Private Bet #10 Chapter III 
by Shade 

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and affiliates are the 
property of Rumiko Takahashi, Rifts and 
Phase World are owned by Palladium. Other 
references belong to their respective owners. 

Many thanks go to my prereaders: 
The Apprentice, Gregg Sharp, Ammadeau, and Skysaber.

Constructive C&C is always welcome. 

If you want previous parts and the other Private Bets 
go here -> http://members.xoom.com/Ranma_Tenchi/main.html 

Author's note: This was so big it had to be broken up into
               several parts. Just clip and paste to complete.
~~~~~~~~ 
1f: The Chaos Of Any Closed System Tends Toward The Maximum 
~~~~~~~~ 

It had not been a good day for the forces of Evil.
And now it was about to get a whole lot worse.

But mindful of the horrible punishment awaiting them 
if they returned in failure, the villianous pair were 
determined to try and defeat the intimidating armored figure 
opposing them or at least find out more about his capabilities 
before having to retreat. 

Hovering at what they believed to be a safe distance, about 
fifty feet above the street, the generals fell back to their tactic
of attacking from a distance with their lethal supernatural abilities.
The fact that this strategy hadn�t worked before didn�t deter them 
from using it again. Their initial fright at the sight of a Rune weapon 
was eclipsed (just barely) by their fear of their mistress�s wrath.
The sword was only dangerous if it could reach them after all,
but *her* grasp stretched across the dimensions.
~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately for Metall�a�s minions, Ishtar happened to be one of 
the Splugorth�s latest models, or so was commonly believed. Perhaps 
it would be more accurate to call her the Asgardian Dwarves� final 
masterpiece before their secrets were stolen and perverted by the 
dimensional invaders. The sword itself had remained hidden for eons,
a lifeless shell awaiting the proper rituals that would bind a helpless soul 
into the weapon�s heart for all eternity. Even the entrapped goddess 
didn�t know the true age of the ancient weapon, it had been old when 
she was was first assimilated into it and that had been untold ages ago.
Time had little meaning to those it did not touch.

For what purpose had such a cruel yet hauntingly beautiful 
thing been intended for? She had often wondered about that 
during those long stretches when she was not being wielded 
by her owner, when she was truly alone. Perhaps it was just 
a silly whimsy but Ishtar felt sure that there had to be some 
greater destiny that they had yet to fulfill. At the very least 
it helped her stay sane, yet recently there had been more then 
a hint of truth to support her belief in a larger plan at work. 

Since her creation the sword had known many owners, 
a few had been good creatures of renown, but far too 
many had turned out to be inhuman monsters that had 
forced the proud spirit to cater to their sadistic whims.
Each one had used her differently from the rest, through 
some process that she still didn�t understand the powers
accessible from the Rune Blade varied with the individual 
who possessed Istar. At least that was how it had been, 
until Ranma had come and freed the sword from her last 
master, a ancient Intelligence that was twisted and corrupt 
even by the loose standards of the Splugorth.

He was different, and not just because she loved him. Ranma
was truly her first, never before had the lonely soul residing 
within formed such a complete bond with her owner. He 
completed her, filling the dark emptiness and making the 
longing spirit whole once more. The boy, who was in truth 
more of a man then many she had met (both before and after 
her imprisonment), had unlocked the powers of healing and 
rejuvenation that had been buried so deeply within that Ishtar 
had thought them long since lost to the ages.

In his hands Ishtar had finally become the weapon of Life 
the she was originally intended to be and the sword would 
defend that cherished link between them at any cost. A link
that not only shielded Ranma�s mind but also provided a 
early warning system that increased his combat effectiveness 
tenfold by keeping him one step ahead of his opponents. 
 
A Cosmoknight might not be able to use the mystical �Force� one 
of his instructors had once told him about, but with Ishtar in hand 
he could imitate it well enough to fool just about anyone else. Small 
wonder that the Sploogies had put out such an obscene reward on his 
head.

