
Bass notices Wily's reaction to Zero. He chuckles to himself, deciding to keep what he knows about Zero a secret for now. Good thing Bass didn't tell him that it was indeed Wily's Zero that he fought. The old man might have a heart attack knowing his so-called ultimate robot was fighting for the good guys. But that could be changed…. if Bass could somehow convince Zero to join the RED CATS, that is.
Delia continues, "Each drone is equipped with a high-speed computer. Anything they observe will be sent directly to us via satellite. They possess some of the same abilities as the real Zero, such as the use of the Z-Saber. Since they are made from the DVL Cells, they also possess the Cells' abilities of regeneration, multiplication, mutation, and evolution, making it easy for us to mass-produce as many of them as we need."
Needless to say, both Wily and the Cat Ghost King were impressed with Erick's latest creation.
Dr. Wily comments, "Amazing…simply amazing."
The Cat Statue praises his High Priest. "Meowwww… Erick does it once again. I am pleased."
Dr. Wily frowns at that. Ever since Erick came, the Cat Ghost King's been relying on him and not Wily to get things done. He can't help but feel a little jealous. He mumbles, "Hmph. Erick, Erick, Erick… despite all he's done, he's not so great!"
Delia overhears what Wily just said, and gives him an extra-cold stare. She won't let him talk that way about her beloved master.
Scared Dr. Wily eep's, "WAH! Sorry!"
Delia accepts the complement meant for Erick. "Thank you. But Erick can't take all of the credit." She notices Brightman in the audience. "He wanted me to inform you all that Brightman and the team at R&D was the ones responsible for developing the prototype." She smiles at him.
Brightman blushes. "Why, er… thank you very much, Lady Delia." He bows respectfully.
Dr. Wily is relieved, thinking, So Brightman and Erick built this look-alike robot. Whew…well, at least my plans for Zero are safe! "Well done, m'boy!"
Bass admits, "Yeah. Nice work, Bulb-head."
The Cat Statue agrees with Wily and Bass. "Meow, I agree. Brightman, once we have achieved our goals, you will be rewarded for your hard work! Meow!"
"Thank you, everyone," Brightman says.
Onekomaru raises his hand, er, paw. "Um, excuse me, Lady Delia? If you have these robots searching for the stone, then what do you need us for?"
Delia assures him, "Fear not, Onekomaru. Getting the Phoenix Stone back will still be our task. The drones are only there to assist in the search. However, they can also serve as reinforcements if needed."
The Cat Statue likes the idea. "Very well. Tell Erick to order his drones to continue their search for the Phoenix Stone. We must not waste any more time meow."
"Understood."
"BUT meow, in order for our plans to succeed, we MUST remove the one obstacle in our way – Ranma Saotome." The Cat Statue then addresses R as he glows with a red aura. "And you, R, have not yet been able to defeat him!"
Everybody else in the room steps away from R, leaving him alone before the Cat Ghost King, Wily, Delia, and Bass.
R bows. "I have no excuse, my king. In preparing my next attack on Ranma, I've encountered, er… difficulties along the way."
"Yes, yes, Erick has told us of your plans to date that Kuno girl and learn her secret techniques…."
Bass blinks in surprise. "No kidding? You're actually dating the nutcase in the leotard with the flower fixation? I would have thought you'd have better taste in women than THAT, Dog-Boy! Geez!"
The Cat Statue continues, "But so far, your efforts to learn those secrets have proven fruitless…"
R respectfully disagrees, "On the contrary, I've learned a few of her tricks already."
Bass sarcastically comments, "Yeah, like how to endure that crazy laughter of hers! Dog-Boy, you should've just gotten what you wanted, put it to her, and dumped her afterwards! C'mon, tell us. What's she like in bed?"
R blushes, embarrassed! He angrily blurts out, "HEY! SHUT UP! Besides, these things take time!"
"What? Oh, so you prefer to do a girl slowly? Man, how can you do it with her and not go insane from her laughing? Don't tell me she does it even during…."
