The Great Crossover Crisis Well, I'm the one who started this so I guess that means that I have to disclaim it. This story and all the others I have written are just for fun. * *: Thoughts (* *): Computer responses T-Ranma: TechnoRanma from Ranmatech B-Ranma: Blind Ranma from Fighting Blind D-Ranma: Dragon Ranma from Dragon Child Kojiro: Tiger Ranma from Cat Fist Fury Chapter 1 Magical Mayhem The Slayers Universe "Hey Lina! Look up there. A shooting star!" Gourry Gabriev said to his petite and very temperamental traveling companion as they watched the night sky. The two were camped in a forest and were just getting settled down for the night. They were with their friends, Zelgadis Graywords, Amelia Seyrrun and Sylphiel Lahda. Lina Inverse; Bandit-killer, Dragon-spooker (she hates that name) and sorceress extraordinaire, looked up and saw the bright flash of red-white light as it streaked across the sky and then disappeared into the distance behind a mountain range. "Pretty, but it's nothing for us to be concerned about." Lina shrugged as she prepared to lie down to sleep. Zelgadis looked over to where Amelia was watching the shooting star. The Chimeran-cursed loner saw that familiar, starry-eyed look of the princess of Sailoon. He watched as she closed her eyes and held up her hands and if in prayer. "Making a wish, Amelia?" The self-proclaimed Defender of Justice ™ nodded as she said, "It is a sign from the gods of truth and righteousness! They smile upon us this night, and give us their blessings as we journey to right wrongs and triumph over evil!" Zelgadis sighed and shook his head. Amelia was at it again. Ever since that encounter with Hellmaster Fibrizo, the heir to the throne of Sailoon was getting more Gung Ho about becoming a crusader of justice. He couldn't fault her for her enthusiasm, but her little escapades were getting embarrassing as time went on. As of now, with the Claire Bible not available, the stony-faced Chimera man had to search for another way to cure himself of his affliction. He had thought that traveling with Lina and the others might be able to turn up something, but so far, no new options or directions were available. As of now, the group was just traveling around with no particular destination in mind. As Zelgadis saw the shooting star's fiery trail disappear over the horizon, he felt a sudden chill. Since it was a relatively warm evening, he wondered why he felt so uneasy all of a sudden. Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away, a strange craft made a not so gentle landing near the foot of a mountain range. It made a belly landing and plowed into a rocky ridge, carving a huge trench and blazing the ground with its superheated armored hull. The nearby wildlife scattered as the behemoth rush by them, causing several sparse trees to catch fire in its wake. It skidded for several hundred yards before coming to a halt, kicking up clods of dirt, stray rocks and clouds of dust and smoke. Then it began to grow quiet as the fires it had caused with its landing began to slowly burn themselves out. The engines of the ship whined to a pathetic stop and soon, all was silent. Inside the pilot's cabin, T-Ranma shook his head as he sat up from his seat. As landings went, that wasn't one of his smoothest but at least they were still in one piece. *Computer, initiate self-diagnostics and status report.* The nanotech warrior placed a hand on the console and some of the indicators came back to life as he interfaced with the ship's systems. A minute later, his biocomputer had completed the required scans. (*Self-diagnostics completed. Host is functioning within normal parameters. Damage has been sustained to the main drive and several navigational systems require extensive repairs. Quantum-phase drive is off-line due to low levels of kerium. Main reactors and auxiliary power still operational at 40%. Essential life-support and weapon systems are functional. All other systems are available, with the exception of communications.*) *Is the ship still spaceworthy?* (*Negative. The ship still has atmospheric capability but will not be able to achieve planetary escape due to damage to main drive and insufficient power levels. Estimated auto-repairs and power regeneration will require a minimum of 168 hours before the ship becomes capable of space travel. Also take note, that with the lack of kerium, hyperlight travel will not be possible.*) *Oh boy. What other bad news do you got for me?* The biocomputer gave him the rest of the bad news. (* Host is not only on an uncharted world, but also in a separate dimension.*) *What?!* (*This unit has analyzed all available data that concurs with the recent events. Scanners have detected high amounts of tachyon and vertion particles that correlate with a massive dimensional rift. Scanners have also found traces of chronal energies and dimension traces that do not match with host's home universe. Speculation indicates that a gravimetric anomaly had occurred during activation of the quantum-phase drive. The ship was pulled off course and entered a dimensional nexus when Host renegaged the drive.*) *Perfect! Just perfect! Not only are we lost on another planet, but also we're lost in another dimension! And since the navigational circuits were fried when we tried using the drive, I haven't the slightest idea where we started off from, much less where to go to get us back!* (*Host does have more pressing problems at the moment.*) *Like what?* (*Passengers are starting to regain consciousness.*) Sure enough, T-Ranma heard a trio of moans as his three unexpected stowaways began to rouse themselves. When he swiveled in his seat to gaze upon them, his eyes widened as he saw… himself. *Computer… they look like… ME!* At first, Kojiro thought he was staring into a mirror when he saw the person sitting in the pilot's seat. He couldn't believe his eyes. *No way! What's going on?