A Ralts in Moonlight

The series used in this work of fiction are not owned by me. I do not own any of the series in here. They are owned by their respective creators or whatever.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

/Pokemon Speech/

/-Telepathy-/

Chapter 6

Ranma couldn't help but send small, fleeting glances towards the entrance of the clearing as she slowly walked away next to Sabrina and Zoe. The Ralts could still see Shia and the others near the entrance as they watched their pseudo-family member leave. This caused a slight twitch to appear on Ranma's lips as she returned her attention to the path ahead. A large part of her didn't want to leave the ones who had taken her in and helped her in understanding so much about the alien world AND body that she was stuck in.

Her empathic abilities weren't helping with the issue either. When she had said her goodbyes before leaving, Ranma had managed to feel the sad emotions flowing from Shia and the others. They had tried to hide those feelings of sadness, but it tended to be difficult to part with someone that you spent a great deal of time with. Sure, Ranma mentioned that she'd make frequent visits, but the issue was still the same. As such, Ranma couldn't help but remain silent as she made an effort to stamp out the excess negative emotions.

'I should have gotten Shia to heat up some water so I could change.' The Ralts thought as her mind centered back upon her current gender. She would probably now have to wait until she arrived in Saffron before being able to change back, and that decision brought up a question on whether Ranma should or should not explain her curse to Sabrina and Zoe.

The Ralts was pulled out of her musings by the voice of the emerald-haired woman to her left. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, Ranma." Sabrina said with a hint of curiosity. "Why is it that you put effort into physical training? I noticed that during the fight with my Alakazam, you seemed to spend more time on trying to fight physically than you did psychokinetically. Even when you were self-training earlier, you seemed to favor your body over your mind." Sure, the Ralts also tossed in some psychic abilities, but those weren't used as much.

/-Why shouldn't I?-/ Ranma responded as she glanced upwards at the woman. /-Having a weak body makes me feel vulnerable, and while I can do a whole bunch of cool things with psychic powers, it wouldn't mean a thing if I there's a moment I can't use them and don't have anything else to fall back on.-/ Dark-type Pokemon was the first thought that had come to Ranma's mind.

Zoe took a moment to glance down at the small Pokemon. "Where did you learn how to fight?" The question was an innocent one, but it nearly caused the Ralts to stumble in her tracks. "I only saw you doing it, and so I'm wondering if any others in your family can as well."

Ranma gave a quick shake of her head. /-I'm the only one who practices martial arts. None of the others are interested in it.-/ Internally, the human-turned-Ralts hoped that the subject would be dropped with that answer.

"Then how did you learn?" Sabrina asked as her interest continued to pique. She couldn't help but notice the empathic Pokemon had become slightly nervous about the question. "You had to have learned from somewhere, and if it wasn't your family who taught you, then how?"

With her mind whirling at top speed, Ranma attempted to figure out what to give as an answer. She couldn't tell them the truth; who would believe that she was really a teenaged boy from a different dimension? Even if they did believe her, the whole issue would just seem even more awkward than need be. After racking her brain for a few more seconds, Ranma blurted the first thing that came to her.

/-My father was a Gallade!-/ She announced quickly as she recalled the story that Shia had told her not too long ago. /-I don't remember much about him because he was captured by Team Rocket, and I was much younger, but I remember watching him train.-/ Ranma added to the tale by making herself appear saddened over the loss; which had the effect of causing both of her companion's expressions to soften. /-I thought that it was awesome that he could do what he did, and so I decided to mimic him and start training my body so I could become as great as him!-/ As she finished her made up tale, Ranma couldn't help but chuckle humorously within her mind and congratulate herself on thinking that up.

"I'm sorry that your father was taken by Team Rocket." Zoe replied in a soft voice. She had heard numerous stories about how cruel the criminal organization could be to both Pokemon and people.

