Cat Fist Fury Disclaimer: Huh? What do you mean that I'm stealing stuff? This stuff was already stolen! * *: Thoughts [* *]: Cat communication << >>: Son of Man Chapter 20 Trials and Errors "Beforrrre you give me your answerrrrr, let me explain to you the true meaning of the Cat Fist and the Felinarrrr." Bast said as she and Ranma stood in the shadow of the Sphinx. Ranma was still a bit unnerved after fighting his own tiger and hybrid forms. Seeing that he had no other option at the moment, he nodded his head. "All right, I'm listening." "Excellent!" Bast smiled as she began her explanations. "Ages ago, the Cat Fist was created for certain species of were-cats and was neverrr meant for humans. Howeverrrr, the Felinarrr had inadvertently developed a fighting style verrrry similar to what Sekhmet and I created. Howeverrrr, like their Kyrn ancestors, they were not truly lycanthropes but were really human, although greatly enhanced. Their metal states had become unbalanced between their cat and human sides, especially when they tried to master the Neko Ken." "Red Fang told me about that." Ranma said. "He said that one of the Felinar warriors had sought you out." "Corrrrect. When I created the RRRRRite of Passage, the Felinarrrr had gained the mental stability they needed to control their powers and the Neko Ken. By modifying the original techniques to suit their needs, the Felinarrr had created a separate branch of the Cat Fist, basically what you call as the Ultimate Neko Ken." "Okay, that much I know." Ranma remarked. "Yes, howeverrrr, over the centuries, few humans had glimpsed the Felinarrr and were envious of the Neko Ken's powerrrr. They tried to duplicate it, but without having some kind of spiritual and mental connection to cats, their attempts were verrrry pitiful. A few marrrrtial artists in parrrrrticular were very impatient and tied to create their own RRRRRRite of Passage. You do remember what you had gone though?" Ranma nodded as he remembered that mob of cats and the battle he waged with his tiger and hybrid forms. "There was a reason for those cats and your duel with yourrr other selves." Bast replied to Ranma's unspoken question. "It was to make you accept yourrrr cat side. However, since the humans did not have a cat side to begin with, the stupid marrrrtial artists thought they could force a cat personality onto the trainees. As you can certainly recall, their training method was incorrect and the results were less than satisfactory." Ranma shivered a little at the memory of what his father put him through when he was six. "The Neko Ken was never meant for mankind, yet in his bid for powerrrr, it had been twisted and perverted into the technique that you werrre put through. I could not believe anyone would be stupid enough to do this to a innocent child, but your fatherrrrr proved me wrong." "Well, everything's okay with me now, right?" Ranma said. "Forrrr now, yes. You no longer need to fear of losing control when enraged. Howeverrrr..." "What is it?" "Since you now rrrrepresent a danger to White Claw, he will eventually seek you out and kill you." "What? What do you mean? I'm a Felinar, right? I'm part of the clan and not considered an outsider. He can't touch me for knowing the Neko Ken." "Trrrue, but White Claw is not to be taken lightly. It is because of his family that the Felinarrr had strayed far from its original path of enlightenment. They have caused much innocent deaths overrrr the centuries and have grown evil." "What are you talking about?" "The Felinarrr Clan is actually made of several hundred different families. The branch that White Claw is from is the current head of the entire clan. He is the fifth to be named White Claw and during the last few hundred years, his family had involved the Felinarrr in several affairs on Earth. They have overthrown governments and toppled kingdoms. They have started revolts and wars, though no one has been able to prove it. Ever since they broke relations with the other Kyrn, they began engaging in criminal activities. Currently, they have ties to the Yakusa, Triad and even the criminal elements in America. They have ruthlessly killed innocents, and those who were foolhardy enough to try and learn the Neko Ken, they eliminated, rather than try to help those unfortunate souls. I am most... displeased." "Well, why didn't you try to stop them?" "Unfortunately, due to some rules of the Kami, I am not authorized to directly interfere with human affairs, and the Felinarrr are still considered as human. Furthermore, due to a promise I had made to that