Supercharged Tenchi Muyo! Part 1 Disclaimer: All characters from Tenchi Muyo are copyright of AIC and Pioneer. Charger and the Mystics are copyright of me because I created them. If you use this story on your webpage, please give me the proper credit. Warning: There are religious references in this series. If such offends you, read no further. However, these references are critical for the background of this story. And I'm not trying to shove any beliefs down anyone's throat. Also, I'm not familiar with every aspect of Japanese culture so don't diss me if I misinterperet certain things. The war between the forces of good and the forces of evil has waged eternally. Throughout time, the battlefields have changed. But the prize has always been the same: Total annihilation of the enemy, and the immortal soul. Warriors from both sides have played important roles in this Great War. One of these warriors is Nebulon: A general in the soldiers of Heaven. Many centuries ago, he was tasked to train eight up-and- coming apprentices in the arts of magic and warfare to help protect the universe against Satan and his innumerable demon hordes. Seven of these apprentices showed remarkable power, but one rebelled and began practicing the art of black magic. This dark warrior was cast into Hell and hasn't been seen since. This story focuses on one of those seven Mystics and how he came to reside with Tenchi Masaki and crew. His name is Charger, the youngest and least disciplined of the mages. He controls the power of lightning and shows fantastic potential, but is more interested in constructing mind-boggling technology from various scrap he has collected in his journeys. Like the other Mystics, he must gain the right to become a full-fledged Light Warrior and serve in God's armies. Unlike the other Mystics, he has not yet gained this right. Our story begins at a place called the Holy Crucible: A training ground for the seven Mystics that exists between our dimension and subspace. We find that it looks very similar to the highlands and forests of Northwestern Europe. We find gentle, rolling hills, rushing rives, immense trees, and the occasional strange architecture. Charger leaned on the rail overlooking the bridge and the rushing river that was a good distance below. He wasn't afraid of heights at all, at least not since he had learned how to use his inner power to fly. And fly fast he did, going at speeds faster than almost any conventional fighter anywhere in the universe at sublight speed. But he still wasn't sure that he was ready to complete the final test that would end his apprenticeship. It was a big responsibility fighting against the hordes of Hell. Charger wasn't even sure if he really was a fighter at heart. He paid more attention to his inventions than he did the battle tactics that Nebulon taught them. He was so unlike the others. They knew their purpose and refined their powers. Each of them had a Power Rating over 10,000...a class A level. Charger was still at 7,000. But he kept being told that if he would simply focus he could prove that he was worthy to wield the legendary "Chaos Blade". The young Mystic tossed a few rocks into the river and sighed. What WAS his purpose? He sensed another presence and as if to punctuate this another Mystic joined him on the bridge. She was a gorgeous female about Charger's age. Her name was Siela, the fire mage. Her skin was a reddish color true to her power, as was her wild hair. She wore a short black top and baggy pants. Charger remembered when she earned her right to be a full-fledged warrior. And now it was his turn. "You're nervous, aren't you?" she asked him. "Me? Oh no, heck no. I've been waiting for this moment forever!" Charger lied. "No you haven't. I remember when you kept saying 'I'm gonna fail. I'm gonna fail' a few days back." Siela observed. "Charger, we've been the closest of freinds ever since we first started the training. If you wanna tell me something, go right ahead. I'm always willing to listen." Charger's normally pale blue complexion turned an interesting shade of red. "Thanks Siela. I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I just don't think I'm cut out to go kill demons." He admitted. "I'm trying to live up to the legacy that everyone says I'm supposed to obtain but I just don't know." He looked at her, expecting a reaction. Siela just smiled. "Whatever happens, I think you'll eventually find what you're looking for. And who knows? Your answer might be in an unexpected place." She said. The fire mage tousled Charger's spiky hair and said, "Better get going, you have to meet up with Syris over at the arena. Nebulon's gonna give you your assignment there. Good luck, I'll be waiting