Fist of the Pikachu! <>: Thoughts Chapter 2 I Choose You, Raiden! It was a dark and humid night as Ranma and his newfound friend had just started to set up camp for the night. It was just after a heavy rainstorm and Ranma-chan cursed her luck as she saw that the rain had totally soaked her backpack and everything in it, including her matches. "Aw crud!" Ranma-chan threw her wet matches away in disgust. She had just managed to gather some kindling that was dry enough, but had no way of lighting the fire. With her matches ruined and no flint stones in sight, she assumed that she was going to have to spend the night in the cold. She sat down in a dejected manner. "Perfect! Just perfect! What else can go wrong?" The Pikachu gazed at Ranma-chan. It had been more than a week since it had encountered the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist. No matter how many times it saw the transformation, it was still fascinated by the human's ability to 'evolve and de-evolve' with just a change of water temperature. The little electric rodent noted that the human shivered as a cold breeze blew past her. It then approached its strange companion. Ranma-chan looked up and gave the mouse a slight smile while studying its fur. "Boy. You're really lucky to have that fur coat. Man! What I wouldn't give for something to keep me warm tonight." As if in response to Ranma-chan's request, Pikachu began charging up its cheek pouches. Tiny sparks were emitted from them, which caught the attention of Genma's cursed son. For a moment, Ranma-chan thought she was about to get shocked again, but then the electric mouse turned its attention to the prepared campfire and let loose with a small electric bolt. "Pika… chu!" The kindling was lit, which soon got the campfire going. Ranma- chan looked in amazement to the appearance of the flames, then looked back at Pikachu. This was not what she had expected. The last ten days or so had been somewhat uncomfortable for her. The little rodent had been following her around as she traveled through the thick, dense forest. Despite repeated requests that it should leave her alone, the electric Pokemon kept hanging around with her. After about three days, Ranma-chan accepted the fact that the little critter wasn't going to go away and tolerated its presence. Of course, she tried very hard to ignore it, but the cute mouse continued to stay with her. Eventually, the martial artist had gotten used to having Pikachu around and even started to share whatever food she managed to forage. However, she was still very careful not to give it any reason to startle it or get it angry. A couple of days ago, Ranma-chan had become very surprised when she had awoken and found that Pikachu had slipped into her sleeping bag. The sudden scream she let off had resulted in a nasty shock as the electric rodent had let off a few hundred volts in surprise. Ranma-chan had become more careful around it since then. Its sudden act of kindness just now got the red-haired girl to thinking that perhaps she had finally gotten a friend in this strange world. Memories of the long and lonely training trip with her father came back to her. Dim, yet very happy recollections of the little boy with whom she befriended when she was six made a smile appear on her face. She could still remember her old buddy Ucchan. Giving the little rodent a small smile, Ranma-chan said quietly as she held up her hands to the fire. "T-Thank you." The Pikachu nodded. "Pika." It then trotted towards Ranma-chan's feet and sat down. "You know… that's a handy little trick you got there. Sure wish I could do something like that." "Pikachu." "Is that all you can say?" "Pi. Pika, pika. Pika… chu." Ranma-chan shook her head and shrugged. "Well anyway, it's not like I can understand you, even though you can understand me. It's been ten days and I still don't have the slightest idea what you are, much less where I am!" "Pikachu." "Huh?" The electric Pokemon gestured to itself. "Pika… chu!" Ranma-chan stared for a moment. "Pika… chu?" Pikachu smiled and then said. "Pikachu! Pikachu!" "Pikachu." Ranma-chan repeated. "So… that's what you are? You're a Pikachu?" "Pikachu!" It said happily as it nuzzled against Ranma-chan's legs. "Okay…" The pigtailed martial artist said slowly as she reached out slowly with a hand. When Pikachu showed no signs of negative reaction to her hand, she began stroking its ears. Pikachu sighed happily as it nuzzled itself closer to her. "So you're called a Pikachu. All right, at least that's one mystery solved." Ranma-chan continued to stroke Pikachu and nothing was said for a long time. When she finally looked down, she noted that the Pokemon had fallen asleep. Gently taking the electric rodent in her arms, she set about making her own preparations for the night. When her sleeping bag had been sufficiently dried out, she crawled into it. This time however, she took Pikachu with her. The next morning… Pikachu awoke to the sound of something that was pounding on wood. When it arose from the sleeping bag, it noted that Ranma was gone. Looking around, it saw him in a nearby clearing, in his male form, and was steadily hitting his feet and fists against a wooden post that had the top