Since people are asking, here's
Act 2, parts 0 - 2 of The Pursuit of Happiness.
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
ROUGH ROUGH RAW LOTS OF MISTAKES BETA VERSION
-rod
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tpoh act 2 part 0
-------------------------
Kings of Nerima - Prelude
-------------------------
She had no idea what to say.
What do you tell someone when you unexpectedly wake up in the same
bed with him? Especially when you might've been kissing him? Ukyou
certainly had no idea. Her mind was a mess after the realization of
the situation settled in.
Before they could talk about it, Ryouga got lost. He was stumbling
around one moment, gone and probably off to Siberia the next. For
better or worse, that's just how he was.
She didn't know whether to be mad or thankful.
What were they going to do? How did he feel about her? She wasn't
even entirely sure how she felt about him. All she knew was that she
missed him when he wasn't around.
Why did things have to get complicated? She didn't want this.
Things were simple before, and that's the way she liked it.
Hey, wait a minute...
This was Ranma's fault. Definitely. If he'd just let her go home
like she wanted to, this mess wouldn't happen.
He was joking about her and Ryouga being romantically involved all
the time. Could he have... on purpose...
Of course he could have. He was GENMA'S son. Maybe he thought he
was doing his old friend a favor, but she TOLD him to keep his nose
out, didn't she? She'd have to give him a good swift kick in the ass
the next time she saw him. The jerk.
And so there she was, standing there at the crack of dawn,
polishing her grill, staring at the sun.
And she still had no idea what to say.
*
Ryoga had no idea what to do.
This... absolutely nothing prepared him for the disaster that THIS
might be. What was she thinking? Was she mad at him? Did she think
he was a pervert? Was he a pervert? What if... what if he DID do
something?!
He stopped where he was (in some urban street, he didn't even care
where anymore) and leaned warily against the lamp post. Things were
simple before. She was there. He worked for her. They kept each
other company. She was his friend. He was her friend. Although
sometimes, just sometimes, she made him feel light-headed and a bit
self-conscious, and when she smiled it was just...
No. Nononono. That was the same line of thought that probably got
him into this mess to start with.
*Sigh*
If only she-
No.
He didn't want to lose what he had, even if the reward might've
been something better. The posibility of being alone again was
something he couldn't bear to even think about.
With that inner conflict temporarily resolved, he had one thing
left to worry about.
"What am I gonna say to her?"
"Say to who?"
Ryouga froze.
The voice was young, a bit sharp, and definitely female.
Surely, he thought, that couldn't be Ukyou.
He turned around.
It was.
"Um... er... nothing, never mind," said Ryouga. He laughed
nervously, scratching the back of his head, and laughed nervously yet
again.
Ukyou didn't seem amused.
"Just in time to be late to school," she said with a frown.
She was clearly upset. He hated it when she was upset, and right
now he was too tired to deal with it.
"Just... go ahead without me, okay?"
"Don't be stupid. You'll get lost again without me," she snapped.
"If you wait for me you'll just be late," argued Ryouga.
"I'm just trying to be nice, you jerk!" snapped Ukyou.
Ryouga threw his hands in the air. "THIS is what I was trying to
avoid! Now you're late AND you're mad!"
"I wouldn't be mad if you weren't being stupid about this!"
"You're the one that's being stupid about this!"
"Just go and change already!" bellowed Ukyou. Without waiting for
any more arguements, she grabbed him by the ear, stormed back into
Ucchan's, and tossed him in his room.
The door slammed. Both liked to believe it was them that slammed
it. Ukyou took a few steps away from the door then leaned against the
wall.
Well. Things were back to usual.
Thank goodness.
There was a part of her, a small part, that was disappointed. It
screamed that this was one hell of a way to get out of the situation.
Pretend it didn't happen? Nonsense!
She managed to ignore that voice.
Ukyou smiled, ever so slightly, and sighed in relief.
Were she able to see through walls, she'd see that Ryouga was too.
*
It was a fine morning, with skies that had that certain perfect
balance of clouds and blue sky. The pleasant nature of this morning
was lost to most, as they were busy rushing from point A to point B.
Two individuals ignored the morning rush. They had a point A and a
point B, but unlike the others they just didn't have strict time
limits. Therefore, they were enjoying the morning.
At first glace, there were two young boys, both in suits, sitting
at a table in a recently opened western style cafe. Upon closer
inspection, one would notice that one suit was somewhat baggy and a
little soot-stained, and the other was tailored to fit exactly and was
spotless. After even further inspection, one would find out that the
one in the soot-stained suit was, in fact, a girl.
If anyone were to ask if the boy and girl were a couple, they'd
have been mauled (possibly to death) by both parties.
As it stood, this was more of a negociation for peace than a
breakfast date.
"Noori, how very... surprising to se you," said the boy, a touch of
acid in his voice.
The girl merely gave a one-eyed glare. "Muhoshin, up yours."
"Finally learned to say it in Japanese, I see."
Now that the opening insults were traded, they settled in for the
morning meal. A waitress arrived a few seconds later and they placed
their order.
"Kyoto omelette for me," said Ryo.
"Mt. Fuji special for me," said Noori.
"Seperate checks," they said in unison.
After a brief puzzled look from the waitress, she departed, leaving
the two to discuss current matters in peace.
"I assume you've registered to be in the King of Nerima
tournament," said Ryo.
Noori nodded. "You?"
"Hibiki will be there. Can't pass up this opportunity."
"So until then... cease fire?" asked Noori.
"Unpleasant prospect," grumbled Ryo.
"It is only a few days away now," said Noori.
"Very true, very true."
There was a moment of silence as the two sipped their tea in a
surprising moment of tranquility. They watched impassively as the
people on the street buzzed back and forth in the 'rat race', not
envying them at all.
"It is generally known," said Ryo, "why I'm out to skewer Hibiki.
Your motives, however, are a mystery. Care to tell your tale?"
Tanya thought about it, then shrugged.
She took a deep breath, then told it.
Ryo blinked.
"That's... it?" he asked.
Tanya scowled. "What do you mean, 'that's it'?!"
"That's it? That is all? Nothing else?" Ryo was expecting
something rather earth-shattering, like, say, Ryouga being an
ex-boyfriend, or perhaps a bitter rival. Neither was the case.
"Is there nothing more?" he asked again, clearly mocking her.
Noory 'hmph'ed, turned away from Muhoshin, and finished her tea.
<S'important to ME, an'that's enough.>
*
"Sentaro, the time is coming soon."
Sentaro Daimonji turned around solemnly at his grandmother's words.
Next week was a very important time for the Daimonji School of Tea
Ceremony Martial Arts.
"Today you shall meditate, grandson. Think on all the wisdom your
masters have given you. Soon, very soon, we regain our lost honor."
"We will, grandmother, I swear it."
Soon after, Sentaro was once more alone with his thoughts and his
tea.
But not for long.
His eyes, half-closed in meditation, opened slightly more at the
sound of feet approaching.
The voice was soft, sweet, a voice tat he loved dearly.
"Darling... may I talk to you for a moment?"
"Satsuki, dearest, of course."
His fiancee scooted towards him in that odd sitting-down-yet-moving
manuver that the Tea Ceremony Martial Arts practitioners tended to do
all the time.
"About the tournament," said Satsuki.
"Don't worry about me," said Sentaro, holding her hands. "This
time will be different than the last."
"I just... I..."
"Oh, Satsuki," said Sentaro, taking her into his arms. "Don't
you worry."
"But Sentaro... I... I just remember the last time you fought him,"
she said quietly. "I don't want to see you hurt like that again...
your face planted in the ground... with footprints on your... pants...
and an eyebrow missing... and graffiti on your face, and-"
"I get the idea, Satsuki," said Sentaro miserably.
*
[Furinkan High, lunch]
As usual, the lunch crowds in Furinkan were segmented into the boys
and the girls, and further into their respective social circles.
Ranma, Ryouga, Daisuke, and Hiroshi were, as usual, observing the
daily Battle for their daily Bread.
"Hey man, you ready for it?" asked Ranma.
Ryouga blinked. "Ready for what?"
"The King of Nerima Tourney, man!" said Hiroshi.
"Oh yeah, that," said Ryouga.
"How could you forget, man!" exclaimed Daisuke. "It's the event of
the year! The show of shows! And now that you guys are in it, it'll
be even better!"
Ranma, in a statement that summarized his grand and supreme
confidence, simply asked, "You guys bet on me, right?"
"Of course," said Daisuke.
"Definitely," said Hiroshi.
Ryouga scowled. "Hey!"
"Like you've beaten me yet?" teased Ranma.
"If I run into you in this tournament, I will this time!" declared
Ryouga.
"We'll see," said Ranma smugly. "We'll just see about that."
Coming up quickly behind Ranma was Ukyou. She strode right behind
him silently, took a good, measured view of his posterior, and...
*THWAP*
"Ooooow!"
Ranma hopped around clutching his rear. "Hey! What'd I do now?!"
"That was for last night, you jackass!" snapped Ukyou. Without
another word, she stormed off, leaving Ranma and his sore backside
wondering what on earth happened for him to deserve _that_.
"So, what'd ya do to her last night?" asked Daisuke slyly.
"Nothing! I didn't do nothing!" protested Ranma. He put his brain
to work, thinking on last night and what she could possibly be upset
about.
This, of course, would take some time. The thinking, that is.
"She's been getting more violent since you started working for her,
y'know," said Hiroshi, elbowing Ryouga. "She that violent in bed?"
"NO! I wouldn't know anything about that!"
Meanwhile, Ranma's brain was tallying up some facts and figures.
Last night... last night... there was cards. Could Ukyou be sore
about losing a few hands at the card table? That was ruled impossible
a few seconds later, simply because Ranma only won once last night,
out of sheer luck, against Akane. After that, she wanted to go home,
but instead Ranma talked her into staying in. And then she fell
asleep.
Oh. Wait.
The next morning she was with Ryouga.
Hm.
That would mean RYOUGA DID SOMETHING and Ukyou was blaming him for
it! Why that...
"RYOUGAAAA!" Ranma grabbed him by the shirt angrily and shook him
around. "What did you do to Ucchan?!"
Ryouga, irritated by this odd reversal of roles, grabbed Ranma's
shirt in retaliation. "I didn't do anything!"
"Yeah, right! You expect me to believe after last night you tw-"
*POW*
"Well, there they go again," said Daisuke.
"Say, I wonder what Saotome meant when he said, 'last night you
two...' hm?" wondered Hiroshi.
"Don't you dare bring that up!" roared Ryouga at Ranma. He heaved
Ranma up and tossed him over a nearby fence. From there, Hiroshi
could hear the sounds of violence that was typical of those two.
"'Last night' he says," observed Hiroshi. "Sounds interesting."
Daisuke nodded. "I was gonna tease'em about it, but Ryouga usually
gets more violent than Ranma."
"Anyways," said Hiroshi, "It all starts up next week. Man, I can't
wait!"
In the distance, a stormcloud rumbled. Had anyone been paying
attention, it would have surely been a harbinger of worse times. As
things were, the moment was lost on them.
*
[Furinkan High, after school]
"So, is everything falling into place?" asked Nabiki.
"We've got 45% of the Nerima student body calling in to place their
bets, chief."
"The roster of fighters is shaping up as you predicted, boss. Just
got confirmation Sanzenin is on his way and someone claims to have
seen Ryu Kumon by the station."
"We've got the roster for at-site operations staff lined out,
chief."
"We have a guaranteed first-right-to-buy on all matches and already
have advance orders for the premium seats in the first round."
"Good, good," said Nabiki, pacing back and forth at the front of
the classroom. Meanwhile, her handful of henchwomen and associates
scurried about the room with papers, reports, and laptop computers.
"Just to confirm my beliefs," said Nabiki, "who's the favorite so
far?"
"Ranma Saotome, chief, getting 80% of the bets."
"Figures," she said with a smirk. "So, are the matchups posted
yet?"
"Only a few, chief. The full list hasn't been put out yet."
A frown appeared on Nabiki's face. Something felt wrong.
"That's odd. I was told it'd be done today by noon," she said,
rubbing her chin.
"We tried calling, but they keep on saying the schedule maker is
out on his break or busy."
"Somebody give me a phone, I'll get to the bottom of this." One of
her assistants handed Nabiki a cellular phone, which she flipped open
casually then dialed.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Nabiki started tapping her foot on the floor. She hated waiting on
the phone.
"Ah, hello. Is Noriamo in?"
//I'm sorry// said a voice, probably a secretary, //he's busy at
the moment.// The voice seemed a little familiar to Nabiki, but she
dismissed that as insignificant at the moment.
"Tell him it's Miss N."
//Could you hold please?//
"Okay."
Soft music was piped through the phone, making Nabiki somewhat ill.
She never did take to being put on hold very well, but in the business
world it happened all too often.
She could also name the song on the phone. It was a symphonic
version of 'Barefoot in the Park'. Nabiki winced and shook her head.
Definitely too much time spent on hold lately.
//N-Noriamo speaking.//
"Ah, Noriamo-san, so good to hear you."
//T-Tendo-san! What can I do for you today?//
"The matchups for the first round. Why are they not in my hands
yet?"
//B-but I sent you-//
"An incomplete list. You know how I hate incomplete work."
//I'm sorry but we've had a few snags. It will be done in an hour,
I assure you!//
"I hope so, Noriamo-san," said Nabiki with a hint of menace. "You
know my e-mail address, I'll be waiting on it." With a frown, she
hung up and put the phone aside.
"Things got settled, boss?" wondered one of her underlings.
"Seems to be," said Nabiki. "Expect something in an hour."
"What's wrong, chief? You don't look happy."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think Noriamo was up to something...
but he isn't intelligent enough to pull off a scheme on his own." She
looked out the window, thinking for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe
I'm just getting paranoid."
*
"Back to work, Noriamo-san."
"Y-yessir," stammered Noriamo. He breathed a sigh of relief after
the feel of a cold blade was removed from the back of his neck.
*
Tarou stared at the envalope with great suspicion.
It wasn't often that the old freak wrote to anyone, and it was even
more unusual that Happosai wrote a letter to him. Life was either
about to become a little more interesting or a lot more aggrivating.
He began to read the letter, mumbling some parts aloud out of habit.
"Hrm.... Dearest Pant-" Tarou took a moment to grit his teeth.
"Hm... mm-hmm... Change of heart... change of name.... only if you win
the King of Nerima tournament."
So, the old man was willing to change his name if he won this
tournament, eh? Nerima... Nerima... fem-boy oughta be there... along
with all those other jokers. Heheh, a little entertainment and a cool
new name at the end of it all. Should be a good time.
*
A bandanna-clad figure stood in an empty rural road, under a tree.
In the distance the sun was beginning to set. The light breeze lifted
his hair in a nicely dramatic fashion.
Wandering from town to town, he started anew the process he began
so many years ago. He trained in the Art. He traveled all across
Japan, fighting, studying, growing stronger, recovering from the
defeat that had forced him to start all over again.
Then he got a letter.
It was rather puzzling how he got it. It was just there one day
when he woke up. It was an invitation to a martial arts tournament.
It was going to be in Nerima.
That, of course, meant that _he_ was going to be there. The one
that had caused his fall.
Ranma.
Ryu Kumon stood up dramatically, the invitation gripped tightly in
his fist. This would be a good test of his skills, definitely. He
needed to prove, if only to himself, that he was once again a
formidable martial artist.
And a small measure of revenge wouldn't hurt either.
*
As was typical of the Hibiki line, Ryouga was... well... you know.
"Could've sworn Ucchan's was down the corner."
He frowned as the skies rumbled. If the weather was any indication
he wouldn't be staying a he for long. The rumbling sky and sudden
gust of rain had him suddenly stumbling down the street, struggling to
keep the rain at bay with his umbrella.
After a few more minutes of stomping around in the rain, Ryouga had
lost the battle to keep his gender. She wiped the rain from her eyes
and found herself in a back alley of sorts, in front of a door.
A rather familiar door.
Could it be? Could he actually have found Ucchan's? It seemed too
good to be true!
-click-
"Uky.... oh."
It was.
He found himself in a very dark room, lit only by candles. Arcane
and mystical items, figures, and drawings were set everywhere. At the
center of the room, lit by a solitary candle, was a girl with long
brown hair clad in dark blue robes. She was, at the moment, peering
in to an odd glass object with odd shapes swirling from within.
"Welcome," said the girl. "May I help you?"
"Oh," said Ryouga-chan, "sorry, I thought I was somewhere else."
"I see," said the girl.
Ryouga-chan reached for the door, but hesitated. Curiosity was
nagging at him.
"Excuse me, what is this place?" she asked.
"This is just a humble little shop of magicks," said the girl.
"And I am just a practicing fortune teller. You can call me Mio."
"Fortune telling?" asked Ryouga-chan. "As in predicting the
future?"
Mio nodded.
Ryouga-chan had a feeling. He wasn't sure what it was. A nagging
feeling, a whispering suggestion in the back of his mind, a suspicion
that fate was giving him a big clue and he should really take the time
to listen.
"I don't suppose you could... ah..."
"Tell your fortune?" asked Mio, smiling slightly. "Well... on a
cloudy and mysterious day like today, it would seem the fitting thing
to do, yes? Please, have a seat."
Ryouga-chan took a seat across from Mio and peered curiously into
the glass object at its center.
"Hey, what is this?" she asked.
"Oh, this? Lava lamp." With an embarrased smile, Mio took the
lamp away and pulled out a deck of cards. She went through a process
of seperating the deck and shuffling the cards in a process that
Ryouga lost track of.
"Now... concentrate on your question and tell me," said Mio.
Question? Ryouga-chan didn't think she'd have to think of a
question, just get an answer about her future. Oh, that's a question.
Okay, good, now concentrate....
"What does my future hold?" she asked.
Mio blinked. "That's it?"
"Um... yeah, that's it," said Ryouga-chan.
"Kind of general, but I guess it'll do," said Mio. "Now
concentrate on that question, okay?"
Ryouga-chan nodded, and Mio started to shuffle the deck in various
and complicated ways once more.
Finally, she laid down a card. It depicted the moon in the sky,
with some creatures emerging from the ground below.
"This is the moon," said Mio. "It signifies your immediate
obstacles and concerns. The moon symbolizes unseen perils around you
and trickery afoot. There are anxieties that you cannot overcome as
well."
She drew another card from the deck and placed it atop the first
one. A picture of an angel holding two golden chalices was on it.
"This is Temperance. It symbolizes what influences you are under at
the moment. There is a certain stability and harmony in your life at
the moment. There is friendship that keeps you feeling secure in
things for the moment. There is no desire for extremes, only a
longing for peace and a search for the middle ground."
She drew a third card and placed it below the two stacked cards.
