Fist of the Pikachu < >: Thoughts * *: Pokedex responses Chapter Five Battle! Ranma's First Gym Challenge "Hey! Look at that!" "Is that a Ponyta?" "No, it's a Rapidash!" "Awesome! I've never seen a Rapidash before!" "Wow! Check it out!" "He must be a great Pokemon trainer to be able to train a Rapidash!" Ranma became very nervous as he rode Wildfire into Viridian City. Crowds began to form around them and little children were running up to try and pet the flame Pokemon. Although he was proud of his new Pokemon, his fire-horse was drawing way too much attention. Even in the Pokemon world, a horse with a fiery mane and tail in an urban population center was about as subtle as a terrorist bombing. Ranma became even more edgy as he saw a motorcycle cop approach them. Wildfire, already nervous at being crowded, reared back slightly as the female officer came to a stop in front of them. "Whoa! Settle down Wildfire! Easy does it!" Ranma pulled back slightly on the reins while Raiden tightened his grip on the backpack and waited for Wildfire to calm down. At the moment, Wind Rider was in his Pokeball, resting. Though Ranma did not like to use those devices, he knew of their benefits. They did make transporting Pokemon a lot easier and helped them recover from injuries. In any case, with the exception of his Pikachu, his Pokemon didn't really mind them. When the flame Pokemon calmed down, Ranma looked down at the uniformed cop as she dismounted her motorcycle, which had a sidecar attached to it. She was about his height and had blue hair. She had a very attractive figure and was wearing a skirt-style uniform that resembled the uniform of the French police. Ranma had to admit that she was pretty cute. Then again, Ranma had not seen many girls in his life, either on his training journey with Genma or his travels in this world. She began waving off the crowd and said in firm, commanding tones for them to disperse. When the crowd backed off, she turned to Ranma and his Rapidash. "Hold it right there buster! You can't just ride that Rapidash into the city. You're going to have to put him in his Pokeball." Ranma flinched at the statement. "Uh… well… I'm sorry officer…?" "Officer Jenny of the Viridian City Police Department. I'm going to have to insist that you put that horse in its Pokeball. Either that, or bring him to the Pokemon center." "Why? I mean… my Rapidash isn't doing anything wrong, is it?" "No, but he's going to cause some major traffic problems if you ride him into the city. Besides, the tourist season is really high at this time, even though the Pokemon League competition is over for this year." "Your Rapidash would also be a target for Pokemon robbers." Jenny continued. "Pokemon robbers?" "Pika?" Raiden was also intrigued. "We've been having some reports of Pokemon disappearing from the area and your Rapidash would certainly be on a robber's list. Now are you going to comply, or do I have to take you in for inciting a disturbance?" The pig-tailed martial artist and Pokemon trainer looked down at the policewoman. Her expression was one of determination, and if there was one thing that Ranma's training trip had taught him, it was not to get involved with the police. Then again, it was usually Genma's fault that they were constantly on the run. Ranma sighed as he dismounted and took out a Pokeball. "Sorry about this Wildfire. I'll have you out again as soon as possible." Wildfire neighed in understanding. It was just as well. The city was too crowded for his taste and all these people made him nervous. He preferred wide-open spaces. "Wildfire, return!" A slender red beam was emitted from the activator button of the device and caused the Rapidash to be transported into the Pokeball. Ranma replaced the Pokeball back onto his belt and turned to face Officer Jenny. "Now am I free to go?" "Let's see some identification first." Ranma nodded as he brought out his Pokedex and opened it up to display the identification the Professor Oak had prepared for him. *RANMA SOATOME. REGISTERED POKEMON TRAINER FROM PALLET TOWN. REFER TO PROFESSOR OAK FOR MORE INFORMATION." The policewoman nodded as she assessed him. "I figured that you must be a trainer. You're free to go." Officer Jenny went back to her motorcycle. The crowds began to scatter as the people resumed their own lives. It was at that time that Ranma noticed something that was in the sidecar of Jenny's cycle. It popped its head out in the open and it looked like a cross between a dog and a lion. It let off short barks and growls and Ranma took out his Pokedex. *GROWLITH. A PUPPY POKEMON OF THE FIRE ELEMENT. IT HAS A PLAYFUL DEMEANOR AND IT PROTECTS ITS TERRITORY BY DRIVING AWAY ENEMIES WITH BARKS AND BITES.* Officer Jenny looked back at Ranma. "Hey there. Are you here to challenge the gym leader at the new Viridian Gym?" "New Viridian Gym?" Ranma didn't get it. Officer Jenny was still under the impression that Ranma knew what she was talking about as she kick-started her motorcycle. "Ever since it was rebuilt and put under a new leader, a lot of Pokemon trainers have been coming here to win an Earth Badge. So far, nobody has been able to come close to giving the gym leader a good battle. Well, good luck and enjoy your visit to Viridian City." The officer smiled as she revved her cycle. "Hey, now wait a minute! What are you…?" Officer Jenny was already down the road and gone before Ranma could finish. Raiden's trainer was standing amid a small cloud of dust that was kicked up with Jenny's departure. "Pokemon League? Gym leader? Earth Badge? Now what was all that about?" Raiden sighed as he remembered just how unaware Ranma was with basic rules of Pokemon trainers. He tapped Ranma's shoulder and gestured to one of his pockets. "Pika! Pika pi chu!" "Huh? You know something about all this Raiden?" Raiden nodded as he continued to point to the pocket. Ranma looked down then reached into the pocket to pull out a small