I told you this wasn't too the liking of a purist! Darn it, if you don't like the way I'm doing this thing then tell me! But I'm going to continue it anyway.
No further comment. Just read it and tell me what you think.
-Randall Flagg2000
Chapter Four: The Way of Psychology
Yes, I'm all you need for this job.
-Dominique the Cyclops, Trigun
You can observe a lot just by watching.
-Yogi Berra
(1)
He followed the four of them down the long hallway towards the training hall. Ranma wasn't impressed yet, but he was curious. What kind of dojo willingly accepted girls, allowed in people of other nations, and relied on psychology then strategy, meditation and physical training? Definitely not a dojo that a man wanted, that was for sure. Already Ranma had the impression that the guys here were nothing more then stuffy blowhards who were more intent on helping people solve their emotional problems (would his parents have tolerated such a disgrace? No way in Hell they would.), and their leader was nothing more then an eccentric fool, and probably a crybaby in the bargain, and if there was anything Ranma hated more then anything, it was a man who wasn't manly. Damn it, he wasn't going to be turned into some sensitive piece of shit that cried during sad movies, cooked dinner and could still call himself a martial artist. That was not the place of a man, especially not one such as himself, who was supposed to be the best of the best.
"Keep moving Saotome." said the voice of Whilhem Schwartz, who had stopped because Ranma had stopped moving suddenly.
Whirling around, Ranma said "Go around if you can't wait! I'm not in the mood for hearing any bullshit right now!"
Schwartz' eyes widened at this sudden outburst of fury. "I see that your temper if very quick. Is that really how a man would act?"
Ranma's eyes bulged with rage. "Don't you dare go there you stupid Nazi reject! I'm only coming down for a match!"
"That's really no way for a guest to speak to his host." Schwartz replied, his voice surprisingly calm despite that Ranma had just threw a vicious stereotypical insult at him. Why couldn't people put Germany's one most despicable crime in the past where it belonged? Although he couldn't blame the boy; Ranma lacked so many social skills that he probably didn't know (or refused to know, as the case might very well be) that Japan had also joined the Axis Powers during World War Two, even if it was for a different reason. Well, that was in the past and this was now.
"Don't lecture me on how to act! Who do you think you are?" Ranma snarled.
"We're the ones who took you in, so you could show at least a little gratitude." Schwartz said. Ranma was about to strike Schwartz for pushing him further, when another voice came from down the hall.
"Here, here! What is all this noise?" called the voice of Kazuki Kitayama. "Is something going down over here? I could have sworn I heard shouting!"
Ranma and Schwartz turned to face the man as he strode down the hall. He didn't seem annoyed in the least.
"Nothing master; I think Saotome still needs to adjust to our ways." Schwartz said.
Kitayama tilted his head to one side. "Oh, you're not fitting in with the other kids, Saotome? Having trouble adjusting to a new school life? Well don't worry since in this school the homework is training and we grade by emotions and sometimes by fights with other students, and you won't even get suspended!"
"Whatever man, I just want to train." Ranma growled, his anger ebbing a bit.
"If that is what you wish, then it shall be granted! And I can grant a lot more wishes then the usual three!" Kitayama burst into laughter and went back down the hall from whence he came. His laughter reverberated throughout the hall, sounding like so many children giggling in unison. Ranma heard it and hated it.
"Keep moving Saotome. Our match can't wait forever." Gerard called from further ahead.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Ranma grunted, continuing down the hall. He couldn't think of anything else now. He had to focus on the match.
Up ahead Diana opened a pair of double doors and they all walked into the strangest training hall Ranma had ever seen.
(2)
There were was no room at all. The so called "training hall" was not a room at all! It was simply a beautiful garden with green grass and thick trees that led into some sort of forest. Ranma turned around and saw that they were outside of the dojo. So this was simply a backyard. Huh, some training hall.
"What is this?" Ranma asked. "Why are we out here? Shouldn't we be inside for this?"