The Cat Statue stops Bass from going any further. "RRROWRRR!! BASS! ENOUGH ALREADY!" It asks Wily. "Good grief! Where does he learn this stuff, Wily?"
Dr. Wily shrugs, "You got me. I'm as surprised as you are, Cat Ghost King."
"Er, well, anyway…. and, to top it off, you're actually being nice to Lady Ran!! OOH! That makes me SO mad! MEOW! You're FAR too lenient..."
Upset that R has disobeyed him, Dr. Wily yells, "WHAT!? R! Didn't I tell you NEVER to see that girl again?"
Bass is impressed. "Whoa! Two girls at once! Go ahead, Dog-Boy! To be honest, I didn't think you had it in you!"
Dr. Wily and the Cat Statue both yell, "BASS!!"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Geez… you guys are NO fun at all!"
The Cat Statue asks, "Tell us, R meow, is the mission too much for you to handle meow?"
"Grrr.... I do not believe so, my king!" R hesitantly replies.
"Meow. Then what will you do?"
R assures his leader, "It's under control. Don't worry yourself about it. I WILL defeat Ranma!"
Bass begs to differ! "Heh heh heh! Seems to me that he's giving you a lot of trouble, Dog-Boy. Perhaps you need an experienced hand in this matter. Am I right, gentlemen?"
The Cat Statue considers Bass's suggestion. "It sounds like a good idea meow. Bass could be helpful."
R objects, "No way!"
Bass grins at R. "The Big Cat thinks that we should work together."
"Look, the Cat Ghost King and Dr. Wily gave the job to ME. I do as I like. I work alone. Excuse me, everyone."
With that, he gets up and storms out the shrine. Before he can even leave, the Cat Statue calls him.
"MEOW! R!"
R stops, his back turned to the group.
"No more wasting time. Kill Ranma now. We expect you to bring us results."
Dr. Wily warns, "And don't go anywhere near Ran again, you hear me, boy!?"
Bass laughs while threatening R, "Hey, Dog-Boy! Don't screw up this time, or it'll really, REALLY suck to be you!"
The Cat Statue, Dr. Wily, & Delia yell, "BASS!!"
Bass innocently asks, "Whaaat?"
"Yes. I understand. I will NOT fail." Angry and embarrassed (though he's doing a really good job of not showing it!), R leaves the shrine. Once he's outside, though….
R says quietly, " Feh. "Don't screw up," he says. Yeah, right. This mission's getting harder than I thought…"
THE NEXT MORNING, AT FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:
The school bell rings as students still mill around the public shoe locker area. After R puts his street shoes away, he discretely goes towards Ran's locker, puts something in it, and then leaves.
A few minutes later, Ranma, Akane, and Ran arrive. The students quickly empty the courtyard as the bell signals the beginning of classes. Ran goes to the shoe lockers and finds something stuck inside her locker.
"Eh? What's this?"
A single white rose, with a note attached to it. Ran knew immediately who it was from. She glances over at Ranma and Akane, who are chatting with each other. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulls the note off the rose, and hides the flower in her book bag. Then, she opens the note and reads it.
"Ran, I need to see you about something very important. Meet me at the usual spot after school. Come alone. This is for your ears only. R" Slightly nervous, Ran gulps, "I… I wonder what R wants now. Something doesn't feel right…"
The school day came and went by quickly. After the last bell, Ran meets up with Ranma and Akane and tells them to go on without her. When asked why, Ran reaches into her book bag and pulls out…
"A white rose!" Akane says.
Ranma snorts, "Feh. R's calling card. What's he want with you now?"
Ran replies, "I don't know. But he left me a note this morning. He said it was very important."
After school, we see R standing behind the tree where he usually eats lunch, his back against the tree trunk. He glances at his watch and frowns. He was certain that Ran got his message and would meet him. But something IS different, though. While he appears to be cool, calm, and collected on the outside; inside however, he dreads every single moment. He's felt this way ever since that meeting back at the Cat Ghost King's shrine. Though he is determined to destroy Ranma Saotome, lately R's thoughts have been toward Ran, and her mysterious dream guy. And there's the sneaking suspicion that Ranma is somehow tied up in all this.