Mio smiled as she saw this card. "Ah, the lovers. This is the goal
you seek, a soul mate, perhaps for life." Ryouga-chan blushed
visibly, but tried to pretend she wasn't.
Mio drew a fourth card and placed it to the left side of the first
two. This one, however, was upside-down. "Judgement, but reversed.
This is the foundation of your past. Indecision, procrastination,
seperation, and a failure to achieve your happiness."
Ryouga-chan winced. She couldn't help but think of Akane at that
moment.
A fifth card was drawn and placed atop from the first two, across
from the third card. A dark tower, crumbling to the ground was show.
"The Tower. This symbolizes the recent past. There was a loss of
stability. Things were undone. You were subjected to ruin and
misery."
Again, thought Ryouga, she was disturbingly on target.
Mio drew forth a sixth card, placed to the right of the first two
cards. It depicted a rather disturbing creature. "Ah, the Devil.
This symbolizes what will influence you in the future. There will be
strange experiences. Black magic is afoot. There will be disasters,
downfalls, violence, and shocks."
Could this be the tournament? wondered Ryouga. She couldn't
imagine what else could cause such events.
A seventh card was drawn, placed to the right of the other cards
and by itself. It depicted an old man with a lamp. "The Hermit.
This represents you. You seek answers from life. You're cautious.
You're denying yourself something.... maybe love."
The eight card was drawn and placed above the seventh. "The Wheel
of Fortune. This symbolizes what influences your future. You have a
part to play in destiny, and luck will be on your side."
A ninth card was drawn and placed above the eighth. On it sat a
royal figure on a throne, holding a sword in one hand and weight
scales in the other. "This is Justice. It symbolizes your inner
emotions. You've much integrity, honor, and a sense of justice."
Ryouga's ego was swelling. Badly.
A tenth card was drawn and placed above the ninth. It depicted a
man hung from his feet. "The hanged man. This is the final answer."
Ryouga's ego was deflating. Quickly. 'Hanged man' didn't sound
good. No, not good at all.
"The hanged man," explained Mio, "He symbolizes a moment of
transition. There will be sacrifice, change, and rebirth. You will
face a crossroads, and it will all be up to you whether or not your
goal is achieved. The choice, in the end, is yours."
Ryouga's mood was sombered by a great deal. The future sounded
very... difficult. Then again, nothing was easy.
"Well, that's it," said Mio. "I hope it helps you out."
Ryouga-chan nodded absently, then looked outside. "Say," she said,
"do you have any hot water?"
"Yes, in the bathroom," said Mio, pointing to a nearby door.
Mio watched the young girl enter the bathroom, then heard the sound
of water rushing from the sink. A moment later, and much to her
surprise, a young man, dressed exactly like the girl that had entered
the bathroom, emerged and headed somberly for the door.
"Thanks for the hot water and the reading," he said. "I guess I'd
better go now."
"Um... anytime," said Mio, clearly surprised.
He headed out the door, leaving Mio there and utterly baffled.
Mio shook her head, then put away the tarot cards. "Strange days
we live in."
*
Up in the second floor of the Tendo household, generally bad
vibrations were being emitted. Kasumi didn't notice, being surrounded
by a constant field of Very-Niceness. In her room, Nabiki kept on
looking around, as if expecting to see something that was on the edge
of her vision. Soun and Genma were downstairs playing shogi, as
usual. They were used to this sort of thing.
The Master was probably very, pardon the pun, Happy.
Happosai cackled gleefully as he stared out into the stormy
horizon. The invitations were sent, recieved, and now chaos was to
ensue. Pantyhose was on his way, Happy was sure of it. So was Prince
Toma. And of course his old pals Chingensai and Lukosai were coming
in for the big tournament as well. All those, and so many more good
'friends' were on their way.
Oh Happy day indeed.
In the distance he heard a knocking at the door and grinned.
Ah. That would have to be....
*
In the doorway stood two young girls. One, Akane's age, was lean,
with sharp, serious features and long brown hair. The other, a few
years younger, had a softer face and a generally happy disposition.
Akane stood there, holding the door open, a look of utter surprise
on her face. She wasn't expecting to see _them_. A part of her was
still afraid of them, even though she'd proven herself their equal.
"Kurumi! Natsumi! Um... hi!"
Natsumi, the older girl, bowed respectfully. "Akane, it is good to
see you again."
"Hi Akane!" cheerfully said Kurumi, the younger one.
"I, ah, guess you're here for the tournament?" asked Akane.
Natsumi nodded. "It is a perfect setting in which to test our
skills."
"And we missed you too!" said Kurumi.
*
"Heheheh, bingo."
Happosai pulled out a clipboard, checked two names off, then
resumed watching Keiko's Aerobics Workout. These were good days
indeed.
*
"Hey, Nabiki, who was last year's champion anyway?"
She pulled out her laptop and showed him.
"Oooooh. Her. Ain't she that wanna be Ry-"
"Hundred Yen."
"Huh? What for?!"
"Information services."
"*Sigh* Fine, okay."
-end act 2 prelude-
< > - English
// // - emitted from a P.S. system, telephone, or other
electric medium.
--------------------------------------------------------------
========================
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
ACT 2
The Kings of Nerima
Day 1
Minor Arcana
========================
------PRE-FIGHT JITTERS-----
[Furinkan High, the Lunch Hour]
The excitement in Furinkan High was a tangible thing, buzzing in
the air like flies. Everywhere one looked, evidence of its coming was
heralded all around, whether it be posters and t-shirts that were
owned by the students, cameramen from the tournament setting up
equipment in the various fields and the gymnasium, or the legions of
Nabiki taking bets from the crowd.
It was time.
*
Under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, Ranma and Akane were
eating lunch together. Normally, they'd be with their seperate
factions, Akane with Sayuri, Yuka, and others, while Ranma would be
with Hiroshi, Daisuke, and the guys.
Today, they felt the need to just be together.
Much to her annoyance, though, something was distracting him.
"Hey, Ranma, something wrong?" Akane nudged Ranma slightly
"Hm?"
"Are you worried about something?"
"Yeah," he said absently. "You."
*
"Me? What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" demanded Ukyou.
"You might get hurt in the tournament. I don't think it's such a
good idea for you to be in it," said Ryouga, looking absently down
below. The roof of Furinkan had a pretty good view of the
neighborhood, even if it did have a gigantic bronze pineapple
installed on it now.
"Hey," Ukyou nudged Ryouga with her foot. "Is this because I'm a
girl?"
"Yes! No... er... I mean..."
"You absolute-"
*
"- idiot! I can take care of myself, you know!"
"Aw, come on Akane, this is different!"
"How so?"
"It's, er, this is tournament fighting!"
*
"It doesn't make it any easier than any of my past fights," said
Ukyou. "I've got the experience and the skills. I've been fighting
almost all my life, so don't you dare think I'm not good enough just
because I'm a girl!"
"I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?" said Ryouga defensively.
"I just..." There was the slightest hint of a blush on his face.
"I'd hate to see you badly hurt out there."
Ukyou's expression softened a bit, her frown turning into an
ever-so-slight smile.
"It's part of being a martial artist, sugar."
*
"Okay, you're right, it is," said Ranma moodily.
Akane smiled and leaned next to Ranma, smiling. "Hey Ranma."
"Hm?"
*
"Thanks for caring," said Ukyou softly.
"Um... no problem... I mean... I..."
*
"... love you too, Akane."
And they kissed.
*
And they wished each other luck.
*
Daisuke shuddered, frowning.
Hiroshi elbowed him. "Something wrong, man?"
Daisuke blinked, looked around, and shrugged. "I dunno... I had
this sorta... really sick feeling, ya know?"
"Oh? What kind?"
"The kind ya get when you're watching a movie with a date, only the
movie was her pick, not yours, and it's turning out to be a major
chick film with all the stupid, mushy, romantic bits."
"Ugh, nasty."
"No kidding. Wonder why it hit me."
Hiroshi shrugged. "Something in the air, maybe. C'mon, let's see
if a turkey sand'll fix that."
"There any left?"
"I cut a deal with Rodumanu," explained Hiroshi. "The man'll do
anything for cash."
--------- Round One ---------
"Be careful, Sentaro!" cried Miss Satsuki, holding Sentaro in a
desperate embrace.
Sentaro returned his beloved's embrace, his face solemn and grim.
"Do not fear, my love. I will have my vengence on this day. In the
name of the Daimonji School of Tea Ceremony Martial Arts, I CANNOT
fail."
Reluctantly, he and Satsuki seperated from each other, and he
strode (actually, glided on his knees as those who practice Tea
Ceremony Martial Arts were apt to do) into the battlefield, the
football field of Furinkan High. The small crowd watching included
many of his fellow students, and those of the Miyako School of Tea
Ceremony Martial Arts as well.
"DO YOUR BEST!" yelled his grandmother.
"I WILL NOT FAIL!" he yelled back.
"YOU'D BETTER NOT, YOU HALFWIT USELESS MORON!!!"
Ignoring his Grandmother's cheer, Sentaro Daimonji mentally
prepared himself, eyeing his most hateful enemy. The one that
defeated the entire Tea Ceremony Martial Arts dojo one fateful night a
year ago. He that brought shame to them all.
Sentaro locked eyes with his nemesis and struck a mighty pose (an
amazing thing, considering that he was kneeling).
"TODAY, I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"
Ryo Muhoshin idly twirled his umbrella, looked Sentaro over once,
and said a single word.
"Five."
*
Focus.
Ryouga repeated that simple mantra to himself as he prepared for
the upcoming fight. The scene of the fight was a stretch of land by
the canal, a place he knew Ranma frequented for practice.
Strategically, this was good and bad. Had he been the 'feature match'
of the day (the feature match today being some people he didn't
know... apparently the champion of last year's match versus some
promising and new martial artist), he'd be fighting in the auditorium,
and he MUCH preferred open-air matches. Of course, the canal nearby
was a water hazzard, but he felt he shouldn't worry about that too
much or else he might be overly distracted during the match.
A medium sized stand was errected nearby for viewers who bought
tickets to this match. He could see a great many students from
Furinkan (the girls circling around talking to everyone being Nabiki's
Agents, he suspected) watching the match amongst the spectators and to
his surprise some carrying banners cheering him on.
He wished Ukyou was there, but she had a match of her own to fight.
With a bit of a sigh, he looked at his umbrella, currently
plastered by various logos from companies (YOKOHAMA TIRES // SONY //
CAPCOM // SHONEN KNIFE ) and local merchants (UCCHAN'S OKONOMIYAKI //
KING'S CAFE // UCCHAN'S OKONOMIYAKI // TERRI'S TERIYAKI &
STEAK//UCCHAN'S OKONOMIYAKI//). He never thought promotional money
could be earned from martial arts... but then again, this was a new
day and age.
And Ukyou insisted on it.
His opponent for this first round looked serious. He was a young
man with a strong, thick build and a shaved head. A buhdist monk,
perhaps? A warrior of the shaolin? Ryouga braced himself for the
worst, refusing to take his enemy lightly.
As the announcer approaced with portable microphone in hand, the
two combattants stepped forward and the crowd hushed in anticipation.
//TODAY'S MATCH, RYOUGA HIBIKI VS. LAI-RI KU-LEE MOH!//
Lai-Ri Ku-Lee Moh? Bizzare name... almost... Chinese. There was
something familiar about it, though...
//THE FIGHT PROCEEDS UNTIL ONE SURRENDERS OR IS KNOCKED OUT!//
Ryouga tried to assess Moh by his stance stance, but could assess
nothing. It wasn't because his stance was unreadable, but that he
was't in a stance. Moh merely stood there impatiently, arms crossed
in front of him.
Clearly, an arrogant guy. This, he felt, would be an easy match.
//FIGHT!//
*
She could feel the warmth of the gigantic grill that they both
stood on, knowing that this was _her_ home turf. She had the
advantage here.
She was surprised that the King of Nerima officials accepted it as
a place to hold a match, but she wasn't about to complain. Actually,
she was grateful for the advantage. It'd make pounding her enemy that
much easier.
"So, Joe, back for more?" sneered Ukyou.
"This time... you fall."
Joe the crepe chef. This was the last person Ukyou expected to see
in the match. She hadn't seen him since she defeated him in their
crepe vs. okonomiyaki duel a while back when he'd threatened to drive
her out of business. She thought she'd seen the last of him.
Joe, meanwhile, was tetermined not to waste this shot at
redemption. It'd taken him quite a lot of money to get this match
arranged, and he had to outbid that weird guy in the octopus mask to
get this arranged too...
It was at this point that someone in the stands decided to be a
wiseguy.
"TAAAAAKEEEEOOOUT KOOOOOMBAAAAAAAT!"
Joe and Ukyou both scowled.
//FIGHT!//
And soon, the air was filled with violent waves of okonomiyaki and
crepe as the two culinary warriors collided.
*
"What's that?!" asked Moh, gaping while pointing at Ryouga's shirt.
"Huh? What?" Ryouga looked down briefly. "What's what?"
"That!" yelled Moh, striking forward with his single finger,
stinging Ryouga's chest. Before Ryouga could react to the underhanded
attack, Moh clenched his hand into a fist and moved it from Ryouga's
chest to his jaw, connecting solidly, then poked Ryouga in both eyes.
The lost boy staggered back, rubbing his eyes, while Moh remained
in a 'cool pose' (or so he thought) with two fingers jutting out like
fangs from his hand.
"Now you know the force of STOOGE-FU! Nyuk nyuk nyuk! Woooooo!"
The time bomb that was Ryouga's rage began ticking. He'd just
fallen for the oldest trick in the book, and he was getting humiliated
by someone using Stooge-Fu.
Stooge. Fu.
Ranma would never let him hear the end of it.
"Why youuuu...."
*
"FIGHT HARDER, BOY! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" bellowed Genma from
the stands. "HOW DARE YOU SHAME YOUR FATHER THIS WAY!"
"Not now, DAD!"
Ranma's first round match was against a foe he'd taken on before,
the Dojo Destroyer. The Destroyer seemed as wide as he was tall, and
his height was approximately seven feet tall. His technique was the
use of signboards of dojos that he'd defeated, weilding them somehow
with telekenesis of some sort, or possibly just incredibly strong
fighting spirit. He'd defeated 99 dojos, and thus had a swarm of 99
dojo sign boards to attack with, constantly circling him like insects.
He and Akane took the Destroyer down before, as a team, but now he
was facing him alone.
The fight was not going as well as Ranma thought it should. The
Dojo Destroyer was still standing, and five minutes had already gone
by. Not only that, but his fighting style had improved, becoming much
more effective defensively. Almost every blow was somehow blocked by
a signboard. The strikes that did make it through were hits to his
massive stomach, which didn't affect the Destroyer much at all.
However, the Destroyer hadn't managed to land many hits on Ranma
either. The few hits he did manage, though, were still stinging.
And so after a furious exchange of attacks, the two stood apart by
several yards, each assessing their foe to try and find that one weak
spot (and get a small rest). Ranma was in his combat stance, ready to
spring at a moment's notice, while the Dojo Destroyer stood mightily,
his signboards circling around him like a swarm of bees.
<Damn> he thought, <this isn't gonna be as easy as I thought.>
*
"AND *WHAM* STAY *WHAM* DOWN! *WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM*"
A royal stomping wasn't good enough for this clown, or so Ryouga
believed as he continued to viciously stomp on Moh's prone form on the
ground. Moh had previously yanked his hair, stepped on his feet,
stomped on his feet, threw PIES in his face, all after many ridiculous
distractions he shoudn't have fallen for in the first place. The
second Moh left himself open, Ryouga began pounding him to the ground
and hadn't stopped yet.
If Ranma made one joke, just ONE joke about this, Ryouga swore he'd
kill him.
Finally, Ryouga stopped his stomping and cautiously checked Moh for
signs of consciousness.
Nope, out like a light.
He sighed and smiled in relief. Round one of the King of Nerima
tournament was over, at least for him. He idly wondered if Ranma was
faring as well.
*
Ranma was plowed into the ground by an unmerciful swarm of dojo
signboards, feeling strike after strike impact on him, finally ending
after approximately 48 hits. He was dimly aware of the Dojo Destroyer
toppling backwards and hoped that his plan worked.
The plan was fairly simple. He noticed that just before the
Destroyer unleashed a 'heavy' volley of signs, he left himself wide
open for a brief amount of time. Ranma thought he could exploit that,
and did, zooming for several chestnut-fist strikes to his vital
points.
What he didn't expect was for the Dojo Destroyer to be standing
AFTER his vital points were hit and continue with the volley of
signboards. Hence his current position imbedded in the floor.
He slowly pulled himself from the floor as the Dojo Destroyer
stomped menacingly towards him. Ranma was hurting, but his willpower
shrugged that aside.
The Dojo Destroyer staggered in his step, then fell to one knee.
Ranma smiled. The attack _had_ taken its toll, and now the Destroyer
was leaving himself open again. Now was the time to attack.
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
*
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Ukyou was gloating. She wasn't normally the type to gloat, but she
really _hated_ Joe. This was also her first time to gloat after a
glorious battle, so she was really trying to enjoy it.
"You aren't looking so hot NOW, are ya sugar? Eh? What's that?"
She kicked aside small bits of crepe and booted a gigantic okonomiyaki
casually.
"Ow!" it said. "Let me outta here!"
"Let you out?" asked Ukyou. Her grin became somewhat scary as she
brought out a match. "Say... did you know that I use gunpowder in my
okonomiyaki mix?"
"N-no... you wouldn't!"
"Ooooh yes I would!"
"FINISH HIM!" boomed the obnoxious heckler. Ukyou took a moment to
glare at the stands, then dropped a lit match.
------BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM-------
//AND THE WINNER, UKYOU KUONJI!//
The crowd cheered. Ukyou flashed a winning smile and waved her
battle spatula. Somewhere in the crowds, the wiseguy came back...
"FATALITY!"
Ukyou took a moment to grab a chunk of crepe that was on the floor
and heaved it at the wiseguy.
Meanwhile, the automatic commercial queuing kicked in.
//FOR THE BEST OKONOMIYAKI IN NERIMA, VISIT UCCHAN'S! OPEN SIX
DAYS A WEEK, CATERING AVAILABLE! CALL 42-UCCHAN FOR DETAILS!//
"Damn you," whimpered Joe.
*
"FALL DOWN, DAMN YOU!" yelled Ranma as he pounded away at the Dojo
Destroyer. This was Ranma's tenth time to take advantage of the
Destroyer's opening, pounding away at his vital points with the
chestnut fist. At times it seemed that the Destroyer was about to
topple, but he just kept on going.
And the chestnut fist was _very_ draining on Ranma's endurance.
