Chapter 3
It didn't take long for Izuku, Akane, and Ranma to arrive at the Tendo Dojo. or at least, to Izuku and Akane, it didn't feel like a long time. For Ranma, it was the worst thirty minutes of his life. He could still feel Izuku's fist in his stomach, even though it's been almost an hour since he was hit. Never in his life had he been hit this hard in his life. Yet, that excited him. That meant that he had not reached the limit he had thought he had. That there was still a ceiling to climb to, some barrier still to break.
As long as Izuku Midoriya was around, he wasn't the strongest around. That was a bitter pill to swallow, but he knew he couldn't handle this like he normally would. This wall was not something that could be overcome with a cheat and brute strength. He would need to come at this with skill and wit. Cunning. He had to come up with a plan.
Walking to the door of the Tendo Dojo, Izuku looked about. The place looked rather rustic as a two floor house, with a wood and stone wall surrounding the property. From what Izuku could see, there was a second building next to the main house, more than likely the actual dojo itself. He couldn't help but smile. He would have loved to live in a little house like this with his mom. The thought of his mother, however, reminded him of the situation he was in.
"I have to find a way home." he whispered to himself, Akane and Ranma ahead of him. This however didn't stop them from overhearing him.
"Are you lost?" Akane asked, her head turning back to Izuku. His face bloomed into a full on blush. He didn't realize they could still hear them. He started waving his hands in front of himself, bumbling over his words. he seemed to be saying things faster than either one of them could process.
Ranma scratched the side of his head for a moment before standing a bit straighter, "what? Have problems with directions?" he asked, trying to stop the boy from stuttering over his words a mile a minute. it wasn't that it was annoying, just strange.
"No, no, no! I'm just a long way from home!" Izuku said, trying to back peddle. No point telling them the whole truth. He didn't know if Ranma was the key to him getting home, but he knew he needed to keep an eye on him, just in case. Slowly, Izuku took a deep breath before approaching the pair. He gave them both a small bow. "Well, I must be off." without giving them the chance to respond, Izuku activated his full cowling and dashed off, leaving them speechless. He had to admit he only did it to show off a little. He didn't know why, but something had come over him to do so.
Ranma felt his jaw clench. He was fast, sure, but this was superhuman. He hadn't ever encountered someone who was that damned fast in his life, let alone. Three times. Three times he saw how fast that guy was. He had also noticed on this last instance, that before he left Izuku had some kind of energy that spread throughout his body. Ki maybe? He would have to look into it. All Ranma knew was it crackled like lightning before he charged off.
Akane sighed before turning to Ranma. "Don't pick a fight with him." she said simply.
"What?" Ranma said, "you make it out like I go looking for a fight."
Akane's head dropped for a moment before she lifted it up and looked Ranma in the eye. "You do Ranma."
"No I don't." he said, indignation in his voice.
"If you lose a fight? Yes you do." she said, her voice monotone. "You may not notice it, but you can be petty when it comes to martial arts. If you lose, you hold a grudge until you can beat them. I don't think messing with Midoriya is going to be a good idea." her eyes glanced in the direction of where Izuku was standing previously. "I just think it might be wiser to just let it go."
Ranma felt his fist clench in frustration. "Akane, I have to fight him! The only way I can prove to be the best is by beating those that are stronger!" he uncurled his fists, took a deep breath and continued, "he got one hit on me. One! I can still feel the pain. No one has hit me that hard in a long time, Akane. That means I have a barrier I need to beat! I can do it! I just need time. Ranma Saotome is not a quitter!"
Akane wanted to snort at that, but held it in. Ranma was very upset about losing to Izuku. She just hoped that this would not lead to a vendetta against the supposed demon of japan. The last thing she wanted was for Ranma to get hurt because his ego was damaged.
After a few days, Akane would see that she had every right to worry. Normally, during the days, Ranma would spar with Genma Saotome in the morning, go to school (or on the odd day, skip school all together) then spend the day dealing with the craziness that was his life. Yet, the past two days Ranma was waking up early in the morning and practicing, training his body. At first, he was just practicing his normal routine, then things changed. He started trying out new things, seeing what could help accelerate his growth. So far, nothing was working. It made everyone in the household nervous. Even Hopposai who showed up from god knows where.
