Cat Fist Fury Disclaimer: Ranma ? was the brainchild of Rumiko Takahashi. I think that says it all. < >: Thoughts <" ">: Chinese language Chapter 13 Tiger Hunt It was a quiet afternoon in the streets of downtown Tokyo. Citizens were going about their own business and to a casual observer, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Then a huge roar was heard in the distance and the people on the streets all turned their heads at the sound. A huge black shape came down from the top of the roof of a three-story building, and began bounding over passing cars and across the pavement. Citizens screamed in terror and scattered as they got a close look at the infamous Tokyo Tiger. The huge cat ignored the terrified masses as it raced through the streets, hoping to lose its pursuers. Going at an average velocity of 80 mph, it sped through the streets like a runaway freight train, bowling over pedestrians and almost overturning a few of the smaller cars in its wake. Unfortunately for the transformed Neko Ken fighter, the Amazons were nothing if not persistent. Shampoo and the others had discovered early on that chasing Ranma flat out was not possible, so they all split up and tried to intercept him as he made various twists, turns and reversals. Every time he got away from one of the warrior females, there would be another coming at him. Their endurance was not to be believed! It would only be a matter of time before Ranma ran out of places to flee. "Kojiro, no go!" Brush and Comb said together as they launched a barrage of arrows and throwing stars, hoping to slow him down. Ranma leapt over the missiles as they sliced through fixtures and signs. He made a sharp turn into an alley and then had to make an about-face as he sighted Shampoo running toward him from the other side. "Wait for Shampoo, Airen!" Go away! Ranma was getting desperate as he ran toward another alley. However, this was where Conditioner was waiting for him. She had prepared a large, weighted, metallic net that was suspended forty feet above street level. As soon as Ranma ran over the tripwire, the trap was sprung. Fortunately for Ranma, unfortunately for Shampoo, he had caught sight of the falling net out of the corner of his right eye. With a mighty leap, he cleared the net before it could trap him. The metallic mesh instead caught Shampoo, who shouted out a few choice Chinese swear words to her sister warrior and rival. Conditioner was far from done though. She had prepared several backup traps just in case the first one failed. She had hidden several snares on the other side of the alley that would catch Ranma by the legs had have him spread like an eagle. The saber-toothed cat just barely managed to avoid the first three snares but his right hind leg got caught by the fourth one. Ranma let off a roar as he found himself being pulled upward. Digging his front paws and claws into the concrete, he desperately tried to keep himself from being hoisted. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the rope that had his leg tied was connected to a winch- like device. Conditioner was gleefully cranking the handle as she smiled at her captured prey. "Aiya! Conditioner catch very big fish, yes?" The Amazon was elated that all the hard work and days of preparing the trap had paid off. It was then that she was grabbed from behind by a familiar and very misguided suitor of Shampoo's. "Shampoo!" Mousse glomped onto Conditioner, thinking that it was his beloved. He had been following the girls to make certain that his intended bride would not be the one to give Ranma the Kiss of Marriage. "I NOT SHAMPOO!!!" WHAM! Mousse was sent up like a ballistic missile. Meanwhile, Ranma's rage had begun to reach new heights. His eyes glowed with a crimson light as he focused on the rope that was holding him fast. With a loud roar, he cut loose with twin beams of hot chi energy. The rope was burned through in an instant, and Conditioner's joy at catching him and belting Mousse was short- lived as she suddenly realized that her quarry was free and angry. Ranma leapt at her and the Amazon closed her eyes and braced herself. However, hurting her was not Ranma's intent, though he was sorely tempted. Instead, he soared over her and ran back into the alley, bowling over the still trapped Shampoo in the process. Brush and Comb were also knocked off their feet as the huge feline barreled into them. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Both sisters looked up at the scream and yelped as Mousse landed on top of them. CRASH! Just as Ranma got out of the alley, something landed on his back and gripped his sides like a vise. Then something looped around his neck an pulled, causing him to rear back like an angry stallion. Bubbles shouted out in triumph as she pulled back on the leather thongs and clamped down hard with her thighs. Ranma began thrashing about, trying to throw her off his back but the warrior female was determined to hold on. The energetic redhead was ecstatic. The tiger was trying its best to buck her off and it reminded her of that gaijin movie she saw on television. The hero rode a white horse and had a mask. She wished she had a cowboy hat as she waved with her hand and shouted out, "YEEEEEEEHAAAAAA!!!" Meanwhile, the leather thongs were beginning to tighten and Ranma felt himself losing consciousness. He had to do something fast. Spotting a nearby store that had its large front doors was open, he dashed toward it with a sudden burst of speed and leapt, aiming for the space just below the top of the door. Bubbles was caught off guard at the sudden acceleration and was thrown backward. However, her grip on the thongs was enough to keep her from losing her grip on the tiger. When she straightened herself up, she eeped as she saw the door of the store rushing toward her. She only had about a moment's contemplation when she observed that the top of the door frame was about a couple of feet too low. WHAM! Bubbles lost her grip on the makeshift reins as her face and upper body slammed into the top of the door. She was more than a bit dazed as she slid down to the ground. The images of stars and birdies flutter around her head. Ranma raced through the store and smashed through the back wall. In his wake, shoppers had to dive for cover as the huge beast caused shelves to be overturned and merchandise to be scattered. He was about a few hundred yards away before the Amazons began to give chase again. After pummeling Mousse into unconsciousness, they sprinted after their prize. About three miles from the chaos, two practitioners of the Anything Goes Martial Arts were huffing and puffing near a convenience store. They had tried early on to keep up with the Amazons and their prey, but it was clear from the beginning that they had nowhere near the stamina of the younger girls. Genma Saotome was sweating like a pig and his friend Soun Tendo was about ready to fall flat on his face from exhaustion. Five seconds later, they both toppled over and made audible splat noises on the concrete. "Huff? puff? wheeze! Gasp!" Genma was in a little better physical condition than his friend as he had been training with Ranma before his son's accident at Jusenkyo. However, age and poor eating habits had taken away much of his endurance. Long-distance running was not one of his strong points. Short, fast getaways were more his specialty. Soun Tendo looked like he was dead from the effort as he moaned in exhaustion. "S-S-Saotome? huff? maybe? we should have? pant? thought this out a bit more? huff. "You? said ? it Tendo. That boy's definitely? too fast to catch like this. So? what should we? do?" "Just? give? a moment to catch? my breath." In another part of town, an old man was cackling with glee while doing what he did best. His face was covered up in a handkerchief that was tied below his nose. On his back was a huge sack that was filled with stolen women's underwear. The little gnome bounded over rooftops, snatching more of the lacy articles of clothing from their wash lines to add to his collection. "Woo hoo! What a haul! What a haul!" Happosai was in fine form as he relieved the bras, panties and other women's unmentionables of their owners. With quick motions, the underwear were off their lines and stuffed into his sack in mere moments. Many of those times, the owners of said undergarments would emerge screaming from their homes and give chase. This was one of those times. However, Happosai didn't become the underwear thief extraordinaire he was by being so easy to catch. As of now, he was leading an angry horde of women down the streets at a breakneck pace. The crowds of enraged females were brandishing brooms, rolling pins, frying pans, clubs and other various blunt instruments in their hopes of catching up with the ancient pervert and pummeling him into a red smear. Coincidentally, the path of their chase was heading on a collision course with another chase. A chase that involved five Amazons and a saber-toothed tiger. Ranma put on a burst of added speed and managed to increase the distance between himself and his unwanted Amazon huntresses. When he looked over his shoulder to check to see if