Diana giggled. "Oh don't be silly Saotome! We believe in training in the calm wilderness so we can be at peace of body and mind when we duel! Being inside gives one the feeling of intensity and edginess, and we can't have that in a fight!"
Ranma grunted sourly. Being corrected by a woman had never been easy for him. Not that it ever was by anyone.
Gerard stepped towards then center of the garden and assumed a fighting stance. Schwartz and Diana backed up towards the dojo to give them breathing room.
"You want to fight here?" Ranma asked.
"Yes Saotome, and don't think I will go easy on you. I'm going to fight you with everything I have, and I would expect you to do the same thing."
Ranma smirked. "Are you sure about that? If your master knows about me, then you should know about everybody I've defeated!" It was a boast, but unlike most arrogant people, Ranma had every bit of skill and strength to back up his claims.
"You'd better believe I do!" Kitayama called from the double doors. "Anyone in this country should know about the Anything Goes Martial Art! It will be interesting to see the famous Ranma Saotome in action with my own eyes! Please give me a good show!" As if to punctuate these last lines, Kitayama sat down on the grassy land, not in the traditional sitting position, but in a spread legged position with his arms behind him on the ground; a casual sitting position.
Ranma stepped towards Gerard. Gerard smiled, a bright blue battle aura of large size flaring up around his body. Ranma concentrated on his Ki and an aura of similar color and size formed around his body. A showdown was about to begin.
"Both fighters ready?" Kitayama called out. "Ready, set, fight!"
(3)
Ranma wasted no time and began to sprint towards Gerard. The Frenchman merely stood his ground. Quick as a flash, Ranma somersaulted forward and performed a rolling kick. Moving as gracefully as a dancer, Ranma used his supporting hands to spin around to his feet and throw a straight punch.
What struck him by surprise was that Gerard was nowhere to be seen.
From above, a voice called out "Dragon's Curving Beam!" and Ranma looked up just in time to see a massive blast of Ki extend from Gerard's hand. The beam was in the shape of a Chinese dragon. Ranma simply jumped to one side and waited for the blast to slam into the ground.
Instead of drilling into the ground however, the blast suddenly turned to one side. Ranma felt the blast collide with him head on and suddenly he felt as if he had been hit with a wrecking ball. He went flying back and landed on the ground on his back, his battle aura evaporating.
Ranma stood up slowly, clutching his stomach. "How... did you do that?"
Gerard smirked. "It's simple really. When I fired the blast I thought to myself, 'well he's going to dodge it, right?' And of course, I don't think you've found a fighter who could manipulate his Ki to that extent, so I decided that it would be easy to catch you off guard if I used a blast which could curve as well as be powerful. And like the dragon of Chinese legend, the Dragon's Curving Beam can fly through the air wherever it so wishes. My blast can track down the opponent." Gerard held up his hand and began to charge up another blast.
"Two can play at that game." Ranma thought. Gerard was unaware of it, but he had been charging his Ki up as well.
"Moko Takabisha!" Ranma yelled as he thrust his hands out. A large ball of Ki shot out of his hands with a loud cracking sound. Gerard's eyes widened and he found himself being hurled through the air by the blast. Ranma sprang into the air after him and prepared his signature attack.
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma called out and suddenly Gerard found himself being danced and jiggled through the air as a flurry of punches coming at approximately the speed of light assaulted his body. It was time to show the boy another little trick of his own.
"Kachu Tenshin Amagurigeri!"
Ranma saw Gerard dart to one side and the man's feet began to zip through the air, pounding Ranma at every vulnerable location in his body. With a groan he fell to the ground. Gerard landed a few feet away from him.
"What the heck was that?" Ranma grunted, lifting himself off of the ground.
"It's a little revision to the Chestnut Fist technique, Saotome. We have studied about the Chinese arts and know of one or two of the techniques used by the amazons of China. When I learned of this technique, I wondered if it might be possible to do it with the feet as well. So I trained as they would, by plucking chestnuts from an open fire while avoiding the flames. The difference is that I trained myself to use my toes to scoop out chestnuts. It's much harder to do, and more painful, but the results are worth it. You grab only a couple chestnuts when your toes curl, but because it takes longer to do the technique takes longer to perform and can thus inflict more damage." Gerard smiled triumphantly. "It's more then a match for your little fists."
