(Yes, I forgot to mention which post number this was, I'm fixing that with
this repost)
This will be the last chapter of Pokeranma for a while. I want to get back to
the other fics I have going. I'm sure everyone's wondering about Amy's Secret
(I really need to rename that),tThe other Pokemon fic, and the others,
besides, I have a few other ideas I want to throw out. That, and I think my
grip on the Pokeranma chars is starting to slip and they're becoming OOC. So
I think I'm going to turn my creative efforts elsewhere for a bit.
Also, I plan to spend Thursday updating my website with all the chapters to
the fics that I've written recently as well as sprucing it up a bit. I'll
keep you posted and then you can catch up on any chapters you may have missed.
C&C welcome,
--Komodo
"Confound these ancestors.... They've stolen our best ideas!"
- Ben Jonson
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Keep/5268/
***********************
Kasumi was shocked. Of all the reasons for Ash and Brock to break their
promise, the announcement that there were no more Pokemon was the last thing
she expected to hear.
"What?" She asked quietly.
"There's no more Pokemon." Ash repeated, subconiously shying away from the
look in Kasumi's eyes.
"What?" She asked again. The look on her face was one that promised horrible
destruction.
"There's no more." Brock said, and then swallowed as she turned that gaze on
him.
"What do you mean, 'no more?'" Her voice was deathly quiet. Deciding to just
plunge ahead, Brock started talking.
"It all started three months ago. Pokemon of almost every type suddenly tore
their way out of their pokeballs and started migrating East. It started with
the weaker ones, but it soon progressed. Except for a scattered few, there
literally are no more Pokemon anywhere in the world." The look on her face
suggested he'd better have more. "There's only two constants." All the
Pokemon passed through the area where Ash saved Pikachu from those Spearrows,
and all went past Bill's lighthouse."
"Where were they headed?"
"Out to sea. Tenatacool and Tentacruel have been transporting the ones that
can't swim or fly."
"You said almost every type. What's left?"
"Ghost, Psychic, and Psyducks."
"Psyducks?"
"Professor Oak thinks that the constant headache is interfering with whatever
it is that's drawing them towards the ocean." Brock ran a hand through his
hair. "The League's in total chaos. A lot of gyms and Centers got heavily
damaged when the Pokemon clawed their way out. People got hurt."
"What's left?"
"Nobody's sure. Sabrina's shut down, Maiden's Point is barely talking and
nothing's been heard out of Mount Moonstone for a week. Its bad Misty, the
Pokemon aren't stopping for anything. The best we can get out of the Jennys
is that its war out there."
"Kasumi." She said absently.
"Huh?"
"My name's Kasumi. So why are you here instead of trying to solve the
mystery?"
"Cerulean City is the foremost experts on Water Pokemon. Everyone else is
busy but since you are a Gym Leader. . ."
"You decided to track me down." Kasumi finished. "I still don't see what that
has to do with me."
"One enterprising researcher managed to get a tracer on a Kabutos. It
vanished about six days out to sea. Professor Oak and Bill are organizing a
rescue mission to go out there and see what we can find."
"So what does this have to do with needing an expert?"
"Since they're all going out to sea, Oak and Bill think that a previously
unknown water type is behind it," he paused, "actually, remember when we
spent the night at Bill's?"
"Yeah. . ." She trailed off and her eyes widened. "You don't mean-?
"Yeah." Brock nodded. "Oak thinks it was that, whatever it was."
Kasumi frowned, the ramifications of what Brock was telling her were rapidly
painting a very ugly picture.
***********************
On the other side of the Kitchen door, Ranma, Akane, Nabiki and Ryouga, who
had literally just stepped out of the closet, had their ears pressed to the
door.
"How did you get here anyway?" Ranma asked Ryouga.
"I was in London, I mistook the closet for the front door, when I stepped
out, I'm here." He glared at the wood of the door, "And then, while I'm in
the closet, they moved the door to another wall."
"Another wall?" Ranma asked dryly.
"Will you two keep it down?" Akane hissed, "we're trying to listen!"
***********************
Kasumi traced a finger along the grain of the wood as she mentally worked her
way through what she had just been told.
The world Ash and Brock came from was wholly dependent on Pokemon. Art,
Society, Economy, Culture, everything was based on Pokemon. It was like
someone had taken an ax to the supports of a bridge. If anymore of the
supports were cut, they were all in trouble.
Furthermore, the events Brock had described, suggested what her adopted
mother, Cerulean's top Pokemon researcher, had always feared.
There was a Pokemon king or queen out there somewhere and for some reason, it
had decided to call its subjects home. The one hole in that plan was that not
all the Pokemon had left. That suggested that the Pokemon were following a
beacon, but not all of them could hear it.
There was no choice though. As a Gym Leader, she was sworn to investigate
precisely this kind of mess. She would have to go. Besides, this was one
adventure she couldn't miss.
"Okay."
"What?"
"I said okay. I'll go back with you." She said and couldn't quite ignore the
increase in her pulse as Ash smiled happily.
***********************
"I approve." Soun said simply. He, Ash, Brock, and Kasumi were sitting in his
office where they had just gone back over the whole thing again. "However, I
must make one change to your plan."
"Father?"
"I want you to take Ranma with you."
