Reluctant Bet:
Segment 10
"A pokemon named Ed"
Ranma Saotome, Ranko Saotome, Genma Saotome, Nodoka Saotome,
Akane Tendo, Soun Tendo, Kasumi Tendo, Nabiki Tendo, Ukyo
(Spatgirl) Kuonji, Ryoga (P-Chan) Hibiki, Shampoo, Mousse,
Tatewaki (Blue Thunder) Kuno, Kodachi (Black Rose) Kuno, Dr
Tofu Ono, Happosai, and Hinako (Vampira) Ninnomiya are
copyright by Rumiko Takahashi.
Pikachu, Magmarashi, pokemon, pokeball, Ponyta, Squirtle,
Charmander, Lizardon/Charizard, General Havok, Bulbasaur,
Sandshrew, Vulpix, Machop, Eevee and Team Rocket are
copyright Nintendo.
Kiyone, Mihoshi, Tenchi Masaki, Sasami (Pretty Sammi)
Jurai-ou, Washu, Seiryuu, Ayeka (Call Me Princess) Jurai-ou,
Tsunami, and Ryoko are copyright Pioneer.
Urd, Belldandy, Keiichi Morisato, Skuld, Yggdrasil Network,
Goddess Relief Office, Earth Assistance Hotline, Marller,
Senbei, Telecommuting Goddesses, and Megumi Morisato are
copyright Kosuke Fujishima.
Grey, the Rival Relief Office, the Barely Adequate Force,
The Knights Of The True Probability Matrix, Toltiir,
Pandimensional Express, the Quest For The Ultimate Peanut
Butter Sandwich, are copyright Shigatsu Bakano.
---------------------
Target Timeline:
"Oh come now, I'm not here to punish you, Genma Saotome.
YET." The goddess looked a bit uncomfortable at Genma's
wailing and the way Soun was cringing.
Genma stopped grovelling but remained in the Crouch Of The
Wild Tiger. Just in case.
"And WHO are YOU supposed to be?" Nabiki was trying to
remain cool and aloof but suspected the woman's identity and
was trying to avoid joining Genma in his endeavor.
"Who am *I*, Nabiki Tendo? I am... 'Ranma's' new fiancee,
per a little agreement with Nodoka Saotome."
Shampoo frowned, not understanding. She understood
SOMETHING about this woman frightened Ukyo and Nabiki, and
therefore there was a danger here. Drawing weapons, she
prepared a fight. "You engaged to little brother? Shampoo
challenge you! Only fit warrior marry!"
"Okay." The woman held up a hand, pointing the palm at
Shampoo. Gold flames shot across the room at the Amazon.
Shan leapt in front, blocking the blast, but was knocked
back into Shampoo and then through the wall.
"HEY! This is MY room!" Ukyo drew her spatula. She didn't
care WHO it was, this was her home.
The goddess raised an eyebrow. "Kuonji-san. With the
Disarmament, your ancestors put aside the sword and bow for
the spatula. As their samurai clan was impoverished, they
had to support themselves through skills other than
warcraft. Remember, Kuonji-san, remember the pledge of your
ancestors."
Ukyo blinked and seemed to sag. "You know? Then you ARE..."
"Amaterasu Omikami," agreed the goddess. "Sorry about the
mess."
-------------
Shan hit the ground hard and shuddered a couple of times.
"Technique: Solar Bomb. Acquisition Complete."
Shampoo merely groaned.
Shan picked herself up, estimating current power level at
less than 75%. Insufficient for direct confrontation. That
no combat was occurring in the room on the second floor
indicated the possibility that there was no need for such
measures.
She hoped so. She wanted to be in better shape before she
had to acquire any other techniques.
--------------
A Pokemon World:
"So where's our client?" Kiyone held herself as if she was
ready for a gang of hardened criminal space scum to show up
and start shooting up the place. In fact, she would have
*preferred* that to happen, as it was much more familiar
ground. Keeping an eye out for living plush toys with
elemental powers was not what she had envisaged on joining
the RRO.
"Three hundred yards ahead." Grey walked and tried to study
the display on his Rival Relief Office laptop. "Something is
odd about this entry. We're supposed to help someone named
Ed, but there's indication a Wish was used by him
previously. Normally more than one Wish is prohibited except
under special circumstances."
"Do tell." Kiyone was a bit distracted but this was more
information, and you could never tell what bits the cyborg
revealed would come in handy.
Sasami merely laughed while Magmarashi snickered.