* His nostrils flared a bit and his eyes widened even further as he caught the stranger's scent. It was almost the same as his! Then he caught the whiff of two other scents. He turned to one side, then to the other. What he saw was… Ranma… and Ranma? Kojiro wasn't the only person who thought that his sensitive nose was going haywire. B-Ranma was also puzzled as to why his nose was picking up three scents that were nearly identical to his own. What was even more confusing was that he was sensing ki and spiritual energies that mirrored his. The only differences he could detect were in the way the other ki were being focused. One signature was wild and feral. He could also feel Jusenkyo's power emanating from him. The second was heavily steeped in magic of various levels, while the third seemed to be boosted by unnatural means. It was also strange that he was sensing not one ki source from that person, but billions of tiny pinpricks that were gathered together in perfect harmony. D-Ranma stared as he compared each Ranma with himself. To him, all of them had low levels of magic, but the one nearest to him had the telltale signs of Jusenkyo's influence. The one next to him had an aura that seemed to probe at him. The person sitting in the chair had no considerable magical talents, but the energies that the dragon warrior sensed within T-Ranma was frightening! Though he had learned much about the mystic arts, he was also very aware of the magic humans called science and the devastation it was capable of doing. T-Ranma's scanners were busy scanning each of his counterparts and had cause for concern. All three had the same basic DNA structure and spiritual signatures as his. Their power levels varied with each, but D-Ranma had a power that could rival his own. *Computer… who are these people?* (*From the recent dimensional disruption and all available data…*) *Skip the technical jargon and give it to me straight!* (*To put it simply Ranma, these people are… Ranma. Judging from their similar dimensional signatures and their common genetic coding in comparison to you, these are three examples of yourself. In short, they are your dimensional counterparts.*) The four Ranmas continued to stare at one another for a long time, before Kojiro decided to break the silence. "So… uh… you all wouldn't happen to be Ranma Saotome, would you?" A long, long time later… "So that's about all I can tell you guys about me." B-Ranma said as he finished his life's story. All four were sitting outside the ship and were huddled around a campfire. After a period of high tension and what almost turned into a melee, the four Ranmas had introduced themselves to each other and had told of their personal histories. All except T-Ranma, who had no memory of his early life before the nanites had been injected into his body. Kojiro gave a low whistle as he commented on the Amazon's tale. "Man, and I thought my Cat Fist training was bad. At least I kept my eyes. I guess you could call me the lucky one." B-Ranma nodded. "So you actually have full control of the Cat Fist?" "You bet!" Kojiro said with a bit of pride. "After falling into the Spring of Drowned Monster Tiger, I don't need to be scared or act like a cat to use it. Heck, I'm not scared of cats period! I even got some cool powers too! How about you? Are you…?" B-Ranma shook his head. "It doesn't really matter since I'm blind. I may not have the Cat Fist, but thanks to Master Koga and the Amazons, I can take care of myself." B-Ranma's senses picked up Kojiro's apprehension when he said the word 'Amazons.' Keeping Kojiro's story and his encounters with the female warriors in mind, he said in an understanding tone, "Hey, I know that in your world, the Amazons may be a little intense but, they're really not all that bad. Sure they might do things with gusto, but that just makes them unique. I have a lot of friends in the Joketsuzoku and Shampoo is the best cousin that a guy could ask for. And you have to admit, a lot of them are really pretty and damned good fighters to boot." Kojiro let off a quiet noise that sounded like a muffled snarl. T-Ranma could see the tension between the two and put a stop to it by changing the subject. "Ranma… it is possible that I can restore your sight." This immediately caught the blind martial artist's attention. "What are you talking about? The doctors had told me that my eyesight was permanently gone. There's nothing that you can do that they, nor the village healers couldn't do." "On the contrary, my scanners have already analyzed your condition and it is possible for me to telephase a few of my nanites and regenerate your optic nerves. The science that gave me my powers happens to be centuries ahead of modern Earth technology. It would only take about a minute." The nanotech soldier reached out to touch B-Ranma's temple. In a flash, B-Ranma grabbed his counterpart's wrist with a hand and then slowly shook his head. "Hey! What are you doing?" Kojiro asked. "Do you not wish to see again?" D-Ranma asked. "I can use my magic to heal your eyes as well." B-Ranma gave a long and saddened sigh as he waved off T-Ranma's hand. "It's tempting… it's so very tempting. I would like to enjoy watching a sunset or to see the colors of a rainbow. And it would be nice to find out if Shampoo is as pretty as my fingers tell me. But…" "But what?" The other three said at the same time. "But if I were to regain my sight, then it would make all that I had learned under Koga and the Amazons seem pointless. I have already found great joy in the Unseen Light and I can SEE things in ways that no one else can! In many cases, my blindness gives me a better advantage over my opponents. The experiences I have had in coping with my blindness, has made me understand that the world does not end when it goes dark. Regaining my sight would be like forgetting the lessons I've learned. Besides, there are some things that I have encountered that made me grateful that I couldn't see. I don't have to look at Kuno's stupid face or see that stupid Panda and his crazy ideas." "Heh. Now there's a couple of things I can understand!" Kojiro agreed. "You have a point there." D-Ranma concurred. "My father may not be a Panda but I've already learned that any idea of his is never a good one! I guess that's the reason why I said no to his plan to unite the Anything Goes School with the Tendos." "Good! Take it from us, you're better off never fulfilling that stupid pledge!" Kojiro said as B-Ranma nodded his head. D-Ranma continued as he said, "It was bad enough when my mother told me about all those other engagements. When I learned that Ukyo was really a girl, I was ready to toss Pop into an active volcano for stealing her yattai." "I felt the same way." Kojiro agreed. "It's a good thing that Ucchan forgave me for leaving her. I didn't know about it until after I came back to Jusenkyo looking for Pop." "What a second. What did you just say? Ukyo was a girl?" B-Ranma took on a confused look. "You didn't