he was still being followed, he neglected to watch where he was going. At the same time, Happosai was rubbing a pair of pink, satin panties against his cheek while running. "Ah! How sweet it is!" His eyes were closed in bliss as he casually increased his speed to outrun his pursuers. WHAM! "What the heck?!" Happosai was so absorbed in his newfound treasures that he was taken totally by surprise as a large black shape slammed into him like a truck. The old master went flying into the air as his sack was torn open and his ill-gotten loot went everywhere. The various undergarments came fluttering down like a light snowfall and the thing that had run into Happosai stopped to look around. Ranma looked around for whatever or whomever he had just collided with. He had temporarily given the Amazons the slip and decided to pause to see if he hadn't caused any serious injury to an innocent bystander. Happosai may have been a bystander in this case, but he was far from innocent. The ancient lecher landed on his face with an audible splat. He groaned as he got up with rage. Who would dare interfere with his hobby? Seeing all of his treasures go flying everywhere, Happosai was ready to deal out punishment to whoever was foolish enough to tangle with him. "Oh no! My silky treasures! All right! Who did that? I'll? uh oh!" The remaining words died in his throat when caught sight of what had run into him. Standing before him in a low crouch, ready to spring was the biggest and meanest-looking alley cat that he ever saw. Happosai became very aware of the two huge fangs, the muscular and powerful body, and the large paws that each housed a wicked set of claws. This was no pussycat. "So? you? are? Ranma? Genma's son?" Ranma's eyes widened in shock at the sound at the mention of his father's name and his own. Happosai noted the tiger's body tensing up and knew that he definitely had the right cat. He could also sense the animal's aura and it made him nervous. Ranma's chi energy was incredibly focused and radiated enough power to make even the grandmaster of the Anything Goes Martial Arts become edgy. The old pervert's body shivered a bit as he remembered the rumors of what a Neko Ken fighter was capable of. Ranma was far more dangerous than what he had expected of someone who had been trained by that idiot Genma. For Ranma, he was very surprised to encounter someone as diminutive as the Amazon matriarches, yet possessed just as much power. His aura was nothing to sneeze at. He also noted the scattered undergarments and how this troll referred to them as his silky treasures. Since Happosai usually raided the areas near Furinkan and Himoto was quite some distance away, Ranma had never encountered the lecher before. Before the two could make any move, Ranma's superior hearing caught the shouts of angered women that were approaching from a few hundred meters away. "He went this way!" "Get him!" "We'll get that underwear thief this time!" "He's not getting away!" Ranma knew that now was the time to get away. He could already see that the Amazons in the distance. Giving the old lecher one final glance, he leapt up toward a nearby rooftop, then bounded away. Happosai however, was not as quick to his own escape. Still enthralled by the sight of the saber-tooth, he lingered a few moments longer than he should have. It was then that he remembered that his stolen haul of women's underwear was still scattered around the street. It wouldn't do for him to leave his silky treasures behind, after all the trouble he went through to? er, rescue them from their clotheslines. Unfortunately for him, Happosai's perversion was to be his downfall for this day. Just as he desperately started to pick up his loot, the hordes of angered women were upon him. Their instruments of violence were brought to bear on the bane of everyone's existence. WHAMMO! "OW!" CLANG! "HOLD ON! OUCH! NOW WAIT A MINUTE!" POW! "YOW! OUCHIE! NOT THERE! OW! OW! OW!" BOOT! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAP! CLONG! Things were made even worse for Happosai when the Amazons arrived at the scene and saw the enemy of their tribe. Not one to miss such a golden opportunity, they entered the fray. Temporarily forgetting their own mission to catch Ranma, they began to deal out their own share of retribution on the ancient lecher. "HUH? WHERE DID YOU LOVELIES COME FROM? HOTCHA! COME TO HAPPY!" FFFFTTT! THOK! "HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING THOSE THINGS!" WHAM! "YOWZA!" WHOMP! SLASH! "WHOA! CUT IT OUT!" SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" WHAM! MANGLE! CRUSH! "YOW! OUCHIE! NOW THAT WAS A LOW BLOW!" KICK!!!! Happosai's voice became high and squeaky. "I take it back. THAT was a low blow." It was then that a combined attack of kicks, swings and uppercuts by all the women present, sent the greatest evil in all of Japan on a one-way ticket to the upper stratosphere. About a hundred meters away, a shadowy figure grinned as he watched Happosai become airborne. He then looked down at the streets and could see the distant form of Ranma's tiger shape race off toward the horizon. In another part of town, a cloaked figure also looked up and saw the distant dot that was Happosai soaring toward the heavens. He then shrugged as the ancient lecher was too far up to be recognized. However, he did have serious business with the master of the Anything Goes Martial Arts. He looked down at a scrap of paper that had the address of the Tendo dojo written on it. Ranma, in his human form, huffed and panted his way into his apartment. He didn't know why those Amazons had suddenly stopped in their pursuit of him, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. The run through Tokyo while evading both the Amazons and their traps had left him totally exhausted. He just made it to his bedroom when he fell face first onto the bed and promptly fell asleep. The very next morning? Ranma was just finishing his breakfast when the news reports on the television caught his attention. He sighed as he saw that his appearance as the Tokyo Tiger yesterday had once again caused a media sensation. He also became interested at a report that concerned a riot and its connection to the mysterious Underwear Thief of the Nerima district. Ranma's face went pale as he realized that there was only one other person who would know about his secret. Ranma was already aware of the interest the middle Tendo daughter had in him. He had known all along whenever Nabiki's spies had tried to tail him. Of course he always managed to ditch them. However, Akane's sister was nothing if not persistent. She had been asking around a lot for any information about him and her numerous questions during the time that Ranma had visited their home had made him wary. Then he also remembered that his friend Kai had sold many copies of the videotape of the No Holds Barred Tournament. Even though he was taller and more muscled than before he had come to Jusenkyo, Ranma had no doubt that Genma would recognize him if he were ever to see that tape. Fighting styles were like fingerprints, and he did tend to fall back on his old training in the Anything Goes. His father would recognize his son's moves and confirm his identity. Knowing Nabiki, she would probably start some kind of blackmail scheme on him, since many of her inquiries were about how much money he had. He knew that Nabiki had the sharpest mind in the family and if anyone could figure out his true identity, it would be her. And once his identity was out in the open, all the troubles that were connected to the name of Ranma Saotome would come down on him like an avalanche. He wasn't concerned with old enemies like Ryoga, since he had already proved his fighting superiority at the tournament. If he had to, he could always use Ryoga's little secret to keep him in line. However, the various engagements that Genma had set up would come looking for him. Not to mention the many shops and businesses that the old man had conned, using him as collateral. He shuddered at the thought. Ranma was at a loss over what to do, as he had never really planned for the possibility that his father might find him again. For now, he would have to keep on his guard and cross whatever bridges as he came to them. Meanwhile at the Tendo dojo, Nabiki was smiling triumphantly as she showed her sisters and the two returned fathers the videotape of Ranma in action at the No Holds Barred Tournament. Of course, she charged both her father and his friend five thousand yen for them to see it. "That's him! That's Ranma all right!" Genma said with triumph. His son may be a lot taller and more muscular than he last remembered, but there were no mistaking the telltale signs of the Anything Goes fighting maneuvers. The fat panda had spent more than nine years training the boy until those moves had become a second nature to him. Kasumi watched with fascination at the images of Ranma as he soundly defeated each of his opponents. The way his muscular, yet lean body moved with uncanny grace and speed. The sheer strength as he threw people over his head like rag dolls. The maneuvers he used to win each match were poetry