In the passing months, Ranma did quite well. He effectively had a very large and loving family now and was getting plenty of tutoring to catch up on his school work.
Martial arts wise he wasn’t quite suffering the lack of a senshi yet. Yosho and the Takamachi family both knew some unarmed arts, particularly the jujitsu type, so he was still learning from now wiser teachers.The main thing he was suffering for was a proper sparring partner.
That much became obvious after Tenchi tried to spar with him one morning. Facing someone half his age, Tenchi had been fairly confident he could handle the match.
At which point he blinked and didn’t know where Ranma was. That was because the boy had jumped over his head, something Tenchi found out when Ranma kicked off his head, face planting the older boy into the ground much to Yosho’s bemusement.
Ranma for his part did a tuck and flip, sticking the landing just like he’d learned in gym class.
After seeing that Alita wanted to spar with him so bad she could taste it. She knew she couldn’t because she tended to tear gouges into trees and the ground whenever she was that worked up, it just wouldn’t be safe.
Luckily Washu and her fellow inventor Skuld had finally come up with a solution that didn’t involve building twenty-meter tall kill bots for Alita to work out her frustrations on.
The demonstration was happening in the clearing outside Ranma’s house, Skuld and Washu having developed something with Tomoyo’s help in design.
The rest of the crowd was watching from either the veranda of the house or dojo as Nanoha prepared her demonstration. Pulling of the red jewel from her amulet, she held it up in the air. “Please, Raising Heart!”
One brief transformation later she was clad in a white and blue dress and wielding a pink staff with a gold head set with the same red jewel. “Washu-chan asked me to demonstrate the basics. My dress has an outer layer called the Barrier Jacket, this is part of my defenses.” Taking off her long sleeved jacket revealed a tight sleeveless shirt beneath. “If I took damage my jacket would absorb it until it was destroyed.”
Putting her jacket back on, Nanoha raised her staff up. “Flier Fin.” Immediately her staff repeated the phrase. ”Flier Fin.” In response wings made of pink light sprouted from her shoes, Nanoha lifting a few feet up into the air with her flight magic.
Curious what was next the grade school girl turned to the overly cheerful scientist. “So Washu-chan, shall I demonstrate my shoot magic now or is that later?”
The spiked haired little woman seemed to consider it before deciding to save the fireworks for later. “I think it’s time for our little Ranma-kun to give it a try.”
The young boy pointed at himself, having heard some things about her experiments. Seeing Nanoha turn magical girl again after demonstrating it before wasn’t bad, but he had to try it? “But I don’t wanna wear a dress!”
Washu stifled a giggle even as she tried to reassure him. “No, Tomoyo-chan designed your outfit to have pants. I believe a barrier jacket should ease Alita-chan’s concerns about sparring with you.”
A little reassured, Ranma took the offered blue-violet gem from Skuld. The little goddess had an interest in the gem in how it blended magic and technology, hopefully the research would help her improve her magic. Well it was also fun to invent things and play with her friends too. Helpfully she’d written things down on a cue card for Ranma. “Here, just recite the activation phrase.”
Looking at the attentive girls and bemused adults in audience, Ranma was feeling on the spot. “But she didn’t have to say all that.”
Nanoha cheerfully floated closer, realizing her flight mode would make it easier to chase down and hug Ranma, much like she’d seen Ryouko do with Tenchi. She’d get him later however, right now she was helping him learn to use his prototype device. “You just have to say the phrase once to unlock it. After that you’ll just need to let Blazing Courage know when to activate.”
Seeing his girl friend in flight mode made Ranma a bit more enthusiastic about trying it out. “Alright”
“I am the one who gives you this charge:
Release your power to your contracted master.
As the winds fill the sky, and the stars fill the heavens,
so shall my heart fill with courage, and my hands with magic!
Blazing Courage, Set-up!”
Stand-by. Ready.