For this, the tenth time he managed to sneak in, Ranma decided it
was time for all or nothing. As he pounded away at the Destroyer's
vital points yet again, he built up his ki and confidence, ending his
furious barrage with a cry of "Mokou-Takabishi!" that lifted the titan
off of his feet and thundering down to the ground.
"Is... is it over?" He fell to one knee, breathing heavily. The
Dojo Destroyer, meanwhile, hadn't moved a muscle. Ten seconds passed
in silence.
//AND THE WINNER BY KNOCKOUT, RANMA SAOTOME OF THE SAOTOME/TENDO
DOJO!//
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. He still could have fought on for
quite a few more minutes, but he wouldn't like the level at which he'd
be fighting. Using those chestnut fist attacks were really draining
on his endurance. He was already reviewing the fight in his mind,
seeing where he went wrong and making notes on how to do better in the
next match as he staggered to the sidelines.
"That took a bit long, boy," said Genma.
He would have liked to have said, "shut up pop!" if only he wasn't
so tired. For now, he had to get his wind back and find out how the
other guys were doing.
"Well, my match begins soon," said Genma. "See you later."
"You mean... you hadn't fought yet?"
"No. They're holding the first round matches at different times, so
that people may attend more of them. Mine is in about... thirty
minutes at the main stadium."
"Wait a sec... the main stadium?"
Genma nodded proudly. "We are, after all, the two masters of the
Saotome/Tendo dojo."
"If I find the guys in time, we'll try to watch it."
"Thanks, son."
Genma stolled out to his destiny, while Ranma took long pulls from
his gatoraide bottle and wobbled to the nearby bulletin board to
figure out where the others were and if he had a chance to watch their
matches as well.
Ryouga had a match against some guy with a weird name.
Ukyou was facing... Joe? The crepe chef? And it was probably too
late to catch that match. She was facing off against him in her own
gigantic grill / fight ring.
Akane... Akane... she was at the Furinkan High Gymnasium, facing
off against...
Before he could read further, he was bumped from the side, spilling
his drink all over the place, including on himself.
"Hey," he, now she, scowled, "watch where yer goin!"
"Sorry, sorry," said a bandanna-clad girl with fangs. "Do you know
how to get to... to... Ranma?"
"Ryouga? Hey, I was just about to look for you. Seen Ukyou
around?"
"No, I was trying to find her."
"Well, come on, let's go find her," said Ranma-chan. "But before
we do..." She whapped Ryouga-chan on the head savagely.
"Hey! What'd you do that for?!" yelled Ryouga.
"For gettin'us both wet, moron!"
"It was an accident, you jerk!"
Before the two could begin a fight, a gigantic spatula sliced
between them.
"Boys, boys, I just can't leave you two alone for a minute." Ukyou
sighed, pulling her spatula back up.
"He started it!" yelled Ryouga.
"Did not!"
*CLANG*CLANG* "CUT IT OUT, MORONS!"
The two wobbled away while Ukyou put her spatula in its holder.
"Come on, boys, let's go find Akane... we should be able to catch
some of the action... unless her opponent trashes her totally. Who's
she fighting anyways?"
"I was about to find out until lost boy here made me spill my
drink," said Ranma.
Before the two could start bickering again, Ukyou yelled, "Drop it
already!" Ryouga and Ranma grumbled and turned away from each other,
while Ukyou checked the bulletin board.
"Heeey... she's fighting a 'Kurumi Tendo'."
"WHO?" both Ranma and Ryouga said.
*
The ribbon swirled madly in chaotic patters, a red gash in the air
moving in impossible ways. Even though she was dodging them, just to
be near their presence sent a slight burning sensation into her skin.
Akane sprang away to a safe range and tried to get her second wind.
Her opponent did likewise, quickly tying her ribbon back in her hair
with deceptive ease. Although she was younger, Akane knew better than
to be overconfident against the girl. After all, she'd beaten Akane
once before.
Kurumi knew her strengths and weaknesses in this match. From a
distance, she could wear Akane down with her ribbon whip, but at close
range Akane's strength would surely wear her down.
The spectators were many and cheering, mainly beause quite a lot of
them were from the old Akane Tendo Fan Club. They were worried about
their number one heroine, but had to admit, this match against her
apparent relative of sorts was a good one, filled with precision
martial arts and thrilling moments of suspense.
In the back of her mind, Akane wondered where Ranma was.
"Go for it, Akane!"
"We know you can do it!"
"Don't give up, sugar!"
The Akane Tendo Fan Club waved their banners (GO AKANE! WE LOVE
YOU AKANE! AKANE RULES!) more vigoriously.
Akane smiled, recognizing Ranma, Ryouga, and Ukyou's cheers. Her
confidence swelled, and she felt her second wind coming to her.
The problem, she thought, was definitely the ribbon. Had to get
rid of the ribbon.
Suddenly, it all became obvious. It might hurt, but it would
definitely get rid of the ribbon. Akane was, actually, rather
embarrased she didn't think of this in the first place, since she did
it before.
Kurumi's whip snaked out again, snaking through the air as if it
was alive. Akane dodged to the side, advanced slightly, ducked under
another wave of the ribbon, then swung her arm across at the next
strike. There was a hard, sharp sting, then she felt the firm grip of
Kurumi's ribbon as it wrapped itself around her arm.
Kurumi's eyes went wide as she realized what Akane was up to. She
pulled back on her ribbon, trying to get it away. That tug backfired
when Akane gave a mighty pull of her own, lifting Kurumi off her feet
and forward for a short distance.
When Kurumi looked around again, Akane was nowhere to be found.
She scanned her left, her right, behind her, and in front of her once
more quickly.
Then she saw the shadow.
By the time she looked up, it was too late. Akane's flying kick
struck her straight in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and
sending Kurumi to her knees, then to the floor.
Ten seconds later, with Kurumi not rising, the announcer bellowed
//AND THE WINNER, AKANE TENDO OF THE TENDO DOJO ANYTHING GOES SCHOOL
OF MARTIAL ARTS!//
She could hear the cheer of the crowd, roaring in the air. She
could hear Ranma call out her name, and see him rushing out to the
field.
Akane smiled, then went to Kurumi to make sure she wasn't seriously
injured. They both thought the same thing.
<I _really_ need a rest.>
*
---------INTERMISSION---------
*
An hour later, Akane and a crowd of several others were gathered at one
of the few places to carry the pay-per-view broadcast of the King of
Nerima tournament, King's Cafe. Several other tournament fighters were
lounging there as well, winners and losers, in an almost carival-like
atmosphere.
"Hey, are you alright?" asked Akane, looking with concern at Kurumi.
"I'm okay," said Kurumi with a bit of a smile. "You fought well."
"You did too," said Akane encouragingly. She turned to the elder
of the sisters and asked, "So, how'd your match go, Natsume?"
Natsume, the elder of the two 'other Tendo sisters', shrugged. "It
was... dissapointing, I suppose. My adversary was not worthy."
"Oh? Who was your opponent?"
"He was named.... Shen Pu," said Natsume, "and he kept on ranting
on the sacred tactics of the Fourth Stooge Fist." Everyone seemed
puzzled, except for Ryouga who knew exactly what she was talking
about.
//In one of the most spectacular defeats of the day, Ryo Muhoshin
defeated Sentaro Daimonji in record time...//
"Daimonji... wasn't he the one from the Tea Ceremony Martial Arts
Dojo?" wondered Akane.
"Yeah, that's him," said Ranma.
// ...and now, here's a replay of the entire match. Yes, the
entire match.//
****
One...
Ryo blazed forward with alarming speed, his umbrella spinning in a
blur. Sentaro refused to panic, and calmly lifted up a tea pot and ladel
to block and counterstrike.
Two...
Sentaro raised the pot to block the umbrella slash. He felt the pot
shudder, but with a surprisingly light touch instead of the brutal heavy
strike he was expecting.
Three...
As he swung his ladel forward to strike, the tea pot suddenly exploded,
sending water and metal shards everywhere. Surprised by this, Sentaro
could only reel backwards and try to cover his face while his ears rang
from the sound of the explosion.
Four....
Still reeling back, Sentaro was alarmed when he felt Ryo's hand snare
his throat tightly. The world spun madly as he felt himself lifted into
the sky, then slammed head first into the ground unmercifully. His world
immediately faded into black.
Five.
The crowd was speechless, except for a girl cheering enthusiastically,
sitting next to a gigantic pig. Ryo smiled and bowed to her. Elsewhere,
Satsuki and Grandmother Daimonji looked at the ground in sorrow, lamenting
Sentaro's brutal defeat.
The almost-silence continued for several seconds more, as the judges
waited to see if Sentaro would stir. When it obvious that he wouldn't,
the announcer stepped into the field, microphone in hand.
"AND THE WINNER, RYO MUHOSHIN!"
The crowd cheered politely, a few of them very much impressed (and a
few of them not, after all Sentaro was a martial artist of the _tea_
variety), and Ryo bowed to them all, taking a moment to glance downward at
his enemy with contempt.
And then he began strutting rather fashionably, showing off the
jacket, shirt, tie...
//RYO MUHOSHIN'S WARDROBE PROVIDED BY HIKARI'S. SUIT BY ARMANI.
TIE BY TOMJONAVICH. SHOES COURTESY OF BRUNO MAGLI...//
****
//and once again, Sentaro Daimonji leaves the King of Nerima tournament
in defeat and embarrasment.//
"Well... what do you expect from a guy that practices TEA CEREMONY
martial arts?" said Ranma.
"Don't be so mean, Ranma," chided Akane, giving him a light elbow.
"Well it's true, ain't it?"
//And on an opposite theme was the match between Anything Goes Martial
Arts masters Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome.//
"Aw man! I knew I forgot something!" said Ranma. "I was supposed to
watch Pop's fight right after Akane's."
"Well, technically, you are," pointed out Ukyou.
"Oh yeah... good point." Satisfied that he was technically in the
right, Ranma relaxed again.
//This grueling match of masters just ended minutes ago, lasting almost
an hour. This spectacular match had several highlights, almost all of
them in the final minutes as they seemed to give all their strength in an
effort to defeat each other.//
"This is either gonna be real interesting or real stupid," muttered
Ranma.
****
Soun and Genma sweated heavily, both feeling their bodies reminding
them of exactly how old they really were. Each was doing exactly what the
other expected of them. Genma, despite his massive girth, continually
sprung into the air for some impressive offensive manouvers, while Soun
stayed mostly on the ground and tried to end it quickly with powerful
strikes to Genma's vital points.
After almost an hour, each had landed many blows on the other. They
knew each other too well to make it an easy fight.
"You're still as good as I remember, Tendo."
"As are you, Saotome."
"But... I'm afraid it's time to end this match, don't you?"
"Definitely, old friend."
Suddenly, the two martial artists glowed brightly with battle aura.
With a dramatic sweeping of their arms, they simultaneously launched
solid beams of ki that canceled each other out.
*
"Whoa, no way," said Ukyou, mouth half-full of peanuts.
Akane and Ranma could only stare at the screen in surprise.
"Hey, Ranma, pass the chips?" asked Ryouga.
*
Genma displayed an amazing variety of aerial assault techniques,
while Soun clearly held advantage while they were both on the ground.
It was, by the looks of the audience, a crowd-pleasing battle.
Unfortunately for the fighters, it was also a very tiring battle.
Things had to end soon.
Genma sprang in the air again, aiming for Soun's jaw. This time,
however, he was suddenly surrounded by a battle aura that solidified into
a gigantic version of himself. Either this wound end it for Soun, or for
himself. The effort of using his battle aura in this manner was
so tremendous that he would surely be too exhausted to fight on after it
was done.
Surprisingly, Soun didn't panic at the sight of a monster-sized Genma
flying foot-first at him. He decided to unleash his most powerful attack
and hope it was strong enough to deflect Genma's titanic foot.
"GEEEEEEEEEEEENMAAAAAAAA!!!"
The spectators fled in panic and several cameramen were blown away as
the full might of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts Demon's
Head attack was unleased, shattering the battleground. It was the most
effort he'd ever put into it, and the Demon's Head he was generating was
large enough to swallow Genma, battle aura and all.
Genma, as was his nature, panicked. In fact, he was scared
witless, having never seen Soun's demon head strike _that_ powerful.
He passed out from fright and his battle aura immediately flickered
into non-existence.
Unfortunately for Soun, there was still the matter of physics. Demon's
Head or not, there was still the matter of Genma's rather large body
flying at him. Soun couldn't dodge because he was still locked in the
Demon's Head attack, so the end result was a titanic demon's head with
eyes bulging out in panic and fear as Genma's rump flew towards his face.
With an absolute lack of grace, Genma's prone form plowed INTO the
massive ki-projection of the Satanic Soun Face and into its mouth. It
was immediately distorted in an odd way (some witnesses would say that
it looked like it swallowed something rather distasteful), turning a
deeper shade of purple, then exploded with a bang.
When the dust settled, both masters of the Anything Goes School of
Martial Arts were on the floor, deeply unconscious.
****
"Oh my gosh," said Akane, burying her face in her hands.
"I have no idea what to say," said Ranma quietly.
Ryouga patted Ukyou on the back. "Hey, are you alright?"
Ukyou wasn't saying anything, she was too busy snickering, and
already shaking badly from the effort to not laugh hysterically out
loud.
//Meanwhile, four other members of the Anything Goes School of Martial
Arts fared better, winning their matches. Ranma Saotome fought a grueling
match against the famous Dojo Destroyer, knocking him out after fourty
minutes of combat.//
"Hey! They're showing me! Turn up the volume, man!" shouted Ranma.
"Not getting a little egotistical, now are we Ranchan?"
The television went on to display a few choice moments of Ranma's
match, including the several times he was struck by a signboard flury from
the Dojo Destroyer as well as the final blow via Mokou Takabisha.
"Alright, they're makin'me look cool."
"Egomaniac," muttered Ryouga.
"Aw, getting jealous, Ryouga?"
"Shut up, you!"
//Akane Tendo also went on to the second round, taking on fellow
Anything Goes student Kurumi Tendo in a grueling twenty minute bout,
Natsume Tendo emerged victorious over Stooge Fu practicioner Shem Pu,
and Anything Goes Master Happosai defeated his old friend and rival
Hentosai.//
The screen briefly flickered the finishing blow of each of the matches,
then the announcer took a break for commercials, promising more
hard-hitting action when they returned.
//The full versions of these matches and more will be broadcast
tonight at ten.//
"That... was it?" wondered an unhappy Akane.
"My match was worth more than a ten second clip," mumbled Natsume.
"Don't feel too bad about it," said Ranma. "Not everyone gets the
spotlight... like me."
*CLANG*WHAM*THUD*CRACK*
"J-just... joking.... owwww."
"So," said Ryouga, "when do we know who we're going to fight next?"
"I dunno, I think I heard'em say that they'll release the schedule in
about an hour," said Ukyou.
"Great, and our next matches all start in about two hours," said
Ranma. "I'm still worn out from the first match."
//And in a great upset today...//
*
//... Kinnii of the legendary cult of the Muscle Sword was defeated
in stunning fashon by Furinkan's own Blue Thunder, Tatewaki Kuno.//
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
The footage played out, to Nabiki, like a scene from a horror
movie: a terribe, terrible act that you knew was about to happen, yet
could not prevent.
Kinnii, massive swordsman of the deadly Muscle Sword cult was
struck by a blazing upward slash of Kuno's bokken, sending him flying
several feet back until striking the ground, unconscious.
Nabiki was speechless, utterly totally speechless. The other girls
in Nabiki's temporary base of operations (Furinkan High, third floor)
were also stunned beyond vocal ability. The odds against Kuno were
pretty high, and they all figured to get a little easy money from that
matchup.
Instead, Kuno won, and a handful of lucky bastards just hit the
jackpot.
"You just HAD to pick NOW to start winning again, Kuno-chan,"
growled Nabiki. "Someone get me footage of that match! I need it
NOW! And who the hell DID bet on Kuno anyways?"
*
"Hiroshi, my friend, I shall never doubt you again."
"Why thank you, Daisuke."
"Who'd have thunk that betting a modest amount of yen would've
nailed us the jackpot?"
"These are beautiful days indeed, my friend. Now c'mon, let's go
find Sayuri and Yuka. We can finally afford to give'em a good date."
*
In a darkened room, a figure leaned back on the plush office chair,
examining a sheet of paper. A pencil was twirled for a moment, then
it was moved towards a set of names.
[ROUND TWO: R. Saotome vs. G. Yotaro]
"Hmmm... no."
The name Yotaro was scratched off, and replaced with something far
more interesting.
*
-------- Round Two --------
*
"Ranma Saotome, it seems we meet again."
The aforementioned Saotome winced. First the Dojo Destroyer, now
Kirin. Ranma had taken Kirin on quite a while ago, and it took
unusual circumstances for Ranma to bring him down. Now, under normal
circumstances, this would be a tough match. Kirin's speed matched
Ranma's. He used his chopsticks in alarmingly deadly ways, including
ki blasts. Unless Kirin had been slacking off, this was not going to
be easy.
"Heya, Kirin. How's married life treatin'ya?"
"It goes well. And you?"
"Eh... not there yet."
"Say, how'd you end up hearin'about this tournament anyway? I
thought the King of Nerima tournament was a local thing."
"Local?" Kirin frowned. "How odd, then. An invitation was sent
to the Seven Lucky Gods Dojo, and thus invited, the Seven Lucky Gods
came."
"Wait... you mean the OTHERS are here?"
"That is correct."
"Oh boy," grumbled Ranma. "Great. Who else showed up, Prince
Toma an'his guys?"
*
"Alas, Prince Toma, we meet again."
"Ah... Tatewaki Kuno, yes?"
*
Ryouga's match wasn't quite as... it just...
He was facing... well...
"Ook!"
A monkey.
"Hey, is this a joke?" asked Ryouga.
The announcer shook his his head. "Nope, no joke. That's your
opponent. Sanae of the Tea Ceremony School of Martial Arts."
"Ook!" The monkey martial artist flashed a toothy grin.
"I'm not fighting a... a... a MONKEY! This is stupid!"
"EEK!" Sanae definitely looked insulted, and rattled off a long
string of 'eek's and 'ook's along with agitated facial expressions and
a bit of poking at Ryouga's knees (it was a rather short monkey).
"Shut up!" yelled Ryouga. "Jeez, I'm fighting a monk-"
*********CLANG*********
"Eeeeaaagh." Ryouga shuddered in anger while he took the small
iron pot off of his head. "Why yo-"
*********CLANG*********
Removing the large iron pot from his head, Ryouga's battle aura
began to rev up.
"THAT'S IT! THE MONKEY DIES!"
"EEK!"
What followed wasn't so much a martial arts duel as it was a public
display of animal abuse.
