(Previously:  Intangible Legionnaire Tinya Wazzo, aka Apparition, got 
lost and ended up in Nerima, where she met Ranma and Akane.  Her fellow 
Legion members Jo Nah (Ultra Boy), Luornu Durgo (Triad) and Andrew Nolan 
(Ferro) have come to pick her up.  While getting acquainted, the teens 
investigated a mysterious noise, and came into contact with the 
previously hidden antagonist in this story.)

			THEIR NAME IS LEGION
			by Scott K. Jamison
(Ranma 1/2 and its associated characters are the creation of Rumiko 
Takahashi.  The Legion of Super-Heroes and its associated characters are 
the creation of various people working for DC Comics.  No infringement is 
intended.)
	Chapter Four:  The Evil Exposed!  Is This Guy For Real?

	Ferro was quite frankly staring at the dripping wet and rather 
buxom girl who was standing where male Ranma had been a moment before.  
The other Legionnaires, more experienced with witnessing bizarre 
transformations thanks to their teammate Chameleon, were watching the new 
arrival.
	He was a tall man who appeared to be in at most his early 
twenties, slim but well-muscled.  His costume looked more suitable to 
everyday wear than supervillainy, despite the dragonscale vest and arm 
bracers.  His face was a trifle effeminate, but Tinya thought it would 
look quite handsome if it weren't for the cruel sneer his mouth seemed 
set in.  Those curled earlocks were fetching too.
	But the most impressive thing about the newcomer was the fact 
that he was standing on a fifteen-foot-tall wave of water that was not 
moving a droplet.
	Despite this, Ranma seemed more put out than awed.  He stared 
daggers at the intruder, who gazed back with casual disdain.
	The newcomer looked levelly over the gathered heroes.  "Well, 
well, Crossdresser Lad, having a pajama party?"
	"Don't push it.  Just.  Don't.  Push.  It," Ranma snarled.
	The other Legionnaires looked to Triad, who signaled them to stay 
quiet.  This was Ranma's turf, and he'd know best how to handle this 
person.   
	"What do you want, Tarou?" asked Akane, who'd moved back a good 
bit. 
	Surprisingly, Tarou's face seemed to soften infinitessimally when 
he replied to her.  "The usual.  The old freak."
	"We ain't got him," Ranma pointed out.  "He's around, though."
	"Then you'll find him, and give him to me."
	"What if we don't want to?"
	"This."  Tarou pointed to Ranma, and a jet of water burst from 
the wave, too wide for Ranma to dodge, and ramming him into a wall.  The 
pressure kept Ranma from gaining his feet, but Tarou wasn't done with his 
demonstration.  Suddenly there was steam rising from the jet, and Ranma 
turned male. 
	Tarou closed his fist, and the water stopped.  The wave under him 
looked no smaller.  "I have power you cannot even imagine in your puny 
excuse for a mind.  And I'm not afraid to use it."
	Ranma stood up, a bit less confident-looking than before, but 
definitely not cowed.  "So you got a new gimmick, and that makes you 
somethin' special, huh, Pantyhose Tarou?"
	"Don't call me that!" shouted Tarou, sweeping his arm, and 
another wave crashed into Ranma, rendering the smaller boy female once 
again. 
	Ultra Boy decided he'd seen enough, and flew at Tarou.
	Much to Jo's surprise, Tarou didn't use the water at his command, 
but instead grappled Ultra Boy with inhuman speed, driving his knuckles 
into nerve centers that would have caused crippling pain if Jo weren't 
invulnerable at the time.
	As it was, the distraction caused Jo to lose control of his 
direction and crash into the ground.
	"And what was that supposed to be, James Dean Martial Arts?" 
Tarou sneered. 	
	Apparition went to check on Ultra Boy.
	"Ferro, armor up!" Triad instructed.  "I'll distract him."  She 
triplicated and surrounded Tarou in midair.  Andrew transformed into his 
"iron" state, and looked for a good opening.
	"Nice images trick, girl, but I know better."  Tarou concentrated 
for a moment, then looked at the closest Triad in surprise.  "They're 
*all* real?"
	Ferro saw his opening, and swung.  Unfortunately, Tarou wasn't 