"Yeah, Wishes are a PAIN. A lot of timelines get spun off
by a Wish. If you had one and made a Wish for say, a world
without Mihoshi, you might end up teleported to that Earth
we were on that had the poisonous atmosphere. i visited one
world where some guy had gotten a Wish and had sung along
with the lyrics of 'California Girls' and stated the desire
that 'I wish they all could be California Girls.' That had
been bad."
Kiyone shuddered slightly at the thought of a whole world
that looked like Mihoshi.
"Piiika?"
Grey looked at the plump yellow rodent in the clearing,
then down at the display, then back at the rodent. "THAT is
our client?"
"Chu?!" The pikachu went from looking for a way out to
openly staring at Sasami and Kiyone.
"Well, i can't speak Pokemon, so THAT is a bit of a
wrinkle." Grey started considering the problem and deciding
how to overcome this.
Kiyone tried sign language briefly, then a few other
languages she knew.
"Let's try this. Kiyone, i got you that carrisack and
Sasami's backpack off the shelves. See if there's anything
marked as a translator. The badge here only works for
dominant human languages, and even then is kinda haphazard."
"Nothing here."
"I don't have anything like that either," said Sasami a
moment later. "Just this."
"Don't wave magic wands around, Sasami. It's not polite."
"Oh my." She had merely thought it was something out of a
Sailor Moon playset.
The pikachu flinched as well.
"How can they understand human language but not speak it?"
Kiyone kept an eye out for any other pokemon. After all,
they were an advantage to grab in a business where the
agents were seriously underpowered compared to the other
agencies and frequent missions.
"Some can, there's a talking meowth on a mainline. It's
difficult and they have to teach themselves due to their
mouth configuration being different."
"Ichu?" The pikachu scrunched up his face. "Ikka. Ii?"
"Ya can't do it THAT quick, fella." Grey gave him or her
points for trying.
"Ichu!" The pikachu hopped over and grabbed a stick,
scratching two letters into the dirt.
"ed? As in education?" Grey watched the pikachu facefault.
"Oh. Your NAME is Ed?"
"Pika pi!" The pikachu ran up to Kiyone, noting that Sasami
already had a pokemon. "Piii pika pi!"
"You want to be MY pokemon?" Kiyone got a little misty eyed
but quickly dismissed it.
"Pikachu!" Ed solemnly nodded.
"Great, the mission was a level four intervention, which is
a physical danger. Getting you out of the environment ought
to do that. We just have one thing i need to do first."
"Pika?"
"What's that?" Kiyone held a hand out and let the pikachu
scramble up to her shoulder.
"Get a replacement pokemon, and THAT looks like a good
one."
------------------
Morisato Household:
Urd sprinkled powder into the circle, the magic guiding it
into the correct pattern. All three Urds nodded as the last
sparkling mote moved into place.
"Are you sure about this?" Belldandy looked askance at the
Circle. It wasn't an Ultimate Circle Of Warding, merely a
Mediocre Circle Of Conjuration. As Urd had said, it was
appropriate and was sure to get the attention of Tyr (God Of
Justice) and placate Bruno (God of Irony). Mainly because
their assistance would strengthen the spell enormously.
"The bloodbond was done in a marriage ceremony, Bell. They
violated an oath, a sacred promise, and Grey had TOLD them
he was contacting rescue. If they hadn't planned on
abandoning him from the first, they would have gravitated to
him despite the dimensional influence. And look in that
scrying glass. Only one of them has any regrets about how it
turned out and the others are convincing her that it was all
for the best."
Belldandy winced. Promises were something she valued
highly, but this...
The three Urds began weaving their fingers through the
smoke rising from the Circle.
"Let the weave between these five,
Strengthen, tighten, come alive.
Four who sought their oath to cheat,
Shall find it's not an easy feat.
To punish oathbreakers, Tyr, I ask,
Help me in this simple task.
They who sought only to depart,
Love shall bind now will and heart."
Urd had worked this all out in advance, however she had a
habit of ad-libbing that had gotten her into trouble before.
Remembering that an Elder god had an interest in the boy
(though mainly as source of amusement), one of the Urds
blurted out something she hoped would put extra power into
the spell.
"Toltiir, cat of mischief, your assistance please
lend,
The girls who used him, hearts and minds now bend."
Belldandy's eyes bugged. There wasn't much that could do
it. This had. "Urd, NO!"
Of course, it was already too late.
---------------------
A Pokemon World:
"Prepare for trouble," said Tatewaki Kuno, brandishing a
pokeball.
