"No you can't!"
"Yes I can!"
"No you can't!"
"Yes I can!"
Toltiir then slammed his hand down on the table and said, "Oh will you two stop this!"
Both godlings, Red and Blue, quieted down after Toltiir's outburst and waited for him to compose himself. The god then said in a much calmer voice, "As I remember, you two wanted to play with the various timelines that have been rejected, closed out or just plain discontinued concerning one Ranma Saotome. Now you wanted to create a Bet of your own as to just how off the wall you can make his life."
"Yeah, but Red's not playing fair! He wants to do a crossover!"
"Nothing in the rules says I can't!" Red stuck his tongue out at his sibling. "Uncle Toltiir had lotsa crossovers in HIS bet."
Toltiir winced at the memories of some of the entries of his own Bet. The winner of the Bet, a timeline that Titania called Featherbrite's Tale was getting out of hand lately. Although he did like the timeline in itself, even he was getting a bit overwhelmed at its many twists and turns. This Bet had sparked off countless other repetitions among the pantheon. Now his two nephews wanted to get into the act, and Toltiir had the misfortune of agreeing to baby-sit them while his sister was out on vacation. Once they had come across the scrying well, there was no stopping them.
"I wanna make a change here!" Red chucked in a rock, which skipped across the surface a couple of times before sinking to the bottom. The ripples of the first impact interacted with the ripples of the second. As a result, two totally dissimilar realities became connected.
Oh no… not THAT UNIVERSE! ANYTHING BUT THAT UNIVERSE! It was bad enough when I had to take these two to go see the movie!
Introduction: Here we go again! Yet another crossover attempt between our favorite, sex-changing martial artist and another unlikely series. As always, the characters depicted in this story belongs to their respective owners. This story was the result of a temporary bout of insanity that I just had to write!
Italic: Thoughts
< >: Chinese language
Ranma's New Friend
"Stupid old man!" An attractive and well-built, red-haired girl had just finished pounding the living daylights out of a huge panda. A portly Chinese man dressed in the brown uniform of the Guides of Jusenkyo came running up behind him and lifted a kettle.
"Oh no get upset sir! Curse can be reversed with hot water!" The Guide poured some of the steamy liquid over her head. Instantly, the girl's body became less curved and more muscular as she became a he.
"Whew! I thought I was going to stay like that forever!" Ranma ran his hands over his chest and sighed in relief, as he didn't find any additional fullness in his torso.
"Oh so sorry sir! Cure is only temporary! Cold water will change into girl again! Hot water change back!"
"Is there any cure for this?"
"So sorry sir! Not know cure! No good to try and go into Naniichuan! Spring of Drowned Man! Once cursed by Jusenkyo, waters of other springs no work!"
Ranma's anger came back with a vengeance as he hauled up the battered body of his father. He shook the panda back to a conscious state as he screamed in his face. "You and your stupid ideas! You just had to drag me here, even though you don't know a word of Chinese! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
"Growf?"
That was all that Genma Saotome could say before he was severely pummeled and then launched into the air by way of an uppercut to the chin.
Ranma huffed as he watched his old man soar up into the stratosphere and then went to retrieve his backpack. He then stomped off while muttering, "To hell with him! I'm outta here!"
The cursed martial artist went off in a random direction, not caring where he was headed, just so long as it was a far away from Jusenkyo and his father. Ironically, he was heading toward a certain Amazon village…
Within the village of the Joketsuzoku, the matriarch known as Cologne was busy adding the final ingredients to a bubbling cauldron. The three hundred-year old Elder cackled as she drew a strange-looking amulet from her robes and held it over the potion. Behind her, the other matriarches watched with apprehension.
<"Are you certain that you should be doing this?"> Mascara asked.
<"Why not?"> Cologne replied as the smoke coming from the cauldron began to swirl around the amulet. <"It has been almost three hundred years since that treacherous Happosai had stolen our treasures! With this amulet, we shall at last be able to reclaim our lost magical talismans! This will be our only chance though! The planets are in perfect alignment and the amulet will reach full power within minutes after it is exposed to the vapors of the potion! It will then seek out the mystical energies contained within our treasures and bring them to us, wherever they may be! If Happosai is with them, then he shall be brought to us as well and we shall exact our long-awaited revenge! That in itself justifies the use of our last magical item, does it not?"