the sort to stay surprised, and only took a glancing blow.
	"What's with the mask?  Too ugly for even a mama to love?"  The 
words hit Ferro even harder than Tarou's fists did a moment later.  
"Damn!  What are you made of!?"
	Triad-Neutral and Triad-Purple came in high and low, only to find 
that Tarou hadn't forgotten about his wave.  Tentacles of water 
solidified around them, until they reintegrated with Triad-Orange.
	By this time, Ranma and Ultra Boy had regained their senses, and 
joined the fight.
	"Oh sure, Crossdresser Lad, gang up on me.  That's *so* 
honorable."  Even with his wave, Tarou was being hard pressed.
	"You're not a martial artist, Pantyhose.  You're a monster, and 
against a monster, any tactic is acceptable!"  Ranma leapt back and began 
gathering his ki.
	"Oh yeah.  Thanks for reminding me, loser."  Tarou suddenly sank 
into the wave, then burst out again.  Now he was a nightmare figure, 
nearly twelve feet tall, with the head of a bull, ridiculously small 
white wings, an eel-like tail, and several octopus-like tentacles growing 
from his back.
	"What th--" began Ferro, before the monstrous Tarou grabbed him 
with a tentacle and sent the metallic hero slamming into Ranma.
	Ultra Boy decided it was time to take the kid gloves off and 
activated his flash vision to fry the creature.  It felt the sting of his 
eyebeams, gestured, and a gusher of water tried to force its way down 
Jo's throat.  He wasn't quite able to switch to invulnerability in time, 
and fell.
	A few swift blows knocked out Triad, and then the creature looked 
at Apparition.  Tinya stared at Tarou, but there was nothing she could 
do.  He wasn't mechanical, and she could only possess people with their 
permission.  
	Tarou snorted, then summoned the wave to him again, regaining 
human form.  "Like I said, I want the old freak.  Bring him to me here, 
dawn tomorrow, or Nerima becomes a lake."  The wave made him into the 
creature again, and it flew off.
	"Who *was* that guy, anyway?" asked Ferro.
	"Pantyhose Tarou," replied Ranma, picking himself up yet again.  
	"Why would anyone pick a stupid villain name like that?"
	"No, it's his real name."  Akane rejoined the others.  "That's 
the problem."
	"You're kidding us, right?" asked Jo.
	"I wish I was.  This old man named Happosai--"
	"A total pervert," interrupted Ranma.
	Akane scowled at her fiance.  "He helped deliver Tarou as a baby, 
and out of gratitude, the mother let the old man name the child.  And his 
village has the custom that only the one who named you can change your 
name.  So Tarou is after Happosai to force him to rename him."
	"You mean, this Pantyhose guy's whole motive for being a villain 
is he has a lousy name?  That's the lamest origin I've ever heard!"  
Triad-Purple showed her usual lack of tact while the other two Triads 
buried their faces in their hands.
	"You're telling me?" grumbled Ranma.  
	"I can't believe he'd turn himself into a monster just for that," 
mused Ferro.
	"He didn't.  Happosai dunked him in one of the Jyuusenkyo springs 
to clean Tarou off after he was born."
	That led to a brief discussion of the cursed pools.
	"Spring of Drowned Yeti Riding Bull While Carrying a Crane and 
Eel!?"  Tinya was incredulous.
	"Mixed with Spring of Drowned Octopus, and no, I don't know how 
an octopus drowned."  Akane spread her hands.
	"And you turn into a girl, huh?" asked Triad-Purple, poking 
Ranma's ample chest.
	"Triad!" Triad-Orange forcibly merged with her sister.
	"Uh, thanks, I think.  Anyhow, the water control is new.  Tarou 
never had a technique that good before, and I can't figure out how he 
does it."
	"So what do we do now?" asked Jo.
	"We find the old freak.  He's the root cause of this; if we give 
him to Pantyhose, we don't have to deal with the rest of the problem."  
Ranma made a sweeping gesture.  "C'mon, everybody, back to the dojo.  I 
for one need some breakfast."

Next time, the search for Happosai!

	Sorry, this chapter is a bit shorter than I'd like.  Any fight 
choreography suggestions will be carefully looked at.

Comments?

SKJAM!