"And this is double!" Kodachi announced, delicately
sniffing a black rose.
"To defend the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To become the icons of truth and love,"
"To conquer even the stars above!"
"Tatewaki!"
"Kodachi!"
"Team Kuno, striking with awesome might!"
"Surrender now or you'll see the light!"
"Uhm, lemmee guess, y'all are the badguys, right?" Lita
wasn't too sure about this odd world they found themselves
in but certain things seemed to fit into set patterns. These
somehow struck her as minion villains.
"Give us all your valuables," suggested Kodachi, "and maybe
we won't have to hurt you. MUCH."
"Starting with your pokemon!"
Lita stepped in front of her friends. "Well, even WITHOUT
our transformation pens, I think I can handle you two
without any problems."
"Ohhhh. I'm scared." Tatewaki chuckled and drew a short
rod. With a flick of a button on the side, he telescoped it
out and sent a crackling electric charge down its length.
"We don't HAVE any valuables," protested Mina, "just the
clothes on our backs."
"Then, I'm afraid we'll just have to find another way to
make a profit off of you!" Kodachi laughed as if at some
joke. "And now... ARBOK!"
"AAAAAAA!" The ex-Scouts came to a consensus of opinion
when confronted by an eight foot long cobra.
Lita thought she'd have to just do it. "JUPITER STAR
POWER!"
"MARS STAR POWER!" Rei had come to the same conclusion. Nor
was she alone.
"VENUS STAR POWER!"
"MERCURY STAR POWER!
"MAKE UP!"
The magic flared, but warped by the way the local universe
worked.
"Bul?! Bulbasaur?" The toad with a plant growing out of its
back was take-charge and confident. Deal with the personal
crisis later.
"Char?! CHARMANDER CHAR!" The lizard with a flaming tail
was also unhappy.
"MACHOP?!" This was not at all what she had planned.
"Ralll?!" The starfish-like creature was quite alarmed by
the whole thing.
"They turned into pokemon?!" Tatewaki was a little
dumbfounded.
Kodachi was quick to recover. "Arbok! Poison sting attack!"
Tatewaki threw a pokeball. "Drowzee! Hypnosis!" Then he
waded in among the disoriented pokemon and beat them down
with his stunstick. It didn't take long before all four
pokemon were laid out.
"Now we've got them," Kuno held up a set of pokeballs,
intent on the capture.
"MAGMARASHI!" A torrent of flame slammed into Drowzee
causing it to collapse with little whisps of smoke pouring
off of it.
"To strike at evil for truth and love," said Kiyone as
she stepped from the path into the clearing. They hadn't
seen much but HAD witnessed a rather brutal capturing of
several pokemon.
"Even to travel the stars above," Grey grinned and let his
pop-up weapon system activate. Blasting Kuno would be SO
therapeutic.
"To punish you all for being so mean!" Sasami had been
horrified. If Grey had been brutal in capturing Magmarashi,
these two were in need of serious punishment.
"We'll smash you flat and pop your spleen." Grey winced, it
was the best he could do.
"What?!" Sasami broke the mood with a questioning look up
at Grey.
"We'll rehearse this later," promised Grey. "Okay you two,
you really want to take us on?"
"ARBOK! Use your Screech attack!"
"PIIIKA CHUUUUUUU!" Ed decided he didn't want to be hit
with that and was curious about how much voltage he could
pump out in a single melee round. Apparently the answer was
considerable.
"Well," Grey said in the following silence, "i've heard
snake meat is fairly tasty."
"Well," Tatewaki said, "you may have defeated THOSE two,
but now I shall have to teach you a lesson. In pain."
Grey leapt across the intervening distance and punched out,
aiming for his opponent's mouth. He struck the Adam's apple
instead with predictable results. He then had to perform an
emergency measure to get air past the crushed windpipe.
Kiyone easily dispatched the other member of Team Kuno,
aided with a couple of static bolts from Ed.
Sasami looked around. "They're all hurt! We gotta do
something."
"Well, i was looking for a pokemon anyway." Grey got the
unused pokeballs out. "Looks like i'll have to use these
after all."
"Why do you have to catch them?" Kiyone wasn't
disapproving, merely curious.
"Cause carrying them without that is gonna be difficult.
Now they're keyed to me, but that's not a problem. As for
Team Rocket well, i can't stuff Kuno there into a ball but
he could use a hospital. i'll have to fly up, look for a
city, then get us all there." Grey pointed to the charred
arbok. "We'll get the Drowzee and Arbok for our trouble."
