Ranma's New Life: Friends and rivals. [Episode 149719]

Ash Catchem, the boy formerly known as Ranma, and the Peekabu only known as Shan, stepped lively into the next chamber.   Several boys and girls his age his age already stood around chatting with each other and their new partners, while nibbling on the brunch provided.   Soon others joined them as they filed through the selection process.   Ash quickly spied Minsc looming over a shy little russet-furred young pokéwoman not far from the gate.

Ash blinked in puzzlement as he led Shan towards the mismatched pair.   He would have expected Minsc to be paired with an equally massive powerhouse of a pokéwoman who could handle his tantrums.   Instead he found the giant being fussed over by a mousey domestic.   However, the pairing actually made a lot of sense.   If she had been little put out by Minsc's sheer size at first glance, her maternal instinct had obviously been kicked into overdrive at some point.

"Hi, Minsc!" Ash yelled up to the bigger boy to catch his attention.   "Is this your new partner?"   He had to ask, just in case one of the professor's maids had taken the boy in hand.

"Hey, little buddy," Minsc beamed down at the shrimp then patted his pokéwoman.   "Yeah.   This here is Boo!"

"Squeak!" squeaked the pokéwoman as she withdrew slightly behind him, smiled shyly, then averted her gaze.

"Boo, this is my friend Ash.   He's a good boy."

"Hi," she squeaked nervously, but slowly stepped around her partner's girth.

"You have won the favour of Boo!" Minsc beamed gladly.

"This is Shamp—" Ash began then coughed to cover the misspeak.   "This Shan, a Peekabu."

"Oh, you are a big one," Shan said simply as she peered up at the tower of a boy.

"I'm huge!" Minsc agreed proudly.

"So," Ash looked about as if searching for something more to say.   "It looks like everyone has come through,   Humm… Except for Garry."

On cue, Gary Oak practically leapt out of the gate.   He stumbled then regained his poise, as if he had been thrust through the portal.   His awkward stumble lead him to stop not far from the foursome.   Brushing his shirt he glared down his nose as if daring them to mention his apparent lack of grace.

"I see you are satisfied with these inferior specimens," he sneered.   Putting on fresh airs, he sniffed, "I, however, shall return only when a more worthy partner becomes available.   As grandson to the great sage himself—"

"It looks like you have 'reject' written across your face," Ash observed.   The others nodded in agreement behind their self-elected spokesperson.

Gary glared and declared, "what nonsense!   I simply have far more discerning tastes than rabble like yourselves."

"Oh, my mistake," Ash apologised.   "It's 'pervert' you have stamped across your face."

"How dare you speak to me like that, Ash Catchem!" Gary thundered as he stepped forward to threaten.   "You will pay for such slanderous accusation!"

"It's not slander if it's actually true," Shan objected.   "What did you do to get rejected like that, Pervert Boy?"

"Ah, so now you hide behind your pokéwoman!" Gary accused as he backed off hastily.   "You, you will rue the day you crossed me!" he blustered then turned about dramatically to stalk off while threatening, "I'll get you – you and your pretty pokégirl too!"

"…" whispered Boo.

"Boo wonders when he'll realise he really does have writing on his face," Minsc translated.

"Ah, fagetaboutit," Ash muttered.   "So, anyway, what happens next?"