Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo. Yeah, that about sums it up nicely.
"So tell me," began Sara, arms crossed under her breasts. The red-haired Ranma had just reappeared with an unconscious Lucario slung over her shoulder. "Do you normally run off at random to fight people to intense sparring matches or are you just excited?"
Ranma seriously thought about the question for a bit. "Meh. This is pretty much the norm for everywhere I go."
"You know, I don't think sarcasm would get through to you if I used a hammer," said Sara, shaking her head.
Ranma blinked. "Why would you need to use a hammer?"
"Never mind. We better get going if you're going to be in time for your fight with Mewtwo." Ranma nodded and began trailing behind the bounty hunter.
Silently, Ranma marveled at the clothes she now wore. Despite being in battle less than five minutes ago, there wasn't a smudge or tear on them.
Clothes in the Smash universe were made with enhanced carbon fibers, made to hold up when exposed to fire, water, ice, PK power, explosives, electricity, ki, chi, chakra, life energy, youkai, spiritual energy, light energy, dark energy, bad karma, blunt trauma, blunt trauma, foot stains, rug burns, negligent washing cycles, and most importantly, Smash battles.
At the same time though, the clothes didn't actually 'protect' the wearer from anything.
"So how long is this guy gonna stay asleep?" asked Ranma, shifting her burden to a more comfortable position.
"Around five to ten minutes," responded Sara. "Whenever someone defeats you in free combat outside of an official Smash arena, the computer linked to your bracers forces you into unconsciousness so you don't end up hurting yourself. You were only fighting at a hundred life though, so he should be waking up-"
"You can put me down now, human."
For the second time that day, Ranma had to resist the urge to jump at the voice in her head.
"Damn. How many people know telepathy around here?"
The pigtailed girl quickly set the dog-like being down. Lucario stretched a couple of times before turning to face Ranma.
"It would seem as though Master Hand has chosen well yet again. If you fight like that, you may just be able to take Mewtwo down one life before he defeats you."
"Yeah yeah, keep talking, or telepathy...ing, or whatever you call it. I'll be fighting him soon enough." Stopping at a random mushroom shaped kiosk, Ranma procured a glass of hot water and promptly dumped it over her head, oblivious to Lucario's stare. Amazingly, the water seemed to flow around the clothes, not being absorbed at all.
"A water based evolution," spoke Lucario privately to Sara. "Fascinating. You certainly keep some interesting companions Samus."
"Sara," she corrected silently. "Reconnaissance on the new fighter."
"Again? Must you do this with every fighter that comes through here?"
"It's what I do," she said simply. "Besides, it's completely worth the look on people's faces when my suit comes off mid-match."
"I tended to be more surprised by the giant laser beam of death headed towards me, but perhaps that's just my opinion."
One short after-battle snack later, and everyone had gathered in the main viewing room, ready to watch the match between the Smash veteran and the newcomer. Before, Ranma had only seen about ten different people casually watching the match between him and Samus. Now, there were over fifty people in the room, including the cooks and the item factory workers. Above the movie sized viewing screen was a banner stating "FINAL LEAUGE MATCHUP: MEWTWO VS RANMA"
"Looks like I've drawn a crowd," said Ranma casually.
"This is a pretty exclusive club," said Samus from his left. "Any newcomer is going to generate a lot of interest. People have to start developing strategies to fight against you after all. Besides, everyone would like to see Mewtwo take a fall, even if it is unlikely," she added with a smirk.
Ranma decided not to respond. The only way these people would be convinced of his ability was if he won. Leaving Sara on the side lines, Ranma climbed the stage from the left while Mewtwo hovered in on the right, entering into a staredown as cheers sounded from the audience. An animation of their silhouettes appeared on the screen street fighter style, complete with a lightning sound effect.
Slowly, the scanner pods rose up from trapdoors in the stage, a small amount of fog rising with them. With a hiss, they opened, awaiting the two fighters.
"Kind of dramatic isn't it?" asked Ranma conversationally as he approached Mewtwo.
"Master Hand is a professional entertainer. Just remember to smile, you're on camera after all." Ranma could hear the slightly mocking tone in his head.
"Oh like you ever smile," Ranma shot back.
"Touche human. Touche."
Stepping into the scanner, Ranma closed his eyes.
TRANSFER RANMA. TRANSFER MEWTWO.
The door slid shut.
SCANNER RANMA. SCANNER MEWTWO.
The light displays raced across the walls of the machine.
VIRTUALIZATION.