"Why did you want pokemon anyway? You said before you'd
prefer not to use them." Sasami watched as Grey sucked one
after the other of the fallen critters into pokeballs.
"Yeah, but we CAN use them and the attacks count as magic
for creatures that can only be hurt by magic. i'd PREFER Hoi
Hoi Capsules."
"'Hoi Hoi Capsules?' What are they?"
"When i first joined the Rival Relief Office, they were
used by a lot of the agents. Then it was decided they were
TOO useful and ended up confiscated by the Earth Assistance
Hotline and eventually passed on to the Valkyries. They're a
cylinder about the size and width of Kiyone's thumb. They
use transporter pattern technology, you push a button and
they transform back to their original form, usually a
vehicle of some kind. Then when you're done, you can
transform it back into a capsule. VERY handy."
Kiyone agreed that it DID sound like they would be handy,
and without the moral problems of sending animals into
fights.
------------------
Target Timeline:
Akane went to answer the front door and wondered where her
father and sisters were. She was pleasantly surprised by who
it was. "Doctor Tofu?!"
"Akane, it's been awhile. You look well."
Akane's smile dropped a notch as she considered why the
good doctor was likely at the doorstep. "I'm sorry but
Kasumi's not in right now."
"That's okay, Akane," said Doctor Tofu without so much as a
blink. "I'm here to see you!"
"ME?!" Akane could feel her heart begin to race. "But...
Doctor... I'm fine really."
"Akane, I know a demon has come to infest your home. You
alone have withstood his spells."
"A demon?" Akane thought about it. "Isn't Ranma a little
wimpy to be a demon?"
"No, Akane, consider how he's turned your family against
you. Consider the things he's done. He's a demon and a very
subtle and dangerous one."
Akane considered the possibility. After all, if you
couldn't trust Doctor Tofu...
"I have something for you, Akane." Doctor Tofu presented a
mallet to Akane. "This is a Demon Thwacker Mallet. If you
strike Ranma in the head with this, it will drive the demon
from the real Ranma's body."
Akane accepted the heavy mallet and noted the spirit wards
inscribed into one of the business ends. "Wow. I had no idea
you were into this sort of thing, Doctor!"
"Years of experience, Akane-chan. I can't use it myself, as
the demon would be put on guard by my presence. YOU on the
other hand..."
"This will stop him," Akane hefted the mallet, feeling a
comfort in its weight.
"Yes, Akane. With one blow you can end his threat to your
family forever."
-------------------
On noting that Amaterasu had brought a package "TO: Grey,
FROM: Edema" it was natural of Shampoo to want to open her
"brother's" mail. Likewise, considering that the last time
they'd seen Edema she had just introduced them to her
mother, the Tendo girls were QUITE interested in seeing this
themselves.
Besides, everyone needed some time to mentally digest the
shocks they'd been getting lately.
"More tapes?" Nabiki was a little disappointed that it
wasn't magical items of some kind. Or gold. Or something
else valuable and useful.
"Let's see," said Kasumi as she went through the cardboard
sleeves. "'Mirrors Multiplied:Second Season tape 1:
Armageddon Again', 'Fighting Blind: OAV 1', 'PB 10:Cosmo
Knight's Blues', 'Long & Winding Road miniseries', 'Study In
Scarlet', 'A Little Motherly Love'... Odd, look how
different I am in these series..."
"Kasumi wearing Shampoo's dress on this cover," Shampoo
pointed to one of the boxes. "She wear wedding dress on this
one, is not on these two covers at all, and what this mean
with red string hanging from finger on this one?"
"It's 'akai ito' - the red thread of fate that binds those
who are fated to be lovers, and it's been cut short." Nabiki
studied the Fighting Blind cassette box briefly. "From her
expression, I'd say she did it and regrets it..."
--------------
A Pokemon World:
"Why don't you let them out?" Sasami watched as Grey first
shrunk the pokeballs and then put them into his carrisack.
"They've been healed but they need additional rest.
Besides, there's a bigger chance of seperation."
"Oh," Sasami said and reached up to scratch Magmarashi
under the chin. "You stay close now!"
"Piika!" Ed agreed. No WAY did he want to be left behind in
THIS kind of world.
"Team Kuno will be behind bars for awhile." Kiyone waved
goodbye to Officer Jenny. Her younger sister, Cadet Jenny,
watched carefully.
"Then it's time for this." Grey took the rod out and pushed
the button.
The air seperated, the dusk of Chameleon City meeting the
early morning of somewhere else briefly before the gate
passed over the small group.