A week passed, and Ranma continued working. Lifting weights, practicing his arts, he even actively went looking for Moose and Ryoga to practice with. Whenever Akane and him were walking home, they would stop at the same bridge they had originally crossed paths with Izuku. They hadn't seen him in days, but Ranma knew he had to get better. That he wasn't ready. One night, Nabiki even made a joke to Ranma, claiming that Izuku was Ranma's White whale. "Im just saying, Ranma. You keep this up and it will destroy you. Just let me know when you do it, ill sell the tickets."
He didn't take that well. Though it didn't seem like Ranma was taking anything well. His fuse was getting shorter and shorter. One day, Ukyo Kuonji came to see how he was doing and Ranma had completely ignored his oldest friend. "That doesn't seem right…" she had said. Akane couldn't help but agree. Watching him, Ranma almost lived out of the dojo, only leaving to go to school and Akane figured that was only because he thought he could run into izuku again in transit.
One day, Akane had walked into the Dojo to see what Ranma was doing specifically. Walking in, she spotted Ranma doing laps? "What are you doing?" she had asked.
Without missing a beat, Ranma had said, "I'm trying to get my body to move faster, so I'm applying everything I've learned into that!" he sounded out of breath, but Akane had to admit, he was moving faster than she had seen him. The only time she had seen Ranma move this fast was with the Chestnut Fist. and it hit her like a train.
"Wait! You're trying to combine the idea of the chestnut fist and your body to move faster?" she asked. Ranma hadn't said much, but nodded all the same. She knew Ranma was fast, probably the fastest fighter out of all of the Nerima Wrecking Crew (a nickname that had begun to float around Ranma and his allies/enemies). "Ranma, how are you going to ensure you're making the correct movements and know you're actually improving?"
Ranma growled in frustration before finally stopping. He took a deep breath before walking towards her. His eyes had that fire in them that always presented itself when he was facing a challenge. "It's simple. When you move, air is displaced as you move." he said, waving to each of the objects in the room. Now that Akane had a chance to look, she could see a variety of things. A bedspread, a rubber ball, a ribbon hanging from one of the beams, a couple of bricks and finally a single dumbbell weight. "If i can move fast enough to move them, i can move fast enough to catch him."
Akane wanted to laugh. That sounded impossible. It must have shown on her face, because Ranma sighed before placing everything in the center of the room. He held up a finger, signaling she should wait for a moment. Deciding to humor him, she said down against one of the walls. Ranma crouched down, took a deep breath before starting his run. Unlike when she walked in, he wasn't lapping the objects, instead he was weaving in and out of them. That's when Akane saw it. For a glimpse, the speed Ranma was talking about. The futon went flying, as did the ball as Ranma pasted it. She was even surprised to see one of the bricks move an inch.
Her mouth was hanging open as he stopped to stare at the brick. A look of triumph flooded his face as he bounced in excitement. "That's the first time I've gotten the brick to move! I'm so close!" Akane was so flabbergasted. That wasn't possible, or at least it shouldn't be. But then again, when has anything made sense upon Ranma and Genma's arrival? "If i can get this dumbbell to move," Ranma was saying, lifting the weight off the ground, "than i should be ready."
"You realize this isn't very practical." Akane said. Ranma snapped his head towards her.
"Ya? What would you know, tomboy?" That was all it took to make Ranma leave the Dojo, by getting punted straight out of it into the front yard with a foot imprint on his face. The next day, Ranma didn't go to school. He stayed at the dojo, continued his lap training. Most people were used to this sort of thing. Ranma skipped school because of some kind of challenge.
As Akane was walking back to school, she noticed someone was leaning against the gate of the school. A green haired someone. "Hello." Izuku said, standing up from the wall. "I've been hearing some interesting rumors."
Akane couldn't help groaning. Of course it turned out that Ranma was training to fight the demon of Japan. With a sigh she spoke, "ya. I'm sure you have." she moved past Izuku making her way down to the road before turning around. Izuku hadn't moved from his spot. "Are you coming?" she asked. Izuku jumped before nodding. For someone who was supposed to be spreading widespread panic, Izuku was rather Jumpy. "So, what's the matter, Midoriya?"
