Ranma characters property of Rumiko Takahashi
DC character concepts property of DC comics
The League:
A Ranma 1/2 Crossover
Prologue.
The Saotomes traveled down a lonely road that night.
They were on their way back from the nearest town, traveling miles
into the middle of nowhere to reach the lonely cabin that was
currently their home. Nodoka was pregnant -very pregnant-. She
worried about having a child alone, away from any medical
authorities. Genma insisted he could handle the delivery, but then it
was his fault to begin with. Another of his schemes had backfired,
and he didn't dare show his face in any of the nearby cities- at least
not until the heat had died down.
Suddenly a streak of fire ripped its away across the sky
over the road. It impacted only a few hundred yards away, the
impact strangely muffled. "What was that!" Genma shouted. He
barely managed to avoid taking the rental car into a skid, instead
parking it safely on the roadside.
Before he could restart the car, Nodoka had opened her
door and jumped out. "Come on Genma. We should investigate
this."
"Dear, certainly not in your condition..." He trailed off as
she ignored him completely, heading toward the impact site.
Shrugging, the martial artist followed the impatient woman.
Strange vapors rose up from the edge of the crater,
obscuring what was within. After being nudged in the ribs by his
wife, Genma jumped in to investigate. In a moment his voice
echoed out.
"It's.. some sort of ship. Wait a minute, it's opening up."
There was the sound of scrabbling as Genma moved himself to the
edge of the crater in preparation for whatever monster might spring
forth. A moment passed, and then another sound became audible.
It was..... a baby crying?
Nodoka leaned towards the mists, trying to peer within.
She was startled when a shape suddenly leaped over her, landing
gently a few feet away. It was Genma and he was holding what
looked like a newborn!
The mother-to-be moved quickly forward, taking the baby
from her husband. "Dearest, look at him. Who would be such a
monster as to send a baby up in a ship like that?" She wiggled her
finger gently in the tiny boy's face.
"I don't know. I suppose the authorities will be able to
identify...."
"Don't be ridiculous! We aren't giving him away to
anyone. I think I'll name him... Ranma."
Genma's jaw clenched. "Darling, it's going to be hard
enough to raise one child, let alone two. I think we should just take
him to the police."
Nodoka gave her sweetest smile. "Certainly, Darling. I'm
sure the police have already forgotten about your little... difficulty."
The martial artist gulped. "Then again, we could just tell
everyone you had twins. What man would turn down the
opportunity to have a son?" Nodding in agreement, he led his wife,
unborn child, and new son back to the car.
*******
The little girl pouted as she snuck into the closet. This
was where Daddy kept all his armor and swords and stuff. She
wasn't interested in any of that though. No, it was that long, funny
curved stick with the string tied on. It called to her somehow, in a
way she couldn't fully explain. Smiling cutely, she dragged the bow
and matching quiver off the shelf they lay on. Both were colored a
bright cheery green.
Looking carefully to make sure none of her sisters saw
her, the little girl dragged the bow and arrows outside onto the
lawn. Holding up the bow, she instinctively pulled an arrow from
the quiver and notched it on the string. She pulled the arrow back,
arms shivering slightly with the strain. Then, she picked a spot on
the wall and quickly aimed and released. It hit dead center of
where she had intended, just as she'd known it would. Giggling,
she tried it again and again. Trees, rocks, she even shot a fly out of
the air. Each time the arrow traveled precisely where she aimed it.
So caught up was the little girl in her fun, she didn't notice her sister
rounding the corner.
Gasp. "Akane! Put that down right now! It's dangerous
and you shouldn't be playing with it! Daddy! Daaaaaddddy! Come
quick!"
Akane frowned. Big sister Kasumi could be such a drag
sometimes. Always acting like she was an adult or something.
Deciding to have as much fun as she could before somebody
stopped her, Akane notched another arrow.
"Akane, put that down right this instant!"
Ignoring her father, Akane tried something she hadn't done
before. Releasing the arrow, she sent it right into one of her
previous shots, splitting the first arrow down the middle. Her
father skidded to a stop in astonishment. Pleased with his reaction,
Akane did it again, this time splitting her second arrow. Slowly her
father walked up and took the bow gently from her hand.