Plus a certain Cadet Jenny who had darted forward as the
transport began.
----------------
Morisato Residence:
There was the unmistakable crack-vumm-zaatt noise
associated with someone opening a Type III Dimensional
portal. Standard for a spell called Worldgate and certain
types of D-hoppers.
Jared Saotome, the Phoenix Mage, stepped forward with a
swirl of cloak and an aura of depression worthy of Ryoga
Hibiki at his darkest. "Hello?!"
Keiichi took one look and decided that this HAD to be one
of Urd's friends. "Uhm, hello. Urd's really busy right now
and we're having kind of a crisis."
"That's okay. Actually, I'm looking for Grey."
"He's not here, err, you're not here to kill him are you?"
"No. Keiichi, isn't it? Gee, howcome you never wished to be
taller..."
"HEY!" Keiichi winced. He didn't like short jokes.
"Sorry. Is..." Jared's eyes widened slightly as he looked
past the short man to where Belldandy was looking out the
kitchen window. And the sliding door. And from the garden.
"Excuse me, Keiichi. Is there any place I can have a quick
lie down? I'm not feeling too well. I have a feeling recent
events are getting to me."
-----------------
A Fusion Reality:
The city was largely ruined, with craters and shattered
buildings as if a war had been fought and lost here. Empty,
deserted. For the moment.
CRACKLE-VUMMM-ZOT!
"Sounds like it needs a tune up," remarked Grey. "Okay,
Sasami, keep an eye out. Kiyone, you too... OK, who's the
kid?"
"I am NOT a kid!" Cadet Jenny frowned. "I'm sixteen!"
"You're a kid. What are you doing here?" Grey sighed and
started adjusting his D-hopper again.
"She's a cop!" Jenny pointed at Kiyone. "And if there's
some police agency around here that doesn't have a Jenny on
it, then it's MINE!"
"Yeeesh," summed up Grey's reaction. "Just what we need -
some little police otaku."
Kiyone frowned and took a pair of electronic binoculars out
of her pack. "What the hey?"
Grey flipped his RRO laptop open. "Let's see. Looks like
one of the... uh oh."
"When you say 'uh oh' I begin to get worried," remarked
Kiyone, still looking through her binoculars. "Why are there
people flying about in this world like Ryoko?"
"This is the Sailorjin timeline. That means we're stuck
here for four hours while the dimensional barriers
stabilize." Grey groaned. "Might as well let your pokemon
out."
There was a series of flashes as he released his recently
acquired pokemon.
"What's a 'Sailorjin'?" Jenny asked, fingering a pokeball
on her belt, but deciding not to let Haunter out just now.
"This is what they call a fusion timeline. Where two very
different timelines spun off a mainline and fused." Grey
sighed and eyed the buildings but allowed as they wouldn't
be much help. "In this reality a race of talented if
generally unimaginative warriors known as the Sailorjin were
largely destroyed by a world conquering villain. One capsule
crashed on this world, where the girl was named Son Usagi
and raised by a martial arts master named Gohan. This girl
was clumsy but possessed of enormous talent and strength and
went on to become a great hero protecting Earth from the
very menaces that largely destroyed her race.
"Her friendliness and innocence have recruited a number of
villains to her side, including a few members of her
original race. If you're familiar with the English version,
these would be: Lita, Mina, Amy, Rei, Susan, Michelle, and
Hillary. Or something like that. If you're familiar with the
subtitled: Makoto, Minako, Ami, Rei, Setsuna, Michiru, and
Haruka."
"CHAR CHAR!"
"Yuuuu!"
"MACHOP!"
"BUL! BULBASAUR!"
"Quiet, please. i don't speak pokemon. Where was i?"
"Sounds like 'Sailor Moon' mixed with 'Dragonball'," said
Sasami, idly scratching Magmarashi's head.
"Exactly." Grey nodded. "And in a 'Sailor Moon' universe
they may be reading comics about Tenchi. It's one of those
weird things about alternate timelines. I..."
Kiyone looked at what Grey was staring at. One of his
pokemon was holding a short cylinder over its head and
trying to say something. Then the starfish shaped thing
seemed to be making crying noises.
"Amy?" The cyborg's voice was soft. "Is that you?"
"Yuuuu," the starfish agreed, slumping.
"Pika pi!" Ed brought his magic slate and scriber out.
"Pika!"
The chatter of pokemon continued, mainly between the
charmander and the pikachu. Finally Ed decided he had most
of the story and started writing it out on the slate.