slip of paper, which had a telephone number on it. "Professor Oak's number? What are you…?" He then realized what Raiden was trying to tell him. "Oh! I should ask Professor Oak about the Pokemon League, right?" "Pika!" Raiden replied. It would be far easier to let the scientist tell him, since it would take too long for the electric rodent to try and explain. It was pretty hard to communicate when neither spoke the same language. Ranma nodded as he said, "I'll call him as soon as we get to a Pokemon center." Fortunately for Ranma, he had saved up a sizable amount of money from his time with Professor Oak and had opened up an account. After going to various stores to stock up on supplies, Ranma and his Pikachu arrived at the Viridian City Pokemon center. A few minutes later, he was speaking to Professor Oak on the videophone while his Pokemon were getting a checkup and being refreshed. "Hi Ranma. It's been a while since I last heard from you. How are you?" "I'm doing okay Professor. I'm calling from the Viridian City Pokemon center." "Hmmm. It took you quite a while to get there. My grandson Gary and his rival Ash only took about three or four days to get to Viridian." "Hey, remember, I'm new here. Besides, I kind of got… sidetracked." "Oh? Did you catch any Pokemon?" "Well, you… could say that. Though I don't think 'caught' would be the right word." It was then that an attractive nurse with pink hair done up in two loops behind her head came up to Ranma. "Hold on a second Professor." He turned to the nurse, whose name was Joy (like you didn't know that). "Yes?" The nurse smiled as she said, "Excuse me. But your Pokemon are now recharged and ready for you." Ranma nodded as he looked down and saw that she was holding a tray. The two Pokeballs that contained Wind Rider and Wildfire were on it and Raiden was beside Nurse Joy's feet. "Pikachu." Raiden waved to his trainer before hopping up to the console of the videophone. He then waved to the image of Professor Oak. "Pika!" "Hello Raiden." The scientist turned his attention back to Ranma. "So Ranma, is there a reason for this call?" "Yes." Ranma took the two Pokeballs from Nurse Joy and nodded his thanks. "I must say, you are the first trainer to bring in a Rapidash to this center." Nurse Joy commented with a smile. "You must have some special talent to have caught and trained a Pokemon like that." "Uhhh… I guess you could say that." Ranma was unsure of the compliment. When the young Pokemon nurse left, he turned back to Oak. "Did I hear correctly?" Oak asked in surprise. "You have a Rapidash?" "Uhhh… yeah." Ranma admitted reluctantly. "I got him a few days ago. He was mostly the reason why it took me so long to get to Viridian City. I also picked up a Pidgey along the way." "Well, I must say, I'm impressed! You've just started your Pokemon journey and you've already caught a very powerful and rare Pokemon. A Ponyta is hard enough to catch and train, but you have gotten its evolved form. Congratulations!" "Uh thanks. Anyway, I want to ask you something." "What would you like to know?" "Professor, I want to know about what the Pokemon League is all about. Ever since I got here, that's all I've been hearing. Other trainers at the center have been talking about things like gym leaders, badges and stuff like that." "You don't know? Oh, well of course you don't. You are new to our world. In any case, the Pokemon League is made of the top Pokemon trainers and masters. In order to compete in the Pokemon League, you have to earn eight gym badges and have at least six Pokemon." Ranma frowned slightly. He had gone through a lot when he had gotten Raiden, Wind Rider and Wildfire. Now he needed three more? "So, how do I earn gym badges?" "Well, you earn a badge each time you defeat a gym leader's Pokemon. Come to think of it, I recall that Viridian's gym had been rebuilt and is under a new gym leader. If you want to enter next year's League competition, then that would be a good place to start." "Yeah… I guess so." "Well, it's been good talking to you Ranma. I have to get back to my work now, so take care. Good luck." After Ranma hung up, he and Raiden went to sit down on a nearby bench. "Well Raiden, what do you think?" "Pika!" Raiden replied in excitement. It was obvious that he wanted to compete in the Pokemon League. Ranma however, wasn't quite as enthusiastic. It seemed that the people of this world relied heavily on their Pokemon. For a martial artist like Ranma, it didn't seem right to let Raiden and the others do the work. Challenging another person to a match and then letting his Pokemon battle for him made him seem lazy. How was he supposed to get any better if he didn't get to challenge anyone? Once again, his doubts about being a Pokemon trainer came back to him. "Pikachu!" Ranma looked down at his electric mouse and saw Raiden's determined expression. "You really want to challenge the gyms and go into this Pokemon League, right?" "Pika!" Ranma considered his friend, then sighed. Raiden had been patient with him with his reluctance to catch Pokemon. So far, his only battles had been with Wind Rider and that Golem. Ranma had to admit that the electric rodent's skills were impressive and could get better with more challenges. The martial artist was especially proud of how far Raiden had progressed in the last few months. As his sensei, it was his job to train him and all of his other Pokemon to reach their full potential. With that in mind, he nodded to his Pikachu. "Okay. We're going to go get a few more supplies and do some training. I do have to start training Wildfire and Wind Rider as well. After a few days, maybe in a couple of weeks, we'll challenge that gym. That sound good to you?" "Pikachu!" Raiden smiled and raised a paw in agreement. A day later… Wildfire and Ranma were in an open field on the outskirts of Viridian City. Ranma was in a horse stance, while Wildfire observed with fascination as