*
Another barrage of small, chopstick-shaped ki blasts flew through
the air, and Ranma twisted around in an attempt to dodge them. He
felt a sting and a hiss as several of the projectiles hit his clothes,
stung his flesh, and left their burn marks. This was, yet again, not
an easy match for the young Saotome.
Ranma frowned. Same old problem. Kirin was too fast. His arms
could move to parry whatever assault Ranma attempted. The analytical
part of his mind was churning the situation over, looking for that
weakness. Everyone had a weakness, he just needed more time to
pinpoint it.
The analytical part of his mind finally had an idea. It'd rely on
him taking on more punishment again, but at least this was the last
match of the day.
He landed, getting into the stance for the mokou takabisha, and
built up his ki. A swarm of ki blasts was heading his way.
This was going to hurt.
*
The Blue Thunder nodded to his opponent, who nodded back.
"En garde, Prince!" Kuno charged forward, bokken at the ready.
Prince Toma smiled. A rolling wave of fire swept out from Prince
Toma's hand, enveloping the Blue Thunder.
The audience gasped.
Tatewaki Kuno didn't even stop. To Toma's utter surprise, Kuno was
on him and lashed out with a devastating midsection slash. For a
brief flickering moment, Toma thought he saw blue flames...
*
- an hour later-
Once more, in King's cafe, Ranma & company gathered for rest and
nourishment. The festivities around him seemed rather crowded, with
Akane, Nabiki, Ryouga, Ukyou, Natsumi, Kurumi, and Prince Toma.
Aside from Prince Toma, they were all there to talk of battles won
and lost, how their own battles had gone, and to egg each other
mercilessly. Prince Toma was busy hitting on Kurumi for a date.
Natsumi frowned while Toma flirted, but didn't interfere in any other
way.
"Saw your match, Ryouga," said Ranma. "Good job beatin'the
monkey. You really spanked that monkey. Got the monkey off your
back. No monkey business h-"
"SHUT UP RANMA!"
"Sheesh, no sense of humor," he replied, rubbing his arms. "Ow.
Damn, that wasn't a fun match."
"Who was your matchup?" asked Ukyou.
"Kirin," said Ranma. "Head of the Seven Lucky Gods Dojo."
Ukyou hmmed. "Oh, wait, you told me about him... he was the one
that used chopsticks and kidnapped Akane?"
Akane nodded. "That's the one."
"So that would explain those," said Ukyou, pointing to the many
narrow chopstic-esque burn marks on Ranma's shirt and hands.
"Yeah, he was no pushover. Figured out his weakness, though."
"Which was?" asked Akane.
"Well... his arms were fast, but his legs weren't. He usually
stood in place when he was doin'his stuff."
"And?" asked Akane.
"His ki blasts. They were small. I figured a really solid mokou
takabisha would blaze right through'em, and Kirin'd be too slow to
dodge. Of course, that meant I hadda take some hits to build up ki
before I could do it." He took that moment to apply a damp warm towel
to the various burn marks on his arms and face. "I'm beginning to
think the guy that makes the matchups really hates me... and sending
all the clowns your way, Ryouga."
Ignoring the discussion, Kurumi giggled and blushed as Toma
mentioned how very much her eyes reminded him of thte sunsets on his
island. Natsumi was splitting her attention between her meal and
occasional glares at the young prince.
"It isn't my fault all my matchups were against... just...
RIDICULOUS martial artists!" Ryouga gritted his teeth. "They're
making me look like a joke out there!"
"Well hey, if the shoe fits..."
"YOU SAYING I'M A JOKE?!?!"
As the conversation between the two rambled on into a shouting
match, Ukyou and Akane rolled their eyes. Kurumi, meanwhile, talked
about her wanderings through Japan with her elder sister, with Prince
Toma listening attentively.
"And there they go again," sighed Akane as Ranma and Ryouga yelled
loudly and gestured with much sweeps of arms and pointing of fingers.
"So, Ukyou, how'd your match go?"
Ukyou shrugged. "Took on some polearm fighter. Not easy, but not
too hard either. Think his name was... Bishamon... Bishamonten...
something like that. How about you?"
Kurumi was giggling badly at a few carefully selected words
whispered in her ear by Prince Toma. Natsumi was itching to thwap the
boy.
"Kaori Daikoku," said Akane to Ukyou.
"Never heard'a her," replied Ukyou.
"She hasn't been around in a long time... she was an ex-fiancee of
Ranma's."
Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "Another one? Genma's fault, yeah?"
Akane nodded.
They both became distracted by the rather loud clacking of keys as
Nabiki impatiently pounded on her laptop.
"Say, what's that you're looking at?" asked Ukyou.
"King of Nerima website," said Nabiki.
Akane leaned towards Nabiki, trying to get a glimpse of her
screen. "This thing has a website?"
"Yeah, it's got statistics and bios for all of the fighters in the
tournament, as well as stats on today's matches."
Ukyou's curiosity was raised a little. "Really? What kinda of
stats?"
"Longest matches, shortest matches, martial artist with the
shortest average match, longest average match, wins by knockout, wins
by submission, etc."
"Really? So who's got the longest time per match?" asked Ukyou.
"Let's see... Kaeru Yaroshi, Yaroshi School of Grappling.
Twenty-three minutes and forty seconds average per match."
"How about the shortest?" asked Ukyou.
"Hm.... Ryo Muhoshin, Unorthodox Weaponry School of Martial Arts,
eight point seven seconds per match."
"Eight point seven???" Ranma looked irritated, possibly because
someone was doing better than he was. "Who the heck did he fight in
the second round?"
"Freddy Takoma, Martial Arts Basket Weaving," said Nabiki.
"How'd a BASKET WEAVER get into the second round?!" yelled Ranma.
"He beat Ken Kashu, Martial Arts Poetry."
"Okay, now I've heard it all," said Ukyou.
"Get outta here! Lemme see that." Ranma nudged Nabiki aside and
stared at the screen. "Ken Kasu, Martial Arts Poetry. Aw geez."
"As silly as that may seem, there's something even odder
happening," said Nabiki. "And I don't like it one bit."
"Like what?" asked Ukyou.
"Like Kuno making it to the third round."
The table fell silet, except for Toma, who was telling Kurumi about
this great stretch of beach on the south end of Togenkyou Island...
"Waitaminute," said Ranma. "Kuno won AGAIN?"
Nabiki nodded.
"Who'd he beat this time? Must be someone pretty pathetic," said
Ranma smugly.
Nabiki pointed at Toma, who at that moment grinned rather
sheepishly.
"I... guess I underestimated him," offered Toma sheepishly as an
excuse. Natsumi smirked. Kurumi glared at her sister briefly, then
offered comforting words to the young prince.
"Two strong wins in a row is no coincidence," said Nabiki. "I had
footage of his two victories sent to a few analysts. Before
tomorrow's matches, I should have an answer."
"Maybe this... Kuno is just better than you thought?" asked
Natsumi.
"You don't know Kuno like we know Kuno," said Ranma.
*
Mio hit the pause button again... backed up a few frames... then
sat back with a puzzled expression on her face.
On her television was Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High,
paused in mid-strike. There was something disturbing in his aura. It
was almost like... like...
She flipped through a nearby occult reference book, pausing at
several pages, then stopped.
Then she moved the footage of Kuno's fight forwards a bit, pausing
as a brief but large flash of dark aura flamed from Kuno's bokken.
"Oh no... it can't be..."
-end part 1-
WRITER'S NOTES:
The Big Index of Obscure Ranma 1/2 Characters
for The King of Nerima Tournament
--------------------------------------------
Kaori Daikoku: (ANIME)
Heiress to Takeout Martial Arts and a fiancee
of Ranma. Lost her 'fiancee' status when
she was defeteated by Ranma-chan in a
takeout martial arts race. Has shown
a surprisingly deadly use of noodles.
Crepe Joe: (MANGA)
crepe chef that briefly took away Ukyou's
business and defeated her in combat. She
trained hard and returned, defeating Joe
soundly. A competent martial artist, but
not terribly impressive.
Sentaro Daimonji: (ANIME/MANGA)
Heir to the Tea Ceremony Martial Arts Dojo.
Was under the impression that he was engaged
to a monkey, until someone arrived to clarify
things.
Sanae (ANIME/MANGA)
Pet Monkey of Lady Satsuke, heiress to the
Tea Ceremony Martial Arts Dojo. Nasty little
monkey.
Prince Toma (MOVIE)
young Prince (younger than Akane) of a magic and
mobile island whose underground spring turned any
animal into a male human, causing a severe shortage
of women on the isle. He briefly kidnapped Akane
to take as his bride. Wields a sword, and has
a _very_ strong power of illusion.
Kirin: (MOVIE)
Master of the seven lucky gods dojo. Was under the mistaken
impression that Akane was his destined fiancee, so he
(what else?) kidnapped her. Has displayed arm speed
matching Ranma's, and always fights with a bowl of rice
topped with a pickle.
Bishamontten (MOVIE)
Big bearded figther of the lucky gods dojo. Wields a
polearm in combat.
Natsumi & Kurumi 'Tendo': (OAV)
orphans rescued by a man claiming to be Soun Tendo at
a young age, they were promised the Tendo Dojo if they
became strong and worthy enough of the responsibility.
Natsumi is the elder one, fighting with a specialized
staff, she can send waves of wind with it. Kurumi is
the younger, and the ribbon in her hair is actually
a deceptively long whip-like weapon, wielded as such
in combat.
Kinii: (ANIME)
Servant and Enforcer of the Jusenkyou Guardians, and
disciple of the Muscle Sword technique, where the
warrior and sword become one. His technique is
incredibly destructive in nature.
< > - English
// // - emitted from a P.S. system, telephone, or other
electric medium.
--------------------------------------------------------------
note: Eric Jones additions
The Pursuit of Happiness
Act 2: The Kings of Nerima
Day 2: Shuffling the Deck
-------------------------------------------------------------
------Day 2: Pre-fight Survey------
[Furinkan High, lunch hour.]
Unlike yesterday, today's lunch hour was spent in the traditional
group sessions, which meant that Hiroshi and Daisuke would be with
Ranma.
They were also asking lots of annoying questions.
"How're you feeling after yesterday?" asked Hiroshi.
"Okay, I guess."
Hiroshi nodded and started scribbling down something on a notepad.
"Any soreness? Lingering bruises?" asked Daisuke.
"Well, yeah, a few bruises, but that's normal."
Hiroshi and Daisuke hmmed, then they both scribbled something down on
their notepads. Ranma was looking a bit perplexed.
"Hey, what's with all the questions?"
"Just estimating how well you're gonna do today," said Hiroshi.
"After all," added Daisuke, "we've got money riding on ya."
"Jeez. Thanks for the support."
*
"I feel well," said Kuno. "Thank you for your concern, fellow
students."
"Yeah yeah, right," muttered Daisuke, scribbling notes in his notepad.
"Any lingering injuries?"
"Hmm..." Kuno stretched a bit. "None serious, I do think."
*
"No, I'm not feeling depressed, why?" asked Ryouga.
"Uh-huh." Hiroshi frowned. "And remind me, what's your big ki-blast
thingy-"
"Shishi-houkoudan."
"Um... Shi... Shi..." Hiroshi scribbled down the name of the attack
quickly, then continued with the questions. "That thing's fueled by
depression, yeah?"
"Um, yeah, but why are you ask-"
"Nevermind. Any particular nagging bruises or injuries?"
Ryouga scratched his head, looking a bit confused. "No, not really."
Hiroshi scribbled a little more in his notepad, then flipped it
shut.
Daisuke, however, had one more question. "You feel that you've had an
easy time in this tourney so far, or has it been a struggle?"
"Well, um, not exactly easy, no..."
"So it's been hard?"
"Well, not really hard, exactly. Sort of hard, yeah." He thought a bit
on all his victories thus far and frowned. "Definitely embarrassing."
"Say, just between us," said Daisuke slyly, "is there something going
on between you'n Ukyou?"
"N-no!" Ryouga scowled, but the blush on his face gave away his
feelings. "I mean, we're just friends, that's all!"
"So you don't mind if one of us asks her for a date?" asked Hiroshi,
grinning a predatory grin.
"It's none of my business, is it?" replied Ryouga grumpily.
*
"A few bruises, but I don't think they should affect me much," said
Ukyou.
"I see." Hiroshi grinned, in a sly sort of way. "Hey, just between
you'n me... is there something going on between you'n Ryouga?"
Ukyou blushed and looked away from Hiroshi. "I, well, no!
Absolutely not!"
"Just friends?"
"Exactly."
Hiroshi grinned. "Hey, will ya go out on a date with me this Thu-"
-CLAAAAAAAAAAAANG-
Daisuke whistled. "Oooooh, that's gotta hurt."
*
[Furinkan High, 4th floor, 4:15 PM]
The classroom was once more rigged with laptops and chalkboard
diagrams as Nabiki's team prepared for another day of heavy betting.
Their leader, however, was not amongst them. Instead, she was walking
the halls in a conversation with her new supernatural consultant and
Furinkan High's local fortune teller. The news was a little
unexpected.
"He has what?" asked Nabiki, staring at Mio in surprise.
"From what I've been able to find in the books, the abnormal aura he
has hints towards him somehow having a variant of 'soul power'."
"Soul power?"
Mio nodded. "It's an ancient power that was never really understood
well. There are many theories on what, exactly, it is, but there have
never been any definite answers. They all agree, however, that the
power is an extension of the person's soul. Whether it is an
extension the soul, or a greater force that the soul connects to, is
under debate."
"Mm-hm. You said Kuno may have a variant of it?"
"Yes. Normally, Soul Power is mastered by those with inner peace.
Their battle aura is usually a bright blue. However, should those not
of a peaceful spirit, perhaps haunted by inner demons or consumed by
evil intent, gain access to Soul Power, the darkness of their souls
taints the power, hence the darker aura. In turn, the power twists
the user as well. The power in such individuals is known as Psycho
Power."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "So, in your opinion, Kuno shows all the
signs of having this power?"
Mio nodded.
"Give me the worst case scenario," said Nabiki.
Mio hmmed. "Worst case scenario? Kuno gains full mastery of the
power and becomes a nearly unstoppable psychotic."
"And the odds of that happening?"
"Not as likely as I feared it would be," said Mio. "I observed Kuno
earlier today, hoping to see something more in his aura that the
cameras wouldn't catch. He's surrounded, for some odd reason, by
several spells."
"Spells?" Nabiki's mind spun a few times, considering the
implications. Two seconds later, it came up with the only likely
suspect: Gosunkugi. She'd have to ask him about it later, but for
now... "What kind of spells?"
Mio frowned. "An unusual assortment. Blessings, protection against
evil spirits, much more that I can't recognize."
"You can't recognize them?"
"No," said Mio.
"The spellcaster was that good?"
"No... he was that sloppy. I get the impression that the caster was
throwing spells frantically."
Yes, thought Nabiki, definitely Gosunkugi.
"Anyways," continued Mio, "with these spells cast on him, he should
only be able to manifest the full power when his emotions are
incredibly strong."
"Ah, good, end of problem," said Nabiki matter-of-factly.
"There IS one cause for concern, though," said Mio. "The way those
spells are bound to him constantly, they're in constant conflict with
his Psycho power. There may be side effects."
"What kind?" asked Nabiki.
"No way of knowing, really."
"So, does this factor have anything to do with his current run of good
luck in the tournament?"
"With the power running through his system, despite being being
hindered by those spells, Kuno probably has improved reflexes,
stamina, and even strength. From what I've heard, Kuno has always
been formidable, but just below the level at which the recent influx
of martial artists."
"That would be correct," said Nabiki. "You think he's been nudged up
to that level at last?"
"It's a possibility."
They walked further, Nabiki looking contemplative while Mio admired
the good weather outside. They'd nearly come full circle around the
floor, and could hear the clacking of keyboards coming from Nabiki's
operations center.
"Something's still bothering me," said Nabiki. "How on earth did Kuno
gain this power to begin with?"
"That," said Mio, "you'll have to ask him yourself."
*
[Furinkan High campus, 5:30 PM]
Mikado sighed, running a hand through his hair, checking his
reflection over and over. For the first time in far too long, he was
going it alone, in The King of Nerima Tournament. Finally, he'd be
able to prove his greatness, and rid that one blemish from his
otherwise perfect record.. Saotome. He would fall this tourney, by
Mikado's own hands.
The first day had been a veritable cakewalk. Having easily disposed
of some foppish member of the martial oragami school, he'd had to
defeat that lovely yet overzealous cheerleader girl..
That, however, was yesterday, the past. His attention at the moment
was focused on finding the latest fight match listings to determine
where and when his next match would be. He idly wondered if his next
opponent would prove to be more entertaining than yesterday's cannon
fodder.
Mikado smirked. It was of no consequence. None could stand before
the might of his now-perfected style. He had far more tricks up his
sleeve than when he first met Ranma. The matches were to begin in
about an hour's time, but first he felt obligated to go about and meet
the fans...
*
Ryouga shook his head, growling as he made a b-line to the nearest
washroom. He was wet, cold, and female. Of COURSE Moh wouldn't just
leave the loss alone.. He just HAD to get vengeance back..
Ryouga shuddered. He and his partner, Shem Pu had a nasty thing with
water bottles..
But before Ryouga was allowed to think, or move, any further, a pair
of hands pulled her from behind, leaning her back. Almost instantly,
a pair of lips were upon her. -Male- lips.
Mikado smiled, raising the innocent girl back to her feet. He sighed
dramatically, "Ah, thank you my dear, for such a message of well
wishing. Now, Sanzenin Mikado shall go forth to victory. I shall not
forget you, my lovely.."
With that, Mikado rollerbladed off, leaving Ryouga to stare blankly
ahead of herself. Momentarily.
Ryouga shook her head, then her whole body followed soon after. Teeth
grated, and flames build up around her body. "I'M GOING TO KILL
HIM!!" She cried, punching the ground, hard.
Later, when she was able to get out of the crater, she decided to
clean up and change back to a male first.
Stopping by one of the concessions stands, Ryouga got a cup of hot
water. As he waited, he noticed the tournament schedule. His next
match was against... ah ha.
Ryouga smiled. Vengeance could wait wait for an hour or so.
*
With a sigh, another girl stepped back giggling. Mikado himself was
looking quite pleased as he made the rounds with the people and gave
his fans the adoration they desired.
It was a good day to be Mikado Sanzenin.
Mikado's reverie was cut short, when he walked headlong into another
man. He took a step back, his eyes narrowing in recognition.
Simultaneously, Ryouga and Mikado cried out "YOU!!" Then then both
simultaneously blinked. Mikado was the first to recover.
"You! You are the boy who cost me my match against that coward
Saotome! ...Hibiki Ryouga, is it not? It seems this tourney will be
more enjoyable than I thought..."
