Greetings people!  I apologize for my sparse postings to the list.  After many
 weeks, here is the next installment of the Journeys of Ryouga...

I don't own any of these charactors, only the situation is mine.

The Journeys of Ryouga- A Maxxiumum Detour
by Jeff Walker

	�Something�s not right,� Ryouga thought to himself, �I was in a city not two
 seconds ago, wasn�t I?�  He looked around himself, vast plains, smoking
 volcanoes, odd looking rock structures, no city.  �Hmmmmm, well no point in
 standing here, every traveler knows, �If your lost, keep going!��  After about
 an hour of walking it was becoming apparent to Ryouga that he wasn�t in Japan
 anymore.  As the small white creature that had been trailing him started to
 gnaw on his leg, Ryouga was fairly sure he wasn�t on earth any more. He
 reached down, yanked the little bugger off his leg, and held it at arms length
 to investigate.  
	�Looks like a Marshmallow with teeth.� Ryouga thought to himself, as he
 prodded the thing experimentally with his finger.  The small creature chirped
 happily and attempted to bite his finger off.  Ryouga gave a startled yelp and
 chucked the creature at a nearby rock. The creature exploded on impact,
 showering the area with it�s gooey black insides.  �What do you know,� Ryouga
 said to himself, �Marshmallow filling even.  Well Now I�m convinced, sooner I
 get out of here the better.�  Ryouga turned to leave and felt the hairs on the
 back of his neck stand up... he was being followed.

	�Hmmmmmm, strange one is strong,� Maxx thought as he attempted to hide his
 hulking frame behind a small outcropping of rocks, �He senses Maxx, but Maxx
 is master of tracking, something�s wrong.�  Maxx slid down further to avoid
 being detected, so far the strange one had only sensed him, he still hadn�t a
 clue where Maxx hid.  He had never hunted a creature like this.  He was used
 to a short stalk and the kill.  He had been tracking this animal for weeks, or
 wait, had it only just shown up?  Damn it!  Not now, he needed his brain now
 more than ever.  Well it didn�t matter how long he had been tracking the
 strange one, all he knew was that he hadn�t left any openings yet.  Well it
 was a challenge then, he hadn�t had a challenge for a while now.  Grim
 determination set upon Maxx�s face, he would be triumphant!

	Ryouga held his position, he knew an attack was coming but he didn�t know the
 direction yet.  He prepared his body for battle, feeling his Ki flow through
 him and harden his muscles into rock.  Then he was on his face.  Ryouga
 twisted around and flipped back to put distance between himself and his
 opponent.  He then faced his aggressor, and nearly laughed at the sight in
 front of him.  He was looking at a 2 ton circus freak, the hunched figure in
 front of him wore a toothy mask topped with something akin to an Indian
 headdress and was decked head to foot in... snirk, purple spandex.  He blinked
 to make sure he wasn�t seeing things and then discovered his mistake, his
 opponent took advantage of his slight hesitation and sent him flying into one
 of the various rock formations dotting the landscape.
	�O-Kay!� Ryouga stated as the rock formation caved in on him, �So that wasn�t
 very funny.  Well I won�t let him catch me like that again, looks like I�ll
 have to get serious here.�  With that, Ryouga slipped his backpack off and
 prepared for the counter-attack.

	�Maxx stand triumphant over strange one, now to find body and collect
 trophy.�  Maxx walked over to the rubble and began digging for Ryouga�s body.
 As Maxx hefted a ridiculously large rock over his head he felt a rumbling deep
 under the pile.  As the rumbling grew in intensity Maxx could think of only
 one thing to say, �Crap.�
	The pile of rubble exploded and Maxx flew back as he was pelted by numerous
 stones.  He shook himself off and stood grumbling to receive a massive kick to
 the chest. He staggered back and immediately threw himself into battle.
	�Maxx taken by surprise by strange ones tricks, now to finish fight!  Maxx
 must pummel strange one as he would a swarm of Izz!!�

	�What the hell are you talking about?� Ryouga yelled as he fended off the
 blows his colorful attacker rained on him.  He was strong, maybe even as
 strong as Ryouga, but he lacked skill.  Ryouga grunted as he took a blow to
 the gut and another to the side of the head.  �I�ll be damned if his power
 doesn�t make up for it though.� Ryouga thought.  He backed off and was ready
 when the next attack came.  He caught the massive arm with both hands and
 twisted with all his might.  The earth shook as Ryouga�s foe was flipped over
 and onto his back.  Ryouga followed with a barrage of punches to the gut and
 face.  He hopped back and waited as his opponent stood and executed a side
 thrust to the gut and watched in satisfaction as his purple friend became one
 with the earth.  His satisfaction turned to shock as the guy got back up!

	Maxx was a little pissed now, it wasn�t often he was knocked around,
 Actually he never got knocked around.  This would call for some serious
 action, Maxx decided to charge again.  He tackled the strange one and
 proceeded to grapple.  �Strange one is strong but Maxx is King of Australia,
 only I may prevail!�  With that Maxx picked Ryouga up and maneuvered him into
 a full nelson. Squeezing with all his might, he never noticed his quarry had
 slipped away until he received a punch to the face.  He immediately began to
 trade blows with his opponent.

	Ryouga began to gasp for air.  �How can I be tired already?� he thought,
 perplexed, �I�ve fought Ranma for days on end and not felt as tired as am now.
 We�ve only been fighting for a few minutes haven�t we?�  Ryouga backed up, at
 this rate he might actually lose the fight.  He had to end this now.  With a
 deep breath he built up his reserve Ki and prepared to strike.

	�Maxx is tired, battle is turning to the side of the enemy.  Maxx must call
 upon the strength of the Wyld to end this battle now.�

	Storm clouds gathered as the two weary warriors stood and faced each other.
 Each staring at the other with all the ferocity he could muster.  With a
 heave, each began to charge the other, the ground trembled as the two fearsome
 juggernauts converged on the same spot in the middle of the grassy plains.
 Time slowed as they reached each other, as the mighty blows reached the apex
 of their curve, a resounding blast was heard.

	Ryouga woke to find himself lying on cold concrete, with a start he awoke and
 realized it was raining.  He looked around frantically for his umbrella and
 rushed for it when he spotted it a few yards away.  As he reached his pack and
 umbrella he calmed as he noticed he was underneath a large overpass.  Ryouga
 reached down and hefted his pack onto his back.  When he attempted to look
 back on the previous events he found his mind to be in a haze.  Dismissing it
 all as an odd dream brought on by spending the night in a cement bed, Ryouga
 shook his head and turned to leave.  After taking a step he ran smack into
 something, backing off and looking up he saw it was just an old bum in a huge
 green trench coat and red cap.
	�Ah, so sorry,� Ryouga said.  The huge bum just nodded.
	�No problem,� he said in a deep husky voice.  With that the bum walked over
 between two of the pillars, sat down and put his head down.  The man had an
 air of depression that saturated the surroundings and hung heavy in the air.
	�I know just how he feels,� thought Ryouga as he began to walk away, �Funny,
 he seems awfully familiar.�  Ryouga walked silently through the night, his
 umbrella guarding him from the rain.


I make no excuses for this, I just like the Maxx.  I've always thought that he
 and Ryouga had so much in common but were totaly different.  Well until next
 time...

-The Texas Ranger