Noriko Gagema

(Image is copyright of Jennifer De Salme. If you use it without permission, you shall surely die... eventually...)

Question 1: Character's Name:

Noriko Gagema; No relation to any current characters.

Question 2: Character's Gender:

Female, Born Female, Lived Female, IS FEMALE!!!

Question 3: Character's Age:

16 1/2 years old

Question 4: Jusenkyo Curse:

Fell into a hot spring at Jusenkyo, now turns into a dragon at the touch of cold water. Though this form is powerful, she is reluctant to change due to fact that doing so will rip her clothing to shreds.

Question 5: Martial Arts Style:

The Dragon Fang Tennis Style (She wields a tennis racket as a weapon), and the Gagema Piston Power Style (Family Style).

Question 6: Character Description:

Noriko has long green hair that is shiny and full of volume. She wears a white shirt and a white skirt while using her trusty tennis racket in most battles, though she does fight in ceremonial kimonos at times when fighting bare-handed. She is in quite good physical condition and has a pleasant attitude to mostly everyone EXCEPT the Kunos. She is intelligent yet comes off a bit ditzy at times when around someone she really likes. She tries her best to mediate disputes between characters with minimum success. Noriko has bright vibrant violet eyes that catch the attention of many people when she's around. She's opened up a sporting goods store in Tokyo with an apartment on top of it. Though she's rarely there to promote her store's business, her staff runs it well enough to keep it afloat. Noriko actually recieves money from her parents overseas in the United States, but insists on doing things on her own. She is Asian-American and boards with her guardian, Grandpa Jojo, a coffee nut. Noriko enjoys long walks in parks and sunbathing, but her real passion is tennis. She's perfected this sport and has utilized her racket to do amazing feats. Unlike people such as Tatewaki and Kodachi Kuno, she is NOT helpless or harmless without her weapon. It is merely a tool to achieve a higher level of power. Her bare-handed techniques are almost as powerful as Ranma Saotome's. Noriko attends Furinkan High School along with the other school-going characters. She is nearly forever curious about the world and sees much of it due to a slight problem in direction. Noriko can find her way through cities with almost no problems, but once she's in the countryside, she is just as helpless as Ryoga himself. Noriko is very happy with her current situation and is looking for the right boyfriend without resorting to farfetched plans like other people...

Question 7: Character's History:

Noriko Gagema grew up in California and practiced under her father and mother's tutelige. She developed her skills very early and threw herself into the family fighting style. After completing rigorous training in her family's care, she received permission to continue her training under the martial arts master, Grandpa Jojo, in China. There, they made a trek to go to Jusenkyo to complete some unfinished techniques. While at Jusenkyo, she was accidentally kicked into the remains of a drying "Drowned Dragon" spring and received her curse. her Grandfather Jojo, also received a curse when he boiled some water from the spring of "Drowned Old Woman" to make a pot of coffee. Horrified at the curse, Noriko blamed her Grandpa and lived amidst the unexplored reaches of China. She cut her hair short and lived an isolated life for awhile. One day, a black piglet stumbled into her camp tent on a stormy night. Feeling compassion for the little piglet, she nursed it back to health and released it back into the wild. She wondered why it wore a bandanna around its neck, but assumed that it ran away from someone's dinner buffet or something. Finally ready to forgive her grandfather, she made her way to Jusenkyo only to find that he had left for Japan.