his trainer glowed with a blue aura. On the sidelines, Wind Rider and Raiden watched as well During their trip to Viridian, Ranma had also demonstrated his curse to his new Pokemon and had his Pikachu explain it to them. A nice thing about Pokemon was that despite the different sounds that they made, they all understood each other. After a short while, Wind Rider and Wildfire accepted the fact that Ranma had a partially controllable evolving process. "You see Wildfire? This is my ki. What you are seeing is the energy that is made by all living things. When you get control of it, you can use it to boost your physical skills. Watch!" Ranma made a standing jump to a height of thirty feet and landed on a branch of a tall tree. Wildfire let off a surprised neigh as his eyes widened at the sight. Ranma smiled as he continued with the demonstration. He leapt off the branch, twisted in midair and seemed to hover for a few seconds as he threw several punches and kicks. When gravity took hold of him, he used several trees to rebound off and darted about the area at amazing speed. When he landed on the ground, Ranma focused on nearest tree and delivered a straight kick to it. To Wildfire's surprise, and to Ranma's, there was a large snapping sound as the thick wood buckled under the force of impact. The tree trunk was more than three feet in diameter. Ranma and his Pokemon stood in awe as the tall tree shuddered and then it came crashing down as if a lumberjack had felled it. Ranma was in a bit of a shock. He had expected a large chunk of the wood to break off. He had not expected to kick through the entire tree. It was then that Ranma thought back to the months that he had trained with Raiden to control his ki. He had learned to generate his ki as a projectile attack and convert it to electricity. Raiden had learned to do the same as well as increase his agility and voltage output. Then Ranma remembered all the times he sparred with Raiden and realized something. Ranma smiled as he came to a conclusion. The Rapidash was stomping his feet in excitement while Wind Rider flapped his wings, which caught Ranma's attention. "So you want to learn that stuff?" The flame horse nodded enthusiastically. It could see the advantages of such training. The Pidgey also wanted to learn. Ranma looked at his Pokemon and started thinking about how he could train them in using their ki to enhance their own abilities. In doing so, he might gain some new attacks as well. Three days later… Ranma's Rapidash was blazing along the fields near Viridian City as Ranma watched him from a ridge. In his hand was a stopwatch. When Wildfire passed a large boulder, he clicked the stopwatch and checked Wildfire's time. Like Raiden and other Pokemon, Wildfire had a subconscious ability to harness and utilize his ki. It was relatively a simple matter for him to draw it forth and use it to not only to form those living flames, but also to boost his physical abilities. Wildfire trotted toward his master and Ranma noticed that the fire-horse had a thin blue aura about it. Ranma looked over to the side to see Raiden and Wind Rider sparring. Raiden was leaping about and the Pidgey was doing his best to dodge. The Pikachu would only use gentle taps on his opponent, which the bird would try to avoid. The pig-tailed martial aartist noted that Pidgey was receiving fewer hits than yesterday. Every now and then, he would see a faint blue glow about the flying Pokemon. A few more days later… Wind Rider's battle aura glowed more brightly as it dove at Ranma. Ranma moved ever faster as he leapt about and tried a few punches and kicks. After a few minutes, the Pidgey pulled back and began flapping his wings rapidly. Ranma had frequently experienced the gust attack before during these training sessions and thought he could handle them. He was genuinely surprised when the wind hit him with more force than usual. He found himself flying backward and was thrown twenty feet further than what he normally traveled when hit by a gust attack. Wind Rider flew to his trainer when he landed on his rear on the ground. It landed before him and looked concerned. Ranma shook his head to clear it, then looked at the diminutive bird. He smiled as he assessed Wind Rider's power level. A few more days… Wildfire was surprised to see his trainer running at a fast pace behind him. The flame Pokemon could see Ranma was glowing with a bright blue aura as he was going at about 35 miles per hour. Since this was an exercise in endurance, the Rapidash wasn't going at much more than 50 mph. With a whinny, Wildfire doubled his speed and shot forward. Ranma saw his Pokemon pull away and tried to increase his speed. His aura began glowing even brighter as he stained to keep the Rapidash in sight. He knew that there was no way he could beat Wildfire in a foot race, but he still strained to achieve greater speeds. He concentrated even harder, trying to get more ki flowing through his limbs. He could feel his body almost overflowing with power. He was so intent on catching up to Wildfire, that he didn't notice that his aura had become more intense and that it was changing color. Suddenly, it flared like a sunburst and Ranma shot forward at better than 65 mph! Ranma's Rapidash was already waiting at the stopping point near the large boulder with Raiden and Wind Rider. They had not been expecting Ranma to arrive for another few minutes. Imagine their surprise when they saw him shooting toward them like a speeding car. His aura was now a deep crimson and was trailing behind him like… flames? Ranma couldn't believe that he was traveling so fast but then he saw the finish line. Leaning back, he tried to thrust out his feet to slow down. However, as he was unused to traveling so fast, he stumbled forward. Instinctively powering up his aura to deaden the impact, Ranma curled in his body to roll with the fall. His body hit the ground and bounced a couple of