Nabiki was frozen in shock for a moment as she watched the blue-haired human jump easily over the waves, chest bouncing. What the heck had just happened to her trainer? Or maybe he really was a Ditto? Was that some kind of evolution? Or...?
"Forty-five. Your rhythm is broken, Ukyou. You're gonna have ta dig deep and get over the next one. C'mon, Ukyou! They're not that high. Forty-six..."
Darn it, she talked the same way as he did. Maybe some sort of magic or something. It unnerved her to be so completely clueless about what had happened to her trainer. Maybe one of the legends mentioned this.
"Forty-seven, nice jump, Ukyou. Forty-two for you. Hey, Nabiki!"
She blinked, looking down to the girl on the rock, Ranma, she supposed, as she grinned up at her. "So secure about my climbing skills ya think ya can rest?"
"[Ack!]" Nabiki turned and attacked the last few feet of the wall, trying to dig her claws into the hard surface. Mystery or no mystery, she hadn't come this far up to go without dinner and riding Ponyta-back.
Ranma eyed Nabiki up on the wall. The jump up to the overhand had gained her a lot of time, which she had wasted staring at him. Er, her. Still it should be close. Ukyou was a bit tired, but was digging into her reserves, the slippery rock not as much problem as she'd thought it'd be. Still, as she cleared the forty-ninth wave, she was confident he could get to the top before Ukyou made up her five waves. Nabs, on the other hand, was awfully close...
"Fifty!" she said, landing on the rock and springing forward, leaping over the wave again as her feet dug into the wet sand, pushing hard toward the cliff.
Nabiki had about two feet left when she heard the shout of fifty from below. Looking down the rock face, she grinned. Thirty feet to two? She'd take those odds.
Looking back at what she was doing, she stuck a forefoot up, using her paw to cling to the rock and ease herself up another few inches. Her limbs were killing her, but a long rest on Ukyou's back would ease the pain. She heard the girl leap for the wall below.
"Hyup! Up! Up!"
Nabiki turned to look again, and saw blue hair speeding up towards her, just as fast as she had run across the sand, using limbs to simply grab at the rock and throw her body higher. She'd already covered the first ten feet.
Nabiki quickly dug in, throwing herself higher, jumping to try to get to the lip of the cliff. She dragged herself up, arms aching, body shaking as she clawed into soft dirt and grass roots, nearing the peak. She got a claw on some roots, and scrabbled, trying to drag herself up and over the edge...
As she got her nose and teeth over onto the grass, she looked over the edge...and at a smug looking trainer girl, resting on her front looking not even a little winded, chin resting in her hands, feet kicking a little in the air.
"Need a hand?" Ranma asked playfully. Nabiki just groaned in response.
The trip down the cliff for Nabiki was dizzying, and only just missed being a plummet by the quick grabs at the cliff that Ranma made with feet and one hand, slowing them down just enough to remain in control. The other hand cradled the Rattata against her chest.
As they hit the sand with a surprisingly light impact, Nabiki scrabbled, pushing off from Ranma to scamper away on the sand a few feet before spinning around to face the blue-haired girl, standing right beside an equally inquisitive Ukyou. Nabiki, however, spoke first. "[Alright, you wanna start explaining, or do I have to bite your ankles?]"
Ranma sighed, scratching the back of her head. "I was kinda hopin' I didn't haveta explain this, actually. Ya see, a while ago, I was with my dad training in China-"
"[Where?]" interjected Ukyou, before answering her own question, "[Ah, must be on your old world.]"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, I fell in this spring, and ever since, when I get splashed with cold water, I turn inta a girl." She looked at the disbelieving eyes before her. "It's true! And hot water changes me back!"
Nabiki looked on, unbelieving. "[I think you really are a Ditto, who just went under a water evolution,]" she suggested. "[Not even a trainer at all. You can't change back. That's just a line you sold us.]"
Ranma sighed, scratching his head. "Well, if I had some fire, I could heat up some water and show ya."
Ukyou hmmed. "[Well, you're all wet as it is, sugar. If all you need is a little fire...]" She backed up a few steps, then charged forward, coming to a skidding stop right in front of Ranma.
Her hooves clicked together to generate a spark, her head down low, breathing fire and smoke, her mane flaring right up near Ranma's chest. Ranma felt the water on her warm, and heat up, feeling the reassuring tingle of change, as the flames almost burnt her.
After a moment, Ranma smiled, stretching a little. "See? Just a little heat and..." Ranma paused in mid-sentence. Something was definitely not right. The hair in front of his eyes was red instead of a reassuring black. Looking down, the breasts were still there as well.
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See other episodes by Will McDuff
(Posted Sun, 22 Feb 2004 09:30)
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