The Elders slowly nodded as they too had long-standing grudges against the perverted master of the Anything Goes Martial Arts.
In another reality, far beyond Ranma's home universe, another event of great importance was taking place. However, to some individuals, this was a recurring theme.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jesse!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"MEOWTH! THAT'S RIGHT!"
Ash Ketcham moaned, along with his traveling companions, Misty and Brock. They should have expected that Team Rocket would show up. After all, the Pokémon convention was displaying the latest in Pokémon-catching technology. Its crowning jewel was the most powerful Pokéball yet created. The Mega-Transporter Pokéball was the ultimate in retrieving lost Pokémon. It contained a new kind of recall device that could bring back any Pokémon from anywhere on Earth, no matter how far away. Lost Pokémon were now a thing of the past with this gadget. Of course, this little marvel was still in the experimental stage and hadn't been field tested yet. That didn't stop Team Rocket from trying to steal it however.
"Wheezing! Sludge Attack!" James yelled as he threw his Pokéball at Ash and his friends. The ball opened up and released the Pokémon, which looked liked a misshapen dumbbell.
"Wheeze!" Wheezing opened its mouths and spat out a huge amount of toxic sludge. Ash swerved to the right to avoid it while throwing out a Pokéball.
"Pigeotto! I choose you!"
The bird Pokémon exploded forth from the Pokéball as Jesse gave his Wheezing another command. "Give them your smog attack!"
"Wheezing!" The pollution Pokémon let loose with a huge cloud of the foul smelling gases.
"Pigeotto! Gust attack!"
Following Ash's command, Pigeotto began flapping its wings furiously, causing a gale wind to blow forth. The winds blew back the smog, right into James' face, causing him to cough uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Jesse was giving Misty and Brock some trouble. Right now she was directing her Arbok into spitting out its acid at Starmie and Geodude. Unfortunately for those present, the acid missed its targets and splashed onto the display case where the Mega-Transporter Pokéball was being held in a stasis field. The caustic substance caused the control panel to short out and the magnetic field that was keeping the energies of the device in check disappeared. As a result, the Pokéball began to glow and emit increasing levels of power.
"Look out!" One technician cried out. "The stasis field is down! The Mega-Transporter Pokéball is starting to go critical! Everyone out of the building now!"
The crowds of people began to panic as the energies contained within the device started to lash out. Whatever the energies hit was instantly vaporized. Team Rocket needed no persuasion to vacate the premises as their chance to steal the device was gone. Calling back their Pokémon, they began to hightail it. Of course, Ash just wouldn't let them leave without a going-away present.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!"
The large, electric rodent powered up its energies and let loose with a sizzling blast of electricity. Just as the lightning hit the fleeing villains, another errant blast from the Mega-Transporter Pokéball also zeroed in on them. The combined energies sent Team Rocket shooting off into the stratosphere.
"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" Meowth, Jesse and James were soon distant dots in the sky.
Ash and his friends were just barely able to evacuate the convention hall with the rest of the crowds. They soon came across a friend of theirs, who was busy talking into a cell phone.
"Is the building clear? I'm about to activate the safety measure!"
"Excuse me Professor Oak, but would you mind telling us just what's going on?"
The scientist looked over his shoulder and said, "Oh thank goodness you three got out of there!"
"We're okay Professor, but what about that?" The ten-year old pointed back toward the building. As of now, the energies were being released at random in a chaotic light show.
"We're just making sure that the entire building is clear before I use the self-destruct!"
"Self-destruct?"
"Yes. You see Ash, the Mega-Transporter Pokéball or MTP, is a miniaturized version of the transporter used by all Pokémon Centers. It's also the same device that connects your Pokédex to my lab! However, the circuits have been deemed as unstable and we had to keep it in a magnetic field until the bugs were worked out. Unfortunately, with the shielding down, the energies are now randomly transporting objects into other dimensions!"
"Other dimensions?"