times before he was able to skid to a halt. The Pokemon had to dive for cover as he kicked up a lot of dirt and plowed a trench into the countryside. When the dust clouds settled down, Raiden and the others slowly moved forward. There, in a deep ditch was their trainer, who was sprawled on his back and had several deep cuts and bruises. His aura had become a thin blue halo and Ranma looked totally exhausted. "Pikachu?" Ranma looked toward his electric rodent and gave him a weak smile. "Okay. So… I need to get better brakes." A week later… Ranma nodded as Wind Rider stood in front of the large boulder. The Pidgey took off and then began flapping his wings furiously. He began circling the boulder, creating a cyclone of wind. The air current began buffeting the rock. Slowly, but surely, the Pidgey's Whirlwind began to pick the mass of granite off the ground. The other Pokemon and their trainer smiled as Wind Rider redoubled his efforts and began beating his wings even faster. Soon, the massive rock was at least three feet off the ground. It was then that Ranma saw that the surface was starting to show cracks and fissures. He looked up and saw that Wind Rider was glowing a bright blue. It was then that they all heard a loud sound and they looked up to see a large crack appearing near the center of the boulder. Several smaller cracks showed up in spider web patterns as Wind Rider increased the air pressure. The rock shook and trembled and fragments of it started falling to the ground. "Get back!" Ranma cried as he held out an arm to push his Pokemon back. It was at that moment that the Pidgey let off a wail as the air currents caused the boulder to explode. The shards of rock crumbled before them and landed in a heap of rubble, causing a large dust cloud to appear. Raiden and Wildfire were amazed while Ranma felt a surge of pride in his bird. Wind Rider fell to the ground totally exhausted from his effort. Ranma raced forward and caught him before he hit the soil and cradled the bird in his arms. Its aura faded away as the Pidgey gasped for air. It took a few minutes before his breathing returned to normal. Ranma looked at the pile of rock that was once a one-ton boulder, then smiled down at his Pidgey. "Way to go Windy!" The Pidgey looked up at his trainer and gave him a weak, but happy chirp. Then suddenly, it happened. Ranma was just kneeling down to set his Pidgey on the ground and check on his health, when the bird suddenly began glowing with an intense white light. Ranma almost dropped Wind Rider as the flying Pokemon began squirming and tried to spread its wings. The pig-tailed martial artist's eyes opened wide as he realized what was going on. The bird suddenly jumped out of his arms and landed on its feet. It then spread its wings and let off a squawk. "PIDGOOOOOOO!" The bird suddenly increased to more than four times his size and took on a more robust form. When the light faded, Wind Rider the Pidgey was replaced by Wind Rider the Pidgeotto. Ranma whistled as he admired the new colors of the tail feathers and crest plumage. The Pidgeotto was also glowing with renewed energy as it powered up its battle aura. He then took off and made a series of loops, dives and turns, testing out its new form. He saw a large tree nearby and then swept his wings forward. His battle aura flared and to the amazement of all those present, the wings released a huge, concentrated blast of air that slammed into the tree and caused it to topple over. Unlike his usual gust attack, the air was focused like a solid object and struck like a battering ram. "Pika…" Raiden was also impressed as was Wildfire. Ranma gestured to his Pokemon and waved to him. Pidgeotto saw him and swooped down to land beside Ranma. He leaned forward and nuzzled his trainer. *PIGEOTTO. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIDGEY. IT HAS A FIERCER PERSONALITY THAN THE PIDGEY'S AND ITS GUST ATTACK IS ESPECIALLY STRONG.* "I don't doubt that." Ranma commented as he put away his Pokedex. "Pidgooo!" Several more days later… Ranma continued training his Pokemon as well as building his own skills. Wildfire was eventually able to achieve speeds of over 180 mph, developed some new ki-based attacks and had built up a resistance to the effects of water. Ranma had thought to build up Wildfire's defense against water-type Pokemon and because of his curse. Despite the fact that that Water Stone he wore negated the effect of moisture temperature, Ranma still found it odd that water would always find him. He had been through several gender changes before he had gotten the pendant, and it wouldn't do for that to happen frequently unless his fire Pokemon could adapt. He had also learned to harness his new running technique and called it the Rapidash Run. Although he couldn't match Wildfire's overall running speed, he could still achieve short bursts of speed of up to 70 mph. He made a note not to use it too often as it quickly tired him out. He had learned that he could manipulate his ki to resemble the living flame of his fire-horse, which added to the power of his kicks and punches. Yet another couple of days… "Do that again Windy." The Pidgeotto nodded as he began focusing his ki and spread his wings. The bird then brought his wings down in a swooping motion and Ranma could heard the brief sound of air being sucked in before it blasted forward and struck another large boulder. THOOM!!! The blast of high-pressure air sent the boulder flying off the ground. The huge mass of granite was pushed back at least twenty feet before it settled down on the ground. Ranma noted that there was a large hole in the face of the rock that was more than a foot in diameter and three feet deep! Cracks began to appear from the hole and larger pieces of the rock fell away. Ranma whistled in appreciation over Wind Rider's new attack. Raising his arms above him like wings, he began focusing his own ki. After gathering his