know?" Both D-Ranma and Kojiro turned their heads to their blind counterpart who was shaking his head. They each told him about how they had discovered the truth about the gender of their childhood friend. When they finished with their explanations, the Amazon healer and warrior shook with disbelief and anger. "Why that lying bastard! He told me that the yattai was a GIFT!" Kojiro nodded in agreement as he said, "Yeah, that's what we all thought but we were just as mad when we found out too. At least in my world, Ucchan and I are doing great. She's grown up and I got to say, she's gotten really… cute." A tinge of red appeared on his cheeks. This was not lost on D-Ranma, T-Ranma or B-Ranma as the blind boy measured the sudden flush in his face. "Oh? And what's going on between you and Ucchan, eh?" All three had grins on their faces. "We're… kinda… sorta… dating." The Neko Ken fighter said the last word in a bare whisper, which was still clearly picked up by the enhanced hearing of the other three. "We heard that." The three Ranmas chorused, making the Cat Fist martial artist blush even further. "Aw shut up!" T-Ranma sighed as he said, "Well at least you three have the memories of your past. I can't remember anything beyond six years ago." D-Ranma considered his nanotech counterpart, then said, "I might be able to help you with that." "What do you mean?" The dragon warrior held up hands, one over the other and palms facing each other. He began silently chanting in a tongue that was not human. Instantly, a small ball of white light appeared between his hands. He then lowered his hands away and the sphere floated in midair for a moment before floating up toward T-Ranma's head. The futuristic Ranma backed away a bit at the sphere as his scanners began analyzing the energy contained within it. Throughout his travels through the cosmos, he had encountered beings that used magic and they always unnerved him. "What is that?" He asked as the ball hovered before him. "It's just a simple lore spell." D-Ranma explained. "Right now, I can sense that something is resisting the spell's attempts to probe into your mind. It's probably those little machines inside of you. Is there any way you can do to make them lower their guard? I promise you that it will not hurt." T-Ranma considered his mystical opposite, before nodding and mentally ordering his nanites to temporarily disable their shielding programs. A moment later he said, "Barriers are down. Scan all you like, but you won't find anything past the six I have been active. The nanites have told me that isn't a trace of electrochemical data about my past in any of my memory cells." "Physical data, no" D-Ranma agreed. "However, psychic impressions of memories can linger on for one's entire lifetime. Hold on a moment." The student of Sojan made a small hand gesture and then the ball of light became translucent as the energies swirled and danced within its confines. Then suddenly, the ball flared and began showing pictures of T-Ranma's childhood. Kojiro became entranced by the images and B-Ranma became astounded as D-Ranma mentally projected the pictures into the Unseen Light fighter's mind. T-Ranma was the most emotionally affected as each and every memory was brought to the fore and then stored. A few minutes later, the light winked out, having completed its task. T-Ranma was shaken to the core as the last of his lost memories flashed through his mind. "I… never believed that Pop would be THAT stupid!" Kojiro remarked. "And I thought my Cat Fist training left me in the worst shape." D-Ranma added. "How could he have done that to you?" B-Ranma said in shock. T-Ranma was rendered speechless. The horror of being torn to shreds by lions as his father tossed him into that cage almost drove him to the point of madness. Though his mind tried to deny what was shown to him, but in his heart, he knew that it was true. His nanites were already verifying the authenticity of the memories and the nanotech warrior was in full agreement with his dimensional doubles. Genma WAS an idiot. The four Ranmas talked late into the night, discussing the similarities and differences between their lives. Though each had taken a different path, they could all agree on one thing. Their lives had taken a turn for the better when they had gotten away from Genma. By the time it was morning, a kind of brotherly kinship formed between the different, yet strangely similar martial artists as they now began discussing their current predicament and how to return to their worlds. Early the next day… "Okay guys, here's where our main problems lie." T-Ranma began as he opened up a panel near the rear of the ship. The device was about two feet in height and shaped like a technological pyramid. It had a squat base and had two rectangular structures mounted on it. The topmost structure was smaller and tapered off into a blunt point. On its upper surface, at its center was a small, ruby-colored gem that was held by four metallic projections and had various cables running from those arms and into the base. "This is the quantum-phase drive." T-Ranma explained. "This is what allows the ship to achieve faster-than-light speeds by creating a hyperspace bypass. See that crystal on top? That's kerium. That is what the drive uses to create the quantum fields needed to phase into hyperspace without warping the space-time continuum. Now here's what I think happened to us. My ship had encountered some kind of gravimetric disturbance just when I activated the drive system. As a result, I was thrown into a dimensional vortex where different universes intersected. I'm not sure how the three of you ended up in the same place, but somehow, you were transported onto my ship just as I reengaged the drive to get back into real space. However, we were swept into a nexus and then ended up here in this reality. The way I figure it, it is possible to duplicate that disturbance and use the quantum-phase drive to shift us back into that dimensional nexus. From there we can ride the space-time streams until we can find our own universes." "So what are the problems?" Kojiro asked. "I'm not sure about that technical stuff, but it sounds like you have it all figured out." "First of all is that kerium." The nanotech warrior pointed to the gem. "The strain of blasting us out of that dimensional vortex was too much for it. It went and permanently decrystalized into its inert and useless form. It's