From the time when a Smash fighter was virtualized to the time where the fight actually began, there was a mere three seconds in which the fighters had time to assess their position, the positions of their enemies, and the type of environment they were fighting in.
Plenty of time for someone like Ranma.
The setting reminded him of the Hyrule temple stage he had fought Link on yesterday. The air seemed cleaner, the forests in the background less tame and more invasive, and the water surrounding them a lighter shade of blue. The arena seemed to be centered around a small dome shaped building with a large pirate hook at the top, while a few rafts floated around them. He himself seemed to be standing on a giant...rock turtle with a palm tree sticking out of it. Huh. Well that was interesting.
READY...
Unfortunately, the casual defiance of the laws of nature would have to wait for a bit. He had a fight to win. Scanning over the battleground one last time, Ranma spotted his opponent materializing on the platform in front of the building. Already, his mind was planning the shortest route to him.
...FIGHT!
Like a cheetah after its prey, Ranma kicked off the palm tree behind him, shooting himself forward. Mewtwo almost seemed surprised with his reckless charge, but swiftly glided out of the way of his projected landing point. What he didn't count on, was for Ranma to kick off of the building and then the floating raft in quick succession, changing his trajectory from a frontal attack to a side one. It landed solidly in Mewtwo's side, sending him staggering back a few steps.
The martial artist didn't let up, following up with a series of punches and kicks. These were a bit less effective as the element of surprise was gone now, but Mewtwo was well up to forty damage before he established his guard properly.
He had expected it after seeing Mewtwo's feats of psychic abilities earlier that day, but it was till disorienting to have his blows deflected by seemingly invisible walls of energy. Mewtwo's hands were glowing purple now as he slowly started pushing Ranma off the offensive.
The pokemon's eyes suddenly flashed red as one of Ranma's punches went a little too far left. Mewtwo spun, letting the fist skim by his head, and letting his tail smack into Ranma's face, causing him to flinch unexpectedly. Thrusting his hand into Ranma's solar plexus, he unleashed a burst of psychic power, sending shocks all throughout his body. Before he could recover from the electric like pain, Mewtwo had grabbed onto his shirt and threw him into the air, sending several small shadow balls after him.
Ranma wasn't an Anything Goes practitioner for nothing though. He recovered almost instantly, twisting wildly to dodge the the energy blasts before landing safely on the ground, several feet away. He ran forward again, albeit more cautiously this time, while his thoughts went light speed.
'He's slower than me, that much is certain, but for some reason, I can't get an attack in.' Experimentally, he threw a feint, followed up by a lightning quick jab, only for Mewtwo to completely ignore the feint in favor of blocking the punch. 'He's not falling for any feints or distractions. He's only blocking what might actually hit him. It's almost like he's psychic or some-" His thought process ground to a halt as he processed that last thought once again. 'Oh. Right. Well I feel stupid.'
And he paid for his stupidity with a psychic blast to the chest, as Mewtwo ducked under a roundhouse. The attack lifted him off his feet a bit, sending him to land on the turtle where he had started the match. 'I'm telegraphing my thoughts,' thought Ranma sourly. 'He's probably picking up on them like I do with someone telegraphing their moves.'
With that revelation, Ranma began to clear his mind, letting his thoughts leave him and allowing his battle instinct to take over and purely dictate his actions. When he clashed with Mewtwo again, it was much closer than before. He still couldn't seem to land a hit, but neither could Mewtwo. It seemed to be a stalemate, until Mewtwo suddenly vanished from sight in a flash of light.
Ranma blinked, his mind trying to catch up with what he just saw.
'Above!' His instincts were a second too late though, as Mewtwo's tail impacted with his head, dropping him to one knee. The follow up psychic blast hit him square in the face, sending him flying off the stage. Recovering as best he could, Ranma used the double-jump to stabilize himself on one of the floating rafts
'Okay, so he can teleport,' thought Ranma, taking a breath as he recovered from the blow to his face. Mewtwo hadn't followed up the attack, merely waiting on the main platform, his arms crossed, tail swaying slightly behind him, challenging the martial artist to come to him.
"Oh don't worry, I'll knock you off stage soon enough," he promised while forming a strategy in his mind. It was shaky, but if Mewtwo really was seeing his thoughts, it just might work.
Jumping onto the platform, Ranma clenched his left hand into a fist, envisioning its attack path, it's impact on Mewtwo's head, and just how far the pokemon would fly once the fist connected. The fist flew true on its trajectory, Mewtwo already raising his hand to block, when all of a sudden Ranma's right fist blindsided him, causing him to fly backwards.