"Hey, you, if you EVER kiss me again I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Mikado blinked, then crossed his arms and frowned. "Excuse me? Kiss
YOU? I think not. What kind of pervert are you anyway?"
Ryouga winced. "Ah... I said... I _said_ if you kiss MY SISTER again
I'm gonna kill you!"
Mikado blinked, puzzled. "Are you sure you didn't say 'if you ever
kiss me again'?"
Ryouga's brain managed to summon up a little cleverness. He looked
scandalized. "Why would I wanna kiss you?!"
"Hey, that's what I was asking you!"
"I did NOT say I wanted to kiss you!" yelled Mikado. "You're not even
my type!"
"What, you're saying I'm ugly now?!"
At this point, both men had that really bad feeling, the kind that
says, 'hey, better look over your shoulder'.
They did.
There was a large crowd gathered, listening to these two argue, and
plenty of whispers about sexual orientation and coming out of the
closet.
Mikado turned pale. So did Ryouga.
"I'll... uh... see you in the match," grumbled Ryouga.
"Likewise," said Mikado.
They both _quickly_ went their seperate ways.
*
Nabiki smiled, pocketing her mini-cam tape, and loading in another. A
huge smile was on her face. "Well, that was amusing..."
*
---------- Round 3 --------
*
The sun set on the canal, giving the fighters standing by its side a
rather cinematic quality. The spectators chose this moment to take
lots of photographs.
Akane ignored them, she had other things on her mind.
It wasn't her adversary's _very_ dusty, unkept appearance that had
Akane a little worried.
It wasn't the way that her adversary seemed totally and utterly
relaxed.
It was the large metal radial steel wire broom that had her worried.
Akane had seen footage of Tanya's fights, and she knew she was in for
one rough experience. Tanya Noori was a wily foe that was entirely
willing to fight dirty. More often than not, she drew blood from her
foe either from strikes of the steel wire broom, or nastier looking
hook-like objects she kept in her jacket.
Akane snapped out of her thoughts when she realized Noori was
approaching her.
The gaijin's speech was a bit stiff, but generally correct,
with an odd sort of accent to it. She said, "Tendo."
"Um, yes?"
"Just want you to know. Nothing personal."
*
Meanwhile, in the soccer field, a rivalry of sub-legendary proportions
with a year's worth of history was about to take place.
For once, thought Ranma, he was getting a break.
"Hahahaha... so, Ranma Saotome, fate decrees that I, Tatewaki Kuno
shall cross paths with you on this day!..."
Yeah, same old Kuno, talkative as ever.
"...Know now that your participation in this tournament is at an end,
for today..."
Blah, blah, blah...
"...SURELY destiny has seen fit that the public witness as I,
Furinkan's Favorite Son, bring you, lowly cur that thou art, to your
knees! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Aw, shut up already!" As was tradition, Ranma used his unmatched
speed and slid in for multiple strikes at Kuno's jaw, finishing it
with an uppercut that sent Kuno flying back, hitting the ground flat
on his back, just as Ranma expected.
Ranma turned his back on Kuno, looking smug. "So, did I get'em under
five seconds?" he asked the judge's table. "I'm going for that
rec-"
*SLASH*
*
The Kolholz Ice Rink was stripped of its ice, leaving bare concrete
at the floor. It was, to Mikado, a sad sight. He took comfort in the
fact that it was only temporary.
He also took comfort in the legions of Mikado fans in the audience,
screaming his name, proclaiming their love for him.
"Thank you!" he said, smiling and waving as he rollerbladed around the
rink. "Thank you all!" He deftly caught a rose that was tossed to
him from the audience and smelled its aroma.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the rink, Ryouga was standing
there, eager for the match to begin.
The announcer stepped to the middle of the rink, beckoning both
fighters to the middle, then extracted a wireless microphone.
//LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE KING OF NERIMA TOURNAMENT! TO
MY LEFT, RYOUGA HIBIKI OF FURINKAN HIGH!//
There was some light applause, and a fair amount of boos and hisses
from the crowd as well. After all, this was Mikado's turf.
//TO MY RIGHT, KOLHOLZ HIGH CHAMPION MARTIAL ARTS FIGURE SKATER MIKADO
SANZENIN!//
At this point, the crowd went wild with cheers, roaring and chanting
'Sanzenin! Sanzenin! Sanzenin!'. Mikado's smile rose a notch and he
raised his hand to acknowledge the audience's adoration.
//THE MATCH ENDS BY KNOCKOUT OR SUBMISSION! FIGHT//
The transition from smiling, waving egomaniac to speeding, attacking
martial artist was quick, catching Ryouga off guard. Sanzenin sped
in sliding, knocking Ryouga off his feet and onto the floor. Before
he could recover, Sanzenin sprang up in the air in a dazzling triple
rotation, then plowed into Ryouga's chest with both feet.
Surely, thought, Mikado, that was the end of that. Two seconds later
Ryouga booted him into the wall.
*
"Stand your ground, coward!" *SLASH*
Ranma sprang back as Kuno slashed another canal into the field. In
the distance, several trees and the goalposts were laid to waste,
evidence of Tatewaki Kuno's newfound prowess.
As he landed, Ranma winced and put a hand over his ribs. He was
still angry at himself for turning his back on his enemy, even if it
was Kuno. Genma trained him to know better than that. Now, because
of his arrogance, he had two bruised ribs that definitely weren't
going to be healed overnight.
Kuno lashed out again, his speed not quite but approaching the speed
of Ranma's chestnut fist technique. Ranma dodged some strikes and was
forced to block others. The strikes he blocked left a burning,
stinging sensation.
As Kuno's attack wound down, Ranma let loose with his own speed
attack. To his surprise, Kuno actually managed to block a few, but
for the most part his punches were finding their mark. Ranma finished
with backhand followed by a footsweep, knocking the kendoist off his
feet and into the ground.
"There, MUCH better," said Ranma. He took a few steps back and caught
his breath. This was just wrong, Kuno shouldn't have been this much
trouble. But as the match extended, Kuno had been getting better.
Something odd was going on.
The question now was if Kuno would STAY down.
"Saotome... I... fight... ON!"
Damn. So much for a quick end.
Kuno rose quickly and slashed again, but this time a wave of dark
energy flew from his blade. Ranma ducked, and the ki blast flew into
the side of Furinkan High, shattering brick and window alike.
Ranma stared at the damage, then at Kuno, who was definitely
flickering with a dark aura.
"Aw man, all I wanted was ONE easy match. WHOA!"
*
Mikado spun wildly in place, with Ryouga snared in his Dance of Death
attack. Punch after punch slammed into Ryouga but the lost boy showed
no signs of collapse. Finally, Mikado spun away, leaving Ryouga
somewhat bruised and slightly dizzy and Mikado unhurt but with the
world spinning at an alarming rate.
Ryouga recovered first and went on the offensive, hurling bandanna
after bandanna at the skater until the air swarmed with them. With
his speed, Mikado managed to kick away or dodge them, although a few
flew in close enough to cut his clothes.
He was so busy taking care of the bandannas that he failed to notice
the really big umbrella flying towards him until it was too late. A
second later, he also discovered that the umbrella was _very_ heavy.
*
The match had gone on for far longer than Ranma liked. Kuno didn't
land too many more solid blows, but every hit of his bokken that did
get in was going to be sore for days after. Ranma, in turn, laid Kuno
flat on his back several times, but the kendoist _always_ managed to
stand once again.
It was after a few more minutes that Ranma realized his mistake. This
wasn't the same old Kuno. He was fighting him as if he was, though,
and that just wasn't working.
There was something he knew that worked on anyone. It worked against
Happosai just fine. It flattened Ryouga before. Surely, it'd work on
Kuno.
After several minutes of trading shots, and lots of insults by Ranma,
Kuno was burning red hot with rage.
Perfect.
"Ya call this a match, Kuno? Your sister fights better than this!"
"INSOLENT DOG!"
Yep, definitely hot enough.
Carefully, Ranma began retreating in a spiral pattern, with Kuno
eagerly following, accompanied by a frenzy of slashes. Ranma
concentrated on cool, kept his focus on being cool, let inner peace
fill his mind.
Then he let loose with the attack.
"HIRYU SHOTEN HA!"
A pillar of light surrounded by a sudden whirlwind surrounded Ranma,
catching Kuno in its path. The Kendoist flew high in the sky,
spinning helplessly in the mini-tornado that the hiryu shoten ha
generated.
A second later, The Blue Thunder crashed down to earth, finally
unconscious.
*
Ryouga had an idea.
He didn't have many, and usually not during combat, but it was only
natural that his mind evolve. This idea was working out well.
Around Ryouga's feet was shattered, cracked concrete, thanks to the
breaking point technique. Mikado didn't dare skate into that region,
for his mobility would be severely affected.
Feeling smug about this tactical turn of events, Ryouga stood in the
middle of the rubble, daring Mikado to enter.
"Come on!" taunted Ryouga. "Scared?"
Circling Ryouga like a shark, Mikado scowled. Yes, he could leap
across for some hit and run tactics, but considering Ryouga's skill,
that would not be wise. Even worse, he was wrecking the rink.
There was one option, but he never did perfect it.
Mikado spun in place at a fast rate and continued to spin at an
increasing rate. Ryouga raised an eyebrow as Mikado's spinning began
to cause an air current. The vague outline of a whirlwind was
appearing around Mikado's form. Ryouga stabbed into the ground,
setting off a breaking point, and debris flew towards Mikado. It did
not, however, strike the skater, but instead became captured by the
now very visible mini-hurricane that Mikado's spinning was generating.
Suddenly, Mikado stopped spinning, hunched in Ryouga's direction, and
yelled "HURRICANE NO BON-ODORI!" The cyclone of wind, no longer held
by Mikado's spinning, blazed towards Ryouga, slammed into him,
including the swirling debris that it caught.
Skating away in a wobbly manner, Mikado dusted off his jacket.
"Well... THAT should put an end to..."
Someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Eh?"
*WHAM*
"That was for the kiss, pervert," grumbled Ryouga.
*
"RRRRRRRRYAAH!" -slash-
Akane screamed as the steel broom tore into her again, raking more
bloody trails on her arms. Despite the pain, Akane kept enough
presence of mind to grab at the broom's handle. With her superior
strength, she pulled the weapon out of Tanya's hands and tossed it
far, far out of the fighting area.
That broom turned out to be every bit as painful as Akane feared,
turning parts of her gi to shreads, and the bleeding, while not as bad
as it looked, looked very bad indeed, with bloody scratches across
her back, stomach, arms, and a particularly nasty swipe across the
face.
"All right, let's see how you fight withou... oh no."
Noori grimly pulled out what appeared to be a large rusty metal chisel
and an equally rusty hammer.
*
*WHACK*
*WHACK*
It was desperation time for Mikado Sanzenin. The amount of concrete
left that was flat and unshattered was shrinking, and fast. Ryouga
was closing in, and it appeared Hibiki's stamina was every bit as
tough as the rumors had said it was.
*POW*
*POW*
An ordinary man would have been out by now. Ryouga was was just
finally breathing hard.
At the moment, Mikado had been locked, eye to eye, with Ryouga, and
was mirroring everything Ryouga was doing. Every dodge, every feint,
and every...
*THUMP*
*THUMP*
... hit.
Ouch.
Quite frankly, he didn't know how much longer he could hold out.
Either the technique would finally take hold soon or Mikado would be
doomed.
The Reflection technique was a risky gambit. Mirroring your opponent
long enough would result, if performed correctly, in hypnotizing the
opponent, rendering him/her completely under Mikado's control.
At the moment, there was the look in Ryouga's eyes... somewhat glazed,
but not quite hypnotized. Mikado was definitely worried.
Come on, he thought, get hypnotized already!
*CRACK*
*CRACK*
Ow!
Mikado couldn't take it any longer and crumpled, clutching his ribs.
Ryouga did the exact same thing.
Mikado blinked.
Ryouga blinked.
"It worked! It finally worked!" said Mikado, laughing crazily, and
with Ryouga doing the exact same. So relieved was Mikado that he let
out a maniacal laugh, boosted by Ryouga's maniacal Mikado-esque laugh
echoing it.
Just to make sure things were working well, Mikado did a little jig.
Ryouga followed suit.
"Ahe... AHEHEHEE! IT WORKED!" yelled Mikado.
"Ahe... AHEHEHEE! IT WORKED!" yelled Ryouga.
Ryouga was wide open now. Just one good solid 'everything Mikado had
left' boot to the head was sure to end the match.
Mikado hoped so. He wasn't feeling very good at all.
He concentrated hard, pulled his leg back, and unleashed a massive
spinning kick aimed at Ryouga's head.
*CRACK*
Ask anyone that had fought Ryouga before, and they'd say that his head
was the thickest thing on him. Years of evolution had turned the
Hibiki Cranium onto one tough piece of work.
Ranma could have told Mikado a simple truth: the Hibiki Cranium is
tough, but the Hibiki Jaw isn't quite as tough.
Mikado, unfortunately, wasn't aiming for the jaw.
This had the undesired effect of snapping Ryouga out of his
hypnosis.
And Mikado was wide open too.
*WHAM*
*
---------- Intermission ----------
In a darker corner of King's Cafe...
"So. Defeated, were you?"
Ryoko scowled. "Ryo, I don't wanna talk about it."
"Oniisan, what'd that girl that beat up Oneesan use to hit Oneesan so
much with um what was it?"
Ryo smiled a sharp, thin smile that anyone else would find unnerving.
Kyoko found it rather funny. "Your sister was struk down by a mighty
and fearsome rugbeater."
"SHUTUP!"
"Heheh. Right. Now if you'll excuse me, I've a previous appointment
to keep."
"Can I come too, oniisan?"
"No."
"Pleeeeeease?"
"No."
"Pleee-"
"STOP IT."
*
There were bruises. There were scrapes. It looked like someone
swiped at her face with a rake and landed a hit.
Ranma took one look at Akane and was ready to tear someone's spine
out.
"Who did this to you?" he demanded to know.
"Ranma, you're overreacting," said Akane, frowning.
"Tell me who did this to you."
"Why?" Akane jabbed Ranma with a finger. "What are you going to do?
Beat her up?"
"I... I...."
"This is exactly what I didn't want you to do!" She took him by the
arm and leaned against him in a reassuring manner. "It's sweet,
really, but it isn't neccessary. We even shook hands and talked a
little after the match, so there's no big bad bully for you to chase
after. Got it?"
Ranma looked away, but did manage a disgruntled, "okay."
"Oh, there she is. Noori-san! Hi!"
>From across the room, seated next to what appeared to be a rather
beautiful Kunoichi, Tanya Noori looked up and tipped her hat. She
watched for a moment as Akane and her significant other made their way
to their seats somewhere off to the far end of the cafe, then resumed
brooding in her drink.
<Not a bad fighter, that gel.>
Konatsu asked, "Is that the woman you fought earlier?"
<Yeah, Akane Tendo. Just needs a little more practice an'she
prolly could fight me to a draw e'ry time.> She nudged Konatsu with
an elbow. <Ey, how'd yer match do?>
Noori was surprised to see Konatsu turn a deep shade of red
accompanied by a look of burning rage.
*
Out into the night, there was a scream of terror.
Somewhere in Nerima, a diminutive pervert fell off of a roof and
landed, flat on his back, in the alley below. His face had an
expression of utter shock, confusion, betrayal, and disgust all in
one.
It was a remarkable expression.
Drifting gently downward was a pair of delicate discount brand
panties.
"Aaa... aa.. aack... n-not... a.. again..."
*
"I... I don't want to talk about it, Noori-sama," said Konatsu,
crossing his legs.
Tanya blinked, shrugged, and resumed downing her drink. She briefly
glared at a certain bandanna-clad boy clumsily making his way across
the room, then 'feh'ed and turned her attention to one of the
televisions mounted nearby.
*
"No, THIS way!" Ukyou grabbed Ryouga by the hand again and pulled
hard, nearly setting him off his feet. Ryouga grumbled something
about pushy women, but that was cut off by an elbow to the gut.
"Hey, Ucchan, over here!" Ranma stood up and waved, catching Ukyou's
attention as they made their way through the crowds. After a few
minutes of struggling, they finally made their way to their usual
table and took their seats.
"Hey guys, sorry we're late," said Ukyou. "Took a while to find Lost
Boy here."
"Don't call me that!" whined Ryouga.
"I wouldn't call you that if it wasn't true!" Ukyou stuck her tongue
out, pulled down an eyelid and did the traditional 'biiiiiih' insult.
To this, Ryouga couldn't really argue, so he just 'hrmph'ed and turned
away.
"I've gotta do everything for this idiot," said Ukyou, smirking.
Then, taking everyone by surprise, she yanked a bandanna from Ryouga's
head, making his cranium snap around somewhat violently in the
process.
"Hey! What'd you do that for?!" yelled Ryouga.
"You slob, you've got dirt all over your face. Hold still, will you?"
"Hey!" Ryouga halfheartedly protested as Ukyou tried to wipe some
smudges off of his face. "Come on, cut it out!"
"Almost like a married couple already," said Akane, mock whispering it
to Ranma.
The two immediately snapped to a totally neutral and upright seated
position. They were, however, blushing badly.
It was at this point that the two finally got a good look at Akane.
"Wow, sugar, what happened to you?"
"Who was it and where do they live?" growled Ryouga.
Akane frowned. "I was eliminated."
"Really?" asked Ukyou. "Who got ya?"
"Tanya Noori."
Ryouga stood up.
"And where the heck are YOU going?" asked Ukyou.
"Ryouga, sit down," said Akane soothingly. "Come on, it's okay,
really."
"Sit down, you jackass," said Ukyou.
"But-"
"It's a martial arts tournament, this sort of thing is gonna happen,"
said Ukyou.
"It wasn't anything personal, it was just a match," added Akane.
"Well... okay."
Ukyou snorted. "Men. Just can't accept that a woman can handle
everything they can."
"No kidding," said Akane. "Ranma's still just as bad."
Ukyou nudged Ranma's foot from under the table. "So, how'd your match
go, Ranchan?"
Ryouga grinned. "I heard he nearly got beat by KUNO."
"Shut up!"
"Ah ha! So it IS true!"
"Feel the testosterone flow," said Ukyou dryly.
Akane nodded. "No kidding."
"It's not like your match was that much better!" countered Ranma.
"You nearly got beat by Mikado, and I heard he even kissed ya!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Sorry to hear ya got eliminated, sugar," said Ukyou, ignoring the
ongoing battle of barbs between the boys.
"How about you?" asked Akane. "Who'd you fight? How'd it go?"
"Took down Shinohara High's champion Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial
Artist," said Ukyou. "Kaede the Red Star or something like that.
Kinda like Kodachi, without the dirty tricks."
"So he DID kiss you! HA!"
"Oh yeah? He kissed you first!"
