ALTERNIAN MULTIVERSE TOURNAMENT
By Jonathan "KnightMysterio" Spires
Match 1: Ranma Saotome versus Kenichi Shirahama
All published characters copyrighted to their original owners and used for non-profit amusement reasons. All original characters copyrighted to me, so please ask before borrowing them. Thank you.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
AMT Arena...
Broadcast booth...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Hello folks and welcome to the Alternian Multiverse Tournament! Where media's greatest fighters duke it out for supremacy!" said the young Asian man in the blue trenchcoat. "I'm Kenma here with Kreese Kreeley of Mad World fame, here to bring you some of the best of the best in combat with each other!"
The greasy man with the mullet and thick handlebar mustache laughed. "Gotta tell ya folks, this is a change in two big ways for me! One is that not all of these fights will end in gory deaths, and the other, which I definitely appreciate, is that Kenma here isn't as big a loser as Howard was!"
Kenma grinned. "Thanks, Kreese!"
Kreese smirked. "Of course, that may change as these matches go on," he added.
"Go fuck yourself, Kreese. It's the only way you'll get any," Kenma snarked right back.
Kreese cackled, appreciative that his new partner could keep up with him. "Anyway, first up, we got a match between two young fighters with the potential to become absolute masters of their art!"
"First up is Ranma Saotome, cursed with too much luck in love and a curse to turn into a babe whenever he gets hit with cold water!" Kenma said.
Kreese blinked. "Whoa, seriously?"
Kenma nodded. "That's right! And I ain't kiddin' when I say babe. A couple of the guys want to marry him. They also don't know that girl-Ranma and guy-Ranma are two different people, but they're also idiots, so that's okay."
Kreese laughed. "Sounds like that kid's got a lot on his plate. He turns tranny whenever it rains!"
Kenma quirked an eyebrow. "You got issues with this?"
Kreese snorted. "Pft. No. Dated a couple trannies one time. Hell, even had a match with one in DeathWatch. She was about to gank me when someone won, so we decided to just call it even and have ourselves a one-night-stand," he said.
Kenma chuckled, shaking his head. "All right... Our second competitor is Kenichi Shirahama, who has no issues other than the fact that he literally blundered into an international war between martial artists who believe in letting their opponents live and martial artists who believe in killing."
"Eh. Sounds like a Tuesday for me," Kreese said.
"Ah, but Kenichi is a no-talent who's literally had martial arts beaten into him by masters capable of leveling buildings in under a minute. With just their FISTS," Kenma said.
"DAMN!" Kreese said, his eyes raising in surprise. "Kid's gotta be a badass by now under that kinda learnin.'"
"He has his moments," Kenma conceded. "Let's head to the battlefield, at the Tendo Dojo! Ranma is accompanied by the Tendo sisters, Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi, along with their father Soun and Ranma's father Genma. In addition, the overall master of the dojo, Happosai, is with Ranma as well. Attending to Kenichi are his masters, Shio Sakaki, Ma Kensei, Apachai Hopachai, Akisame Koetsuji, Shigure Kousaka, and Hayato Furinji, along with Kenichi's training partner and would-be love interest, Miu Furinji!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Tendo Dojo...
Nerima...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Thunder rumbled from the storm outside. Two young men stood on either side of the dojo, stretching and getting ready for their fight. One was a lanky young man in Chinese clothing, his long black hair bound into a pigtail. Standing next to him were three young women and two older men, one in a white gi and the other in a dark brown one. In front of them all stood an impossibly short old man in a black gi, calmly smoking a pipe and looking over the competition.
