The Great Crossover Crisis Disclaimer: It my writer's right to write this. < >: Thoughts (* *): Computer responses P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu (Ash, Trainer) T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Tekno, Prototype) Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury D-Ranma: Dragon Child (Draco) B-Ranma: Fighting Blind (Koga) DD-Akane: Akane from Dual Destinies Ranma Red and Ranma Blue: Twin Ranmas from Dual Destinies Ranma: Ranma 1/2 ^^ ^^: Kami-sama is speaking << >>: Lyrics Chapter 11 The Good, the Bad, and the Ranmas P-Ranma was tip-toeing through a dark cavern as he searched for the beings responsible for causing all the trouble in the area. He could feel it in his bones that he was getting close. All the clues that he and his counterparts had collected were now falling into place. They had decided to split up to explore the other caverns and side tunnels. The only thing left to do was to catch the bad guys. It was at that point that he realized that he was alone. Raiden was nowhere in sight. "Raiden? Where are you?" It was then that a rumbling sound was heard and something suddenly burst out from and adjacent wall of the cavern. P-Ranma's battle aura flared as he leapt back to get more fighting room. The gigantic tunneling machine lumbered forward with its huge diamond-tipped drill directed at the Pokemon Trainer. In the driver's seat, the nefarious Demon Digger cackled as he prepared to ram into his target. That'll teach him to snoop around where he wasn't wanted! P-Ranma's eyebrows furrowed as he prepared to launch a massive ki blast at his opponent. As he was about to release his attack, he called out for his Pokemon one more time. "Raiden! Pikachu... where are you?" That was when his Pikachu suddenly dropped down from above and landed on top of the Demon Digger. (And now we start hearing the lyrics...) <> The Demon Digger tried to shake off the electric rodent, but Raiden held fast as he began powering up his electric sacs. <> "Pika... CHUUUUU!!!!" "YEEEEEEOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!" The Demon Digger screamed out as 50, 000 volts were pumped into him. <> <> The Demon Digger ran from the digging machine screaming with his hair on fire and Raiden chasing after him, preparing to let loose with a Thunderbolt. <> Raiden let loose with another high-voltage blast and you could see the skeleton of the Demon Digger as he howled out in pain. <> Raiden then began bashing in the Demon Digger's face with his martial arts skills. Soon the monster is begging for the cops. <> "Pika.... CHUUUUUUU!!!!" ZZZZZZZAAAAAPPPPPP!!! "YEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!" <> By now, the screams of being repeatedly beaten and given drastic electrotherapy had gotten the attention of the other Ranmas. They emerged from various side tunnels to see Raiden finish off the dreaded Demon Digger. The Scooby Doo gang also arrive on the scene. <> <> "HELP! PLEASE!" ZZZZAAAAAPPPPPP!!! "ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!" <<'Cause we can count on you, Pikachu!>> <> "Pikachu!" Raiden said gleefully as he sat atop the bad guy, who was sprawled on the cavern floor, and smoking a bit from being cooked medium-rare. A bit later... "So, let's see who the Demon Digger really is." Velma said as she pulled off the mask. The Scooby Doo gang gasped while the five Ranmas nodded when they saw who it was. "Zoinks! It's Mr. Brown, the head foreman of the mining company!" Shaggy exclaimed. "Right." T-Ranma said as he began filling in the details. "That white powder that Daphne and Freddy found was actually diamond dust. I had it analyzed and I did a geological scan of the area. I found out that a huge vein of diamonds was near the site where the miners were digging for copper, zinc and all those other metals." "I get it." Kojiro said. "Brown probably stumbled upon the vein by accident during the initial survey, right?" Koga nodded. "And he decided to mine out all the diamonds for himself. The only problem was that the land that the vein was located at belonged to the Indian reservation. So he invented the legend of the Demon Digger to scare away the workers and anyone else from getting too close to his operation, which was to illegally mine the diamonds." "But what about all those tremors that were caused when the Demon Digger struck the ground with his pickaxe?" Shaggy asked. T-Ranma shrugged as he replied while tapping his temple with a finger. "Just some really cheap special effects that were used as a cover-up for what was really happening. They didn't fool my optic circuits though. What you saw was a holographic image from a hidden projector, while Brown was down below operating his digging machine. The projector was set by remote control and whenever he started digging, the images would be showing the Demon Digger striking the ground with his pickaxe. What you thought were seismic tremors were actually vibrations caused by the machine as it burrowed through the ground. As for those trails of white powder, that was of course the residual diamond dust that was left over from the excavations." "I've got to admit, that was some sweet set-up." Draco whistled. The police detective nodded as he was about to lead Brown and his accomplices away. "It was, but it's all over now." Brown growled as he was being pushed into the police car. "Bah! And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those five look-alikes and that oversized rat of theirs!" Raiden smirked as he nibbled on a Scooby snack. As the police car drove away, Scooby Doo walked up to Raiden and gave him a friendly lick. "Scooby-Doo!" "Pikachu!" (*End of recording.*) Ranma whistled as he and his other selves sat in the viewing room of the complex. The lights then came on as the wide screen viewer in front of them went blank. "I can't believe it! You mean there's a universe out there in which the characters of that American anime actually exist?" "You bet." T-Ranma affirmed. "I've been keeping records of all of our adventures since we started on this trip through dimensions. We've been in realities in which many anime characters are actually real-life people." He turned to his other selves and addressed them. "Remember that world with the Sailor Senshi, guys?" "DON'T REMIND ME!" P-Ranma said angrily as he turned his back to his technological counterpart. "What's up with him?" Ranma asked. Tekno shrugged as he replied. "Well, Ash had gotten into a situation in which he had to directly... get involved with the Sailor Senshi and..." "I SAID DON'T REMIND ME!" P-Ranma still shuddered a bit as he remembered his role as the Silver Senshi. "Besides, I'm sure that other guys don't want to go through that Justice Five bit again." The other Ranmas shuddered a little as they nodded in agreement. That had been corny. "Justice Five?" Ranma asked. T-Ranma had a little sweatdrop as he laughed nervously for a moment. "Okay, I admit that it wasn't one of my better ideas, but it all worked out in the end, right?" When he got a foreboding silence from them, he decided that now was the time to change the subject as he signaled the projector to roll another clip. ---------- Click! "Who are you?" The bad guy said as he and his gang were bruised, battered and sprawled all over the landscape. "Well you could say that we're hunters of peace..." Koga began. "Chasing after the elusive mayfly of love." Kojiro added. "After all, this world is devoted to..." Draco said. "Love and peace!" Vash the Stampede finished as he held up two fingers in a vee as he repeated his mantra. "Love and peace!" The other Ranmas repeated as they all stood among the rubble of the town. In the background, Merille Styfe had a huge sweatdrop as she surveyed the damage caused by the fight that broke out between Vash the Stampede, the bounty hunters and the five nearly