"That shouldn't have worked like that," said Grey after
reading the message. "Look, you tried to tap into elemental
forces in a world where ONLY pokemon can tap into those
forces. What should have happened was that you'd have been
unable to transform. NOT that you'd transform into pokemon."
"Pika pi!" Ed lifted the clear plastic to erase everything,
then scribbled something else out.
"Yeah, actually." Grey sat back. "Okay, the solutions i see
are:
"One, i get the bottles of Jusenkyo water out and give you a
human cursed form. Problems, there are a lot of ways curses
can get scrambled or worsened particularly during
dimensional travel. Otherwise i would have offered Ed a
splash before now."
"Pikkaaa," Ed sounded tempted nonetheless.
"Two, we can try finding you an alternate energy source
that will override the current one. The pokemon are
essentially elemental beings or spirits, at least as far as
the home office classifies such things, and they tap into
specific energies for things like Staryu's Water Gun attack.
With the right manna pool, that would allow for a more human
shape. Faerie or something similar would be your best bets."
"Char?"
"i'll guess you're asking the downside. If Faerie is used,
you would become as one of the Faerie races. Human looking
and with something vaguely like your Sen-- Scout powers but
leaving you vulnerable to things that could hurt Faerie
beings - unable to cross a line of salt, things like that.
Any other source would likewise have drawbacks."
"Chop?"
"Then there's blending." Grey looked up to the point that
Kiyone was still watching. "One of the dangers of meeting
yourself is that when two versions of the same person meet,
things can get crazy. Sometimes nothing happens, sometimes
the two versions merge into one being, sometimes they cancel
out like two soap bubbles meeting in midair."
"Saur?!"
"Pika Pi!" Ed held up a sign asking what kind of Jusenkyo
water the cyborg was carrying.
Metal flasks were held up, one after the other. "Man water,
Girl water, Bishojo Bride water, whatever that spring that
was created when *i* died in it, priest water, twin water.
Concentrated form, of course."
"Chu be-chu piika." Ed concentrated and tried to SAY
something in English despite the odd mouth parts.
"Use the magic slate, Ed. It's why i bought it." Grey read
while the pikachu scribbled. "Yeah, i think that's the best
bet too."
"Oh my." Kiyone stopped watching the fight to scan activity
on the ground. "Grey, what does THIS mean?"
Grey used his bionic eyes to accomplish the same thing as
Kiyone's binoculars. "Another option to return these pokemon
to human form."
-------------
Eros carefully lined up his shot. This was too good a
chance to miss. There was that one girl, not doing anything
in particular. All he had to do was line it up and as soon
as she turned...
"HEY THERE!" Ishtar popped in behind Eros.
Eros blinked, disbelievingly as once again his arrow shot
someone OTHER than he was aiming at.
He quickly sent a "Love Spell Negation" arrow along the
path of the first, then nocked and sent *three* arrows
towards his intended target. Surely one would hit the RIGHT
target.
Ishtar merely smirked as the "Most Compatible List" Eros
was trying to use was actually a fake that she had made to
skunk Eros' chances of pulling this off. This was war, after
all.
----------------
Son Usagi stood there in her "Kamesennin" red-and-black gym
outfit. That she was standing in midair 1,000 ft above the
city streets was of absolutely no surprise to anyone. She
panted slightly, watching her opponent for any move. "Not
bad, Hotaru. Not bad."
Hotaru Saturn sneered at the older girl. "You're not so bad
yourself for someone with a power rating of 12,000. But now
it's time for the kid gloves to come off."
"But then you'll mess up your manicure."
If Hotaru had NOT been floating in midair at 1,000 feet,
she might have damaged herself from the facefault.
"Nice try, Son Usagi. You won't win THAT easily! And don't
think you can sneak up on ME, Mercury! Your speed attacks
are no match for my Devastation Blast."
Ami started then realized strong arms had grabbed HER from
behind now.
"Heh, child. Now I can get you back for that little scuffle
we had before." Haruka Uranus gloated over the helpless
Scientist caste. "You like striking from behind so much,
I... WHO DARES?!"
Uranus roared turning to find out who had managed to
penetrate her ki shields with a PROJECTILE WEAPON!
Her eyes fell upon the three figures below, particularly
one of those figures who seemed to be the warrior of the
group as he was moving flying above the other two in a guard
formation.
Her aura burst into flames and the Warrior shot across the
intervening distance, not noticing another arrow missing her
and slamming into Saturn.