"Can... can you do that every time Akane?"
"Sure Daddy! It's easy. I just point the sticks and they go
right where I want them to."
"It's called an arrow, not a stick.", Soun corrected. "You'll
have to be punished for taking this without permission. It isn't a toy
and you could have hurt somebody." He gave her a quarter
strength demon head, but it was clear his heart wasn't in it. Akane
only giggled in response.
"Can I please use it again sometime Daddy? Shooting
those arrows with that string thing is a lot of fun!"
Soun smiled town at his child, his wonderful, talented
child. Why, someday she might be the greatest archer in the world!
"Yes Akane, you can use it again soon." He studied the bow's
color reflectively. "In fact, from now on you can be my special
'Green Arrow', my little emerald archer."
"Yay Daddy! I get to be the green arrow!"
*******
"Ranko! Ranko! Come here right this instant."
"What is it Mommy?"
"Ranko, I have something very important to tell you."
Nodoka paused a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. "Your
father and your brother, they're.... going away on a trip. They may
not be back for a long, long time."
"Like my hamster?"
"No not like your hamster! Ranma and your father are
going to come back. It just won't be for a while."
"Why are they going away?"
"I'll be able to explain it better when you're older. Right
now you just need to understand that your brother is going to be a
very, very special person someday. Dearest and I have agreed that
he needs the chance to see more of the world, to travel around and
learn as much as he's able. Your father spent many years on the
road before you were born. He will know how to take care of
Ranma, while I'm afraid you and I would just slow them down."
Ranko's lower lip began to tremble. She was an almost
perfect miniature version of her mother, except that Ranko's hair
was a bright, fiery red. Nodoka often wondered if this was due to
those strange fumes she'd breathed coming from Ranma's spaceship
shortly before Ranko's birth. Suddenly the little redhead burst into
tears. "I am not too slow! Not, not, not! Just you watch. I'm
going to be fast. Someday I'm going to be the fastest woman
alive!" With that she ran crying away to her room.
It was then that Ranma and Genma entered the room.
Genma was unencumbered, but Ranma had an enormous amount of
luggage hanging from his shoulders. He didn't seem to be straining
in the slightest to hold it all up. Genma blinked as he caught sight
of Ranko just before she disappeared down the hall.
"Is something wrong with my daughter?"
Nodoka sighed. "No Dearest. She's just not very happy
that you and Ranma are leaving. Now, do you mind if I have a
word in private with our son?"
Genma gave a nod, and Nodoka gestured for Ranma to
follow her. He shrugged off the bags, allowing them to fall to the
floor, and accompanied her into the living room. She patted a
chair, and he sat down, while she took the seat across from him.
Clearing her throat, Nodoka began.
"My son, from the time you were a baby we've known you
wouldn't be like everyone else. Day by day, year by year, you get
stronger and harder to hurt. I know your father has been 'testing'
you for these things when he thinks I'm not around. I don't know
what the ultimate limit of your abilities is, but I know that you are
going to possess great power. That's why I have something
extremely important to ask of you."
She shifted for a moment, clearly reluctant to continue.
"Ranma, your father.... he's not a bad man, but sometimes he
doesn't follow the path of honor as closely as he might. I know he
will show you the world, but I'm concerned about what he might
teach you. That's why you have to promise me something. Ranma,
no matter what your father tells you, you must never use your
abilities to set yourself above other people or act toward selfish
goals. You have these abilities foe a reason, I'm sure of it, and you
must never betray that sacred trust. Promise me that you will use
your abilities only to help people, never to do harm. To be a man is
to accept grave responsibilities. The responsibilities are so much
greater for a.... superman."
The small boy in front of her looked solemnly into her
eyes. "I swear it mother. I promise I'll always try to help people."
Wiping away a tear, Nodoka sniffed. "That's my son, my
very manly son." With that she kissed his cheek.
*******
Mousse looked up at his parents happily. He'd been so
young when they'd left him at the amazon village, only a baby
really. He'd never known what had happened to them, never
known if they'd achieved their dream of escaping the communists.