"Hey, is that your, um, 'sister' Natsumi over there?" Ukyou pointed
at a wandering figure carrying a rugbeater.
"Oh, yeah, it is. Natsumi! Over here!" Akane waved to the girl, who
soon spotted them and made her way to their table.
"Hello," she said, taking a seat next to Akane. "Have either of you
seen Kurumi?"
Ranma and Ryouga were deep in debate over who gave Mikado the lesser
kiss. Akane and Ukyou shook their heads.
Natsumi narrowed her eyes. "She's late."
"Where did she go?" asked Akane.
"With that little cassanova Prince Toma," spat Natsumi, scowling.
"Oh, he's not that bad," said Akane. "He's really a nice boy when you
get to know him."
Natsumi looked at Akane doubtfully. "Says the woman that was
kidnapped by him," she replied dryly.
"Sorry I'm late ladies," said Nabiki, taking her place at the end of
the table (or the head, depending on one's perspective). "And hello
to tweedle-dee and dum," she added, smirking at Ryouga and Ranma (who
were now insulting each other's feminine qualities).
"Have you seen my sister recently?" asked Natsumi.
Nabiki smirked. "Oh, she's nearby."
"_Where?_"
"I've been paid well not to reveal that. But don't worry. Trust me,
they're doing fine."
"That's what I'm worrying about," grumbled Natsumi.
*
"...and your eyes, the colors of a thousand Amazon butterflies."
*GIGGLE* "Oh, Toma."
*
Ranma peered over Nabiki's shoulder, looking curiously at her
laptop. This, of course, was annoying her greatly, but as usual
he failed to notice that sort of thing.
"Hey, Nabiki, can ya bring up the results from the last round?"
She gave him a mild elbow to the stomach. "Sure, if you'll just stop
crowding me."
-click-
------------------------------------------------------------------
- The King of Nerima Tournament -
Day 2 Results
Saotome Ranma d. Kuno Tatewaki
(recap) (statistics)
Happosai d. Kenzan Konatsu
(recap) (statistics)
Tendo Natsumi d. Muhoshin Ryoko
(recap) (statistics)
Hibiki Ryouga d. Sanzenin Mikado
(recap) (statistics)
Kumon Ryuu d. Ebiten
(recap) (statistics)
Magical Girl Kuruma d. Plasticite
(recap) (statistics)
Konjou Mariko d. Sakugare Sasuke
(recap) (statistics)
Muhoshin Ryo d. Sarotoru
(recap) (statistics)
Masakari Kujo d. Sakamoto Rei
(recap) (statistics)
-more- -previous results- -main- -statistics- -odds-
------------------------------------------------------------------
Ranma's eyes shone with an intelligence rarely seen on his face, as he
analyzed the names of those on the screen and remembered what he could
of their skills. "Kumon's still in the tournament, huh? He'll be
tough. I was hopin someone would take out the old freak, but that
ain't likely."
"You're afraid of fighting Happosai?" asked Ukyou, eyebrow raised.
"Afraid? Heck no!"
"Then what?"
"It's just.... disgusting when I havta fight the old man, y'know?
He'll try to throw water on me an'then grab me all over. I HATE
that."
"I see what ya mean."
"The matchups for the next round come up yet?" asked Akane.
"Let's see." Nabiki clicked several times, the screen flickering
rapidly as she hopped across the site.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Not Found
The requested object does not exist on this server. The link you
followed is either outdated, inaccurate, or the server has been
instructed not to let you have it.
-back-
------------------------------------------------------------------
"Again?"
"Hm?" said Akane.
"The schedules have been late every round," said Nabiki. "It's just a
bit of an inconvenience to me, considering my current interest. It's
really starting to irritate me."
*
[Ryouga Hibiki vs. ]
"Let's see.... ah."
[Ryouga Hibiki vs. Kodachi Kuno.}
"Who else... hrm..."
[Ranma Saotome vs. ]
"Hrm... who... who... OH! Now THIS looks fun!"
*
------------------ Round 4 ----------------
*
Ryouga frowned.
"Ohohohoho! Ryouga darling, how interesting that we meet in combat!"
Ugh. This wasn't going to be fun. First of all, he didn't like
hitting girls. Second, Kodachi really, _really_ spooked him.
Third... that was a really... really tight outfit she was wearing.
Left little to the imagination.
"Don't worry darling," purred Kodachi lustily, "there's pleasure in
pain too." She cracked her ribbon like a whip, her eyes never leaving
Ryouga's body. "Just leave it to me."
Oh boy.
*
Ranma sighed, waiting for his opponent to arrive. He'd seen the
lineup for this round, saw the name, but wasn't able to get a profile
on the person.
All he knew was the man's name. Kujo Masakari.
A passing cloud seemed to cast a shadow on the battlefield that was
Furinkan's baseball field. After Ranma turned around, he realized it
wasn't a cloud. It was Kujo Masakari.
He was big. Very big. Obscenely big. He was taller than the Dojo
Destroyer and far more muscular. Members of the audience could easily
imagine the behemoth starring in a film called 'Kujo The Barbarian'.
The titanic sword and leather loincloth certainly helped in that
image.
Ranma blinked.
"Oh boy."
//IN THE RED SHIRT, FROM THE SAOTOME SCHOOL OF ANYTHING GOES MARTIAL
ARTS, RANMA SAOTOME!//
The giant listened, committing the memory to name. If anyone were to
ask, he'd say he was listening so he'd know what name to scribe on his
Book of Maimed Victims.
//IN THE LEATHER LOINCLOTH, JUST ENTERING THE FIELD, KUJO MASAKARI!//
The large barbarian gave a nasty grin. Ranma wasn't sure, but he
thought he saw some red splotches in those needle-like teeth.
//CHAMPION OF THE DEATHBRINGER SCHOOL OF ARTISTIC MAIMING! FOUR TIME
WINNER OF THE HIMMLER AWARD FOR CREATIVE BRUTALITY!//
Kujo laughed. Ranma thought the ground was shaking.
//AND EATER OF LIU FANG!//
Ranma stared at the announcer. "Eater of Liu Fang?!?!"
Kujo roared. The crowd went silent.
"Me Kujo Masakari! I eat Liu Fang, Master of the Shaolin, in combat to
death! I wrestle alligators for fun, torture children for giggles, and
burn cities for relaxation! I use redwoods for toothpicks, lightning
for a nail file, and the mountains for a back scratcher! Where I walk,
the grass withers, and my breath makes chlorine look like oxygen!
Lions fawn at my feet like housecats, and wolves whimper and run when
they see me! My piss cuts through solid steel!"
The audience collectively 'eww'ed.
"More than I needed to know," muttered Ranma.
"I can't look in a mirror for fear of scaring myself! The devil
shudders at the thought of my crimes, and the Spanish inquisition would
turn green and run after five seconds of my sport! The screams of the
dying are my lullaby, and thunder is a pale imitation of my laughter!
I will have the prize this day, and dance in your skin on your FLAYED,
BLEEDING CORPSE!"
At the moment, Ranma was thinking of several things.
Feeling, actually.
Feeling all the bruises from the match against the Dojo Destroyer, the
needlepoint burns from Kirin, the good shot to the ribs that Kuno gave
him...
Ranma shook his head and grumbled to himself. "One easy match, all I
ask for is one easy match."
Meanwhile, up in the stands...
"Mmm, looks like a tough one," said Hiroshi. "How many minutes, do
you think?"
Daisuke hmmed for a moment, thinking things over. "I'd say...
fifteen. Any thoughts on how Ranma's gonna come through on this?"
It was Hiroshi's turn to hmm a bit. "Wella... he's good, but he's
obviously getting worn by the schedule. I'd say three cuts, two
bites, a dozen bruises, and maybe, _maybe_ a broken nose."
"Wouldn't be as bad if Ranma was coming in fresh on this one," said
Daisuke.
"Of course, of course."
*
Meanwhile, in the Furinkan High soccer field...
There was a Tendo Fan Club in the stands, and it wasn't for Akane.
Natsumi Tendo, by virtue of her flashy style, natural grace, sharp
beauty, and her habit of not wearing a bra (causing some to nickname
her 'the bra-less wonder') had inspired a cult following that had
grown as the tournament progressed.
Unused to fanfare and admiration by a large audience, Natsumi was
flattered, very much so.
The headband looked familiar.
So did the grim demeanor.
Natsumi asked, "are you, by any chance, a Hibiki?"
"Well... no, I'm not." Ryuu Kumon tugged his bandanna idly and
wondered why on earth people kept on asking him that question.
He peered at Natsumi's weapon of choice curiously.
"Excuse me," he asked, "is that... a rugbeater?"
*
A field in Nerima's Tai Park served as the battleground for Tanya
Noori's next match.
Tanya's next opponent didn't look particularly menacing. Clad in an
ordinary t-shirt, denim slacks, suspenders, with a bandanna covering
his head.
<Don't look so tough> she said in English.
The boy smiled. <I'm more than I appear to be.>
So, she thought, the boy speaks English. <Izzat sow?>
<Mm-hm. In fact...> Suddenly, he pulled out a large grey cape,
covering himself. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished.
Tanya found herself staring at... herself.
<I'd say I wos as good as yew, aye?> said her copy, perfectly
immitating Tanya's voice.
Tanya stared, bug-eyed. <Wot th'bloody hell are yew?>
Tanya's immitation grinned eerily. <Yew c'n call me Ken... Copycat
Ken.>
*
It was a most generous contribution from the Kuno clan that they
allowed the use of the Kuno estate for the King of Nerima tournament,
a 'generous gift to the martial arts community' said Kuno.
The fee that the tournament organizers were paying the Kuno estate
certainly was a payment for that gift.
In the majestic inner courtyard of the Kuno estate, watched by a fair
sized crowd, Ukyou awaited her opponent. She was a little nervous,
but determined to prevail.
//IN THE BLUE SHIRT AND BLACK TIGHTS, UKYOU KUONJI FROM THE KUONJI
SCHOOL OF OKONOMIYAKI MARTIAL ARTS!//
She was here early. Her parents had taught her about the importance
of being early and ready.
//AND JUST ENTERING THE GROUNDS, FROM THE UNORTHODOX WEAPONRY SCHOOL
OF MARTIAL ARTS, RYO MUHOSHIN!//
He walked smoothly, almost gliding into the courtyard, with a small
grin on his face and his umbrella twirling idly.
He believed in making an -entrance-.
"Hello, Kuonji."
"Hello, Muhoshin."
He peered at her, rubbing his chin in thought.
"What're you looking at?"
Ryo shrugged, then tightened the black leather gloves on his hands.
"Nothing. Just wondering if you'll be over or under a minute. I have
a record to keep, after all."
With a sharp slash to his side, Ryo extended his umbrella and the blade
within emerged with a -click-.
He grinned.
>From the sidelines, an upset Akari yelled, "Ryo! Please, you promised!"
He scowled.
With a slight movement of his hand, the blade clicked back into the
umbrella, leaving Ryo's weapon a mere dull tip to stab with. The umbrella
spun in his hand for a blur of a second, then stopped with the hooked
handle extended outward.
"Be thankful she likes you," he muttered to Ukyou.
"Same to you, jerk," she shot back.
//WINNER DETERMINED BY SUBMISSION OR KNOCKOUT! FIGHT!//
*
-slash-
"YOW!"
-slash-slash-slash-slash- "I KILL YOU MAN! CRUSH YOUR BONES AND USE
YOUR ENTRAILS FOR LOINCLOTH!" -slash-slash-slash-
"HYAH!" *CRACK*
"NGAH! GOOD HIT! HAHA! I LIKE!"
"Aw man!"
"Wow, this guy's pretty darn savage," said Hiroshi.
"Yeah, pretty darn tough," said Daisuke. "Pretty mean with the
sword."
"HYAH!" -thwap- *CLANG*
"Well, there goes Kujo's sword," said Hiroshi.
Daisuke nodded. "Wonder how he fights witho-"
*CHOMP*
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOWCH!!!"
The audience as a whole winced.
"Oooooh, that's gotta hurt," said Daisuke.
Hiroshi nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely."
*
Ryo's attack was obvious in its strategy. Wielding the hook end outward,
he struck outward with it like a club, but he always pulled it back with
the intent to hook a part of her, an arm, a leg, her neck, and pull her
off balance enough to land a followup elbow or kick. She found it
difficult to hold on to her spatula and had so far managed to dodge all
his attempts to snare her.
Ukyou's own offense was to keep him at a moderate distance at best.
The spatula was a good weapon, but at extremely close quarters, where
he was trying to attack, it was more of a handicap. She'd delivered a
flower bomb to his face when he got too close once, and kept him at
bay with her spatula shurikens and battle spatula. Once or twice she
tried to tangle him with a barrage of taki-soba noodles but he'd
managed to dodge it easily.
She retreated a step, dodging a swipe to her face, there was an
audible -click-.
Both fighters blinked, then jumped away as a dozen bamboo spears shot
out from the surrounding rooftops.
Ukyou looked bewildered.
Ryo looked irritated.
The audience gasped.
Within the audience, Kuno whapped Sasuke in the head.
"Fool!" yelled Kuno, "You forgot to deactivate the traps!"
"Sorry master!"
"Waitaminute! This isn't fair!" yelled Ukyou, right before she narrowly
dodged another swipe from Ryo's umbrella. "HEY! What are you doing?!"
Ryo grinned wickedly. "Trying to win."
*
"FIST OF THE WHITE SWAN!"
*CRACK*
Tanya few back, head first, striking the ground hard.
Bloody hell, she thought dazed, I just got struck with a potty!
A POTTY!
She was snapped out of her daze when a stream of spear-ended chains
flew at her head.
<YEOW!!!>
She sprung back to her feet, ignoring the pain, and wondered what her
enemy would become next. She'd been thrown off guard and was
tenative, not knowing what to expect next from him. His version of
Kinii of the Muscle Sword Clan was nearly devastating, and his
Happosai really, _really_ made her MAD.
At the moment, his Mousse was making her panic. endless chains and
blades were something she did NOT like.
<BACK OFF, YA BLOODY FREAK!> Tanya reached into her jacket and sent
several soot bombs flying into 'Mousse'. She grinned, seeing the
bombs find their mark, and leapt high, intending to dive into the soot
cloud from directly above with steel-wire broom spinning.
She jumped, reached the apex of her jump, prepared to bring her broom
down in several rapid radial strikes....
*BOING* <AAAW!>
... and bounced off of something massive.
She landed awkwardly a few feet away and stared at some... some
-thing- that was emerging from the clouds. Small unidentifiable
objects were swirling in and out of the sooty depths in an almost
insect-like manner. A sudden gust of wind cleared the soot cloud,
revealing the massive form of the Dojo Destroyer.
<Aw bloody h->
*WHAM*
*
Kodachi kept her distance, lashing out with her ribbon and a few
occasional pin strikes. Ryouga deflected the pins with his umbrella
and retaliated with a few bandanna projectiles of his own.
And then she changed her tactics.
Without warning, she charged at him, ribbon lashing at him furiously.
The ribbon left its mark on his face, arms, and chest. He fell back,
snapping open his umbrella for cover.
Kodachi took advantage of his defensive stance and flipped over him,
glomping herself to his back in a -tight- embrace.
It was proven to Ryouga at that moment beyond a doubt that Kodachi's
leotard was made of _very_ thin material. That, and her bosom was
indeed impressive.
"H-hey!"
"Mmmm, Ryouga darling, you're so tense," she purred into his ear,
running her hands along his chest. "Let me loosen you up."
And then she wrapped her ribbon around his throat.
*
Natsumi advanced on Ryuu with lighting fast swipes of her rugbeater
staff, speedy enough to send dust and leaves flying about and
constantly in the air.
Ryuu was nimble enough to dodge her strikes, and puzzled her with his
lack of offense thus far.
It was mildly offending the Tendo girl.
"Why" -slash- "are" -slash-slash- "you" -slash-slash-slash- "holding
back for?!"
"Holding back?" asked Ryuu, taking a defensive jump back. "I wasn't
holding back. I was finding all your weaknesses."
Natsumi barely had time to dodge when Ryuu suddenly barreled forward,
feet first, surrounded by flaming spirals of ki, yelling "RYUZANSHO!"
Landing some feet away, Natsumi turned around to see a giant crater
where Ryuu had landed, and him standing in the middle of it. He
pulled his arms back, then swept them both forward, yelling,
"RYUUKUSAI!" Two ki blasts, shaped like blades, flew towards her.
Natsumi swung her staff with a cry of "SHINKUUZAN!" and a swirling
tornado whipped out from the rugbeater, colliding with Ryuu's attack.
Unfortunately, the ki blasts cut right through it.
*
The only benefit of having Kodachi strangle him was that it kept his
mind off of her breasts pressing into his back and hips grinding
against his rear.
"G-get... off..." croaked Ryouga.
"That's what I'm trying to do, darling," said Kodachi.
"Gaaah!" Panic finally sent Ryouga an idea. He flipped in the air,
Kodachi still firmly attached to him, and slammed back-first into the
ground. He felt the ribbon loosen and stumbled to his feet.
Planted firmly in the ground, knocked out, was Kodachi. And she
stayed down.
Ryouga breathed a sigh of relief.
*
The match between Tanya and Copycat Ken had suddenly and dramatically
turned around in momentum.
It began when Ken took the form of a certain bandanna-clad boy.
<YOU!>
"Nani?"
<KIIIIIIIIIIIILL!!!>
And then it seemed Noori became unstoppable, with a bold, fearless
barrage of attacks right in Ryouga/Ken's face at a speed his form
couldn't keep up with.
Steel wire raked across flesh, soot bombs were slammed into his face
at point blank range, and to add to the uter brutality of it all, she
slammed a soot scraper in his crotch.
Multiple times.
<KILL YOU, BLOODY SONOFABITCH!>
Ryouga/Ken staggered helplessly away, then fell to the ground as his
mysterious cloak enveloped him entirely.
<GET UP, YA BLOODY GIT!>
She reached down, pulled the cloak away, and froze.
It was Konatsu.
Bloody, brutalized, beaten Konatsu.
The Kunoichi looked up at Tanya with pleading eyes. "Noori-sama...
please don't..."
<K... Konatsu?>
Tanya reached down tenatively.
And then Konatsu suddenly lashed out with a lightning quick and
devastating kick to Tanya's skull.
The last thing Tanya saw, before fading into unconsciousness was
Konatsu's mocking, laughing face.
*
Meanwhile, back at the Ranma vs. Kujo match...
-CHOMP-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"
Daisuke whistled. "Man, never saw anyone get Ranma this flustered."
"No kidding," said Hiroshi. "I've never even heard of him BITING an
opponent until now. Guess Kujo really got him mad."
"PUNY BOY! LET GO OF MY ANKLE!"
