[Ranma][Fanfic] The Bet - King of Fighters, Part 1b

[MetroAnime]

King Of Fighters 1b: "Where's Ranma?"
a storyline in "The Bet", RAAC version
http://members.aol.com/metroanime/main.html
WARNING WARNING: Xover fic, manga police
can go elsewhere now, please, thank you.
all char tm their respective owners. if you
want to see how many series i could see
crossing over in this, check out the first
part. also add two of CapCom's games:
Darkstalkers & Street Fighter, mainly
'cause i like the physical design of Jon
Talbain and i think a martial arts werewolf
kind of fits in the Ranmaverse...
----------------------------------
Ranma looked over everyone
as they ate. He had developed the habit
of using any quiet time for sorting things
through, thinking ahead, laying battle plans
and the like.

Ranma ignored his father stealing
food from his bowl. It was embarrassing to
have such a childish father, drawing further
attention to this display would only encourage
him. Instead he looked over the group, first
as possible team-mates if any number of
the "skeletons" in his "closet" came back
to haunt him.

Kasumi. Fighting potential: poor.
She had a fair amount of chi, but from what
he had observed earlier, she just wasn't cut
out to be a fighter. As Seyvu had said to him
one day, not someone you'd have at your
side in a firefight- but ah, they make the
getting home again so sweet. Of course,
Seyvu was referring to his mate, a sweet
little girl who resembled a short T-Rex
with long arms terminating in clawed hands.
Of course, that also described Seyvu. He'd
never gotten the hang of being able to tell
what gender a particular Fethur was from
just looking.

Nabiki. Ranma had actually
dated someone who had resembled
Nabiki superficially, just color the hair
a metallic silver and the eyes a deep
blue-black and you'd almost have
Ca'th Armand. Ranma wondered if
the reporter for the news service
remembered him at all. There had been
that night after the Hachiman fight...

Back to Nabiki. All indications
were that her chi level was lower than
Kasumi's. Physical strength, though,
looked to be slightly higher. High
metabolic rate. Such a person could be
an asset in a battle, as she seemed to
have a tough edge to her.

Akane. Fighting potential:
good, though with a lack of control
that could be dangerous. Spent a lot
of her time being angry.

In a fight, out of this group,
he'd probably choose Nabiki if he had
to have backup in a fight. If she was
anything like Ca'th, then she'd be
clever and nasty and inventive. As
well as one hell of a kisser. Second
choice, Kasumi. Not as a combatant,
but in a support role she could well
be indispensible.

Akane's lack of control,
and obvious dislike for him made
her unsuitable for almost anything.

"So, Ranma," Kasumi
began, interrupting his reverie. "Your
clothes..."

"Yes, Kasumi-chan?"
Ranma saw her color slightly and
caught himself. Damn, he had spent
so long in a different culture he had
forgotten about many things. Had he
just insulted her?

"Oh my." Kasumi blinked
a couple of times before continuing.
"That fabric your clothes are made of.
What is it?"

Ranma stopped and thought
about this. He knew that he'd have to
tell them sooner or later. "Do you
remember what I said earlier about the
curse not being the only thing that
was strange in my life?"

"Yes..." Kasumi smiled.

Nabiki looked on, quite
interested. Stranger than changing
into a girl when splashed with cold
water?

Akane looked away, while
both Genma and Soun merely exchanged
a glance and shrug.

"Well, I kinda took an
unexpected trip." Ranma rooted
around in a pocket and pulled out
a silver marble that he laid on the
table. The commands for the album
were in Galact, so he'd just have to
use that. "//Album. Activate. Image
title 'Beach At Orion Four'. Display
at default size.//"

Genma and Soun jumped
as a fan of light stabbed up from the
marble. Something like a photograph
appeared, though the clarity was
unusually high and everyone was
seeing the same picture, though they
were all viewing it at different angles.

Nabiki's eyes bugged out
as she realized what she was looking
at. "A color hologram? There are two
suns showing..."

"Oh my. What a big bug
that is." Kasumi looked at the odd
people in the photo, one of whom
was playfully punching the image
of Ranma in the center. One of whom
looked rather like some sort of
beetle. All except Ranma were clearly
not human, though the skunklike
figure was fairly close to human in
overall appearance.

"That's a Thiskul. They
inhabit a planet about 400 light years
away, I guess. Two days travel by
liner." Ranma's voice turned wistful.
"His name was Gau. We...lost him about
twenty years ago when a Sploogie
rigged a fight."

"You've been in space,"
Nabiki was looking at the marble and
wondering how much something like
this would fetch to an engineer. And
this was something Ranma was treating
as commonplace. "Waitaminnute.
Twenty years ago?"

"Oh." Ranma smiled and
shrugged. "Twenty years ago in my
life. In real time, objective time, it was
roughly four thousand years in the
future."

Ranma waited a few minutes,
while everyone reacted with varying
degrees of disbelief. He had expected
this reaction, even if confronted with
evidence. Such was human nature.