identical interlopers. Surprisingly enough, no one got killed, though the city was in ruins and guess which insurance company was going to pay for it? ---------- Click! We now see an image of P-Ranma in his cursed form in a dress and standing on a stage aboard the SDF-1. Minmei had developed laryngitis, so guess who had to sing? "Come on Trainer! Those barrier satellites I put up around the Earth won't keep out the Zentreadi fleet forever!" Prototype said over the communications systems as his ship was leading the Robotech Defense Forces and their Zentreadi allies against Dolza's armada. "But..." "Sing!" P-Ranma sighed out a mushroom puff as the music began to play. <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> P-Ranma winced as she knew what was coming up next. One of the major points of the battle plan... the Kiss, was up next.. The Pokemon trainer turned around as Lynn Kyle approached her. Outside in space, T-Ranma's ship and D-Ranma's dragon form were aiding the combined forces in tearing up the Main Fleet of the Zentreadi armada. Thankfully, at that point, T-Ranma signaled the projector to show a new clip. ---------- Click! "Don't ever show that one again!" P-Ranma said. Ranma nodded as he remembered being kissed by Mikado Sanzenein. ---------- "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Cobra Commander laughed as the last of the GI Joe members were put into chains. "You'll never get away with this Cobra Commander." Duke said defiantly. "Oh really?" He sneered. "GI Joe headquarters has been destroyed. Your entire team is now is chains. Who's left to stop me?" He turned to his triumphant troops and shouted out their battle cry. "COBRA!" It was at that time that T-Ranma's ship flashed in from the skies and five figures dropped down toward the ground. The lead diver was armed with enough weaponry to level a city by himself. "YO JOE!" ---------- Click! "For the LAST time, Aisha! I AM NOT A CTARL CTARL!" Aisha Clan Clan could only stare at Kojiro in his hybrid form with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. ---------- Click! "Am I glad we got out of THAT universe!" Kojiro commented. ---------- The five Ranmas were now standing in the middle of some forest moon. They looked at each at each other as Kojiro asked... "Do any of you want to say it or should I?" "Go ahead." Prototype replied. "Thanks." Kojiro took a deep breath and then shouted out to the heavens. "WHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM ARE WE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW?!" The Neko Ken fighter's shout startled the local village of Ewoks. ---------- Click! Ranma looked at the others with a huge sweatdrop. Kojiro and the others could only shrug as the Cat Fist fighter replied with a sheepish smile. "Well, we were really stressed out at the time." ---------- "It's the Muppet Show with our very special guests, Kojiro, Trainer, Prototype, Draco and Ranma Saotome, yaaaaaaaayyyy!!!" ---------- Click! Ranma was about to say something, but Trainer held up a hand and said, "Please, don't ask!" ---------- We now see a very prehistoric-looking scene with Kojiro in a hard hat, operating what appears to be an Brontosaurus. On the side, the quarry foreman looks down at his sundial watch and then pulls the tail of a bird, signaling the end of the day. That's when the ship flashes in from the sky and the Cat Fist fighter waves a fond farewell to Fred Flintstone as he leaps out of the cab and slides down the tail. "EEEEEEEEEE YABBA DABBA DOO!" <> <> The ship swooped down and let out a line for Kojiro to catch as it then pulled up and accelerated toward the sky. The Neko Ken martial artist is reeled into the craft as it speeds up into space. <> <> ---------- Click! "Now you've GOT to be kidding!" Ranma said in disbelief. Kojrio shrugged as he replied. "Nope. That was real too. And it wasn't all THAT bad. I wouldn't mind having another one of those Bronto-Burgers." The Cat Fist fighter then licked his chops a bit as he remembered the succulent taste of juicy dino-meat. He had developed a taste for prehistoric cuisine and shrugged as he thought that it was probably due to the saber-tooth tiger part of him. ---------- The Joker was really impressed after Prototype easily rescued Vicki Vale from the trap and spirited her away minutes before Batman even arrived at the scene. "Where did HE get all those wonderful toys?" ---------- Click! "Hey! I saw that movie!" Ranma exclaimed. ---------- <> <> <> "Come on guys! It's time to light our darkest hour!" Koga said as he and the others blasted Galvatron out of Unicron's chest. <> <> <> Rodimus Prime smiled as he picked up the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and nodded. The power of the Matrix was let loose and began tearing up the Planet Devourer's insides. <> <> <> The new Autobot Leader and the five Ranmas ran for their lives as Unicron's body began building toward critical mass. <> <> A few minutes later, the rest of the autobots and their human friends join up with them and they all make their exit through Unicron's remaining eye. The head of the monster was blown off and put into an orbit around Cybertron as the main body exploded like a supernova. Later on Cybertron, Rodimus Prime finishes his speech with that famous phrase as the five Ranmas left in their ship. "Till all are one!" "TILL ALL ARE ONE!" The five martial artists chorused as the ship entered the nexus. ---------- Ranma Blue gave a whimsical smile to his brother as they watched the clips from their own dimensional pocket. "I always wondered where Skuld got that song for our battle against Sharoka." ---------- The native Ranma became entranced as he saw the exploits of his dimensional counterparts and the martial arts skills they displayed during their romp through dimensions. He saw them take out the Death Star, fight demons and monsters that would have made mincemeat out of him. They fought interstellar battles, visited strange and exotic worlds and had more experiences that made his own ten-year training journey look like a weekend vacation. After seeing more than a hundred samples of what his counterparts had gone through and what they were capable of, he was more determined than ever to learn all their secrets and techniques to become the greatest martial artist in the world... no, in the universe! It had been a week since the five other versions of himself had landed in the lot behind the Tendo home, and their presence had already caused some major changes to occur. With the help of Care-Bot Unit 7, Kasumi had been given a chance to actually experience life outside the Tendo home. She was now seeing other people besides the usual crowds of housewives that she associated with while grocery shopping. She was free to go out and have fun; see the sights, go to movies and shop for things other than the essentials for her family. However, her main interest of her new lifestyle was in the oldest member of the dimensional Ranmas. Apparently, Kasumi had started to become attracted to Prototype and his maturity. Unlike Dr. Tofu, the technological martial artist kept a cool head whenever he was in her presence and was the perfect gentleman. He complimented her often and whenever she was near him, the eldest Tendo daughter would sport a shade of red on her cheeks. He was polite, yet dashing, like the daring rogues of those torrid love novels that she read in secret. He was tall, handsome, well-developed and older than she was, (as we all recall from the beginning, she prefers older and more mature men). He was basically the utmost potential that the native Ranma could achieve, both physically and mentally. There were a few obstacles in her way though. First of all, Kasumi had something of a rival, namely a girl-teacher who had recently grown up. Miss Hinako was no longer cursed to revert back to her