"You have an impressive dream to shoot for," Sabrina began with a small smile on her lips, "But you do realize that it would be much harder for you to accomplish, right? It would require evolving into a Gallade, and to evolve into one, a Dawn Stone would be needed, and those types of stones are among the rarest of evolutionary rocks; the chances of finding one are extremely low. Plus, that stone would only work on a male Kirlia. Since you're female, your only option would be to evolve into Gardevoir. However, even if you were male, you're more likely to end up evolving right on to Gardevoir before you even found one. In fact, it's been reported that only one out of every 1,500 male Ralts manage to achieve Gallade form." The emerald-haired gym leader couldn't see Ranma's azure eyes widen considerably at the news.

'That doesn't even sound fair.' The Ralts thought with a slight frown. She had had her sights set on finding one so that she didn't have to face walking around as a Gardevoir while male, but now it appeared as if that idea was dashed before she had even begun. 'Wait,' Ranma thought as she shook her head to get rid of the thought. Why should she admit defeat when she still had a chance? Hell, even if she didn't manage to find a Dawn Stone… /-So what?-/ Ranma finally answered as she lifted up her head enough so that Sabrina could see her eyes. /-Why should I have to be a Gallade to accomplish what I want? I don't care if it'll be a harder.-/ She ended her statement by crossing her arms.

"Um," Zoe began as her cheeks quickly started to turn a light shade of pink, "What does a Gallade look like?" Here they were in a conversation about a Gallade, and the pink-haired psychic-in-training had no clue what it even was. The question caused both of her companions to stare in her direction; and action which only increased her embarrassment. "W-- Well, this is my first time hearing about a Gallade, and all I know is that it evolves from a male Kirlia, and that it's strong. All I've ever heard about were Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir." Zoe began to poke her fingers together as her face gained a full-blown blush.

Ranma couldn't help but fall silent upon the realization that she, too, knew next to nothing about a Gallade. She knew that it was a male only species, and she also knew that it was of the Psychic/Fighting type, but she had never even bothered to find out what the form even looked like. 'I should have asked Shia.' The Ralts thought in slight annoyance of the idea of wanting to transform into something different, but not even knowing what the form looked like.

A small giggle almost escaped from Sabrina's lips at the sight of Zoe's embarrassment. "One of a Gallade's main difference from the other members of its evolutionary line is that it has a secondary typing; Fighting. Where as a Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir's power comes solely from their psychic abilities, a Gallade's power mostly comes from its physical abilities; its psychic powers are much weaker than its Gardevoir counterpart." The psychic gym leader noted that she had the attention of both child and, strangely, Ralts. "I could also explain what the appearance of a Gallade looks like, but I think it would be much easier if I showed you an image of one once we get back to Saffron."

Zoe tilted her head slightly. "You have an image of one?"

"I'm a gym leader who specializes in Psychic Pokemon." Sabrina answered. "As such, I tend to study, learn, and familiarize myself with the many different species of known Psychic types; including newer species that happen to be discovered every now and then."

As both Sabrina and Zoe continued to converse with each other on the ins and outs of being a gym leader, Ranma found herself growing bored of listening and turned her gaze to the path ahead and noticed that they were nearing the forest exit. Even if she didn't like the thought of leaving Shia and the others so soon -- since she still had a lot to learn about her psychic abilities, -- Ranma was happy that she would finally be able to 'stretch her legs' and explore more of the world she was stuck in and see just how much more different it was to her own.

"Oh!" Zoe shouted out excitedly as she glanced down at Ranma and grabbed her by the hand. "When we get back to Saffron, I want to take you on a tour of the city! It's a pretty big place, so if you don't stick close to me, you could get lost easily."

Ranma's eye couldn't help but twitch slightly as she glanced up into Zoe's bright and sparkly eyes. /-I think I'd be able to handle myself just fine.-/ It wasn't as if she lacked a sense of direction or anything that would prevent her from quickly gaining an understanding of her surrounding area. 'Why does that remind me of someone?' The Ralts thought curiously.

"I wouldn't recommend that." Sabrina answered with a shake of her head as they finally stepped out of the forest. When Ranma glanced up at her, she continued. "With how things currently are concerning the rumors and information being spread around about you, you'll attract attention a little too easily. If you were to walk around by yourself, you'd be in danger of having a greater number of people trying to capture you than you would if you were with somebody. This is why I feel that unless either of the two of us accompany you, it would be best for you to remain at either my gym or Zoe's home."

