“EEP! IT’S THE BEAST!” Stroaks squealed like a little girl, grabbing Ranma by his shoulders and pulling him in front of him like a human shield!
“H-HEY!” Ranma shouted as he realized he was being put in the line of fire. “PROF! WHAT THE FUCK YOU DOIN’!?”
“Saving my ass, WHAT’S IT LOOK LIKE!?” Stroaks shrieked as he saw the dark-furred figure get closer to them, his eyes widening as the figure became more visible from the light of the campfire. “OH MY GOD! IT’S A PANTHRESS!”
“A what!?” Ranma gasped as Stroaks closed his arms around Ranma’s neck tighter. “D-Doc! Yer chockin’ me!”
“A PANTHRESS! WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!” Professor Stroaks continued to scream his fool head off, not paying attention to Ranma in the slightest.
The Panthress’ eye twitched. Damn, this old one was really getting on its nerves, hurting her ears with its incessant screaming. This was definitely the one it wanted to kill.
Ranma grabbed the professor’s arm and tried to pry it off of his throat. Though he found it harder to do for three reasons.
First, he didn’t want to hurt the good, (perverted) professor.
Second, he didn’t have the best leverage at that moment.
And third, the guy was so freaking scared at the moment that his strength actually rivaled Ryoga’s... If Ryoga actually existed, he still wasn’t sure about all that.
Hissing, the Panthress lunged at Ranma, claws shining in the darkness due to the light of the fire.
Ranma gulped, he could at least kick her in the jaw if he needed to. He just hoped that Stroaks would let him go so that they could get out of the line of fi-Crap! She was already passed the length of his legs to kick.
Screw getting scque, screwer... Er, sliced apart! Ranma planted his feet firmly on the ground, bent his back slightly so that the professor was on him and jumped as hard as he could...
...Which, in retrospect wasn’t something he should’ve done, considering that he and the professor were now stuck in a tree about forty feet off the ground.
Looking down as they were held up in the air, the professor gulped as he saw the Panthress trying to jump up to reach them. “Hold on, Ranma!” Stroaks screamed as he also wrapped his legs around Ranma's waist from behind in an effort to keep from being claws.
“REOWL! HISSSSS!” The Panthress hissed and jumped again and again, waving her claws.
Ranma grunted and grabbed the professor’s arms. “Yo, calm down, she can’t jump this high!” Well, so far it seemed that way. If she got a running start and jumped off of something, then MAYBE she could.
Seeing the Panthress back away, Stroaks started to calm down. “Maybe she’s leaving?”
Seeing the Panthress stop a good distance away, and then start running back at that, Ranma got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
However, the tent opened and a somewhat sleepy pokékit stuck her head out. “Master?" Ranko asked. “What’s goin’ on with all the noise?”
“Ranko!” Ranma called out, suddenly very worried. “Watch out, there’s a Panthress!”
“Huh!?” Ranko called out and looked around. Her eyes widened when she saw the black-furred catgirl getting closer... And heading towards, “MASTER!!!” The little Tigress pokékit shouted and ran towards the charging Panthress.
Ranma stared. Oh hell, not this! “Ranko, no!” He called out, trying to stop her. He didn’t care if he got hurt, but not Ranko! She didn’t deserve to get hurt!
Heedless of her master’s command, Ranko rowled in anger as she jumped at the same time the Panthress did, extending her body in a flying kick.
Stroaks just stared as everything moved in such slow motion as the two Cat pokégirls were just flying towards them. His eyes widened further when they made contact, Ranko’s foot smashing the Panthress in the head.
“MeeEEERROOOOWWWL!!!” The Panthress screeched in pain as she was sent flying back. Ranko landed on all fours as she watched the Panthress go skidding away from them, her head skipping across the ground at least three times.
Ranma winced, that had to hurt. “Good job, Ranko.” He still wanted her out of there, but she seemed determined to fight on at that moment.
Eyeing the Panthress with a critical eye, Ranko got into a tense stance, ready to fight...
...And she waited...
...And waited...
...Waited some more...
...Waited...
“...Master...” Ranko said slowly, relaxing. “I don’t think that Panthress is getting up...”