"Gerard! Do not mock his abilities! I do not wish for this to turn into a bloodbath!" Kazuki Kitayama called. "Remember what happened to the Tendo girl!"
Gerard opened his mouth to reply when suddenly Ranma leaped towards him, his battle aura flaring up again. This time the Ki was bright red; an angry aura. He stuck out his foot which became surrounded by burning Ki.
"Saotome Shooting Star Kick!" Gerard performed a high block with his arm, and paid dearly for it. A horrific burning sensation ripped through his arm and he fell to the ground, clutching his arm. The sleeve of his suit had burned away and the flesh beneath it was red and raw.
"You little brat, how dare you!" Gerard snarled. He spun around held out both hands. Ki in the shape of dragon's heads began to form on them.
"Dragon's Curving Double Beam!" This time two giant beams flew out; one from each hand. Ranma held out both of his hands as well.
"Double Moko Takabisha!" Two large Ki blasts flew out, but they were not match for the larger beams. The blasts dissipated and Ranma found himself on the receiving end of two energy beams head on. He was hurled into a tree with paralyzing force and slumped to the ground.
"You weren't kidding when you said you wouldn't hold back, were you?" Ranma huffed as he regained his footing.
"Of course I wasn't kidding Saotome! I don't think I'd go so far as to kill you, but that is what your dojo teaches right? Give it your all in a fight and never refuse a challenge, right?" Gerard laughed at his own sarcasm.
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Well if that's the way you want it, then fine!" He turned around and began to charge energy into his hands again.
"Moko Takabisha Body Crash!" Ranma fired the blast into the trees, but that wasn't quite it. The blast came with such force that he was propelled through the air like a bullet fired from a powerful pistol. Gerard was so amazed by this revision of technique that he forgot to dodge and Ranma crashed into him. Gerard grunted and was knocked onto his back. Ranma on the other hand, landed on his feet with relative ease.
Ranma took a breath, but it caught in his throat as Gerard suddenly leaped to his feet and spun at Ranma with a kick, his battle aura at full blast again. Ranma leaped over it when he heard the Frenchman call out "Spinning Tornado Back Kick!" Ranma was suddenly hurled through the air as a blast of wind hurled him up into the air. Gerard jumped up after him and barraged Ranma with another Kachu Tenshin Amagurigeri.
"Once again Saotome, I have created a technique based on the psychology of a warrior's mind." Gerard said as his feet pummeled Ranma. "I notice that when a person kicks at you, you like to jump over it and attack from overhead. I've encountered many fighters who do the same as you, so I created this technique. By performing a spinning back kick and combining it with my battle aura, I can create a fast swirling vortex of wind. This lifts my opponent into the air where it's easy for me to attack them!"
As Ranma fell to the ground, Gerard screamed "Dragon's Curving Beam!" again and Ranma was slammed into the ground with bone crushing force. Gerard stood over him, his aura suddenly beginning to redden. This was no longer just a battle to him. This was power, this was a test.
"That is enough Freddy!" Diana called from the dojo entrance. "You're going to kill him if you keep this up!"
"I don't give a fuck about that!" Gerard shrieked. "He probably wouldn't want to live with the shame of losing anyway!"
"He's lost many times before and you know it! He'll just come back stronger!" the Russian woman protested.
"Oh it's true he's lost matches before, but never an honest one! We've observed him for some time and we know all of his wins and losses, but if he loses it's because he doesn't know the style at all or because of that perverted old man or the old woman who runs the Cat Café! Have you ever seen him lose a fight where he knew the opponent and the opponent did not have something special like, oh say, a tattoo? Or perhaps a horrific transformed state? Or because he was afraid of cats and his opponent was one? Can you tell me that?" Gerard's voice was rising and getting more and more furious. "Well can you?"