energies, he brought his arms down in the same manner as his Pokemon had done. However, the only wind current he could generate was a faint breeze. Ranma sighed as he raised his arms to try again. Seventeen days since they had started training… Ranma was eventually able to learn how his new Pigeotto was able to generate the blasts of compressed air and called it his Wind Cannon technique. He wasn't able to generate as much force as his Pidgeotto, but he could still cause some serious damage with it. Wind Rider eventually learned several new fighting maneuvers and his normal attacks had gotten stronger. Raiden had developed some new electric and speed attacks, which he shared with Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist had become very pleased at how much he and his companions had progressed. When it was more than two and half weeks since they arrived, the trainer and his Pokemon were ready to face off against the gym leader of Viridian City. Meanwhile, in a secret office somewhere in the world, Giovanni, the leader of the terrorist organization Team Rocket, was petting his Persian when he got a call on his communications console. He was still brooding over the destruction of Team Rocket's main headquarters and the continuous bumbling of Jesse, James and Meowth. He was especially upset over the loss of his most prized Pokemon, Mewtwo. A flunky appeared on the screen and said, "Sir. For the last few days, we've been detecting some strange power readings coming from the outskirts of Viridian City." "Is it Mewtwo?" Giovanni asked. He had set up several energy- tracking stations to monitor for any signs of his missing secret weapon. The flunky shook his head. "No sir. The readings we're getting aren't anything like Mewtwo's psychic energies. They seemed to be more along the lines of fighting-type Pokemon. They're very powerful though. And we're also detecting some other strange emanations that we can't identify." "Hmm. You say that it's near Viridian City?" "Yes sir. Shall I contact Jessie and James to investigate?" "No, I don't want those two idiots! After that Mega-Transporter Pokeball fiasco and the way they bungled stealing the blueprints at Professor Oak's laboratory, I don't need any more failures!" "Then who should we send?" "Contact Butch and Cassidy. Unlike Jesse and James, those two have a better record for success. They're in Viridian right now, stealing some Pokemon for me. Have them stake out the new gym and its leader. Ever since we sold the property rights to Sam Ryker, that gym has been especially busy. If those sources of energy have anything to do with Pokemon, then that is where it will most likely turn up. If there are any new kinds of powerful Pokemon in the area, I want them. Is that understood?" "Yes sir." Back in Viridian City at the front of the Pokemon gym, Ranma took a deep breath and looked down at his Pikachu. Wildfire and Wind Rider were in their Pokeballs. He had learned from the locals that the gym leader's name was Sam Ryker. "You ready to get that Earth Badge?" "Pikachu!" Raiden responded as he and Ranma walked up the stairs to the front doors of the gym. The building was about the size of a high school gymnasium and had a large sign above the doors, which read Viridian City Pokemon Gym in bold letters. In smaller letters, was the message that it was under new management. Ranma nodded as he knocked on the door. A moment later, the doors automatically opened to allow them inside. Hidden behind some hedges on one side of the gym, two members of Team Rocket watched as a trainer and his Pikachu entered the building. "Looks like another trainer is going to go up against that new gym leader." Butch commented. Cassidy nodded as she motioned for her partner to follow her. At their feet, their Raticate trotted alongside. "Remember what the boss told us. We're to check out all Pokemon trainers and see if any of their Pokemon are worth stealing." "I still say we should steal the gym leader's Pokemon too." "Don't be stupid like those dopes, James and Jessie!" Cassidy chided. "We've already got the police looking for us. If we steal the city gym leader's Pokemon, then we'll draw even more attention to ourselves. Besides, there have been rumors that a trainer had entered the city on a Rapidash. That is one Pokemon that the boss would love to have!" Butch nodded as he and his partner found a window that gave them a good view of the battle area of the gym. They settled down into comfortable positions to watch the upcoming battle. Inside the gym, Ranma and Raiden entered a large space, which resembled a basketball court. In the center, a line was drawn to separate the two halves of the battle area and a large circle in the center that was in the image of a Pokeball. The area was dimly lit and Ranma had his senses on alert for any surprises. It was then that the main lights turned on and the place was lit up like a stadium. "Hello?" Ranma and his Pikachu turned to see a young girl and a man stand on the opposite end of the field. The girl was about Ranma's age, was about an inch shorter than Ranma and had blue hair done up in a long ponytail that was waist-length. She had green eyes and a confident expression on her face. She was dressed in a white T-shirt, blue jeans and hi-tops. She had a bit of a tomboyish look about her, but Ranma couldn't help but notice that she was pretty cute. Her figure was slender and Ranma could tell that she exercised regularly. The man beside her looked to be around his mid-forties and Ranma easily noticed the resemblance between the two and assumed that the man was the girl's father. He was dressed similarly to the girl's attire and was built like a football player. "Excuse me." Ranma said as he and Raiden approached the two. Ranma looked directly at the older man, assuming that he was the gym leader. "I'm looking to challenge the gym leader Sam Ryker? Are you him?" The man shook his head and