So when Malach�te and Jedi�te hurled a volley of levin-bolts, (small 
bluish white torpedoes of pure magical fury) at Ranma, it came as quite 
a nasty surprise to see him twirl his sword in a defensive weave 
that not only managed to parry every one of their attacks but also sent 
the projectiles hurtling back to their points of origin.
~~~~~~~~~
-A short distance away

�Are you getting it all?�

The News 5 anchor looked as close to total ecstasy 
as a normal person can get (short of summoning the
monster with two backs), what had been another boring
day of noodle shops and long interviews with middle aged 
housewives had turned into the opportunity of a lifetime.
First the famous Sailor Senshi and now this! He could see
the headlines now: �Japan�s newest superhero; 
The Knight Hawk!�.

Never mind that they didn�t even know who he was, 
just imagine the awards and accompanying pay raise
for this brilliant stroke of journalistic luck!

�I�m getting it! I�m getting it! I just ain�t believing it!�

The camera man was entertaining similar fantasies.
The tabloids were going to pay a fortune for his story.
Heck, this might be enough to finally pay off the camera
loan from that Nabiki girl.
~~~~~~~~

�Well, now we know he�s definitely been 
hanging around with the Jedi.�

The Guardian slumped back, having long ago given up
trying to comprehend the insanity of this complex 
timeline and just had decided to just keep accepting 
it on faith. He squinted a bit to get a better of look at
Ranma�s movements, it looked more like dancing then 
martial arts swordplay from here.

�Some of that foot work seems strangely familar.�

�That�s because he�s using parts from *MY* fighting style!!!�

Now Shadow looked rather peeved. He turned toward Zora
and asked the obvious question.

�There are only five people in the Multiverse who have ever used
that particular style of sword fighting. Two are dead, one�s an evil 
assassin scum and I know for sure that I didn�t teach it to him,
so who.....�

He saw that �gleam� in her eye. The same one that she�d had 
every time some new insanity sprung up to add to the already
chaotic nature of her Bet.

�....Oh no.....�

Shadow could do math as well as anyone else. Five minus
four meant that there was only one possibilty left. A moment 
later Zora confirmed his worst fears.

�Ranma deserved the best instructor.�

�But why HIM?! That guy�s even more reckless then *I* am!�

{�I wouldn�t be so sure about that.�}

�Your point?�

That seemed to silence him as he tried in vain to 
muster a counterargument.

Seeing that Rowan seemed to know what was going on 
again (like always), the curious musican directed his query 
to him.

�What gives?�

�Ranma�s using a modified Drow fighting stance,
which also happens to be the same one that Shadow 
favors in combat.�

�A Drow fighting stance?!�

Comprehension started to dawn, The Bard�s home 
dimension was a backwater place but it wasn�t 
*that* out of touch with the other worlds. (1)
~~~~~~~~~
-Masaki Household

Washu Habuki was both intrigued and frustrated, 
a combination that spelled nothing but trouble 
for the poor soul who had attracted her interest 
(something a certain Tenchi Masaki had learned 
through first hand experience).

These camera devices were so primitive!
How was she supposed to get the scientific 
data she needed on that interesting specimen 
when the blasted things couldn�t even register
the infrared spectrum? 

Her hyperdimensional keyboard was already 
being put to work analyzing the scant information
being provided by the broadcast. That fighting style 
was like nothing she had ever seen before and there
was no match to be found in a cross-reference
against the Universal database either, something 
Washu would have previously sworn was impossible.
There was also that remarkable interaction with a 
extra-dimensional pocket of subspace, something
that should be lightyears beyond the inhabitants of 
this backwards little planet. And then there was that
sword! Without proper testing she couldn�t know 
exactly how powerful it was, but she could make a 
reasonable estimate. If she was right (almost a given)
then that weapon was almost as strong as Ryoko�s 
and Minagi�s blades combined. 

{Very interesting....}

It wasn�t every day that the genius discovered 
something that might possibly surpass her masterpieces.
Tenchi had been one, could this be another?

{I�ll have some fun finding out!!}

The spiky red haired scientist made a mental note to 
dispatch some of her new probes to Tokyo. It just 
wouldn�t do to have her data on this interesting person 
remain so incomplete. A gleam came to her green eyes
at the thought of all the samples she would need.
~~~~~~~~ 

Once Aeka saw that her younger sister was no 
longer in immediate danger she calmed down 
enough to start paying attention to the rest of 
what was being broadcast. Specifically the rather
imtimidating newcomer was the focus of her 
attention. She was already favorably inclined  
toward him seeing as he�d just saved Sasami,
for a moment she even briefly considered that it 
might be Lord Tenchi beneath that dark armor.