child form and had been making a few advances toward Tekno at school. Unlike the crush she had with Soun Tendo, her attraction toward Prototype was more of an adult nature. Prototype found himself in a bit of an uncomfortable position and had to politely turn her down each time. However, Hinako had proven to be quite persistent as she continued to vie for his affections. Kasumi's shy nature was also working against her, since she had no prior experience to dating before taking her mother's place as the caretaker of the Tendo clan. She felt somewhat inadequate and had low self-esteem, thinking of herself as ordinary and plain, though the technological Ranma and his counterparts assured her she was anything but that. The presence of the other versions of Ranma were also making her a bit torn. Kojiro was wild and absolutely gorgeous whenever he switched to his hybrid form. Koga displayed a kind of maturity that went beyond his years and a gentle soul that mirrored her own. Draco was... exotic with his mystical powers and she felt mesmerized every time she looked into those slitted pupils. As for Trainer, well... he was.. fun to be with. He knew how to have fun and his Pokemon were just so adorable. His Pikachu had become especially fond of her and her cooking. Raiden would often come to the kitchen for some tasty tidbits. As for the rest of the Tendo family, the five otherworldly versions of the best martial artist in Nerima were also making a few impacts as well, not to some people's liking though. Nabiki had become extremely cautious, more so than usual, especially around Prototype. Ranma wasn't sure exactly what happened to her when she went into the complex, but she hadn't been trying to make any money off him or his other selves. In fact, she hadn't made any money period. However, the three residents of the Tendo dojo that had been getting a lot of lumps lately were Akane, Happosai and Genma, though Ranma had to admit, they asked for it. Happosai had been the first to get the worst of the encounters... Flashback to six days ago... The old lecher winced as he made his way back to the Tendo Dojo. He had landed painfully in Juuban after his short and humiliating battle against the Neko Ken fighter. It was at that point that he saw Ranma standing in the dining room with his back turned as he was speaking to Kasumi. Happosai grinned as he leapt forward and applied the pressure point to a spot between Ranma's shoulder blades. It was then that he turned around to face the grinning master of the Anything Goes. "HA, HA, HA, HA! Now you'll pay for getting into my business Ranma!" Draco looked down at the gnome as he felt a slight warmth on his back and shrugged. He had felt much hotter temperatures in the Dragon World. "What are you talking about, you little troll?" "You no longer have any strength and will be weak forever!" "Oh really?" Draco said with contempt as he picked up the heavy table with one hand and said to Kasumi, "Don't worry, I'll have one of the Care-Bots fix this later." He then casually crushed it into splinters. Happosai's widened as he stuttered. "W-W-Wha? You can't be able to do that!" "Who says? DRAGON FIRE!" Anyone for Roast Happosai? End of flashback... Draco had later explained to Ranma that his skin had the same constitution as dragon scales, which made him virtually immune to most shiatsu attacks. Of course, Happosai had thought that he had somehow missed the correct spot and showing his usual stubbornness, decided to try again. However, this time he mistook Prototype for Ranma. That had proven to be a big mistake as the technological Ranma was the strongest of the five. Flashback to that same day, but a little later... Happosai was slightly charred after being barbequed, but saw that he had another chance when he saw Ranma causally sitting in the den reading a newspaper. With his back turned, the old pervert had another chance as he leapt toward his unprotected side. However, Prototype had long since detected his approach, and though the lecher was as formidable as Cologne, the attack he was using wasn't anything effective. He shrugged as Happosai's shiatsu attack made contact. (*Shiatsu technique similar to what the Drayllian Pacifists use, though it is just as easy to correct. Nanites had already brought decreased ki levels back to normal.*) T-Ranma nodded as he casually swatted Happosai like a bothersome fly. "Get lost, you little gnat." Happosai went shooting off like a rocket and smashed through the wall. He kept on going and went through a few more walls of several houses before finally rolling to a stop in the middle on a street two blocks away. That was when a transit bus ran over him. At that moment, Care-Bot Unit Seven appeared. "Care-Bot Unit Seven is online. Beginning structural repair on east wall." "Sorry about that Care-Bot." End of flashback... Now a normally, a person would have given up, provided that he survived being fried and being hit with the equivalent of a speeding freight train. However, Happosai was anything BUT normal and Ranma knew just petty he was. The old lecher decided that the third time was the charm. Unfortunately, it was an UNLUCKY charm. Flashback to that same day, this time it is early evening... "Give me back my strength!" Ranma shouted as he chased after Happosai. "Ha, ha! I got you now and..." WHAM! The ancient pervert was slammed to the floor as a staff suddenly appeared and beaned him on the head. Before he could recover, a hand flashed forward and applied several shiatsu points to his back, temporarily immobilizing him. That was when B-Ranma stepped forward as Ranma ran up to him. Happosai's eyes widened as he saw two Ranmas. "Huh? Two of you?!" B-Ranma shrugged as he addressed his native double. "What's wrong, Ranma?" Ranma was fuming as he pointed to the paralyzed Happosai. "That little troll used the Moxibustion Point on me and was going tell all my enemies that I'm weak now." "Oh? What's the Moxibustion Point and why do I sense that your ki levels are reduced all of a sudden?" "It's a pressure point that reduces a person's strength to a baby's." "Hah! And there's nothing you can do about it!" Happosai sneered. "This is payback to what he did to me at the school!" "Wrong Ranma." B-Ranma commented as he simply walked around Ranma and then extended his senses to his patient's lines of ki. He then located the point in which the flows of inner energy were being restricted and applied the correct pressure to the release point. Ranma suddenly felt a burning sensation and then his strength fully returned. He then felt another series of quick, but gentle finger jabs in his back. He turned around with a questioning look to his blind counterpart. Koga shrugged as he replied to Ranma's unspoken question. "I'm just ensuring that Happosai never uses that particular attack on you again. Those pressure points I just applied to you have now made your body immune to the Moxibustion Point." He then addressed to the still paralyzed Happosai. "Now as for you." Happosai winced as he felt a spot of heat on his back. It was at that time that the paralysis wore off and he got up to attack Koga. However, with the Moxibustion Point now working on his body, his usual perversion-fueled strength was reduced to its lowest levels. He was easily swatted to the ground. "Now let's see how you like being weak for a while." B-Ranma said as he held his staff like a golf club and swung. "FORE!" Happosai was sent flying off into the distance. End of flashback... Ranma shook his head while smiling. His dimensional counterparts had no problems whatsoever in handling Happosai. He hadn't seen that old lecher since then. Things hadn't gotten boring since then, as Akane finally got a chance to spar against each of the Ranmas. However, that had proven to be a really BIG mistake. ---------- Flashback to four days ago... P-Ranma