In original timeline, Ranma had only been trained in the martial arts by his father. While his skill in them was formidable, he was relatively untrained in the use of ki, essentially putting a glass ceiling on his combat ability.
Additionally, he lacked skill outside of combat - his lack of social graces and ability to plan ahead would not have served him well later in life.
The Genie had engaged in a little retconning, throwing the Negima universe into the mix. This time around, Genma had taken his son to steal from a fancy-looking estate as a training exercise - unfortunately the owner was a magus, and he caught them red-handed.
Using his sealed techniques, Genma managed to escape, leaving his son behind. Ranma had tried to fight, but had been utterly thrashed with contempuous ease; left a bloody mess barely clinging to life.
Salvation had appeared in the nick of time, in the form of one Takamichi Takahata, who had been tracking the magus for some time. He'd brought the wounded boy back to Mahora Academy, leaving him in the hands of the prinicpal.
After recovering and learning of the presence of magi at the Academy, Ranma expressed interest in remaining at the Academy to learn. Konoe, at the urging of Takamichi, had allowed it.
Inevitably, the confident youth had crossed paths with the Academy's resident vampire - and promptly had his ass handed to him. While being beaten so thoroughly by a 'pre-teen' had been a large blow to his pride, Ranma had been set on learning from her.
When he learned that she was half a millenia old and an extremely powerful and skilled mage, his resolve hardened even further. Through sheer bloody-minded determination and persistence, Ranma convinced the vampire girl to teach him.
The blonde nosferatu had insisted he learn the basics of magic first. While hardly a prodigy at bookwork and theory, Ranma's stay at Mahora had sharpened his academic skills and he progressed reasonably quickly. His skill at application, on the other hand, impressed even Evangeline - not that she'd ever say it out loud.
His reserves might be only above average, and he only knew a handful of spells, but his inventive uses of the tools at his disposal made him a formidable fighter. He had also been working his ki techniques, and within two year of study, he could outfight most of the faculty - Takamichi was the only one who could still regularly beat him.
Life had been good, for a while... then the past caught up. Ironically, Ranma wasn't even the target, but Evangeline. The pigtailed youth wound up getting involved anyway, of course.
Even with her magic locked away, Evangeline was a formidable opponent, but the assassins were better. Chachazero was useless with her magic mostly locked, and the assassins had used a distraction to occupy the magi on campus.
Ranma, who'd been on his way to visit the vampire, had been her only ally. He'd rushed to her defense - and nearly paid with his life, intercepting an attack that had caught her offguard and might have taken her life.
The assassins had been forced to retreat, but the battle had taken it's toll on Ranma, who was suffering from severe blood loss. Evangeline, herself wounded and drained from the fight, had lacked both the energy and skill to heal him with a spell.
She used the only thing she could think of - a pactio. Afterwards, blood splattered all over the both of them, she had barely managed to get herself and Ranma to help before collapsing, all her strength spent keeping her minister alive.
Afterwards, the two had grown closer. The contract remained intact, and the two spent large amounts of time together. During this time Ranma's combat skill had jumped again, both as a result of Evangeline teaching him a few low level High Ancient incantations and finally convincing Takamichi to teach him kankahou.
When not attending classes or training, Ranma was working with Takamichi on tracking down the client who had sent the assassins, though he suspected both the older man and his magistra thought there was more to it.
Thus far, however, the search had been fruitless. Their target evidently did not want to be found, and had no little skill at covering his tracks. It had taken them months to narrow down track down the base of operations he and Takamichi were preparing to invade.
Still, Ranma was glad to finally find some enemies he could fight.
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(Posted Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:57)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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