*
Ukyou was breathing heavily, worn down by the very frantic nature of
the match. Across the battlefield, spears and arrows were planted in
the ground, trap doors were open, and Kodachi's pet alligator was
finally making its way back into the outside pond where it belonged.
Somehow, Ryo didn't seem terribly fazed by the onslaught of traps.
Instead, he kept on being the aggressor, forcing Ukyou to back away
all the time. He met her spatula attacks stroke for stroke, batted
away the flower bombs, and used his umbrella like a shield when she
flung her spatula shuriken at him.
It was feeling to her like a game of cat and mouse, and she wasn't the
cat. This smelled of a setup.
Ryo charged again, swiveling the umbrella in his hand in a blur. Ukyou
lashed out, but found her spatula caught by the hook end of Ryo's
umbrella. She tried to pull back immediately but before she could, he
spun, pullling the spatula away while lashing out at her face with a kick.
She dodged the kick, but lost her spatula. It went spinning in the air
briefly, then was caught in Ryo's left hand.
He held Ukyou's weapon, smiling. His grip on the giant spatula
shifted slightly, shattering it into several pieces.
Ukyou turned pale. "My spatula!"
Ryo quietly laughed. The Kuonji girl relied far too much on her giant
spatula. Without it he doubted she was going to be any trouble. Just
might get the first submission of the match.
"You're weaponless. Surrender?"
Definitely beaten, he thought.
She answered with a sudden and unexpected boot to the head.
"BOOT TO THE HEAD!" yelled someone in the audience...
Ukyou was pleasant surprised as Ryo stumbled back a few steps, almost
falling. There was a barely audible click.
-WHAM-
And then the giant pineapple statue fell on him.
A few seconds passed. Ukyou blinked.
An unusual way to win, but she wouldn't mind.
//THE WINNER, BY KNOCKOUT, UK-//
The giant pineapple statue shattered violently, cutting off the
announcer. Chunks of concrete flew everywhere, stinging Ukyou and
causing everyone to look away, else their eyes get struck by shrapnel.
Before Ukyou looked up again, something seized her by the throat, lifted
her into the air, and slammed her into the ground face first. She yelled
in pain, twitching slightly, but hung on to consciousness. Annoying
bright spots swam in her vision as she tried to get up.
Then she felt something slam into her back, knocking the wind out of her.
She felt a hand around her neck, choking her, then she was pulled swiftly
up in the air.
She heard the telltale click of Ryo's umbrella and was dimly aware of
him staring into her eyes with anger and hate.
"RYO! NO!"
Ukyou recognized that voice. Akari. Yelling from the stands.
She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard him call Akari a bitch.
Someone screamed.
Something hard slammed into her face.
The world went black.
*
------------ Wrapup -----------
Ryouga was beginning to worry. Ukyou was supposed to meet him after
their matches were done, but she seemed awfully late. Who was she
scheduled to fight this round? He forgot to look it up. He didn't
want to look it up. If he walked over to the signboard with the
listings he'd get lost along the way and Ukyou would be upset and he
wouldn't see her for another week and that just wouldn't do...
"Hey sugar, sorry I'm late."
He blinked, looked around, and saw her behind him.
Why, he wondered, were there bandages on her head?
"Hey, what happened to you?"
"I got eliminated," sighed Ukyou, touching the side of her head
gently. She had a headache and just wanted to get somewhere peaceful
and relatively quiet (or lacking that, a place with aspirin).
"By who?" She noticed the definite hint of anger in his voice.
"Ryo Muhoshin."
"Why that-" Ryouga's anger was brought to a sudden halt at the gentle
touch of Ukyou's hand on his arm.
"Hey, remember what we talked about before the tourney began?" she
asked softly. Truth was, she still wasn't recovered from her fight
and didn't have enough energy to yell at him.
She'd be damned if she was going to show any signs of weakness to him,
though.
"Well, yeah."
"Didn't I tell you I knew what I was getting into?"
"But-"
"Hey, nobody's dead and I just got a little roughed up. I've felt
worse. Really."
"Well... okay," said Ryouga reluctantly "But maybe you should see a
doctor first? You still look a little dazed."
She smiled ever so faintly. "I'm fine, let's just go."
"You sure? I mean, if you want I could carry you on my back."
She smirked and jokingly swatted his arm away. "Idiot. C'mon,
Ranchan and the others are waiting."
*
"Hrmm." Ranma peered to the left, then the right, and to the left
again. He pounded fist on palm and nodded sagely. "Seperated at
birth, definitely."
"SHUT UP, RANMA!" echoed Ryouga and Ryuu.
Akane applied a swift and firm elbow to Ranma's side.
Ranma held his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Hey, just joking!"
This seemed to pacify the bandanna-clad duo, as they both grumbled,
giving him one last evil glare before they turned their attention
elsewhere. Ryouga looked idly at the television screens while Ryuu
chatted with Natsumi most enthusiastically about martial arts.
Meanwhile, Kurumi was looking glum since her Prince Toma was away on
some personal matters he had to attend to. She was glaring daggers at
Ryuu, and irritated that Natsumi wasn't paying much attention to her.
"Heard ya got eliminated today," Ranma said to Ukyou. "You okay?"
Ryuu complimented Natsumi on her speed and sharpness of form. Natsumi
complimented Ryuu on his impressive use of ki. Kurumi blew Ryuu a
raspberry, but was easily ignored.
"Yeah, Ranchan, I'm fine," said Ukyou, waving her hand casually in
dismissal.
Ryuu took Natsumi's hand and brushed a bandage that was put across her
hand. He asked if she wasn't hurt too badly. Natsumi blushed
slightly and said she was quite fine, thank you.
Kurumi huffed.
"What happened to you, Ranchan?" asked Ukyou. "You look like you had
it worse than me."
Ryouga grinned. "Yeah, tell us about your match, Ranma. Especially
that all-powerful Anything Goes Ankle-Biter Technique?" Ryouga had
heard, from word of mouth, how Ranma's match went, and was too glad to
rub it in his face.
"SHUT UP, RYOUGA!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Ranchan, what's he talking about?" asked Ukyou.
"She's gonna find out sooner or later, Ranma," said Ryouga smugly.
"So, you going to tell her or me?"
"I will, okay! Sheesh. You'd probably tell it all wrong anyway."
"I'd just say what happenend. Lots of bi-"
"HEY!"
"Okay, enough with the dramatics. Just tell me what happened?" asked
Ukyou again.
"Ibittheguy," he mumbled.
"What was that? Couldn't hear you," said Ukyou.
"Yeah, Ranma, say that again?" teased Ryouga.
"I bit the guy, okay?" said Ranma angrily. "You happy now?"
"Bit him on the ankle," added Ryouga.
"Hey man, it was a tough fight!"
"Sure, Ranma, riiiight," said Ryouga.
"He bit me first!" yelled Ranma.
Ukyou frowned. "He did? Ew."
"On Ranma's butt," filled in Akane.
Ukyou and Ryouga burst out laughing. Ryuu and Natsumi were in a world
of their own. Kurumi was doing her best to destroy that world.
Ranma glared at his fiancee. "Akane! What'd ya go and tell'em for?!"
"Oh please, they'd have found out sooner or later," said Akane. "If
we hadn't arrived here first they'd have seen it."
"Seen what?" asked Ukyou.
Akane looked at Ranma. "C'mon, show it."
"No way!" protested Ranma.
"C'mon, Ranchan, let's have a look," teased Ukyou.
"Come on, it's not that bad," soothed Akane.
Ranma scowled. He stood up and turned around, revealing two distinct
bitemarks. One was a nasty set of rips along his arm, the other was a
definite big chomp to his left posterior cheek. Through the holes,
his boxers and some bandages were visible.
"Happy now?" asked Ranma grumpily.
"Yes dear," said Akane, smirking.
"Hey, Ranma, that was two bites he got on you?" asked Nabiki, not
bothering to look up from her laptop.
"Um, yeah."
"How many bruises?" asked Nabiki.
"What?"
"Just answer the question. How many bruises?"
"A dozen, I think."
"Damn. Cuts?"
"Three. Nabiki, why a-"
"How many minutes was the match?"
"It w-"
"Nevermind, got it here. Fifteen minutes thirty-two seconds. Damn."
"Huh?"
"Did the guy break your... no, never mind, it's obvious your nose
isn't broken. Whew! Dodged a bullet there."
"Nabiki, why are you asking me this stuff?"
"Your injuries are part of a gambling pool. Just needed to
confirm'em."
"WHAT?!"
>From across the room, Hiroshi could faintly be heard crying.
"Everything but the broken nose! So close!"
"Cheer up, man," said Daisuke. "We can still recover from this."
Ukyou took a moment to glare angrily at a certain slim, arrogant
figure that was seated across the cafe, cozying up in a couch with a
certain pig-obsessed girl. She was very much worried about Akari's
welfare.
*
"What's that on your tie, Ryo-kun?" asked Akari.
"Hm? This?" He put down the small stack of paper he was reading over
and examined his tie briefly. "I think it's a little bit of Miss
Kuonji's blood."
Akari 'eep'ed and turned away, repulsed by the sight of blood. "Ryo!
You shouldn't wear it now!"
He gave her a questioning glance. "But this is my favorite tie."
"But it has... that's... Ryo, please?" asked Akari. "Please?"
"Geeeh." He narrowed his eyes, mumbled under his breath for a moment,
then removed the tie. "Anything for you, dear," he said with a forced
smile.
"Thank you, Ryo-kun," said Akari. "I wanted to ask..."
"Hm?"
"Did you have to be so rough with Ukyou today?"
"Rough? Because of you I fought without use of my blade. I'd say I
held back."
"But you hit her head several times... violently... well..."
"Your point?" he asked.
"Did you have to be so violent in the match?"
"Yes," he replied simply.
"But-"
"Akari, dear, we're martial artists. We expect this sort of thing."
"But-"
"Darling, relax. It's normal. Really."
Akari sighed. "Well, if you say so." She sat back again, putting her
head on his shoulder and lazily read over the paper he was reading.
"Ryo?"
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"What's that you're reading?"
"Oh, this?" he asked, waving the paper slightly. "A list of the
remaining fighters in the tournament. See? There's Saotome, Kumon,
Hibiki, Magical Girl... aheheh... Kuruma. Aheheheh."
Akari frowned. "Magical Girl Kuruma? Ryo, what's so funny?"
"She's pathetic, that's all. Aheheheh. Ah. Nevermind." He shuffled
through the papers more, 'hmm'ing every now and then.
"Why are you looking at all this?" asked Akari.
"Know thy enemy, Akari," said Ryo sagely. "Best way to prepare. Oh,
look at this one, PANTYHOSE Taro. What a name, eh?" Ryo laughed
slightly while Akari frowned again.
"That's his name?" asked Akari.
"Seems to be," said Ryo gleefully. "Either that or he's quite a
pervAAAAK!"
Ryo Muhoshin found himself lifted up in the air, by a single arm,
belonging to a very irate young man in Chinese clothing.
"Watch your mouth, skinny," said the man solemly.
Ryo blinked, still dazed from the sudden change in altitude. Then he
noticed something: the person who was currently responsible for his
sudden change of altitude seemed to have a very peculiar sash.
"Say," he said, looking at it. "Is that a pantyhose sash you're
wearing?"
"So what if it is?" growled the other.
Ryo met the other's glare with a maniacal stare of his own. "Would
your name happen to be... PANTYHOSE?! HAHAHAHAHAAA"
His umbrella was just within reach, leaning on the couch.
He reached for it.
>From across the room, King frowned. "TAKE IT OUTSIDE, YOU TWO!"
*
Ukyou stood up slightly, peering at something that was happening
across the room. "Uh oh."
"Uh oh what?" asked Ryouga.
"Trouble."
"What kinda of trouble?" asked Ranma, also standing up slightly,
although wincing from the bites.
"Looks like we might have a brawl break out. Look." She pointed
across the room, where someone was holding Ryo up by the collar of his
shirt.
"Damn," said Ryouga. "Him."
Ranma nodded and narrowed his eyes. "Taro."
"Who?" asked Ukyou.
"Pantyhose Taro," said Ranma. "Tough fighter. Jusenkyou cursed too."
Ryouga nodded. "Looks like he's about to start something with-"
Before he could finish, Ryo started laughing maniacally.
-CRASH-
Taro tossed him through the window.
"Brawl it is," said Ukyou.
Ranma and Ryouga sat back down.
Akane looked a bit confused, then shrugged.
"What're you guys doing?" asked Ukyou.
"Taro's a jerk, Muhoshin's a jerk," said Ryouga. "We shouldn't
interfere."
In the distance, thunder rumbled.
"Sounds like rain," observed Ryouga.
"This is gonna be messy," said Ranma.
"Why's that?" asked Ukyou.
"When Taro gets wet, he turns into a big..."
"Really big," added Ryouga.
"... yeah, really big bull-like monster."
Ukyou blinked. "He fell into a spring of drowned bull?"
"Nope," replied Ryouga. "He fell into a spring of drowned... um...
what was it?"
"Drowned yeti-riding-a-goat-while-holding-a-crane-and-an-eel,"
answered Ranma.
Ukyou stared at them. "You're kidding."
"Nope," they both said.
Ukyou tapped her foot for a moment, then frowned when she saw Akari
make her way to the front door.
"Someone's gotta stop that girl from getting in trouble," Ukyou
muttered.
*
She wondered why Ryo had to be so... mean at times. It was hard for
her to believe he was the same person that was always sweet and kind
to her.
After Ryo sailed through the window and Taro stomped to the door,
Akari sighed, stood up, and took a few steps to the door.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey," said Ukyou. "You should be more careful. A girl like you
might get hurt when people like those two get in a brawl."
"But-"
"If things get out of control, I'm get the guys to help. But if
there's one thing I learned in my life, it's that a martial artist
really hates it when their fight gets interrupted."
*
Ryo landed on his back, outside on the sidewalk, but recovered nicely
with a roll and was back on his feet.
He was in trouble.
He didn't have his umbrella.
As Taro stormed out of the front, Ryo dug in his pockets and quickly
put on his leather gloves. Not as good as umbrella, but better than
nothing.
He could have backed down.
He could have apologized.
He'd been given the lovey-dovey treatment by Akari for the last month,
been denied the opportunity to go full-out against the Kuonji girl,
and desperately needed to maim someone, and he didn't care who.
"Come on, PANTYHOSE!" he spat.
Behind Taro, a small crowd spilled out into the street to watch the
match. Akari was there, looking very worried and accompanied by
Ukyou.
Taro roared in blind rage and charged. Ryo stood his ground. The two
threw a furious round of punches and kicks at each other. Ryo managed
to land only a few, with Taro dodging gracefully from most of his
strikes. Ryo was struck with a good number of Taro's punches, but
seemed only to sneer more with each blow.
In truth, those punches hurt, but he wasn't about to show it.
Finally, Ryo went for his 'trademark' move of the tournament so far.
Ignoring the half-dozen quick and powerful punches that landed on his
chest and made his lungs crumple, he reached forward and grabbed
Taro's neck in an iron grip.
Ryo lifted Taro up in the air, prepared to slam him into the ground,
then reeled back as Taro's foot slammed into his jaw.
He refused to let go.
Then Taro kicked him again.
This time he let go, clutching at his face and staggering in pain.
And once again he found himself lifted up by his collar, staring into
Taro's enraged eyes.
High above, stormclouds brewed. A streak of lightning ripped across
the sky. Both looked up.
Taro began to laugh.
Ryo could hear Akari call out his name. He really hoped she wouldn't
interrupt.
"What's so funny, PANTYHOSE?" snapped Ryo. Sure, he was in pain, but
again, there was no way he was going to let Pantyhose know it.
Ryo wondered why Taro was just standing there and laughing.
Then it began to rain.
*
>From inside the cafe, Ranma and co. heard the crowd outside shriek in
terror.
"Think it started raining yet?" asked Ryouga.
There was a monstrous roar, shaking the glass in the building.
"I think so," said Ranma.
*
A large amount of the crowd that was watching scattered.
Akari was screaming for Ryo and was being held back by Ukyou, who
could only do that and stare in disbelief.
"They weren't kidding," she managed to mumble.
Ryo was shocked.
Speechless, really.
It seemed his adversary had suddenly turned into a titanic minotaur-esque
creature, taller than the cafe they had just recently exited. Even
worse, he was being held tightly in the monster's fist.
That wasn't quite right.
No, that was impossible.
"Erah..."
The creature seemed amused, and snickered in a bull-esque sort of way.
Ryo blinked. "You... you're Taro?"
The thing seemed to grin. It had really big teeth.
The old Muhoshin wit finally came back to him. So did the Muhoshin
knack for scheming. He had a plan.
"So," said Ryo, finally back to looking snide, "how did this occur?
Your mother get too friendly with the livestock?"
Taro roared angrily, causing the remaining few of the crowds to cover
their ears. A few windows broke. Car alarms went off.
Ryo grinned, reaching down swiftly with his hands. "Die."
The next thing Taro experienced, to his shock, was a fair amount of
pain as his fingernails exploded. His hand opened in reaction to the
pain and Ryo landed neatly at Taro's feet.
Muhoshin grinned as he landed. The monster had hooves.
Perfect.
As quick as a snake, Ryo reached out.
*
"You think Taro's done beating Ryo into the ground?" asked Ryouga.
"Still lotsa noise coming from out there," observed Ranma. "Where'd
Ucchan go?"
"To make sure Akari didn't get in trouble," said Ryouga. "Hope she's
all right." After a few minutes of tapping his feet, he stood up.
"I'm going out there."
"As long as she doesn't try to butt in on the fight," said Ranma. "I
don't see why..."
He was distracted as a roar bellowed out again. This time, however,
something was different.
Ranma frowned. "That... kinda sounded like Taro was hurt, didn't it?"
"Yeah," said Ryouga. "I wonder wha-"
Ryo, dripping wet, stormed back into the cafe, grabbed his umbrella,
and stormed back out.
"What the heck is going on out there?" asked Ranma.
"Well, let's find out."
*
Twirling his umbrella quickly, he strolled by Akari, paused, said to
her, "This will just be a minute," then stomped over to the hobbled
beast.
"You son of a bovine-screwing wench, GET UP!" Ryo looked down at the
collapsed form of Taro, his feet reduced to two bloody unusable
stumps.
"Come on, PANTYHOSE!" taunted Ryo. He held his umbrella up and a
rapier-like end sprang out of it. Ryo stomped around Taro and slashed
at his limbs whenever Taro tried to lash out at him. The rain still
fell, mixing with Taro's blood to make a muddy red bog of mud under
Taro's form.
"PANTYHOSE! PANTYHOSE! HA!" Ryo strode within Taro's arm reach,
then lashed out with his umbrella as Taro's hand lumbered out to swat
him. Five more fingernails exploded.