{No! Lord Tenchi would never be so 
forceful...so...savage...so virile....}

At some point during this interesting line of 
thought her cheeks had turned beet red and her 
hands began to twiddle her fingers together 
aimlessly as the princess�s imagination placed
her in Sasami�s place with a fierce looking Tenchi
in Jurai battle armor coming to her rescue.
~~~~~~~
-Juuban District

Being a true hero in modern times is often a 
thankless duty where the hazards of the job 
usually outweigh the potential rewards involved.
But there are some fringe benefits, like seeing
the evil warlocks frantically doing their best 
to dodge their own magical missiles and looking
like complete buffoons in the process.

�Look out!�

�Get out of my way!�

And while those two were busy on avoiding their own 
levin-bolts they wouldn�t be able to muster up 
enough concentration to teleport....

Ranma was already moving as soon 
as he�d blocked the last one of their shots.

Jedi�te was the first to realize their peril.

�He set us up!�

Too late. 
~~~~~~~~~
Eyecatch #3

(Ryoga Hibiki comes running on screen shouting 
his traditional battlecry.)

(Ryoga: �Ranma! Prepare to die!!�)

(Ranma turns around and eases into a ready stance.)

*Whump*

(A large metal foot squashes Ryoga right 
before he can take a swing at his nemesis.) 

(Ranma looks up to see a Triax Ultimax robot 
armor, the cockpit pops open to reveal a smiling 
Makoto-chan who waves down at him.)

(Ranma heaves a small sigh as the Ultimax lumbers 
to the side.)

(Ryoga, slightly battered but still angry, 
gets up and tries again.)

(Ryoga: �Die Ranma!!!�)

(Once again Ranma gets ready for a fight).

*Stomp*

(Cutey Honey and Nuku Nuku in a modified 
Spider Walker (has a smiling kawaii cat face instead 
of the traditional skull) walk through to get a good 
view from the sidelines.)

(Ranma has a small sweatdrop on his head.)

(Now a rather dazed and bruised Ryoga 
staggers weakly to a sorta upright position.)

(Ryoga: I�m going to kill...
*pauses as he looks up*....
Oh no, not again!�)

*SCRUNCH*

(An AT-AT with Skuld at the helm has arrived.)

(Skuld: �Oopsie!�)

(Ranma has a *big* sweatdrop on his head now.)

(Ranma: �Hey! How am I supposed to be a hero when 
you girls keep beating up all the villains?!!�)

(Ryoga is now a crumpled mess as 
the giant war machine moves off.)

(Ryoga: �Why is this happening me?!!�)

*STOMP**GRIND**SCRAPE**SCRAPE*

(Eva units 00 and 02 take a moment 
to wipe their feet.)

(Asuka: �Ewww....and I just had it washed too.)

(Ranma slaps a hand to his forehead and sneaks 
away as the gathered girls get into an argument 
over who he�s going to be riding home with.)
~~~~~~~~~
-Ristmoth System, 4 hours into the battle
<BGM: Return of the Jedi, The Battle around the Death Star>

�Watch it Falcon! You�ve picked up a tail!�

�I see him. Get ready to deliver an industrial strength 
wedgie Hornet.�

�Just leave it to me. On three.�

The Imperial Fang closed in on the Rebel starfighter 
with g-cannons blazing, its pilot totally focused 
on aquiring his next kill of the day. He never saw the 
the other Black Eagle starfighter sneaking up on him
from behind. 

�Three!�

So when his quarry suddenly made an 
abrupt climb with full afterburners on he was still 
trying to keep his dogtail when the first laser blasts
punched through his fighter�s shields and penetrated
past the armored engine housing into the delicate equipment 
maintaining the protective electromagnetic barrier around his 
ship�s antimatter fuel supply.

In space your first mistake is also usually your last one.

The conscripted pilot, fresh from the Imperial Acadamy 
went out with a bang. One tiny insignificant death among the 
hundreds of thousands that took place that day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Back to Earth (relatively speaking)

As a dedicated martial artist Ranma could jump 
unaided to a height of thirty feet. And that had 
been *before* his transformation. By the time 
they saw him coming he was already too close.

Ranma felt a brief stab of guilt for actually enjoying the 
look of absolute terror on his target�s face. Ishtar on the
other hand had no such qualms. This was what she lived for, 
the total destruction of the forces of evil so similar to those 
that had enslaved her. 

The silver blade glowed hungrily as it came 
cutting down, blasting through Jedi�te�s forcefield 
as it were no more substantial then a soap bubble. 
Then it hit something more solid, though not by 
much considering that the weapon was capable of
cutting through high grade duranium alloy like it 
was cotton candy.

�Eiiieeeaaaaauuuugghhhhh!!!� The blond general 
howled in inhuman agony as his arm dropped to 
the street, cleanly severed at the shoulder. The wound 
was cauterized almost instantly as the sword�s magic 
went to work, inflicting additional damage to his 
corrupted flesh. Despite the incredible pain he was in
Jedi�te retained enough of his senses to realize he 
couldn�t survive another blow like that. Using the last 
remaining reserves of his inner strength the badly wounded 
villian dematerialized back to his home dimension just as he 
was about to be made a head shorter. 

A split second later the Rune sword slashed ineffectually 
through the empty space he�d been occupying.

{Sithspawn!}

[Damn! I almost had him too!]

And then there was one.
~~~~~~~~~
-Cosplay City