for you." With that she disappeared in a column of fire. Charger floated up into the air and blasted away in the direction of the combat arena. ~LATER~ Charger shot Syris a look of defiance as he entered the combat arena. Syris was the mage of light, and had a Power Rating off the scale. He had a giant white cloak with archaic red script on the center. Under the cloak was a full Light Warrior uniform. He would leave the Holy Crucible soon to command a battalion in the Armies of Heaven. He already was powerful enough to match the strongest of Heaven's warriors. But he promised to stay and see Charger's training through. Next to him was the Guardian himself...Nebulon. Nebulon was a towering figure. Standing a good 50 feet in the air, all of his features were covered with a massive cloak. Only his piercing white eyes could be seen through his hood. "The time has come for you to begin your final test, Charger. Your mission is more difficult than the ones I have assigned to the others in the past. You will be tasked with hunting down and killing a target." Nebulon instructed. His booming voice like the clap of thunder. "What target would that be?" Charger asked. "Your target is the demoness Ryoko." Nebulon replied. "Ryoko?" Syris shook his head. "Haven't you been reading Galaxy Police reports? She's an A-1 class criminal. She's been accused of several counts of piracy, murder and senseless destruction. Until now, we haven't interfered with anything because she was not a major threat. Now she is, shall we say, relaxing for a time." Syris gestured in Charger's direction. "You will be the one to take her out. This will be the perfect time for a surprise attack." "Now WAIT a second!" Charger spat. "As much as I hate to admit it, Ryoko could kick my ass up around my ears!!! There's no WAY that I can come back out of this one alive." Nebulon crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, well that's very observant of you, Charger. I suppose you'll have to learn how to control your powers and use them to your full potential if you want to survive." "That's not FAIR!!" Charger shouted. "Perhaps not. But you never bothered paying attention during your lessons here. I think some advanced field training will shape you into the fighter that we all know you can be." The Guardian replied. Charger was about to say something but didn't. Nebulon wasn't someone you wanted to make angry. He sighed and said "Fine, I'll do it." "I thought you would." Nebulon said with almost a hint of whimsy. "Do you remember how to planeshift?" Charger nodded. "Well at least you aren't a total loss. Your test begins tomorrow morning. Get plenty of rest, I think you will need it." Charger scowled at Syris and Nebulon. He launched into the sky and headed back to his bunk. ~THE NEXT DAY~ Charger packed up all of his supplies in his "Bag of Death" and brought his swordarm with him. Strapping on a battle armor that he had been working on for a while, the lightning mage headed back to the arena. His fellow warriors waited for him. Tempest: the wind mage, Cosmo: the galactic mage, Alice: the ice mage, Nameria: the earth mage, Siela: the fire mage and Syris: the light mage. They all threw him a salute as he planeshifted away... ~EARTH: A RESIDENCE IN THE OKAYAMA MOUNTAINS~ The summer sun beat down upon the Masaki residence like a blazing inferno. No one dared exert themselves too much because they probably wouldn't last long. Even with the raw power that some of the residents possessed. Tenchi Masaki made sure he got up early to do his chores while it was dark and cool. Now he had plenty of time to relax. The morning passed uneventfully...well...almost. One couldn't forget that the universe's most dangerous space pirate, a brilliant super-scientist and two members of an alien monarchy lived there. Detectives from the Galaxy Police would often visit as well. So life at this house was almost never "uneventful". Tenchi adjusted his shades as he stretched out in his lounge chair, he hoped like crazy that his grandfather didn't get some stupid idea like sword training or extra chores in this weather. He laughed to himself. Even Yosho probably had enough sense not to test his abilities now and risk heat stroke. A shadow caught his attention. He could probably guess what was coming up next. He removed his shades at found the charming face of Ryoko looking down at him. Smiling. And very, very close. "Hi Tenchi!" she greeted cheerily. "Do you wanna go swimming with me??" Tenchi knew what that meant. Ryoko would end up trying to make him skinny-dip or something. It wasn't that he hated her or didn't want her around. In fact he kind of enjoyed her company. It was just that he wasn't QUITE that ready to go