"Ranma?"
"Ranma. It will be good for him."
"Father, please understand. What we're doing is dangerous. We don't have time
to teach him-"
"I have spoken." Soun said quietly, cutting her off in mid sentence. "If you
don't take him, I will not give you my blessing."
"Yes Father." Kasumi said, bowing her head.
"Good. Now when will you leave?"
"Tomorrow." Ash said.
"Three weeks." Kasumi said.
"But-"
"The portal between the hill and that old laboratory opens for twelve hours
once per month. According to my math, we have a little less then twenty-five
days before it opens and I have things that need doing before I can go
anyway."
"How did you know that?"
"I spent some time exploring the lab. I found the apartment of the head
scientist. According to his journal, they had locked the machinery to open a
portal between the two worlds to switch on once per month for twelve hours."
She gave them an embarrassed smile. "I knew I could go home anytime and the
Pokemon were so fascinating. . ." She trailed off and looked at her father.
He understood, she realized, and that realization forced her to reevaluate
her father. Her father had always seemed overemotional, prone to burst out in
tears at the slightest provocation. It didn't make her love him any less, but
now she realized that there was more to Soun Tendo. She was starting to see
what her mother had seen.
"Twenty-Five Days." She repeated, putting a note of finality in her voice.
Ash might be some kind of Pokemon Prodigy, and Soun Tendo might have been her
father, but she ran both shows, and deep down, all of them knew it.
***********************
The days, surprisingly, passed quickly. Misty, Ash was still having trouble
thinking of her by any other name, passed it in seeming oblivion, spending
her time cooking and cleaning. She was happy.
"I don't get it."
"Get what?" Asked Ranma. The two boys were lounging on the front porch, each
had an apple and were enjoying the afternoon sun. Brock was inside talking
with Doctor Tofu, Akane was off with her friends, Soun and Genma were at the
bar, and for all Ranma knew, Nabiki was swindling the Chinese out of Hong
Kong. She certainly wasn't anywhere in the house.
"Mis-Kasumi." Ash said, gesturing at the object of their conversation who was
sweeping the sidewalk outside of the gate. "I mean, when I knew her, she was
nothing like that. Ask her to clean and she would have taken your head off."
"Their mother is dead." Ranma said quietly. "Before she died, she taught
Kasumi to take care of the family. She's the mother, sister, friend,
everything. From what I understand, she gave up her entire life to take care
of Nabiki and Akane. This place would fall apart without her."
"No wonder she didn't want us to follow her." Ash said quietly. "By showing
up, we've turned her life upside down."
"Don't worry about it man." Ranma said. "She knows what she's doing."
***********************
The day finally came. Ash, Ranma and Brock stood at the base of the hill.
Since Kasumi couldn't be sure exactly when the portal would open, they had
all arrived early.
A small crowd, made up of well wishers, Ranma's fiancee's, and friends had
shown up. Off to one side, Kasumi and Tofu were talking, about what was
anybody's guess.
Standing with Ash, Brock, and Ranma was Ryouga. Periodically, Ranma would
pitch a rock up the hill to see if the portal was open yet. So far, nothing.
"Maybe we missed it." Ash fretted. "What if her math was wrong?"
"Then you wait till next month." Ranma said, scooping up another rock.
"We don't have until next month!" Ash exclaimed. They had been given only two
months before Oak and Bill were to leave and more then half that was gone
already.
"Then her math was right." Ranma shrugged and pitched the rock up the hill.
This time, they were rewarded by the bright flash of light and the
thunderclap.
"Alright!" Ash cheered as he scooped up his backpack. A violent shoving match
erupted between Kodachi, Shampoo, and Ukyou as all three had presents of food
for Ranma.
Then, the four travelers gathered just shy of the hilltop for a quick
conference.
As they talked, Akane nervously played with her sweater. She still had yet to
sort out her feelings for Ranma and now he was taking off to some unknown
world where she might never see him again.
"Here." Ukyou said, handing her a backpack not unlike Ryouga's.
"Ukyou?"
"Go after him." She said with a sad smile.
"I don't understand."
"We lost him to you a long time ago." Ukyou said. "The Amazon and the Lunatic
haven't figured that out yet."
"I-why?"
"Better you or me then them." Ukyou said, indicating where Shampoo and
Kodachi were trying to slip back through the crowd and look perfectly natural
doing it. "They stashed packs under that bush," Ukyou said with a vicious
grin. "Somehow, those packs got moved."
"Thanks." Akane said as she shouldered the pack.
>From atop the hillside, she heard the thunderclap of the portal.
"Just make him happy," Ukyou said with a smile. "That's all I ask."
Akane nodded.
"Count on it." She said, and the two clasped hands. Then Ukyou gave her a
lopsided grin.
"And invite me to the wedding."
"Just don't bring a toaster." Akane grinned back before sprinting up the
hill, not noticing the little black piglet in one of the pockets.
As the thunderclap rang out once more, Ukyou pulled out her giant spatula.
She and Akane were going to have to talk. Two years of rivalry were not so
easily put aside. But for now. . .
She grinned as Kodachi and Shampoo stalked towards her, pleasure before
bisnuess.
With a hearty battle cry, Ukyou Kujoni leapt into battle.