wrapped up in some cloth bindings. It decided to investigate. Ranma had decided to resume his training in the martial arts as he wanted to keep in shape. He found that the exertion also helped relieve some of the stress he had built up over the last few days. The fact that he was lost on some Earth-like world that had strange creatures roaming about didn't alter the fact that he needed to maintain his martial levels. The katas aided him in maintaining his focus as he quietly tried to plan what to do next. His Anything Goes Martial Arts was all that he had besides what was in his backpack. It wasn't much but at least it helped him forget about his problems for a while. Pikachu watched with fascination as the human went through his motions. After a minute, Ranma hit the top of the post and caused it to snap off without any significant effort. He then began a series of movements that were incredibly graceful as he went through intricate patterns, throwing out punches and kicks at unseen enemies. He started to make leaps into the air, using the surrounding trees as springboards. Pikachu was in awe as Ranma leapt up to heights of thirty feet or so, defying gravity for a few seconds as he turned, twisted and somersaulted. Every now and then, he would lash out with a leg or fist, as if he were fighting an invisible foe in the air. The Pokemon's black, beady eyes followed its companion as he moved about at a fast pace. Finally, after half an hour, Ranma landed on the ground and took a ready stance in front of a large boulder. Pikachu's eyes widened as it saw a faint blue aura begin to form around Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist focused his inner energies for a long moment, then struck. "KIIIIIIIYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" Ranma lashed out with a straight kick and his foot slammed into the rock. His foot rested on the surface of the granite for an instant before pulling his foot back. At first it seemed as if the rock had not been damaged, but then the front of it began to show cracks at the point where Ranma's kick had impacted with it. Another moment later, the entire face of the rock crumbled into fragments. Ranma smiled at his handiwork. He had used the principle of the Stonebreaker Fist that he had learned at the age of twelve, and had now revised it into a kicking version. "Chu!" The boy then looked over to where the electric mouse was and smiled. He had already been aware of its presence. "So did you enjoy the show?" "Pikachu!" The pokemon nodded as it approached Ranma. It would have liked to be able to leap to such heights and be able to shatter stone. Such a technique could be very useful if it went up against rock-type pokemon. It pointed to the crumbled fragments of Ranma's target. Ranma nodded as he understood what the little pokemon was asking him. "That was a kicking version of the Stonebreaker Fist." "Pika?" "Yeah, I focused my ki into my leg and used it to take the brunt of the blow." "Pi?" "Yeah, my ki. Look at this." Ranma took a stance, closed his eyes and began breathing steadily, using meditation techniques that had been taught to him to gain his mental and spiritual balance. The faint blue aura formed around him again and Pikachu became fascinated by it. He then opened his eyes and said, "This my battle aura. The energy you see is my ki. This is the energy that I used to break that rock and it also helps me jump higher." "Pika…" Pikachu was more than amazed that such a power existed. Ranma continued with his explanation. "It took me a while to control some of it, though Pop said that I learned it a lot faster than he ever did. I guess martial arts comes naturally to me." He then looked down and saw his new friend copy his stance and try to attempt to raise up its own battle aura. He smiled as he watched the pokemon strain to pull forth its ki. "It's a lot harder than it looks Pikachu. It took me weeks to do this and I doubt you could…?" Ranma's words died out as he saw the electric mouse begin to glow with a thin, blue aura. The aura began to become more intense as Pikachu increased its concentration. Ranma also noticed that its cheek pouches were sparking and releasing minute flashes of electricity. At this point, Ranma saw that his little friend was now surrounded by an intense blue light and its electric generators were giving off larger sparks. The cheek pouches were a fiery red and resembled glowing coals. Pikachu started to give off little whimpers as its body began to tremble and shake. It had never felt this way before. It desperately tried to calm down, but the energies within it would not subside. The power continued to build up until it was too enormous for Pikachu to hold it in any more. Finally, it let out a scream as it reached its peak and spread its arms out. "Pika… CHU!!!" The was a huge surge of power and all the pent-up ki energy blasted outward in all directions. Ranma was thrown backward and landed on his back twenty feet away. He was temporarily blinded from the sudden burst of brightness and all he could see at the moment were flashes of blue light. He lay on his back for a minute or so as Pikachu collapsed from the exertion. When Ranma finally could see again, he