supposed to be white but as you can see it's now red. We can't create any quantum fields with enough power to make even one jump. It has to be replaced, but the problem is that it's very rare and my ship's scanners tell me that there isn't very much on this world. First thing for us to do is to get more kerium. The main reactor will provide us with all the power we need, but without that hunk of kerium, we'd have no way of escaping from this universe. Fortunately, we don't need that much. A crystal the size of this one should be enough." "All right. So all we have to do is get some more of this kerium. What's are other problems?" B-Ranma asked. "The second problem is that even if we are able to get back into that dimensional vortex, finding our home universes would be like looking for four needles in a haystack. My navigational systems had gotten fried when we crashed here and the coordinates to our entrance points in that vortex were lost. Furthermore, the quantum- phase drive's energy catalyzer also took a hit. I don't have the necessary replacement parts. That's what I was about to get before this whole mess started. Without a working catalyzer, every time we use the drive, it would take at least a week for the kerium to build up enough quantum-phasic ions for another dimensional jump." "So what you're saying is that not only do we have to search god knows how many universes, but we also got to wait a week each time we enter a different world, before moving onto the next." Kojiro summarized. "That's about the size of it." "Can't you use those nanite things of yours to fix that machine?" B-Ranma asked. T-Ranma shook his head. "No. The catalyzer is made up of rare metals that my nanites can't duplicate. My ship's synthesizers can't create it either. I wouldn't have GONE looking for replacement parts if I could already make it myself." "Oh this is just peachy." D-Ranma said with a long and tired sigh. "Well, first thing on the agenda is to get that kerium. We'll worry about dimension hopping later. Now follow me. I have some things to show you." The three other Ranmas followed their technological counterpart to the pilot's cabin. A few moments later, they were all huddled near the main viewscreen as it flashed various images as T-Ranma explained them. "During the night, I sent a few scouting probes to make an extensive sweep and gather information about this world we're on. Basically, this place is similar to what Europe was like during the Middle Ages. Magic is dominant over science. The human race does exist but so do various other species as well. We're talking about the usual creatures of myth and legend; goblins, gargoyles, trolls, ogres, elves, demons, fairies…" T-Ranma paused to look at D-Ranma. "And yes… even dragons." D-Ranma smirked a bit. This was starting to feel like the Dragon World he had lived in for a decade. He could fit in here quite nicely. "Political governments are along the lines of the feudal system. Kings, queens, nobles and so on. Martial arts is pretty much unknown here, but don't underestimate their combat skills. My scouts have detected some high levels of mystic energies and they do have quite few skilled weapon users out there. I've had some run- ins with magic before during my travels, and it can be just as potent as science and ki." "So where do we start?" Kojiro asked. By late afternoon, the four had exited the ship and were ready to start their search for the element they needed to get back to their worlds. Before setting out to the nearest town, T-Ranma handed each of them a device that looked like a pocket calculator, and a small, circular pin. "Here. These are microcom pins that will allow you to keep in contact with each other and the ship. They also contain a tracking device in case any of us get separated." He then held up one of the other devices. "Each of you will have a compuguide. Each contains the basic data about this world as well as a built-in energy analyzer to help you locate any kerium. This device can also store any new data that you encounter." Kojiro smirked as he looked down at the pin. He then jokingly said, "Beam me up Geordi!" "Who?" T-Ranma asked. "Never mind. It's just something I saw on a gaijin show once." T-Ranma shook his head and said a stern voice, "I assure you that this isn't a joke. We're here to find the kerium and get back to our home dimensions." Kojiro nodded as he took on a more serious expression. "Okay." T-Ranma took a step back and appraised the appearance of the group. B-Ranma was dressed simply in black silk pants, Kung Fu sandals and a red Chinese-style shirt. In one hand, he had his battle staff, already extended to its usual length of five feet. D-Ranma had ordered the ship's synthesizer to create a copy of the outfit that he had been wearing when he returned to his Earth. This included black, loosely-fitting pants, soft leather boots, and a white shirt with flowing sleeves that cut off halfway down his forearms. The front had a red dragon emblem etched in red thread on the left side of the chest. On his side was his katana, Crimson Fang, which was in a black scabbard, mounted on a belt. Kojiro had opted to wear the same outfit as B-Ranma but had taken on a black shirt to avoid confusion. T-Ranma nodded as he thought that they would be able to bend in without arousing suspicion. He then gave the mental command for his cyberweave body suit to alter its appearance. The fibers began to reshape themselves and in less than a few seconds, the nanotech soldier was decked out in black breeches, dark brown leather boots, a gray tunic and a simplified version of his usual leather jacket. The fabric resembled silk, rather than leather and instead of a zipper, the front had silver clasps. D-Ranma and Kojiro's eyes widened at the sight then shook it off as they had already seen other technological wonders. With a simultaneous nod to each other, the intrepid four set out to explore this strange world. Behind them, their spacecraft disappeared as its cloaking device was engaged, rendering it totally invisible to any prying eyes. Sometime later, the four arrived at a relatively large town near the foot of a mountain. The streets were bustling with people as shopkeepers and vendors peddled their wares. With all the masses, the four identical Ranmas weren't given any more notice than the occasional passing glance. The group began to make their way through the crowds and towards the center of the