"//Switch display to page
thirty-seven.//"

The image of a crowded
beach faded. Replaced with an entirely
different image. The default on this one
was set in a globe, so that the table and
people at it seemed to be suspended
completely within deep space.

"Oh, how nice." Kasumi
looked over at a nearby planet and
moon, shown with an immense red
sun behind them. She liked this, why,
one could take a trip and never leave
one's house.

"Who the?! Is that..."
Nabiki ran out of words abruptly as
she felt her mind lock up at what
she was seeing.

"Oh, Nabiki, she looks
a lot like you." Kasumi smiled as
she caught a glimpse of the woman
who was standing on some circular
podium, seemingly inspecting them.

"That is a 'friend' of mine.
Watch this." Ranma smiled and
switched languages to Galact again.
"//Play recording. Use translation
routine to replay voice in 20th Century
Japanese.//"

The picture began moving.
The woman, who resembled Nabiki
except for the hair and eye color,
pouted a little and tossed her head back.
There wasn't a lipsync as she spoke.

"Well, Ranma, you've just
won yet another battle, this time against
a full conversion warborg. How do you
plan on celebrating?" The pout turned
into a sultry smile.

A disappointed look flickered
over her face. "Oh, c'mon Ranma, you
are SO old-fashioned. Loosen up. You
only go around once in life, twice if you're
lucky."

Nabiki watched her "twin"
go into a near duplicate of her exasperated
routine. "I swear, Ranma, you are SUCH
a prude. One of the ace reporters of the
Galaxy News Agency tries to get you in
the sack, and all you can think about is
a way to get home and what this is going
to do in your next battle..."

The image froze as it came to
the end of the recording.

"Who..." Nabiki managed after
she got her throat working again.

"Ca'th Armand. Reporter for
a news agency. Transferred out of war
correspondence when she got killed the first
time. Turned to combat sports, and followed
my career for years. She...left me right after
this recording was taken." Ranma's voice
dropped. "She had needs...needs that I
was not willing to meet at that time. She
went to fill them elsewhere."

"Oh my." Kasumi colored.

"//Deactivate. Switch off.//"

Ranma glanced around. "Look,
I've been through a LOT of things when
I left pops back at Jusenkyo, then ended
up in one of the alternate futures, but I'm
back in my own time now. I've spent a
lot of time in a culture not even remotely
like 'modern' Japan.

"Oh, and Kasumi, the clothing
is made of special self-repairing fabrics.
I'll have to ask everyone NOT to open my
backpack. The anti-theft devices are not
something you want to experience."

Akane looked at the boy again.
She was sure of it now, he was some sort of
monster.
--------------------------
"So you've done all this and
you're still willing to go to school?"
Nabiki frowned. Oh yes, there were SO
many ways she could turn a profit from
this guy. The problem, as she saw it,
was what to go for. Sure, she could
betray any confidences and go for the
short term profit. That would alienate
Ranma, but she could probably live
off the proceeds of just what was in
his backpack in such luxury that she
could buy the Kunos and have them
working as houseslaves.

On the other hand, there
was something to be said for long
term planning. If she played her cards
right, Nabiki knew that she could
have wealth and fame and power,
and more than that. Both choices
certainly had their risks and the
attendent rewards.

Ranma, not listening to
her internal dialogue, walked
along the top of the fence next to
her. "Yeah. I think school will be
mainly amusing, but the sooner
I can readjust to this society, the
better off I'll be."

Ranma spared a glance
behind him. "You know, I don't
think your sister likes me."

Nabiki smirked. She'd
prefer less competition anyway.
"Oh, Akane hates boys. She's
just that way."

Ranma looked up.
"Interesting crowd. I'd think they
were paparazzi but nobody knows
me in this time, and some of 'em
got weapons..."

"Akane Tendo!" The
swarm started forward. "This is
for you!"

Ranma hopped to the
top of the school's wall to watch.
Akane moved forward, fists flying.

"RANMA!" Nabiki
looked up at him. "Come on, or
you're going to be late."

"She do this all the
time?" Ranma indicated the melee
with his thumb.

"Yes, everyday." Nabiki
smiled as she overheard some of the
muttering around them, the audience
had picked up that the new guy seemed
to know her very well. With the right
rumors started in secret, she could then
make money on giving out the
correct information.

Akane saw Ranma flip
off the wall and move towards her
sister. She didn't trust him, he was
an arrogant jerk, but she had to admit
that unlike all the boys around her,
he could at least take a hint.

Akane smiled a little as
she launched a side kick into a sumo
wrestler. Maybe if Kasumi was
actually interested in that...thing
she had a chance at Doctor Tofu.
She was just overreacting to a bad
dream, that was all.

Pitching her voice a
little bit louder than necessary,
Nabiki made sure her next words
would reach some of the audience.
"Well, come on, Ranma. As long as
you're living at our place, we can
make sure you reach your classes
on time."