slowly got up to a sitting position and looked to where Pikachu was sprawled out on the ground. His eyes widened as he saw his pokemon in the middle of a fifteen-foot crater. The lightning rodent was unconscious and was prone in the center of the depression. Some time later, Ranma was tending to his little friend as it slept quietly on a small sheet that he had laid out for it. Pikachu was none worse for wear and it was only exhausted from its ordeal. As he watched the electric mouse in its slumber, he began thinking back to what had happened earlier. He just couldn't believe that it had just performed a ki blast. Ranma had heard of things like that but had never been able to accomplish it. Then all of a sudden, this little electric rodent had done it on the first try, without any prior martial arts training. Reaching over to his backpack, Ranma pulled out several of his old training manuals and began reading about the information concerning ki. Ranma looked up and thought about it. Thinking back to the Stonebreaker Fist and how he could leap to heights of about thirty feet, he nodded in understanding. Ranma then thought back to when the pokemon was gathering its battle aura. He had noticed that its cheek pouches had been sparking. At first Ranma though he was going to get shocked again, but then remembered how Pikachu had strained to keep the energy within it. When that energy was released, it didn't come from its cheek pouches, but instead had blasted forth from it body. It was at that point that Ranma used the one thing he seldom used during his training journey: his mind. Ranma recalled how its cheek pouches were the brightest of all when all that ki was released. Looking back at the electric rodent, he came to a conclusion. Ranma reached out and stroked Pikachu's back, which caused the electric rodent to sigh in contentment. It was then that Pikachu had begun to stir. Opening its eyes, it smiled up at the human. "Pikachu." Ranma smiled down at the little pokemon and picked up into his arms. "How are you feeling Pikachu?" "Pika." It leaned forward and gave Ranma an affectionate lick on his chin. Ranma smiled as he began thinking of his new training regime. The thought of learning a new skill made him totally forget that he was in a strange land. If there was one thing that Ranma was always eager to drop everything for, it was learning a new technique. A few days later, Ranma was once again practicing in the clearing. This time however, Pikachu was with him, copying its new trainer's moves as he performed a series of simple katas. "No Pikachu. Like this." Ranma thrust out his hand in a palm strike. Pikachu nodded as it thrust out a paw. Ranma nodded as he continued to practice with Pikachu. It seemed that sparring against an opponent that was smaller and faster than he was proved to be a good challenge. Pikachu would leap about and Ranma would try his best to catch his friend. As they fought, Pikachu became better at copying its trainer's moves while Ranma improved with his speed and coordination. Trying to hit such a small target made him think a bit more and plan his strategy against a shorter opponent. Ranma noted that the pokemon was also a fast leaner. In just a few short days, Pikachu had mastered many of the basic and more advanced moves of the Anything Goes style of aerial combat. To compensate for its shorter reach and lesser strength, the electric mouse decided to improve its agility and maneuverability. As a result, it became faster and far more agile than a normal Pikachu would have been. It also started to get the hang of using its ki to enhance its physical movements. Its not every day that one could see a Pikachu making twenty-foot high jumps! A few more days later… Ranma and his pokemon were standing in their stances, meditating and gathering up their ki. Pikachu had learned from its earlier mistake and was now gathering its energies at a much slower rate. Ranma on the other hand was practicing at gathering his ki at a much faster rate and In greater quantities. By carefully watching his friend, he was able to discern how to amass the ki and focus it more tightly. Yet more days pass… Ranma had discovered that he needed a focal point in order to focus his ki. Pikachu already had his cheek pouches to help it gain its focus, but Ranma needed something else. He began trying different stances and positions. Finally, after much trial and error, he discovered that by cupping his hands and bringing them up in front of him, he could condense his ki and begin to mold it into a round shape. A few days after that… Ranma was close… so close, that he could almost see himself letting the ki in his hands shoot off and strike the tree that he was aiming at. Beside him, Pikachu was focusing its own ki and was aiming at the same tree. However, the ki would not leave Ranma's hands and Pikachu's energy kept on building and threatened to explode like before. Ranma desperately held onto his ki. What was he doing wrong? What was missing from the equation? He could now focus his ki and shape it with relatively no effort, but he couldn't fire it off. If he didn't do something quick, the ki would blow up in his hands. With a final burst of supreme effort, Ranma