It would appear that R's concern for Ran conflicts with his mission to destroy Ranma. He faces a crossroads; now, he must decide between love and destiny, between friendship and his mission.
Personally, R hopes that Ran doesn't show up at all – he doesn't want his feelings for her to get in the way of what he's now been ordered to do. He does NOT want to tell her what he plans to do. He knows certain things about Ran – that she lives at the Tendo Dojo with Ranma, that she hangs out with Ranma, even has some of the same classes with Ranma…
R murmurs, saying through clenched teeth, "Ranma, Ranma, Ranma…. What does she see in that guy anyway? Grrr….!"
Just the thought of Ranma seems to make R's blood boil. He lets out a sigh of frustration. He checks his watch one more time. If Ran doesn't show in the next few minutes, he'll go ahead and carry out his mission. If she does, then….
"R!"
R perks up at the sound of Ran's voice. But he keeps his back turned, so he's facing away from her. From Ran's perspective, she can see him leaning against the tree. But she can't shake the feeling of uneasiness. He's unusually quiet today, more so than usual.
Ran apologizes, "Sorry I'm late! I was talking with Ranma and Akane."
"Geez…." R says under his breath. There she goes about Ranma again! I'm really getting sick of him! I oughta just forget this, kill him, and get it over with! But for some reason – I don't even know why! – I feel like I have to tell her!
Sensing his emotional state, Ran says, "Um…. I got your message, and I came as soon as I could. What's so important?"
"………………………."
Now worried, Ran asks her friend, "R? What's wrong? Please, tell me."
R finally speaks. "Look, kid, I thought you should know this… I'm going to fight Ranma soon."
Ran gasps, " …………….!!"
R notices this, but keeps on going. "Don't tell me you're surprised? We've already discussed this before. You KNOW why I'm doing this."
A hurt Ran says, "Yes… yes, I know. But…"
Ran can't describe it, but she feels what R's feeling right now. He's saying it, but in his heart he feels otherwise. He wants to fight Ranma, but something's making him hold back. But what? Or who? Could it be…?
"Yeah. But that's not the only reason I wanted you to come…"
That gets Ran's attention. "Oh? Then….what?"
Then, and only then, does R turn around from behind the tree and face Ran.
"Ran…. You're a sweet kid. Really. I wasn't going to tell you my plans… but I felt…that I had to. And you're right. There is something bothering me. I remembered you said it helps to talk things out, so …And I feel like I can trust you. Bottom line, Ran…. I need your help. You hang out with Ranma, right? Maybe you might have even seen him fight? I need to know something. If I'm going to win, I need to know exactly what I'm up against. He's got to have an Achilles' heel. A weak spot."
NOW, Ran knew the reason for her uneasiness. She now knew what R wanted to see her for. "Why would you ask me something like that for?" She takes a breath, tries to stay calm, and then says, "I want us to be friends, R. I want us to trust each other. But this….! No. I'm sorry, R. I want to help you. But I can't. I just can't…!"
R asks her point-blank, "Tell me honestly. If you knew what his weakness is, you'd tell me, right?"
Now Ran's upset. "What for? You'd only want him dead, anyway."
R raises his voice, "Of course I would! Ran…. Don't you believe me?"
"I do believe you. Really, I believe you … R … but I don't know. I don't know anything." Ran begins to cry.
R closes his eyes; he can see her mind's made up. "I see. You won't help me, then."
With that, he walks right by her. He pretends not to see the tears coming down her eyes.
R turns around to face her again. "Y'know, I only told you this because I thought we were "friends", as you called us. Just tell me this. Why are you so keen on protecting HIM now? Unless…"
Ran looks back at R, tears running down her face. The pleading look in her eyes, her trembling lips, the very look on her face gives him his answer.