Before Ranma could even say anything in response, she found herself embraced by an even more excited nine-year-old. "You can live with me; I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind! I'm also sure you'll get along great with our Skitty."

/-Skitty?-/ Ranma asked as she managed to push herself out of the girl's embrace. She guessed that it was also a Pokemon, but she also had no clue as to what kind it was. /-What's that?-/

"It's--"

Zoe's explanation was interrupted when a sudden shout of 'oh my' was heard from nearby. The trio turned to the source of the shout to see a young woman that was standing near the stream and was staring directly at them. "That Ralts," she began with a saddened look, "You ended up capturing it, didn't you?" The woman had seen Ranma's blue eyes, and knew exactly who she was.

"Yes, I have captured her." Sabrina answered with a perfectly straight face. "However, it wasn't just a capture; she wanted to come with me and train to be stronger after learning that I was the gym leader of Saffron." Sabrina could sense Ranma staring at her as she talked about her 'capture' of the human-turned-Ralts. /-Just go with it; you'll probably have an easier time once the news of you being 'captured' by a gym leader circulates.-/

/-Y-- Yeah, I wanted to go with her because she's a strong Psychic-type trainer, and I'll be able to get some proper training!-/ Ranma quickly added without hesitation.

Upon hearing that the 'capture' was something that the Ralts wanted, the woman's features softened as she glanced down at the Pokemon and smiled. "I see; well, it's good to know that it was your decision to be captured." Her smile turned into a small frown. "But there's going to be a lot of people in town who'll be sad to hear that you're no longer around this area."

/-Really?-/ Ranma asked with a blink at the news. Lifting her arm, she began to scratch the side of her head in thought. /-Maybe I could visit sometime. I mean, I did tell Ayanna that we should fight again.-/ Hopefully the Umbreon wouldn't think that she had just upped and vanished before they had the re-match that Ayanna had said they would have later.

After they finished the small talk with the woman, the trio of travelers walked away from the area and continued on their way to Saffron. What they didn't notice was that the young woman's face gained an almost determined look as she turned around and ran back to town to deliver the news of the Ralts's departure.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sitting at a table outside of a local café situated within the small town of Burgundy, Tomiko couldn't help but frown as she continued to drink her tea. She hated having to be stationed in the lame little town she was currently in just to keep a watch on the Ralts that headquarters was extremely interested in; especially when she had no clue where the damn thing lived. If anything, she wished that the damn thing lived closer to the outskirts of either Saffron or Celadon. That way, she could have been able to enjoy the city nightlife. However, it wasn't her current stationing that was causing Tomiko to frown. What was bothering the Team Rocket grunt was the person sitting at her table right across from her.

"…and then all of these crazy women decided that it was a good idea to send me into a pre-mature sleep by pounding the daylights out of me." Rashan finished with a small sniff as he continued polishing his Poke Balls. The maniacal collector was still miffed over being beaten up and told by the so-called 'official Ralts Fan Club' that the small Ralts was 'off limits' to any and all 'evil trainers' that would do it harm. Just where did they get off calling him an evil trainer and setting rules like that?

With a dismissive snort, Rashan carefully glanced over his polishing work on one of the balls. Upon finding that it was clean and shiny enough, the bespectacled trainer carefully stored it away before starting on another. "Like those useless harpies can prevent me from my goal. Once I make their precious icon mine, they'll beg for my forgiveness!" The following laugh managed to send chills down the spines of those present.

Tomiko, on the other hand, began to feel an ever-increasing desire to just outright kill the man in an effort to try and rid the world of a possibly dangerous and very unstable mind. However, just before she could reach her field knife, the sound of someone running caught her attention. Turning their attention toward the source, both Tomiko and Rashan watched as a young woman ran towards the center of town with, strangely, a megaphone in her right hand.

"E-- Everyone," the young woman stated into the megaphone as she tried to catch her breath, "I have bad news!" The woman waited until everything was silent, and she had the attention of almost everyone in the area, before continuing on. "The Blue-eyed Ralts has been captured!"