"Yes, the way the transporter works is that it actually shunts materials into a separate reality called subspace and then travels through it to reappear into this dimension, an equivocal distance from its origin. However, with the stasis field gone, there's nothing to stop the MTP from building up power. You can see for yourself`! It's starting to transport larger objects with each blast!"
Ash and his friends nodded as they saw larger objects disappearing with each random energy bolt.
"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do this, but we'll have to destroy it! Once I'm sure that the building is empty, I'll send a transmission signal to the MTP and order it to turn its power on itself! There will be a massive implosion!" The cell phone beeped once and Professor Oak got the go ahead. Taking out a small device, he pressed the big red button.
The convention center was instantly destroyed as a massive blast of energy shot up like a geyser. A huge rift opened up in the sky above, sucking in the power. The stream of energy went on for a full minute, and then all became calm as the rift suddenly closed up.
Ash, Misty and Brock watched in silence as the hole in the sky disappeared. The crowds who had evacuated the now demolished building also watched in awe. When it was all over, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. There was nothing to worry about now.
In Ranma's universe, Cologne had just completed the spell that would activate the amulet and retrieve the lost treasures of the Amazons. The magical artifact glowed with an eerie light. Just as it was about to reach full power, a massive rift opened up in the skies above the village. A trickle of energy, similar to a small bolt of lightning blasted forth from the interdimensional tear and shot down toward the hut of Cologne. The energy tore through the roof and struck the amulet, causing a huge explosion. The Elders were just barely able to take cover as the amulet let loose a huge backlash of power. As most people know, magic doesn't mix very well with science and the energy released by the Mega-Transporter Pokéball corrupted the spell of the amulet. The result was an errant spell gone wrong.
The amulet's purpose was to seek out sources of magic and transport them from a distance. The MTP was designed to lock onto live organisms, specifically Pokémon, and transport them from a distance. The end product was a transport beam that would lock onto a magical, living being. And the nearest individual of that nature was a certain pigtailed martial artist who had just been cursed by Jusenkyo.
Ranma didn't even have time to scream as a bolt of power lashed out from the village and struck him. In an instant, Ranma was gone from his world and sent to another.
Ranma awoke sometime later, his head throbbing. He found himself lying on the ground in a clearing within a deep forest. As he slowly sat up, he began looking around to ascertain his whereabouts. He didn't recognize the woods he was in and saw that he was still in his white gi.
"Man! That was some blast! Where the heck am I?"
Not knowing that he had been transported to another dimension, Ranma assumed that he was still in his universe and thought that he was still in China. Remembering that he was now cursed to turn into a girl with cold water, the young martial artist's expression turned dark.
Stupid old man! He just had to find that training ground, even though he couldn't speak a word of Chinese! Now I'm half girl because of him! Question is what do I do now?
"PIIIIKAAAA!!!"
Ranma was startled by the high-pitched sound and turned in its direction. His eyes widened as he saw a strange-looking creature being chased by a flock of birds. When he focused in on the animal, he saw that it was about the size of a small dog and had yellow, rounded body. It had a jagged tail that resembled a lightning bolt and two orange stripes across its back. It had pointed ears and small circular designs on its cheeks.
"Pikachu! Pika!" Screamed the strange little creature as it was set upon by a horde of angry birds. The flock descended on the little one like a flock of vultures and began pecking at it. Upon seeing this, Ranma dropped his backpack and began running toward them, his own problems temporarily forgotten.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" Ranma picked up a stray branch and began swatting at them. He managed to knock off a few of the birds, but then they began pecking at him.
"Ouch! Why you… Ow! Cut it out! Ow!" Ranma dropped the branch and leaped back to get some more maneuvering room. The strange birds followed him, forgetting their intended victim to deal with their new adversary. Ranma vaulted over to where a low-hanging tree limb was nearby. Making a turn around the tree, he began bending the large branch back. As the birds dived at him, Ranma let the branch fly.
The limb snapped back like a rubber band, knocking the birds for a loop and sent them flying toward the injured creature Ranma had been trying to save. It was then that Ranma saw something that made his jaw drop.
The hurt Pikachu was mad, very mad. When it saw that flock of Spearows heading back toward it, it decided to give them the shock of their lives. Powering up its remaining stores of electrical energy, its cheek pouches crackled with sparks before letting loose with a Thunderbolt attack.