Before she started off after him, Noriko caught the eye of an old woman on a cane. Impressed by feats the young lady was able to perform for the Springs' Management, the old woman thought it would be a good idea to teach her some techniques that would put her energy to good use. At last, she found her way to Japan after a lengthy voyage by boat. There, she tracked down her grandfather and found that he had opened a coffee shop. The shop did poorly in comparison to places like the "Cat Cafe" or the Okinomiyaki Hut of Ukyo's. Later, they changed the shop into a sporting goods store, which has done modestly. Noriko knows Cologne, Ryoga (as P-Chan), and Ukyo from previous places. Her and Ukyo met as children once on a trip her parents made to Japan one time. She knows of the curses of all the other characters, but keeps hers secret from them. Only the one who kicked her into the spring (Her grandfather) knows the truth. Noriko has recently grown her hair long again and keeps it wrapped with a special jewel that her mother gave her to remember her by. Noriko gradually picked up her tennis training through the years and has created her own unique style. Unlike most of the characters, she can hardly remember Ranma's name due to disinterest in him. She adores Ryoga as a friend, but wants to be his girlfriend. Noriko is just too shy to admit it straight out, but she does drop hints every so often. She holds no grudges against anyone, yet she is the main target of Kodachi Kuno for tearing apart her ribbon one time. Other than that, she has no real enemies. Noriko also reminds Akane not to get jealous from time to time.

Question 8: Special Moves:

Hiryu Shoten Ha (as taught by Cologne), Ki Web (An attack that uses the ki energy surrounding the enemy to immobilze them until the enemy generates enough ki energy to break free), Ribbon Cutter (An attack that turns her racket into a deadly blade), Chestnut Fist (As taught by Cologne), Piston Kicks (An attack that allows the user to attack with lightning quick feet while in mid-air), Piston Earthquake (Create tremors around user by smashing the ground with a ki charged fist), Final Kiss (A kiss applied to the forehead that knocks the opponent out cold for three days), Dream Berserker Blitz (A projection of ki energy that shoots out from the user's body that sweep across a hundred feet in all directions; user then needs to gather senses after letting go of such a massive amount of energy), and Mizumi Rise (Project ki into the ground and let it reappear underneath the enemy).

New Moves:

Aoi Mizumi Ha (imperfect)- The Aoi Mizumi Ha is a special attack that if used normally, has the power of a Moko Takabisha or a Shi Shi Houkoudan, but if used in desperation or times of great desire, it is as great or greater than the Hiryu Shoten Ha! It is powered by Noriko's desire and is unleashed in a ki bolt that smashes into the target. If used in great desire, the user may control the bolt (or beam) to circle upward and crash down onto the ground and exploding (Kind of like a loop-de-loop gone wrong). The more she desires something (anything that crosses her mind), the more deadly the blast. It is imperfect because the blast is determined by human emotion. A perfect blast would have no modifier whatsoever and be just a strong attack. On a side note, if Ryoga or Ranma were to learn this move, they would be capable of probably killing off an opponent even if they don't want to (especially Ryoga's desire to beat Ranma). Luckily, it is only usable by women who are descended from Mizumi, the ki mistress of ancient Asia. Another note, Noriko discovered the technique while on a quest over Japan while looking for a scroll that was said to contain the technique. This however, was a scam by her Grandfather, Jojo, to get some piece and quiet. Also, around a certain age, the descendants of Mizumi have dreams that occur to them only for one week in their lives. In these dreams, Mizumi appears to them and calls for them to learn more. For that week, the dreamer gains a noticeable amount of energy and strength. It is at that time that Noriko desired to know more of her ancestry and thus, learned the Aoi Mizumi Ha. By learning this, Noriko satisfied the spirit of Mizumi in that a true successor to the Mizumi arts was found. Her grandfather, knowing all this, set up a quest for her and gave her a fake map to its location, somewhere in the countryside. Using her lack of direction in rural areas against her, Jojo managed to get her completely lost (Ranma and Ryoga followed her from something they heard from Jojo that the technique would also freeze forms, thus curing their curses, yet another lie). Another reason for getting Noriko out of the house for Jojo was that a Mizumi dreamer also talks in her sleep rather... loudly. So, to save his sanity, Jojo got her out of the house.

Big Fan- A dragon fang technique that can only be used with a racquet. The racquet creates a fan of air that blows the opposition backwards. Usually used to set something up.

Grand Slam- Another dragon fang technique that channels ki energy through the racquet and projects it at an opponent in a ki bolt. The attack is powered by anger, resentment, or excitement. On another note, the beam appears to be pink in color.