As realization dawns on him; R thinks, totally disgusted, Oh, God… Now angry, he's like, Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. So you're saying you prefer him to ME? Is that so? Okay. Fine. Whatever. Then, he calmly says aloud, "So be it. Fall for him if you want… but I warned you about what'll happen if you get in my way."
R starts to leave. But Ran grasps his shoulder, pleading, "R…! Please…!"
In an icy voice, dripping with hate, R firmly says, "Don't. Touch. Me."
She takes her hand away. R storms off to the parking lot, hops in his S2000, and drives away. Now alone in the schoolyard, Ran sinks to her knees, puts her face in her hands, and sobs bitterly.
And from the second floor of Furinkan High, the Zero Spawn (still in its janitor disguise) witnesses the whole thing.
MEANWHILE, IN ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:
Erick sits in his throne, watching a video screen. He's just seen the entire conversation between Ran and R. The Zero Spawn has brought him VERY good news.
"This is great. This couldn't have worked out better even if I had planned it. Looks like I'll get a chance to test my new weapon soon. Hm hm hm hm…. HA HA HA HA! HAA HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!"
RED CATS' SECRET BASE:
Picture a huge area, the size of a high school gymnasium. From the ceiling, huge lamps hung down and bathed the room in a dim yellow light. This large room is a testing area used by the RED CATS' Scientific Research & Development Team. Here, we can see the technicians from R&D, who've been working round the clock on a new project. Truth be told, they've been working on it all day, non stop, without even so much as a lunch break.
In the very center of the testing area is a gigantic machine on wheels. It was a mountain of gleaming metal that towered high above the workers. Attached to it is an enormous satellite dish, and a whole army of RED CAT techs are clustering around it, oiling its joints and adjusting its knobs and polishing the inside of the great round dish. Out of the very top there sprouted hundreds and hundreds of wires, and the wires all curled downwards and came together in one single connection, a long thick cable that led to a far corner of the room about fifty paces away from the machine, where a single RED CAT scientist is sitting at a battery of computers.
Supervising all of this activity is none other than High Priest Erick Genryusai, who's been staying with the team through the entire process until he had assured himself that all had been carried out according to his VERY specific instructions. When he had assured himself to the point of downright fussiness, he then summons his apprentice Bass to join him.
Later, Bass, Treble and Bubbleman enter the chamber.
Erick pleasantly greets his apprentice. "Ah, Bass you're just in time. Behold! My latest invention – The EG-K9 Trancemitter!"
Bubbleman raises his hand to ask a question. "Uh, excuse me, Lord Erick?"
"Yes, Bubbleman. What is it?"
"Don't you mean Transmitter?"
"Of course."
"No. You said Trancemitter."
"Yes. That's what I said."
Bubbleman insists, "No, no! That's not what you said! It's Transmitter!"
Irritated, Erick says through gritted teeth, "Yes… That's EXACTLY what I said."
"No! It's supposed to be Transmitter!"
Bass thinks the argument between Bubbleman and Erick is silly. "Trancemitter, Transmitter. Potato, Potato. Tomato, Tomato. Why don't you two just call the whole thing off?"
But Bubbleman says, "No, Bass, we can't! I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed here…"
Bass grins, then mock-declares. "Ladies and gentlemen! It's the understatement of the year here!"
Bubbleman blinks. "…Huh? HEY!" Then, he continues from where he left off, " …but Lord Erick is clearly mispronouncing the word "transmitter"!"
"Gee, Bubbles, ya think he MIGHT just be doing that for a REASON? I understood what he meant the first time! Why don't YOU get it?"
"I do! But he said trancemitter when he clearly meant transmitter…!"
Erick feels a migraine coming on. An anime-style angry vein throbs on his head. He has had it with Bubbleman's useless arguing, but doesn't show it. "*sigh*…." He turns to Bass, "…Bass?"
"Way ahead of you, Erick." With that, Bass draws back his fist and gives Bubbleman the finest uppercut you ever saw!
(Sound of Bass's fist making contact with Bubbleman's chin)
POW!
The poor robot literally flew up a good couple of yards before….