Standing on the opposite end of the dojo were six of the deadliest martial artists alive, plus two youngsters. The young man was wearing an outfit that consisted of tekkou, muay thai hand wraps, a karate/aikido gi shirt, and Chinese kempo gi pants. There was a faint clink of chainmail as he stretched, watching the pigtailed young man worriedly. The young woman was standing by the six masters, clad in a purple, form-fitting leotard that hugged her ample curves and a red jacket, specialized boots adorning her feet. Her long blonde hair was styled short. The six masters included a buxom woman in a revealing short kimono, a sword at her back, a massive man with a leather jacket, a dark-skinned Thai with a slightly dim expression, a short Chinese man with a bushy mustache, a calm man in an aikido gi with a thin mustache, and an absolute titan of an older man with a long, bushy beard and muscles that made him look like a truck with legs.
As the two young men speculated, the masters on either side began to speculate.
"What do you think, Master Happosai?" the chubby man in white said, looking down at the small man smoking a pipe. "Can my boy Ranma win?"
Soun snorted. "Oh come now, Genma. Surely Ranma can beat him," he said. "He's beaten opponents with much more unorthodox styles that this Kenichi pup." The aforementioned Kenichi glared at him, straightening his tekkou.
The tiny man puffed his pipe, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "One never knows..." Happosai said, ignoring the dirty looks that Akane, the youngest of the three girls, gave him. "The fact that his style IS so orthodox may be Ranma's biggest problem."
"Way to show me support, gramps," the pigtailed boy said, snorting. He heard a mild clinking sound, looking over to Kenichi, who had stripped off his shirt and chainmail vest. "Losin' the armor?"
Kenichi just smiled. "So there'll be no question, one way or another," he said.
"I can respect that," Ranma said, cracking his knuckles.
"You sure about this, Kenichi? I've seen some vids of this Ranma kid in action, you may need the extra protection," the jacketed master said.
Kenichi nodded. "I'm sure, Master Sakaki," he said.
"Apapa," the Thai man said. "Kenichi is brave to fight armorless against one who has slain a god!"
Kenichi stared at him in alarm. "You're... you're kidding, right Apachai?"
Akisame shook his head. "Oh, I'm afraid not, Kenichi. In fact, it's because of this fact that we decided to agree to this fight!"
Kenichi looked at Ranma worriedly. "Did... Did you really slay a god?"
Ranma smirked. "Well, I don't like to brag..."
"Since when?" Happosai, Nabiki, Akane, Genma, and Soun said in perfect unison. Ranma fumed.
Kenichi's masters all cackled. Kasumi, the oldest of the Tendo siblings, served them all drinks as they sat down to watch the fight.
Nabiki, the middle-child of the Tendo siblings, sat down next to Happosai. She normally avoided the old man like the plague, but he was being oddly well-behaved.
"Surprised you haven't glommed onto the chests of either of the women," Nabiki said.
Happosai snorted. "The sword girl, Shigure, would kill me if I tried. Her skill is that evident to me. And if I grabbed Miu, the blonde, her GRANDFATHER would kill me."
Nabiki blinked. "Kenichi's masters are that strong?"
Happosai huffed. "I know skill when I sense it," he said, smirking. "Besides. Why risk myself on a rare prize when I have you so readily available! Woo hoo!" Happosai jumped onto Nabiki's chest, nuzzling her breasts, Nabiki immediately regretting her decision to wear a tank top today.
"GAH!" Nabiki screamed, shuddering in revulsion from the feel of the old man's wrinkly flesh on her bosom.
"UNHAND MY DAUGHTER!" Soun bellowed, his ki aura forming a massive demon's head. Happosai just laughed and bounced into the rafters.
Kenichi eeped and hid behind Ranma.
"M-Monster!" he wailed. His masters facepalmed as one. Ranma just shook his head, snickering.
"I think we've found you a kindred spirit, Kensei," the elder Hayoto Furinji, the largest of Kenichi's masters, said as he stroked his beard in amusement.
"I am nowhere near that much of a pervert," the short Chinese man protested.
"It's just an illusion!" Miu called out to Kenichi. "You can beat him, I believe in you!"
