“Mr Saotome, if I may have a word?”
Ranma turned to the newcomer, then blinked in surprise. He stood with the unnatural balance of a highly skilled martial artist, he was well muscled, and his clothes were both hard-wearing and unrestrictive. ‘How did I miss this guy!?’ Morrigan groaned softly and leaned against him a little more, crushing her sinfully sexy form against him. ‘Ah, now I remember…’ “Well, I’m heading for the Pokecenter, so can we talk on the way?”
The tall blonde nodded. “Of course” As they walked on, the stranger introduced himself. “My name is Andy Bogard, and like yourself I am both a martial artist and a pokegirl Tamer.” The longhaired man chuckled at the surprise on his younger companion’s face. “You may not have called yourself a martial artist, but when there are so few of us around it is easy to pick each other out in a crowd.”
The pigtailed teen nodded in understanding. “Makes sense.” He frowned as he eyed Andy’s outfit again, noticing the distinct absence of something… “Hey, if you’re a Tamer, then where are your pokeballs?” All of the Tamers Ranma had seen so far had kept their ‘balls on a belt, or in another easy to reach location. Andy’s pokeballs were nowhere to be seen.
Andy winced and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “That…is part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I am proud to say that I am a martial artist of no small skill, but my skill as a trainer and Tamer of pokegirls leaves much to be desired. I often immerse myself in my training for days, even weeks at a time, waking before dawn and training well into the night. I focus on improving myself so much that I unwittingly neglect those in my care.” He sighed deeply. “I saw my brother spar with his pokegirl and improve by leaps and bounds, and in an attempt to follow his lead I too became a Tamer. Not the noblest of beginnings, and in retrospect a beginning that should never have been.”
Ranma nodded blankly. There were a couple of words in there that he didn’t quite understand, be he believed he got the gist of the story… “You want to stop being a Tamer?”
“Correct. I have given it a great deal of thought, and though I may wish to…” He grimaced. “…‘quit’, I have no desire to hand any pokegirl over to an abusive Tamer. I have seen how you treat your catgirl and succubus, and because of your obvious kindness I want you to adopt my pokegirls into your harem.”
Ranma stifled a wince as Morrigan’s grip tightened to near bone-cracking strength. “You’re kinda asking a lot. I mean, I’ve only been a tamer for a little while, and I’m still trying to learn the ropes.”
Andy nodded. “I understand. In fact I would have been wary had you accepted immediately. I assure you, I have only a few pokegirls, and though they are hardly equal to your impressive succubus they are by no means weak. Their training has been sporadic, but they are all passably skilled and exceedingly loyal.” He sighed again. “…more loyal than I deserve.
It is a somewhat cliché tool of storytelling to show an Angel and a Devil on a person’s shoulders, whispering into a persons ear, goading them into making a ‘Good’ or an ‘Evil’ choice. In this situation, Ranma’s ‘Angel’ and ‘Demon’ weren’t standing on his shoulders, but hanging off his arms.
Felicia stared up at her beloved Master; her slitted blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Please, can’t we help Master?”
Oddly, the ‘Demon’ agreed with the ‘Angel’, though her motives were vastly different. “I concur. You will only come out stronger from this arrangement.” She reached up, grabbed her Masters chin, then yanked his head around to face her directly. “But if you know what’s good for you, you’ll tame me first, got it!?”
Ranma nodded nervously before turning back to Andy. “Alright, I’ll adopt your pokegirls.”
Andy nodded, relived, and slid a travelling sack off of his back and handed it to his pigtailed colleague. “My pokegirls and all of my Taming supplies are in there; potions, equipment, training aids, and some money for food and clothing for my…your ‘girls. Ah! That reminds me.” He pulled a battered pokedex from his pocket. “Could you open your pokedex so I can transfer ownership?”
Felicia, being slightly more computer literate than her Master, slipped the pokedex from his pocket and popped it open. A few button taps later… “Ready!”
After a brief moment of hesitation, the Kappo fighter tapped a few buttons on his handheld computer, and in moments the transfer was complete. “There. It’s done.” Andy bowed deeply before turning away. “Take good care of them Saotome-san, and they will fight to the ends of the Earth for you.”
“WAIT! Don’t you want to say good-bye to them or something?”
Andy paused, and his shoulder slumped slightly. “I… could not stand to see their faces. I’m sorry.” He walked around a corner and out of sight.
The trio stood in silence for a moment, staring at the place the blonde fighter had been only moments before. A wince from Morrigan snapped them out of their stupor. “Come on then, lets get you to the Doctors and fixed up.”
Morrigan groaned softly. “Oh Master, once I’ve healed, can you tame me? I want to feel you in my mind, in my soul, and in other, more enjoyable places!”
Ranma blushed. “Umm, sure.”
Ranma dropped himself onto the bed in his room, smiling slightly as Felicia followed him and curled up against his side. “What a day, huh Felicia?”
Felicia stretched out, arching her body nicely. “It certainly was eventful, Master.”
The Tamer glanced over at Andy’s bag. “…I guess we should meet our new teammates.” He stood, ignoring a quiet *meow* of protest, and unzipped the bag before tipping it onto the bed. As Andy had said, there was a decent amount of cash, a number of potions and other equipment tumbled out, as well as…
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(Posted Sat, 23 Apr 2005 19:46)
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