Walking behind Akane, Izuku sighed. "I'm just coming to make sure that Ranma is doing okay and not going to try something stupid." he said, following along, but his eyes were constantly on the move. When he discovered these two, he had begun walking around Nerima on the regular, keeping tabs on Ranma specifically. If he was right, then Ranma very well might be the key to going home.
The two walked a ways, moving in silence as they did so. Akane didn't really know what to say. Ranma doing something stupid? That was the norm for him, but thats what made him who he was. Doing the impossible for the sake of it. She couldn't help but smile a little. That drive. It was inspirational.
After a half hour, the two arrived at the Tendo Dojo. she opened the door, calling out, "im home! And I have a guest!" At that, most of the household began to scramble. A guest? Who the hell would Akane be bringing by? Ranma was the first to step out, sweat glistening off his body. Kasumi was next, holding a small hand towel and a bottle of some kind. Then came Nabiki and then finally the two adults.
"Oh. it's you, Izuku." Ranma said, wiping sweat off his face with his hand. "What are you doing here?" it wasn't overtly hostile, but you could tell Ranma wanted to attack, to prove he was better.
"Hello. Welcome to the Tendo residence." Kasumi said, a smile always present upon her visage. Izuku's eyes narrowed for half a second before he too was smiling. It happened so fast, akane didn't know if she had just imagined it. Izuku bowed before lifting his head up to glance at the others in the room. No one else said anything. Not even Soun and Genma, who had the ability to jump to the most obscured conclusions. Weird that they were keeping quiet, seeing as Akane just brought a guy home. She could already feel that argument going oh so well.
Izuku turned to Ranma, "I hear you've been training yourself up to challenge me again." it wasn't a question. "How do you think that's going?"
Ranma glared at izuku, though there was little heat behind it, "well enough. I would have to fight you again to see if there are any improvements."
Izuku smiled slightly. "Well then. Why not have another bout then? If nothing else, give you an idea how far ahead I am." boasting? That was odd. Izuku could feel his heart skipping. It felt like he was dealing with Kaachan again. Izuku felt himself smile internally. If Ranma won, then he wouldn't be killing himself to try and be better than izuku. Izuku held out his hand, "what do you say?"
Ranma looked down at Izuku's hand. A challenge. The best way to motivate Ranma Saotome. He clasped Izuku's hand, held it tight, and said, "you on." The date was set. Tomorrow morning, the Wild horse would face off against the Demon. The day that classes were out. The line in the sand was made. The location set. Nibiki was smiling ear to ear.
It didn't take long for the whole of Nerima to learn about the fight. And it took even less time for the NWC to hear about it. That night, someone had come to visit Ranma, while he was doing one last bit of training in the dojo.
"I wondered when your fated meeting would commence, son-in-law." said the Amazon Elder Cologne, bouncing in with her stick like a pogo stick. "Ever since this demon arrived, I wondered if you two would do battle."
Normally, Ranma would have snapped at Cologne, suspected some kind of trick or treachery, but he also remembered that it was cologne that had taught him what he knew about the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, the chestnut fist. He sighed, sitting down upon the ground, but his eyes never leaving cologne. "We have fought already." was all he said. \
"And you lost, am i right?" she asked, laughing slightly at the black haired boy's expense. After a couple of seconds, she spoke again. "I'm rather impressed that you figured this out on your own. A way to improve your speed while keeping to the ideas of your fighting style. Do you think it will be enough?"
Ranma sighed again before speaking, "what do you want, Old Ghoul?" he asked, receiving a sharp wrap on the top of his head from the stick in cologne's hands.
"What I want, son-in-law, is to know if you need help." she said. "This opponent won't be easy, why? I have seen him fight."
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" he sounded rather curious, but in his situation, wouldn't you be?
Cologne smiled a wolfish smile, "oh yes. On the day he arrived one of my cups had chipped while I was still drinking from it. An omen, I would expect. Not twenty four hours later, there's rumors of a demon running about." she hopped upon her stick, sitting at the top of it while it stayed standing. "So of course I investigated. And what I have found is truly terrifying. No, son-in-law, I am here to give you some advice. Simple as that"
Ranma leaned in, his eyes narrowed. "And this isn't some trick to get me to marry shampoo?" he had to make sure this wasn't a trick. He had to!