Diana had nothing to say to that.
Gerard turned back to Ranma, his face as twisted and merciless as a Devil from Hell. He began to charge hot Ki into his hand. "Now I'm going to finish you off for good!" he roared, forgetting the prophecy he was supposed to help fulfill.
And suddenly he gasped because Ranma was no longer there.
(4)
Gerard saw Ranma and threw a lunging punch at him. As expected, Ranma stepped away. Not one to hesitate, he followed it with a kick. Ranma stepped back again. Enraged, Gerard began to throw a series of punches at Ranma, none of them connecting. Strangely, Ranma only continued backing away.
"Hold still you little coward!" Gerard yelled, and threw another Dragon's Curving Blast at Ranma. The ground was ripped open by the hot Ki, but Ranma only continued to step away.
"Don't fuck with me! I am warning you, don't you dare fuck with me!" Gerard began to throw more and more blasts, none of them hitting their intended target.
(5)
Diana and Schwartz were watching from afar. Ranma had gone from an offensive style of attack to a defensive style. But what good would backing away do? Gerard would catch him in time, so what difference did it make?
Suddenly Schwartz gasped. "Diana! Is he going to use it?"
"Use what Whilhem? You think he's got something up his sleeve?"
Schwartz rolled his eyes. "Just call me by my first name. I prefer it anyway." Diana was the only one in the dojo who addressed him by first name. It annoyed him, but he wasn't going to complain. Students were not to fight amongst themselves in this dojo.
"Anyway, I do think he's planning something. Look at the way he is moving! Also note how their energy is starting to swirl!"
Diana's eyes widened. "You don't mean he really intends to use the Amazon's secret technique, do you? I thought he wasn't going to fight to the death!"
It was too late. As the spiral became complete, Ranma thrust his fist up and shouted with all his might "HIRYU SHOTEN HA!"
(5)
Gerard roared with anger as another one of his blasts missed. He was getting nowhere fast and this boy dared to mock him like this? He would not lose to anybody, even if this boy was to be their new leader.
"You will not beat me! I will not be defeated by you!" Gerard threw more and more blasts, and suddenly he became aware of how his energy was swirling around him. There was cold Ki as well, mixed in with his own heated aura. He realized the truth, perhaps too late.
"Saotome wait! You wouldn't dare use this on me!" His words fell on deaf ears.
"HIRYU SHOTEN HA!"
(6)
"That does it, it's over!" Ranma thought. "Now I'll just watch the tornado finish him off!" Already both sets of Ki had combined and a tornado of energy was forming around him and Gerard.
Ranma's look of triumph turned into a grimace of terror as suddenly the tornado lifted him off of the air.
(7)
As Ranma was lifted into the air by his own attack he looked down. Gerard was positioned in a stance similar to his own when the Hiryu Shoten Ha was to be finished. The difference was that his aura was bright blue again, a sign that he had repressed his anger.
"He countered with a cold Ki like my own, just like Herb did! Well I guess he doesn't know what that allows me to do next!"
Ranma reared his fist back and prepared to send a screw punch of cold Ki down the center. Once he did, the heat from Gerard's blasts would rush down the center and create the Hiryu Kourin Dan. Once that happened, this battle would be finished.
But just as Ranma was about to slam his fist forward, his body felt as if it had been burned and frozen at the same time. He was tossed through the vortex of the tornado like a doll as his clothes were ripped and shredded by the mixture of cold and hot Ki and swirling wind. Every time he tried to punch the cold energy downwards, he was thrown in another direction and more heat and cold licked at his body.
Ranma looked down in disbelief. Gerard was smirking up at him, his eyes gleaming with triumph and hate. His mouth formed two words: "I win."
Ranma closed his eyes and prayed to whatever God was out there that this would end. And it did. He slipped into blackness as his tunic was shredded to ribbons.