first Felinarrr, I can only oversee the RRRRrite of Passage and not meddle in the clan's affairs." "So what does any of this have to do with me?" "Although I myself cannot directly deal with the Felinarrr, I can however select a rrrepresentative. An avatar if you will. As I had done so with that first member of that clan, I now choose you as my champion." "W-Why me?" "Forrr several reasons. First of all, you were not born nor raised in the clan, therefore you are not influenced by their corrupted ways. Secondly, you have a good heart as I have watched you for some time. Thirdly, you have one of the greatest potentials I have seen and only you have a chance to defeat White Claw. As of now, he is stirring up much trouble back in Japan and soon, those you have come to consider as your friends will be in dangerrrr, because of their association with you." Ranma was silent as he considered his options. The thought of Shang, Kai, Sodan and all the others being menaced by White Claw was very disturbing. His thoughts inevitably came to Ukyo, and he shuddered to think what would happen if she were to come under attack by his rival. Nerima, a week afterwards... In the Nekohanten, Shampoo and the other Amazons were busy with closing the restaurant as the elders conversed amongst themselves. "It has been over two weeks since we last saw Kojiro." Cologne remarked. "Indeed. He has not been seen anywhere in Tokyo. It seems that the rumors that he has fled are true." Mascara concurred. "A pity that he was overcome by cowardice." "Is not true!" Shampoo said from a nearby table as she cleaned it. "Airen is not scared!" The other girls also looked up from their chores and nodded. Both matriarches gave the girls a cold look that told them to mind their business and not talk back to their elders. Shampoo and the others quickly became occupied with cleaning. "In any case, since he is no longer here, we have no reason to remain in Tokyo." Mascara said after a moment. "I shall be taking my group elsewhere in Japan for husbands. We shall be leaving in a few days." Cologne was a bit relieved at this news. She and Mascara had never been on good terms and the departure of her rival did make things less complicated. However, with the prize gone, there wasn't really any reason why she, her great-granddaughter and Mousse should be staying either, other than the fact that the teens were attending Furinkan High. The Amazon hunting party stopped for a moment when they heard this. They had been searching high and low for the Cat Fist fighter, with no success and had thought to seek out information about his whereabouts from his friends and acquaintances. Unfortunately, with Ukyo gone and his high school buddies also in the dark, the search had turned up with zilch. They had wondered just why the okonomiyaki chef would suddenly close up shop so abruptly, but there was scant information. They didn't want to ask Nabiki as she tended to charge too much and they suspected that she didn't know anything either. Fortunately, they had not yet asked Ranma's friend Shang. And even if they did, they would get nothing as Ukyo had made the Chinese boy promise not to tell anyone about her where she was going or where she suspected Ranma might be. So for now, they had no idea that Ranma had traveled to Asia and was now in Egypt. Of course, they were also aware of the trouble the Tendos were in with the one called White Claw. The Amazon girls were more than willing to take on the one who defeated their intended husband, but the Elders forbade them to fight him. They had seen what that person was capable of, after his easy victories against their greatest enemy, Happosai. They could also sense a foreboding evil around him and knew that having him, as a member of the tribe would not be a good thing. At least with Ranma, they had a chance of controlling him, but White Claw made their ancient bones quiver. He could not be controlled and he had too much power. It was very unlikely that he would bend to their will. If he were to decide to destroy the Joketsuzoku, the village would probably lose more than three-quarters of its population before finally taking him down, and that was only a conservative estimate. Furthermore, there have been whispered rumors of more like him and even the mighty Amazons could not stand up to such a force. No, it would be best to leave him alone. There best and only hope to gain the power of the True Neko Ken was with Ranma. At the hotel that White Claw was staying at, the Kohlinjar of the Felinar Clan was getting bored. He had not