sighed as he had just about to leave the dojo, when Akane suddenly appeared and challenged him to a match. The Pokemon trainer had been playing around with his Pikachu and the sparring session had been nothing more than simple relaxation. Prototype had been doing some maintenance in the complex, so the other Ranmas had been taking turns using the dojo. "I really don't feel like sparring now." Ash replied as he signaled to Raiden. The electric mouse hopped up and perched on his right shoulder. "What's the matter? Afraid that you're going to lose?" Akane taunted. She had been getting very irritated at all the attention that Ranma's other selves had been getting and wanted to work off some steam. This Ranma only sparred with cute little animals, so he certainly wouldn't be a match for someone of her caliber. She also saw his refusal as a slight to her own skills as well. "Nope. I just don't feel on picking on a really weak opponent." P-Ranma replied. Like the native Ranma, this Ranma had a bit of a problem with tact, though not as great since he had been traveling with others and learned some social skills. "W-Weak? You're calling me weak? I'll show you who's weak! Come on!" Akane went into a basic stance. P-Ranma sighed as he assessed her skill and power level, which wasn't that much higher than Sam Ryker's. Jeanette's skills were much higher. However, it was apparent that Akane wasn't going to back down, so... "Oh, all right. If you can beat Raiden, or last at least one minute against him, then I'll give you a match." "Pikachu!" Raiden hopped down and took his own stance. "You're nothing but a coward if you're going to let your own animals fight your battles for you!" Akane sneered at the little rodent. Though she thought it was cute, it didn't compare to her sweet little P-Chan. P-Ranma shook his head as he calmly replied to her remark. "I consider Raiden not only as my Pokemon and my best friend, but also as my best student. I take my role as his trainer and sensei very seriously and judge the performance of my other Pokemon and opponents in comparison to his skills. I taught him everything he knows, and he taught me a few things as well. If you can't even hold your own against him, then there would be no point in you challenging me to a match. Now are you going to accept Raiden's challenge or are YOU afraid that you're going to lose to him?" That last quip got Akane's temper steaming as she angrily tensed up and spat back. "Fine then! This won't take more than ten seconds! YOU won't even last that long!" P-Ranma shrugged as he bent down to his Pikachu and gave some last minute instructions. "Anything Goes Raiden, but NO electric attacks during this match, got that?" "Chu!" Raiden nodded as he faced off against Akane. Trainer then gave the signal for the match to begin. Akane charged at Raiden with the intent of a quick knockout, but... WHAM! BAM! CRASH! Akane found herself in a very large hole in the floor with her feet sticking up as Raiden dusted off his paws. "OW! NO FAIR! I WASN'T READY! THAT STUPID, FAT RAT CHEATED!" Now there were three things that one should never call a Pikachu. Fat, rat and especially... stupid. "Pika... CHUUUUU!!!!" ZZZZZAAAAAAAAPPPPP!!! Akane was now smoking a bit as Raiden trotted off. "Raiden! I said no electric attacks." Trainer scolded. "Pika! Pika pika chu!" P-Ranma thought for a moment, then shrugged as Raiden ascended up his arm to his shoulder. "You're right. I didn't say that you couldn't shock her AFTER the match." He then looked back to where Akane was still sprawled and gestured to his watch. "Three-point one seconds, Akane. Better train harder. The girls I travel with can at least hold their own for thirty seconds against Raiden!" "Pika!" Raiden smiled as they headed toward the kitchen. Maybe that nice Kasumi girl had more of those rice balls. At that moment, Care-Bot Unit 7 appeared to fix the hole in the floor. ---------- Ranma shook his head. Akane HAD been asking for that one. However, he also knew just how stubborn she was when she set her mind to something and if one Ranma wasn't going to fight her, then she'd try the others. ---------- Flashback to that same day... "What? Are you kidding?" Kojiro said after being challenged to a match. "You REALLY want to spar against me?" Akane was still trying work off steam after being beaten by P-Ranma's Pikachu. The fact that the rodent shocked her afterwards had been adding insult to injury. She needed to pound on something and one Ranma was as good as another. "Well... are you just going to stand there or are you going to fight? Or are you just scared that...?" SLASH! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Akane screamed after she looked down and saw that her gi was now in a pile of tatters at her feet, along with her bra. She was only clad in her panties as she covered up her chest with her arms. Kojiro was now standing behind her facing away and in a slight crouch with hands extended like claws. He stood up and glanced over his shoulder. "Too slow, reflexes are like a dead slug's, defense is nonexistent, and..." He gave her a once-over and shrugged. "Nothing else you have is anything to get excited about." To Kojiro, Ukyo had a better figure and he also knew of some very comely Felinar females as well. Akane's face was beet red as Kojiro casually walked away. Care-Bot Unit 7 then jetted into the dojo and used the built-in broom and dustpan in its body to sweep up the remains of Akane's clothes. It then jetted away, leaving Akane in her still stunned state. ---------- Ranma sighed again. Just what was Akane thinking? Did she really think that she could beat him; a true master of the Neko Ken? Did she expect Kojiro was going to leap into her lap and purr, just because he knew the Cat Fist? Of course, if at first you don't succeed... ---------- Another flashback... "I really don't think this is a good idea..." Draco said as he and Akane faced each other in the dojo. "Shut up and fight!" Akane growled as she tensed up and then charged at him. CRASH! Akane was seeing pretty birdies in the back yard as she was sprawled on her back near the koi pond. Back in the dojo, Draco stood with one arm held out and his index finger extended while gazing out at the Akane-shaped hole that the youngest Tendo had made in her abrupt exit. At that moment, Care-Bot Unit 7 jetted into the dojo. "Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Now beginning repairs to dojo wall." ---------- Of course, Akane still kept on trying... ---------- Flashback... Koga had just wanted some peace and quiet as he sat down in the middle of the dojo and played on his silver flute. His sixth and seventh sense then alerted him that someone was entering the dojo, but he continued on playing as he ascertained that it was only Akane. Akane's temper had hit new highs as she glared at the Ranma sitting on the floor and ignoring her. She started yelling at him and telling him to get up and face him, but the blind Ranma continued on playing as if she wasn't there. After a minute or so of trying verbally goad him into a match with no results, she decided on a more physical approach. She aimed a punch at B-Ranma's head. This always got the native Ranma's attention. WHAM! WHOMP! THUMP! Akane couldn't understand it. How did she end up lying on her stomach and paralyzed with B-Ranma sitting cross-legged on her back, still playing that flute? She had even registered him getting up from his sitting position. Koga continued on playing his flute while perched on his new seat cushion. ---------- Ranma wondered. ---------- One more flashback... "Ow." Akane groaned as she once again found herself in pain and sprawled in a deep hole in the floor of the dojo. T-Ranma simply wagged his pinky at her. "Well that was fun. I needed to practice my Galforian Galactic Digit Fighting. See you