Ranma ½: One Wish! P.5

What was that old western movie with the man with no name? Ryoga thought, as he stood opposite Ranma, on the other side of the street away from the Cat Café. He couldn’t remember it, but at this moment, he felt like that main protagonist pitted against that “Ugly” character in a one-on-one showdown. But instead of six-shooters, he’d use martial arts to take down his enemy. As he stood alone, waiting for Ranma to make a move - he reviewed Ranma’s fighting stratagem.

Ranma liked to play dirty and to attack swift leaving nothing to chance. But he’d beaten Ranma before on numerous occasions and he thought he’d finally figured his arch rival out. All he had to do was dodge his attacks and tire him out and then strike. It was the perfect strategy and one that couldn’t fail. He wanted to win this battle in front of Akane and once and for all prove he’d make the better suitor. Ranma agreed to divorce Akane if he lost, although he thought that demand was a bit over-zealous. Ranma wouldn’t divorce Akane in any case. But it was enough of a challenge to rope Ranma into a fight.

Gosunkugi stood on the sidelines with the others, along with a large crowd of people from Shampoo’s restaurant. He’d challenged Ranma in front of the entire company of customers inside and he for certain he wasn’t going to lose. If someone had pulled him out of his reality and placed him into a different, altered one, then he could start all over. If no one had ever met him, then no one knew the power he held, namely: The Breaking Point and Lion Roar Shot techniques. With those at his deposal, Ranma didn’t stand a chance. But why would anyone do this to me? he thought. What enemy did I make that would use their power over Space and Time and rip me out of the reality as I know it and transport me to a similar, but different reality all together? For some reason, he thought Gosunkugi knew the answer. But the creepy guy wasn’t talking.

The first move was crucial, and in most cases, it dictated the path in which the battle would take. It spoke volumes about your strengths and, more importantly, your weaknesses. If your opponent picked-up on your flaws, he could devise a strategy to exploit them. That’s what Ryoga feared most. This time, however, he’d use his anger as a weapon instead of a crutch.

“C’mon pal, aren’t ya gonna attack me?” Ranma said, batting him on.

But he shrugged off his instinct to attack first. “I’m waiting for you,” he said.

“Fine, be happy too!” Ranma said, and then attacked. He charged towards him, crying out a battlecry, and then attacked him. Ranma was trying to hit him, but he foresaw his punches in advance and easily dodged them. “What’s gonna on?” he then said annoyed. “Aren’t ya gonna fight me?”

Ryoga obliged and gave Ranma a swift uppercut to the chin, his fist crunching underneath his jaw, tossing him back and to the ground. Ryoga looked at his clenched fist and eyed him, and then said, “Is that what you wanted?” Then Ryoga batted him, wiggling two fingers to come at him again. Ranma jumped to his feet, and attacked. And again, Ryoga easily dodged his punches and kicks. Ranma would normally use his Chestnuts Roasting Over An Open Fire technique, but wasn’t. Ranma won all his fights by using his speed and what techniques he’d picked up from Cologne, but now, he wasn’t utilizing any of them. He looked like any typical martial artist, showcasing typical moves. “I thought you were the National Martial Arts Tournament Champions, Saotome?” he then said.

Suddenly his confidence get the better of him and bobbed in the wrong direction. Ranma delivered a punch. And with lightning speed, despite not using the Amaguriken, his fist hit him in the right cheek hard, and he staggered back from the blow. He felt his face and looked at Ranma in surprise. Ranma was smirking, squeezing a tight fist. “That’s for insulting my wife!” he said.

Ryoga let his fingers caress down his cheek slowly, feeling the blow, as he smiled amusingly. “That felt like a baby’s punch,” he said.

“A baby’s punch!”

“Where’s your real power? All those techniques Cologne showed you.”

“Ya want power? I’ll show ya power, pal!”

And he attacked again. But this time, as he faked a punch to Ryoga’s face, and when Ryoga went to dodge it, he ducked, twirled around, got behind him, and elbowed him in the lower back. Ryoga gritted his teeth and grunted in pain as he collapsed to his knees, falling to his hands and knees. He felt his back. “What the hell was that!” Ryoga said confused, looking at him.

“My own style of martial arts,” Ranma said. “Several different techniques in one, but that was merely a taste of what’s to come, pal! How’s ya like it?”

Ryoga rose to his knees, still feeling his back. Despite a little discomfort, it didn‘t hurt. Besides, he‘d been hit harder than that before. “That was a cheap shot. Is that something new for the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts?” he questioned.

“Anything goes martial arts? What’s that?” Ranma said.

Ryoga looked at him with confusion, narrowing his eyes. “It’s the whole premise of which your martial arts is based on, yer father created it,” he said.

“My father taught me a lot of what I know, but not everything. That’s the second time you’ve mentioned my father. Did you know him?”

Ryoga didn’t answer him as he got to his feet. “Stick to the Chestnuts Roasting Over An Over Fire and the Heaven Blast of the Dragon techniques, you’re more suited to them,” he said ambiguously.

“And what are those?” Ranma asked confused.