in motion. Coupled with the fact that he emitted a kind of wild, feral aura that seemed to radiate sensuality and power. Within her body, long-denied feelings and hormones began to stir as she began to consider what it would be like to be with someone like that. After meeting him that one time, Kasumi had already felt a bit of an attraction to him. Now, with the announcement of the engagement, she began to have other images of him in her mind, many of which were not at all pure. Akane was more than miffed when she learned that the same person who had showed her up twice was also the boy that her father had arranged to marry her or her sisters. In her mind, she had no doubt that she would be the one to be picked, since she knew that neither Nabiki nor Kasumi had her good looks or popularity. Why else would those boys and Kuno chase her all the time? What made things even worse was the fact that she had been beaten at the tournament with her own style, even though she had been too angry at the time to realize it. Boys were nothing but perverted jerks and now she has found that she was may be engaged to him! "Oh happy day!" Soun wept as he hugged his friend. "Ranma IS human! We can untie the schools after all!" "That's right Tendo! All we have to do is go collect the boy!" Genma was jumping for joy. It was then that Nabiki intervened. "Hold on a minute Daddy. You and Mr. Saotome might want to think about this for a minute." The two stopped in their cavorting and regarded the middle sister. "What do you mean Nabiki. All we have to do is pick him up and then have the wedding." Soun said as a matter-of-factly. Nabiki hung her head, as she just couldn't believe just how dense her father was. "Ranma may not want this engagement thing." "What do you mean?! He must follow through! It is a matter of HONOR!" Soun replied. "That's right! My boy would never turn his back on his honor!" Genma added. "Oh really?" Nabiki said in a slightly sarcastic tone. "Then why hasn't he tried to contact you Mr. Saotome? I mean, if he's able to become human again, then I would have assumed that he would have told you. And let me ask you this. If he wanted this engagement thing, then why did he go through all the trouble of creating a whole new identity for himself?" "What?" "Oh yes, that's right." Kasumi remarked. "Ranma is going by the name of Kojiro Shinakara." "What?!" Nabiki nodded. "Yes. And there's another thing. He might be more than you can handle. I have a feeling that he doesn't want the engagement and I seriously doubt that you could force him into it." "What do you mean? I mean the boy's good, but he's not THAT good. Tendo and I can handle him." "Oh really?" Nabiki pushed the fast-forward button on the VCR and the two fathers gaped in disbelief at the images as they depicted Ranma as he tore the Nerima Wrecking Crew to pieces. Soun and Genma became awestruck as they witnessed Ranma fight with inhuman speed, agility and power. They especially became fascinated with his claw techniques and his final attack. "Now hold a minute!" Genma exclaimed. "I don't ever recall that boy having control of the Neko Ken. At least not consciously." Akane's interest perked up. "Mr. Saotome, you mentioned the Neko Ken before. What exactly is it?" Genma's expression took on a serious look as he began his explanation. "Free-style Cat Fist fighting or Cat Fu. Training is deceptively easy. You're supposed to wrap the trainee in fish sausage and throw him down into a pit of starving cats." "That's it? That's all you have to do?" Akane couldn't believe that a fighting style that was so powerful had such a simple method of training. She began to get ideas about undergoing the training herself and show up that jerk Ranma, when his father then dropped the bomb. "Unfortunately, there was a bad side effect." He reached into the front of his gi and produced a small booklet. "Here is the ancient lore which describes this technique." "Let me see that." Soun reached over and took the book. "Opening up the first page, he began to read. "Incredible! Anything Goes Martial Arts, Final Attack Cat Fist. Hmmm, how to master Cat Fu. Wrap the trainee in Fish sausage and throw him into a pit of starving cats." "You see Tendo. The training sounded so simple that I should have known that there was a catch. Turn the page and see for yourself." Soun did so. "This method has been banned for causing severe psychological distress." Genma chuckled for a bit. "Too bad I never read the page." "So what kind of psychological distress are we talking about?" Nabiki asked. "Ranma developed an