gotten a good challenge in the last couple of days and even the grandmaster of the Anything Goes had proven to be nothing more than a minor distraction. He had to admit that the ancient pervert was nothing if not persistent and during the last two battles, Happosai tried to cheat his way to victory. The Neko Ken warrior chuckled as he remembered Happosai's futile attempts to win. It was during the seventh try. The old man actually thought that those little fuse bombs of his would work against him. The expression on Happosai's face was priceless when White Claw showed him the fatal flaw in his so-called ultimate technique: The Happo-Fire Burst. Flashback... "Eat this! HAPPO-FIRE BURST!" The old lecher threw one of his patented fuse bombs at his opponent, smirking when White Claw caught it in his hand. A moment later his eyes widened and he turned pale as the fuse was sliced to a tiny nub with the claw on the Neko Ken fighter's index finger, rendering the bomb harmless. "Er...?" White Claw chuckled as he casually tossed the bomb back to its owner. "Here you go." Dumbly, Happosai caught it in his hands and stared at it for a second. Nothing like that had ever happened before. "Oh by the way." White Claw's eyes glowed for a moment and then released twin beams of hot chi at the remainder of the fuse, igniting it again. KABOOOOOOOOM!!! Happosai became a very distant dot in the sky. End of flashback... *That little trick didn't work with Kojiro, so what him think that it would work with me? * After Happosai had landed from his little trip into the stratosphere, White Claw had added more insult AND injuries before leaving the battered and bloody mess on the Tendos' doorstep. He then smiled as he remembered the other time. According to what his spies had told him, Happosai had finally wised up, though not by much and had enlisted another to aid him. When he was told of who Happosai's new ally was, he smirked. He had to admit, that Ryoga person was a bit more amusing. He decided to wait a few days and see just what that old lecher was going to teach to Ryoga, though the Felinar had hunch as to what it might be. A few days after the seventh attempt... Happosai groaned as he rubbed some ointment on his sore, aching joints. He was also walking a bit funny. White Claw certainly had a cruel sense of humor. After he had returned to the Earth from being blown up by his own bomb, the Neko Ken fighter wasted no time in pounding him flat. Then as he lay there on the ground in pain, White Claw took out several of his bombs, lit their fuses, and then stuffed them down Happosai's pants. Happosai was launched even higher into the skies and when he reached his zenith, one of the bombs that had a delayed fuse went off. Though all of his body remained relatively intact, though really tender at the moment, that was all the insult that the old pervert was going to stand. He wanted to get even with that cocky upstart in the worst way. Not to mention get his hands on those fabulous Felinar females. However, he knew that he was no match against White Claw, either in a direct confrontation or a sneak attack with him. No, he had to find another way to at least even the odds. He needed... a patsy. Yes, someone who could at least wear down White Claw enough so that the ancient lecher could claim victory. But who? Who could be that powerful yet stupid enough to go up against a master of the Neko Ken? Pantyhose? No, he was still far too injured from his bout with Ranma to be of any use. He wasn't available as he had disappeared somewhere to lick his wounds. Besides, he was likely to attack the old pervert instead of White Claw. Kuno? Yeah right. Using the insane kendoist would be like assaulting the Felinar with a blunt toothpick. That Mousse fellow? No, with his eyesight and reliance on weapons, he wouldn't last a second against the kohlinjar. He never lasted very long against Ranma after all. "WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?!" Happosai smiled when he heard the voice outside of the dojo. *Bingo. * The ancient pervert temporarily forgot his pains as he went outside toward the sound of Ryoga's voice. A plan began to form in his head. Near the west side of the Tendo compound, Ryoga was depressed, which was normal for him. Several days ago, he had heard rumors of his hated enemy Ranma leaving Japan and of the plight of the Tendo Dojo. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get close to Akane, Ryoga hightailed it to Nerima. Of course, this ended up in being yet another unwanted tour of Japan's major cities. He had only just gotten to Nerima this morning. As he lamented over his inability to find the dojo, even though he was only a block away from his destination, the eternally lost boy caught sight of a small figure standing beside of him. His lip curled back in a snarl as he recognized Happosai. "YOU!!!" Ryoga took out his umbrella and stabbed at Happosai, who deftly avoided the attack and was now perched on the end of Ryoga's weapon. "Now, now, is that any way to treat your master?" "You're no master of mine!" Ryoga gritted. He did not care for the little gnome as he had a habit of groping Akane's breasts and stealing her underwear. As her little pet P-Chan, Ryoga had tried, without much success to protect Akane's honor. It was when Ryoga was about to take another swing at the pervert, he noticed the numerous cuts and bruises on Happosai. "Huh? What the hell happened to you?" Happosai's look became a bit more serious as he replied, "Say Ryoga, how would you like to get in good with Akane?" "Huh? What do you mean?" It was then that Happosai began explaining the events of the past two weeks. After he had told him of Akane's attempts to win back the dojo, Ryoga went into a fit of rage. "WHAT?! HE BEAT UP AKANE?!" "Twice." Happosai affirmed. "I'LL KILL HIM!!! LET ME AT HIM!!! I'LL MAKE HIM PAY FOR HURTING AKANE!!!" Happosai smiled. The boy had taken the bait, hook ,line and sinker. "Now, now Ryoga. I admire your spirit but it'll take more than that to beat White Claw. He knows how to use the Neko Ken, just like Ranma, but better. Even I couldn't beat him." The ancient pervert winced at the memories. Those last statements got Ryoga's attention as he remembered back to his last encounter with Ranma. His rival had easily overpowered him and fractured a rib. Ranma's words had stuck to him since then. Though he hated to admit it, his skills were absolutely useless against the Neko Ken. That was the reason why he had tried to get Shampoo's great-grandmother to teach it to him. When she refused, he had set out to try and learn it on his own, but with no success. He had managed to get a copy of the Neko Ken training manual from a street vendor in Okinawa, but due to his inability to find places, he was unable to carry out the simple training procedure. Collecting cats were easy, but remembering where he had dug a deep pit was not. Finally, after a week of frustrating failures, he reread the manual and to his dismay, found out that even if he did manage to get those cats into the pit, he was far too old to learn the technique. The manual stated that the trainee must be under ten years of age to learn it. Unfortunately for him, he was so depressed over reading that second page, he had failed to read the third page, which stated the instability one would gain if they survived the training. He had burned his copy in a fit of anger before reading it. "How would you like to learn the Neko Ken?" Happosai said. This got Ryoga's attention as he considered the perverted master with suspicion. "What did you say?" "I can teach you the Neko Ken." "Yeah, right Gramps." Ryoga scoffed. "Don't think that I don't know about the Cat Fist training. I got a hold of a copy of the manual a few days ago. I know you're supposed to jump into a pit of cats with fish sausage, but I also know that you've got to be under ten-years old to learn it. I destroyed the book after I read that." "That's not a problem." Happosai shrugged. "I can make it possible for someone like you to learn that powerful technique. Just think of it. You'll be as powerful as Ranma once you learn it and nobody would be able to stop you. And think of how grateful Akane would be once you get back the sign. Since I am the one who trained you in it, technically that would make you a member of the Anything Goes, now would it?" Ryoga began getting fantasies about how Akane would react as he came to her house in triumph with the dojo's sign in hand. He could just see her hugging and kissing him as the conquering hero. He suddenly pushed those thoughts aside as he realized something. "Wait a minute. What's the catch?" "What do you mean?" Happosai asked. "If it was possible for me to learn such a powerful technique, then how come you didn't try to learn it?" The old pervert was bit surprised at the sudden intelligence the normally dense martial artist displayed. He hurriedly covered his expression. "Uh, well it's far too late for me to learn it. After all, I'm over three hundred you know." *And the fact that the technique would drive anyone insane at the sight of a cat. * Happosai silently