Ranma didn't let up though and followed him into the air, delivering a midair roundhouse to the pokemon before it could recover. Charging up his confidence into his right hand, Ranma pounded the air with his double jump, lining up the perfect overhand throw.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!" BOOM!
The blast was weaker than normal, but it hit, sending Mewtwo spiraling backwards towards the water. But before he actually touched, his body seemed to lift itself into the air in a graceful back-flip. Probably his own version of the double jump. Ranma chose not to pursue, instead taking on Mewtwo's previous pose, his arms crossed in front of him, a challenge in his eyes.
"Very good. You've figured out how to think of two different things at once in order to confuse my readings."
Ranma's eyes narrowed, his senses wary. It was the first time Mewtwo had talked during the match.
"But you're mental prowess are but an infant to mine." His telepathic voice oozed arrogance. "I hope you can step up your game again human."
There was a small flash and Mewtwo was suddenly standing back on the stage, a comfortable distance from Ranma. Holding out his three fingered appendage, Mewtwo made a 'come on' gesture. The martial artist took the invitation, forcing his mind to wander through advanced katas while he fought on his instinct.
It was met with a solid defensive wall. No matter what he thought about, Mewtwo seemed to always be able to center on his instinct, blocking his blows flawlessly and scoring several electrifying counterattacks. His damage percentage was climbing steadily towards the one-hundred level while Mewtwo's was staying around seventy.
"You seem to be struggling again human." His telepathic voice was conversation like, despite fighting a battle at inhuman levels of speed. "Allow me to give you a piece of advice." Mewtwo's hand blurred, catching one of Ranma's fists with psychic power. "When you fight on instinct, you're still projecting some of your thoughts. Not of yourself, but of what your opponent might do. Such as which way they might counterattack, where they'll move. Your brain sends the data to your body, which reacts accordingly." Bringing his other hand forward, Mewtwo lifted Ranma off the ground with his power before slamming him back downwards. He bounced slightly, only to meet Mewtwo's tail which pushed him back down.
Rolling away from the beating, Ranma jumped to his feet, immediately getting back into a battle stance.
"True mastery of your mind is nearly impossible," continued the pokemon. "You're talented, but I can pick up on even the smallest things you let slip."
Ranma took a couple deep breaths to recover his wind while he processed what Mewtwo was saying. How was it even possible to fight without thinking? Logically, your brain had to send signals to your body in order for your body to move. Was Mewtwo saying that he could actually pick up on those signals his brain sent? It was frustrating just to think about.
"Don't let your mind wander!" shouted Mewtwo's psychic voice suddenly. Ranma snapped back to attention at the mental command. "You might not be able to win this round, but use it as a learning experience."
Ranma huffed. "Geeze, what are you my sensei? I'm not out of this fight just yet! KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"
Mewtwo's eyes seemed to widen a second before the attack came as he processed exactly what Ranma was about to do. He put up an admirable defense, but the sheer speed made sure that at least half of the punches went through his guard, scoring light hits on his abdomen and chest areas. Before the pokemon could fully process the move, Ranma ended it with a haymaker that sent Mewtwo flying off into the horizon.
Charging up another energy blast, Ranma pushed it beyond his usual limits. The thought of victory giving birth to a huge swell of confidence. "And don't....Come...BACK! MOKO TAKABISHA!" The blast was nearly double the size of his normal one. The pokemon tried teleporting in midair, but the distance wasn't far enough, and the blast clipped him, sending him into the stratosphere with a -ding-.
Ranma fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Needless to say, he wasn't going to be trying that again any time soon.
"I suppose that is an alternative solution. Using attacks beyond my capability to dodge even when I know what is coming."
The martial artist turned his eyes skyward to see Mewtwo descending from the angel platform, ready to fight with his second life. "However, I can't imagine that you have much left in you after an attack like that."
"Totally... worth it," he panted out, climbing to his feet. "Told you... I'd... knock you out of here at least once."
There was amusement laced in Mewtwo's telepathic voice now. "Indeed you did. Now let's see if you can do it again."
Link winced as Ranma was sent off-screen by a particularly vicious psychic blast, barely even able to mount a defense against Mewtwo's renewed onslaught.
"My rival has stopped holding back," muttered a voice to Link's left. "This Ranma is indeed a worthy opponent."
The Hylian hero turned to see Marth sitting next to him, watching the screen thoughtfully. "You think so?" he asked seriously.
Marth nodded. "Without a doubt. Already Saotome has begun to utilize mental defenses and tactics that took me at least a week to master and implement. And he had not the benefit of foreknowledge like myself."