Devil Buster- Racquet hit to the back that disrupts the person's sense of touch, thus making them less reactive. This also reduces pain sustained in this state, but afterwards...... it'll begin to hurt after the technique wears off in about 2 minutes.

Kokonoka Denki (Ninth Light) Attack that creates a light that may not cause damage, but blunts the enemy's eyesight for a short time. The racquet surges with red energy and releases in a flash. This usually sets up for...

Undying Retribution- A dash attack that slices the ground with the racquet causing red slits in the earth. While initially the attack does no serious damage, when Noriko concentrates it to, the slits explode releasing ki energy from the earth. This does not drain much of her ki as it only releases the ki energy in the earth to do the damage. The total blast radius is about three fifths of her total dash across. The longer the distance, the less powerful the explosions.

Lob The Ball- Concentrating the ki into her racquet, she can hit the opponent and hold them with her racquet. After she "handcuffs" the opponent, she follows up by swinging around three times and throws the opponent away from her.

Here's a short piece that was submitted by Starphoenix:

"Jealousy versus Confusion and a cute outfit" ^_^

A cold breeze blew across the lonesome streets of Tokyo as the two combatants stood staring at one another coldly. One had an evil gaze about her with her ponytail flowing from the side of her head. The blue green gymnastics suit was tightly fit, and her ribbon blew in the wind, waiting to strike.

"I, Kodachi, the Black Rose, shall show you the meaning of suffering." she said to the other figure before breaking out into an annoying laugh that carried on and on and on...

"Look, that lecture of yours is torture enough," replied the other figure reaching for the handle of a weapon behind her back, "But spare me the laugh, psycho..."

"Silence!" Kodachi snarled in anger.

"What is this about again?" the other fighter asked. Her green hair was kept back by a jewel of brilliant color. Her vibrant violet eyes shone brightly as her white shirt and skirt fluttered in the breeze. She concentrated her energy into the weapon of her choice, a tennis racquet.

"You vile temptress!" Kodachi insulted, "Do you really believe that you could come between me and my darling Ranma?"

"Uhhh..." started the figure confused, "First off, my name is Noriko Gagema, secondly, I don't have any interest in what's his name... Ranko?"

"LIES!!!" Kodachi said as she rose off the ground and attacked with her ribbon. Noriko easily sidestepped the ribbon as it shattered the ground she once stood upon.

"Missed me." Noriko said playfully to her enraged rival. Kodachi then wrapped the ribbon around a nearby statue, and threw it with great force at Noriko. Noriko jumped over it and channeled a great fan of wind toward Kodachi. This wind caused Kodachi to tumble backwards. Kodachi then retaliated with a handful of powder to Noriko's face. The burning powder dazed Noriko long enough for Kodachi to wrap her ribbon around the victim and a maniacal laugh arose from the Black Rose's throat.

"Okay, practice is OVER." Noriko stated as her battle aura grew to a height, "DREAM BERSERKER BLITZ!!!" The attack blew Kodachi far from the grounds they had fought. Reorienting herself, Noriko wiped the powder from her eyes and tracked the psycho girl down.

Finding her amidst a pile of garbage, Noriko smiled at the thought of putting garbage in its place. She then refocused on the Black Rose who took the brief moment of humor Noriko found and disarmed her. "You're finished!" Kodachi shouted in a twisted glee. However, this wasn't the case since Noriko had also trained bare-handed as well. In
retaliation, Noriko used a technique that had been meant for her racquet.

"RIBBON CUTTER!!!" Noriko shouted as her hand quickly traveled at lightning quick speed. The ribbon, that was now on its way to attack, was shredded by the technique.

"How dare you... you... you..." Kodachi started in a sudden change of emotion from glee to horror to anger. She projected a red ki aura that Noriko saw easily.

"Thank you for playing our game," smiled Noriko mischievously, "But now it's... Game... Set... and... MATCH!!! MIZUMI RISE!!!" As she placed her palms on the ground, a large amount of ki energy blasted Kodachi into
the air like a geyser. "And here's a lovely parting gift... HIRYU SHOTEN HA!!!" commanded Noriko as the energy blew Kodachi far from the range of the naked eye.