added, realizing that Ryoga had not read the entire manual. "But a young boy like you still has a chance to gain the Neko Ken, even though you're six years past the maximum age requirement. In any case, I'm far too injured from my last battles to be able to undergo the training. You're young and strong. You'll do fine!" Ryoga looked at Happosai with a very long and suspicious glare. "You're sure that I'll be able to master the Cat Fist? I'll be able to beat this White Claw?" "Absolutely!" Happosai replied with his most honest-looking smile. "I'd say that you'll be able to learn it within a few days at most." The ancient pervert was of course, certain that even with the flawed Neko Ken, Ryoga wouldn't stand a chance against White Claw, but he may gain sufficient power to wear down the Felinar enough for Happosai to deliver the coup de grace. And then, Tigara and all the rest of those lovelies would be his for the taking. Furthermore, he would get the dojo's sign and have yet another thing to hold over the heads of his sniveling students. They wouldn't dare defy him again. Yes, he would let this gullible fool do all the work for him and he'd reap all the rewards. Ryoga began weighing his options and the one thought that tipped the scales in Happosai's favor was the one about Akane and how happy she would be to have the sign back. If there was one thing in his dismal and pathetic life that made him happy, it was seeing his beloved Akane happy. "I'll do it." Happosai smiled as he reached into his gi and removed a small object. "Well now, to start your training, you'll have to eat this special mushroom." Before Ryoga could ask what it was for, Happosai moved with lightning speed and shoved it into Ryoga's open mouth. He then hit a pressure point, which caused the lost boy to swallow by reflex. As soon as the lost boy had ingested it, he suddenly shrunk down and was soon buried beneath the pile of his own clothes. Happosai stepped back and grinned as he saw a tiny head pop out from beneath the clothes. "Hey! What was that for?!" Ryoga sputtered angrily, then realized that his voice was much higher than before and that Happosai seemed to be much larger. He looked down at himself and saw in horror that he had been shrunk down to what he was when he was six-years old. "What did you do to me?! CHANGE ME BACK! I'LL... ERK!" Happosai smiled evilly after knocking out the little boy with a sleeper point. He looked over the boy and nodded. The special mushrooms that he had found in China worked like a charm. Ryoga had eaten a special variety that would cause the person to become a certain age in proportion to the length of the stalks. Since he had eaten a six-centimeter mushroom, he was now six-years old. His body no longer had the vast strength or endurance that he had gained from the Bakusai Tenketsu training. However, the fact that he still had the mind of a teenager was a concern. The mental state of Ryoga had to match that of his age in order for the psychological effect of the Neko Ken training to work. The perverted master shrugged as he had the solution to that. He also withdrew from his gi, a small bottle with the number 110 on it. He smirked as he remembered back to the old days when he stole this bottle and various other items from the Chinese Amazons. He had secretly learned the techniques of the Xi Fang Gao Shiatsu and was confident that he could duplicate it. With that he started pouring the shampoo on the boy's head. Unfortunately, Happosai's attempt to manipulate Ryoga's memories was less than stellar and he would not know until later how much mental damage he would cause. About three days later, Happosai was ready to begin training his pupil in the most dangerous of all techniques: the Flawed Cat Fist! After getting about fifty or so starving cats and dumping them into a deep pit, he then wrapped Ryoga up in fish sausage and tossed him into the pit. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" The little boy screamed as he was thrown into the hole. This time, Ryoga would truly know Hell. Back in Egypt, a day before all this had happened? Ranma had considered all that Bast had told him of the Felinar and the Cat Fist. The cat goddess was now patiently waiting for Ranma's answer of whether or not he would become her avatar. "Are you sure that White Claw will still want to kill me?" Bast nodded. "Of that, I am cerrrrtain. White Claw and his clan are among the strongest and most deadliest of all the Felinarrrr. They are also the most malicious. They will see you as a threat to their position at the head of the Felinarrr. White Claw and his ancestors were the ones responsible for destroying many innocent lives, especially those that had fallen under the flawed Neko Ken. Instead of curing them and helping them adapt, perhaps being inducted into the Felinarrr, they instead took their lives and showed them no mercy. Many of those poor souls could have been saved and given new blood into the race, but White Claw's clan wants none to surpass them. Right now, the only reason why you are still alive is that the kohlinjar is just toying with you. Sooner or later, he WILL kill you. It is imperative that you master the true Cat Fist. Only then, will you have the strength to face off against White Claw. Also, as my avatarrr, you also will be able to exert great influence in the Felinarrr and help it back along its true path. You can save many innocents and protect your friends. Now I ask you again. Will you become my avatarrrr?" Ranma considered the beautiful cat goddess in front of him and looked deeply into the green depths of her eyes. Finally, after a long moment, he nodded. Bastet smiled as she commanded him to kneel before her. She then placed a hand on his head and said, "Kojiro Shinkara, Ranma Saotome of the Felinarrr, I do hereby acknowledge you as one of my avatarrrs and grant you a portion of my powerrrrr. Rise my representative." A faint glow was emitted from her hand, which then flowed into Ranma's body and caused him to tingle all over. Ranma then got back to his feet, feeling a surge of energy in his form as Bastet's gift flowed through him. He gazed at the Cat Goddess in awe. Bast smiled as she said, "My power and my thoughts are now within you. You will learn in time of the gifts that I have bestowed upon you. Use them wisely. And now? the training shall commence. Follow me." With these words, the two vanished from Egypt. In China, Ukyo breathed out a sigh of relief as she approached the Shaolin temple where Ranma's friend and mentor, Tung Kwai resided. The aged priest smiled as he caught sight of the young chef and heir to the Kuonji Okonomiyaki School of Martial Arts. The trip had been a long and difficult one as Ukyo had to travel up and down the countryside to find this remote area. "Greetings to you, young one. I am Tung Kwai, the head priest of this temple. May I help you?" Ukyo bowed to the priest as she returned the greeting. "Hello, my name is Ukyo Kuonji and?" "Ah yes! Kojiro had told me about you. I suspected who you were from his descriptions. That spatula on your back tipped me off." Ukyo was a bit surprised when she heard this. "You know Kojiro? He's here?" "He was. I'm afraid that you missed him. He had departed from this temple a week ago and I haven't heard from him since. However, I do believe that he will return here, once that business with his Neko Ken is completed. When he'll be back, I cannot say, but I suspect that it will be a few days." The young girl became disappointed at the news. "Do you know where he went?" The priest sighed as he said, "I'm afraid that I cannot reveal that information to you, due to an oath I had made previously." "Please, it's really important that I find him! When I left Japan, it was getting in big trouble with someone and we really need him. I need him! I'm his fianc?e after all." "Fianc?e, eh?" Tung smiled. "That's right!" Ukyo said with pride. "Well, you certainly have the quite a spirit. In any case, As I said before, Kojiro will eventually return here. Why not stay here for a while? In the meantime, I would like to know more about you and your relationship with him. I'm sure that you are very tired from your long journey and would like to have some food and rest." Ukoy smiled as having a hot meal and a chance to clean up sounded like heaven to her at the moment. Somewhere, somewhen? Ranma blinked and held up a hand when he started seeing bright flashes of light before him. When his eyes finally focused on his surroundings, he saw that he was in a place that seemed to be a large white void with countless pinrpicks of light that twinkled like stars. "Where am I?" Ranbma looked around for Bastet and saw her standing near a large dot of light. He walked up to her and was about to say something, when the goddess held up a hand. "Do not worrry my avatarrr. I have simply transported you to a dimensional warp interface area." "Dimensional? what?" "Simply put, this is a place between places. The gods of various pantheons use this all the time to traverse distances. You can think of it as a kind of subway of the kami. In fact, you have already traveled