"Do you think he has a chance?" asked Link skeptically.
The swordsman shook his head. "Not after his last assault. My foe would not be taken by surprise in such a way a second time."
"He could have another trick up his sleeve," said Zelda encouragingly.
"Even so, his grasp on his mental defenses are slipping." Marth gestured to the second screen where Ranma was in the fifty percentage while Mewtwo had barely moved from fifteen. "My foe is predicting him with more accuracy now."
As if to prove his statement, Mewtwo countered one of Ranma's kicks with a tail sweep, even before the kick left the ground. Taking advantage of his foes imbalance, Mewtwo let loose a psychic blast at a forty-five degree angle, sending Ranma skidding along the ground.
"Damn. Still getting up even after that," said someone in front of them. "Tough son of a bitch. When I got hit with that blast I was feeling it for a week." The speaker was the starship pilot Wolf. Aptly named since he was essentially a werewolf. "I think that bastard Mewtwo is enjoying this."
It did seem as though Mewtwo was taking his time in finishing off the last of Ranma's lives. His damage counter still hadn't gone up much, just barely breaking the twenty percent mark while Ranma was nearing eighty.
"It is the last league match of the season, and the first showing of the newcomer," responded Zelda, frowning at Wolf's language. "Maybe he's just giving him a chance to show off his abilities and give the crowd a show."
"Yeah well Ranma ain't got a chance in hell unless he can pull a hurricane out of his ass or something."
The Hiryu Shoten Ha was dismissed as soon as it came to mind. He wasn't too sure how psychic energy worked and even less sure how it interacted with ki. The umisenken briefly came to mind, but he wasn't quite ready to reveal that trick just yet. As much as he wanted to win, beating Mewtwo here would accomplish little in the way of tournament standings and also wouldn't get him closer to the wish Master Hand had promised.
As much as he hated to admit it, it seemed like the best option would be to take the defeat in stride and prepare for the rematch. It would be something to look forward to at least. He'd hadn't had this much of a challenge since Cologne had decided to take him seriously.
Mewtwo was coming at him again, probably readying a complicated attack pattern based on his own martial arts style. Briefly, he contemplated just stepping off the edge and saving himself the pain, but quickly discarded the thought. Grinning like a maniac, Ranma met Mewtwo's charge head on, putting everything he had left into his assault.
"KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"
The punches batted uselessly against Mewtwo's shield, but Ranma didn't care. He just continued his stream of punches, waiting for either the pokemon's guard or his energy to fail first. After what seemed like ten seconds of high speed punches and blocks, Ranma finally started to slow down. One punch moved slow enough for Mewtwo to catch in his psychic grip, and then he was on his knees, his arm twisted behind his back. The psychic pressure Mewtwo was exerting was far stronger than anything Ryoga could manage.
Unable to struggle free Ranma simply sent a smirk in Mewtwo's direction. "I'm looking forward to the rematch."
Mewtwo placed his other hand on Ranma's shoulder, glowing purple with psychic energy.
"So am I." Was the last thing he heard before a huge shock of psychic energy traveled through his system, causing him to black out as he slowly tumbled off the edge of the stage.
There was a brief feeling of deja-vu as Ranma awoke inside the scanner with voices outside it.
"Damn, Mewtwo really took him to town."
"You think he's still conscious after that last shock?"
Ranma shook his head, trying to clear out the cobwebs. There was sweat all over his body (although it wasn't soaking his clothes since they were sweat resistant) and his hair felt like it'd just gone through a summer shower. His body felt as if it had just undergone breaking point training and failed miserably.
"Don't try to move too fast," cautioned Mewtwo's telepathic voice from inside his head. "Psychic power tends to leave a lingering effect for about an hour afterward."
Ranma grimaced but didn't protest as the scanner opened and his body was caught by Link and Marth, each guy supporting an arm. Across from him, Mewtwo emerged unassisted from the scanner, albeit hovering a little slower than usual. Ranma directed his supporters towards the pokemon who was watching him with what could have been described as a curious look.
Taking a breath, Ranma shrugged off of his assistants and slowly offered a hand to Mewtwo. The pokemon looked at it for a second before producing his own hand, without the aid of his psychic powers. A cheer rose up from the crowd as the two Smash fighters shook hands while confetti streamed from the ceiling and the large monitor boldly proclaimed Mewtwo the winner of the league season.
"Go get some rest," advised the psychic pokemon as he released his hand. With a gentle psychic push, he sent him back into the arms of his supporters. "Don't disappoint me when you challenge me again." And with that ultimatum, Mewtwo turned to Master Hand who was overseeing the awards ceremony.