"That girl seriously needs another hobby." she thought to herself as she picked up her racquet, dusted herself off, and made her way back home.

Here's a new story submitted by the author!

The two stood apart from one another. Ranma with a smug look on his face and Noriko with her racquet gripped and ready to strike. Ranma felt confident in his ability. And why not? He already beat Noriko in their previous match, with one of her own techniques too! He felt he's also grown stronger than when they last fought, and he didn't suspect Noriko to be too much more powerful than when he last fought her. He wouldn't have even taken the match if not for the fact that Jojo, Noriko's grandfather, was offering a flight to China, and with it, a chance at curing his curse.

"Let's get this over with." Ranma said out loud to Noriko, "I've got a flight to China to catch."

Noriko concentrated harder. She wanted this match more than any measly ticket. The honor of her ancestry was on the line here. She still remembered what it felt like to be bested by her own Mizumi Rise in their last battle. Because she got cocky in thinking that Ranma wasn't as powerful in female guise, she was defeated and faced many a sleepless night thinking about that. Now, she had mastered new skills and grown stronger with her knowledge. She was sure that Ranma wouldn't be able to keep up, but Noriko tried to limit her confidence.

"Are ya ready?" Noriko spoke readjusting her grip on her racquet.

"Let's go." answered Ranma as the two charged at one another in haste.

"Young people just don't have patience anymore." Grandfather Jojo said to himself with P-Chan by his side looking on at the match. He knew how important this match was to Noriko. The fire in her eyes mirrored that of her mother's when she was that age. It was a rare fire, in that it burned brightly in the young girl's eyes. Maybe she might even win thought Jojo. Nah.

The two combatants traded fast blows with one another, Noriko with her racquet, Ranma with his fists. Their techniques of the Chestnut Fist were virtually equal as they soon realized. They then separated for a moment to assess one another. "You've become better." Ranma spoke of Noriko.

"Not bad yourself." Noriko responded with a smile as she took a breath, "but let's get down to it." Ranma agreed and decided to fire a Moko Takabisha in Noriko's direction. He didn't want to hurt her that badly, but he really wanted that ticket to China... even if it meant stepping over Noriko to get it. Noriko quickly responded with a Grand Slam from her racquet. The two beams collided, but Ranma's confidence was much greater than Noriko's excitement at the moment. As the Moko Takabisha slowly won over the Grand Slam, Noriko changed her stance and guided the beam away from her. The blast landed elsewhere, causing an explosion to erupt past the tennis player. The blast also broke a hot water pipe that sprayed up in a geyser. Noriko grinned at Ranma.

"You'll need more than that." Noriko smiled at Ranma. The other martial artist, shocked at first, regained his composure and took a stance. Noriko then met Ranma in the middle as they traded more blows on one another. They then jumped back as Noriko twirled her racquet. "I've improved more with the racquet lately." Noriko taunted her opponent.

"Improved?" Ramna thought to himself, "This could mean trouble."

Ranma knew that Noriko was a good blocker with her racquet, but her offense was limited with it when he last fought her. If she improved it, he may need to disarm her... that's how he won last time. "Ready?" Noriko asked Ranma as she drew back her racquet and thrusted it forward. The swing generated a massive current of air that knocked Ranma back. As he parried the attack, he failed to realize Noriko rushing behind him until she struck him in the back. Surprisingly, Ranma hardly felt anything as he turned toward the speedy Noriko. When he turned, a flash of light from the racquet blinded him. As he started rubbing his eyes, Noriko jumped away and snickered.

"The first attack was my Big Fan." started Noriko triumphantly, "The second was my Devil Buster, which dulls your sense of touch. And the third was my Kokonoka Denki (Ninth Light) that blinds you. Give up?" Ranma knew this was trouble, he couldn't feel her out, or even see her. The only senses he had left were hearing, tasting, and smelling. The latter two didn't serve much purpose to him in a fight, but the former just might...