In the daily grind of village life, Mousse had almost forgotten he
hadn't been born there. Then one day it had happened, what every
orphaned child dreams of. His parents had sent for him.
Arriving in Japan, they had reclaimed funds deposited by
Mousse's great-grandparents before the communist takeover.
Using them, they had rebuilt their fortunes at an astonishing rate.
The day they had finally achieved Japanese citizenship had been the
day they'd sent for their son.
Of course, there had been a few things Mousse wasn't
exactly overjoyed with. For one thing, he wasn't too sure about his
new name. 'Mousse Wayne' had sort of a funny ring to it, but
apparently taking the name had been some sort of precondition for
his parents gaining access to their fortune. He also missed his
purple-haired goddess, Shampoo. She had been the focus of his
every waking thought since he could toddle. Still, away from the
village he was finally able to get some perspective. She had been
the favored child of the village while he had always been an outsider
in spirit if not in law. Also, she had never really liked him.
Anyway, being with his parents was heaven. Each day
they showered him with love and affection, trying desperately to
make up for lost time. They had left careful instruction at the
village that he be tutored in literate Japanese, so he had no language
problems. Best of all, their fortune had bought the highest of high
tech glasses, much better than anything he'd ever gotten from the
village. For the first time in his life the world had come into clear
focus. Now, walking home from the theater, he felt happier than
ever before in his life. That was when it happened.
The two men had appeared from nowhere. One shoved
him to the ground hard, causing his glasses to go sliding off into the
darkness. The other ripped his mother's pearl necklace from about
her neck. Mousse saw the blur that was his father try to charge the
men. Shots rang out, and his father dropped lifelessly to the
ground. Then they turned the gun on his mother. Time seemed to
pass with glacial slowness as bullet after bullet impacted into her.
Then they turned towards Mousse.
"He's seen our faces. Take care of him" Said the larger
blur.
The smaller one replied in a voice like crushed ice, "Him?
Look at him. Without his glasses, he's as blind as a bat. He isn't
seeing nothing." It was true. In the darkness, Mousse scrabbled
desperately for his glasses, unable to make out anything but vague
shapes.
The one with the crushed ice voice continued. "What's
wrong little bat-boy? Lose something? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha." With
that he and his companion departed into the night, leaving a young
boy sobbing on the sidewalk.
Later, much later, Mousse stood in front of his parents'
graves. The funeral was over and everyone else had long since
departed. Over by the gate faithful Alfred, servant and friend of
Mousse's parents, stood waiting patiently for the young charge he
had been entrusted with. The tears had long since dried from the
eyes of the blind boy, and suddenly something seemed to come over
Mousse. He lifted his fist to the sky and began to whisper.
"I swear. I swear that I won't let what happened to you
happen to others. They mocked me, called me blind as a bat. So
be it then. I will train and prepare, and someday it will be the Bat
that they fear. I will dedicate my life to keeping others safe, to
making it the criminal scum who must flee in terror. This is my
vow, this is my promise." He fell silent again, and a cold wind
blew. Mousse simply stood there, staring at the graves.
*******
Ukyou reached out and tagged her companion, then swam
back, laughing, into the depths of the underwater cave they were
exploring. She was playing tag with her best friend and all was
right with the world.
Ranma and Genma had arrived at the lighthouse three
months earlier. They were low on funds, and Genma took a job
helping to man it and police the area with the permanent operator,
Mr. Kuonji. Ranma had known the man had a daughter, Ukyou,
but she was strangely elusive. Every time he caught sight of her she
vanished, like some sort of wild spirit that couldn't be caught by
mortal men.
Fortunately, even at the age of ten (going on eleven)
Ranma was considerably more than mortal. He was far, far,
stronger and faster than any human being on earth, and he was
beginning to notice he could see and hear things that others
couldn't. So one day, when he caught a glimpse of the mysterious
girl, he simply ran after her. When he caught her, as was inevitable,
she trembled in fear beneath his grip. He released her, and she
vanished in a burst of speed. The next day he played the game
again, catching and releasing her. After about a week came the day
that she didn't run away.