Ranma blinked his eyes in surprise. “Wow... OTK.”
Stroaks continued to stare. The super pokégirl which was terrorizing Indigo routes for the past week, taking everything that was thrown at it... Fell to ONE kick from a pokékit?
His limbs lessening their grip, the professor fell from Ranma for the forty-foot height, landing with a loud-
*THUD*!
At the loud crash, Ranma winced. “You okay?”
Ranko blinked her eyes. Walking over to the downed PokéGirl Researcher, she leaned over and looked at him. “You okay?” She mimicked her master.
“I... I will be as soon as someone kicks my spine into place...” Stroaks groaned.
Nodding her head, Ranko kicked his side.
*KICK*!
“OW! That was my left Kidney!” Stroaks howled.
Ranko nodded and kicked again.
*THWACK*!
“ACK! My rib! Good God, my rib!”
Ranko pouted. "Third time's the charm...”
*KER-CRACK*!
“Aaaaaahhh... Better...” Stroaks groaned as he sat up. “Thanks... I think.” Hey, his back may have been working, but now he was pretty sure he had a ruptured kidney and a free-floating rib.
Smiling, Ranko was beaming with pride. “Don’t mention it.” She looked up at her master, still hanging high from a branch. “I do good, Master Ranma?”
Ranma nodded and slid out of the branch, landing on his feet. “Yeah,” He said, smiling and opening his arms for her.
“MEW!” Ranko mewled in delight and jumped into her owner’s arms.
Ranma smiled and hugged her to him tightly. “You know, Ranko, I’m not happy that you went and attacked her,” He said, slowly. “I was worried you’d get hurt.”
Her ears flattening back in shame, Ranko let off a soft mewl. “Sowwy, Master. I no wanted you hurt...”
Rubbing her back, Ranma kissed her on the cheek. “It’s okay. I just don’t want you to get hurt, okay?”
Nodding her head, Ranko said, "Okay, master...”
Ranma smiled and blinked as the Professor was up and walking. “What’cha doin’?” He asked as Stroaks went over to the Panthress.
“Checking to see if this thing’s alive...” Stroaks said nervously as he kneeled beside it. He placed his hand on the right common carotid of its neck. “It’s still got a pulse. She’s alive.”
Ranma nodded at hearing that. At least that meant he wasn’t responsible for killing anyone, and neither was Ranko.
“I’ve... Never seen a Panthress up close like this before...” Stroaks said seriously. Looking her over, he smirked. “She is kinda pretty when she’s not trying to kill someone.”
Ranma blinked and stood up, Ranko in his arms, and walked over to the Panthress. “Hey, you’re right.”
Ranko looked down and pouted. That Panthress had a set of tits on her. Still smaller than herself, of course, but still...
“Hmm...” Stroaks mumbled as he looked her over. “Quite the sexy naked thing, isn’t she?” He asked as he coped a cheap feel.
Ranma blinked. “Hey, wait a sec...” He looked at the Panthress more closely, before knocking the professor’s hand away.
“What?” Prof. Stroaks shouted. “I may never get the chance to feel up a Panthress ever again. The League requires all Panthresses to be handed over...”
Ranma frowned and looked the Panthress over more closely. “Hey... She seems a bit... small, doesn’t she?”
Blinking his eyes, Stroaks looked her over. “She’s very well proportioned, if a little short...” He blinked his eyes. “Wait... A little short? Panthresses and Tigresses aren’t supposed to be short unless they’re...” He looked back and Ranko...
...Then to the Panthress...
...Ranka again...
...Back on the Panthress...
...Ranko...
...Panthress...
...Ranko...
...Panthress...
“OH, YOU'VE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME!” Stroaks shouted irritably. “I was pissing my pants because of a PokéKIT!?”
“Uh... Doc... Yer going to get a...” Ranma trailed off. “Oh, you noticed?” He asked, chuckling.
Ranko stared down at the unconscious Panthress in disbelief. “This is a pokékit like me?”
Ranma nodded, he noticed almost immediately when he saw her on her back. “Yeah...” He idly rubbed Ranko’s back. “Say, Prof, I forgot... How does a Panthress become one again?”