Almost instantly, Kenichi's fear was gone, replaced by the urge to impress Miu. He gave her a thumbs up and a manly smile, Ranma laughing again.
"You're pathetic, dude," Ranma said.
Kenichi fumed. "At least I can commit to a single girl!" he snapped.
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Low blow, Kenichi," he said. "Let's see if I can't land a few in return."
Both young men took a stance.
"Finally..." Sakaki muttered, raising his hand. "The match is to knockout or submission! Fighters, present yourselves."
"Ranma Saotome, Anything Goes School of Martial Arts!" Ranma shouted.
"Kenichi Shirahama, Ryouzanpaku!" Kenichi declared.
"BEGIN!" Sakaki said, bringing his hand down fast.
Ranma dashed in first, launching a quick thrust kick at Kenichi's chest. Kenichi caught the leg and thrust his head forward, catching Ranma in the gut. Ranma winced, briefly winded, but launched a punch at Kenichi's face as it retreated, the force of the blow creating a lash of air.
Kenichi staggered back, surprised by the force, Ranma's fists becoming a blur as he punched over and over. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" he shouted, Kenichi's body jerking back and forth from the blows.
"Ah! Kenichi!" Miu shouted, alarmed.
"Fight... on!" Shigure called out.
A final thrust punch from Ranma sent Kenichi staggering back. Ranma stepped back, shaking his hands.
"What's wrong?" Akane asked, worried.
Ranma smirked, working the soreness out of his hands. "I dunno what this kid is made out of, but punching him is like punching a steel wall..."
Akisame just smiled, turning his attention to Kenichi. The young man was quickly shaking off the dizziness, frowning.
Geez! I've never been hit that many times in so short a time before! He shivered softly. I guess it's to be expected from someone who slayed a god. Still, I can't give up. His body was sore in several places, bruises starting to form from the rapid attack. I won't let the masters down!
Kenichi began to move his hands in an intricate circular pattern.
"Interesting," Akisame said. "He's playing it cautious, using Seikuken to judge Ranma's skill."
"Indeed," the Elder said. "Time will tell if that will work, though..."
For a while, though, it seemed to. The defensive technique was allowing Kenichi to catch all of Ranma's punches and kicks, the more agile fighter growing increasingly frustrated.
Okay, Ranma thought. That circle hand motion thing is some kind of defensive move. It can counter any physical attack that comes within its 'shell.' He thought for a moment, and grinned. So let's use something non-physical.
Kenichi watched Ranma warily, waiting for him to make the next move. Ranma literally gathered his confidence in his hands, energy forming in his palms as he thrust them forward, the energy exploding outward in a sphere.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!" he shouted.
The ki blast completely broke Kenichi's Seikuken, slamming him off his feet and back against the wall of the dojo. Ranma didn't let up, launching a flying kick at Kenichi's head and following it up with a fast series of punches to the face. Kenichi's head bounced back against the wall repeatedly, starting to dig a hole in the dojo wall as Ranma continued the punishment. After the first few blows, however, Kenichi managed to start countering the blows, deflecting Ranma's attacks and knocking him back with a kick.
"What the hell was that?!" Kenichi shouted, having unpleasant memories of the Ryouzan Blast the Elder used.
"It's called Moko Takabisha," Ranma explained. "A ki blast fueled by my confidence."
"And considering he's an egotistical jerk," Akane muttered, "he's got plenty of that."
"Oh for... that has to be cheating!" Kenichi protested, making Ranma laugh and Kenichi's masters facepalm.
"It ain't cheating if it works," Ranma said, taking his stance again. "I got you beat, kiddo."
Kenichi opened his mouth to retort again, when Ranma caught him off guard with a thrust kick to the stomach that was powerful enough to knock him through the wall of the dojo. Kenichi managed to flip to a stop, skidding in the rain, Ranma leaping out into the rain after him.