later." ---------- Being beaten by someone's index finger was humiliating enough, but being defeated by the baby finger was worse. As of now, Akane was sulking in her room and refused to see anyone. Ranma did feel a pang of pity, though he too had often teased Akane about her less than stellar skills in the martial arts. To be thoroughly humiliated by five replicas of himself probably made her self-esteem as a martial artist reach its lowest point. Akane had been very proud of the fact that she was the best fighter in Nerima, until Ranma came along and blew that out of the water. Then along came the other girls and their skills in Amazonian Wu Shu, Okonomiyaki-style, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Martial Arts Figure Skating, Martial Arts School of Delivery Service and all those other styles, which easily beat her further down on the martial arts scale. During the time that Ranma had come to Nerima, Akane's status had been moved from top of the line, to the bottom of the barrel. Now with five masters of their own art living at the Tendo dojo, his easy to anger fiancée wasn't even considered noteworthy. ---------- In that place beyond places... Ranma Red sighed as he and his brother watched what was happening in that reality. "You know, I think those five are overdoing it a bit." Ranma Blue nodded while shrugging. "Well, what do you expect? Unlike our Akane, this own is even slower to learn from her mistakes and has almost no control over that temper. She's never had to take responsibility for the consequences of her own actions. Ranma either saves her or takes the fall. Soun pretty much ignores the abuse that she puts on Ranma every day and even Kasumi has given up on making Akane change. She explodes at the slightest provocation or whatever she interprets as an insult to her. However, unlike the native Ranma, the other five won't take any of her abuse or temper tantrums." "We both know that Akane isn't really a bad sort, but it looks like she's going to be eating a LOT of crow for the next half-year." "It's too bad that we can't send anyone to make her see that her treatment of Ranma isn't the way to go. In her current time line, she's headed for a very sad ending." Ranma Red then became silent for a moment, then cocked his head to one side with a whimsical look. "Hmmm, why not?" Ranma Blue looked at his brother with confusion. "Huh?" "Why not send someone over to have a chat with Akane?" "What?! Are you serious?" "I don't see any reason why we shouldn't. After all, the rules state that we can't DIRECTLY interfere with this Ranma's time line. That's why we sent those five versions of ourselves. Now why not send over a version of Akane who actually learned from her mistakes and let her give this Akane some pointers on how to make her life get turned around." "Do you realize how tall that order is? Most of the time lines that we've scanned all have Akane as a violent maniac! Our Akane was like that and she had to die before she changed!" "Then that's who we'll send." "Huh?" "Who better to give Akane some advice than another Akane who has learned that violence and anger is not the way?" Blue was about to protest further, then thought about it. "Well, you've got a point there, I suppose. But, I don't know if Kami-sama would allow that..." ^^ YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION. ^^ The Twins were both startled at the sound of Kami-sama's voice, then blinked at each other before Ranma Blue sent out a silent message to the Akane of their reality. ---------- "So that's who you want me to talk to?" DD-Akane asked as she looked through the dimensional viewing portal. She was now in her late thirties and had allowed her hair to grow down to her waist. Her face had become more defined and the look in her eyes showed that she had long experience, both in life and the martial arts. "Good grief, was I EVER like that?" The Akane of the twins' reality stared in disbelief as her younger counterpart displayed childish temper tantrums and very little control or discipline. "You really have to ask us THAT?" Ranma Blue said. "After what we all went through?" "Sorry, I really don't want to be reminded of what I was like back then." DD-Akane said as she watched the time line of her other self unfold. "So what exactly happened to this Akane?" "Well, this is what happened to everyone if things were left alone in this reality." Ranma Red gestured to a timeline that branched off from the one they were viewing. DD-Akane frowned as she saw the final outcome and the tragic ending to the relationship between Ranma and her other self in this reality. "And Kami-sama wants this to be avoided?" "Yep. That's why he assigned us to this task." Ranma Blue affirmed. "Since we know what he's going through now, and we have the power to help him, Kami-sama decided that we'd be the right choice to handle this matter. This reality is very important to the space-time continuum. We have to make certain that this Ranma survives. As a result, he's GOT to learn a few things. However, it wouldn't hurt for the other girls to learn a few things as well. Kojiro is helping out Ukyo, while Shampoo is getting a few lessons from Koga." "Yeah. My brother and I think that this Akane might benefit from a little advice from her better self. Namely you." "Well... I guess I can point her in the right direction." DD-Akane said as she considered the assignment. "Just don't make her look better than the other girls, Akane. Kami-sama did state that Ranma is to be given the choice of who he marries. Those five counterparts that we sent to his world are only there to help him out with his problems and give him the opportunity to make his own choices in life." Ranma Blue warned. DD-Akane nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make her into a super-martial artist, best cook or something, because I know that it will only go to her head. I remember how cocky I was whenever I was became better than anyone else. Thankfully, Cologne drilled it into me that there will ALWAYS be someone better. This Akane expects that everything will just be handed to her. She could use the lesson that if she truly wants something, then she's going to have to earn it like everyone else." "Don't go too hard on her. Just... push in the right direction." Ranma Blue reminded. "I'll try, but it will be strictly up to her if she takes my... advice." "That's all we can expect from her." Ranma Red said as he began casting a spell. ---------- Meanwhile, back in that particular reality... "You know, you guys really shouldn't have gone overboard like that! I mean, Pops IS an idiot and all, but you guys..." Ranma said. "Hmpf! As far as we're concerned, he got off easy!" Kojiro growled as he and the other Ranmas were having a snack in the complex. "He's lucky that he's still breathing after that stunt he and Akane's father tried to pull!" "I'll say!" Koga agreed. "He actually THOUGHT that we'd go along with that crazy scheme!" ---------- Flashback to three nights ago... The Tendo family with Genma and Ranma saw the five other Ranmas enjoying a very good meal at a restaurant and decided to join them. The otherworldly Ranmas had no complaints about them joining them and invited them to sit with them while asking the waiter to bring some more menus. "Hey people! Nice to see you all here." Draco said as the Tendos and Saotomes took their seats. "Hello Draco, everyone. It is very nice to see you all here." Kasumi said. "Father had decided to treat us all to dinner tonight. What a very nice coincidence that we would find you here at the same restaurant that Father was planning to take us." The five Ranmas became a bit tense at hearing this and had a feeling that something was up. With both Genma and Soun together, both Koga and Kojiro were well aware that they must have some hare-brained scheme in the works. They