Ryoga looked at him perplexed. “What did you do, hit your head or somethin‘? I was there, I saw ya learn’em.”

“Look pal, I have no idea what you talkin’ about!”

“I‘ve had e’nuff of this crap!” Ryoga then spat out angry.

He then attacked Ranma, delivering a hard head butt to his face. Ranma staggered back, putting hands over his face, cursing out profanities. When he removed his hands, his nostrils were dripping blood.

“I think yer broke my nose, yer bastard!” he said angry, his teeth clenched tight.

Feeling unbridled angry, he then charged Ryoga, running at full throttle towards him, like a bull seeing red. Reading his moves, Ryoga sidestepped to the right, extended an arm out and clothed-lined him. Ranma flipped around and landed face first to the ground.

“Ranma!” Akane cried out. “Are you okay?”

But he hadn’t been knocked out. Rolling over, he got to his knees and looked up at Ryoga, growling angry. “That’s the Ranma I know, get angry,” he said.

Akane suddenly ran out into the battlefield and went to her young husband’s side. She touched his chin and looked at his cuts. “Ranma, I think you should stop,” she said. “He obviously has more skill than you.”

“No, he just got lucky,” Ranma said, and he swatted Akane away. “I can take’em!” Ranma got to his feet and Akane backed away, returning to the sidelines. “’Kay pal, the gloves are off now. I thought yer an amateur and under estimated you. But now no more Mr. Nice Guy. Which, by the way, just happens to one of my favorite movies!”

Ranma quickly sunk down and preformed a leg swept knocking his opponent off his feet. Ryoga fell flat on his back, hitting the back of his head against the hard ground. Then Ranma backed off to safe distance.

Ryoga felt the back of his head. “What the hell was that?” he said, looking at Ranma.

“Now things are gonna get serious!”

Ranma again charged, but Ryoga was ready for him and prepared a defense. “You of all people should know never to openly expose yourself like that to me,” Ryoga said, and rose a finger. Ranma should’ve stopped forewarning him of what was about to happen, but he didn’t.

Ryoga snorted a smirk and brought his finger down to the ground, touching it. But to his shock, nothing happened. His Breaking Point technique didn’t work.

Ranma flipped and then slid underneath him, delivering a devastating kick to Ryoga’s groin, using the flat of his feet for the most devastating impact. And when Ryoga was distracted with the pain, he rolled right, got to his feet, got behind him, grabbed both his arms, twisted them back, and gave him a hard kick to his upper back, forcing him to jerk back. Snap!

Ryoga cried out in pain. Ranma flipped back over him, and stood before him, confidently.

Ryoga felt like his shoulder joints had been dislocated and he dropped his arms to his sides, reeling in the pain. This was new for Ranma. He had never done anything of this nature before. Normally he’d use one of his special techniques, using his Ki to attack, causing much more damage. All he was doing now was physical acrobatics. But it was working.

“How’d’ya like that pal?” Ryoga beared his angry fangs. Ranma smirked, amused. “I knew you’d like that one. How about another, there’s plenty to go around. That was but one of my many revised techniques I have in my repertoire for this street fight. Of course, these moves are illegal in tournament competition, but anything goes here.”

Ryoga held his arms close to his chest and as the pain started to subside was relieved that his arms were not disjointed. “You’re different somehow,” he said.

“And how would ya know that? We just started fighting.”

“’Cause I know your style and this aint it.”

“Maybe I’m not the person you think I am,” Ranma said.

And then it hit him, he wasn’t the person he knew. This was a whole completely different version of Ranma, who didn’t know the special techniques of the Amazon Tribe for which Cologne was leader.

“Akane is my wife, stay away from her!” Ranma barked out.

“I love her! She doesn’t deserve an uncaring brute like you!” He then looked at his finger, and said, “Why didn’t my Breaking Point technique work? It never failed before.”

“You mean that stupid finger trick? That was pathetic. Did you think that would distract me so you could perform some other move? I’m not so easy tricked. I’ve fought some of the toughest martial artists in the world and no one’s tried anythin’ that stupid!”

“My Bucsitengets was suppose to work. Why didn’t it?” Ryoga said utterly confused. “I did it flawlessly, just like all the other times before.”

“Just fight, what’s with ya, man!”

“I don’t understand,” he said, and then tried it again, touching the ground with a single finger. Nothing happened.

Ranma saw an opening and took advantage of the situation. “If you won’t fight me, then I‘ll take you down!” He jumped high in the air and then roundhouse kicked Ryoga to his face and head. Ryoga twirled around 360 degrees and hit the ground hard. Oof! “Martial arts ain’t ‘bout fancy tricks, pal, it’s about usin’ what you’ve learned and trainin’ your body to beat’ yer opponent in the least amount of moves. That’s how I became National Champion. Outwit, Outthink, Outlast. That’s the martial artist way.”

Ryoga rose to his hands and knees. “Enough!” he said, and got to his feet, whipping blood from the corner of his mouth. “I didn’t want it to come to this, but it’s the only way. The Shishi Hokodan!”

He closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and started to summon all his negative energy for a huge Ki blast.