so fast with her or any of his admirers. While Ayeka and Sasami were never as open as Ryoko or Washu, they adored him and he knew it. He knew his mother would probably turn his ear swollen by yelling at him so much over not paying attention to any of the girls, but he really had no idea how to deal with this. Before he had opened the shrine, he had gone out with a few girls but they were nowhere near as captivated by him as these girls were. They probably weren't very captivated at all. "Uh...n-no thanks Ryoko" Tenchi managed to stammer. A large sweatdrop appeared on the back of his head. "Awwww! Why not, Tenchiiiiiiii? It must be hot out here, why don't you want to cool off with me?" Ryoko asked. She tried to sound as innocent as possible. Tenchi tilted his head a little bit. "Because I see the handcuffs and lotions you're hiding behind your back." He stated. Ryoko's eyes bugged and she quickly threw the items away. "I don't know WHAT you're talking about. Have you been digging through your father's dirty videos or something?" She said with mock indignance. "I would NEVER force you into doing something you didn't want!" Tenchi blinked. "Uh...thanks" Ryoko snorted and disappeared. Tenchi decided to get up and walk around. He suddenly found himself sweating to death and it had nothing to do with the summertime heat... When he got up he heard a perplexed "Huh?" and found Sasami holding the items and looking at them quizzically. "Ehh...Sasami?? Where did you get those?" Tenchi asked. "What, these? She said holding up the handcuffs and lotions. "I found them strewn across the porch doorway. What are they for?" she asked. "Um. Nothing, nothing at all!" Tenchi lied as he grabbed the stuff and threw it away. Sasami shook her head. "You sure are weird Tenchi. But that's why I like you!!" the young girl smiled. "Thanks Sasami." Tenchi replied. He didn't know whether to smile or be insulted. Sasami laughed. "Oh, by the way. I made some noodles. Would you go get everyone and tell them that lunch is ready?" she asked. "Sure." Tenchi replied. "I don't think Washu will be out, though. She was up all night working on some secret invention, so she'll probably be asleep for most of the day." Sasami shook her head. "Washu really shouldn't keep doing that. It's not healthy!" "I'll tell her that when I see her." Tenchi said. "But I doubt she'll listen." Tenchi left to go tell everyone that lunch was ready. A good distance away, a lithe figure hiding the shadows ignites his blade. It is a scimitar-shaped blade that seems to be made out of pure light. He scans the house looking for the space pirate to show \ up. He knows that he'll eventually get a clean shot, but he must remain patient and vigilant for that opportunity. Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Nobiyuki and Yosho all had a picnic lunch. Even everyone's red- haired mad scientist summoned the energy to eat. She really didn't look tired at all. But then again, she didn't look 50,000 years old either. "So what are your working on this time, Washu?" Sasami asked. "Well, I can't give you ALL the details of it yet but I can tell you this. IT'S THE GREATEST INVENTION I'VE EVER MADE!!! It will revolutionize the space travel industry!" Washu declared as she sipped her tea. "We should have known. The Prometheus-XII propulsion engine" Ayeka whispered to Ryoko. "I hope it doesn't blow up like the last 11 models." Ryoko replied. "Tell me, Washu." Nobiyuki spoke up. "Why are you so secretive about your inventions?" "Because if the Universal Science Academy's Board of Safety ever finds out they'll probably know where to find me. If they can't find me they'll probably interrogate you for information on the device. And I can assure you it wouldn't be pleasant. BUT, if you don't KNOW about it, you can't TELL them anything REGARDLESS of what they do." Washu answered. Nobiyuki was quiet for a while, and then said, "They can do that?" "Yup!" Washu agreed as she finished up her noodles. "That's sick. It sounds like something straight out of X-Files." he concluded. Thunder sounded in the distance. "Wha? It's the middle of the afternoon why would it rain?" Tenchi asked no one in particular. Lightning flashed, a small being materialized not 5 meters away from everyone. He had pale blue skin, blue eyes, and spiky hair. In his hand was a glowing scimitar. He wore an odd combat armor. He pulled some sort of dossier out and looked at them. No one moved, no one breathed. "Just who the HELL are you supposed to be?" Ryoko demanded, breaking the silence. "You're Ryoko?" the being asked. "That's right. Why do you wanna know?" "Aw, that's too bad. I didn't want to do this in the first place, now I find out you're a cute girl and I