The gem lit up during the incantation, waiting for Ranma to get to the activation phrase. As soon as he finished, his clothes dissolved to be replaced by slightly loose black pants, black high-top shoes and a tight sleeveless shirt. Next two thick bracelets formed on his wrists, the bands at two inches wide capable of serving as light bracers. From there forming up his arms was a tight jacket that closed around his chest.
Transformation done, Ranma twisted and flexed, simultaneously checking his tight outfit out while making sure he could move in it. It was actually a bit anti-climatic for him. “So that’s it?”
Washu simply turned her smirk towards Nanoha. “Show him how to make a shield.”
Still smiling as she floated around Ranma, the brown haired girl held her hand out, palm outwards, her device speaking the name of the move. ”Round Shield”
Seeing the transparent disc of glowing patterns of pink light, Ranma had to wonder why he was learning that instead of how to fly. “Round Shield, but not pink.” ”Round Shield”
Ranma was at least pleased his shield was a nice sedate blue color instead of bright pink. He was still curious why he had a magic shield out as he noticed Nanoha had backed up and was pointing her staff at him. “Alright, we’re going to test your defenses now.”
Ranma almost dropped his shield as a ball of pink glowing energy formed at the tip of her staff. “Huh?”
At which point the little magic girl fired her main beam cannon. “Divine Buster!”
As the giant pink beam began splashing around the shield and pushing Ranma back, the reason for having it up became obvious. For several long seconds the beam continued and Ranma began to strain with the effort of keeping it up, until the beam finally flickered out. As Ranma panted from the strain, Washu spoke up for the benefit of the assembled parents. “We’ve developed a working prototype of Nanoha-chan’s magic device. Currently Ranma is testing the defensive abilities of his device for us, not to worry, Nanoha is very skilled at controlling her power output.”
Getting a wave from Washu, Nanoha began powering up her attack again. “Get ready Ranma-kun!”
This time Ranma tried holding up his shield with both hands, bracing just before the second Divine Buster started up. This one splashed more fiercely against the round shield, tearing up the ground around Ranma even as it pushed him back. This beam attack ended even sooner, although Ranma sagged tiredly as soon as it ended, his shield ending as he ran out of mana.
Instead of continuing onto the attack however, Nanoha flew up to him, wrapped her arms around him and flew off with the exhausted boy.
Blinking at the display, Washu grinning at the girl’s other great joy, apparently going off to play wife. “Well that ends the defense system test early, young Ranma obviously had no time to practice, but the defense abilities are easy to use, he just ran out of energy on his first time. Despite that his barrier jacket should have absorbed at least one more attack.”
“Once we finish testing his defensive abilities we’ll activate his movement system. When we have those two tested with him, Tomoyo and Usagi have decided on their designs. Combat abilities might come in the future, but right now as they have no special ability, we’re concentrating on making sure they can safely escape from danger.”
At that the assembled parents clapped, Tomoyo’s black suited female bodyguards standing in as normal.
Sitting on a boulder with Nanoha near the waterfall, Ranma was very obviously sulking. Although not technically a fair fight or a defeat, it basically felt like he’d lost to a cute girl shooting pink energy beams at him.
Nanoha however was part of a martial arts family and knew that sort of look. “It’s fine Ranma-kun, I was supposed to blast away until you dropped. You device is still in testing and Washu-chan just wanted to show the parents a device like that could protect Usagi-chan and Tomoyo-chan.”
Hearing that soothed Ranma’s ego a bit, but he was still grumpy about being used for target practice.
The magical warrior of beam spam however knew exactly what to do, nuzzling into his side.
That slowly warmed Ranma out of his funk. While he didn’t like being used for target practice, he could understand it was for a good reason. Also he was guessing flight would be somewhere next on the menu. A lot of his new female friends could fly, and they could carry him while doing it. Flying was definitely nice, but he wanted to do it at his own pace instead of in some girl’s arms.
Still, Ranma wasn’t going to entirely give up on being grumpy. “I’d better get cookies for putting up with that.”
Giggling at his half-hearted grumbling, Nanoha knew her wifely instincts were right. Now she got to spoil her Ranma a bit. “Of course.”
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(Posted Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:43)
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