They introduced themselves, giving each other the
nicknames of Ucchan and Ranchan respectively. They spent hours
talking, Ranma much more than Ukyou, as he told her of all the
wonders he'd seen in his travels with Genma. However at the end
of the day she still vanished, refusing to tell him where she was
going. Frustrated, Ranma vowed that when they met the next day,
he would find out her secrets once and for all.
Ukyou demurred at first, but at Ranma's insistence, she led
him to bare cliff overlooking the sea. Confused, he looked around.
"What's up, Ucchan? What did you drag me all the way
out here to see?"
"This." With that, Ukyou stepped off the cliff and plunged
into the sea below.
In a panic, Ranma dived after her. He arced into the sea
and opened his eyes, searching frantically for his friend. He was
shocked to see her floating amusedly underwater, breathing
comfortably! She motioned him up to the surface so that they
could speak, but Ranma stubbornly stayed underwater and drew a
breath.
It admittedly felt pretty funny on his throat at first, but
Ranma's superpowerful muscles had no difficulty pumping the
water in and out. His nearly invulnerable lungs drew oxygen from
the water with little difficulty. Grinning at the astonished
expression on his new friend's face, he articulated. "Cool, huh?"
The sounds sounded strange underwater but were (to their acute
hearing at least) perfectly understandable.
Soon Ukyou was finally telling him her story. She had
been raised by a pod of dolphins since she was a baby, remembering
nothing before then. It developed that she could communicate
telepathically not only with them, but with all sea life. (Privately
Ranma suspected it was all simply all lifeforms. She had after all,
spent nearly her entire life at sea.) A few years ago Mr. Kuonji had
discovered her and gradually coaxed her to trust him. He was the
one who had taught her human languages and something about the
ways of humanity. However, she was still extremely shy around
people. In fact, Ranma was virtually the only other person she had
ever spoken to.
Over the next few months, Ranma and Ukyou got to know
each other much better. It frustrated her that she had finally met
someone who could catch her when swimming, sometimes it
seemed like Ranma was simply flying through the water...... He
even convinced her to attend school and get to know the other
students. Ukyou made a few casual friends, though she never really
got close to any of them. Every day she and Ranma would laugh
and swim and explore the huge network of seacaves near the
lighthouse. It was no wonder she fell in love with him. It was no
wonder she was devastated when he talked of...... leaving.
"Le-leaving? You're going away, Ranchan?"
"Yeah, Pop says he's almost got enough money for us to
get back on the road. New stuff to see, new places to go, you
know." His face fell. "I'm sure going to miss you Ucchan. You're
the best friend I've ever had."
Ukyou wasn't completely up on land concepts, but after
she told Mr. Kuonji she wanted to stay with Ranma for the rest of
her life, he explained what marriage was. She begged him to
arrange a marriage with Ranma. For him, she'd be willing to live on
land. (Besides, she was kind of curious about this new world,
especially after hearing Ranma's stories. She figured there would
always be plenty of freshwater lakes and rivers to explore.) Kuonji
loved Ukyou like the daughter he'd never had, so he agreed to
arrange things with Saotome and put up a dowry.
At first Genma was reluctant, but after Kuonji mentioned
the old fish-cart he'd put up as dowry, the martial artist agreed
easily. After all, with the cart they could always earn money selling
fried fish. With Ukyou's powers, catching fish to cook and sell
wouldn't be a problem, and there'd be no need to buy from
fishermen. As it turned out, Genma had agreed much too easily.
The last memory Ukyou had of Ranma was of him waving
merrily to her from atop the cart, as he pulled away from her. On
land she simply wasn't fast enough to catch them. Kuonji tried to
comfort her, but she ran past him, threw herself out into the sea,
and swam to her dolphin mother.
<Orna, what's wrong?>
<Oh, Porm. He left me! I wanted to be his mate, I would
have done anything for him, and he left me!> Ukyou sobbed, her
tears blending into the sea.
<It will be all right child. Your wounds will heal in time.
After all, you are the Queen of the Seas!>
Ukyou stiffened. <I'm through trusting land-dwellers. Oh,
I'll explore their world. I won't let them deny me my heritage.