said, "Nope. My name's Joe Ryker. I'm not the gym leader. I retired from being a Pokemon gym leader a while back. What you want is my kid, Sam." "Okay, so where is he?" The girl crossed her arms and looked up and down Ranma, assessing him. She then gave off a 'hmpf' and turned to her father. "This guy's just a beginner, Dad. He wouldn't be much of a challenge." Ranma felt as if he had been slapped at the comment. He turned to the girl and said, "What... did you just say?" "Pika." Raiden also didn't like the way she was addressing his sensei. The girl smirked and said with a slight sneer, "I said that you wouldn't be much of a challenge. You're just a beginner." "What makes you such an expert?" Ranma said with a bit of annoyance at her comments. The girl's smirked as she replied, "I noticed that you only have two Pokeballs on your belt that are filled. Now counting that Pikachu down there, that only totals up to three." "So?" "How long have you been a trainer?" "Uh… about a month. Maybe a little more." The girl gave a short laugh and said, "A whole month and all you got are three Pokemon? Even a novice would already have the required six Pokemon by that time. And just how many Pokemon battles against other trainers have you been in?" Ranma became a little embarrassed as he admitted, "Uhhhh… one." The girl giggled some more as she said, "And you expect to challenge a gym leader after only one battle? That is so funny!" The girl burst out in a fit of laughter, which did nothing to make Ranma or Raiden feel any better. In fact, the Pikachu was charging up his cheek pouches with the intent of shocking the girl for her insults. Ranma shook his head and waved for Raiden to power down. A moment later, the electric rodent complied. The girl's father shook his head at his child's insensitivity. "Now you be quiet! If this boy wants to battle for an Earth Badge, then I say we should let him! All gym leaders must accept any challenge at any time!" The girl nodded as she calmed down and said, "All right. This shouldn't take too long. I'd say that he'd lose in one minute! Heck, if he let's his Pikachu run free then he must be even worse than I thought. That electric rodent probably isn't even at level twelve. He'll probably lose quicker than that guy who brought his own cheering section with him." "Pretty sure that I won't win, huh? Well, let's battle! And after I defeat you, then I'll beat the gym leader too!" Ranma was mad. Raiden was steamed. "Pikachu!" "Oh, where are out manners? My girl totally forgot to introduce herself." Joe said as he gestured to his daughter. "Meet my daughter and gym leader of Viridian City, Samantha." "Call me Sam." The girl said with a smirk. Ranma's eyes widened as he heard this. "Y-Y-You're the gym leader? But… y-y-you're a girl!" "Yeah. So what? You afraid that you'll get beaten by a girl?" Ranma's mouth became a firm line as he clenched his fists. Now even though he was taught that he shouldn't fight girls, he REALLY wanted to put this arrogant female in her place. She was far too cocky for his taste, which reminded him of himself when he was training with his father. Receiving the girl curse, going on his own in this world and training his Pokemon had mellowed out that character trait somewhat, but he still had his pride. Now this person was insulting him and his friend. As Ranma thought about it, a Pokemon battle might be just the thing to shut this girl up. He could beat her without having to physically fight her, and satisfy his qualms against hitting girls. The look on her face when he beat her Pokemon would be good enough. "Let's battle." Ranma growled. Ranma and Sam were soon facing each other off at either sides of the arena. On the sidelines, Sam's father watched. Unlike his daughter, Samantha's father knew the value of never underestimating one's opponent. His long years as a veteran Pokemon trainer gave him the experience to assess his opponents and their Pokemon. "We'll have a three on three battle. Is that all right with you?" "Fine! Let's get it on!" Ranma gestured to Raiden to move up. The electric mouse hopped forward and waited. Sam gave off a short laugh as she threw out her first Pokemon. "Let's see if your electric rodent can handle this! Go Flareon!" The Pokeball opened up and released the fiery, evolved form of an Eevee. "Flareon!" The red and yellow Pokemon stood at the ready for its trainer to give its orders. *FLAREON. ONE OF THE THREE EVOLVED FORMS OF EEVEE. USING A FIRE STONE WILL CAUSE EVEE TO BECOME A FLAME-TYPE POKEMON WHOSE INTERNAL FIRE SAC CAN RELEASE FLAMES OF UP TO 1000 C.* Ranma smiled a bit. Raiden had some experience with flame-type Pokemon since he had him train with Wildfire. Signaling to his Pikachu to let his opponent make the first move, Ranma watched as Sam gave her Flareon the order to attack. "FIRE SPIN!" The fox-like Pokemon opened up its mouth and let loose with a searing blast of flames that looped and spiraled toward Raiden. As the fiery streams came at the electric rodent, Sam noticed that the Pikachu was taking a fighting stance and saw a faint blue glow surrounding it. Then it happened. "LIGHTNING TACKLE ATTACK!" "Pika!" The blue aura suddenly changed to a bright, yellow-white color and then crackled. Raiden then darted forward and his body was enveloped in electrical energies. He moved so fast that the naked eye could only discern a darting bolt of lightning as it made a zigzag path across the ground, effortlessly dodging the tongues of fire. In under a nanosecond, Raiden had crossed the distance between his opponent, just as the Flareon was starting to close its mouth. The energized Pikachu slammed into the Flareon's side, feet first, knocking the wind (and fire) out of it and sent it flying. "Flare!" Sam gasped in disbelief as her Pokemon was sent tumbling to the ground. When it finally came to a stop, it let off a pathetic moan before it lapsed into unconsciousness. She then looked