As the pigtailed martial artist did, though, he felt a familiar transformation overtake him. His body shrank, becoming leaner and more curvaceous, his chest swelling out into an impressive feminine bosom. As his body completed its shift to female, his hair turned bright red.
Well, it was inevitable I suppose, Ranma thought, popping her neck as Kenichi pulled himself to his feet. The young man looked startled at Ranma's sudden transformation.
"Wha... Ranma?!" Kenichi said, confused. Miu and his masters had similar looks of confusion.
Ranma nodded. "Yeah... My Dad and I both fell into these Cursed Springs in China. We change whenever we get doused with cold water, and change back in warm water."
Miu and Kenichi's six masters looked over to Genma, who shrugged and stepped through the hole briefly, letting himself get soaked. In a puff, he changed into a large panda bear, pulling a sign out of nowhere that read 'Tada!'
"Apapapa!" Apachai shouted, laughing. "So cute!"
"Fuzzy fuzzy..." Shigure commented. Miu and the other masters just stared at him, baffled.
Genma chuckled, pulling out another sign. "Yep, I'm adorable."
Akane rolled her eyes. "Don't encourage him," she muttered.
Ranma shook her head at her father and took her stance again. Kenichi, frowning, did the same, although his stance was different from before.
"Oh no..." Akisame said, watching Kenichi's movements.
"Crap..." Sakaki muttered, recognizing what their disciple was going for.
"Now is not the time for chivalry, Kenichi..." Kensei muttered.
"Excellent," Happosai said, grinning evilly, recognizing Kenichi's posture.
Ranma came in again, thrusting with a high kick. In her female form, Ranma was faster, but not as strong, so she relied on that speed, dancing around Kenichi, striking blows to his chest, head, stomach and neck. Kenichi's body jerked back and forth as he made grabs at Ranma's flying limbs, welts forming from the rapid attacks.
Ranma frowned. Something was off. Kenichi hadn't thrown a punch since her gender shift...
"Hey, what gives?" she asked. "Fight back!"
Kenichi staggered. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and grinned weakly. "As a man... I have sworn never to strike a woman..."
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Genma said.
Sakaki sighed. "I really wish he was..." he muttered.
Happosai and Nabiki both began cackling.
Akane just stared, smirking a little and folding her arms.
Ranma's eye twitched. "But... But I'm a guy," she insisted.
Kenichi shook his head. "Not right now you aren't," Kenichi said, sighing.
Ranma's eye twitched again. He remembered all the times he had justified to himself not training with Akane because she was a woman and 'it wasn't right for a guy to hit a girl.' To be faced with the other side of the equation... the irony of it was sickening. And infuriating.
"Ah crap..." she muttered. "Akane? Remind me when this is all over to apologize to you."
"Oh believe me," Akane said, grinning darkly, "I'm never letting you forget this."
"As for you..." Ranma snarled to Kenichi, who flinched. "You don't wanna hit me 'cause I'm a girl right now? Fine. I'll just concentrate on hitting YOU."
"Kenichi?" Sakaki said, almost conversationally. "Either start punching the aquatranssexual or we restart your Gamaku training. And we won't stop for sleeping, eating, bathroom breaks, drinking, or anything else until you get it RIGHT."
Everyone just stared at the leather-jacket wearing martial artist with confusion. Kenichi blinked. "...Seriously?" he asked softly.
"I don't fuck around when it comes to your training," Sakaki said, scowling.
Ranma scowled. "Listen, I don't know what you're trying to do, but stay out of our..."
"MUBYOSHI!"
The punch caught Ranma completely off-guard. Ranma flew back into the dojo, letting out a gurgling cry as she felt some of her ribs collapse under the force of the blow. She slammed through the other wall of the dojo, slammed through the OUTER WALL, and into the side of a building, leaving a person-shaped indentation. She pulled herself out of the indentation and started to stagger forward, clutching her chest in agony, but immediately had to go on the defensive as Kenichi launched himself at her again.