urban area. When they came to a large fountain, they decided to stop and plan. "Okay. If we split up, we'll able to get more information and blend in better while we search for that kerium." T-Ranma said. "I agree." B-Ranma nodded. "This is a pretty big town. How about this? I'll go with Kojiro and head that way." The blind Amazon pointed to a densely populated area. "All right. We'll go the other way." D-Ranma agreed as he led T-Ranma down another street. Kojiro waved back to the departing pair. "We'll meet back at this fountain at around sundown, okay?" "Check." T-Ranma waved. Meanwhile, who should be entering the same town from another side but Lina Inverse and her party? As usual, Lina's first priority was to fill that bottomless pit that she referred to as her stomach. Also as usual, there was a disagreement as to where to eat. Lina wanted beef, but Amelia wanted mutton. There was a lot of shouting, as each girl tried to convince the rest of the group of where to go for dinner. Eventually, Amelia and Zelgadis decided to go to the restaurant that served a very rich mutton stew, while Lina and Gourry headed for the nearest barbecue joint. As for the soft-spoken Sylphiel, she had decided that she wasn't very hungry and instead offered to book some rooms for their party. The two groups went their separate ways and agreed to meet back with the white priestess at a nearby hotel later. On the west side of town… "Man! I'm starving! We haven't eaten anything since we got here!" Kojiro complained as he rubbed his empty and growling stomach. It was then that his sensitive nose caught the whiff of something delightful. B-Ranma nodded as he too was starting to feel hungry. His nose was just as attuned to odors as his Neko Ken counterpart. He turned toward the direction of the smell. Looking for kerium could wait, at least until after they were full. Fortunately, T-Ranma had given them all pouches of gold coins and precious gems to barter with. His spacecraft could easily manufacture jewels and precious metals, so money was not a problem. After verifying that there wasn't any kerium in their immediate area, the two decided to stop for dinner at a nearby restaurant that advertised a mutton stew. As they sat down and ordered bowls of the stew, they both noticed two very interesting people enter the establishment. The girl appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen and was very developed for her age. She had shoulder-length dark hair and was wearing a cute white and pink outfit, complete with cape. However, it wasn't her appearance that caught the blind fighter's attention. It was the aura of magic that put his enhanced senses on alert. He could feel a strong, yet somewhat unfocused field of energy around her. It was the unmistakable essence of magic, similar to what he had felt at Jusenkyo, but was far more potent. He could discern a happy and carefree presence in the girl, but he also felt a sense of overwhelming pride and some lack of self-control. Kojiro also noticed the strangers as he and his companion starting eating. The girl wasn't really all that interesting, but the man she came in with caught his attention. He was quite a sight as he looked like he had a skin of stone. His hair was a pale mauve and seemed to be metallic. He had several rocky projections on his face and hands. The Neko Ken martial artist wondered if the rest of his body was like that as he looked at the drab outfit he wore. Both Ranmas watched the two for a few moments more, then shrugged and went back to eating. On the east side of town… Like their dimensional opposites, T-Ranma and D-Ranma had decided to stop to eat. Both were secretly hiding their power levels to keep from being detected by anyone who was probing the area. After entering a barbecue establishment, they each ordered a huge side of ribs and was almost finished when both noticed a couple sit nearby. "Hey waiter! Give me everything from here to here!" Lina indicated with her finger on a menu. The server's eyes bulged out when he saw the huge order he had been given. Then his eyes bugged out even more when Gourry indicated several dishes and asked for triple portions. When the waiter and a couple of his coworkers arrived with huge platters of steaks, ribs and other barbecued items, both Ranmas were quite surprised to see the two gobble down their food like a school of piranhas. *That girl is putting away more food than a Dramekian Sandshark could! How could she be so thin? * On a whim, the nanotech warrior decided to focus his scanners on the girl and get an estimation on her power. Keeping his scan to a very low and undetectable level, he began his probe. What he found was alarming. (* Power level currently at 55,000. Magical energies rated at Class A level. Threat to host would be considerable. Exercise extreme caution.*) D-Ranma had instantly noticed Lina Inverse the moment she walked in. He too could sense the raw potential within her as well as something else that he found distasteful. She had spilled the blood of dragons. He could feel the trace amounts of essences of those she had slain still floating about her. Though he did not know the circumstances of why she had killed those dragons, the young dragon warrior felt a bit uneasy sitting next to a human who had the power to slay one of nature's most powerful creatures. This dislike was natural since dragons had raised him. Shaking his head to clear it, he decided to ignore the sorceress and her swordsman associate and went back to finishing his meal. Though he couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be a strange, hidden power that was being emanated from Gourry's sword. A while later, the two other-dimensional visitors exited the restaurant and were about to continue their search for kerium, when they noticed two unsavory people were skulking around the alley next to the barbecue place. One of those men was a bandit leader who had a score to settle with the so-called Bandit-killer and her not so bright mercenary friend. Beside him was his second-in-command. Both Ranmas began to catch a whispered conversation with their enhanced hearing. "Are you sure she's in there?" The second asked. "Yeah, I'm positive! That was Lina Inverse all right!" The leader of the gang is a scruffy-looking fellow with an eyepatch. "No way I could ever forget that little flat-chested witch! She was the one who destroyed my old gang, the Dragon Fangs, over a year ago. I