up in a state of shock as Raiden gave his defeated opponent a polite bow before returning to his master. "Return Flareon!" Sam held out the Pokeball and recalled her Pokemon. After it had been transported back into the device, she then regarded Ranma and his Pikachu with a bit more wariness. "H-H- How did it do that?" Ranma shrugged and tried to act innocent as he said, "Beginner's luck?" On the outside of the gym, Butch and Cassidy were more than astonished at Raiden's method of attack. "I don't ever remember a Pikachu being able to do that." Butch said as he and his partner watched the match. "Hmmm, the boss did say that there were some strange energies in the area. That Pikachu may just be what we're looking for." Cassidy commented. Sam was more than irritated at the Ranma's smirk and attitude as she brought out another Pokeball. "I don't know how that Pikachu did that, but let's see if you can handle this!" "Okay." Ranma said nonchalantly. "Go Venomoth!" The Pokeball opened up and released the moth Pokemon. The moth flapped its wings as it hovered before Raiden. Ranma nodded as he brought out his Pokedex. *VENOMOTH, THE EVOLVED FORM OF VENONAT. TINY SCALES ON ITS WINGS PRODUCED VARIOUS SPORES WHEN THEY ARE FLAPPED.* Sam smiled as she said, "Let's see if your Pikachu can handle this one!" Ranma was about to say that it didn't matter to Raiden, but then decided on a different approach. He took out another Pokeball and motioned for Raiden to pull back. "Pika!" Raiden didn't want to pull out. It was just getting warmed up! Ranma shook his head. "Now, Raiden, I know that you can handle it, but you have to let the others have a chance too." Raiden nodded as he realized that he was hogging all the fun. He scampered to his master's side and waited as Ranma let loose with the Pokeball. "Let's go Wind Rider!" The Pokeball opened up to reveal Ranma's new Pidgeotto. "Pidgooo!" Sam gave a short laugh. A Pidgeotto didn't have a chance against the spore attacks of her Venomoth. "VENOMOTH, STUN SPORE!" Ranma commanded his Pidgeotto in one of its newest attacks. "WINDY! CYCLONE SPIN ATTACK!" The Pidgeotto shot forward toward the cloud of noxious spores. Sam thought that Ranma had lost his mind. She had expected the bird to counter with a gust or whirlwind, but instead, Wind Rider closed in his wings and feet and started spinning like a drill. His ki glowed as he formed an envelope of air around him. The spores were unable to penetrate the barrier and were pulled behind him in his jet wash. Venomoth was completely caught off guard at the unexpected attack and it made no move to dodge as Ranma's Pidgeotto plowed into it. WHAM! Sam's Pokemon was put into a daze as it fluttered to the ground. It landed on its back and was still stunned when Wind Rider made a low swoop over it and let the cloud of stun spores do its job. Venomoth was rendered temporarily helpless as its own spores were used against it. Wind Rider flew up high and then focused his ki again. "WINDY! USE YOUR WIND CANNON!" "Pidgooo!" The bird's battle aura flared and then released a blast of compressed air at his downed opponent. The blast was on target and the Venomoth never had a chance. BOOM! When the dust and debris from the impact cleared, which also scattered the cloud of stun spores, Venomoth was embedded in the floor of the gym and was clearly in no shape to battle. "Veno… moth." "I… don't… believe it! H-H-How… did… you?" Sam was trembling as she stared at her downed Pokemon. Ranma smirked as he said, "Well, why ask me? You're the gym leader. I'm just the beginner, right?" On the outside of the gym, Cassidy and Butch's eyes were now the size of saucers. (The flying kind). "No way!" Cassidy exclaimed. "Now I know that's not possible!" "That was… cool!" Butch said in awe. "The boss would love to have that Pokemon!" "I'm more interested in how that trainer had been able to teach his Pokemon to do those attacks!" Cassidy looked over Ranma's lean and muscled form with an appreciative eye. Sam was more than unsettled at her opponent's Pokemon and decided to pull out all the stops. Recalling her Venomoth, she took out her third Pokeball and said, "I got to admit, you're pretty good for a novice…" Sam fought hard to control the uneasiness in her voice. Ranma's smirk became even more pronounced as he recalled Wind Rider and brought out his last Pokeball. "You ain't seen nothing yet! Go Wildfire!" The Pokeball landed on the gym floor to release the flame horse. On the outside of the building… "It's him! That must be the same guy who rode in on a Rapidash!" Cassidy exclaimed. Sam smirked as she said, "That's a mighty fine fire Pokemon you got there. Too bad its no match for my Blastoise!" She threw her Pokeball forward and released the huge, final evolution of a Squirtle. Wildfire neighed and backed off a bit at the sight of the Blastoise. His memories of the last encounter with such a Pokemon were not good ones. Ranma nodded in understanding as he saw how uneasy Wildfire was. He remembered how close his Pokemon had come to dying when it was a Ponyta. However, it was against the rules to pull his Pokemon back. Taking out his Pokedex, he pointed it to the Blastoise. *BLASTOISE, THE EVOLVED FORM OF WARTORTLE. ITS POWER RELIES ON ITS STRENGTH, RATHER THAN ITS SPEED. ITS SHELL CONTAINS TWO WATER CANNONS WHICH CAN RELEASE HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF WATER IN A SECOND, MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL OF ALL WATER-TYPE POKEMON.