Ranma cocked his head slightly. “And what the hell is that?” he said. But where there should’ve been a huge ball of Ki above his head, Ryoga saw nothing. “What the hell are yer lookin at?” Ranma then said.

“My Ki, where’s my Ki?” Ryoga said. He tightened his fists again and closed his eyes, summoning up all his negative thoughts and energy, but the Shishi Hokodan didn’t work.

He dropped to his knees, his arms outstretched, “Why doesn’t any of my techniques work?” he asked rhetorically.

“You’re freakin’ me out, man,” Ranma said, weird-out. “Just fight me.”

“Ranma, why don’t you remember me?” Ryoga suddenly cried out, tears forming in his eyes. He walked to him on his knees. “I’m Ryoga Hibiki. We were in junior grade together, both of us fell into Jusenkyo - we’re rivals, don’t you remember?” he said all quickly.

Ranma backed away from him, instinctively disturbed by his opponent’s sudden erratic behavior. “I’ve never seen you before you showed up at my house,” he said.

Ryoga turned his attention to Akane. “Akane!” he shouted. “Don’t you remember me!” Ryoga grabbed his head in despair and cried. “What’s happening? Who did this to me? Why doesn’t anyone remember me? Why don’t my techniques work?”

Gosenkugi went over to him and then stood beside him. He put a hand on Ryoga’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort. Ryoga looked up at him, tears in his eyes. He then saw a bottle of water in his hand and panicked. But before he could escape, Gusenkugi soaked him.

He tried to swat the water away, because he knew his curse would activate and change him into a pig right before everyone, but seconds passed and nothing happened. He looked at his human hands and felt his wet face. “I didn’t change,” he said both relieved and confused. “What happened to my curse?”

Ranma stepped away. “Get away from me with that water!” he said in a panic.

Gosunkugi stepped towards him. “In this reality, you may not be afraid of cats, but you’re still afraid of people knowing yer deep secret, that when splashed with cold water you change into a girl, Ranma,” he said. “Now get away from Ryoga, or I’ll reveal yer secret to everyone!”

“Both of you are totally nuts!” Ranma said, and then quickly ran away. He went to Akane on the sidelines.

“Are you okay, Ryoga?” Gosunkugi asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said, utterly confused.

“The reason why you didn’t change, Ryoga, is because you never met any of these people - your past is a clean slate,” Gosunkugi started to explain. “So, in never crossing paths with them, none of the events that changed and altered your life, happened.”

Ryoga looked at him utterly perplexed. “Who are you? Did you do this to me?” he asked.

“Nit’s not nice to be forgotten, nis it?”

And Ryoga gasped, recognizing the voice.

--

Ryoga jerked awake in a panic, and found himself laying underneath a large oak tree inside his sleeping bag. Was it all a dream? He asked himself. Then he looked straight ahead and screamed in fright as he saw two large, bright, white feline eyes staring at him from within the darkness like some sort of devil. He looked around and saw that he was in a forest, the very same forest he was when he met up with the Ghost Cat. “You mean, it was all a dream?” he said.

“Ne-yes, all an illusion with my me-a-jec,” Mamolin said. “Nu wished that nu forgot me, but ne-I turned the tables and made everyone forgot nu.”

Ryoga snorted angry, and looked at Mamolin with narrow eyes, curling his lip. “Why in the world would you do something that? That was horrifying!“

“Ne-I did that to teach nu a lesson.”

“What lesson?” Ryoga said.

“To ne-ever make a wish like that. Nit’s not nice to be forgotten, nis it?”

Ryoga felt an anger swell inside of him, but then something hit a cord and he found solace in the Ghost Cat’s words. “You’re right,” he said. “But I didn’t make that wish. You did it all. So I still have one wish, right?”

“Ne-yes. But I‘m tired. Ne-I‘ll catch nu at another time.”

“Wait!”

Mamolin faded into the darkness before Ryoga could question him further or make another wish.

--

The next day he made it to town and to the Tendo Training Hall without getting lost.

He made his way to the Dojo where he saw Ranma practicing his martial arts. “Hey buddy, long time no see,” Ranma said to him, noticing him.

Ryoga suddenly smirked. “You remember me?” he said.

“Of course I remember you. You hit yer head or sumthin‘?” Ranma said.

Akane popped up behind Ryoga suddenly and she made him jerk with surprise. She said, “Oh hi Ryoga! You’ve been gone a long time. We‘re just about to have lunch, you wanna join us?”

Akane’s sweet voice was music to his ears and he smiled at her. “I’m so glad to see you, Akane; can I ask you somethin’?” he said.

“Anything,” she said.

“You’re not married to Ranma, are you?”

She seemed to get annoyed by the question. “Certainly not! That insensitive jerk?!”

“Tomboy!” Ranma rebuked, sticking out his tongue at her.

“Why would you ask such a thing?”

Ryoga sighed deeply, smiling gently. “I’m so glad,” he said.

--

As Ryoga followed Akane to the house, Ranma scratched the back of head confused, cocking his neck slightly. “What in the world was that all ‘bout?” he said confused, and then headed to the house.

Thanks to all my readers who stuck with this story.

END