through it from China to Egypt." "You mean that cave was??" "Yes, that was one of the access points to enter this place. And now, you shall use it to begin your training." "What do you mean?" "You shall have several teachers in the true Neko Ken, and many of them are just too far for you to reach and learn from in the short time that we have." "I thought you were going to teach me." "I shall be instructing you, but there are some things that you must learn on your own first. That is the reason why I have brought you here. You shall be having first-hand experience as to what being a cat is all about." "Huh?" "You shall understand. Now, step through this entry point. Bengalor is waiting for you." Ranma stood in silence for a moment, then nodded as he walked toward the nimbus of light. He then vanished from sight and reappeared a moment later in what appeared to be a steamy jungle. He found himself confronting a large Bengal tiger, that sat on his hanches and stared at him with a piercing gaze. Ranma instantly went into a battle stance and tensed up. The tiger simply shrugged and made a sound. "Rowr." Ranma then heard a voice in his head. [*So, you are Lady Bastet's avatar.*] "Huh?" Ranma shook his head when he heard the voice. It seemed to be coming from? The big cat then spoke in that strange language. [*Yes, that was me. If you're wondering why you can understand me, it is because of the gift that our great goddess had bestowed upon you. You'll be able to understand any cat that you come across. *] "Really?" Ranma was bit put off that he was conversing with a predator that could shred an ordinary man into sushi. [*Yes. Bast has informed me that I shall be your first instructor.*] It was then that the tiger's stomach let off a low rumble. [* I believe that we shall begin with a good hunt, don't you? Follow me and I would prefer that you join me in your tiger form. *] Ranma regarded the big cat with suspicion, then decided that if the tiger was planning to meake a meal out of him, his own saber-toothed cat shape would be more than a match for him. With that he decided to play along and triggered his transformation. When he became a huge feline, he began following his counterpart deeper into the jungle. Back in the dimensional interface area, Bastet smiled as she watched through the viewing portal at her new avatar. She knew that Ranma would be up to the challenge as he had already spent more than two months as a tiger before. However, since returning to Japan, Ranma had refrained from using his hybrid and feline shapes unless it was necessary, and therefore added to the problem of his instability and less power to the Neko Ken. For Ranma to truly understand the nature of the Cat Fist, he would have to rediscover the experiences he had as a cat. And who better to help him fully develop his cat powers than actual felines themselves? Bastet nodded as she watched her prot?g? and Bengalor tear into a deer. For the next few days, Ranma traveled all over the world by using the dimensional interface to cross vast distances. Each time he arrived at a place, a feline that was native to that part of the world would begin instructing him on various exercises and their secrets. Ranma would learn to utilize his senses to the utmost while hunting. His animal instincts, especially his sixth sense, became finely tuned as his physical prowess was pushed to the limits. (In the next few paragraphs, we shall be having a bit of a training montage with a song from Disney's Tarzan, which inspired me to write this) Ranma was chasing after a mischievous lynx on all fours as they leapt through the branches of trees. He landed on a branch that was too thin to support his human form and he fell to the ground and landed hard on his rear. "OW!" Ranma winced as he rubbed his sore butt. [*Heh! You're going to have to do better than that. *] The lynx sneered as he bounded away. <> <> Ranma was now racing after a Cheetah across the plains of Africa as they charged a herd of zebras. <> <> Ranma tumbled down a rocky incline in Nevada and landed painfully on his left. Above him, a Puma shook his head and sighed. [*Let's try that again. *] <> <> This time, Ranma managed to navigate the unstable sides of the incline without falling as he followed the mountain lion across a zig-zagging path. <> <> Ranma swam across a river as he chased after a cougar. Unfortunately, the big cat led him into some dense foliage filled with very nasty thorns. "Yow!" [*I told you to use your instincts better. *] <> <> Ranma was now trying to track an ocelot through some