pulled back his hands and then threw them forward. "I CAN DO IT!!!" Suddenly, the blue sphere of ki rocketed forth from his palms and struck the tree. The trunk was reduced to splinters as the orb impacted heavily onto it. Though the ki energy was no bigger than a basketball, the devastation it caused was enormous! The tree was totally obliterated and the fireball kept on going. It then struck into another grove of trees and exploded with a rather large detonation. Ranma was thrown off his feet from the recoil of releasing so much energy at once. At the same time that Ranma released his ki, Pikachu also let loose with its own. Seeing its trainer cup his palms and hold them out in front of him, it decided to follow suit. Holding up its own paws, it began focusing its accumulated energies. When it felt like it was about to explode, it let loose a fierce cry of determination. "Pika… CHU!!!!" Pikachu's ki blast was smaller than Ranma's but still packed quite a wallop. It shot forward, missing the tree but instead hit a large boulder. The rock face was cracked along the spot where the ball of energy hit it. Large shards of rock were blown off and the entire rock shuddered. After releasing so much energy at once, Pikachu collapsed near its trainer. Ranma was still a bit dazed and his body felt as if he had gone twenty nonstop rounds with his old man. His body was utterly exhausted but he had a grin on his face that went from ear to ear. "We… did it Pikachu!" A month after that experience… Ranma and Pikachu trained hard as they practiced to hone their newfound ki abilities. Ranma eventually learned that his ki could be projected through his emotions. After realizing that his determination and confidence was his strongest emotions, ki blasts became much easier to accomplish. Pikachu discovered that as it increased its control over its ki, its electric attacks had become much stronger. After a solid month, Pikachu had enough power to almost match its evolved form, the Raichu. Thunderstones no longer held any meaning to Ranma's friend. Ranma on the other hand, was determined to not only master his ki ability, but also to try and copy his Pokemon's electric attacks. He knew that Pikachu's electric abilities were based on ki manipulation. He just had to find out how to do it. After endless hours of trial and error, as well as constantly watching Pikachu in action, he finally discovered a way to accomplish it. In actuality, it was totally by accident. Ranma had been gathering firewood when he had accidentally disturbed a flock of Spearows. The angry birds had chased him around and his Pikachu had to come to his rescue. A massive Thundershock attack drove the birds away, but unfortunately, Ranma was caught in the blast. "YEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!!" Pikachu rushed toward Ranma's smoking body. It hadn't meant to shock its trainer, but it had momentarily forgotten that its electric attacks were far stronger than usual and it had yet to control its newfound power. "Pika? Pi?" Pikachu leaned over its trainer and checked for any sign that he was still alive. Ranma moaned as he looked at his friend. Seeing the hurt in its eyes, he gave the Pikachu a weak smile and said, "I'm… okay Pikachu. Just… a little medium-rare." He slowly raised a hand to pet his pokemon, but then noticed that his fingers were giving off small sparks. He gazed at them, then thought back to how it felt when Pikachu had inadvertently shocked him. He then realized what had to be done if he wanted to learn the technique. Over the next few days, he instructed Pikachu to give him a few light shocks as he built up his ki. The sessions were at first painful, but eventually they grew to become no more irritating as compared to one scuffing one's feet in socks along a wool carpet. As Ranma was charged with electricity, he got a feel for what the energy was like. Then one day, it happened. Ranma was again focusing hi ki at a tree after receiving a few light electric shocks from Pikachu. He then began reaching into his inner being and began to picture the ball in his mind become electricity. He could see in his head a ball of lightning instead of a ball of ki energy. On the side, Pikachu watched its trainer as he increased his concentration. Then its eyes widened as Ranma's ki energy began to change in color and begin to glow brighter. "Pika." It said in awe. Ranma's eyes also widened when he opened them. The energy in his palms was now crackling and sparking. Ranma smiled as he added more ki to the mass. The electrical power contained in the sphere grew in size and potency. As Ranma got the hang of converting the ki into electricity, he smiled. He then threw his hands upward and released the lightning. "SHOCK ATTACK!" The mass of electricity leapt out and elongated into a bolt of lightning. Ranma braced himself as more than 5000 volts erupted from his hands. He gave a smirk as he saw the lightning shoot up and disappeared into the sky. He looked down at the still awestruck Pikachu and said, "Thanks pal. I don't what I would have done without you." Pikachu smiled as it raised a paw and gave him a victory sign. "Pika!" Ranma smiled down at the little rodent as he bent down to pick it