irrational fear of cats after the training. He gained increased speed and the ability to shred through wood, rock and even metal with his fingers, Bu their were two problems. The first problem was that he became unstable. He'd go into a state of near panic at the mere sight of a cat. Whenever he was with a cat for an extended period? his fear would go beyond a certain point and?" "And then what, Mr. Saotome?" Kasumi asked. "He'd meow." "Huh?" Akane said in confusion. "It's true. He'd start acting like a cat. He'd walk around on all fours, wash himself with his tongue, purr, meow, and play with balls of yarn and stuff like that. You'd hardly believe that he was human. That also led to the second problem. He could only use the Cat Fist techniques in that state and when he became like that, anything or anyone that was seen as a threat would get shredded." Genma shivered at the memory of when his six-year-old boy had mauled him. "I trained Ranma when he was six." Kasumi was shocked as she thought of a young boy being subjected to that horrid training. Akane was having second thoughts about undergoing that method as she thought of herself acting like a cat. She didn't like the idea of being mauled by a hundred starving cats either. Nabiki kept quiet. Genma continued. "In any case, I can't understand how Ranma has been able to get conscious control of the Cat Fist. Whenever he became overcome by the madness, it would take an old woman from our neighborhood to snap him out of it." "Well, I would guess that it has something to do with that Spring of Drowned Monster Tiger he fell into." Nabiki suggested. "It looks like he's got full control over it and I haven't seen him show any fear toward cats. I would think that he would be frightened of his own curse by now." "Hmmm" Genma nodded as he turned to Soun. "Well in any case, that boy still has an obligation to marry one of your daughters Tendo." "Yes. We must formulate a plan to bring him here so that he may meet his fianc?e. Ranma's Cat Fist training would strengthen our schools even more! Speaking of which?" Soun looked at Akane with a fatherly gaze, which made the youngest member of the family very nervous. "Akane, since you're both martial artists, then it would be fitting that you marry him and carry on the dojo!" "WHAT?!" Akane shouted in disbelief. "I'm not going to marry that freak! Count me out of it! I HATE BOYS AND HE'S THE WORST OF THEM ALL! NO WAY! UH UH! I'M NOT GOING TO DO IT!!!" Akane stormed out of the room and up the stairs to her own bedroom. Soun smiled as he said. "You see Saotome? They're perfect for each other." "Couldn't agree more Tendo. So why don't we go out for a drink and start planning on how to get our children on the road to happiness?" "I'm with you Saotome!" Soun slapped his friend on the back as they both exited the house, leaving Kasumi and Nabiki alone. "I can't believe that they haven't even thought things out." Nabiki shook her head as she too got up to leave. "Where are you going Nabiki?" Kasumi inquired. Nabiki gave her sibling a small smile as she said, "Oh, I'm just going to check up on a few things and maybe do a little business." The middle daughter left without another word. Unknown to her family and Genma, Nabiki had withheld one important piece of information. She had only just received that piece of data from her flunkies today. After an exhaustive search, she finally had the location of where Ranma worked. To be continued? Author's Notes Well Ranma's cover is about to be blown and things are going to go critical. Ryoga will most certainly find out from Akane. He certainly won't approve of Ranma's supposed engagement to his beloved Akane and there's also that grudge he has for that missed out duel. Who knows? He might just be obsessed enough to actually try the Cat Fist training in his quest for revenge. Nabiki's upcoming encounter with our Cat Fist fighter should be interesting. Just remember that Ranma is more streetwise and has learned independence. He's not the dumb jock that the Tendo mercenary would have labeled him in the original series. As Genma and Soun scheme to force Ranma to follow the pledge, they will discover that direct confrontation will not work. They may have to resort to having Happosai take him down. The old lecher would certainly blame Ranma for getting him pounded in this episode. When the Ultimate Neko Ken goes up against the Grandmaster of the Anything Goes? well, the surrounding area is going to need some serious urban renewal. And just who are the two mysterious people who have entered the picture? Stay tuned!