already had informed their other selves of their own experiences with the less-than-dynamic duo, and warned them for any half-baked plans that involved them. As the rest of the Ranmas finished with their meals, the Tendos and Saotomes were busy digging into their dinners. For a while, all seemed peaceful as the Ranmas quietly made small talk with everyone. Akane simply ignored the five as she still remembered her humiliating defeats. Then, as Genma and Soun watched the five, they noticed the glances that Kasumi was giving T-Ranma. Nabiki was also a bit nervous at looking at the technological Ranma, but she did seem fascinated by the slitted pupils of Draco's eyes. The two idiots mistook these glances as sure signs. That was when they decided to drop the bomb. Soun called for attention by striking the side of his glass with a spoon, then stood up with his drink. "As head of the Tendos, I would like to propose a toast to our guests and welcome them. Genma and myself look forward to the day when both Prototype and Draco officially joins our Ranma in uniting the Schools of the Anything Goes." "Huh?" Draco said. "Excuse me?" Prototype inquired. Soun took on a stoic air as Genma backed him up. "Genma and I had solemnly made a pledge to unite our children in marriage and ensure the future of the Anything Goes. Akane will marry Ranma, and we had decided that Kasumi and Nabiki shall be engaged to Prototype and Draco, respectively. This way, the bond between our families shall be three times as strong and..." "No." Prototype said simply as he stood up with hands on the table. "Not interested." Draco affirmed as he too stood up in defiance. Genma ignored their protests as he and Soun began prematurely celebrating. "Oh, isn't this wonderful Tendo?" "Yes. It's perfect and..." "Didn't you hear us? We SAID NO!" Prototype said as he causally slammed a hand on the table. However, with his superhuman strength, that caused the table to collapse, causing the dishes and food to come crashing onto the floor. The other Ranmas also stood up angrily and glared at the two as the rest of the group looked on. "But it's a matter of honor that all the Saotome children marry..." Soun began. "There's a few details that you're forgetting!" Prototype growled. "First of all, we're not interested in getting engaged to anyone at this point and we're certainly not going to get engaged against our will!" "That's right!" Draco gritted as his battle aura began to glow. "It's bad enough that the Genma is trying to railroad me into an engagement back home, but I'm not going to put up with that nonsense here!" Soun became a bit nervous as he stuttered out, "Oh, well if you two aren't interested, then perhaps the others..." "NOT A CHANCE!" P-Ranma said without hesitation. "NO WAY!" Kojiro agreed. "NOT EVEN IN YOUR DREAMS!" Koga said. Genma became very irritated at this defiance and that's when his mouth moved a lot faster than his pea-sized brain. "Ranma! I will not put up with this refusal! It was a sacred oath that I made with Soun and two of you will follow through and marry his other two daughters! As your father I decide what is best for you and..." That was when Koga, Kojiro, Draco and P-Ranma's battle auras exploded into full intensity and Prototype saw that the situation was getting out of hand. "Er... guys! Remember that he's not your...." WHAM! CRASH! BAM! THUMP! ZZAP! FWOOSH! SIZZLE! KABOOM! CRASH! BOOM! KAPOW! SMASH! "...father." ---------- End of flashback... "Man! You guys really laid a number on Pops. It'll take him weeks to get out of the hospital , not to mention the damage that you did to that restaurant." "Hmpf! He deserved it." Draco said. "Imagine, he and Mr. Tendo actually thought that we'd go along with that, just because they said so." "What a pair of losers!" Kojiro remarked. "I'm glad that I'm never going back to my world if that's waiting for me." P-Ranma added. "Still..." Ranma said. "That wasn't a reason for you guys to go overboard like that. Pops and Mr. Tendo have done some really stupid things in the past, but Pops didn't deserve to be put out like that." Prototype nodded as he gave his other selves a disappointed gaze. "He's right guys. Now I know that most of you despise Genma in your own worlds, but keep in mind that he's NOT your father." "He acts just like him." Koga said. "He and Soun didn't even consider the fact that we won't be here forever, nor the fact that we don't respect Genma or any of his wishes. What a total moron!" Draco looked at Ranma with pity and said, "I don't see how you could have stayed with him for so long, when most of your problems are because of him and all those deals he's made." "Well... he is my POP and..." "And that's the main reason why we let him have it!" Kojiro cut him off. "We've all decided that we will never listen to Genma or go along with any of his ideas. He's the main cause of a lot of our problems back home. When your Genma said that we had to do as he said, just because he was our father, that's when we lost it. We've never listened to him before, and when he tried to use that 'you'll do as I say, because I'm your father' routine, well that's where we draw the line!" "That's right! We'll never go along with his orders. Not now, not ever!" Koga said with a bit of bitterness in his voice. Ranma was about to say something else, but saw that the others were going to brook no further argument. ---------- The end of the week... "Well guys, it's been a week and we've observed our native self and his world. So what do you think?" Prototype asked as he and the other Ranmas were discussing Ranma underneath a tree at Furinkan High. However, they had one more person listening in on their conversation. Ranma was hiding behind another tree nearby and was listening in on their conversation. Though Koga, Kojiro, Draco and Prototype all knew that he was there, they decided to let him stand their as T-Ranma muted their conversation with a sound-suppression field. Ranma found that he couldn't hear a thing as they began telling each other about their opinions about him. "Can I speak freely?" Kojiro asked. "Go ahead." Prototype replied. "Well... to put it short, Ranma is a weenie." Ouch! "Isn't that a little extreme to call him that?" Prototype asked. "Well, you said I could speak freely, and that's how I feel about him." "Oh come on now, he's not THAT bad." Kojiro paused for a moment to think about it, then nodded. "All right, I'll admit that he isn't really a weenie, but he comes close. He takes a lot of crap every day, but he doesn't really do a thing to stop any of it. Most of the problems he has come right back to that worthless father of his! All he thinks about is martial arts! And I really don't like the way he treats the Ukyo here." "Well... I have to agree a little with you on that, Kojiro." Koga said slowly. " I don't really like the way he calls elder Cologne an old ghoul and how he treats Shampoo." Prototype held up his hand. "Now, now... let's not allow our emotions to get in the way. It sounds to me that you both are basing your opinions by comparing your lives with his. Keep in mind that this universe is not any of yours, so things that you know from your own realities may not apply here. I've noticed a few things about the Ukyo and Shampoo of this world. They're quite different from what you described them during our travels. I went over the recordings of this dimension and noted that Shampoo is quite devious and is willing to resort to underhanded tricks and potions to get what she wants, namely Ranma. And her great-grandmother is willing to do the same to see that Amazon Law is upheld. Ukyo can be quite devious herself and she has tried a few schemes." Koga frowned a bit, and had to admit that this world's Shampoo wasn't like the one he knew of. "I'll admit that she's not like my cousin, but..." "But you'd