>From now on though, see if I ever trust a one of them again!>
*******
Ranko instinctively knocked the alarm clock into the air
when it rang in the morning. Suddenly the events of the previous
day came crashing down on her. Had it all been a dream? Had she
imagined it? She was about to panic when she noticed the alarm
clock was floating in mid-air.....
No, it wasn't floating. It was just slowed down. Again,
no, it wasn't slowed down, she was speeded up. She had
instinctively shifted to superspeed! Getting carefully out of the bed,
she snagged the clock and willed everything to slow down.
Immediately, she was hit by a slight rush of air from her previous
movement, and the soundwaves from the clock began to again
catch up with her.
It had happened so quickly the other day. She'd been
standing in front of the rack of chemicals, and the lightening bolt
had come through the window like something alive. The electrified
chemicals had bathed her and for a moment she'd been certain she
was going to die. Then.... nothing. She had seemed completely
unaffected. Seemed unaffected until she had tried to run catch the
bus and found herself on the other side of town. 'Heh-heh. I can't
wait to tell Linda about this', she thought to herself. 'Not to
mention the surprise my brother's going to get when he arrives
come with all those fancy ET powers of his!'
"Now I just need some sort of costume and a name.
Hmmm. The Runner? The Whizzer? Eeew. How about, The
Flash? Hey, I kind of like that one. My name is Ranko Saotome.
I'm the Flash, the fastest woman alive. And I've got to stop talking
to myself!"
*******
Kasumi hummed happily, busily preparing a meal in her
domain, the kitchen. From outside she could hear the soft thump of
Akane's archery practice. She knew everything in the room, was
aware of every spice and every utensil. Nothing could surprise her
there. That's why it was quite a shock for her to turn around and
find Dr. Tofu standing behind her!
"Aaaagh!" Kasumi was so shocked, she dropped the dish
she was holding. With incredible speed Tofu reached out and
snagged it before it could hit the ground.
"Dr. Tofu, you surprised me! It's almost like you're
invisible or something."
He managed a weak laugh. "Invisible. Yes, how silly."
"It's always nice to see you of course." Still a bit flustered,
Kasumi searched the shelves vainly for a spice she could normally
have located instantly. Seeing her distress, Tofu reached out and
snagged it for her. "How ever did you know I was searching for
that? It's like you read my mind!" Seeing Tofu visibly flinch, she
changed the subject. "So, what brings you over here? Nothing
wrong I hope?"
Nervously polishing his glasses, he replied. "No, I just
came over for a visit." Seeing something more might be required,
he asked. "Perhaps I could help you cook dinner?"
Kasumi would have sworn that anyone trying to help her
cook would be more of a hindrance, getting constantly in the way.
However, she was much too polite to refuse his offer. "Why of
course." Things went better than she could have hoped. He
smoothly coordinated with her, doing things almost before she
asked. As a result, he only delayed her by a very small amount in
doing the mixing. It was then that something strange occurred.
Kasumi switched on the gas burner, then lit the pilot light.
As the match flamed up, Tofu scooted backwards into the wall as
far as he could. He looked nervously at the still burning pilot light,
a bead of sweat running down his face.
"Why Dr. Tofu, what's wrong?
He stuttered nervously. "I apologize. I have a small
phobia about fire. Apparently I've forgotten to mention it.
Perhaps... perhaps it is time for me to get going."
Kasumi frowned slightly. "Oh please stay for supper.
After all, you helped cook it."
"No thank-you Ka-Kasumi. I'm afraid I really must be
going." Giving her a small bow, he swiftly exited the room.
Moving quickly outside the house, he looked to make sure
no one was watching. Tofu then began to turn translucent, swiftly
vanishing from sight altogether. Invisible, he took to the sky and
flew towards his home. Entering by passing effortlessly through the
wall, he swiftly reverted to visibility.
In the safety of his own dwelling, a truly bizarre change
began to overtake Tofu's body. His skin darkened to a dull green
as his build grew taller and more muscular. His eyes darkened to
pure red orbs as his hair vanished and a brow ridge protruded from
his forehead. Abandoning his human facade, Tofu had reclaimed
his true martian form.