thought that I'd never be able to get my revenge on her and that swordsman for humiliating me, but now is my chance!" "But boss! If she's really as powerful as people say she is, then how are WE going to beat her?" "Don't worry. I've got this!" The bandit leader took out a metallic ring out of his cloak and held it up. "This little trinket cost me a lot but it was worth the trouble! I stole this from a wizard's laboratory. It's a magical inhibitor and it'll keep her from using any spells. Every time she tries to use her magic, she'll feel intense pain! It's a lot more powerful than any other magical inhibitor, and I also got a few other items to take care of her and that moron mercenary she's with." "Yeah, well…" The other bandit was still a little worried. "Come on! This is our chance to make our gang the most feared in the world! Do you realize how famous the Really, Really Not-So-Nice Gang would be if we took down Lina Inverse?" The bandit leader's companion had to nod at that and said, "Okay Boss. So are we going in there?" The leader shook his head and said, "Nah! It's too crowded. I had one of others follow that white priestess friend of theirs and I know where they're staying. We'll sneak up on them while they're asleep and slip the inhibitor on her head. Between the fifty of us, we shouldn't have any problems! Then after we take care of her friends, Lina Inverse is going to get a one-way ticket straight to Hell!" "Sounds like a plan!" "Heh! Lina Inverse the Bandit-killer, prepare to become Lina Inverse the Bandit-killed! Courtesy of the Really, Really Not-So-Nice Gang!" As the bandit followed his leader into the shadows, he shook his head and thought, *We really got to get a better name for our gang!* A short distance away, T-Ranma and D-Ranma looked at each other. "I take it that girl we saw in that restaurant is this Lina Inverse they were talking about." T-Ranma said. D-Ranma nodded. "Couldn't be anyone else. She was the only source of high magic that I could sense, aside from that sword her friend carried." "You know that this isn't any of our business." "Yeah, but can we just walk away after hearing all that?" "Nope, we have to stop them." "Right. Let's go! Fifty bandits shouldn't take more than a minute. We can save this Lina Inverse and still make it back on time to join the others." The two broke out into a run. Sometime later, the masters of the Neko Ken and the Unseen Light arrived at the meeting place just as the sun had reached the horizon. The crowds had thinned out considerably and the two had a good view of the area as they waited for their counterparts to return. As they waited, the two engaged in quiet conversation, exchanging more information about their separate lives. Eventually, the last rays of the sun faded from view. As night fell upon them and the streets became deserted, they began to wonder where the technological and dragon Ranma were. "It's getting late. I wonder where they are?" Kojiro shrugged. "I don't know. They promised to meet us at sunset, but they're still not here. Do you think we should go look for them?" "That's a good idea, except for one thing. Where do we start looking?" As if on cue, a huge explosion was heard echoing in the distance. Both Ranmas turned their heads to the sound and Kojiro saw huge columns of smoke appear in the distance. "Call me crazy, but I think that's where we should start." B-Ranma nodded as the two leapt to the top of a nearby building and then started running across rooftops. Knowing that he could get there faster on all fours, Kojiro called out to his blind counterpart. "Get on my back!" The Neko Ken warrior focused his inner energies and in a flash of red energy, he morphed into a huge saber-toothed tiger. B-Ranma was more than surprised when his sixth and seventh senses picked up the transformation. The radar image of the two- legged Cat Fist fighter had now become a four-legged feline that was the size of a Buick. He also sensed the power of Jusenkyo at work and then remembered the story that he had been told of Kojiro's origins. Realizing that this creature was in fact his friend, he hopped onto the feline's back and held onto the hairs on the tiger's neck as Kojiro got the lead out. The blind fighter was a bit unnerved at being so close to such a fierce predator and he shivered a bit as he remembered his own experience with the Neko Ken. *It's just as well that I can't see him!* Though B-Ranma did not have the irrational fear of cats like Kojiro once had, he was still very uncomfortable whenever he was around anything feline. However, even with Kojiro in his larger and more vicious form, B-Ranma could still sense the brave and fighting spirit of his otherworldly double and this was comforting. He held on with one hand while reaching behind his back to retrieve his battle staff. Extending it to its usual length of five feet, the blind fighter steeled himself for the imminent confrontation. Meanwhile… "DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!" "FIREBALL!" "ELMIKION LANCE!" "FLARE ARROW!" D-Ranma was standing with one arm held up with his hand spread. In front of his palm was a huge, green, and translucent disk of light. To the surprise of both Lina and Amelia, their mystical attacks were stopped cold when they hit that barrier. Lina's fireball was dispersed when it impacted into the shield while Amelia's energy bolt was reflected back at her. The princess of Sailoon yelped as she ducked out of the way of her own attack. The blast from their white priestess friend had virtually no effect. D-Ranma wondered why her attack was in the shape of a carrot. It didn't even touch his barrier before it winked out harmlessly. "Geez Sylphiel! Haven't you gotten the hang of that spell yet?!" Lina whined. Sylphiel could only shrug and give an embarrassed smile. As the female magic users were getting set to attack again, their male companions were trying hard to bring down the dragon Ranma's technodouble. Zelgadis and Gourry had just barely drawn their swords, when T-Ranma suddenly rushed forward at supersonic speed and gave them each a light swat with an arm. At the velocity he was going, it was the same as being hit by a car. Luckily, the nanotech soldier only used enough force to knock them down; knowing that Gourry's armor and Zelgadis' tough skin would protect them. The Chimeran magician managed to hold onto his sword, but Gourry's was sent flying high into the air. T-Ranma looked up at the weapon and pointed a finger at it. *Laser.