Usagi and Saturn both tried to see what Uranus was looking
at. Then they also ignited their auras and shot across the
intervening space at high velocities.
----------------
Seeing three comets about to hit, Grey decided it was about
time for last words. "Sasami, Kiyone, i'll try to hold them
off but you've only got seconds to act. HURRY!"
A torpedo with short blonde hair impacted his forcefield
and the two travelled through another building, followed
quickly by two more torpedoes. A third, much slower one,
approached more cautiously.
-----------------
Tatewaki Kuno snickered and brought another of the spheres
over. His ninja servitor Sasuke Sakugakure and soldier Bali
Hai were standing nearby to make sure that his twisted
sister didn't show up and make another useless Wish.
No, he had the dragonballs now, and now it was HIS turn. As
in all the dreams and running through this scenario in his
head, NOW he could make his dreams come true. "I summon you,
SHEN LONG!"
The golden lightning flashed from the seven spheres to the
rapidly forming clouds. The clouds then pierced by an
enormous serpentine shape. "By ancient pact, the orbs have
been used to summon me. Speak your Wish and let me depart
once again."
Tatewaki froze. He HAD repeated this scenario over and over
in his mind. The problem was that each time, he'd spoken a
different Wish. Should he wish that he was the beloved ruler
of the world? Should he wish that the lovely Akari would
stop with the pig obsession and concentrate her affections
on the Blue Thunder King himself? Should he wish that his
deranged sister was his loyal and sane servant? Should he
wish that the beauteous Azusa Shiratori get a clue or was
that even beyond Shen Long's power?
Finally Tatewaki had it. Maybe because there were four
figures visible flying towards him at high speed, apparently
having decided to break off their personal squabbles with
evidence that their stash of dragonballs had been plundered.
He would wish that he was an all-powerful Dark Sorcerer that
could transmute them all into monkeys. "I wish..."
"RRRRAAAAAAGHHHHHH!" Shen Long emitted a roar. "Oh, sorry,
I ate too fast earlier. What were you saying?"
"I said, O Great Shen Long, that I, Tatewaki Kuno, the King
of Kunoia, the Blue Thunder King, the Magnificent Person who
stands before you..."
"Ouch. I wish I could fly and do all that other stuff like
those Z Warriors. Then I wouldn't have to worry about..."
Sasami stopped holding her foot as she realized what she was
saying and that everyone was looking at her. "Uh oh."
"GRANTED!" Shen Long roared again. "For one year the orbs
will be inactive. The ancient pact withheld. Farewell!"
"Noooooooooooo!" Tatewaki was less than pleased with this
development.
Sasami blinked as she glowed briefly. "Wow!"
========================
Bizarre ideas i wanted to throw out that could easily go
into a more serious fic:
this chapter:
Sailorjin, a fusion concept between Dragonball Z and Sailor
Moon.
A Pikachu named Ed comes from Ed Becerra
Team Kuno. Kodachi and Tatewaki as an ersatz Team Rocket.
They seem to fit, don't they?
The idea of Officer Jennies that don't have a police
department they can join due to there already being an
Officer Jenny present.
A version of Sasami that does not turn into Pretty Sammi.
Hmmm. Think the "Super Sailorjin" version might be Tsunami?
prologue:
the workings and importance of the Rival Relief Office for
those who want to use the concept of a seriously
underpowered and not always competent celestial agency.
the "what if the Cat Fist had come out during THAT scene in
Ranma 1/2"
the concept of the three meddling empowered newly appointed
deities supplied from someone else but they make great
well-intentioned protaganists, don't they? Going from
Reality to Reality to make them canon... "You're OOC, in the
name of the Canon, I'll punish you!"
segment one:
The idea that Kasumi wasn't so much revolted by Ranma's
curse as put off by his immaturity and lack of politeness.
In the typical Ranma SI, they are either working to get
Akane & Ranma together, or they're trying to get Akane
themselves. Can't recall seeing one where the SI wanted to
beat the snot out of Akane and Genma just on general
principles.
What would have happened if Ranma had defeated Shampoo, then
saved her?
Sierra Club members running around pointing out that you
can't kill a panda, they're endangered.
The idea that Genma might view divine intervention to save
his son once, and then react by upping the training
insanity.
segment two:
Ryoga not getting dunked in the Pig Pond, and living happily
ever after.
Shampoo & Ponyta. Somehow this works on a visual level.
A world where even the gods tread lightly. Timeline
LR-111124.