Taro roared in pain.
Ryo began to laugh.
"Ryo, that's enough. Please?" said Akari timidly.
Muhoshin ignored her completely.
"Get up, COW! GET UP!"
Ryo stomped again towards Taro's feet and gave them several swift
kicks. Taro reacted with violent thrashing and a bellow of pain and
rage.
"HA! HA! FEEL THAT?!"
And then Ryo grinned like the devil.
"How could I forget the HORNS? HA!" He stomped around again, easily
avoiding Taro's flailing limbs, but was unable to get past them so as
to detonate Taro's horns.
"He's beat okay?" said Ukyou. "Stop already!"
Ryo didn't bother to turn around. "Why, Kuonji, you talk as if it was
human."
"It is," said Ukyou firmly. "True martial artists don't pick on the
weak."
"Whatever," dismissed Ryo. He turned his attention back to Taro.
"Don't you know when to stop moving?" he spat. The umbrella made a
mechanical noise, and the rapier-like tip was replaced with a blade.
"If I have to cut your arms off first, I will!"
He reared back, getting ready to slash.
A hand grabbed his, stopping the slash.
"That's enough."
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
He turned around.
Hibiki was holding him back. Behind him, Ranma, Ukyou, Ryuu, Natsumi,
and Kurumi stood ready.
"Hibiki, tell everyone to stay out of my recreation."
"You've beaten him, that's enough," said Ryouga firmly.
"Ryo-kun, please, let's go?" asked Akari, clearly shaken by what just
happened.
Ryouga tightened his grip on Ryo's hand. They both knew Ryo wouldn't
be able to break that hold.
The blade snapped back into the umbrella.
"Fine," hissed Ryo. With disturbing abruptness, he quickly moved his
hair back into place with his hands, wiped off the blood on his face
with a hankerchief, popped open his umbrella (despite the fact that he
was already drenched from the rain) and smiled a pleasant, warm,
smile at Akari. "Let's go, dearest."
With Akari by his side, Ryo walked away whistling happily. Ukyou
stared at them both and frowned deeply. She -had- to convince Akari
to leave him before things got bad.
Ranma stared at the mess Taro was. His fingers and feet were bleeding
steadily, and he was afraid to guess at how much of Taro's feet would
be gone when they poured hot water on him.
"Damn... this is a mess." Ranma looked to Akane. "Go get Dr. Tofu."
*
"HYAH!"
*POW*
"GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooowwwwwwf!"
*SPLASH*
"Like that?" asked Kyoko, smiling happily.
Soun smiled, a tad nervously, and nodded. "That... was very good,
Kyoko-chan. Yes... very good."
"Wai! Waiwaiwai!" The little girl hopped around with glee and far
more energy than Soun felt humans should be with.
She was still bouncing around.
He was tired.
Saotome was unconscious.
"That's... all for today Kyoko-chan."
"Aw. Okaaay."
The two bowed respectfully to each other, but with Soun keeping a wary
eye on the girl. Afterwards, they entered the house, welcomed by
Kasumi's call to dinner, the smells of yet another Kasumi Tendo feast,
and the sight of a small gathering of young martial artists...
"Why, Ranma?! Why couldn't ya let the guy break your nose?" *SOB*
"Aw, cut it out Hiroshi!"
"Akane-neesan!"
Akane had little time to react before she was bowled over by a
charging Kyoko, tumbling slightly along the floor. Fortunately, she
was sitting down already, so it wasn't that bad of a tumble.
"Hyperactive little bundle, isn't she?" noted Ukyou.
Soun soon followed and joined the rest at the table. "So, how was the
tournament today? My little girl still going strong?" He laughed and
gave a warm smile to Akane, who returned it with a halfhearted smile
of her own.
"Sorry, dad. I... was beaten today."
Kyoko gasped. Soun looked somewhat melancholy for a moment, then
gave Akane a solemn look. "The path of a true martial artist is one
filled with adversity, but so long as you tried your best, you have
nothing to be ashamed of."
"Y'think he's gonna burst out in tears?" whispered Hiroshi to Daisuke.
"Bet you he won't," whispered Nabiki.
"You're on."
"Well, I did try the best I could," said Akane tenatively. She knew
what was coming. So did everyone else.
"I'm so proud of my little girl!" Soun wrapped Akane in an
affectionate hug and his eyes threatened to burst into tears.
Hiroshi and Nabiki held their breaths.
"Daaaaaaad," said Akane, in that 'Daaaaaad' way that said, basically,
'I'm getting embarrased'.
Soun released Akane, wiping a small tear from his eye. Immediately
after, Kyoko resumed her glomp.
"Aak!" *THUD*
"Ha! Waterworks!" hissed Nabiki to Hiroshi.
"You call that waterworks?!" hissed Hiroshi back. "That was just a
drop!"
*
Taro was mad.
Sitting in Dr. Tofu's clinic, fingers and feet bandaged, anesthetic
running through his veins to dull the throbbing pain and numb his
mind, Pantyhose Taro still felt rage.
Finally, a chance to get a REAL name, a chance that he had a REAL shot
at, crushed by some anonymous jerk! How DARE he!!!
"Tough luck, Pantyhose."
Taro was too tired to try and smash him. A tired, resigned, "what the
hell do you want?" was what he said instead.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you sound so defeated," said Happosai, jumping out from
the window and by Taro's bed. "That's no way for a martial artist to
talk."
"Shut up, old man, I'm not in the mood for it tonight."
"How bad's the damage?"
"Fingers are okay, just bruised and bleeding a little. Bones in my
toes are fractured or broken. I won't be walking for a while."
"I see, I see," said Happosai, nodding sagely. "That kid's more
vicious than I though. Didn't think he had it in him."
In a voice that expressed a promise of painful, fiery, bloody
vengeance, Taro asked:
"Who?"
"Hm?"
"Who was he?"
"Ryo Muhoshin, a more recent addition to the neighborhood." Happosai
took a long drag from his pipe, then blew a few smoke panties.
Wistfully, he watched them drift away. "Just what an old man like me
needs to keep his edge, don't you think?"
"Is... is that all we are to you?" asked Taro, his voice slurred a
bit. The sedatives, he observed, were finally hitting hard. "Just...
just here to... amuse you?"
"When you've lived as long as I have, you end with interesting
hobbies."
"So... my name stays... Pan... er... as it is now?"
Happosai mulled it over briefly. "Hrm. Yes, I guess so."
"Damn."
"Well, try again next year, hm?"
"Next... year?"
"Yes, the next King of Nerima tournament! You WILL be there, won't
you?"
"The same... deal?"
"Of course."
"You can count on it."
*
There was a noticeable chill in the air that suddenly swept the Tendo
home. It began after the door opened. Of course, Kasumi didn't
notice it.
"Muhoshin-san, hello!"
"Good evening, Kasumi-san."
Ryouga blinked. "She didn't just say..."
In from the hallway, following behind Kasumi, strode Ryo Muhoshin. He
still looked a bit soggy, with disturbing red stains remaining on his
shirt and his ever-present umbrella tucked under his arm. The room
fell silent and still, with all eyes watching him carefully. Ranma
and Ryouga tensed. Ukyou scowled. Hiroshi, Daisuke, and Nabiki kept
a careful watch of his actions as well.
"Kyoko is done for the evening, yes?" asked Ryo.
"Yes, in fact she had dinner with us."
Ryo smiled. "You're entirely too gracious, Kasumi-san."
"Let me go get Kyoko-chan, I think she's in the dojo with Akane."
The moment Kasumi left the room, Ryo's face snapped into a cold,
condescending, arrogant mask. He took a moment to slowly look at each
person in the room, examining them like insects under glass.
"My, it seems quiet in here," he said mockingly. "You'd think someone
almost died."
More silence.
"Well, it is a martial arts tournament. People get hurt. Isn't that
right... Kuonji?"
Ukyou stood up, not caring that she wasn't armed. "Now listen, you-"
It was at this moment that a 12 year old bundle of hyperactivity chose
to shatter the moood.
"Oniiiiiiiiii-SAN!" *GLOMP*
"Awk!" -thud-.
"You missed Kasumi-neesan's dinner!" said Kyoko, pouting.
"Ah. My loss. Now let me stand."
Kasumi entered, followed by Akane. Seeing the commotion, Kasumi
smiled and giggled. She always did so like happy little children
at play. "Oh my."
Akane, on the other hand, immediately frowned.
Ryo's face shifted once again into that alien look of actual
normal human behaviour and politeness. "Well, we'll be taking
our leave now. Come along, child."
After they left, Akane shook her head in disbelief. "How can a girl
like that be the younger sister of a jerk like him?"
"Well, look at Kasumi and look at you," said Ranma casually.
*WHAM*
"Ooooow..."
*
The walk, he was hoping, was going to be a peaceful, quiet thing.
With a child like Kyoko, he should have had lower hopes.
"What's that stuff on your shirt, oniisan?"
"Blood, Kyoko. Dried blood."
"Why?"
"I battled a large bull-thing and turned its feet into bloody stumps."
"Oh." Kyoko blinked repeatedly for a moment. "So you won?"
"Yes."
"Wai!"
"Wai indeed." Ryo took a deep breath. "Well, do you have your
analysis of the Anything Goes style ready?"
"Want ice cream!"
"Er, what?"
"Ice cream!" Kyoko pointed at a Yojojimbo's 42 Flavors ice cream
parlor.
"Ice cream," said Ryo flatly.
"Mm-hm!"
"Right."
-a few minutes later-
"Happy now?"
Kyoko, with eyes wide and sparkling, looked happily at her
five-scoop ice cream cone. "Mm-hm!"
"Okay, now abou-"
"I'm tired."
"Eh? Tired?"
"Mm-hm."
Ryo frowned, then backed away with a slightly agitated look on his
face. "You are NOT going to ask me to..."
"Please, oniisan?"
"No."
"Pleeeeeeeease."
"No.
"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseple-"
"OKAY, OKAY, JUST STOP IT!"
-a moment later-
Ryo looked upwards with a scowl on his face. "Do NOT let that ice
cream drip on me. Understand?"
"Mm-hm!"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
"Yep!"
"Right."
This, in his mind, was not good. He had an image to keep up. Ryo
Muhoshin, the 'Dapper Destroyer' as the television people were
beginning to call him, giving his little sister a ride on his
shoulders? He would be terminally embarrased. Witnesses would have
to be killed.
"Well, how did things go at the Tendo's today?" he asked.
"Went good!"
"Right. Learn anything interesting?"
"Mm-hm! The essential philosophy of the Anything Goes School of
Martial Arts!" she said proudly.
"Ah. Good. Tell me when we get home, I'm too tired to listen now."
"Oh. Okay!"
They traveled through city blocks, quiet roads, and serene bridges in
silence. That was exactly what Ryo was hoping for, and the ice cream
served its purpose, keeping her too busy to chatter away at hyper
speed.
-splat-
"KYOKO."
"Oopsie. Sorry."
Well, there was a drawback, but...
-splat-
"AHEM."
"Oopsie!"
"Grrr..."
*
"Come away with me," said Prince Toma in a suave (well, as suave as
one can get with a squeaky pubescent voice) manner. "You'll be the
princess of my kingdom isle."
"Oh Toma," sighed Kurumi.
They held hands.
They embraced.
The bridge exploded under their feet and they tumbled through the air
for what seemed like an eternity until they hit the water below.
"Why'd ya do that?" asked Kyoko, peering curiously over the jagged
edge of what was left of the bridge.
"Stress relief," said Ryo, twirling his umbrella, "just a little
stress relief. Feel much better now." He took a moment to kick some
rubble into the water as well, then resumed on his way.
"Oh. How'd ya do in the tournament?" she asked.
"Did well."
"As usual?"
"As usual."
"Oh. Wai!"
"Yes yes yes, wai wai wai."
"Where's Akari-neesan?"
"Don't ask."
"I don't see her a lot," she said, pouting. "You don't let me talk to
her enough."
"Oh my, really?"
"Mm-hm!"
"Oh well."
"Oniisan?"
"Hm?"
"Could you... um..."
"Say it."
"Could you sing that song for me?"
"_What_?"
"Sing the song you said Mommy used to sing, I wanna hear it again."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pleeease?"
"N... all right, but you have to analyze some extra combat footage of
Ranma and Ryouga for me, okay?"
"Okay. Sing!"
Ryo sighed.
He took a deep breath.
"Nobody had better be in earshot aside from you."
"Sing! Singsingsing!"
"Right. Sing."
"Wai!"
Ryo rolled his eyes up. "Wai me?"
"Hey!"
"Ah, right."
o/" Somewhere... beyond the sea...o/"
o/" Somewhere... waiting for me o/"
o/" My lover stands on golden saaaaaaaaands o/"
o/" and watches the ships that go saaaaaaaailing o/"
"Your turn."
Kyoko nodded happily, and belted out in a cheery voice:
o/" Somewhere... beyond the sea o/"
o/" She's there watching for me o/"
o/" if I could fly like birds on high o/"
o/" then straight to her arms I'd go saaaaaailing o/"
"Duet!" yelled Kyoko.
Ryo sighed. "Right, right."
And together they yowled...
o/" It's faaaaar, beyond the staaaaaars o/"
o/" It's neeeear, beyond the moon o/"
o/" I knoooooooow, beyond a doubt! o/"
o/" My heart will lead me there soon! o/"
o/" We'll meet, beyond the shore o/"
o/" Then we'll kiss, just as before o/"
o/" Happy we'll be beyond the seeeeeeeeeea
o/" and never again I'll go saaaaiiilin'. o/"
*
[Much later...]
At Ucchan's, Ryouga and Ukyou were lounging about Ukyou's 'living
room', a small area big enough to fit one couch and a large
television. Both were seated on the couch at the moment, Ryouga just
watching while Ukyou munched on some rice cakes, soda, and channel
surfed as if born with the talent.
"So, it's just me and him," said Ryouga quietly.
"Hm?" Ukyou wanted to say. However, with a mouth full of rice cakes,
it came out oas "MMMF?"
"From the old days, I mean."
"Oh," she meant to say. Instead, it was, "MF."
"I mean, it used to be me, Ranma, and Mousse in the old days."
"MF!"
"Oh yeah, of course, you, Akane and Shampoo too."
"Mf."
"I guess I just miss the way we all used to hang out together, even if
we were trying to kill each other."
"Mm?"
"I mean, sure we can visit Ranma and Akane any time, but now it just
feels... awkward. Don't you think so?"
"Mm."
"Was that a yes or no?"
"Mm."
"One 'mm' for yes, two for no."
"Mm."
"Oh. Okay."
She finally swallowed and washed down the rice cakes with a chug from
the bottle of cola.
"Ah. Much better."
"I've never seen you eat like that before," said Ryouga.
"I haven't been beaten in a long while." She sped through several
more channels, then sighed and stopped. "I was kinda hoping to
actually win this thing, even if there was Ranma at the end."
"Huh?"
"Ranma. C'mon, you know he always wins these things. It's the
way things seem to work around here. If it's got martial arts
and Ranma's in it, he'll win sooner or later." She sighed and
sunk into the couch. "It would've been nice to win... at least
once."
Ryouga looked grim for a moment, looking away and out the window into
the night sky.
"I'll beat him," he said quietly.
"Hm?"
"I'll win this. For all those stupid dreams we used to have, you and
me, and for all the times we came up short, I'm gonna win this."
Ukyou smiled. "Well, good luck sugar. You'll need it."
-end part 2-
***SPOILERS***
WRITER'S NOTES:
The Big Index of Obscure Ranma 1/2 Characters
for the King of Nerima Tournament
----------------------------------------------------------
Copycat Ken (anime)
Physically, he's somewhat shorter than Ryouga, sporting a
white t-shirt, slacks, suspenders, and a red bandanna draped
over his head exactly like Genma. His specialty is immitating
other martial artists to an uncanny degree, even taking on their
physical appearance and voice. He can 'morph' into other fighters
when he pulls out a dark green cloak and covers himself with it
briefly, taking only a second for the change to take place. He
managed to defeat Kuno, Mousse, Ryouga and Ranma once before, but
Ranma managed to tap into inner reserves and execute the chestnut
fist at a speed which Ken just couldn't match.
Ryuu Kumon: (MANGA/(anime?))
Many years ago, Genma offered a scroll containing the secrets
of his secret 'Yamasen-ken' technique to the master of the
Kumon dojo in exchange for some food. A short while later,
the Kumon dojo, with Kumon-san inside, crashed to the ground.
Ryuu Kumon, the son, blamed Genma for the fall of the Kumon
Dojo. He also mastered the Yamasen-ken techniques, which
were deadly enough to defeat Ranma in combat. He posed
as Ranma for a while to get the complimenting style of
martial arts, 'Umisen-ken' from Ranma's mother. To defeat
Ryuu, Ranma learned the Umisen-ken and used it to defeat
Ryuu Kumon, also making him promise to never use the
Yamasen-ken techniques ever again. He's had an occasional
mean streak, little patience, but does have enough honor to
be a man of his word. In terms of martial arts skill, he
gave Ranma a run for his money, defeating him once. It'd be
fair to say that Ryuu is as good as anyone that's ever been
a Nerima martial artist.
Ebiten: (MOVIE1)
Short fellow that weilds a fishing rod. Member of the 7 Lucky
Gods Martial Arts Dojo.
Sarotoru: (MOVIE2)
Monkey-man that has the ability to force his opponents into
a state of severe depression via odd ki blast. Was unfortunate
enough to do this technique to Ryouga.
Kimiyasu Daitokuji (manga)
Master of Men's Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts. Leader of
a team of gymnastics martial artists that challanged
Kodachi's team.
Pantyhose Taro (ANIME/MANGA)
boy that was baptised by Happosai many years ago. Unfortunately,
he was baptised in Jusenkyou, into the spring of yeti riding
a bull while carrying an eel and a crane. He's been after
Happosai, demanding that he change his name. By tradition, only
the one that baptised Taro can change his name, so that leaves
only Happosai to do the job. He's been far from willing to do
that, feeling that Pantyhose is a perfectly fine name.
In human form he can hold his own against Ranma, although the
two have never had a definitive human vs. human match before.
At the most, they've fought briefly with no definite outcome.
In his cursed form Taro is incredibly powerful, fully capable
of taking any challanger on... except Happosai.
-----------------------------------------------------------
misc.
Magical Girl Kuruma
made her first appearance in The Pursuit of Happiness
Act 1 part 2. She's a bit new at this magical girl thing...
Plasticite: Nobody important.
Masakari Kujo
made his first appearance as an april fools TPOH shortfic
written by Mike Loader. The guy was too good not to use,
so alas here he is now.
Sakamoto Rei: nobody important, really.