'Her soul is so utterly pure. I have seen nothing like it
since the deaths of my wife and child on Mars. If only I could find
the courage to confess my true feelings to her, but how? I'm an
alien to this world, not of her race. How could even one so gentle
as Kasumi possibly accept me? If only I could tell her.....'
Far into the night, the martian continued to wrestle with
the dilemma that had plagued him for over two years.
*******
The alien was dying. Trapped within the wreckage of a
crashed spaceship, he could feel his life-force slowly draining away.
On his right hand was a ring of a strange green metal, capped by a
lantern insignia of the same material. Slowly, painfully, he lifted the
hand and willed a pulse of green energy to come forth. The alien
choked out a whispered verbalization of the mental command in his
own tongue. /Find one... He must be without fear. Completely
without fear..../
The beams of green energy stretched out over the planet,
seeking the answer to their master's command. They stretched even
to a certain Kendo training yard where a young man named
Tatewaki Kuno was endeavoring to practice his forms. As he held
his bokken above his head, an emerald force gripped it, pulling it to
the sky. Refusing to relinquish his grip on the weapon, Tatewaki
instead chose to shout challenges to his unseen abductor.
"Whomsoever uses his fiendish magic upon me, know that
Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furikan High, will never
relinquish his weapon. I refuse to yield! I fear you not! Do you
understand me, the heart of Tatewaki Kuno knows no fear!" The
emerald energy moved to envelope Kuno as well as his weapon,
and swiftly brought him to the sight of the crash.
Kuno cautiously approached the injured alien cautiously,
alert for an attack. As he grew closer, a beam of green light
scanned his face.
/His mind is clouded, but in his heart he worships only the
highest ideals.... and.... there is no one else./
Willing his ring to translate, the alien tried to explain. "My
name is Abin Sur. I am dying. I belong to a group of sort of
interstellar policemen called the Green Lanterns who fight injustice
and evil across the galaxy. The source of our power are these rings
like the one on my finger and the power batteries shaped like the
ring symbol. You will find a power battery within the ship. The
ring must be recharged from the power battery every 24 hours.
When charged, the ring can do virtually anything, limited only by
your power of will." Abin paused to grunt in pain. He knew he
couldn't last much longer. "You must pledge not to use the ring for
your own gain, only to help others and fight evil. Swear it!"
Looking unusually grounded in reality, Kuno raised his
hand. "I, Tatewaki Kuno swear by my family name to use this
power you bestow upon me only for good. Though the heavens
weep, never shall I falter in the path of honor or in my defense of
righteousness. I do accept this grave commission thou hast
bestown upon me."
Nodding his head in acknowledgment, the alien breathed
his last. Slowly, Kuno reached out and took the ring off of Abin
Sur's finger, placing it upon his own. A corona of green fire
surrounded him and he shouted to the sky. "Now and forever, I am
Tatewaki Kuno, Green Lantern of Furikan High!"
*******
The princess stretched, running her fingers through her
long purple hair. This was the day, the one she'd been waiting her
entire life for. Jumping out of bed, she swiftly dressed and exited
her home, savoring to opportunity to observe the village one more
time from the vantage point of her doorstep.
Grinning, she took to the sky, making a loop in the air and
zooming low over various homes. The people of the village
pointed at her as she passed, their champion and their hero. Finally,
she landed in the village square.
"Amazon Nation! Today I go forth to the outside world
as an ambassador of our ideals and beliefs. I will show the true
power of women to the man's world that exists outside. I will be a
symbol of hope and the spark that lights the fire of Amazon beliefs
across the world. I will be our champion. I will be a wonder for
them to behold. Their Wonder Woman!" She waved her hands
grandly through the air.
From the crowd came a taunt. "Nice speech. Who wrote
it for you?"
Shampoo blushed. OK, so the elders had been helping her
prepare. That was only sensible, wasn't it? Clearing her throat, she
responded. "Hey, I'm leaving. You could at least be a little nicer.
Anyway, what I said was true. I am going forth to show the
outsiders the strength of the Amazon way."