"Finally," she said, coughing. "'Bout time you got serio... huh?"
Kenichi's demeanor had changed entirely. His battle aura was icy cold, and he was staring directly into Ranma's eyes as they fought, his gaze intense. Ranma managed to keep up her attacks, even launching into her Amaguriken rapid fist attack, but Kenichi dodged each blow by the thinnest of margins, deflecting or moving out of the way of Ranma's attacks and countering.
"What the hell..." Ranma said, mainly to herself. What the fuck is this? This technique is weird.
"Ryusui Seikuken," Kenichi said softly, as if answering her unspoken question. "The rock in the riverbed..."
Happosai went wide-eyed. "Ah! I get it!" the perverted old man said. "The initial Seikuken was Kenichi protecting his personal 'territory.' While with the Ryusui Seikuken..."
Soun nodded, getting it as well. "...he reduces his territory to the thinnest possible skin, letting attacks flow around him like water flowing around a rock in the river!"
The Elder nodded, stroking his beard. "Indeed, that's the truth of it," he chuckled.
Ranma scowled, tuning out the others as she concentrated on trying to fight Kenichi. The black haired young man parried or blocked everything she threw at him, even matching the speed of his Amaguriken punches. Worried, she backflipped away, Kenichi following her.
"You are fondest of Akane, but you cannot bring yourself to give up the affection of the other women out of pride," Kenichi said softly.
WHAT THE!? Ranma thought. "S-Stay out of my head!" she barked, launching a powerful kick at Kenichi's head. The young man deflected it with a tekkou, lashing out with a slashing elbow that left a scar in the side of a nearby building, Ranma barely managing to dodge. Ranma flipped away again, but Kenichi matched her pace perfectly, staying in synch with Ranma's movements.
And, to Ranma's discomfort, Kenichi never stopped looking at him straight in the eyes. Punches and kicks were traded, neither young fighter getting an advantage over the other, Kenichi matching his faster opponent's moves perfectly.
Plus, Ranma was starting to get sore just from punching Kenichi. What sort of training did this kid go through to make his body so hard?
This is nuts... Ranma thought. It's like he's reading my mind! I... I gotta go for it! But I gotta do it backwards, send out a hot aura to counter his cold.
Ranma ratcheted up his ki, sending out a blazing battle aura. Kenichi frowned, his eyes never leaving Ranma's as his icy cold aura intermixed with his opponent's. And then Ranma began to backpedal.
Happosai smiled. "Good... This will win it..." he said.
Genma and Soun smiled as well, seeing Ranma's plan a few moments later. Akane frowned. "What? What's he doing?"
"Take a look," Genma said. Akane turned towards the fight, and saw the two auras intermixing. She looked at Ranma and Kenichi... and then she saw it.
"Oh!" she said, smiling. She whispered the next words almost reverently. "The Hiryu Shoten Ha..."
Kenichi's masters and supporter were listening in with worry.
"The redhead's up to something," Sakaki said.
"Apapa, but what?" Apachai asked, biting his nails worriedly.
Miu stood firm, however. "Kenichi will beat it, whatever it is," she said. "I know he will."
The Elder glanced down to Miu's hands. She had unconsciously crossed her fingers as she said it. The Elder sighed and watched the fight worriedly. What was this technique?
Ranma slowly pulled Kenichi into the spiral, making it wide so as not to arouse suspicion, moving faster and faster as they approached the center. She went on the complete defensive, parrying Kenichi's attacks, slowly pulling him in. As they reached the center, Ranma thrust her fist upward for the final attack. But before she could finish the motion...
"KOROI NUKI!" Kenichi cried, a powerful kick thrusting towards her chest. Ranma brought her guard up, a perfect block, but the kick pierced through her defenses as if she had never thrown them up. Ranma felt ribs crack as Kenichi's leg thrust underneath her, lifting her into the air as her opponent went into a perfect vertical split, as firm and tall as a tree.