SPLAT!
He lands back on the floor, where he lay splayed out like roadkill.
Grateful to his apprentice for shutting Bubbleman up, Erick says, "Thank you."
Bass aceepts the thanks. "Yeah. Anyway, as you were about to tell us…" He looks over at the unconscious Bubbleman. "… well, ME, anyway… what's this Trancemitter of yours do?"
Erick explains, "This device will emit a sound that only R can hear. When he hears it, his latent power will be unleashed and with that power he will destroy Ranma!"
Bass plainly concludes, "So essentially, what you've created is an oversized electronic dog whistle."
Erick frowns at Bass' observation. But, he has to admit – Bass's description of Erick's fantastic creation, his latest weapon in the RED CATS' war against Ranma Saotome and his friends, though blunt, is dead on correct. "That's a bit over-simplistic. But yes, it IS something like that – in concept, anyway."
"Okay, so now you've built this thing, I guess you're going to use it right away, huh?"
"Not yet, though a potential opportunity HAS presented itself. When the time is right, Ranma Saotome, Lady Ran, and anyone else foolish enough to stand in our way will no longer pose a problem for us. Until then, we'll wait."
Bass thinks for a moment about what Erick has told him. He knows that even without his weapons, he could take on R in a real fight. But he remembers the day he fought a berserk R and was nearly killed in battle. The beastly strength, increased agility, and raw power that R had displayed proved to be too much for Bass to handle – it took everything he had to beat him then. And now, somehow Erick plans to use this whacked out gizmo to draw out the beast within his hated rival once more.
So you think you'll unleash Dog-Boy's latent power, huh? You better hope you're right Erick, 'cause if not, I'M gonna do what I should have done a long time ago! I might not have been able to kill him then, but now with your training, I KNOW I can slaughter the mutt!!
Erick responds to Bass' thoughts, "Please, Bass. You've only begun your training. You're not even ready yet to fight R now. I promise you WILL get your chance to take your revenge upon him for defeating you. You know, you REALLY must learn to control that burning jealousy towards R. I see you still have much to learn."
Bass facefaults. "D'OH!! Again with the mind reading! Geez, knock it off!"
"As for R's true power, I will not only unleash it but I will also control it as well. I will succeed where Wily and Brightman failed. So have a little faith in me, will you?"
THE NEXT DAY, AT SCHOOL:
There was the usual "five minutes before school starts" rush as students crowded through each other to get to class. Three figures jumped over the entire group and got to class with time to spare. They were, of course, Ranma, Akane, and Ran. Suddenly, Ranma's danger sense perks up. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something streaking through the air towards him. Quickly, Ranma catches it in his hand. It's one of R's white roses, with a note attached. Only then, does he notice R standing just about four yards away from him. To anybody else in Furinkan who saw R that morning, R has his usual calm, expressionless look on his face. But Ranma Saotome, of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, looks closer at R's face and notices the raging flames in his eyes. Later on, Ranma would swear those flames were PURPLE in color. Akane Tendo was by her fiancée's side, already in a fighting stance, in case a fight should break out. She'd never fought R before. But she could tell that R was a strong fighter, and she was confident enough in her skills as well as Ranma's. So therefore, she concludes, she and Ranma together could take him down. Did I mention that she's never fought R before? With his knowledge of the Saotome Anything-Goes style AND in the state of mind he's in right now, if he REALLY wanted to, R could take Akane out with ONE single blow. And as for Ran Hayami? Like Akane, she too assumes a fighting stance, ready to help her friends (as well as the one she loves – Ranma!). But truth be told, she's afraid that R might kill Ranma today. She feels deep sadness for R, because he's doing this terrible thing to the one she loves with all her heart to honor the vow he'd made to his late parents (who might be her parents as well – she still wasn't sure, even after that dream she'd had back in Chapter 36). But the really bad part is that NOW R knows how Ran feels about Ranma, and she fears that R will use that knowledge to his own advantage.