still have to carry out my assignment. That makes me so mad!" "What are you talking about?" Ryoko asked. The being narrowed his eyes as he moved his swordarm into the en-garde position. "I'm supposed to kill you. You see, you have committed many crimes against the universe. They have gone unpunished for too long. I am here to act as judge, jury and yes... executioner." Ryoko didn't flinch in the slightest. Even though she felt immense power coming from him. "Who sent you?" She asked "Nebulon: The Great Guardian of the Universe sent me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Charger, the mage of lightning." "I don't care what your name is." Ryoko spat. "You're going to die anyway." Charger laughed softly. "I doubt that. Defend yourself!" A nimbus of white light suddenly surrounded the young Mystic. Then he dashed in her direction wildly swinging the blade. His speed was astounding but he missed by a few inches. Ryoko summoned her blade and counter-attacked. Charger parried the blow recklessly. He was shocked at how strong she was. "Tenchi! Get everyone somewhere safe!! I'll handle this guy!" Ryoko shouted as Charger slashed at her again. "No, Ryoko I'm staying with you!" Tenchi replied. "And I will defend Tenchi as long as he fights." Ayeka declared. "This is my fight. I'll be right with you guys...I promise." Ryoko stated. An uncommon serious edge was present in her voice. A moment of silence passed. Even Charger stopped dead in his tracks interested to know how sub-dimensional beings interacted. There was obviously something here that was stronger than mere comradeship... Ayeka grabbed Tenchi by the arm. "Quickly, Lord Tenchi. We must see everyone to safety!" The young man, reluctant to abandon Ryoko, finally went with the others to prepare for the worst. If Ryoko lost the battle, there's no telling what might happen next. But regardless of what Charger planned to do with them they had to be ready. With pure speed and raw power as his only advantages, Charger continued his attack. The biting edge of the "Chaos Blade" never made any lethal cuts when it managed to evade Ryoko's own beam saber. The space pirate however, had more luck in getting some good hits in. Charger found out that his armor only offered a thin veil of protection to her wrath. Charger threw a blast of lightning at Ryoko. It was as powerful as he could possibly make under such dire circumstances. One second's hesitation could mean death. He was surprised when she emerged from the smoking crater. She was scuffed but not critically injured in the least. The space pirate retaliated with her own fireball attack. Charger could only dodge. The ones he tried to block with the "Chaos Blade" hit so hard he felt like his arms would be wrenched off. Ryoko smashed Charger into the ground. The Mystic used every ounce of strength to fly up and somehow hit Ryoko. Before Ryoko could reverse the attack, Charger smashed into her and both combatants went careening into a bunch of trees. Both were down and sore all over, but neither one was unconscious. Charger found Ryoko sprawled out on top of him struggling to get back up. "Hmm. Maybe I could get used to this." He said, noticing how close she was. From nowhere, Ryoko brought her blade inches away from Charger's neck. The mystic's own swordarm was in his hand but he couldn't try anything without being decapitated. "You pervert." Ryoko shot back. Charger gulped "You're right, that was uncalled for. I'm sorry, really! I surrender!" he said, putting his hands in the air. Ryoko floated up. She didn't bother to try standing. "I think you're worthy of being spared. It would be a shame to kill such a young fighter with so much potential." Charger sat up and shook his head. "You sound just like Nebulon. And I am NOT just a kid!" he shouted, referring to her last remark. "I'm 900 years old but everyone still treats me like I have a class-D Power Rating." Ryoko pinched his cheek "But you're such a CUTE li'l zappy man wit' big spiky hair!" she said in a baby voice just to annoy him. "Cut that out!" Charger whined. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." Ryoko apologized. "Can you stand?" "I can fly. I think I'm too busted up to stand right now." The Mystic admitted. "Okay. Well I think Washu can fix you up." She said as the two flew back to the house. "You said your name was 'Charger'?" Ryoko asked after a few silent moments. "Yes, that's my name." Charger answered. "Well, Charger. Welcome to Earth..." Note from the Author: Well that's the first part of the story. I plan to turn this into a series with Charger as an addition to the crew. So long for now, and remember: Don't ever throw hand grenades at a wedding. Flowers are more appropriate.