"Pika… CHU!"
The Spearows shrieked as more than 10,000 volts of electricity went through them, Many of them had their feathers charred. The Spearows knew when it was time to retreat and they decided to hightail it out of there.
Ranma's eyes were about the size of dinner plates as he stared at the little electric rodent. The Pikachu let out a whimper as it tried to get to its feet. Unfortunately, the injuries it sustained with the Spearows had left it too weak to get very far and it fell to the ground unconscious.
Ranma ran toward the fallen creature and knelt down to look at it. As he gazed over its plump body, he began wondering. What the heck is this thing? It kinda looks like a mouse, but I never saw a mouse that could shoot off lightning. And mice don't come this big. Then again, those birds didn't look like any kind I've ever seen either. Ranma took a good look around and then started to think. I don't recognize this forest and I don't remember me and Pop going though this place on our way to Jusenkyo. First this… thing, then those strange birds, then that electric attack this mouse did. This is too weird! Although I gotta admit, that was way cool!
"Pi… ka… chu." The little mouse groaned as it slowly opened its eyes and looked up at its savior. When Ranma bent down toward it, extending out a hand, the little Pokémon began to get edgy. Sparks began to crackle on its cheek pouches as it prepared to shock the stranger. It had become very distrustful of humans ever since its previous trainer had callously abandoned it.
Ranma noticed the sparks and stopped his hand. He had seen just how potent this creature's power was and he didn't want to suffer the same fate as those Spearows. "Hey… take it easy. I'm on your side. I just want to help you…" Ranma slowly extended his hand a little more.
Pikachu wouldn't have any of it. As soon as the human's hand got within eight inches of it, it let fly with a burst of electricity. Ranma howled as a few hundred volts went through his system. The shock flung Ranma back a few feet, slamming him against a nearby tree.
"Ow! Talk about having a short fuse!" Ranma said in anger as he rubbed his head. He then stood up and said in annoyance to the electric rodent. "Boy, are you ungrateful! I went through the trouble to get those birds away from you and try to help and this is how you repay me? Fine then! You're on your own! I got my own problems to worry about!" Ranma then stomped off in a huff to retrieve his backpack.
The little mouse watched the human walk away and its expression matched that of Ranma's. It was glad that he was leaving. It didn't need any human's help. They were nothing but trouble and they only used Pokémon as slaves. Its last trainer was a cruel individual and only cared about winning battles. When Pikachu was pitted against opponents that were far better trained that it was, the human had become dissatisfied with its performance and decided to leave it out in the wilderness to fend for itself. As if in defiance, the injured Pokémon tried to get back up on its feet.
Ranma had just picked up his backpack when he heard a pathetic whine.
"Pi…"
He looked back and saw that the electric rodent was trying to get to its feet. It strained its tired muscles and attempted to stand. However, its injuries were far too severe and it fell flat on its face. It then let off another pathetic little whine before lapsing back into unconsciousness.
Ranma was sorely tempted to just leave it there and be on his way, but his conscience just wouldn't let him do it. Giving off a sigh, he walked back to the strange creature.
Some time later…
Pikachu awoke and found itself lying on a makeshift bed of sheets and covered in a small blanket. It looked down at its body and noted the injuries it had sustained were expertly bandaged up. Looking around, it saw that it was at a campsite and the human who had helped it was sitting near a campfire.
"Pika?"
Ranma instantly stood up and became rigid. He then slowly looked over his shoulder and saw that his little patient was awake. He didn't say a word as he slowly reached over for something.
Pikachu instantly became alert at the movement. It knew what was going to happen next. The human was going to throw a Pokéball at it. It quickly got to its feet and began charging up its energies. It was a tremendous strain and its body still throbbed with pain, but Pikachu was determined not to be captured again.
Ranma stiffened at the sight of the sparks which appeared at the rodent's cheeks. He gave a slow swallow as he brought out his hand for it to see what he had.
"Pika?"
The hand was not holding a Pokéball, but was instead holding a small plate that had some berries and nuts that Ranma had foraged. The human did not say a word as he carefully and very slowly, nudged the plate toward the Pokémon. When he got to within a foot of the prone Pikachu, he backed off and waited.