“A Tigress can become a Panthress from numerous stimuli, really...” Stroaks said as he looked her over, noticing that she felt ‘wet’, and not from sweat or sex fluids. “Little Taming... Consecutive losses in PokéBattles... Blatant abuse from a Tamer...” He frowned as he felt her back, feeling numerous lacerations and scrapes. “It’s basically all filed as ‘mistreatment’.”
Ranma stared and looked the Panthress over more. “Who... Who the hell would mistreat a pokékit Tigress?” He asked, simply appalled.
Ranko stared at the downed Panthress in a new light at that explanation. To get a Panthress meant you had to be bad to a Tigress? And this one was a pokékit like HER!? It made her start to feel more shame than pride, at having beaten her.
“Simple,” Stroaks said, sounding disgusted. “Someone very evil, or very stupid...” He answered seriously. He looked at Ranma and asked, “Can I see one of your PokéBalls?”
Nodding, Ranma took one off his PokéBelt and handed the ball over to him. “Sure, what’cha going to do?” He asked, worried about the pokékit in front of him.
“PokéBall her for now,” Stroaks said seriously as he hit the Panthress with it, causing her to shrink down into a red light which was sucked into the red and white containment sphere. “It’ll be easier to transport and heal her if she’s in one of these...” He explained as he added, “It will also make it easier to study her...”
Ranma looked at him and nodded slowly. “Okay...” He said slowly. He looked at Ranko, who was looking bad. “You okay?”
Her ears pressed flat against her skull, Ranko whimpered a little as she held onto Ranma. “Just hold me... Please? Mew?”
Ranma nodded and held the trembling pokékit. “Sure,” He said softly.
Stroaks sighed a little. “We better get back into our tents and sleep. It’s not safe to travel at night... We’ll head back to my lab at Phallus Town with the Panthress first thing in the morning, all right?”
Ranma nodded and stood up, still holding Ranko to him. “Sure,” He said, his one hand under her rear, (to hold her, you hentais!) and his other hand rubbing her back.
Ranko sighed, pressing her head against her master.
“You going to be okay?” He asked Ranko as he and the Professor walked over to their tents.
Ranko shivered a little and held onto Ranma tighter in response. “I hurt her, Master...”
Ranma nodded. “I know... But you were worried about me,” He said, rubbing her back more.
Ranko nodded. “But... She was a pokékit... I didn’t know and I still hurt her...”
Ranma was silent and rubbed her back more reassuringly.
Resting her head against her master’s shoulder, Ranko still let out a slight whimper. “...Am I a bad Pokékit?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well... She must’ve been a Tigress once too, Master...” Ranko said as her master sat down on his sleeping bag. “She was abused... Badly enough to evolve her... And I hurt her even more...”
Ranma sighed and leaned back. “But you didn’t have a choice... The person who made her like that was mean...”
Ranko sighed. “Which makes me feel even guiltier. I got you, a great Tamer... What did she get, if it made her into a Panthress?”
Ranma winced. He didn’t want to think about that. “Hmm... Maybe after we get her healed up, you can talk to her?”
“If she can even talk…” Ranko sighed. From the way that girl acted, she was probably a Feral.
Ranma winced. “Well... Let’s hope for the best, okay?”
Ranko nodded her head to that, really hoping things turned out okay. “Hold me... Pwease?” She looked up at her master with shimmering eyes. “Mew?”
Ranma nodded and hugged her to him, cuddling her. He couldn’t say no to her. Especially after finding out exactly how a Panthress became one.
Ranko let out a soft purr as she pressed herself tightly against her master. She needed this right now.
Rubbing her back reassuringly, Ranma thought about the girl that they had picked up. For being a Panthress, she was either feral-born, (which he didn’t think she was) or horribly abused at a young age. Ranma looked at Ranko and thought about if she had been forced to go through a taming... Maybe she would’ve become a Panthress?
Ranma sighed. Damn. The way the world was now was too fucked up. He wished things were like how he originally remembered. Granted, things were a lot more complicated, but he wasn’t around this sort of situation or abuse often...
...Unless he thought of his times as a kid...
Baka oyaji.
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(Posted Tue, 05 Jul 2005 23:39)
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