"And to try and find a husband strong enough for you." It
was a different voice this time. Shampoo had to admit there was
truth to it. She could have had her pick or any male in the village,
but refused to marry anyone so much weaker than her. Shampoo
wanted a spouse who would give her a challenge. Unfortunately,
she was beginning to believe that no one in the world could fulfill
that requirement. After all, wasn't she the chosen one of the
Amazon people, gifted with powers by the gods themselves?
Just as Shampoo's internal musings were about to
overload ego and make her say something really stupid, a crackle of
thunder sounded. Scrambling quickly, she quickly grabbed the
nearest umbrella and raised it over her head. A few scattered
snickers came forth from the crowd, but she glared them into
silence.
It just wasn't fair that she, a proud princess of the
amazons, had been afflicted with such a silly curse. Changing into a
cat whenever she got wet, how ridiculous can you get. She
supposed it was her own fault for believing her powers would make
her immune to Jusenkyo's magic. At least she still retained her
powers when transformed, but it had led to such a humiliating
nickname. Who wants to be called Streaky the Supercat?
*******
The piglet wearing a yellow bandanna slowly dragged an
enormous pack along the forest trail. It could have made faster
progress, but watching it, it became apparent that it's right back leg
was lame. On the other hand, to be dragging such an enormous
pack was an impressive feat for such a tiny animal. Foot by foot it
slowed down, until at last it paused in front of a cave and started to
weep piggy tears.
Unknown to the piglet, a white-bearded man in a long
white robe was watching it from behind. After studying the piglet
for a moment, he waved a hand at it. Instantly the piglet became a
teenage boy. In spite of the usual effects of Jusenkyo, the old man
also appeared to have conjured him up some clothes.
The boy yelled, "What happened!?"
Idly the old man replied, "I happened young man. Just a
simple spell so you'd be easier to talk to ."
"You cured my curse? Oh, thank-you, thank-you, thank-
you!"
The old man quickly made a gesture of negation. "No, I'm
afraid not. I simply tripped it. Cold water will still change you
back to a pig."
"Oh."
"Come, don't look so depressed boy. Why don't you tell
me your name and what's bothering you?"
"My name is Ryoga Hibiki and what's bothering me is
Ranma Saotome! Back in junior high we used to be friends... if you
can believe that. Then I realized how he always took everything
from me. He always took first in sports while I got second. He
always got last bread in the bread line. He always got the attention
of all the girls, even if he never did anything about it. Finally, I got
so fed up I challenged him to a fight! He tried to make out like it
was a joke, so I tried to show him I was serious by giving him a
kick to the gut. He crippled me!"
The old man observed Ryoga carefully. His right leg did
seem to be working a bit less well than the rest of him. However,
since the rest of Ryoga was working about ten times better than the
average person..... "You don't seem too crippled to me."
Ryoga scowled. "Not for ordinary things, no. But I'm still
ruined! With this leg, I'll never be a top athlete, never be able to
explore the highest levels of the Art. Saotome ruined me! He
should have dodged or something. Oh, he went on about how
sorry he was. Stopped competing in sports, started wearing glasses
and pretending to be weak. He didn't fool me, though. I know he's
still a superman underneath that new 'wimp' disguise. That's why,
when he wouldn't answer my challenge for a fight, I followed him
here to China.
That's how I got this stupid pig curse! I was on a trail
over this valley when a screaming flying girl comes out of nowhere,
yelling about something. I get knocked in the springs and well, you
seem to know about the curses."
"Just out of curiosity," the old man asked. "What were
you going to do to this Ranma Saotome when you found him. If he
is as you say, a superman, you can't hope to fight him, and he's
already offered you an apology."
Ryoga's face twisted up and he looked as though he were
about to cry again. "I DON'T KNOW! I just had to do
something."
The old man seemed to be considering something very
carefully. After a moment he reached a decision. "Young man, I
believe I can help you."
"What? How? Who are you anyway/"
"My name is Shazam, and I am a wizard. I have been
examining you very closely, more closely than you might believe
possible. I am going to give you the power to equal your rival. I
do this in spite of your hatred and cries of vengeance, not because
of them. I can see that in your heart you are a kind and caring
young man, even if your anger does occasionally lead you astray.
Besides, if two beings of such power are to roam the earth, it is
only right that they counterbalance each other, keeping each other
in line as it were."