Pikachu was still wary as it inched toward the offered food. When it got to within an inch of the plate, it carefully sniffed at the berries and nuts. It then looked up at the human, who smiled at it.
"Go ahead. I'm sure you're pretty hungry."
Pikachu looked down at the plate, then back up at the human, then down at the plate again. Its belly let off a small rumble, which confirmed Ranma's assessment that it should eat. With a final look at the stranger, the little electric rodent began devouring the berries and nuts.
Ranma breathed out a sigh of relief as he became a little more at ease. It looked like he wouldn't get a repeat demonstration of Pikachu's ability. He then went about fixing his own preparations for the night. After tending to Pikachu's wounds, Ranma had explored the forest and eventually came to the conclusion that wherever he was, this wasn't China. Although it resembled the wilderness that his long training journey had made him accustomed to, the fantastic animal life he had witnessed were definitely not native to Asia, or for Earth for that matter. He had seen something that resembled a giant Panda but didn't seem to do anything but sleep. He had also seen birds that resembled the ones that he had fought but they were a bit more gentler and a few of them actually transformed into larger forms. He had witnessed giant caterpillars and butterflies with wingspans that were three feet across. He had a run in with huge wasplike creatures and fish that looked like a cross between a catfish and a carp.
This is all too weird! First I get a curse from Jusenkyo, now this. What the heck is this place? Ranma was still contemplating his location when heard a familiar noise.
"Pikachu."
Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Pikachu had finished with its dinner and was returning to its bed for some rest. That suited Ranma just fine as he too settled down for the night. He could figure all this out in the morning. Crawling into his sleeping bag underneath the crude lean-to he had made, he gradually fell into a deep slumber after looking at the stars for a while.
Bright and early the next morning, Ranma awoke to the sounds of the strange bird life. As he sat up, he looked over to where Pikachu had been sleeping. Finding nothing but empty sheets, Ranma sighed as he got up to stretch. He hadn't been expecting the little rodent to be there, considering how hostile it was to him. He was a little disappointed that the critter hadn't even bothered to wait for him to awaken. Shrugging his shoulders, Ranma began packing up his camping gear. After stowing everything back into his pack, he went to a nearby stream to wash up.
Bending down at the river's edge, he splashed his face with water. He then shivered a bit when the cold water hit his skin. Then he felt an odd tingle over his body. It was then that Ranma looked at the reflection in the river. Staring back at him was the sight of a red-haired and very shapely girl.
"Aw crud! I forgot!" Ranma-chan swore. The newness of the curse still unnerved her. What was once a handsome and well-formed boy, knelt a very attractive and thoroughly ticked off girl. Ranma-chan had been hoping that the trip to Jusenkyo, the strange lights and the weird animals had all been a terrible nightmare, but no such luck. Ranma-chan pounded the ground in frustration.
"Pika?"
Ranma-chan's head snapped up at the sound, then turned around to face what was behind her. She caught sight of the familiar little electric mouse that she had cared for the night before.
Pikachu was more than stunned at what was staring at it. During the night, it had awoken and had gone through the stranger's belongings, just in case Ranma had a Pokéball or any other equipment that trainers usually carried. Finding none, it had assumed that its savior was not a trainer and was at least assured that he would not try to capture it. When it had awoken that morning, it had waited in some nearby bushes and had been following Ranma in secret. When it witnessed Ranma's form suddenly change, it was stunned beyond belief. So far, Pikachu only knew that only Pokémon can evolve into other forms very quickly. It had seen a Bulbasaur evolve into an Ivysaur. Its former master's Charmeleon had become a Charlizard. It had even observed a fellow Pikachu transform into a Raichu with the aid of a Thunderstone. It didn't know that humans could evolve as well. Grow in size, yes, but change shape so radically?
Then again, this may not be a human. It had heard of human-like Pokémon like Mr. Mime and Jynx. On the other hand… it had never heard of a Pokémon that was capable of human speech, but there were rumors of a talking Meowth that was running around.