(8)
When the tornado ended, there was a large crater in the ground where it had dug into the soft dirt. Frederick Gerard stood in the center, his fist in the air, his battle aura an icy blue. Ranma lay further away. His clothes were shredded, his flesh torn, and his hair ruffled and ruined. He did not look like the handsome martial artist who had been taught to carry on the Tendo school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. He looked like he had tried the Neko-Ken training all over again.
Ranma was also blissfully unaware of what was going on between a French martial artist and a German giant. Whilhem Schwartz had forced Frederick "Freddy" Gerard up against the walls of the dojo and was holding him by the throat.
"What the fucking hell is wrong with you Gerard?" Schwartz roared into Gerard's face. "You were supposed to fight him, not try to kill him!"
"Combat it combat!" Gerard spat. "When you face an enemy in combat you must always defeat them, no matter what!"
"You weren't trying to defeat him! You were trying to turn him into flaming croquettes with your stupid energy attacks! Why do you always do this?"
"In a street situation, you have to kill or be killed! Maybe in those western countries where people sit on their asses and gobble cheese burgers and soda while watching CNN a fight would be safe and easy, but in this country we fight like we mean it! You know that as much as I do!"
"This was no street situation Gerard! Have you forgotten how important this boy is to our Sensei? Have you forgotten he is the final key to bringing about the time of darkness? Have you?" Schwartz shook Gerard with each word, but the man would not yield.
"THAT BOY WAS MINE, AND YOU KNOW IT! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT-"
Gerard grew silent as Kitayama glided up to him. The man's goofy smile quieted both of them.
"Both of you calm down, we must not fight amongst ourselves! I'm sure Gerard has an explanation for his actions." He leaned against the wall. "Care to tell us the truth Gerard? We're all listening!"
Gerard lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I just get so wrapped up in fights that it's like I become a whole different person. That's how it's always been. You know that."
"Oh yes, I know it alright! You've always been one to take fights to the extreme, haven't you? Well normally I wouldn't mind that, but you almost killed our savior! I must admit I am a bit disappointed with you."
Gerard began to tremble. "S-sensei… please don't hurt me…"
"Oh don't worry there will be no penalty for you! I'm giving you a get out of jail free card!" Kitayama giggled. "So you can continue to pass go and collect two hundred dollars!"
Gerard sighed in relief when Kitayama added "What exactly did you do to him to reverse the Hiryu Shoten Ha on him anyway?"
Gerard smiled. "Well, we all saw what happened to him in his battle with the Chinese Musk Dynasty, so I thought of something. That man, Herb or whatever, reversed the Hiryu Shoten Ha on him by creating a cold battle aura like his, right? And of course the dragon must spiral into the hot aura to form, right? Well when Herb reversed the attack, he only used a Ki of equal temperature. The Amazons said that the cold aura must meet with a hot aura, but they did not specify on what type of hot and cold. I thought if I made my aura even colder this his own, the tornado would be reversed to go for the Ki that was not hot, but only hotter. And with the dragon blast completely against him, he would not be able to create the Hiryu Kourin Dan. I guess it worked."
Kitayama giggled and clapped his hands. "Excellent work Gerard! You turned psychology to the attack itself instead of just the battle tactics of your opponent! I always knew you would make a fine student!"
"Pardon me for interrupting, but shouldn't we take the savior inside to be treated?" Diana Halikovf asked. "He might die from the looks of it."
Kitayama nodded. "Yes, let's hurry up and take him inside! I imagine he must be in a tremendous amount of pain right about now!"
"Shall we go ask James to show us some more of Ranma's history?"
Kitayama absolutely beamed. "Yes, that would be very enjoyable! I've got popcorn too!"
Diana picked Ranma up into her arms and nodded to the others. There was a flash of light and suddenly they were dressed in hooded robes again. In another flash, they were gone.
END OF CHAPTER FOUR
I know your probably wondering what happened to the Tendos and Genma and how these people know all about Ranma's fights. Well the next chapter will answer that. Hope everybody has enjoyed spring break!
-Randall Flagg2000