thick underbrush, but the smaller, more agile cat was easily evading him. <> <> <> Ranma was stalking quietly with his new panther friend through the tall grass as they approached their prey. [*The idea is to not make a sound. Keep low and use your senses to warn you if your prey suspects your presence, then? strike! *] The two cats pounced on their prey. <> <> As Ranma wrestled with a leopard, he began having thoughts about the friends he left behind and of Ukyo. At another time, he simply played with some housecats in all three of his forms. <> <> Ranma became overjoyed as his agility, balance, senses and strength became even more enhanced and transforming from one form to another became second nature and no longer required him to concentrate. He began leaping through the treetops of the Amazon rainforest, shifting from human, to hybrid to tiger and back without a care as he performed acrobatic maneuvers that would have been the envy of all olympic atheletes. He soon left his feline instructor far behind. <> Ranma did a triple reverse flip, followed by shifting to hybrid in midair before landing another branch. <> Ranma raced along a length of branch, then springboarded to the ground, shifting to tiger form. His senses went wild as he took in every smell, every sound and movement. <> <> The saber-tooth raced along the ground, making tight turns and reversals before leaping up and shifting back to hybrid form to catch an overhanging branch. Ranma made several more acrobatic maneuvers, slid along the length of a tree before vaulting down toward a ledge that overlooked a valley. <> "Yeah!" Ranma let off a roar of delight. These past few days were just what he needed to get in touch with his cat side. He now fully understood the feline aspects that all users of the Cat Fist must experience. It was then that Bastet appeared behind him and clapped her hands. "Well done, my avatarrrr. You are now ready to receive your lessons in the true Cat Fist." Meanwhile, in Nerima, Happosai grinned as he looked at the tied up and scratched form of Ryoga before him. It had taken the perverted master ten days to get Ryoga into that feral state, but now he was ready. When the six-year old had emerged from the pit in a maddened state, Happosai had just barely managed to paralyze him with a pressure point. He then took out a sixteen-centimeter mushroom, which would return Ryoga back to his own age and power. Then he would unleash him on White Claw. All Happosai had to do was let Ryoga do the all the work. The Felinar was sure to shift to his tiger or hybrid form during the match, and even if he didn't, the old lecher had a backup plan to trigger the Cat Fist in Ryoga. It was perfect! Nothing could go wrong! After forcing the mushroom down the boy's mouth and making him swallow it by manipulating a pressure point, Happosai watched Ryoga return to his original age. The beastlike look in his eyes faded away as he sat up. Thanks to the memory wipe that Happosai had used on him earlier, Ryoga would not remember his Cat Fist training, save for the subconscious trigger that would activate the technique. That would occur when his new fear of cats would peak. "W-W-What? happened?" Ryoga moaned. "Congratulations Ryoga. You are now in possession of the Cat Fist." "I am?" Ryoga didn't feel any different. "That's right. With this technique, Whit Claw won't stand a chance against you." Happosai lied as he undid his bonds. "I? don't remember the training or anything else for the last few days. Are you sure?" "Yes I am." Happosai had already witnessed Ryoga's catlike behavior when he emerged from the pit. The lost boy had shredded a telephone pole with his bare fingers like a scatching post. Oh yes, Ryoga knew the Cat Fist all right. He was far faster and more agile in his feral state. With the return of his teenage body, and some special agression points he had secretly added, the lost boy was now ready to face off against White Claw. Nothing could stop Happosai now. Unknown to both of them, the mental trauma that Ryoga had suffered had left more subconscious damage to his mind than the scheming pervert had figured on. In addition to Ryoga's constant state of depression, the flawed Neko Ken had now made the martial artist into a walking timebomb with far more greater consequences than Genma's master would ever realize. Things were going to get ugly. To be continued? Next chapter, Ryoga Vs White Claw! Happosai thinks that he had found a way to beat the kohlinjar but he will soon realize a grave error in judgement. Ranma continues in his training.