like to see her as happy as the one in your world, right?" Prototype finished, then turned to Kojiro. "I'd would think that you'd like to see Ukyo just as happy, right?" "Yeah, well.. I know from first hand how much she suffered over the last ten years, and it really makes me mad the way Ranma doesn't seem to notice how much she feels about him. I don't approve of the stuff she's pulled to get Ranma but..." Prototype interrupted. "Hey guys! Like I said before, keep in mind that this isn't any of your realities, so stop trying to run Ranma's life for him. If he's anything like us, then I know he would resent our trying to force something onto him. What we're here today is to simply discuss his problems and try to give him some advice on how to get his life straightened out, or at least make it more bearable. I know that a lot of things about Ranma's life really disgusts you guys, but unlike the rest of us, he never got away from Genma and made all the mistakes that we worked hard in our lives to avoid. " Draco nodded. "I agree with Tekno. Those two girls had a chance to get Ranma in their worlds, so they had no reason to act the way that Shampoo and Ukyo are acting here. Shampoo grew up with Koga, while Ukyo has Kojiro as her official fiancé backed by the goddess Bastet, no less. Genma and Soun's promise don't hold a candle toward a deity's plans or against an entire village of Amazons." "True." Prototype agreed. "We really have to remember that this Ranma has never been able to make decisions for himself. Genma is usually the one who decided for him or certain situations come about and force themselves on him without him having any say in the matter." "You know, after seeing how much his father had screwed up his life with his broken promises and poor decisions, I've always wondered why he never dumped that panda sooner, or at least get away from him for a while. I did after what happened to me in Jusenkyo." P-Ranma said as he casually stroked his Pikachu behind the ears. "Pika!" Raiden agreed. In the Pokemon world, a Pokemon had the choice to abandon its trainer if he or she proved to be too abusive or caused trouble. There had been several cases of that happening. T-Ranma shrugged. "Well, he's spent ten years of his life with only his father as a role model, so that's the only life he knew. Out of all of us, both you and Kojiro had the most similar life to Ranma's, up to the point of Jusenkyo. Let me ask the two of you this question. Why didn't you guys leave him sooner when you realized that he was an idiot? After all, I'm pretty sure that you two realized that Genma didn't always have both his oars in the water, sometime along the way, right? Probably after that Cat Fist training, right?" When both Trainer and the Cat Fist did not immediately respond, T-Ranma nodded knowingly. "I thought as much. You both probably stayed with Genma out of a sense of loyalty or duty as his son, right? Now that's one good point that we can all agree on about Ranma. He's got a sense of honor and loyalty. That's something we can all relate to. After all, we are all martial artists." Reluctantly, the others nodded. "All right then. Let's have no more personal bias influencing our observations and judgments about him. We're here only to talk about his problems, okay?" The others all took a deep breath, then nodded. In his hiding place, Ranma leaned a bit closer to listen in on their conversation but frowned as he still couldn't hear a thing. "Well, to start off with, Ranma could really use a few lessons with etiquette. I mean, his tact and social skills are deplorable!" Koga began. "Just over this week alone, I counted one hundred and ninety-seven inappropriate remarks, most of which got him pounded by Akane. If my own Amazon mother heard stuff like that coming out of MY mouth... well, let's just say that she'd wash out my mouth with more than just soap!" "Yes, I will admit that he does suffer from terminal foot-in-mouth disease. However, he's been raised by Genma, so he's probably been taught to retaliate against any kind of attack, verbal, physical or otherwise. You and Draco were lucky since you grew up with someone that taught you social skills. As for the rest of us, we had to learn the hard way that saying some things can be inappropriate. In fact... some of us are still working on it." "What do you mean?" Kojiro asked. "Well... I'm not being insulting or anything, but..." T-Ranma began. "you and Trainer do have a tendency to speak your minds, though you both have the power to back up your words. Kojiro has the Neko Ken, and Trainer has the support of his Pokemon. As for me... I went through a lot of galaxies and met up with thousands of different races. I also have this biocomputer in my head to help me on a few situations." He tapped his temple with an index finger. "What does Ranma have? Nothing but whatever he learned from Genma, which isn't much." "Speaking of what Ranma has, how about the things that he doesn't have?" Trainer said. "Such as?" Draco asked. "Oh, how about a sense of independence and the ability to make his own choices?" "Ooh, that was low." Kojiro said as he winced. "True, but he does raise a valid point." Prototype said. "Ranma could use some lessons in self-reliance and being able to make his own decisions. Then again, we have Genma to blame for that too. He's made all the choices in Ranma's life and never allowed his son to think for himself. In fact, it seems to me that Genma considers Ranma as nothing more than a meal ticket or a way of getting something without earning it. All those broken promises and engagements are proof of that." "Hey, I thought we were supposed to keep our own opinions about Ranma to ourselves." Draco remarked. Prototype nodded. "Well, I will admit that it is very difficult, but you have to agree that Genma is one very poor negotiator and makes most of his decisions based on his stomach. And you've all seen Ranma's past history up to this point. Imagine selling out his own son for a fish, a bowl of rice and two pickles! The fact that he never upheld the bargain doesn't make it any better." "Yeah, and don't forget, he STOLE Ukyo's dowry." Kojiro added with emphasis. Prototype gave his Neko Ken counterpart a slight glare, warning him to keep things objective. Though he had to concur that Kojiro raised a valid point. "True enough. Genma is a hypocrite when it comes to honor, and he seems to only use it to serve his own ends. And I believe that's how he's goading Ranma into following that pledge to the Tendos. Frankly, I'm surprised that Ranma has quite a strong sense of honor, despite having only Genma as a role model." "Hmpf!" Koga snorted. "Honor means absolutely nothing to Genma except as a tool to use to control Ranma and an inconvenience to disregard when it works against him." "Koga..." Prototype warned, seeing that emotions were coming into play again. "I know that you want us to focus on only the problems that are giving Ranma so much trouble, but let's face it, Genma is mostly to blame for them. You guys know about my special abilities to sense the inner character of others, right? I've already given Genma the once over, and he's pretty much the same as the Genma in my world or the ones that inhabit each of your own. He's an opportunistic, greedy and total idiot... plain and simple. That stunt he and Mr. Tendo tried to pull on us and engage two of us to Nabiki and Kasumi is proof of that. He saw that we could handle Happosai and the fact that we are masters of our own Art. He didn't even consider things such as the fact that we won't be here forever, nor the fact that we have more than enough power to say to no. Nope, he just tried to force it on us because he actually BELIEVED that we would be like his Ranma. He tried to use that 'honor line' on us and said that as our 'father', we have to obey. Well, we