That lone statement had managed to cause possibly the biggest uproar in the history of the town known as Burgundy. Many young women -- along with several men -- crowded all around the woman who had brought the terrible news and had tried grilling more questions out of her. Many demanded to know just who was it that had the audacity to snatch Ralts, some wanted to know if it was being treated well, and others -- who happened to be trainers -- were hoping to learn the person's identity so they could send a challenge so they could fight the Ralts first hand.

"This is UNACCEPTABLE!" Rashan shouted as he slammed his hands onto the table as he shot up. The Poke Maniac's teeth clenched and unclenched in frustration, and his eyes smoldered with unbridled hatred at missing his chance to add the Pokemon to his collection. "Whoever it was will pay for stealing MY Ralts!"

"Since when was it YOUR Ralts, jackass?" Tomiko jibed as she mentally let off a string of curses. Someone had managed to nab her assignment, and once Dr. Garren found out, he would probably blow his top faster than Mt. Chimney of the Hoenn region. 'Damn it, now my assignment's been taken, and--' The Rocket field agent halted as a small smile slowly started to work its way onto her features. Her assignment was merely to monitor the Ralts while it was in its natural habitat, and nothing was said about when and if it was captured. Now that it WAS nabbed, it was no longer her problem.

'Once I report this in, they'll most likely send out a team for the job; meaning I can take a little time to myself before heading back to headquarters.' Tomiko couldn't help but think about finally being able to finally visit some bars in Saffron City that she had heard wondrous things about. 'It's definitely been too long since I've had a good drink.' The first thing the Team Rocket grunt needed to do, however, was figure out WHO captured the Pokemon, but from the look of the crowd around the young woman, it didn't seem like it would be possible.

"Th-- the person who--" The young woman found that her voice was being drowned out by the various questions and demands that were being tossed at her by the crowd of people surrounding her. After a couple more tries, she finally got fed up, took a deep breath, and placed the megaphone to her lips. "QUIIIIEEEETTT!!!" She let out in a loud, piercing shrill that caused everyone surrounding her to clutch their hands to their ears and fall backwards.

As she observed her handiwork, the woman couldn't help but blush in embarrassment as she offered the group some apologies. "I'm so sorry, but you were all too loud and wouldn't let me speak." Clearing her throat, she placed the megaphone back in place in front of her lips. "Um-- As I was trying to say, I know the name of the person who managed to capture the Ralts." Excited and curious murmurs met her statement as everyone wondered who the individual was.

"Will you get on with it already?!" Rashan shouted; slamming the palms of his hands against the table again as he did. "Some of us have more important things to do than listening to a mouse stutter ou--" The bespectacled man's rant was cut short as he found his head painfully imbedded into the top of the -- now -- broken table. The hand that had done the deed belonged to a glaring Tomiko.

Feeling that the man was silent enough, the Rocket field agent removed her hand and calmly turned her attention towards the woman with the megaphone; completely ignoring the stares she was receiving. "I believe you were going to tell us who the person was." It wasn't a question, but a point-blank comment stated in a low and serious voice that booked no argument whatsoever and caused a few chills to spread down everyone's spines.

"Err-- Um--"

"Today!"

At Tomiko's shout, the young woman found herself fumbling with the voice device within her hands, but managed to gain control of it and began to speak again. "Y-- Yes, alright! Th-- The person who captured the Ralts was the leader of the Saffron City gym, Sabrina!"

"THAT Sabrina?" A man asked with wide eyes as the crowd began to whisper amongst itself.

"She's said to be an incredibly strong psychic, right?"

"Wow, the Ralts was picked up by a Gym Leader of all people."

"Maybe it's not so bad after-all?"

Amongst the whisperings of the crowd, Tomiko couldn't help place her hand to her face and let out an exasperated sigh. She had told Dr. Garren that the Pokemon should have been captured, but the fool had wanted to let it be and grow in its own habitat for a while. It was now obvious just how much of a good idea that was. Due to the idiot-with-a-Doctorate Degree's brilliant decision, the Ralts was captured, and by a GYM LEADER of all people. 'Now I'm going to have to listen to him rant and rave about MY incompetence. I wonder if the organization would blame me if I offed the old coot.' After a moment, Tomiko decided against it on the grounds that it'd just be too troublesome.