Shazam paused for a few seconds to let this sink in, then
continued. "I am going to give you the ability to call down a
mystical lightening bolt. Doing so will transform you into a marvel,
a being equal in power to your Ranma Saotome, and believe me
you have no idea just how powerful Ranma is. You will have the
strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the
invulnerability of Achilles, the speed of Mercury, and first not last,
the most important of all, the wisdom of Solomon to wield these
powers justly. To transform back to your mortal guise, merely
summon the lightening again."
Ryoga gulped, then asked. "How do I call down the
lightening?"
"Merely speak my name, SHAZAM!"
Ryoga licked his lips once or twice, then went for it.
"Shazam."
A bolt of pure white energy sizzled into Ryoga.
Transformed, he looked much the same as he had moments before,
save perhaps a little older and bulkier. He was dressed in a red
body suit with a stylized lighting bolt on front. A belt of golden
cloth was tied around his waist, and yellow boots adorned his feet.
Behind his back swung a short white cape. Yet despite all the
changes, he still wore his bandanna.
Truthfully, the clothes made Ryoga feel a bit foolish. He
hoped he could get better control over the transformation later.
Still, he didn't forget his manners. "Thanks Sha-, er, Wizard!" It
was about right then that he noticed Shazam had also seemingly
disappeared. Scratching his head, Ryoga decided Shazam would
most definitely turn up again in his own good time.
Suddenly Ryoga gasped as the Wisdom of Solomon began
telling him things. "I just realized, Ranma was the girl who
knocked me in. He must have fallen in the Spring of drowned girl
and gotten so excited, he was flying at random. Whoa, I also
realize he isn't really to blame for my troubles. Even the curse was
an accident, and kicking him was my own stupid fault. Too bad I
won't feel this way when I transform back and the Wisdom is gone.
I guess I'll just have to become wiser as Ryoga the old fashioned
way. Hmmm. It would still be a good idea to track down Ranma
and talk to him. I remember he said his mother lives in a district of
Tokyo. That's probably the best place to start searching. Hmm. I
wonder if getting powers makes you talk to yourself?" Shrugging
at this last point in his external dialogue, Ryoga flew into the sky,
his newly acquired wisdom guiding him in approximately the
correct direction for Tokyo.
*******
The dark-haired girl flew through the air with a panda in
her arms and an enormous pack strapped to her back. As they flew,
she continued to berate the bear. "Just as long as you understand,
I'm only going to this Tendo place because that's where Mom is.
I'm not interested in any drunken engagement promises you made
with Mr. Tendo. Are we clear on this?"
The panda attempted to hold up a sign, but it was blown
away by the wind of their passage. The girl gave it a stern look.
"I'm going to assume that was a yes."
Landing in front of the dojo, which was unusually near the
harbor, she put down the bear and pushed her hair back. "Here we
go."
Unknown to Ranma, a rather bedraggled cat was flying
through the air, still attempting to locate his trail. Shampoo had
picked up on the flying man as he left China and decided to follow.
Just before they reached Tokyo, a sudden rainstorm had caused her
to lose track. Still, she was pretty sure the flying man was headed
for Tokyo. She could pick up the trail from there.
End Prologue.
Author's notes: In case you didn't get it, I was trying to meld the
Ranma cast with members of the Justice League of America,
published by DC comics.
Ranma= Superman
Ranko= Flash
Kuno= Green Lantern
Akane= Green Arrow
Mousse= Batman
Dr. Tofu= Martian Manhunter
Shampoo= Wonder Woman (amazon princess=amazon princess)
Ryoga= Captain Marvel
Ukyou= Aquaman
I know some may be disappointed not to see Green Spatula, but I
think Aquaman worked better for Ukyou here. Besides, it's much
cooler with arrows.
The problem is, I'm not sure where to go from here. Who should I
have them fight? How should I develop the relationships?
Assuming Ranko is gay (and you can), should I pair her with
Nabiki, Shampoo, another female character, or leave her to her
girlfriend Linda Park?
Please don't yell at me for altering DC stuff to better fit what I
want. I don't care if 'normal' Superman can breath water or not.
I repeat, I need ideas!