The Hayami household was glued to the television. 
After all it�s not every day that you get to see someone 
*else* fighting the big bad monsters for a change.

There had been a few bad moments when things
had almost gotten out of hand, namely when 
the guy holding the camera tried to sneak a 
few shots beneath the Sailor Senshi�s skirts
as they high jumped every which way during 
the first few minutes of the battle.

Akakabu Hayami was still nursing a black eye
where his wife Daiko had belted him a good one.

His son Chokei was in a similar position. Natsuko
had given her boyfriend the patented  *evil eye of a 
jealous significant other* along with a slap to the back 
of his head to break the spell of the skimpy uniforms.

Grandfather Danbei and Professor Kabuto had just stared 
and drooled like the dirty old men that they were.

Honey Kisaragi on the other hand 
had remained silent, at least until the
the mysterious newcomer had shown 
up. After a few minutes of watching 
him in action it was she could do to 
keep her quiet composure. It was 
almost scary how efficiently he dealt
with those shadowy creatures. Then 
he�d produced that sword from thin air 
and any uncertainties about making a visit 
to Tokyo vanished then and there.

Mayor Light would understand the 
necessity once it was explained to him. 
Youma and evildoers alike beware, 
Cutey Honey was coming to town!
~~~~~~~~~
-Furinkan High

Nabiki Tendo was not happy.

�Where is he?�

Her agents were the most clever girls on 
campus, masters of secretive spying and
schoolyard gossip. Right now they cringed 
before the barely controlled wrath of their 
mistress as they reported their first failure.

�Um.....we don�t know.�

�You....don�t...know?�

Somehow she managed to loom over all of them,
proving that Nabiki was indeed an heir to the 
Tendo side of the Anything Goes Style.

�He�s not anywhere on campus. The last time 
Ranma Saotome was seen was right after the
incident with Kuno on the field. 
We checked and he�snotthereanymore.�

Near the end they started to babble in fear as
Nabiki upped her financial aura. While not
as physically imposing as a battle aura it was
more then enough to cow her fellow students.

�That was over thirty minutes ago ladies, and 
you know I pride myself on only having the 
latest up to the date information on every 
student here.�

The little group began to eagerly nod their heads,
anything to avert the other shoe from dropping.

�So go out and look again! He�s just one guy! 
How hard can it be to find him?!�

Oh, if she only knew....
~~~~~~~~~
-500 miles north of Tokyo

Ryoga Hibiki, after much trial and hardships 
was finally back on his native soil.

He�d had to leave China rather quickly, before 
the bodies of his latest victims were discovered.
It was only a stroke of luck that had allowed him 
to learn that his hated nemesis also intended to 
return to Japan. The poor old man who�d been nice
enough to tell him that had payed for his kindness with 
his life. His cursed body had new cravings now, needs 
that could only be satisfied by the pain and suffering of 
others. Their blood and death made him stronger, more 
powerful then he had ever dreamed imaginable. But still he 
hated his cursed form�s looks, why did it have be so...so...
.....so damn CUTE?!

Like everything that went wrong in his 
miserable life it had to be all Ranma�s fault. 
If it rained, it was Ranma�s fault. If he walked 
into the woman�s side of the public bath it
was Ranma�s fault. If he went berserk in his 
cursed form and started slaughtering innocent 
people it was still Ranma�s fault. Even the misery 
he�d suffered before he even met that accursed 
Saotome for the first time was somehow still 
Ranma�s fault. If he ever bothered to sit down 
and actually think about it he was sure he would 
eventually find a connection linking the two.

Onward the relentless monster in
the guise of a man strode, seeking 
his arch-enemy.

�Damn you to everlasting hell Saotome!!�

A giant sumo pig suddenly rose up in 
front of the ranting lost boy to block 
his way. Unknowingly Ryoga had wandered 
onto the Unryu Fighting Pig Farm.