It was just so confusing to Pikachu. However, before it would leave this place and this stranger forever, it had to know for sure. It began to slowly approach Ranma-chan, keeping on its guard. Its cheek pouches sparked occasionally, giving the human enough warning not to try anything, lest she wanted to be on the receiving end of a massive Thundershock attack.
Ranma-chan said not a word as she silently allowed the rodent to approach her. Her martial arts training may let her to defend herself against normal opponents, but this creature was anything but normal. She had no intention of being shocked again and one of the first rules of wilderness survival was to not make any sudden moves that might frighten or startle a potentially dangerous animal. The cute and seemingly harmless-looking critter was quite capable of electrocuting Ranma-chan.
When Pikachu came to within a foot or so of the sitting Ranma-chan, it leaned forward and took a tentative sniff. No doubt about it. Ranma-chan was human. However, the scent was more feminine than masculine. It didn't know what to make of it. It had also caught a whiff of something else. The stranger seemed to be emanating some kind of power that was similar to the energies that psychic and fighting-type Pokémon emitted.
Ranma-chan was very nervous at being so close to this animal. When it had been unconscious during the time she had tended to its wounds, she had been on edge that Pikachu would shock her at any moment. Now the thing was wide awake and sniffing at her. Remembering the meditation techniques of her training, she had been using controlled breathing methods to calm herself down and waited. Her body was tense and ready to spring away in an instant. Then it happened.
Pikachu was confused. The human smelled female, but it had been positive that Ranma-chan had been a boy when they first met. The person sitting before it looked like the same individual except for the change in hair color, the reduction in height and the outward additional curves to his… her body. Well, there was one way to know for sure. Before Ranma-chan could react, Pikachu leapt into her lap and nuzzled its body against her softness.
Ranma-chan almost leapt out in panic as the thing rubbed against her. She braced herself for the massive blast of electricity. When it didn't come, she looked down at a pair of puzzled, beady black eyes.
"Pika?"
Ranma-chan just stared at the critter.
"Pika? Pi?"
Ranma-chan just shook her head in non-comprehension.
Pikachu stood up in her lap and placed its paws on Ranma-chan's chest. It then gave her breasts a few taps and repeated its question. "Pika? Pi?"
Ranma-chan's cheeks reddened as she finally realized what the little rodent was trying to ask her. "Oh… them. I… don't really know how to explain it but… I'm under a curse."
"Chu?"
Ranma-chan looked intently at the electric mouse and wondered about it. Call me crazy, but I think this thing can understand me.
"Pikachu! Pika!" The little animal pounded against her chest, insisting on some answers.
Ranma-chan looked in wonder at the Pokémon, then decided 'what the heck.' She then began telling Pikachu her life's story.
Sometime later, Ranma, back in his male form again, was making his way down a forest path. Behind him, the little Pikachu trotted along.
"You don't have to follow me, you know. You're free to go to wherever ya want."
Pikachu looked up at Ranma but said nothing. After learning about Ranma's curse and having it demonstrated in front of it, the Pokémon had become even more intrigued by the stranger. Furthermore, Ranma had saved its life and seemed a little different than all the other humans it had encountered. Okay, make that a lot different. How many other humans could actually change his or her gender with water? In any case, he seemed nice enough, so perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to tag along with him for a while.
To be continued…
Author's Notes
Well, this is yet another one of my ideas that I had never thought about until now. This was written on a dare with a friend. Where could I go with this?
Well, I guess a run-in with Ash and his friends would be inevitable. I can just imagine Brock going ga-ga over Ranma's cursed form. Misty would probably be jealous over Ranma's better figure. As for Ash, well he just might see Ranma as a kind of big brother or rival.
Ranma becoming a Pokémon trainer? Well, it could happen. I've been having ideas of him sparring with all types of fighting Pokémon and even learning how to do their attacks by way of manipulating ki. Can you imagine Ranma doing a Thundershock or Flame-thrower? Also, I've been having some other plans for Ranma's Pokémon to be able to mimic Ranma's martial arts. As for Ranma's curse, I have been thinking of what would happen if he encountered a Water Stone. Would it help with his Jusenkyo form or hurt it?
In any case, this is yet another one of the unfinished or discontinued stories that I had left to its own devices. With the right amount of comments and suggestions, I could just very well turn it into an ongoing series.