never listened to Genma in our own realities, so what made him think that we'd listen to him now?" "I'll admit, that was quite foolhardy of him." "Right, and though we were wrong in beating him down like that, you have to admit that he had that coming. That's Genma's biggest flaw in which I'm afraid that Ranma has learned from him. I've already sensed much of Genma in him. Genma NEVER thinks about the consequences of his actions and will not take RESPONSIBILITY for his actions. He's only concerned with the quick fix or instant reward. That's why he's made so many bad deals in which Ranma is expected to pay. In fact, he's quite happy to let his son take responsibility to save his own hide. I mean, we all know what happened when Ukyo met Ranma again and how Genma said that it was all his son's fault for choosing okonomiyaki over Ukyo. Ranma had told me that he never remembered any of that... and do you know what? I believe him. My senses have told me that he was telling the truth. I certainly don't remember any of that in my lifetime either. How about you guys?" Draco, Kojiro and Trainer all shook their heads as Prototype considered Koga's words. "So are you saying that Genma made that all up?" "It's possible, but then again, we may not have any conscious memory of it. However, there are other examples that proves that Genma will do just about anything to save his own skin, even if it means letting his son take the blame. When Happosai showed up, Genma gladly offered Ranma instead of letting that lech choose him or Mr. Tendo as the heir. When the dojo was in financial troubles, he was more than willing to accept Kodachi's money and get Ranma hooked up with her, despite the fact that he made that promise with the Tendos. I could go on and on, but you guys get the idea. If you want any suggestions on how to help Ranma improve on his life, then the first thing on the agenda is for him to do what we did, and get away from Genma. Genma's going to continue screwing things up for him if he doesn't." "That IS something to take under consideration." Prototype agreed. "By the way, what exactly did you mean that Ranma has learned Genma's biggest flaw?" Koga sighed. "It's just that. Ranma has learned from Genma to act without really thinking. I know that we're not perfect, but we've made some decisions that we can be proud of, right? As for our native counterpart, he doesn't seem to have much control with his mouth and that usually leads him into trouble, especially with Akane. He's also made some very poor decisions, especially when something came up that might cure him of his curse. He seems only interested in the quick fix or instant reward, and doesn't think very much of long-term consequences. I do agree with your decision not to tell Ranma or any of the others about the fact that we can either control or cure Jusenkyo curses." "Thank you." Prototype said. "And examples of his behavior of not thinking things through?" "Well... I suppose that over the past week, he's been pestering each of you to teach him how do some of your martial arts techniques right?" The four others nodded. "Well, if we were to teach him some of our techniques, then how will that help him in his other problems? Will a new technique solve his fiancée problems, help him with that seppuku pledge with his mother, or get rid of all the enemies and rivals that keep attacking him for no valid reason? No, they won't. They won't help in the slightest! He's learned quite a few powerful moves, but they've not made life easier for him. Besides, most of our techniques can't be taught to him! He can't stand the sight of a cat, so learning the Ultimate Neko Ken is out. I don't think he'd want to give up his sight to learn the Unseen Light. He doesn't have nanites or dragon blood running through his veins, and he'd need to become a Pokemon trainer to get the true power of Trainer's techniques. Learning a new technique won't help his social skills nor solve any of his current problems. You said that yourself , Prototype! However, since he's been taught that martial arts is the only important thing in life, he has absolutely no idea on how to handle things outside of the fight. He's only concerned with improving his skills and isn't thinking of anything else! He's got a one-track mind and pretty soon, he going to be derailed!" "Yeah, well I for one, can't help but feel sorry for him." Trainer said. "After all, I know what it's like, since I have the same curse as he does. Unlike him though, I have a way of controlling it." Trainer absently fingered the Water Stone Pendant that he always wore. Ranma caught the movement and wondered as he strained to listen in on their conversation. They all had his backs to him and he couldn't read their lips. He then focused on the pendant that Trainer wore and began to suspect. Was that the reason why Trainer never changed whenever he got splashed with cold water? Was it some kind of magical item that canceled out the curse? Ranma became even more excited as he began thinking about how to get a hold of it, disregarding Koga's statement that he didn't think about long- term consequences. T-Ranma then decided to wrap up the discussion for the day. "Well, it seems that we all agree that Genma is a major factor toward Ranma's behavior, and getting him away from his influence might help. Though spending some more time with Ranma might give us a better idea on how to help him. That is... if he accepts our help." "I don't know... he seems to be a lot on the stubborn side." Koga said. "I have a feeling that he may not take to our advice and resist." "It's up to him whether to accept what we're offering him. We'll give him a few incentives to at least listen, and we might even show him that taking control of his own life is a heck of a lot better than letting his father run and ruin it." "Hey! How about letting him live with us in the complex for a while?" Trainer suggested. "That's an idea." T-Ranma nodded. "A little time away from Genma might do him a world of good. In any case, that's all for today." The other's nodded as T-Ranma dispersed the sound suppression field and motioned for the others to follow him into Furinkan High. "By the way, guys... did all of you notice that Ranma was behind that tree?" T-Ranma asked in a whisper. "I sensed him when he came into the school yard." Koga shrugged. "Smelled him before he got within a hundred feet." Kojiro said. "I sensed his curse." Draco affirmed. "Raiden smelled him too." Trainer said. As the otherworldly Ranmas headed toward the school, Ranma stood and wondered about them. However, his attention was mostly centered on the pendant that Trainer wore around his neck. His eyes gleamed at the possibility of ridding his curse was within his reach. Now how was he going to get a hold of it? Meanwhile, at the place beyond places... "Oh boy! I can see that this is going to turn into a madhouse pretty soon!" Ranma Blue said as he saw what was going to happen. "Well, we knew that those five were going to get into a lot of chaos when they came in. And they do have their work cut for them with this Ranma" "Well, our Akane has her work cut out with her counterpart as well." Ranma Blue said as he glanced toward where DD-Akane was about to enter the dimensional gateway that he and his brother had created. "Remember Akane, just a few nudges! And keep a low profile, okay? We have to have this business done before... it comes for Ranma." "Right." The older and far more mature Akane said as she turned and gave her husband Shinnosuke a kiss before entering the gate. To be continued... Author's notes Well, this story is now winding toward it's climax as the five Ranmas will TRY to help the canon Ranma. Now as the danger to Ranma's life... well, we'll find out later. I also have a few surprises in store in the next few chapters. Stay tuned!