A muffled voice caused the Rocket to turn her attention towards the still unmoving Rashan. "Th-- This can't be true." He said as his hands slowly clenched into fists. Then, without any kind of warning what-so-ever, the Poke Maniac was on his feet with his head facing skyward; tears streaming down his cheeks. "HOW COULD YOU?! That Ralts was going to be mine, and it will be, because I, Rashan Siedenburg, will not give up my desire for that fantastic specimen!" Rashan ended with a maniacal laugh as he turned around and ran off; leaving a crowd full of weirded out individuals.

"And now he's snapped like a twig." Tomiko grumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck and decided to report into headquarters about the current mess.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

/-This is Saffron?-/ Ranma asked with a hint of awe as she stood at the outskirts of the large metropolis and turned her attention from one place to another; slowly taking in the sights before her. /-It's huge!-/ The Ralts added as she glanced up towards Sabrina. Sure, Ranma was no stranger to immensely sized cities -- her home world consisted of many, -- but she never thought that she would see any places like Saffron in this world, and had assumed that all of the cities and towns would only be about twice or triple the size of Burgundy.

Zoe couldn't help but let out a giggle at the statement. "I told you that it was a pretty big place. Now you know why I said you could get lost."

/-All I need to do is to explore the area a little, and then I'll be fine.-/ Ranma said as she walked on ahead and entered into the city proper. Just as she did so, though, Ranma couldn't help but find herself rooted in place as her psychokinetic senses began picking up and collecting a variety of different patterns that she had never felt before. The gigantic city basically felt like a condensed pocket full of raw emotions and wave patterns of various different strengths all mixing together and scrambling her senses.

Sabrina was the first to notice Ranma's odd behavior after stepping foot into Saffron. "That's right, you've never stepped foot into a city of this size before, and so you weren't prepared for the affect it would have on your empathic abilities." The gym leader made her way over to the Ralts and kneeled down next to her. "I imagine that it feels like a really strong and annoying buzz within your mind, right?" Her answer was a small nod as Ranma shook her head to try and get rid of the feeling.

"What's wrong with Ranma?" Zoe asked with a hint of worry.

"There's nothing wrong with her." Sabrina said as she stood back up. "Ranma is just experiencing something that almost all strong psychics do when they visit an area with such a large population for the first time. You see, all psychics -- be they human or Pokemon -- have the ability to sense -- to some degree -- mental and emotional wave lengths from living beings, and some have much stronger senses than others. Being a Ralts, Ranma is much more sensitive to the emotional and mental output of others, and being in such a large and densely populated area such as Saffron is most likely jumbling and confusing her senses. Am I correct?"

/-Yeah,-/ Ranma responded with a visible frown, /-It's like an annoying, inaudible conversation is going on within my head.-/ There was no pain; just an inability to sense and understand anything past the noisy haze clouding her mind. As she tried clearing it away, Ranma began to feel as if there was an odd presence behind her. Not wasting any time, the Ralts turned around to face whatever it was behind her, but all she managed to see was empty space. 'Must have been imagining things.'

A small tapping on her shoulder caused Ranma to turn around; expecting to possibly see Zoe. What she came face-to-face with, though, was what looked like a large, disembodied purple head with floating claws. Before she could react, the thing gave off a yell as its eyes literally popped out of their sockets. Startled, Ranma fell backwards and onto her ass as the creature began to laugh in mischievous humor.

/The look on your face was absolutely priceless!/ It announced with glee before disappearing from view. The next thing Ranma knew was that an invisible something had grabbed onto her body and was slowly lifting her into the air. /I think this looks like a perfect day to go flying, don't you? He-he-he-he!/

/-Whaddaya think you're doin'?!-/ Ranma shouted as she struggled against the unseen entity picking her up off the ground, but found it to be completely useless due to it feeling as if there was nothing even there. /-Let me go ya stu-- Whoa, knock it off!-/ The Ralts flailed her arms as she found herself spinning around and around at dizzying speeds while hearing that eerie disembodied cackling.