* He fired off a beam of superheated light at the blade and slagged the tempered steel in an instant. The seemingly ruined weapon clattered to the ground in front of a shocked Gourry. Zelgadis' eyes widened at what he had just witnessed. *What kind of spell was that?! And how did he move so fast?!* The wizard/swordsman had not detected any magic and had not sensed any invoking of spirits. Their opponent had just pointed and fired off a beam of energy, then blurred forward. Gourry got over his momentary shock and dove for his weapon. T-Ranma was a bit puzzled as to why the blond swordsman was picking up a useless weapon. When Gourry pulled out a small needle and pressed a hidden switch on the hilt, the nanotech warrior knew that something was up. "LIGHT COME FORTH!" The melted blade of the sword fell off and a shining blade of pure energy emerged. T-Ranma's biocomputer began analyzing this new development. (*Energy blade's destructive power equivalent to a mega-charged electrodisrupter rapier. Evade!!!*) In the other battle, Lina and Amelia were getting nowhere with D-Ranma. No matter what spell they used, the dragon warrior would either dodge them or use his Dragon Scale Defense spell to block them. He made no offensive moves toward them, as he really didn't want to hurt them. He just couldn't believe how a simple misunderstanding could get so out of control. Flashback… T-Ranma and D-Ranma had been waiting outside the inn where Lina and her party had been staying. After following the two bandits, the identical Ranmas had decided to wait until all the bandits had arrived so that they could take them all out at once, instead of one at a time. By the time it was nightfall, all fifty members of the Really, Really Not-So-Nice Gang had arrived and were huddled near the back of the inn, preparing to scale the wall and sneak into the rooms where the sorceress and her friends were sleeping. Their leader triumphantly held up the magical inhibitor aloft as he got to the top of the roof. The others were about to follow their leader when the two Ranmas decided to make their move. The two crept stealthily behind the gang as they began making their way up the grappling lines and the trees that were near the building. The brigands had no idea that they were now being targeted. Their leader was too busy moving up and down the roof, trying to discern which room was Lina's, that he didn't notice that his cronies were being knocked into la-la land by two very talented martial artists. Each thug was picked off and sent into unconsciousness before they realized what was happening. In less than a minute, forty-nine members of the Really, Really, Not-So-Nice Gang were sprawled in a heap at the foot of a large tree near the inn. The leader smiled as he bent over the edge of the roof and saw the object of his hate through an open window. Lina Inverse was snoring loudly and occasionally mumbling in her sleep. Amelia and Sylphiel were asleep in another bed a few feet away. The bandit then stood up and turned to signal to his cohorts. That's when he found himself facing off against a futuristic soldier and a dragon-powered swordsman. "Huh? Who the hell are you two?" He then began to frantically look for his gang. "Where are my men?" D-Ranma gestured with a thumb at the pile of thugs near a tree. T-Ranma raised a hand and said, "I'll take that now." *Gravity field inducer.* The nanites began emitting a wave of gravity that plucked the magical inhibitor out of the bandit leader's hand, causing it to fly into techno-warrior's hand. T-Ranma twirled the circlet on his index finger before he tossed it to his counterpart to hold. He and his double began advancing on the now frightened bandit, who drew his sword and took a few steps back. "S-S-Stay back! I'm warning you!" Both Ranmas gave off a snort. That plain steel sword would be as effective against them as a toothpick. It was then that they stepped on a weak spot in the roof. That section had been steadily rotting away from the several days of continuous rain that had occurred a week ago. The innkeeper had been meaning to fix that part of the roof, but had not found the time. Both Ranmas stopped when they heard an ominous creaking noise. It was then that they fell forward as that weakened part of the roof gave way under their combined weight. CRASH! The two fell through and landed in… yes, you guessed it, the girls' room. The red-haired sorceress and her companions awoke with a start when debris came crashing down. It was then that two bodies came through the hole in their ceiling. One body landed with a thud beside Lina's bed. The second landed on top of Lina, causing her to be driven into her bed. She then let off a scream when she felt a hand grab onto one of her small breasts. "EEEKKKK!!!!" D-Ranma had been caught off guard when the roof had caved in. There had been no time to engage his flight ability and he had reflexively grabbed at anything to stop him from falling. Unfortunately, his choice of handholds couldn't have been worse. When he looked down at what his hand was pressing against, his face turned a bright red. He also noticed that the nightgown had a large rip in it and he could see… He slowly looked up and saw the true horror of a Lina Inverse at her absolute worse. He had seen Viperdragons that looked friendlier. As T-Ranma was just starting to get up, the dragon fighter quickly got out of the bed and onto his feet, covering his eyes with a hand and tried to apologize before things got worse. Unfortunately, his mouth moved faster than his brain. "I'm sorry! We didn't mean to drop in like this! I-I-I didn't see a thing!" T-Ranma knew that his friend had said the wrong thing when Lina exploded. His three counterparts were all younger than he was and didn't have as much experience when it came to being tactful toward females, especially in embarrassing situations such as this. "WHY YOU…!!!!" "Miss Lina! He's was going to put a magical inhibitor on you, then ravage you!" Amelia pointed to the circle that was still in D-Ranma's hand. Sylphiel gasped when she saw it. The dragon warrior looked down at the circle then started waving his hand frantically. "No! This wasn't our idea! We had nothing to do with this! We just fell through the roof and I landed flat on your chest and…" The sorceress was so steamed at being groped that she only heard the words 'flat' and 'chest.' It