"This boy is staying at
your house," a voice came. Nabiki
and Akane looked over at where
Kuno held a rose in mid-throw.
"STAYING AT THE SAME HOUSE
AS AKANE TENDO?! I, Tatewaki
Kuno, shall not allow this!"

"Oh really," Ranma
smirked. "Third dan kendo, tops.
Gee, this isn't even a decent workout."

"Knave, who are you
to hound Akane so? Wait, should
I not give mine own name first?"

Ranma tuned out the
kendoist's speech. Hmmm. How
to take this guy apart with the
minimum fuss and bother?

"Aren't you paying
attention? I SHALL SMITE THEE!"

"Not," Ranma replied,
grabbing the bokken as it descended.

"Kurl! Remove <ungh>
your hand <ungh><urk> from my
blade <unff>." Kuno started out
just trying to pull the blade out
of his opponent's hand. With
every grunt and heave it was
apparent that the wood was held
quite fast.

"So, Tatewaki Kuno,
you want this back?"

"Honorless cur,
you <unfff> resort to <urk>
black sorcery to <oof> try
and match your betters."

"Kuno, much as
this might upset you. I really
don't have time for your
nonsense. If you go away
nicely I'll give you your nice
bokken back."

"You cheat, you..."

Ranma flicked his
arm out and slammed Kuno
across the head with his own
bokken. "Like I said, I ain't got
time for this. C'mon, Nabiki,
let's get in before it starts
raining."

Nabiki looked down
at where Tatewaki Kuno lay,
sprawled out and weaponless.

"You took Kuno out
with one shot..."

Ranma paused at the
door to the school. "Oh, c'mon.
He wouldn't have lasted five
seconds in the Arena." He
dismissed the kendoist. The real
challenge, he felt, was trying to
adapt back to this society after
all he'd been through.

He never backed down
from a challenge.
---------------------------------------
A postcard was received.
Cologne smiled. The posthypnotic
or the threat had worked, and she
didn't care which it was. Time to see
if this warrior was everything that
fat fool had promised.

"<Shampoo, get Shu Ga
and Tam Lin. They'll be your witnesses
for this fight. We go to Japan.>" Cologne
silently added that if the warrior wasn't
all that Genma had promised, she would
sell a panda as breeding stock to the local
zoo to recoup her losses.
--------------------------
"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour."
- William Blake(1757-1827)
he may not have been speaking of the
internet and/or fanfics, but it fits.

well, that's it for the first chapter.
i'll take this further if it wins the Bet.
or someone else can take it and run with it...

Where this would go dept:
Ranma vs Kuno. Normal results until
Ranma uses the "Breaking Point" to shatter Kuno's
bokken. In the next fight, where Kuno is leaping to
conclusions about the pigtailed girl, he draws a
REAL sword and says "Die, Ranma." Reflexes take
over, and Kuno's got a very real chance of being
permanently crippled.
Ranma vs Akane. Ranma figures out
that Akane's getting much more violent when she's
at home, is having persistent nightmares, and that
she's not getting a lot of sleep. He has Nabiki look
for something, finds it, and figures out one of his
enemies has come back after him for revenge.
Can Akane be cured or is it too late? Or will Ranma
(he's a fighter not a doctor) do more harm than good
in trying to heal the violence in her soul?
Ranma meets Ryouga again. No duel to
the death, no P-chan, but Ryouga has other problems.
First off, he didn't get back home right away. (Figure
the equivelant of a one-season Companion for the
Doctor.) What horrible secrets will be revealed?
Ranma Vs Shampoo. Cologne tests Ranma,
then sends Shampoo in. Ranma beats Shampoo. "Ai
ren, wo ai ni, etc." In this case, his genes will REALLY
be sought by Cologne. Shampoo has a chance at an
Ultimate Trophy Husband? With neither Nabiki nor
Kasumi being warriors, Shampoo can't understand why
Ranma would like either, but also has trouble with the
concept of fighting someone defenseless (Warrior Code).
Ranma Vs Tsouma. The enemy from the future,
a telepathic parasite that fought Ranma once before, and
NOT in the Arena- and this foe has already killed one of
Ranma's friends. (Gau)
Ranma Vs MiB. If you can't beat him, recruit him.
Stranger In A Strange Land. One of Ranma's
friends gives up everything (the trip is one-way) to warn
him of another enemy planning to come after Ranma and
"destroy his happiness."
Illegal Aliens. Ranma feels alien in his own
homeland. His buddy IS alien, neither human in appearance
or mindset. His enemy is even more alien, plus appearances
of Darkstalkers, ESPers, ghosthunters, other aliens from
this time period who are alarmed by unfamiliar advanced
alien technology being detected, and a Spring Of Drowned
Werecheetah (terrible tragic story of werecheetah who drown
there one thousand eleven hundred year ago).
Of course, you know that a certain Doctor has to
appear at least ONE more time, and leave with a new and
unexpected Companion, but then she's always said that
she could make money with okonomiyaki anywhere...

ja ne.
gregg