Cologne shook her head and for the first time since Ranma knew her, she shivered. "No, son-in-law. It's not. This boy is a demon, there were no lies about that name. He exudes power, pure and unstable. However, that is his one weakness. It takes time for him to achieve that power. I think you have seen how he charges that energy."
Ranma's eyes widened. When he and Izuku had fought, Izuku did squats beforehand, before a single punch was thrown. He had to charge his power. At the time, Ranma had scoffed at it, believing he hadn't been taken seriously. But now Ranma knew better. No, Izuku had planned to win by one shot from the start. Which meant, "if i want to beat him, i have to rush him." he said. "I have to keep him from thinking or planning anything."
Cologne nodded, a smile on her face still. "Yes, that I believe is the one way to defeat him. The only way to truly defeat him, is to do so before he can charge himself up." she began hopping away, before looking back at Ranma. "I do hope you win tomorrow. This Demon must be put in his place before he can cause any more problems." and with that, she left. It was only after she left that Ranma caught the last word she had spoken.
"What do you mean, MORE problems?"
A/N: Well, that's another chapter done. I'm trying to keep a head by publishing a chapter every saturday, so far i have up to chapter 6 done, so i have a few weeks ready in the wings. I'm going over them, making sure my grammar isn't that bad, but it's becoming a struggle. I'm not that great at catching problems and spelling mistakes. Look at chapter one. Instead of momentum I kept typing moment. Kind of embarrassing, but what can you do? It's not too bad though, or else someone would have told me, I think.
Anyways, i'm going to start responding to some reviews and give my two cents (for whatever that's worth)
Dvrris: It's an amazing story, I want to see more of it please.
Kain: No problem! Like I said, I have up to chapter 6 done, so every Saturday, be ready! I'm glad you like it so much!
Rogers.5: Sounds like this is gonna be fun.
Kain: No doubt about that, I'm enjoying writing it. I've had days where I just write seven pages of stuff in a couple of hours. I hope you like it!
Iron M. Writer: Ah we've got the, i don't eat, I don't sleep, I don't drink, I only fight and save people until my body gives out Izuku. Fun. Wonder how long before someone beats that mentality out of him like 1A did.
Kain: Yep! That's part of why I wrote this after the lady nagant fight. I felt it was the best place to tell an interesting story with izuku. At the moment, there really isn't anyone that can beat that mentality out of him, but for now he's just going to be moving. Even injured, he keeps moving, ya know? I'm still trying to figure out how to start getting the Ranma ½ crew to recognize it, but I have an idea.
Mad Thought: Alright, I see some good potential here with Izuku dealing with being on another earth and being the only one with a quirk, Ranma challenging him, and the possible drama with the rest of the crew. Also funny how he beat Ranma in one punch without much thought, got a feeling he'll be OP for a while until the crew inevitably catch up (that's just how the show went). Izuku is also going to be challenging how ranma thinks as a person; Strength power VS hero Mentalities.
But there might also be in-universe villains that will come to be with Izuku's presence and actions. Nature demands balance.
Ukyo or shampoo would be good in my opinion. Ukyo is the more stable of the girls and has a job with a future, but shampoo is heiress of the amazons and might switch when she finds out how outclassed Ranma is compared to Izuku on the principle he'd produce strong kids. I do lean to Ukyo, but it's your story and you can pace it however you want.
Looking forward to more!
Kain: I got a review that I would normally leave! To start off, you made my day reading your review! So thank you so much! Also, you got it in one! This story is a deep dive into these characters (i prefer reading a story with characters that challenge each other rather than everyone getting along). The mentality of Ranma and Izuku are going to clash a lot. In fact, Ranma and Izuku won't really be friends until much later (until something specific happens that i already have planned).
In universe villains, eh? Well, I will say that I already have one in mind. They have already been mentioned. It will be the first fight that Izuku will actually struggle with, for numerous reasons.
See, i have a plan for the Amazons, not just shampoo. So I would write it to be Ukyo and Izuku, but it would be a real slow burn. I'm not good at writing romance, but I wouldn't mind trying my hand at it, I guess.
Alright, everyone! That's chapter three in the bag! Next chapter is going to be a massive fight (almost the entire chapter is just one big fight). Who will win? You will see next time!