"Haunter," came the calm but commanding voice from Sabrina, "I would appreciate it if you would put her back on the ground. You can play later; right now is not the time for it." The Psychic-type gym leader had to control herself from cracking a small smile at the pouty look that appeared upon the ghost Pokemon's features. If she ended up showing any kind of amusement, the creature would never stop.

Upon finding that his act wasn't earning any kind of smile from the young woman, Haunter's features drooped sadly as he let go of his hold on Ranma. Of course, since he was hovering a couple feet above the ground, this meant that the Ralts fell victim to gravity and landed rather painfully on her face. This action earned a wince from both Sabrina and Zoe as they made their way over to see if the small Pokemon was alright.

/-Ow…-/ Ranma let out, as she rubbed her face to ease the stinging sensation. A red mark was easily visible on the lower half from where she landed. Turning her head towards the creature responsible, Ranma directed a hidden glare towards it as she leapt to her feet. /-What did ya do that for, ya jerk?!-/

Haunter cackled in amusement at the reaction from the Ralts. /I was bored./ The ghost said with a shrug. Well, as much as a shrug anyone can do when they're just a floating head with disembodied claws. /You looked like you would be fun to torment./ Haunter disappeared from; only to appear directly behind Ranma's shoulder and begin speaking in a low and chilling voice. /And I think I was right./

Responding instantly, Ranma spun around and sent a punch straight into Haunter's face… only to have it pass right through the ghost's body and to the other side. /-Huh?-/ The Ralts stated intelligently as she stared at her arm. Pulling away from the other Pokemon, she decided to test the oddity by throwing a couple more punches, but found that they also had no affect on the creature.

"That's not going to work, Ranma." Sabrina finally said. "Haunter is a Ghost-type Pokemon, and as such, it is immune to physical attacks; Normal and Fighting-type moves will have no affect at all."

/-Izzat so?-/ Ranma asked with a slight tilt of her head. It wasn't too long later when a smirk appeared on her lips. Then, without warning, she quickly formed a Shadow Ball and pushed it forward; hitting the ghost at pointblank range and sent it flying backwards several feet until it came to a dizzying stop. /-That's for the stunt you pulled earlier!-/ Ranma announced triumphantly upon remembering the small lesson Shia had given her on Ghost Pokemon, and for the information Maria had told her about Shadow Ball being effective against ghosts.

As soon as the world had stopped spinning, Haunter leveled a penetrating glare at the Ralts, but it soon devolved into an amused cackle. /You know kid, I like you. You ain't a wimp, and you can be sneaky and underhanded!/ The ghost disappeared and reappeared next to the smaller Pokemon and placed one of its disembodied hands onto Ranma's shoulder. /I think you and I are going to become gooooood friends./

/-What are yo--/ Ranma was interrupted when a large tongue slurped across her face. This action had caused two things. One: Ranma was now covered in saliva, and two: She found herself completely paralyzed due to the poisons found in said saliva. As she collapsed to the ground, Haunter let out a loud, whooping laugh as it rolled around in the middle of the air.

Try as she might, Ranma found, in annoyance, that her limbs refused to move at all, and all she could do was sit on her ass awkwardly upon the hard concrete. /-So ya think this is funny?-/ The Ralts mentally growled at the laughing ghost before quickly activating her psionic powers. /-Let's see ya laugh at this!-/

Haunter stopped laughing as it found itself enveloped in a small, but strong, aura of psychic power, and before it could react, the ghost began spinning around like a motorized top. When it finally came to an abrupt stop, Haunter couldn't help but feel as if the world was still spinning at a rapid pace. While still dizzy, the ghost was forced into doing an odd hula dance. /M-- Make it s-- stop…/

/-That's enough.-/ Said Sabrina in a commanding mental voice. This was accompanied by a small psychic hold over both Pokemon to let them know that she was being serious /-Both of you can continue your disagreement some other time, because I want to introduce Ranma to the Saffron Gym.-/ The young woman directed a penetrating gaze towards both Ranma and Haunter. /-Am I making myself perfectly clear?-/

If Ranma had to admit one thing, it was that while the emerald-haired woman could seem kind and friendly, she could quickly turn into someone that sent chills down your spine with just a look and the sound of her voice; not that she'd ever mention it. /-Crystal.-/ Ranma finally said with a slow nod.