Believe it or not, R's totally in control of this situation. He sees the fear and sadness in Ran's eyes – and totally ignores it. He doesn't even give Akane a glance. He can tell that she's gotten stronger – probably because she trains with Ranma. But ultimately, in R's eyes, her power and skill is NO match for his AT ALL. He can kill her quickly. But that would just provoke Ranma into fighting him right then and there; something R would like – but not now. His attention is totally focused on Ranma the whole time and on what he's here to do. The burning rage, this murderous intent, this killing wave that flows through R's blood wants, cries out for Ranma's death. But R keeps it in check – he knows that one day he'll get to use all his power with no reservations or hesitations. He knows that Ranma will one day die by his hand, horribly and painfully. Whichever comes first, R thinks. There's something else too, something only R himself knows, and that'll he'll never ever let Ran in on. And it is the reason for R's hatred this day. Ranma has something… someone special that R wants but can't have. He can't even explain it himself right now. And right now, R doesn't even care.
Make no mistake about it folks – R is PISSED, and Ranma knows it. But why?, Ranma thinks. I mean, what's R got against me, anyway? Why does he feels the need to come at me with all this hostility and hatred within him – it makes no sense! Still, if he wants to fight, I'll grant him his wish.
Meanwhile, everybody else has gathered around to see what's going on now between Ranma and R. You can just feel the tension in the air, the scent of danger in the place. You WOULD think that a fight is about to break out. Then, R finally speaks.
"Read it."
Ranma reads the note attached to the rose. He looks back up at R and clenches it in his fist. It seems R has just issued a formal challenge! Okay R, challenge received and accepted, he thinks.
"And you'd better show up. Do NOT disappoint me."
And with that, R leaves, turning his back on everyone assembled. Ran, however, can't stand by and let this happen. So she tries to stop R. "R! Wait!"
R stops, his back still turned to Ran. He has put aside whatever feelings he has for her and embraced the anger that burns within him. Though still calm, he lets some of his anger show in his voice. "This is between me and Ranma. Stay out of this!"
And he continues walking away, leaving Ran crushed and Ranma wondering what the hell's gotten into R.
Ranma went to the exact point where R asked him to go. It was around the back of the school; around 5 pm. R was waiting for him. "So, you came Saotome."
Ranma responds, "Yeah I did. Now would you mind telling me why you asked me here in the first place?"
R snorts, "Heh. Always the impatient type. Very well…Answer this question then and with the truth, okay?"
"Okay."
"Tell me Saotome…what is your relationship…with Ran?"
Ranma blinks. "With Ran? Well…we're just friends, that's all. Okay… best friends."
""Friends", you say, huh? You sure about that?"
"Positive. Why are you asking me this anyway?"
"Cause I've been noticing lately how Ran behaves around you. How very 'friendly' she gets with you, unlike the rest of the students she hangs out with."
"Okay R. What's your problem? Why all this interrogation about Ran?"
"Because I don't want you going out and trying to flirt with her."
"FLIRT WITH HER!? You out of your mind? Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Like I said before…the way she acts when she is close to you. I'm warning you Ranma…Treat Ran like the rest of your fiancées…and I'll cut your balls off, and use them for a baseball!"
Now mad, Ranma says, "I don't know WHY you're saying that. But I won't treat her badly…she is my friend! Heck, she's the first true friend that I had in a long time. And treat her like the rest of my fiancées? I've never treated them badly, even when THEY treated ME like dirt, or a prize. I treated them with respect and honor. So don't you dare say that I'll treat Ran like that."
R seems to accept this. "Hmph. So be it. You better be right about that…or you'll face me."
"Oh, about that. Why are you so into this, about Ran? Is she your girlfriend or something?"
"W-WHAT!?" R explodes. His cheeks turn bright red as he blushes. Cooling down, he says, "No! But I don't want her to suffer…that's all, as a friend."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that. Listen, I've gotta go, see you next time."
Ranma then turns back and walks away, leaving R behind:
R thinks to himself, Hmmm…why am I so protective of Ran?
TO BE CONTINUED…