Noriko wasted little time as she rushed Ranma quickly. using her racquet, she split the earth under Ranma and concentrated to ignite the ki underneath. Ranma was consumed in the explosions as Noriko stood past the blast site. She felt a calm stretch over her as she breathed deeply.

She knew she had finally avenged her previous loss... or had she? When she looked back, Ranma stood before her. It didn't make sense. How could he survive an Undying Retribution of that magnitude? Noriko knew the distance was enough to blast a regular martial artist into the stratosphere, but Ranma was no regular martial artist.

Then it hit her. The Devil Buster she performed on him earlier was still taking effect. Though he might be knocked out by it in around two minutes, the Devil Buster dulled the pain enough for him to go on. Ranma wasted little time in going after Noriko. With his sight recovered, he launched into an assault Noriko had trouble defending. It also appeared Ranma knew Noriko's fault when he smiled wickedly at her. The tennis player's blows weren't doing any good at the moment as Ranma absorbed the damage like a sponge. Noriko knew she had to play defense until the devil Buster technique wore off, so she adjusted her style to defensive only as she continued to parry Ranma's blows.

Noriko then noticed a path Ranma was leading her toward as she blocked, not wanting to find out where he was pulling her, Noriko evaded and rolled out of the way. When she looked up, she didn't see Ranma, but instead, the huge geyser created earlier. She was fairly close to the geyser asshe surmised that Ranma was trying to lure her in for a possible Hiryu Shoten Ha. Suddenly, attacks poured out of the geyser toward Noriko. She tried blocking, but the attacks penetrated her defense and hit their marks. After a beating, she lost her grip on the racquet and fell backwards. Ranma then appeared from the geyser confidently.

"I used the same attack on a guy named Kirin." he spoke with a superior voice, "You can't block against what you can't catch."

It was true. Noriko couldn't block the balls of water that Ranma had blasted against her. Now unarmed, she was at the mercy of Ranma, who was coming up to her.

Then, Ranma fell to his knees and clutched his body. He grunted in pain as Noriko looked on. She then smiled as she knew the Devil Buster had worn off and allowed Ranma to feel the pain of his current wounds. Using this opportunity, Noriko rose to her feet and stood. Ranma rose to his feet as well. Both felt the end of the match was arriving. So the two resorted to using their last techniques, however desperate it may have seemed. Ranma felt the hot ki his opponent generated as he concentrated his cool ki for his attack. Noriko concentrated on what she wanted... the defeat of Ranma Saotome. As a result, her hot ki rose.

"HIRYU SHOTEN HA!!!" Ranma yelled as he fired his attack.

"AOI MIZUMI HA!!!" Noriko retaliated as the two powers collided. The blasts clashed with such fury as they carried the energy of their owners. Both were very powerful, but both were matched quite evenly. it would soon come down to who wanted it more...

Noriko thought to herself, "Come On!!! Why is he matching my special attack so well? I have to want this more!!!" She then had an idea. Reluctantly she lowered her hot ki and with it, her beam. It appeared Ranma had won... but no. Noriko stood ready, thankful that she was able to calm herself enough to minimize the Hiryu Shoten Ha's effects, Noriko fell to one knee. She could tell her opponent wasn't doing much better, but he was still able. Ranma used his strength to slowly approach Noriko with his teeth clenched. The two combatants were coming to end of their match, and it would end up close. Ranma used what strength he had to fight Noriko, but his punches just weren't hitting all that hard. Noriko blocked the punches on what little reserves she had left. The battle was going almost nowhere at the moment with both fighters not giving in. Noriko then decided to her last resort. She flung herself onto Ranma's chest and swung her arms over him. This surprised him as he looked confused at her and around in hopes that Akane or any of his other fiancees didn't see this. Things didn't appear right to him... then it occurred to him that...

Too late. Noriko had already delivered Ranma her Final Kiss and laid him out upon the ground. She too, fell to the ground. But she laughed as she lay there, face up. For she had just defeated Ranma. "Even if you did win the ticket," Jojo commented, "You won't get there anytime soon with your direction."

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