"An excellent job," complimented Marth as he led Ranma away from the crowd. "There is change coming in the wind here. I can feel it."
Ranma nodded, focusing more on his footsteps than the conversation. "Does this ever get any easier or am I going to have to be carried back to my room every time?" he asked after a bit.
"Fighting Mewtwo never gets any easier," scoffed Link. "But your body will adjust to the scanner and the Smash battles over time."
"Oh... good. Wouldn't want to start paying escort fees."
Math chuckled as he flashed his card at one of the doors. "You definitely shall not be the last one carried to thy room after a bout with the psychic master, and you are definitely not the first."
"Makes me feel a little better I suppose," grumbled Ranma. A minute later they had reached his and Link's dorm.
"Make sure-" Marth began.
"-that he has food immediately when he wakes up. I know Marth, we've all been there." The swordsman simply inclined his head and walked away.
"So, what do you think of Mewtwo now?" asked Link jokingly as Ranma lay face down on his bed.
"Shtill ghunna beath him," he mumbled into his pillow.
Link rolled his eyes. "Man, where do you get all that confidence from? I have a triforce piece. What's your excuse?"
"Genetics," he mumbled again.
Despite being beaten a third of the way to death yesterday (he refused to say half. He wasn't a wuss after all), Ranma was up and about early the next morning, running through training exercises, now complimented with mental exercises as well. Clearing the mind and moving the body without thinking was proving to be a near impossible task but it wasn't in his nature to give up. He had accomplished it briefly in his fight. He knew it was possible. All he had to do now was figure out how it worked.
"Are you practicing your battle meditation?"
Ranma turned towards the sound of the voice to see Marth walking towards him, a wooden practice sword in hand.
"Battle meditation?" he questioned.
"To fight without thought and with peace of mind, where your body and your thoughts become one with each other." The blue-haired man smiled. "Sounds almost poetic doesn't it?"
"Uh... sure. I guess it could have a worse name."
Marth nodded. "So, how is your training coming along?"
Ranma grimaced. "Slowly. The entire concept is so damn obscure I barely know where to start."
"Indeed. It has been much the same for me. Most others have given up the pursuit as well, passing over the crown to Mewtwo. However, I have confidence that I shall triumph someday."
"Heh. You can take him once I'm finished," he challenged. "There's not gonna be a whole lot left after I'm done with him."
Marth raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do I sense a challenge in your words?"
"A challenge implies that there's a competition," said Ranma, mock-arrogantly. "I don't know if you're up to it or not."
Marth mock-saluted his new rival. "A challenge it is then. May the best man win."
"Less than three days and he's already pulled Marth out of his funk and knocked out one of Mewtwo's lives. I think he's going to fit in quite well here don't you think Samus?"
"He'll be fine," the blue-suited female responded, her legs relaxing on Master Hand's desk. "He's certainly got the drive to improve if nothing else. And an insatiable thirst for combat too."
"You speak as if that's a bad thing," chided Master Hand, amusement clear in his voice.
"Well, it's not bad, but it doesn't seem like he has any other drives," she mumbled. "He's got the exact same obsession Marth had, and is getting again apparently," she said as she watched Marth and Ranma practice katas in the field around Smash Headquarters.
"The Zero suit wasn't enticing enough?"
Samus glared at him.
"Guess not. Then again, with his kind of situation back home, female flesh is probably the last thing he thinks about."
Samus' curiosity was peaked, and Master Hand knew it too. "So what, he's batting for the other team then?"
"Tell you what, I'll show you the file if you do a little favor for me." Samus could almost see the grin on the faceless arena master.
"I'll bite. What do you want from me?" she asked sourly.
"There's a new recruit I want you to pick up." He brought out a second folder. "Feel free to take any one companion along with you except for Mewtwo."
Samus glanced at the new folder curiously. "What on earth is that?" she asked upon seeing the picture.
"A hedgehog. Goes by the name Sonic. Make sure to take someone fast."
A/N: I'd like to take a minute here to BLOW YOUR MIND with my insanely quick update. Don't ask me why, just roll with it. Reviews are appreciated, criticism even more so. Flames will probably be taken to a forum and dissected, but they're welcome all the same.
As a bonus, if you have a COMPLETE Rosario + Vampire or Haruhi Suzumiya story you want put under the critic microscope, drop by my forums under the mentioned sections and see if you qualify. They'll be under ClanCrusher. Till next time everyone.