* Ranma knew that Wildfire had developed some better resistance to water since he started training him and his main asset was speed. He then called out to his Rapidash. "Wildfire, calm down and keep focused! You can beat it! I know you can!" Wildfire looked back and saw the look of encouragement from his trainer. He nodded his head and turned to face off against his opponent. Sam was smiling again after seeing Wildfire's reluctance to fight her Blastoise. "BLASTOISE! HYDRO PUMP NOW!" "Blastoise!" The water cannons on its back swiveled and aimed toward the Rapidash. It then let loose twin torrents of water. Wildfire reacted in an instant and dodged the attacks. He then began galloping around the huge turtle at high speeds. His fiery mane and tail began to glow even brighter as Blastoise continued to shoot at the Rapidash. The streams of water were just barely nicking at the edges of the flames, causing steam to appear. Wildfire winced a bit, but ignored the pain as he began increasing his speed. Ranma nodded, as he knew what his horse was doing. As he gained even more speed, Ranma shouted out his command. "WILDFIRE! SUPER FIRE SPIN! NOW!" Wildfire neighed as his living flames blazed like a solar flare and he sped forward. He became blur to all those watching as he circled his opponent and created a huge circle of fire. The ring then expanded to become a towering column of flames that went up toward the roof of the gym. They exploded through and caused debris to fall everywhere. The trainers had to back away to avoid getting hit from the falling rafters and such. Inside the column, Blastoise was sweating profusely as the intense heat started to get to him. He had experienced the flames of a Charizard before, but this was far hotter than he was used to. It ceased firing its water cannons as the steam from the attacks was forming a scalding mist. In less than a minute, Blastoise was forced to retract into its shell to escape from the flames. Ranma noticed Blastoise retreating into its protective shell, and motioned for Wildfire to cease. The fire horse stopped in his run and stood ready to face off against his opponent. The fires it had caused began to die down. Fortunately, the building was mostly made of concrete and very little of it caught on fire. Although the floor did have many blackened areas. Wildfire began focusing his ki to prepare for the final assault. Blastoise's shell was covered in scorch marks and was smoking. Sam was more than shocked to see just how easily the Rapidash had created such a huge fiery attack. Her father was also amazed. As soon as Blastoise popped his limbs and head out of its shell, Ranma gave the final order. "WILDFIRE! BLAZING HORN CHARGE!" The Rapidash glowed with a blue light, then burst forward in a run with his horn pointed directly at the weakened Blastoise. The horn began to glow even brighter as Wildfire used his ki to harden it to that of diamond. His flames trailed behind it and surrounded his body like a sun's corona. He left blazing trails behind him as he charged at his opponent at breakneck speed. His form resembled that of a blazing meteor. With her Pokemon just barely standing, Sam knew that Blastoise was in no condition to fend off such an attack and shouted out, "STOP! PLEASE! YOU WIN!" Ranma then shouted out, "WILDFIRE! HALT!" The Rapidash pulled back and began applying its feet to slow down. His flames burned even more brightly as it began to decelerate. When he finally stopped, he looked up and saw that his horn was about a foot away from Blastoise, who was trembling a bit at the sight. The flames lost their ultra brilliance and returned to their normal brightness. "Blastoise, return!" Wildfire trotted back to his trainer, who gave him an affectionate pat on the flank. "Good job, Wildfire." Ranma then smiled triumphantly at his defeated opponent and said, "Well, I guess this lowly beginner has just earned himself a badge!" His smile then faded as he saw Sam standing there with her hands at her side and her eyes full of… tears? Sam was trying desperately to keep from crying, but she couldn't hold it back. With a loud cry, she bolted from the area with her face in her hands. "Sam!" Her father began running after her, leaving Ranma and his Pokemon standing in confusion. "Huh?" The heir to the Saotome name was a bit confused at this turn of events. He didn't know why his opponent was suddenly crying. But then again, he was a Saotome, and his ability to be absolutely clueless where females were concerned was the same as his father's. Fortunately, his compassion was better than Genma's and he really hated to see a girl cry. He began racing after the father and his daughter, closely followed by his Pokemon. From their observation point, Butch and Cassidy had seen enough. "Whoa! Now that's what I call some really powerful Pokemon!" Butch commented as he and Cassidy watched Ranma and his Pokemon race after Sam and her father. "Should we try and nab them?" Cassidy shook her head and replied, "No, I think it would be better to report to the boss about all this. We should also keep tailing that guy and find out more about him." "Why don't we just swipe his Pokemon?" "Use your head Butch! If that guy can train his Pokemon to be that powerful, then think of what he could do for Team Rocket's!" Butch considered it for a moment, then smiled. "Hey… yeah! Why swipe the students when you can have the teacher? Team Rocket could really blast off if we had him for a member!" Cassidy nodded as she had an image of Ranma in a Team Rocket uniform. All those rippling muscles and those beautiful blue eyes. Cassidy's eyes started to glaze over, but she was then jolted back to reality as Butch nudged her to follow him. She quickly smothered her emotions for the moment and joined her partner in crime. To be continued… Author's Notes Well, that takes care of chapter 5. For those of you who are wondering that Sam should have been using Rock Pokemon because of the Earth Badge, I do recall that Giovanni had used Psychic and Water types in the anime and he was the gym leader of Viridian. Ranma may soon be getting a traveling buddy, as Sam will want to learn how he had trained his Pokemon. As for Team Rocket, we'll be seeing more of Butch and Cassidy, as well as Jessie and James. For those of you who wish for Ranma to meet up with Ash and his friends, well it'll be a while.