/And I was just about ready to have some fun~/ Haunter whined with -- what Ranma considered to be disturbing on the ghost -- a child-like pout directed towards the young woman. In an instant, it stopped and gave a ghostly shrug before turning a mischievous look in Ranma's direction. /I'll look forward to seeing you again later, kid. Hye-hehehehehe!/ The Pokemon proceeded to fade away from view. To where? Ranma wasn't sure, but she just knew that she'd be seeing it again later.

"I think we can now continue onto the gym." Sabrina said after the prankster ghost left the area. "Ranma, Zoe, let's get going." The emerald-haired woman turned around to walk off when she obtained a mental message.

/-Yeah, I'd really like to follow you, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon-/ Ranma stated in a somewhat sarcastic tone as she continued to sit on her rump with what seemed like an unamused expression.

Sabrina couldn't help but stare at the young Ralts in an effort to understand why she was refusing to come. When it finally occurred to her as to why Ranma couldn't follow, the young woman's cheeks reddened in embarrassment as her eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry Ranma; I forgot about you being paralyzed by Haunter's Lick attack."

"I can carry her, Sabrina!" Zoe announced as she rushed over to the tiny Pokemon and scooped her up into her arms amidst the plethora of mental complaints coming from Ranma.

/-Hey, I could probably manage by myself once I can move again!-/

"But we don't know how long that could take, and Sabrina probably has some Paralyze Heal at her gym that we could use." The young girl answered as she began walking. "We'll also get there faster if we don't wait for you to heal."

"I do have some Paralyze Heal." Sabrina answered with a small nod. "I tend to keep several bottles around on the off chance that Haunter ends up licking someone at the gym."

Ranma turned her head towards the gym leader. /-Wait, does that mean that he does things like this on a regular basis?-/ At the small nod she received in response, Ranma couldn't help but give off a groan and wondered just what she had gotten herself into. 'What else can go wrong?' She thought to herself as the two women began to walk into the heart of the city.

Not too far behind the trio, a heavily panting figure warily made his way into the city before halting to take a moment to fiddle around with a pair of large glasses. The man then proceeded to collapse to his knees and watch as Sabrina and Zoe disappeared from view; at which point he gave off a low growl and pushed himself slowly into a standing position.

"How could this have happened?" The man, revealed to be Rashan, asked to himself as he clenched his fists in anger. "That Ralts was going to rightfully belong to me, but that-- that WOMAN just waltzes in and captures it like nothing!" Throughout his angry rants and mumbling, the PokeManiac had managed to obtain several odd looks from those who passed by, and a few parents had even ushered their children away quickly.

Paying no attention to anybody else, Rashan continued on his rant. "I won't accept this; that Ralts will soon be mine. I just need to figure out how!" As obsessed as he may have been, Rashan knew that trying to outright take the Ralts when Sabrina was around would a bad idea that could get him into some serious mental and physical trouble. And so, the PokeManiac would need to think up a plan on how to get to the small Pokemon when it was most vulnerable.

A tap on his shoulder brought the young man out of his thoughts and caused him to turn around. In doing so, he came face-to-face with Haunter; a sinister look plastered upon its ghostly face. The two stared at each other for a long, silent moment before Haunter let off a large scream as its eyes popped out of their sockets. The action caused Rashan to let out a terrified shout as he turned and ran… right into the side of a building and into blissful darkness.

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"That should do it." Sabrina said after she finished up spraying some of the contents of a bottle onto Ranma as the Ralts sat propped up against a pillow on her bed. It had only taken a few moments to reach Sabrina's home… which was attached to the opposite side of the Saffron Gym. After getting Ranma to Sabrina's, Zoe mentioned that she had to go to her own home and let her mother know she was back. "Your paralysis should now be wearing off, but I suggest that you try to rest up for a few moments to allow your body to recover." The gym leader gave the human-turned-Pokemon a small smile before turning around and putting the spray bottle of Paralyze Heal away.