The Universal Card, and the tendency for other, more
favored, agencies to confiscate items deemed too powerful or
useful to trust in the hands of the Rival Relief Office.
The pokeslave world.
Shan and Sakyo, marionette versions of Shampoo and Ukyo.
What happens to males who join the Goddess Relief Office.
The idea of an SI who is (in the words of Morgan Wright)
"not the frontline fighter."
An explanation of Toltiir's Binding.
The idea that various characters, understanding what their
canon roles were, might find them less than satisfactory.
segment three:
Someone who had gone through sufficient that Soun's
demonhead attack is less than effective.
If Genma were Head of Clan (it seems to be HIS opinion,
though Nodoka knowing of the Saotome family treasure seems
to indicate otherwise), is the Family Honor even salvageable
by the time Ranma arrives at the Tendo Dojo?
Timelines where the True Fiancee isn't quite as
confrontational. Earlier agreements made by Genma that would
therefore have the weight of such things behind them. In the
reference, Makoto Kino (Senior year of High School), Megumi
Morisato (Junior High), Nuku Nuku (Childhood friend), and
Deedlit (previous lifetime).
Akane actually connected with the stone lantern she hefted
in the manga.
Ranma actually using the Saotome Final Technique when it
could be useful.
What would the girls' reaction be to a phone call from their
Mom?
The concept of the Tendos getting screwed up the way they
are because Mrs Tendo died of something besides
fanfic-convention cancer. In this idea: Soun being absent
from the house when his family attacked has made him overly
protective and has thrown him on a major guilt trip. The two
older girls retreated partially from the world, while
Akane's reactions towards perverts and desire to hurt them
comes from the knowledge that a pervert killed her mother.
i'm not sure where this "perfect Ranma" concept came from
(the closest i can think of was in "Future Tense" and he
ended up alienating everyone) but in my SI, i'm honest about
it. If someone's getting in my face or being unfair, i can
get downright nasty. Particularly in person.
How people try to pigeonhole you, and then fit what they
perceive later into that framework. It isn't logical, it
merely IS.
The frequent charge of Akane-bashing. So in this segment:
Shampoo bashes Akane, Ponyta bashes Akane, Pepe Le Pew
chases Akane.
4th segment:
'Ranma' actually tries explaining things to people.
Alternative pokemon effects.
More Akane-bashing. Kasumi defeats Akane, Shampoo nearly
drowns Akane, Nabiki subdues Akane. Pepe Le Pew chases Akane
some more.
The bathroom scene.
Shampoo adopting Ranma as a brother.
Kasumi and Nabiki getting pokemon.
That in a house with a Squirtle, Genma and Soun, the
Squirtle has the most sense.
5th segment:
What would happen if the Tendo daughters MET their dead
mother?
Variable Jusenkyo curses.
Another reason Soun is emotionally unstable.
What if Mousse had won his grudge match against Ranma back
when Akane was trying to get Ranma to lose?
Hoi hoi capsules (Dragonball) - the preferred tools of
celestial agents!
Not only does no one bash Akane, but Akane doesn't bash
anyone!
6th segment:
Akane as a superhero and Keeper of Virtue doesn't
necessarily mean she's having a happier life.
The Dead Millenium. What *would* happen if the Senshi/Scouts
lost...
More on the concepts of what would be a fanfic in Reality,
is actually the anime/manga of another Reality. Just imagine
turning on your TV for the "Long & Winding Road" miniseries.
7th segment:
A take on Hephaestus and an idea for an Alterniverse where
Ranma pursues a very different art.
The Book Of Shojo. Something that caused the AD&D players to
react with more horror than if their characters had been
confronted with the Necronomicon.
A concept for Akane Tendo, the Yellow Rider, the lone hero
against insurmountable odds. Starting off with only her
sentai powers and not a stitch of equipment inside the enemy
stronghold. Sounds like the start of an epic adventure,
don't it?
NEXT:
The pokemon have proven useful, so you know what that means
as far as the RRO having them.
Kiyone gets a promotion, or does the dark shadow of her past
catch up with her?
Grey is caught between extremely powerful conflicting forces
and watching his resources dwindle rapidly.
With tapes like that, what would you watch first?
Kasumi gets to say something besides "Oh my" and Nabiki gets
emotional!
this is pretty massive for what was originally
conceived as an April Fool's joke, ain't it?
gregg
-----------------------------------------
"Geez, Soun, you are *such* a weenie sometimes."
Genma Saotome, "Featherbrite's Tale" ch 13.
metroanime@mindspring.com
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com/