was at that time that Lina lost it. "FIREBALL!" End of flashback… As of now, both Ranmas had been holding their own against a very short-tempered sorceress and her companions. They had been trying to get a word in edgewise, but the red-haired Bandit-killer was on a full head of steam and showed no signs of stopping. Once Zelgadis and Gourry had joined the fray, things went totally out of control. Gourry slashed again and again at his agile foe, but to no avail. T-Ranma was just moving way too fast for the blonde swordsman to come close. Zelgadis had been firing off spells to try and slow the techno-martial artist down but he too wasn't connecting. T-Ranma dodged again and again, not fighting back, as he knew that Gourry and Zelgadis would never be able to survive if he attacked. However, he was beginning to get annoyed at their attempts. The constant slashing from Gourry reminded him of that idiot Kuno from his world. With Zelgadis trying to nail him with Fireballs, Elmikion Lances, Flare and Freeze Arrows, the nanotech warrior was getting ticked off. As T-Ranma continued to dodge, D-Ranma had decided to take the offensive. He began focusing his ki as Lina and Amelia launched two spells simultaneously. "FIREBALL!" Both girls shouted as they shot a pair of huge projectiles at him. "DRAGON FIRE!" The two fireballs collided with the huge, blazing stream of D-Ranma's. However, instead of a huge explosion like Lina and Amelia expected, the fireballs were enveloped into the stream like two droplets in a river. The sorceresses had to duck for cover as the blast rocketed toward them. Both girls yelped as their posteriors were slightly singed when the flames passed over them. "YOW! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!" Amelia was frantically running about as the seat of her pants was smoking. She then spotted a nearby fountain and then sat her bottom into the cool waters. Steam rose from the fountain and Amelia let off a sigh of relief. Lina was patting her rear to put the fire out, and then glared at the person who had burned her butt. D-Ranma merely smirked as said, "Well, now are you ready to listen?" "NO! FREEZE ARROW!" With the fight between T-Ranma, Gourry and Zelgadis… "FIREBALL!" A huge blast of fire magic came streaking at him and T-Ranma decided that enough was enough. Focusing his ki into his right arm he made a casual wave and swatted away the Zelgadis' fireball as if were a beach ball. The attack went streaking off into the heavens, leaving a stunned Zelgadis staring up where his attack was deflected. *Beam Saber! * T-Ranma held out a hand and a metal cylinder appeared. He then gripped it in both hands and mentally activated it, setting the power levels to full. From one end of cylinder, a shaft of blue-white light appeared and formed an energy blade that was a meter in length. "Huh?" Every one else's expression mirrored Gourry's surprise as they saw a technological version of the Sword of Light. T-Ranma charged forward and slashed at Gourry's blade. The two energy swords collided and sparks went flying as they clashed. The techno-Ranma then began using sword techniques at speeds so fast; his blade became a series of blurred light. He pumped up the saber's energy to maximum in order to counter the Sword of Light. He knew that his weapon wouldn't hold long against Gourry's, but if he could keep him from attacking with it, he might be able to take him out. Gourry found himself hard-pressed to parry his opponent's blade as he was moving with unbelievable speed and grace. Though his peers considered him an expert swordsman, T-Ranma clearly had an advantage over him as he had picked up several hundred different swordfighting styles from many alien worlds. He had also mastered all the sword techniques from his Earth. Gourry was unable to bring the full power of the Sword of Light to bear on his foe as he didn't give him any opportunity to counter, keeping the blonde mercenary on the defensive. Then he found himself overwhelmed as T-Ranma let loose with an unbelievable staccato strike that made Kuno's technique seem plodding. "Whoa!" Gourry had never encountered an adversary that could handle a sword like this! Then his blood turned cold as T-Ranma used his weapon to knock the Sword of Light out of Gourry's hands. The energy blade fizzled out as it lost contact with its user. The mystic weapon clattered to the ground and Gourry found himself staring down the Beam Saber's blade as T-Ranma leveled it at his chest. "Gourry!" Sylphiel shouted out. Her shout caught the attention of the Lina and Amelia as they temporarily halted in their battle with D-Ranma. T-Ranma was at a bit of a loss as he had Gourry at his mercy. One thrust was all it would take. The mercenary's body armor would be no protection against the Beam Saber's blade. He was still considering what to do when his he heard something approaching him from behind. "YAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Zelgadis leapt up with his sword held high, intent on cleaving T-Ranma's skull from behind. It was at that moment that a shout was heard. "RAGING TIGER BOLT!" Zelgadis was knocked to the side as an oval-shaped blast of energy slammed into him. The stone-faced magician went sprawling and landed several meters away. He landed painfully on his back and lay there for several moments before slowly getting back to his feet. He looked up with the rest of his group to see two figures leap down from the roof of a nearby building and take up positions behind T-Ranma. T-Ranma had let his attention waver when he heard the shout, and Gourry dove down to retrieve the Sword of Light, then roll away to get more fighting room. When he got to his feet and ignited his weapon, his eyes widened as he saw whom the newcomers were. Lina, Amelia, Zelgadis and Sylphiel all looked in the same direction and thought they were seeing quadruple. They had believed they had been fighting against twins, but now they were facing off against four of a kind! B-Ranma and Kojiro took their positions alongside T-Ranma and D-Ranma and the two groups faced off. Things were about to get even messier. To be continued… Author's Notes Whoa! That was a long haul! Next episode will have the conclusion to this battle and the further adventures of our dimension-hopping foursome in the Slayers Universe. We will also meet up with more characters from the Slayers cast as well as see some more interactions between the four Ranmas.