Ranma couldn't help but test to see if she could finally move, and was glad to find that her limbs were functional again, but still seemed to be slightly numb. Once she was back to 100 percent again, Ranma would look into trying to obtain some hot water. Even though there weren't any obvious physical differences to the changes, knowing that he/she was male set the former human's mind at ease.

As she worked on getting her body back to normal, the Ralts took that time to glance around the bedroom she was brought to. It was a no-brainer that the room most likely belonged to Sabrina, but she had expected the place to have at least a few more feminine things than just a couple small plush toys out in the open. The walls of the room were painted a dark emerald green, and there were a few bookshelves filled with various books. The room also contained a modest computer desk and TV stand, and in the middle of the room was nothing but a lone rug.

"This is the first time you've ever been inside a human home, and so I imagine that you may be slightly nervous and lost at the moment." Sabrina commented as she gave a soft look at the small human-turned-Ralts.

Before Ranma could answer the emerald-haired woman's question, there was a knock on her bedroom door, and it wasn't a moment later before it was opened to reveal a man who looked to be in his late 30's to early 40's with short dark hair and a beard. He had the appearance of someone who was serious, but the smile he had on his lips and the emotions he was giving off revealed a different personality. Ranma's empathic abilities also picked up a slight feeling of happiness coming from Sabrina as the woman regarded the man.

The man took that moment to speak. "I figured that you'd be gone longer than you were, Sabrina." His eyes quickly focused onto Ranma. "I'm guessing that you managed to find the Ralts you were looking for though?"

An amused smirk appeared on Sabrina's lips at the question. "Father, don't tell me that you doubted my psychic abilities."

"Not one bit." Sabrina's father answered with a laugh. "I just thought that it'd take you a few more days is all. I didn't even get a chance to battle any gym challengers."

"There's always next time." Sabrina stated before turning back around and turning her attention onto Ranma. "Do you think you can move now?"

Instead of answering, Ranma hopped to her feet before leaping off of the bed. The human-turned-Ralts made a summersault in the air before landing perfectly upon the floor. /-It'll take a lot more than that to keep me down for long.-/ Ranma finally answered with a smirk.

After a few more moments of discussion, the trio consisting of two humans and one Pokemon exited the room and began moving through the halls. Ranma couldn't help but glance around as he moved. After spending so much time in the wild -- both as a Pokemon after Jusenkyou and before Jusenkyou on the training trip, -- it actually felt nice to be indoors for once.

A woman's shout brought Ranma out of her thoughts and caused her to glance down the hallway to see Haunter making a quick exit out of a doorway followed by a woman with dark reddish-brown hair. "Haunter," the woman stated with a frown upon her features as she ran, "Give me back that tea pot this instant!"

"Haunter seems to be in rare form today." Sabrina said as the trio watched the Ghost-type Pokemon float as close to the ceiling as possible and keeping out of reach of the woman. "It's not often when he decides to bother mother like this."

"Haunter, give it to me now!" Sabrina's mother shouted as she kept jumping as best she could while Haunter cackled away. On her next hop, the woman got lucky and managed to touch the tea pot. However, not only did she touch it, but she managed to knock it out of the Pokemon's hand and sent it flying.

Before anybody could react, the air-born pot smacked into Ranma. Because its lid fell off in mid-flight, the liquid within came gushing out and completely drenched the tiny Pokemon. /-HOT!-/ The Ralts mentally shouted as he jumped around in an effort to shake the water off of him. Once the painful sensation ended, Ranma turned to send a glare in Haunter's direction, but found that the ghost was only staring at him in confusion and wonder.

'Damn it.' He thought as he realized that Haunter would most likely earn the attention of Sabrina and would explain to her what it witnessed, and then he would have to go and answer a bunch of questions.

Finally, after several months, I have finished this chapter. I originally started it in July, but it kept causing me trouble over and over for some odd reason. It just didn't seem like it wanted to come out properly. It's a little shorter than usual, but I am finally finished.

None of my stories are dead; I'm just having trouble getting motivated to work on them, but I'm hoping that the next chapter of whatever story I work on won't give me as many problems.