"KGAGH!" Ranma grunted, spurting blood out of her mouth as she clawed at the air, her mind trying and failing to process what just happened.
"It's over..." Kenichi said softly, releasing the Ryusei Seikuken and letting Ranma drop to the ground.
Ranma just lay their, her entire body wracked with pain. She could feel her broken ribs shifting about as she coughed up blood. And yet... she wasn't angry. She had lost, but she wasn't angry.
"Huh..." she said, coughing. She looked up at Kenichi, who was smiling and offering a hand to help her up. Ranma smiled back, finally understanding. There's no shame in losing cleanly to a fighter that's better than you. A friendly rival...
Ranma coughed again, laughing. "Ah, crap," she said, taking Kenichi's hand. "I give, you win."
Kenichi's masters smiled, Miu jumping up and down happily. (Kensei and Happosai discreetly pulled out cameras to take a picture of Miu's bouncing breasts, but kunai from Shigure stopped the two perverts.)
Akane, Nabiki, Genma, Soun, and even the normally unflappable Kasumi stared in shock.
"Ranma... lost?!" Akane said, her entire body numb.
Kenichi helped Ranma up, smiling and dusting her off. "Good match," he said. "I hope we can do it again sometime."
Ranma grinned. "Me too. I gotta train harder if I wanna kick your ass for real," she said.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
AMT Arena...
Broadcast booth...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Damn!" Kreese said. "That was a pretty good fight for a couple of kids!"
"Ranma Saotome gave it her best, but Kenichi Shirahama proved to be the superior fighter this day," Kenma said.
"I honestly would have given it to Ranma at the start," Kreese said. "Why'd he... she... why'd Ranma lose?"
Kenma quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "The difference is in their training and techniques. Ranma's techniques are powerful, but notoriously unreliable. The Moko Takabisha is fueled by confidence, and that can drain quickly in the middle of a fight. And that move at the end that Ranma tried, the Hiryu Shoten Ha, is extremely powerful, but takes way too damn long to set up."
Kreese nodded, understanding. "While Kenichi's techniques, the Mubyoshi, the Ryusei Seikuken, and the Koroi Nuki, are all fairly basic in principle."
Kenma nodded, stroking his chin. "Indeed. There's also the difference in training to consider. Ranma has trained under Genma Saotome and Happosai, who are fair weather mentors at the very best. Ranma's also incorporated lots of rather ridiculous and utterly impractical styles into his repertoire, including Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, Martial Arts Gymnastics, Martial Arts Eating..."
Kreese blinked. "You're shitting me..."
"I really wish I was," Kenma said. "As we saw, Ranma had no chance to use the sillier techniques she gained from those styles. Meanwhile, with Kenichi, his training has been the exact opposite. Kenichi has six masters, all of whom care whether he lives or dies. They subject him to training designed to make him stronger, make him a better fighter, focusing on the practical basics. Akisame Koetsuji, his Jujutsu instructor, also had him undergo training to literally make his body as hard as iron, maximizing his energy potential. And every time he's trained with Elder Furinji, he jumps FAR ahead in skill."
Kreese nodded, chuckling. "So basically, while Ranma succeeds in spite of his masters, Kenichi succeeds because of his masters?"
Kenma grinned, nodding. "Precisely."
"Bitchin,'" Kreese said, turning back to the cameras. "Anyway, that's it for this episode of Alternian Multiverse Tournament!"
"Be sure to tune in next time when Samus Aran, the legendary heroine of Metroid, faces off against the mighty Master Chief of Halo fame!" Kenma added. "We would like to remind our viewers that some of the battles you see here will be to the death. But don't worry if someone you like dies, we have ways of bringing them back to life."
"1UP MUSHROOMS GALORE!" Kreese cackled. "My doctor was wrong! Eating 'shrooms IS good for my health!"
Kenma rolled his eyes, laughing. "See you next time, folks!"