up. "We've both learned a lot in the last two months, haven't we Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded happily as it snuggled against Ranma's chest. "Chu!" Ranma continued to hold his friend, the only thing that kept him from going insane when he arrived on this strange world. He then thought of something. "You know what Pikachu? You should have a name." "Pika pi?" The electric mouse looked up at its trainer. Ranma nodded as he held up his pokemon, then considered what to call him. Then an inspiration hit him. "Hey… what do you think about the name… Raiden?" "Pika?" "It's the name of a Chinese Thunder God. I heard that name when me and Pop were in China. He was supposed to be a great warrior and could shoot lightning. I think that name suits you, don't you?" The little Pikachu considered the name then smiled as it liked the idea of being named after a deity. "Pika!" "Okay, from now on, your name is Raiden!" Eventually, Ranma was able to create his own electric attack without Raiden's help. Another week would pass when Ranma and Raiden finally emerged from the wilderness and found themselves near the outskirts of a small town. It was time that Ranma started exploring this new world and perhaps find a way back to his own Ranma paused as he considered his options. By now, it was apparent to him that this was not Earth, at least not the Earth that he knew of. He was glad to see other humans though as cars and people passed by him on the road. They also didn't seem to pay Raiden any notice, so Ranma assumed that the strange creatures of this world were commonplace. He was a bit unsure about this Earthlike place but aside from the strange creatures he had encountered, it really wasn't all that different. It seemed to be like the Earth he had come from, but with one major difference. Just about all the signs he had encountered always had the word 'Pokemon' on them. Passerbys would often say that word and Ranma would wonder just what it meant. He didn't know that Raiden was a Pokemon. He also found it very strange that he was able to read and speak this strange world's language. It sounded like that gaijin language, English. After giving it some thought, Ranma shrugged and continued on, deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth. As Ranma and Raiden approached the small town, he wondered just what to do now. When his stomach rumbled, he then decided to get something to eat. Then he realized something. He wasn't in the forest anymore. He couldn't just forage for food. He was in a town and he didn't have any money. If one wanted to eat, then one would need money. And that meant… a job. Ranma winced at the thought but there was no other option. Ranma was on a strange world with nothing except his backpack. He had not a single yen on him and had no skills save for his martial arts. His good-for-nothing father had never trained him in any other useful skills save for fighting and Ranma could see that this small and peaceful-looking place wouldn't be interested in a wandering martial artist and his pet Pikachu. And after spending a month and a half in the forest, Ranma had started to look like a vagrant. He also remembered that he couldn't do what his father always did when they were on that training journey. He recalled how angry shopkeepers and restaurant owners had been whenever Genma had stolen supplies and food for them to survive on. Ranma had always felt guilty about taking things when he was old enough to distinguish right from wrong. After remembering what he had done when he was younger, he winced at his naiveté. Since he had realized that what he had thought was game was actually theft, he made it a point not to follow with that kind of training anymore. This had angered his father, but that didn't stop Genma from continuing to steal for the Art or torture his son for the sake of training. At the thought of torture, Ranma shivered at the memory of the Cat Fist. It was then that Ranma noticed a small sign that was asking for help. Ranma read the sign out loud. "Help wanted for a assistant. No experience necessary. Apply in person to Professor Oak." Ranma looked down at Raiden and shrugged. It was as good a place as any. After asking a passerby on how to get to the address listed on the sign, Ranma and Raiden headed toward the lab of Pallet Town's Pokemon expert. To be continued… Author's Notes Now who better to explain Pokemon to Ranma than Professor Oak? Ranma would probably not like the idea of having Raiden fight his battles for him or stuffing it or any other Pokemon into Pokeballs. He would probably see it as slavery, but it's still possible that he can become a Pokemon trainer. You've got to admit, he's got a talent for the position if he's able to train Raiden. Ranma's Pikachu has been a big help to him in his training and is probably his best friend in this world. Ranma will come to depend heavily on the little mouse as they help each other. As for the other characters in this crossover, Ranma will eventually meet up with them and Raiden may even become more pursued by Team Rocket than Ash's Pikachu. Give me some more comments and support if you have any ideas on where this could go, should I decided to continue it.