Katsunishki grunted a warning to the 
stranger, the animal could smell the 
taint of bloodshed clinging to this one.
It was a faint sickly sweet odor that 
would always mark the human to 
those who could sense such things.

Ryoga almost smiled, his face was so 
unused to that expression that it came out
more like a mangled grimace. At least during
those moments when he fought man or beast 
he didn�t have to think. He licked his parched lips.

�Fresh meat.�

The pig was loyal and well trained.
It would rather die then ever desert 
its post as defender of the farm. 

Katsunishki was big, he was strong, 
he was brave. But that would not save him.

Luck was with Akari that day, she had gone to 
town that day with one of the piglets to get it 
treated by the local vet for a mild cold.

Unfortunately, her grandfather wasn�t with her this time.

A loud agonized squeal rang out once 
before suddenly going silent.

It was not the first death that day, 
nor would it be the last.
~~~~~~~~~~~
-Saotome Residence

�Chi, Azusa, have either one of 
you ever heard of this Kama Sutra
book before?�

Yohko Mano held up a rather plain 
little hardcover book that looked rather 
old and only had the short title on its front.

�Can�t say that I have Yohko, though it does 
sound rather familar for some reason. It�s 
probably filled with recipes or something.�

The brown haired freckled manager was munching 
on another one of those cookies Mrs Saotome had 
left out for them.

� Well, Aunty Nodoka said that we should study 
it until we know the contents by heart.� 

Azusa, Devil Hunter in training piped up as she set 
down yet another batch of study materials that they
had been given as part of the Anything Goes Bridal 
Instruction.

Yohko sighed, who would have suspected that the 
nice lady they�d first met was such a formidable 
taskmaster?! It was like training under Grandma 
all over again.

�In that case I guess we should all take 
a look at it then...�
~~~~~~~~~~
-Juuban District

After the retreat of Jedi�te the battle between 
Ranma and Malach�te had quickly turned into 
a high speed game of tag, except the loser 
wouldn�t survive being �it�.  

No sooner did the white-blond sorcerer materialize 
at one spot then he immediately released a flurry of 
red flaming bolts before teleporting to another 
location where the process was repeated yet again. 
 
While Ranma was able to deflect each attack 
with Ishtar�s help, his opponent wouldn�t 
remain in one place long enough for his partner
to finish him off. So it was now a stalemate,
and the Knight found himself in the uneviable 
position of having decide whether to up the ante 
by revealing more of his Forge granted abilities 
 or try one of his special techniques. Either one
was probably going to result in some major property 
damage and possible civilian casualties, something 
he wanted to avoid at all costs.

{Got any ideas?}

[Why not use your normal strategy 
against teleporters?]

{Two reasons. First, using fusion blocks 
in this area would be a very *bad* thing.
Second, I don�t have enough of them with 
me anyway, they�re for emergencies only.}

[Oh right, I forgot how primitive this planet is.
Well, there�s always plan B.]

{Plan B?}

The goddess wasted little time filling him in 
on the specific details. Fortunately for Ranma�s
dignity his helm completely hid his expression,
otherwise his wide mouthed gape of astonishment
 would have been displayed to half the households 
in Japan. Outwardly the only sign of his reaction 
was a slight pause in the middle of his pursuit of 
the slippery general.

{Let�s do it.}
~~~~~~~~
<BGM: Saber Marionette J: Iza! Junjou ni, jinjou ni.>

At first it seemed that nothing had changed, as 
Malach�te continued to stay out of reach of the
Rune sword and Ranma continued to pursue him.
But in actuality the general was being gradually
herded right where they wanted him....

The enchanted blade came in a quick cross slash,
once again too late to hit the already departed 
villain�s foul flesh. The expected response came
directly from behind, forcing Ranma to make an 
abrupt about face even as he brought Ishtar up to 
parry. Several black flakes scattered outward from
his right arm where one of the blasts finally slipped 
through. Even as the Knight whirled to confront his 
tormenter, the white robed figure vanished in the 
shimmer of tiny multifaceted crystals.

{Just a couple more feet.}

Ranma was starting to see a pattern to the teleports,
and if his guess was right then his opponent should be 
popping up right over ther....

His overhand block caught the first three shots,
and he was quick enough to be able to get out of 
the way of the last two blasts. Small curls of 
smoke arose from where the magic had burned 
deeply into the already much abused concrete.

The Knight could feel Ishtar�s eagerness to end 
the evil mage�s existence. A sentiment he 
wholeheartedly agreed with, but they had to be 
patient if her plan was going to work.

Everything hinged on if the villain remained in the 
pattern he had set, otherwise Ranma would probably 
be forced to destroy half of the remaining neighborhood 
in order to finish this fight.

Several shots struck his armor hard, but the young warrior 
took them without complaint, knowing that it was a 
necessary sacrifice. His attention was totally focused 
on Malach�te�s position, a few hits were a small price 
to pay in order to end this.

There he was!

This time, instead of charging forward in a futile attempt
to get a hit Ranma hopped back and pointed the sword not 
at Malach�te, but toward the fire hydrant he had chosen to 
reappear over. 

[Gotcha!]

Concentrating on staying as far away from the 
dangerous stranger and that deadly sword, the general
wasn�t expecting an attack from another direction. 
So his surprise was complete when first a red
metal hydrant slammed into his stomach from below, 
followed by hundreds of gallons of water which at 
that volume and velocity hit him like a brick wall.
~~~~~~~~
-Someplace else in the Juuban District

�You�ve both got your uniforms on inside out.�

Sailor Pluto wanted some aspirin. 

�Neptune, I believe those are Uranus�s undergarments.�

�So that�s why they�re so tight.�

�Hey!�

Scratch that, she wanted a *lot* of aspirin.
The Senshi of Time silently vowed that she 
was going to take a *long* vacation when the 
current situation was over.

Somehow everything finally got settled down 
and then the rest of the Outer Senshi were off to 
eliminate whatever new terrible menace had 
dared to enter their world. 
~~~~~~
-Masaki Household revisited

�Magnificent.� Minagi was impressed, she 
had trained under her creator Yakage and could 
recognize someone who was a true master 
of the sword on sight. That blade seemed to 
have become a natural extension of the fighter�s 
arm,  she had seen such a thing only three times before
in her life. Once with Yakage, a swordsmaster who had 
survived over 5,000 years through repeated cloning.
Another time in a duel with Tenchi�s Grandfather.
And the last had been when she had been seen 
Washu�s records of Tenchi defeating Kagato and 
Yakage. 

Her father had wanted Minagi to become the best,
and she had challenged the greatest fighters in the 
Local Cluster in order to fullfill his dream. Now it 
seemed she had found a new challenge for her skills,
one worthy of facing the sword that was Yakage�s 
last gift to his daughter. 

{I will make you proud Father.}
~~~~~~~~
-Hidy ho, back to the Temple we go

Belldandy found herself being pulled in opposing 
directions by her feelings. The goddess wanted to 
help her younger sister but at the same time she
also didn�t want to leave Keiichi alone and unprotected.
She gave a helpless look in Urd�s direction, a subtle 
(yet strangely powerful) plea for her help. 

�Alright, I�m going, I�m going.�Urd mock grumbled 
as she stepped into the television set, Father having 
decided to be lenient and giving her a reprieve from 
probation pending a future review by the higher powers.
~~~~~~~~~
-Juuban

�Yeah! Go get him!� Sasami had quickly gotten 
into the spirit of things and was rooting for the 
good guy to trash the bad guy really good. It was 
just like one of those bedtime stories that Ayeka 
or Tenchi would read to her. The little princess 
had quickly placed the Knight in the same category
as the rest of her friends like Minagi and Ryo-ohki.
She tended to trust her first impressions of people
and those same feelings told her that this new person 
meant no harm to them, only to the forces of Evil.

Malach�te was in a bad spot, pinned to the upper wall 
of a fancy electronic goods store by the pressure of 
the redirected water geyser. The beating he was taking 
as a result of the intense water pressure made any sort 
of concentration practically impossible and also kept his 
arms pinned helplessly to his sides. It seemed all over 
except for the clean up as Ranma started to slowly head 
over toward his neutralized foe, careful to maintain the focused 
state needed by Ishtar to direct the continued water flow.

Then a pair of long bronzed legs stepped out of
one of the televisions in front of him, followed 
by an even more stunning (and lightly clad) body.

That got his attention fast. Ranma had seen a lot of strange 
things in his lifetime, but this was new even to him. Maybe
it was something like the Nightbane Mirror-Walk? 

Unfortunately during the brief slip in his concentration, 
the geyser had slipped from Ishtar�s control and his trapped
opponent was free once more. Malach�te had only moments 
to act before his enemy figured out what had happened.

Realizing that he stood no chance in a direct confrontation, 
the evil general did what all nasty people do when confronted 
by a challenge beyond their abilities...he cheated.

(clip to next part)

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